The tension is heavy and dominates the space. I turn my gaze to the being I'm facing, clutching the sweat on my forehead with my arms.
　It was a last-minute battle, and I could say I'm being driven into a corner.

　But there is already no end in sight. If I miss, I lose and it's a very close call.

".............Master please do your best.

　Behind me was Anima's voice, cheering me on as she prayed. Her voice was trembling, as if she was under the same strain as me.
　But the words that came to me certainly stirred up courage in my heart, and I held myself up while surrendering to the heat.
　With the sensation of time speeding up and the scenery around me becoming all too clear, I step out strongly and deliver the final blow.

''Ikke ee!''

　The white trajectory that was released from my hand was as sharp as if in response to my thoughts, and it successfully caught the target.

　.........Well, I'm just trying to guess the target.......

''Congratulations!　You'll get five points and a stamp.
You did it, master!　It's great!

　The attendant smiles and tells me I've fulfilled the requirement and stamps my stamp card. Anima is as happy as I am, and I return to her with a smile on my face.

　This is one of the attractions that Anima and I stopped at on our way to the third arena. You throw a ball at a target with nine boards on it, and if you get five points or more, you get a stamp.
　Well, it's a target using a baseball that was also in my world.

　By the way, Anima also tried, but she couldn't clear the target. Anima threw a very fast ball, but her control was not so good, and unfortunately she didn't reach a point.
　I don't need to tell you how fast my pitch speed is, but my control is so-so and I was able to clear the game in this way.

　Well, it's very fun to have a normal game like this, because it's always been so violent in the beginning.
　Megiddo says that he has a variety of attractions on offer, and there were some quizzes and card games before we even got to this one.
　I wish the battle with the five generals was something like that... I wonder what Megiddo's goal is, really.

　With that in mind, I left the attraction and walked down the street with Anima.
　While moving my gaze to the considerable number of stalls, I was leisurely aiming for the next arena, when Anima suddenly turned her attention to one of the stalls.

''........Hm?　Oh, salted fish ... shall we eat?
'Oh, no, no!　I'm fine!　I just happened to be in view...
I see, but it made me want to eat it too, so come on, eat with me.
Umm... yes.

　Anima also eats meat, but she seems to prefer fish........she may think she's hiding it, but it's easy to tell when she sees fish dishes because her eyes sparkle when she sees them.
　Well, even so, with Anima's personality, she'll think that she can't let her own desires stop me...........................It's better to invite her a little forcefully like this.

　I buy two salted fish and give one of them to Anima. As usual, Anima said she would pay for it herself, but I silenced her with a sovereign limit on that.
　As soon as I ate the salty grilled fish I received, the texture of the fragrant and crispy skin, the soft white meat, and a moderate saltiness. And just the right amount of saltiness........................yes, it's delicious.

Anima, how do you like it?
Oh, it's delicious!
Yeah, do you want some more?
'No, no!　I'm just hungry for this...
Excuse me, can I have another bottle?
Master!

　After finishing one quickly, Anima finished it quickly, and her cute expression told me it was delicious, and it was obvious that she still hadn't eaten enough. So I ignored Anima's protests and bought an additional one and handed it to her.

''........Ah, thank you.''

　She tends to be shy, but this is about as forceful as it gets for her. I think I'm getting to know Anima pretty well too.

　It's a bit of a digression, but the long-coat-like outfit Anima is currently wearing is actually similar in design to mine.
　However, the clothes I'm wearing are embroidered with gold thread here and there, but Anima's clothes are not. And the design is also a bit more subdued in Anima's clothes.
　This is Alice's mischievousness, and she purposely made Anima's clothes more modest than mine, using the motif of master and servant.

　And Anima was a great admirer of the outfit. She seems to be proud of being my squire, and she's really happy to be dressed in clothes that are instantly recognizable as my squire.
　But the "pride" is a bit of a problem for me, though....

　I'm not that stupid, either. I'm aware of the fact that Anima has feelings for me that go beyond that of a master and servant... and honestly, I'm happy about that.
　It's just that........Anima, in fact, is not aware of it at all. Rather, there is a section of her that thinks that the feeling is only a feeling of affection for the Lord she respects.

　Would it be better to say that her loyalty is too high and she doesn't realize that she has feelings beyond that?　What a conundrum. Even now, I went out of my way to declare it a date, but she is too serious and tries to stand in the position of a squire at every turn.

''........hmmm. Should I be more forceful?
Excuse me?
Yeah?　Well, um ... I guess that means Anima is cute, huh?
Huh?
Now, I think we should head to the arena.
'What?　Master!　Wait, wait a minute....

　
　We'll continue to be together as long as she doesn't get sick of it... and more importantly, Anima is a former black bear. She's far younger than me as a person. Or rather, she's less than a year old.

　We can make progress, little by little, without hurrying, right?　And with that thought in mind, I smiled at a confused Anima as we made our way side by side to the arena.

　Dear Mom, Dad - honestly, I lost them both......and I thought that I would never get the warmth of a family again. But yeah... I still don't know if I'm a master and servant, and I don't know if it's really the kind of love I feel for my family. But, yeah. What is it?　What a way to think of Anima as family - it's a strange fit.