You need to lift your head.

　I don't want to be bowed out of the blue.
　Milua-san is a child on the outside, but on the inside she's much more mature than I am.......
　And then there's Tania's mother.
　I'm not sure what to do when she bows to me like this.

"Thank you for saving Tania. Thanks to Rayne, Tania was safe.
'It's not just me and I'm not the only one and besides, I'm one of you, so I just did what I thought was normal.
I don't think there are many people who can take that for granted.

　Milua-san looks up and smiles at me.
　It's a childlike smile, but....
　It's a strange feeling to look at.
　It's warm and calming....
　Suddenly, I remembered my mom in a distant memory.

'And I wish I could say one more thank you.
What?

　One more thing, if you ask me....
　What else did I miss?

Thank you for being with Tania.
What?

　I feel like he said something I didn't expect.

　You're with me..........
　What does it mean?

　What was he worried about Tania traveling alone?
　So was he relieved to have his friends with him?
　But then you'd be thanking everyone else, not just me, right?

　Hmm, I have no idea what that means.

Oh, I'm sorry. I don't know what you're talking about.
Well I'm sorry.

　I nodded honestly, thinking there was no point in faking it.

''I seem to be skipping some things. Tania has always been annoyed with me. She used to tell me that I didn't understand what she was saying because I was too far off in many ways.
I see.

　Somehow, the scene came to mind.
　Smiling.

'You heard that?　You've been there for me ever since I met Tania, haven't you?　

　That being said, I don't feel like I've done anything special.
　Since they are our friends, isn't it natural for them to be by our side?

　He seems to have sensed my doubts.
　Milua-san speaks with a somewhat distant look in her eyes.

''We're the strongest species, right?　Among them, the dragon tribe has a lot of pride. There are actually a lot of dragon tribesmen who look down on humans, like the criminal in the earlier case.
Well, that's just the way it is, I suppose.

　Compared to the dragon race, we humans are not much more important.
　Our physical abilities and magic power are vastly inferior.
　It's not easy to see such an opponent as an equal.

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who's interested in this, because that's why I think it's so hard to be with Tania. I'm not as proud as the perpetrator of the earlier incident, but Tania-chan is also very proud.

　I had an idea.
　From the first time we met, he was so bossy and competitive.
　Now I miss it.

But I don't think that's a good idea. I think we should all get along with each other. That's why, when I was in the village, I said a lot of things to Tania-chan...
"Didn't you listen to me?
'Yeah, you're right...' And just like that, Tania-chan went on a trip according to the code and I was worried about her. I wondered if she would do something like this one somewhere.
Well I'm sure you're worried.
'But it wasn't like that. Getting to know and spending time with Rayne she has grown a lot. It wasn't just his strength, but his mind grew.

　I understood what Mr. Milua was trying to say.

'It's because of Rain you're with me. It's so important to have someone next to you because it's so important...I miss you and I can't grow up alone...so thank you. Thank you for being with you and Tania.
You're welcome.

　But........." he interjects and continues.

'If that's what you mean, I'd like to say thank you too,'
"Huh?
I was in a lot of trouble, and I lost one of my friends once and then Tania joined me.

　He speaks as he recalls those days.
　I felt warm and the words naturally poured out of me.

'Like Milua-san says, it's so important to have someone with you. If you say that Tania has grown up, then it's the same thing for me.......because of Tania's presence, I've been able to change a lot of things. I'm the person I am today because of Tania. That's how I feel about it.
Okay.
So I thank you, too, for...
''Hmph. You'll have to tell that to Tania, not me....
That too, I suppose.
Tania, I know you'll be very happy.
Will it please you?
I'm sure he'll be very pleased.

　Hmm, I'm lost.


"Ha-ha.

　Milua-san grinned for some reason.

''Tania-chan, you're embarrassed, aren't you? Huh, so that's what you mean...''
Mr. Milua?
No, it's nothing. Anything.

　He looks like he's realizing something, but he won't say it.
　Does that mean I should realize it myself?
　This kind of thing, Milua-san is very childish.
　........I can't say such things in front of him, though.

Hey, hey, Rain-kun. You're still awake, right?
Yes, that's what I'm going to do?
Then can we talk some more?　I'd love to hear all about you, Tania.
Okay.
In return, I'll tell you something about Tania that you don't know about. Mainly, I'll tell you about Tania-chan when she was little. For example..........how old was Tania-chan when she wet herself in bed? And how she used to cover it up at that time.
Should I tell you that?

　I have a feeling that if Tania were here, she'd be red-faced and angry...

'It's okay! Because I'm Tania's mom.

　Ahem," said Milua, stretching her chest.
　I don't know why, but it was persuasive without question.

　Nope.
　But, well, I still think it's a bad idea to ask about Tania's past without permission.

''Well, leaving Tania's past aside.......let's talk about a lot of things.
'Yeah, I guess so...'

　Under the starry night sky
　Me and Milua-san would smile and talk about things.



----------



...Oh my God, Mother, I'm an idiot.

　I just happened to see Lane and my mom talking.
　I'll just keep eavesdropping and...
　Once I felt indescribable, I felt worse than this and left.

'Thank you for being with me........huh? Hmph. It's like it's Rain.