----Kouki Arakawa Viewpoint

I'm home, Mom.

　In the evening, as usual, when I came back from the academy, my mother was in the kitchen preparing dinner. Hmm, by the smell of it, it must be stew today.... I go into my room and change my clothes, and then I go back out to my mom's place.

Mom, I'm hungry.

Just sit back and wait for me to get it done... con, con!

　When I urge him to eat dinner, he urges me to take a seat and wait for him, so I sit down quietly, wait for a while, and then eat the food brought on the table with my mom. Since I entered the academy, we talk about what happened at the academy and what impressed me the most that day, and we listen to my mother's research as we eat.

'Oh my God, did that happen? "Con.

Yeah, Shingo was being held by Aikawa-san again today.

　After finishing my meal and taking a bath, I went into my room to find a message from Alice. It's unusual at this time of the day, I thought as I called back.

'I'm sorry, Kuniki-kun, but it's about tomorrow,'

What's going on? Con.....

　Apparently, I'm going to be working on some chemicals in my research building tomorrow, so they want me to contact Alice's personal terminal beforehand before entering the second floor. Come to think of it, when Shingo went upstairs without permission to pick up the medicine, the wind blew the powder of the drug Alice was working on away and caused a lot of trouble. I remember that and advise him to tell the other members.

'Yeah, all right. By the way.... what's that 'con' squeal-like sound I keep hearing?

'Oh, this?　Something about coming home and seeing a dragon.

　I was looking at the 'dragon' in front of me again as I answered that, I could see Alice exclaiming over the terminal. It's okay Alice, I didn't know how to react when I saw this guy when I got home, so I just went through it.
　When I was thinking about that, Alice cut off the communication while saying 'You look kind of tired, so get some rest quickly. Well, that's usually how I would react. But still, what the hell is this guy?　Is this a magical creature of your mother's creation...

'Hey,'

"Con?

　The fact that there's a response means you understand the language, tilting your head, 'What?' And so I observe the dragon waiting for my words. I poke this guy's face with my finger for now.

Con!　Concon.

　Apparently he doesn't like it. It's desperately trying to bite my fingertips, but it doesn't hurt at all, and it's only about 20 cm long. It looks like a small version of a dragon in a fantasy world, and it even has wings in front of it. Suddenly, I had an idea!

Hey, can you fly?

Con.....

　I'm flapping my wings like I can't, but it's not pretty. So now that's the next one.

Can you breathe fire and ice?

Corn.....

　Apparently they can't tell you anything, aren't they dragons?　I'll ask you questions about that too, and you'll answer them with your heart. No, if you can't fly and can't spit, you're just a lizard!　Wait a minute ... a lizard that understands words.

"You'd sell it, wouldn't you?

Co-con?

　I'm kidding about the sale, but we need to find out what this thing is all about. Without a doubt, Mom is the reason why this mysterious creature is in the house, at this time of day, she should be in her room studying it. Thinking so, I go to your room and knock, but there is no answer, is it in the basement reference room?　Once again, I went to the basement and my mom was drawing a magic circle on the floor and doing something.



Huh?　What what?　Don't tell me my mom summoned you?



　When I call out to him, he turns around while putting away a book that looks like it has black magic in it.

'Kou-chan!　What's going on?

What's going on? And that's what I want to hear, Mom. I thought you were a genius scientist, but you don't know what you're doing behind the scenes, and when I say that in a distant way, you deny it in a hurry.

'No, I'm not!　Even my mom didn't expect a dragon baby to hatch out of nowhere. I was working in the lab and out of the 'scales' you gave me before, the baby came out of nowhere.　It's understandable that you'd be upset and want to try and see if the magic really exists.

　I don't understand it at all, but what do you mean it was hatched from scales? I was briefed that they were the scales of a legendary old dragon when I was given them.... Did my mother clone me?　So I'll ask him.

'I put it on my mom's desk at work after she gave it to me, and then all of a sudden it cracked at work and this kid came out of it.

　As he said this, he looked at me, holding the dragon that had come by his feet. No, it's not right that it's coming out of the scales!　When I questioned him further, he told me his thoughts.

「こうちゃん、前に異世界の事を教えてくれた時に魔物の話をしてくれたわよね？　その時『ドラゴンは人間には討伐する事は難しいって聞いた』と説明してくれたけど、じゃあなんでアレが『鱗』だって現地の人は理解できたの？」

　いやだってそれは言い伝えとかじゃないのか？　そもそも卵みたいな形じゃないし、あれは鱗だろう。そう考えていると母さんの説明は続く、

「恐らくね、鱗じゃなくて卵かそれに近い物だったのだと思う。お母さんは仮死状態で休眠していたと考えているの、こちらの世界でも同じような方法で数年から十数年間の長い時間を休眠する生物もいるしね。魔法なんてとんでもない技術があるのなら、それこそ数百年単位で休眠することも可能だと思うわよ」

　微妙に説得力があって腹が立つが母さんの考え通りなら、なぜ今更孵化したんだ？

「こうちゃんが、こっちの世界に帰る時に何十人もの人間が一斉に魔力と呼ばれる物質を使用したんでしょ。それが引き金になって休眠を止めたんじゃない？」

　なら俺が原因なのか……、母さんに抱かれたままのドラゴンを見ながら俺は考える。なんか申し訳ないな、ここはお前が本来いるべき世界じゃないのに。

「今は害がないからこのまま家で面倒を見ましょう。数百年も生きるドラゴンなら成長するまでに時間もかかるだろうし、それまでには元の世界に帰す方法をお母さんが見つけておくわよ」

　『見た目は珍しいトカゲで通用できるしね』と付け加えながら笑いながら話す。取り合えず明日、学院でアリス達にも相談しよう……俺はそう結論して部屋に戻った。




「可愛い！！」

「キミ火とか吐ける？」

　翌日俺の研究室棟にドラゴンを連れて来たのだが、アリスと相川さんは一目で気に入ったようだ。俺は信吾と2人でその様子を眺めているのだが適応能力の高さに苦笑いしか出来ない、もうちょっと驚けよ！

「功樹、名前とか付けたの？」

　隣で信吾が俺に聞いてくるが、そんなもん付けてない。名前か……俺がドラゴンを見つめるとその視線に気付いたように鳴きながら寄って来る、俺の手に顔を擦りながら甘えてくる姿は意外と可愛い。

「功樹君、皆で名前付けようよ」

「いいよ、皆で決めようか」

　いつまでも『おい』とか『ドラゴン』で呼ぶわけもいかない、そう考えて許可を出したのだが皆のセンスが壊滅的だったのに俺はこの時初めて気付いた。

「フヒ！　ボクは『幻龍ノクターナル』が良いと思う！」

信吾、お前何歳だよ。

「駄目よシン君、この子は『ローズ・ウェルディー』にするの」

　相川さん、ウェルディーってなんだよ。そんな中アリスは真剣にドラゴンを見つめた後、俺の方を向いて名前を口にする。

「功樹君、私は『白銀の騎士クレイド』がいいと思う」

　お前もかよ！？　だいたい騎士じゃねーからな？　ただのトカゲもどきだろコイツは！　ドラゴンは小さくなりながら『コン……』と嫌そうに鳴いている。

「お前、名前『コン』で良いか？」

「コン！　コンコン！！」

　俺がそう言うと嬉しそうに擦り寄ってくる。よし、決まりだな……コイツ自身が認めるなら今日からコンだ。他のメンバーから大ブーイングだが気にしない、大体ノクターナルなんて人前で呼べねーよ！　そんな時に相川さんが大声でこんな事を言った。

「そもそも、この子がドラゴンの癖に『コン』なんて可愛い声で鳴くから悪いの！　もっとドラゴンぽく鳴いたらローズでもしっくりするのに」

　それを聞いた俺はコンに話かける、『別の鳴き方は出来るか？』そう聞くとコンはトコトコと机から降りて部屋の端まで歩いた後に振り返り、大きく息を吸う。そして、











グルアアアアアアアアアア！！！！！！

と今までの鳴き声ではなく、確かな『咆哮』を上げた。俺の方を見ながら『どう？』と言わんばかりに胸を張っているコンを相川さんは驚いた様子で眺めている。

「コンちゃんでいいと思う」

　アリスがお願いだからこれからも『コン』と鳴いてくれと懇願している。俺はその様子を見ながら今の咆哮の衝撃で散らばったカップ類の片づけを、原因である相川さんに押し付けようと心に決めた……。