Then we'll get on with the report.

　In the corner of Babylon's Garden, at the Shiamaya where the Queen's Tea Party was being held, Yumina solemnly declared.
　The nine Queen Brunhild queens are seated at the round table.
　Each of them had a cup of tea and drink of their choice at hand, and each of them had prepared a cake of their choice.

''As of now, there are two of our children who have come in our time. They are Yakumo-chan, Yae's daughter, and Kuhn-chan, Lean's daughter. Of these two, Yakumo-chan is missing while on a journey of warrior training, but...''
And you haven't heard from her since?
Not at all, that it does not......... Truly........how much more do I need to worry about my parents?

　Yae angrily flattened the whole cake in front of her with a bang. A second and third cake was also prepared beside it. It seems that they were planning to eat it with desperation from the beginning.

You're not going to have any new information from Kuhn-chan, are you?

　Linse asks Leanne, the only one of these people who is in contact with the child. Seven other than Yumina seemed to be concerned about that as well, and their attention was drawn to Leanne.

''It's nothing like this. That girl, unlike Alice, basically doesn't divulge any information other than her own.''
'But you do let slip a few words in here and there that are very disturbing...'

　Hilda blurted out, and Else, who was next to her, nodded widely.

'I know!　I said, 'Your mother Else's children are good. It's just that you and Mother Else.............hmmm. He said, 'No, it's nothing!　What is it with me!　It bothers me so much!
''That was on purpose........ I, too, was told, 'Unlike Sister Frey, Hilda's mother is not.......no, it's not a big deal. You don't need to worry about it. On the contrary, it bothered me and I couldn't get into training...''

　Hearing this, Leanne crossed her arms with an indescribable look on her face.

''I'm sorry. Apparently she's teasing us with her thoughtful attitude........ It sounds like she's not lying, and I'd appreciate it if you could tolerate her.

　 No doubt Kuhn knows what he's doing. They enjoy watching their reactions.

'Totally out of character..... You're a lot like my darling in your weirdness.

　No, it's not just the father's genetics...we all thought, but we didn't say it. Not only between husband and wife, but also between wives is important to be attentive to each other.
　As if to change the strange atmosphere, Lou opened his mouth even more cheerfully.

'Well, what is this Mr. Coon doing now?
'I'm going to visit Alice. Or rather, I let her. If we leave her alone, she'll be stuck in Babylon the whole time. It's not healthy.

　Kuhn spends most of his day in "Babylon". So, other than Lean, they haven't talked that much in depth yet.

'Has anyone heard anything new from Alice?'
This one's from Nantarou.

　As Su looked around at everyone, Sakura raised a small hand. D'Artagnan, the summoned beast of Sakura, a.k.a. Nantaro, controlled the cats of the castle town. Rumors of the town and other information called information were gathered to Sakura.
　Not all of it, of course. Nyan Taro's side of the family has been sorting out what should be passed on to Sakura, and what should be passed on to Fuyao, the king, or to Tsubaki, the head of the intelligence unit.
　And among the things to be communicated to Sakura, of course, were Alice's actions and words and deeds.

'Alice is in contact with Kuhn right now. So, Nantaro is by her side and is currently taking a sneak peek.

　Quickly, the other eight people got up from their seats and gathered around Sakura. The phone in Sakura's hand shows the inside of the Parento coffee shop in the castle town.
　A mass-produced smartphone has been distributed to Nyan Taro and his friends. Using the camera function, Nantarou is sending real-time images to Sakura, the owner of the shop.
　Inside Parento. It seems that the camera is filming under a table, hidden under a tablecloth. The shot was taken from a very low angle. Perhaps it was some kind of obsession.
　There are two girls at the table beyond the camera. Both have beautiful white hair, but one is medium and the other is two-sided up. They are Alice and Coon.
　Next to Kuhn was Mecha Paula, or Parla.

''Mmmm, yummy!
'You could go back in time and still have this deliciousness. Maybe it can't be helped that the menu is smaller than in the future.''

　I could hear them both clearly, although it was small. There seemed to be no problem with the audio. It seems that the future Brunhild also has a 'parent'.
　Alice was eating a strawberry parfait and Kuhn was eating a pancake with a pile of whipped cream and fruit.

I'm so grateful that my sister Coon has come. I didn't have much money to bring.
I've been keeping my money in the future guild, too. I don't have my wallet with me.
'What?　What are you doing with the money here?　Bo, I've already eaten it!

　Alice's spoon, which was pecking at the parfait, stopped at Kuhn's words. The strawberry parfait was already half gone.
　Seeing Alice's extremely troubled face, Kuhn blows out unbearably.

''Don't worry.

　With one nod to Kuhn's voice, the Kumagolem next to him chirped and spat a few silver coins out of his mouth onto the table. A piggy bank.

'Don't scare me, Moo!　You still have the same bad character, sister Coon!''
''Hmm. I'll save that as a compliment.
I don't think that's a compliment, that I'm aware of, but...

　Yae, who was listening to the conversation through the screen, murmurs involuntarily. The audio from here is off, so there's no need to worry about the other side hearing it.

''It's appalling, even for my daughter, that you take pleasure in teasing people, totally.
"Didn't Lord Lean tease me and my master when he was teaching [Recall].......
I don't remember that long ago.

　Lean slowly averts her jittery gaze from Yae. Words like 'this parent has this child' that she learned on Earth flashed in everyone's mind but hers, but no one was tsking. Because tomorrow is going to be my birthday.

I wish everyone would come early. Big sister Yakumo should just cut up her training at random.
'I hope you all come straight here. Linne and Yoshino seem to be eating out. Come to think of it, do those kids have any money?

　The nine queens look at each other at Kuhn's words. Yoshino. I've never heard the name before, but I'm sure it's someone's child among them.

''Well, Yae's daughter is Yakumo, and Hilda's daughter is Frey. And Lean-san's daughter is Kuhn-chan........ Your sister's daughter is Erna, and yes, and my daughter is Lynne.......right?

　Linze counted the children whose names were known to her and counted them on her fingers. By the process of elimination, the child named 'Yoshino' would be the child of the rest of Yumina, Su, Sakura, and Lou.

'From the sound of their names, are they words from the original world of Winter Night?'
'So, you're right. The "Nihon" and Yisheng, where the Master lived, have much in common. I think "Yoshino" is probably "Someiyoshino.
"Someiyoshino"?
A kind of cherry blossom, that it is.

　At Yae's words, everyone's eyes were drawn to Sakura. While looking at the screen, Sakura, who had her gaze directed at her, muttered softly, ''Yoshino.......'' and smiled.

''........good name. I'm sure it's a good one.
Well, it's too soon to decide if she's Sakura-dono's child just on that basis, that she is.
It's my baby. I assure you.

　The cherry blossom turns its head in Yae's direction and says, "Hmmm," sniffling, "Actually, my name comes from the type of cherry blossom.

"Actually, my name comes from the type of cherry blossom. My second child, too.
"Yahtzee, you're mean. That's why the kids run away.
I'm not running away from you, sir!

　No, I'd like to think not, but Yae also has a memory of running away from too much grueling training when he was a child, because he was tired of it. I wasn't as much of a swordsmanship fool as my older brother, Shigetaro, when I was a kid.
　That didn't mean he hadn't done the same thing to his own daughter. Yae was more than a little shocked by Sakura's words.

''Well, if it's those girls, there's probably plenty of ways to make money....... I'm sure Yoshino would be able to jump right in with [Teleportation].''

　Kuhn's words from the phone and, look, look, look!　Sakura turns a smug face at Yae just like that. Although non-attribute magic is not inherited, Kuhn also has the same [program] as her mother, Lean. There should be a high possibility.

"Arthia would have come straight here for sure.
'Ki-taa-ah!　That's probably my child's name, isn't it?　Lucia and Arcia!　It absolutely is!　Hey, Yumina!
'Yeah, yeah. Well.....

　Yumina, who was next to me, returned the words with a drawn-out smile.
　Everyone was slightly taken back by Lou, whose tension was blowing up. I can understand the feelings painfully.

'She sticks to her father, so I think it would be difficult for her to come here. I hope he doesn't have to fight with his mother over here, too.
What?

　Kuhn sighs with a disturbing word on the screen. Lou's smile hardens as he hears this.

'Doh, what do you mean?　Now.....
If you ask me, he's not on good terms with Lou. That Ayrshire girl. She said she's been hanging around with you in the winter and now she's in my way!　...like...?
'Yes, yes, yes, Mr. Else!　What are you talking about?　I don't see how that's possible!
Haha..... Sorry, I'm sorry. Just kidding, just kidding.
It's not funny!

　No, Lisa!　And Linse poked Else with her elbow. Lou's high spirits from earlier were nowhere to be found, and she suddenly had an uneasy look on her face.

'It's okay! You'll be fine. I'll ask her to make you a delicious meal when she comes.

　Lou is relieved to hear Alice's subsequent words. Apparently, it's not a cursory relationship.

''Unnih?''
Uh-oh?

　All of us said '?' at the sudden sound of Nantaro's voice. And a question mark.
　Then the camera pans sideways from Alice and Kuhn's position, and a dopey parlor comes into view.

'Oh, we've been spotted,'

　Immediately after the words Sakura Noboribori let out, the image on my phone rattled and became disorganized. It seemed that Nantaro had dropped his phone, and the screen showed only the back of the dimly lit table, surrounded by tablecloths.
　However, only the sound was still audible.

''Unnih!　You gholem, what are you doing?　Hey, guinea...?

　A sparking sound and a few flashes of light were sent to Sakura's phone.
　
　The screen changes to selfie mode, and Sakura's phone shows Kuhn's mischievous smile.

'I'm not impressed with your voyeuristic photography, mothers. Even children have their own private lives, you know.　I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

　The image was cut off with a huff and a smile from Kuhn.

'Mm. Very true.

　Sakura reaches for her phone on the table and turns it off. Surely Kuhn was right, it's not a good idea to snoop just because you want to know. She regrets that all the queens have gotten so excited about themselves.

'I wonder if this is what it's like to be taught by a child.

　Hmph, Leanne murmured with a sigh. Similarly, a sigh escaped from the other eight. The queens, who had been baffled by the sudden encounter over the past few days, seemed to have regained their composure somewhat.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


Oh, what a racket. Parla, take the boy to the Order Jewel of the Realm.

　The cub Golem nodded with a coke-nod and received Nyantaro's phone from Kuhn and carried its owner, who had fallen under the blitz.
　Unlike Paula, Parra has some equipment to attack her opponent. It's only for neutralizing the opponent, though it's not that powerful.
　Parla opens the door of Parent and walks out, carrying Nantaro.

I didn't realize I was being filmed. Did I say something bad?
It's okay. Grandma Tokie isn't that fussy. As long as you don't say a word to her, you know.
Hmm. Well, you should be OK. I didn't really listen to my grandmother's explanations, Boku.
It's you...

　Alice laughs deceptively, "Hahaha! Kuhn is dumbfounded, but then he reminds himself that he certainly doesn't have to worry about that.

'But I wonder if there really is such a thing as a 'jersey thread' that will appear.
"...?　Oh. ...and then shitting your pants as soon as you say it, Alice. You really are going to be disgusted with your brother, aren't you?
'Shit, that's not true!　'Alice is so happy she doesn't seem to have any worries,' she's always complimenting me!

　Kuhn wondered if that was a compliment, but he didn't dare to point it out.
　He didn't think about it, considering his brother's character, and just expressed his honest feelings.
　Well, it was true that Alice didn't seem to remember any of the explanations Tokie had given her. Even the name is not correct.
　What's that, 'Jersey Threads'? I thought about it for a second. And although Kuhn was dumbfounded, he was conversely impressed that he could be so distracted under that situation where he was sent to the space between time.

Anyway, don't talk about anything else. 'Anyway, don't talk to your father and mother, either, okay?　It can be passed on to our father from there.
Yes, sir.

　The only thing he replies to is that he's in good spirits. Kuhn is worried about whether he's really okay, but there's nothing he can do about it now,
　Tokie said. The future will never change. But when another 'divine power' is involved, it's not an absolute thing.
　Throwing a little water into a big river won't change anything. The water in the upstream flows downstream with a predetermined current.
　However, if there is heavy rain upstream, the water level will rise and the river could flood.
　Even if the possibility is infinitesimally low, we can't ignore it.

If it doesn't show up, it's okay if it doesn't show up.

　Kuhn mumbled a small mumble and cut up the pancake he was about to eat with a knife and brought it to his mouth.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


Winter Nights, do you know what a 'jersey thread' is?
'Jersey...?　What's that?

　Ende, who was hanging a fishing line next to me, suddenly spoke up about such things.
　The fishing harbor was built on Dungeon Island, an enclave of Brunhild. Ende and I were enjoying fishing on the bank.
　Jersey string?　I thought jersey was about the knitting process, not the yarn or anything else?　I think Linse said something like that before.
　If you mean materials, like wool or polyester?

'If you don't know, that's okay. I heard that Mel heard something like that from Alice.
Did the jersey somehow influence the future?
Come on. Oh, he's got my bait.

　I wonder if training clothes will be in vogue...?　I hear it's all the rage among adventurers when it's launched in Fashion King Zanuck.
　An adventurer in a jersey.... Is it possible in terms of ease of movement...?
　I don't understand the future.

"Oh, I got one.

　When I reel in the reel from the "studio", a fish that resembles a horse mackerel appears from the surface of the sea.
　I remove the hook and throw it into the bucket beside me. This is three fish. If you use magic, you can catch a big fish in the blink of an eye, but Ende said that would be boring, so we decided to compete on the basis of ordinary fishing skills.
　Both of us had been hacked off by our wives and kids today for some reason, so it was meant to be a distraction for them. No, Ende aside, I wasn't hacked off, okay?　Yeah, maybe.....

'Oh, Winter Night, come to think of it...'
Hmm?

　Ende tossed the bait-laden hook into the ocean with a clunk. I glanced at the inside of Ende's bucket. Three fish over there, too. We can't lose.

I heard in the adventurer's guild that in the knight's kingdom of Restia, a dragon attacked the town.
...a stray?

　Basically, dragons don't come down to human villages. This is because Ruri, the dragon's ally and my summoned beast, has ordered it so.
　I'm not going to be able to get the best out of it. So anyone who ignores it is either a straggler who was kicked out of the pack or an isolated dragon who grew up separated from his parents for some reason.

''The one that was rampaging was the young dragon Young, the Spike Dragon. Probably the one who was thrown out of the pack.

　A spike dragon. He's spiky and huge, isn't he? I mean, he's bigger than Ruri. I'm sure he's a silver-ranked or higher target to be defeated, though.

Oh, you're going to take them down, aren't you?

　Ende has been working on a big request lately to get to the gold rank. As it is now, he's the same rank as my daughter. It's a parent's look here too.

''I was going to do that, but I heard he's already beaten me. And what I want to talk about here is that the person who defeated him is not an adventurer. There was no report to the guild, and the dragon was just destroyed. They asked me to help rebuild the town.
Oh, yeah. That's interesting. That's not easy to do.

　Dragon material is gold anyway, from head to tail. What a generous handing over of that.
　I once gave away a black dragon material when I couldn't handle it in Missmid, but I regretted it a lot when I heard how much it cost later on. It's a long time ago.
　Remembering the old days, I drink the water from the canteen I had on hand.

I'm sure you're not the only one who has seen it, but from what I've seen, everything seems to be a child. A dark-haired, dark-eyed girl, in a samurai outfit with a sword at her waist...
B....
Oh, you got it.

　At Ende's words, I sprayed the water I was drinking into the ocean in an archway. A rainbow glistened over the scattered water.
　Wait!　That's definitely Yakumo (our girl), right?　Not every kid is a dragon slayer!
　What are you doing, my boy?　But I love helping people, man!　I admire you, Dad!

'If I jumped to Lestia now, I'm sure she'd be gone by now...'
Maybe. The Guild said they looked for more information, too, but couldn't find anything.

　I heard that you can use [Gate]........ I didn't know that someone with transfer magic was this troublesome. I can't speak for others, but........

"Sigh........ I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I've got a bite. I got a bite....

　With mixed feelings about the success of my daughter, whom I hadn't yet seen, I pulled in my fishing line.
　But what's a 'jersey line' anyway?