| Author: Eltria | Original Source: Syosetu |
| Translator: Mui | English Source: Re:Library |
| Editor(s): Robinxen | |
The inspector seemed intent on waiting until Alfe calmed down, taking the time to open his bag and start preparing for the test a little distance away.
With the shift in attention, Alfe also began to settle down, although she still occasionally tugged at the edge of my clothes.
“What’s that?”
“A test. Seems interesting, right?”
Alfe’s interest was a welcome change. When I asserted that I was interested too and whispered it, Alfe nodded in agreement.
“I’ll go take a look.”
“Okay…”
It still seemed difficult for Alfe to go on her own, but she allowed me to go. Waiting for Alfe to release her hand from my clothes, I approached the inspector with a deliberately childlike and careful step.
“Is it okay if I watch?”
“Oh, uh… sure.”
Approaching with intentionally audible footsteps, I made sure the inspector noticed me.
“It might be a bit challenging for you.”
Saying so, the inspector showed me the test paper. The questions were written in childish language, essentially asking to count numbers—a very simple arithmetic test.
“Easy. The answer is 25, right?”
“…Who are you…?”
The inspector looked at me with surprised eyes. I thought I might have overdone it, but soon noticed that not only astonishment but also a hint of interest appeared in his expression.
“I want to try that too,” I appealed, turning to Alfe.
“…Alfe too,” Alfe responded.
It seemed like she understood the intention well. If I were to do it, Alfe also showed enthusiasm.
“Great. Let’s give this a try then.”
From the papers and tools spread on the desk, the inspector picked up an emerald green pebble and placed it at our feet.
“Shade your hands and try levitating this stone, can you?”
“…”
Alfe silently stepped back behind me. It seemed that I had no choice but to go first. Since it was a test to levitate the stone, this emerald green stone reacted to Aether and was called a ‘levitation stone.’
Now, how much should I levitate it?
I was in front of Alfe, and I didn’t want to stand out too much, but I also didn’t want to miss this opportunity by appearing incompetent. After some hesitation, I decided to levitate the levitation stone to the height of my eyes.
“….Oh? This is impressive. You’ve got talent too,” the inspector looked at me in admiration. I smiled, stepped back, and swapped places with Alfe.
“It’s your turn. Can you do it, Alfe?”
“I will.”
In response to my question, Alfe nodded and shaded her hands over the levitation stone. The moment she did, the emerald green stone glowed from within, then shot up with tremendous force, hitting the ceiling before coming back down.
“Hahaha, that’s amazing. This was your first time right, Alfe?”
“Yes…”
Whether Alfe sensed the positive surprise from the adults or not, she seemed to relax a bit. The inspector, not missing this change, proposed the next test.
“Well, since we’re at it, let’s try this too.”
What was handed to us was a simple test involving letters and numbers. It required connecting pictures with corresponding letters and counting numbers. Although the number of questions was a bit extensive, they could be easily solved using arithmetic.
Considering St. Salaius Private Elementary School’s prestigious reputation, I thought it wouldn’t be surprising if there were children who could answer all the questions correctly. However, even after I finished, it seemed like Alfe was still struggling.
Come to think of it, I often read books, but I hadn’t talked much about numbers or arithmetic. It might be a good idea for Alfe to study a bit, so I don’t stand out too much. While pondering such thoughts and glancing at Alfe, the inspector approached me.
“Are you done already, little lady?”
“Yes…”
I think it’s perfect since I double-checked, but I tried to show a bit of uncertainty.
“…Hoh. Quite impressive… You seem to like numbers.”
Being labeled as someone who likes numbers wasn’t entirely accurate, but I suppose it worked for now.
“Alfe also done.”
With a vague smile, Alfe, seemingly bored with the test, finished abruptly. However, looking at her answer sheet briefly, it seemed that more than half of it was filled.
“Thank you very much. You both did exceptionally well.”
The inspector, having concluded the tests, praised both me and Alfe before leaving.
◇◇◇
A few days after the inspection, there was a proposal to admit me as a scholarship student to St. Salaius Private Elementary School, and a similar offer was extended to the Clifford family. Alfe and I decided to enroll in the St. Salaius Private Elementary School-affiliated kindergarten.
The process of moving from the daycare center to the kindergarten began when Alfe and I turned four.
While the tests themselves led to admission without any issues, a delay occurred in our enrollment due to a misunderstanding during the pre-enrollment interview. I was mistakenly thought to be the adopted child of the Rudra and Natal couple, which led to a later admission than planned.
“Don’t worry about it, Leafa. You can talk freely however you like.”
“As long as you’re fine with it, you can call me more casually, Leafa.”
Apparently, neither expected me to be mistaken for their adopted child because of my use of formal language and addressing them as father and mother1. Nevertheless, both of my parents laughed it off and reassured me.
Still, was it really so strange to show respect to my parents by addressing them formally?
It would be awkward to start calling them “Daddy” and “Mommy” after all this time as Alfe did. I suppose I had to stick with using formal language consistently, even with the adults around. But what was the right way to behave towards other children?
At the very least, Alfe… she’d probably hate it if I suddenly started speaking to her in formal language.
