Even if you succeed in jobless reincarnation and time magic, you must live life to the fullest.

“No problem, but does this have a name?” Luo Qishan asked happily.

"There must be!"

Lily said triumphantly, "I'll name it—Meteor Phantom Shot!"

Side Story: Leaving Home (5)

It was already evening when I got home.

Clutching the magical artifacts she had received from Lily, Loki returned home contentedly.

As soon as I entered, I was greeted by a rich aroma of food.

"Ah, you're back."

Aisha, dressed in a maid outfit, came out of the kitchen.

While drying her hands on her apron, she invited everyone to sit down and eat.

Luo Qishan was naturally one of them.

After having dinner, Luo Qishan's body trembled slightly and she froze on the spot.

"Well!"

Luo Qishan covered her mouth and stared wide-eyed.

"W-What's wrong?" Aisha was startled.

"It's okay."

Luo Qixi waved her hand from the side.

Then, he sighed helplessly.

"I reacted the same way the first time I ate food from outside the Demon Continent..."

That's right.

The food in the Demon Continent... is extremely unpalatable.

While it's not that it's inedible, compared to the carefully prepared dishes of the Central Continent and the Milis Continent, it's practically rotten vegetable scraps.

One of the reasons why Luo Qixi made the decision to leave the Demon Continent completely was:

We need to go out and eat more delicious food.

Now that wish has been fulfilled, it is the first time that Loki Shan has become aware of this issue.

"Difficult, unbelievable..."

Luo Qishan's pupils contracted, and her voice trembled uncontrollably.

"Can there really be something this delicious in the world...?"

"Of course, because it's made with my own skills!"

Aisha put her hands on her hips and said smugly.

Although the comparison was somewhat exaggerated, her skills are indeed superior to those of professional chefs.

That talent of "if you do it, you will definitely do it well" will undoubtedly blossom in the culinary arts as well.

"Well, I'll bring back some more seasonings and stuff when I go back," Luo Qixi said casually.

"Ok!"

Luo Qishan nodded emphatically, tears welling in her eyes.

Only Alice remained clueless.

"Is the food in the Demon Continent really that bad? I think it's alright."

"...Alice's tongue is too slow."

"Is that right?"

Alice tilted her head.

Back when I was adventuring in the Demon Continent with Rudeus, we ate monster meat every day. Although it wasn't very tasty, it wasn't so bad that it brought tears to my eyes, was it?

Is my tongue really that slow?

Alice hesitated and touched her tongue.

It should be quite flexible, right?

At least, that's what Rudius said when he was in bed.

……

Hilfi helped arrange a separate bedroom.

However, Luo Qishan, who was visiting the outside world for the first time, was clearly not used to sleeping alone and was not used to sleeping on a soft bed, so she took the initiative to suggest that she sleep on the floor in Luo Qixi's room.

Luo Qixi naturally had no reason to refuse.

After washing up, the two moved to the bedroom together.

Luo Qishan lay on the bed on the floor.

Staring at the unfamiliar ceiling, even though I've been running around all day, my restless heart just won't let me fall asleep.

"Sister, are you asleep?" Luo Qishan asked softly.

"No."

Luo Qixi's voice came from under the covers, sounding somewhat muffled.

"My sister is amazing! She managed to travel so far by herself and even started a family here." Luo Qishan muttered softly, "I definitely couldn't do that."

"Well, as long as you work hard, there's always hope."

Luo Qixi poked her head out from under the covers.

"If Luo Qishan wants to leave her hometown..."

"Hmm, let's forget about it."

Luo Qishan shook her head. "If I leave, Mom and Dad will be very lonely, won't they? I don't want them to be sad."

“…Indeed.”

The children suddenly left home and went far away, and there was no news of them for a long time.

This is something that parents would find incredibly difficult to bear.

Previously, Loki didn't feel this much, but now Lala and Rudeus are nowhere to be found, and their return date is unknown.

This allowed her to gradually understand this feeling.

The world is like a series of cycles, and children who grow up will always repeat the experiences of their parents.

And as a result, I've become more and more able to understand my parents' feelings.

This made Loki realize even more that she had been a failed daughter.

"if it is like this……"

"Now, I firmly believe that Rudeus will return one day. Did my parents feel the same way back then?"

Even knowing that the hope is slim, even knowing that the possibility of tragedy is higher.

But I still force myself to believe that the person I'm waiting for will return someday.

This feeling...

Luo Qixi finally understood.

"Luo Qishan, you are a good girl..."

Luo Qixi couldn't help but smile as she spoke.

However, after saying this, he received no response for a long time.

Luo Qixi thought Luo Qishan was asleep.

But when she looked up, her body froze instantly.

Luo Qishan was staring intently at a long, rod-shaped object in her hand, which she had somehow found.

The surface of the stick is uneven and covered with various wrinkles.

The top even features a mushroom-like protrusion.

"Sister, what is this?" Luo Qishan asked in confusion.

She rubbed her hands against the stick, feeling that the texture was a bit strange...

Luo Qixi's eyes widened instantly.

"Wait! No..."

buzzing-

I don't know which switch was pressed, but the stick suddenly started twisting violently, like a live fish just pulled from the river.

Luo Qishan exclaimed and threw the thing out the window.

"I told you to wait a minute!"

Luo Qixi let out a scream.

She immediately sprang up from the bed.

He grabbed that thing tightly.

"Click——"

Luo Qixi immediately pressed the switch.

The violently struggling magical artifact immediately stopped moving.

"Phew, that scared me to death." Luo Qishan patted her chest in surprise. "Sister, what is that? Why is it sticky? It looks like that... tentacle monster Dad mentioned."