New chapter of Ordinary Person is out! (1/3 chapters)

 

 

Chapter 185

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

I was forced by everyone in the party to handle the live broadcast for recruiting new explorers, so I decided to give a harsh punishment to Muze, the very person who came up with the idea. Skipping meals or resorting to violence was out of the question. Therefore, I decided to sentence her to the punishment of staying home alone. I confiscated her smartphone and forbade Muze from leaving the apartment for the entire day.

“…Kouta, if you are that worried, you may come into the room, you know? If you come to check on me every ten minutes, I would not even have the chance to play a prank.” (Muze)

“No, but this is supposed to be a punishment for you, Muze.” (Kouta)

“If you look at me with such a worried expression, I cannot tell who is being punished here! Muze will be fine! Muze can properly stay at home alone, so you do not need to make that worried face!” (Muze)

“I-Is that so? T-Then, I’ll be going out now, okay?” (Kouta)

“Kouta, smile, smile, you know. If you make that face, it is Muze who will end up feeling worried instead.” (Muze)

Somehow, I managed to leave the apartment, entered a nearby café, and ordered coffee.

Inside, the place was bustling with customers seeking refuge from the summer sunlight or coming for a light meal. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves in their own way. But I was in no mood for that. Since I was already wearing the “Full Moon Veil”, I did not feel the heat much, yet I could not calm my worries about leaving the small Muze alone in the room. My appetite was completely gone. Besides, the fact that I had chosen a café within range of my Magic Eye already proved that I could not stay unconcerned.

Muze is strong, Muze will be fine, Muze is strong, Muze will be fine.

Muttering such words to myself probably made me look like a suspicious individual. Maybe I should be more worried about being reported to the police. That was how much I worried about Muze.

When I thought about it carefully, since the day I met her, I had hardly ever spent time apart from Muze. The only time we were separated while awake might be when I went to the restroom. Even when I was asleep, Muze often moved around freely but always stayed near me.

“…So, this is what they call being unable to let go of one’s child, huh?” (Kouta)

Even as I sipped the coffee I had ordered, I found myself almost using the Magic Eye to check on Muze’s condition if I let my guard down. I truly was a hopeless case.

After drinking half my coffee, I sighed deeply. Despite my hesitation, I eventually activated the Magic Eye to check on Muze. In the kitchen, she was wrestling with a lump of flour.

Though I could not hear her voice, she was smiling as if humming, kneading the flour happily. She added water and mixed, added water again and kneaded.

For an instant, I thought Muze looked in my direction. She scratched her head, then returned to kneading with a cheerful expression.

Was she making udon again? No, this looks different from the video I had seen before. Pasta perhaps? Well, they are quite similar anyway.

As she began rolling out the dough, it was clear that it was some kind of noodle dish.

I ordered a second cup of coffee and decided to relax in earnest. Still, the fact that I could not calm down without confirming Muze’s safety was troubling. When my younger sister was little, I used to worry about her in the same way. Even now, though I had come all the way to Toyota to explore a dungeon, perhaps I had not changed much after all.

Ah, Muze is now dancing with the finished noodles on her head like a wig.

She had completely noticed that I was watching. Now she was preparing a pouch of instant pasta sauce. I supposed it was about time for me to go home for lunch.

 

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