WeTried Translations
Translator: Coughing Baby
Editor: Coughing Baby
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 90: I Got a Mom for My Kid, Too.
──────
A week passed.
The break for calculating midterm grades ended, and the day we returned to the Academy arrived.
“Dad.”
“Hm?”
“Can I hold your hand?”
“Of course. I wouldn’t want to lose you.”
“Hehe...!”
The black-haired girl smiled brightly.
Lua stuck close to my side, taking quick little steps beside me.
Rather than being stored away as a weapon, she remained in her human form.
“Shall we go, Miss Lua?”
“Yes, Dad!”
I left the dormitory with her.
The sunlight was especially bright that day.
As we walked, the Princess tucked into my uniform breast pocket suddenly tapped against my chest.
[Viktor.]
‘Princess?’
[Are you truly sure about this? Taking her around in human form like that...]
‘What else could I do when she likes being outside so much? Besides, telling a child to stay still in weapon form for half the day would probably be torture.’
[What do you intend to do during lectures?]
‘She promised to behave herself. I think it’ll be fine.’
[...You really turn into putty around children, Viktor.]
“Ahem.”
She had hit the nail on the head.
I could only scratch the back of my head awkwardly.
[Will it be all right at the Academy? It does not violate any regulations, does it...?]
‘That part’s fine. Surprisingly, the Academy regulations even contain guidelines about Ego Weapons.’
[Oh, that is surprising.]
‘It seems there were several Ego Weapon users in the past. The related regulations were probably made while those cadets attended the Academy. Anyway, according to the rules, I can take an Ego Weapon outside the dormitory in its Living Form. I only need to store her in weapon form for certain lectures designated by the faculty.’
[Living Form means...]
‘Not every Ego Weapon takes human form like Lua.’
Even if they all possessed egos and could transform, the forms Ego Weapons took varied wildly.
Only a very small number could assume human forms.
Lua was a particularly unusual case, even among Ego Weapons.
[I see...]
‘It’ll be fine. She listens whenever I ask her to. I don’t think she’ll cause any trouble.’
[Yes. It is fortunate that Lua is such a gentle child.]
The Princess quietly accepted that.
All the while, Lua kept tugging on my sleeve.
“Dad! The buildings are huge...!”
Was this her first time walking the Academy streets since gaining an ego?
Everything seemed fascinating to Lua.
Led along by her excited steps, I headed toward the classroom.
Holding that small hand made a faint sense of nostalgia wash over me.
-Big brother!
-It’s big brother!
My mind wandered into pointless thoughts.
Before I knew it, we arrived at our destination.
When I opened the classroom door and entered, the Class E cadets greeted me as usual.
““Big Bro! You’re here!””
“Hehe, it’s good to see you all.”
The Shuttles snapped into right-angle bows as if they had been waiting for me.
Behind those sturdy fellows, the rest of the class sat with brighter expressions than usual.
Had they all done well on their midterms?
‘Who did they think taught them?’
After going through my crash-course Kumon drills, there was no way their grades wouldn’t improve.
If anyone’s grades hadn’t gone up, I’d immediately expel them from Class E.
As I entertained myself with such nonsense, a few of the Shuttles peeking around noticed Lua.
“Huh?”
“A little girl? She doesn’t look like a student...?”
“Big Bro! Do you know that young lady?”
The girl held my hand tightly.
Now that I thought about it, she really was adorable.
Class E’s attention immediately turned to Lua.
“My name is Lua! Lua is Dad’s daughter!”
Even under the gazes of those burly cadets, she didn’t look scared in the least. Instead, she gave them a dazzling smile.
With an innocent expression, Lua dropped a bomb into the classroom.
Dad and daughter.
The students’ mouths fell open.
Their startled eyes trembled.
“Dad? Daughter...?”
“You mean she’s your daughter?”
“Oh! Come to think of it, her hair is black just like yours, Big Bro...”
“Big Bro! Is it true? Is this cute little lady really your...?”
I knew this would happen.
A string of tiresome misunderstandings began pouring out.
I tried to calm the Shuttles and explain Lua’s circumstances.
“Everyone, it’s not like that...”
Creeeak.
Just then, a woman opened the classroom door and entered.
She wore a neat uniform, and red hair flowed down her back.
It was Javert, Class E’s homeroom professor.
“Good to see you, cadets.”
Her greeting held no emotion.
Her tone was flat and businesslike.
It was the same emotionless Javert as always.
“Ah, Professor.”
Her arrival briefly interrupted the conversation.
Then Lua let go of my hand.
“Huh?”
Tap, tap, tap.
The girl passed through the Shuttles and approached Javert.
In front of everyone, Lua took the woman’s hand.
The situation developed suddenly.
What she said next was even more sudden.
“Mom!”
The girl looked up at Javert as she spoke.
““...?””
Everyone’s brains stopped.
Mine included.
Perhaps out of consideration for us, Lua kindly made her declaration more precise.
“This person is Lua’s mom!”
““...””
Dad.
Mom.
Daughter.
Those words struck the backs of our heads hard enough to make them go numb.
The cadets stood frozen in a daze, then their eyes widened as though they had agreed to do so beforehand.
“Pardon...?”
Lua.
The daughter of Viktor and Javert.
That dizzying information had just lodged itself in the brains of the Class E cadets.
* * *
This was how it had happened.
They said that wanting protection from a strong being was a natural instinct of living creatures.
No matter that Lua was an Ego Weapon, she was still a child whose ego had been established less than ten days ago.
-She’s super, super strong!
-So I want Big Sis to be Lua’s mom!
-Dad doesn’t dislike Big Sis, and he thinks she’s really pretty too!
Maybe she had simply followed her instincts.
In the end, Javert had been chosen because of her overwhelming strength.
At the Academy, the only people around that level were the Headmaster and Javert.
With such a woman standing in front of her, Lua seemed to have run straight over.
-Dad thinks Big Sis is really cool!
-So I’ll give you a special chance to marry my dad!
On top of that, Lua had added a lot of unnecessary comments.
Thanks to her, I had to suffer through explaining the situation.
When I gave her a few stern words, Lua tearfully went back into her glove form.
-I-I’m sorry.
-Lua was just excited because of Dad...
-I’ll behave. So please, don’t throw Lua away.
I decided to give her some time to reflect.
She needed to be scolded, but seeing her so dejected still made me feel bad.
On the way back, I thought I’d buy her some cotton candy from the Academy shopping district.
In any case, I was explaining every detail because of my daughter’s mischief.
“...That’s everything.”
“So that was what happened.”
After the lecture ended, I had been called to Javert’s office.
The lesson hadn’t lasted long anyway, since the exams had just ended.
I explained Lua’s circumstances without revealing anything that would make Javert suspicious.
“Hm.”
We sat facing each other on the guest sofa.
Deep green eyes blinked amid her loose red hair.
“So she awakened as an Ego Weapon only recently.”
“That’s right. I think it’s been about ten days.”
“Interesting. To suddenly awaken as an Ego Weapon.”
“I found it puzzling too, so I looked into it. Apparently, there are extremely rare cases like this.”
“I was not accusing you of anything.”
“I wasn’t making excuses either.”
“You have gained a cute daughter.”
“Hehe. Though I’m still unmarried.”
The conversation remained light.
I had been called to her office, but Lua wasn’t the only reason.
That had simply been an incident I explained while meeting Javert alone.
‘Now for the main matter.’
Clink.
Javert set down the teacup she had been holding.
“I think it’s about time we made the announcement.”
“You mean the Personal Teaching Assistant position.”
Personal Teaching Assistant.
It was something we had delayed announcing until now.
I wished to become Javert’s Personal Teaching Assistant.
“Until now, Viktor, your affiliation held us back. A Personal Teaching Assistant position is only granted to a select few among all current students and graduates. Appointing the top student of Class E to such a position would have been absurd.”
“On top of that, Chief Investigator Javert is considered the Academy’s de facto second-in-command. You have never had even an ordinary assistant, let alone a Personal Teaching Assistant. If you suddenly gained a Personal Teaching Assistant, and that person was only a first-year cadet who happened to be top of Class E...”
“There would have been considerable backlash. That was why we delayed the announcement, but...”
“Things are different now. I’ve demonstrated my ability in front of everyone.”
“Not only did you defeat the top student of Class B in the ranking match, you also overwhelmed the top student of Class A in this practical exam.”
“Does that meet the standard?”
“It exceeds it by far.”
Things were different from a few months ago.
I was only in Class E on paper. Unofficially, I was the top first-year student.
That meant no one would object to my appointment as Javert’s Personal Teaching Assistant.
“Then shall we proceed?”
“...You remember what we agreed upon. From the moment you become my Personal Teaching Assistant, Viktor, you will be under my surveillance.”
“Of course. Wasn’t that the very condition I proposed?”
“I still suspect you of being responsible for the unauthorized clearing of Purgatory’s seventieth floor. Considering the shocking achievements you have shown recently, my suspicions have only deepened.”
“What do you intend to do if I am the culprit?”
“I will handle it according to the regulations.”
According to the regulations.
It was an answer that suited her.
“I’m prepared for that. Of course, I’m not the culprit.”
“Yes. I hope that is true.”
Her eyes were as impassive as ever.
Still, I knew those were her honest feelings.
She was someone bound by regulations, yet she possessed a contradictory kindness.
“We will handle all procedures related to your Personal Teaching Assistant appointment. It will likely take about three days before the announcement.”
“Yes. Then I leave it in your care, Chief Investigator Javert.”
“I look forward to working with you as well, Viktor, my Personal Teaching Assistant.”
That concluded the conversation.
Before leaving the office, I called out Lua, who had remained quietly hidden in glove form.
“Activate. Lua.”
Shrrrk!
The glove came undone, and the small girl appeared.
Lua kept her head lowered as she cautiously watched my reaction.
She looked thoroughly dejected.
“Miss Lua.”
“Dad...”
Her eyes trembled anxiously.
How could I stay angry after seeing eyes like those?
I smiled helplessly and opened my arms.
Lua hesitated, then rushed into my embrace.
Whoosh.
“Sniff... I’m sorry...”
“It’s all right.”
“I promised to behave if I followed Dad around...”
“How could you do everything perfectly from the beginning? You’ll get used to it little by little.”
I gently patted the girl’s head.
During that time, Javert watched us closely.
Perhaps she had fallen into thought.
“...”
Javert wore an unreadable expression.
Regardless, Lua and I left the office with our hands tightly clasped.
Javert gathered her documents and began walking with us.
“Hm? Do you have somewhere to go as well, Chief Investigator?”
“I have documents to submit to the lecture building.”
“Then we’re headed the same way.”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
We walked side by side down the corridor.
Then a student who had been lingering nearby approached us.
He looked over each of us in turn before speaking to Javert last.
“E-excuse me... Professor Javert!”
“What is it, Cadet Geshult?”
Javert knew the cadet’s name.
He was probably a student from another year who attended her lectures.
The student appeared hesitant, but eventually asked the question he couldn’t hold back.
“That child... I heard she’s Professor Javert’s daughter. I-is that true?”
“...”
Had the story already spread?
It seemed several students who had heard the news had come to confirm it.
Now that I looked around, I could see cadets pretending not to listen while clearly straining their ears in our direction.
‘Did this guy come over as their representative?’
They kept glancing our way.
Their eager expressions made them look like members of a fan club that had always admired Javert.
“...”
A brief silence followed.
Without answering, Javert looked between Geshult and Lua.
I stood there quietly, waiting for Javert to explain things properly.
I had already told her the circumstances, so she would surely organize the story and convey it suitably to the cadets.
“Hm.”
Javert seemed to think it over carefully.
After a moment, her lips parted.
“Yes.”
“...?”
An unexpected affirmation.
Before I could even question it, Javert reached out.
She carefully lifted Lua and pulled her into her arms.
‘What...?’
Then Javert stood there with every eye focused on her.
Her gaze was as emotionless and unreadable as usual.
Javert spoke.
“She is my daughter.”
Glance.
Green eyes passed over me as if checking my expression.
I could only stand there, afflicted by Stun.
“Isn’t that right, Viktor?”
“...???”
Fuck.
What do you mean...?
===
This is Lua.
Footnotes:
Join our discord at https://dsc.gg/wetried
