It was a day with mild autumn weather.
A figure glared at Allen's mansion from a distance in an imposing stance.
"Is that... over there?"
The figure stared at the mansion for a long time, and then, as if determined, he began to walk away.
His eyes were tinged with anger, but... as there are no other figures in the forest, so it went unnoticed.
Right around that time.
"All right, Charlotte! We have a problem!"
"What is it?"
Allen suddenly said this as they were having lunch.
Charlotte halted and widened her eyes in astonishment while holding onto her sandwich.
Today's lunch was just a simple sandwich. It's an easy meal that looks reasonably good if you cut the bread and ingredients and then sandwich them together.
Allen was originally never particular about his food, but since Charlotte's arrival, he had started to become somewhat concerned not only about its nutrition but also about its appearance.
Allen held up two pots in each hand.
One was filled with coffee and the other with tea.
"Which do you prefer, coffee or tea?"
"Hmm... I'll have the same as Allen is having"
"I'm drinking a foul-tasting special nourishment potion, are you sure you want some?"
"... Tea, then."
"Good."
Charlotte answered after thinking long and hard about it.
Allen appeared to be satisfied and began preparing the tea.
"I told you to be honest yesterday. To do that, you have to first find out what you like."
"All I had to do was choose between tea and coffee. Aren't you exaggerating?"
"But you couldn't be that assertive before, could you?"
"Well, that's true... but..."
Then, she smiled wryly.
"The only time I decided something on my own in these past few years... was when I decided to leave that house."
"Running away from home, followed by this! That's quite a series of important decisions!"
Allen chuckled.
"It will be good to have a hobby sooner or later. If there's anything you want to try, just let me know."
"Something I want to try huh..."
Charlotte pondered absentmindedly with her sandwich in her mouth. Allen couldn't tell what those eyes were looking at. So he thought he would leave it alone.
At this rate, Allen had a hunched he may soon need to pull out the sandbag he shoved into the shed.
For a while, the two of them were silent.
The sound of water bubbling harmonized with the chirping of birds coming from the outside, and the quiet time passed slowly.
"Ah! I found it!"
"Whoa!"
"Gee!"
Suddenly, the door was opened vigorously, and the intruder, Chini Yuya, appeared.
The unexpected surprise made Charlotte jump up from her chair, and Allen frowned as hard as he could.
The girl who appeared was about the same age as Charlotte.
She was petite, but had excellent proportions that curves out where it should shapely and curves in where it should be slim. Her large jade-colored eyes were full of vitality.
She wore a robe similar to Allen's, but with cat ears attached. In addition, her shoulder-length black hair was covered with colorful mesh. Her chestly was greatly exposed and she wore a super mini skirt for a bottom. She had the appearance of a badass artist rather than a magician.
"Haa... at a busy time like this, of all things, a guest?"
In the face of a familiar face, Allen could not help but let out a sigh. He added some tea leaves into the tea pot and poured hot water into it. The amount of tea was enough for three people, including the sudden guest.
"Tell me something for future reference," he said. "How on earth did you find this place?"
"That's easy. I identified the region from the pollen on the letter and scoured the area, asking around if there were any eccentric wizards."
"Damn... that's a tribute to accurate information and pointless action."
Next time, he'll do better.
With such determination, Allen brewed a pot of tea. Charlotte, on the other hand, with her eyes wide open, hesitantly asked.
"Umm... Allen, who's this?"
"That should be my line... but that's all right. Let's introduce ourselves."
The girl proudly introduced herself with her chest puffed out.
"My name is Erika Crawford! I'm his sister!"
"Sister?!"
"Oh. She's a stepsister, though."
Allen grumbled as he put some sugar into his teacup.