Chapter 17 – The Son’s Rom-Com with the Beastman Gets Interrupted

It was a few days after his mother’s surveillance system had been completed.

At the Adventurers Guild.

Ryuuji was slumped over a tavern table, completely exhausted.

“Th-this is even more tiring…”

Ryuuji recalled the events of the last few days.

(That automatic surveillance system of his mother’s had been implemented.)

(It was a clear invasion of privacy, but his mother had said she’d tag along if he didn’t agree, and more than anything, he was worried she’d interfere with his adventures.)

(So Ryuuji had accepted it, but…)

Subjugation quests were impossible to complete, as the【Light】would clean everything up before Ryuuji and his party could do anything.

So lately, they had been focusing mainly on gathering-type jobs.

Even then, his mother’s surveillance continued, so if any monsters were sensed nearby, they were dealt with in a split second.

The work was easy, if you could call it that… but it was too easy, and he hated it.

“Ryuuji-kun, you look tired, you do?”

Sitting next to Ryuuji was the rabbit beastman, Sheila.

Her frame was petite.

Her flopped-down lop ears were truly adorable.

Sheila peered at Ryuuji worriedly.

…all while having breadcrumbs on her face.

Pfft.

The sight of Sheila asking him a serious question with crumbs on her face was just too funny.

“Wh-what is it?”

“Sheila. You’ve got breadcrumbs on your face.”

“Eh?”

Sheila patted around her mouth with her hand.

Seeing the crumb that fell off, she blushed. “Auu…”

“Ryuuji-kun, why didn’t you tell me sooner?”

Sheila puffed out her cheeks in a pout.

“Sorry. I wasn’t trying to be mean, I just noticed it myself.”

“Oh, is that so… Sorry for jumping to conclusions!”

peko

Sheila gave a quick bow.

plop

Her droopy rabbit ears flopped forward and dipped into the bowl of stew on the table.

“Ouch, hot, ouch!”

flail, flail

Sheila panicked.

“Ah, hey. Don’t move.”

Ryuuji took out a handkerchief and wiped the stew off her ear.

“Auu… I’m sorry for being such a bother…”

Tears welled up in Sheila’s eyes.

Her downturned eyes made her look even more helpless. Like a small animal.

“No, don’t worry about it. You’re not a bother at all.”

“R-Ryuuji-kun…”

Sheila was sitting right next to him.

It would have been better to sit across from him, but it was too noisy in front of them to have a conversation while eating.

“Thank you~”

Sheila beamed a smile.

“Uh, um… yeah.”

Ryuuji went to put the handkerchief back in his pocket.

“Ah, wait, Ryuuji-kun.”

grab

Sheila quickly grabbed Ryuuji’s hand.

“I have to wash the handkerchief… oh.”

“Ah.”

Ryuuji’s and Sheila’s hands touched.

As their hands overlapped, they both blushed shyly.

“…”

“…”

Since becoming adventurers, Ryuuji and Sheila had spent most of their time together.

They were both young man and woman of a certain age.

And so, a romantic feeling or two was bound to sprout.

“Ryuuji-kun…”

Sheila stared intently at Ryuuji.

Just as the mood was getting good.

Zing…!!

KABOOOOOOOM!!!

A【Light】fell from above, setting off a blast wave on top of their table.

“Whoa!” “What the-?!”

All the food on the table was blown away.

Ryuuji and Sheila were knocked from their chairs.

“Owwie… it hurts.”

“A-are you okay, Sheila?”

“Y-yesh…”

Ryuuji offered a hand to Sheila, who was on all fours.

Zing…!

KABOOOOOOOM!!!

A【Light】rained down from the sky between Ryuuji and Sheila, stirring up a gust of wind.

Strangely, there was no damage from the explosion. It was just a strong blast wave and a flashy effect.

Sheila tumbled over.

“A-are you okay?!”

“Y-yesss…”

Ryuuji stood up and looked at the sky.

There was a hole in the ceiling of the Guild Hall.

“What’s going on?” “What happened?” “You guys okay?”

Worried about Ryuuji, other adventurers started to gather around.

“I-it’s dangerous! Please don’t come near me!”

Ryuuji’s face went pale as he shouted.

“What’d you say!?” “It’s dangerous!?” “Is it an enemy attack!?” “Alright, kid, get behind us!”

The adventurers all surrounded Ryuuji and Sheila, as if to shield them.

“Don’t worry, kid! We’ll protect ya!”

“G-guys…”

Ryuuji was deeply moved by his reliable seniors, but.

Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing! Zing!

“Gah!” “Guh!” “Ghhh…!”

The countless lights that poured down from the sky took down the adventurers one by one.

“Waah! Is everyone alright?!”

Sheila panicked and rushed over to the adventurers.

Ryuuji also approached one of them and shook his shoulder.

“Zzz…” “Ghhh…”

“…Looks like they’re okay.”

“They just seem to be asleep.”

Just as they breathed a sigh of relief.

When the system noticed Ryuuji and Sheila were sitting close enough for their knees to touch,

Zing…!

BA-BOOM!

A blast wave raged, and Sheila went tumbling head over heels with a “Waaah~”.

There was no damage at all.

Sheila was fine, and so were the senior adventurers.

“Mom!? You’re here, aren’t you!?”

Then, with perfect timing, the door opened and Karma entered, announcing, “Mom’s here!”

“Why were you bombarding us?!”

As Ryuuji snapped at her, his mother replied without a care in the world.

“The only one allowed to touch Ryu-kun is his mother. I upgraded the system so that a【Light】will rain down if anyone else touches you.”

(That’s a downgrade, though…!) Ryuuji fumed internally.

“Is it okay that you hit my seniors?!”

“Yes, it’s a light magic with an anesthetic effect. It’s harmless to the body and just makes them fall asleep when it hits. I provided them with a pleasant slumber. If anything, they should be thanking me.”

It seemed his seniors were unharmed.

He was relieved.

“And… why does a light fall every time we get close?”

“Hm? That’s to keep nasty bugs away from my son, of course?”

Karma tilted her head with a dead-serious expression.

“It’s too early for you to be in a romance, Ryu-kun. Sheila, please remain his good partner. It’s too soon for a rom-com.”

“Rom… com?”

“Mom!!! That’s enough!!!! Stop meddling in things like that!”

Why did his mother have to interfere with his love life?

But his mother shook her head with a solemn look.

“Mother will choose a suitable, destined partner for you, Ryu-kun.”

“I’ll decide that for myself! You’re such a dummy, Mom! A dummy! Ugh!”

…Thanks to the creation of the surveillance system, Ryuuji’s hardships only continued to grow.