The Assassin Girl Who Stayed by My Side in Another World… Somehow Followed Me Back to Modern Japan - Chapter 26: That’s Not Fair

Chapter 26: That’s Not Fair

“hmph~!”

Just like yesterday, lunchtime rolled around and I brought Aira up to the rooftop.

Naturally, she handled unlocking the door.

I definitely didn’t have the skills for that kind of thing.

“…Uh, Aira? Why do you look so grumpy?”

She was puffing out her cheeks in full-on pout mode.

And yeah—Aira being annoyed was honestly kind of adorable.

But I couldn’t just let it slide.

No matter how cute she looked, I wasn’t about to let my precious daughter stay upset.

“…………You’ve been ignoring me lately.”

Right as she said that, she clung to me—then tilted her face up and gave me those big, sad puppy eyes.

…Wait, hold on. Let’s slow down a second.

“W-What are you talking about? I totally pay attention to you!”

I’ve never seen myself as a bad dad, and I wasn’t about to start now.

So I immediately pushed back on her claim.

“You didn’t look at me in the bath.”

“T-That’s because I wasn’t supposed to!”

“…Kidding.”

…Oh. That was a joke?

Judging by her totally serious expression, it was really hard to tell…

But still, hey—I’ll take it as a win.

At least she’s joking around now.

“A-Anyway, let’s just eat lunch, okay? Come here, Aira.”

I sat down in a comfy spot, crossed my legs, and patted the space in front of me.

Sure enough, Aira obediently came over and nestled herself into the little gap between my crossed legs—same as always.

“Aira.”

“…Yes?”

“I don’t know why you thought I wasn’t paying attention to you, but I am watching you. Always.”

I said it gently, then reached out and gave her a soft pat on the head.

“…Okay. …I love you, Hiroto. …You love me too?”

“Of course I do. As my daughter.”

“…Muu.”

“No matter how much you pout, I’m not budging on that one.”

“…Okay. …I’ll work on it.”

…I have no idea what she means by “work on it,” but she seemed to be in a better mood now.

So I decided not to push it.

Still petting her head, I opened my lunch box one-handed like a pro—

And the moment I did, I remembered something important.

“…Sorry, Aira.”

“?”

“…I forgot to bring chopsticks for you.”

I knew I was supposed to prep that last night…!

Yeah, a lot’s happened since then, sure.

More than you’d think could fit into a single day.

But still—how could I forget something this simple?

…Now I’m gonna end up sharing chopsticks with Aira again.

Not that I mind, of course.

She’s my daughter. It’s fine! Totally fine!

“It’s okay. Let’s just eat like we did yesterday, okay?”

… Y-You sure, Aira? I mean, if it bothers you, don’t hesitate to say something. I can flip the chopsticks around or—”

“It’s fine.”

She cut me off before I could even finish.

“…Alright.”

A normal parent would probably be happy their daughter didn’t reject them or anything…

But the issue here is—we’re the same age now.

…Not that it changes the fact that Aira’s still my daughter. No matter how old I look.

…Yeah. That’s right. It’s fine.

O-Okay, let’s just start eating.

We did this yesterday too—no big deal.

And seriously, I need to keep reminding myself…

She’s my daughter.