Chapter 168

Chapter 168: Escape the sence

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Why do I encounter so many strange things whenever I go out for a walk with a loli? – Ash thought to himself as he listened to the two girls quarreling beside him. Both of them inadvertently dragged him into their argument, making him feel like he was caught in the crossfire far too much.

Although he might have benefited here and there, it shouldn't really count as his own initiative, right? After all, he still thought of himself as a gentleman, someone who wouldn't actively make such strange requests.

While he was caught up in his thoughts, the two girls had locked fingers, their faces red with frustration, pushing each other like sumo wrestlers. If they couldn't win the argument verbally, it seemed they were ready to settle it physically—even though they were both magicians.

Under normal circumstances, if a fight had already broken out, Ash would have stepped in to mediate. But these two had been fighting like this since they were kids, so he no longer had the energy or motivation to intervene.

Still, after hesitating for a moment, he sighed, walked forward, and pressed his hands down on their heads, forcing them apart.

"Calm down. You're good sisters—why are you fighting over something so trivial?" he said.

"…Good sisters? You're an uncle, not a sister," Lawine retorted flatly, glaring at him.

Kanne, on the other hand, looked him up and down suspiciously before asking, "Uncle… are you trying to say you're an aunt now?"

"You clearly know I wasn't talking about myself," Ash replied, both annoyed and amused. He patted both their heads, sighed, and sat down again, resting his elbow on Linie's shoulder while propping his chin up with one hand.

"Honestly, why do you two always ruin my reputation for no reason? Can't you think about me, the person involved?" he asked.

"What reputation?" Lawine glared at him, clearly displeased. "I've never heard of you having a good reputation."

"…I don't think I've ever done anything perverted, though, have I?" Ash replied defensively.

"Look at—my… that!" Lawine stammered, her face flushed.

"That's not my fault," Ash replied, denying it outright.

"And you touched my stomach!" Kanne added, clutching her middle and blushing furiously.

"But that shouldn't be my fault either," Ash responded reflexively.

Although he felt that he hadn't done anything wrong, he had to admit some responsibility, considering he was the one who had made the joke about touching her belly in the first place. No wonder the two girls were upset with him.

Before they could fully blow up at him, Ash quickly patted Linie's head and turned to solemnly rebuke the other two.

"Even if I've done something wrong, shouldn't you think about the time and place before saying weird things like that? There are children here—what if they get corrupted by this nonsense?"

"This…" "You're right…" the two girls murmured, looking guilty.

Although their personalities were very different, both Lawine and Kanne were fundamentally good-natured. At his words, they fell silent, their faces showing guilt as they avoided his gaze.

Sure enough, being too conscientious is inconvenient, Ash thought to himself as he carefully observed the two of them. Having higher morals just creates more restrictions, doesn't it? But… cuteness is justice.

As Ash sighed inwardly, he couldn't help but notice that the two girls had grown more considerate, perhaps due to Linie's presence. Linie's innocent demeanor and cute appearance seemed to soften them, and it was clear they cared about her a lot. They often glanced at her or acted protectively around her, even if their ways of showing it were clumsy.

Lawine stopped arguing, adjusted her skirt, and quietly asked Ash about Linie. He responded seriously, "Of course, I can tell you, but how are you going to thank me?"

"Are you treating me to a meal?"

"Don't want."

"You… you don't want to see my… inner… that again, do you?"

"Don't say weird things in front of a child," Ash replied, flicking her forehead lightly. Then, seeing Lawine's dissatisfied expression, he added casually, "Actually, my request isn't weird. I just hope you can be more polite and have a better attitude toward me in the future."

"…As long as you don't do anything weird, I'll be fine too!" Lawine replied, crossing her arms. Her tone betrayed her growing irritation, as though implying that Ash was always doing strange things.

Ash glanced at Lawine, whose face was still flushed, and couldn't help but sigh as she muttered, "…It's all Uncle's fault."

"Alright, alright, it's all my fault, but could you stop calling me 'Uncle'? It makes me feel weird," Ash said, exasperated.

"But you are an uncle," Kanne retorted. "If you're not an uncle, what else would you be?"

The two girls, united in their shared disdain, shot him identical glares.

Ash groaned, rubbing his temples, which felt like they were about to burst. Eventually, he sighed, patted both of their heads, stood up, and said with a neutral expression, "Let's go talk somewhere else. If we keep this up here, not only will I look weird, but you two will too."

"…That's true," Kanne admitted reluctantly.

"It's because Uncle is so weird," Lawine muttered under her breath.

The two girls slapped his hands away and walked ahead, muttering to each other. Their discussion shifted to listing all the "weird" things Ash had done, leaving him standing behind them, defeated.

Sighing, Ash reached over and covered Linie's ears. As he did, he quietly took the opportunity to slip away. It wasn't that he wanted to escape, of course; he was simply worried that if Linie heard too much of their conversation, she might lead others astray later.

After all, the last thing he needed was for Aura or Solitar to get wind of this. Their teasing would never end.

Unfortunately, before Ash could get far, the two girls noticed his attempt to leave and immediately dropped their argument to chase after him.

Without hesitation, Ash used high-speed movement magic and disappeared from their sight in the blink of an eye.

Lawine, left fuming, stamped her foot in frustration. Kanne, on the other hand, sighed and commented, "There are still two boxes of apples left. He'll have to come back for them eventually."

After making his escape, Ash found himself in a quieter part of town, sitting on a bench in front of a park. He set a bag of apples down beside him and slumped against the backrest, feeling utterly drained.

Linie, however, seemed unbothered. She touched the spot next to her, noticed a speck of dust on her finger, and casually wiped it off with her sleeve. Without saying a word, she climbed into his lap, swinging her legs leisurely as if nothing had happened.

Although she remained silent, her small movements made it clear she was in a good mood.

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Note: I didn't expect you all to push this fic to No. 2 in the power rankings, especially since our goal was just to reach the top 5. As promised, I'll be uploading three chapters a day for this week as well.