「I will be frank, what do you want? 」

   Brigitte blinked a few times in surprise, and stared at my face.

「I’m surprised. I thought you will persuade me to go home only. 」

「Of course I’m hoping that you will return home. But if I don’t know your thoughts, it’s pretty much useless. 」

   She has her own matter to talk about, and I want to hear that. After knowing Brigitte’s intention, it’ll no longer be my job. All it’s left is up to the father, Tolkien’s actions.

「You can forcefully take me too right? Just like the one that came before. 」

「I won’t do that. My employer doesn’t wish that. 」

「……」

「My employer, your father only wants to make up with you. What can he do to be forgiven? 」

「He really doesn’t understand anything……」

   Brigitte who sighed, went closer to the window. Even the side of her face seemed extremely lonely.

「After mother had passed away, his only meaning in life is working. Thinking that giving me money will solve anything, and that really irritated me. Whenever I came back on breaks, what he can give me is just loneliness. Spending my time all alone in a wide and big villa, and he doesn’t know how much emptiness I felt in that……」

   Brigitte’s voice trembled as she told the story. The illusionist went beside Brigitte, and held her arms gently. She seemed to be sympathizing with Brigitte’s loneliness from her heart.

   With a complicated feeling, I listened to what Brigitte have to say. Just like Tolkien, I’m anxious if I took any action that will cause a misunderstanding. I don’t want to let Ravi feel lonely. I’m sure I’m same as Tolkien in this respect. We are suffering because of our lacking senses as a father.

「Even when I said I want to spend time together during the break. But father would shake his head sideways as usual……. It might be different if I told him I’m lonely. ……But, thinking that if I were to be rejected even if I said that, it didn’t come out from my mouth. 」

   The frustration when you can’t convey what you want to convey, and the irritation when you aren’t understood. Such feelings piled on each other, and finally, she couldn’t take it anymore.

   Human is a complicated thing. Even though things that can be solved easily by talking honestly, but the cases when people complicate it too many to count.

「In other words, the reason you left the home is because 『It’s lonely to not spend time with father during the break』? 」

「……Yes」

   A soft voice came back from Brigitte, while she looked sorry. That time――.

「Uu……uwaaaan……!! 」

   Suddenly, a loud crying noise of some Ossan is heard. I looked back in surprise, Tolkien was crying like a broken dam.

「Eh!? What is it……!? 」

   Brigitte and the illusionist were even more surprised than me, as they met faces with each other. Well, that’s natural. They both are still affected by my illusion’s skill, so they couldn’t see Tolkien’s figure.

   What the illusion had been concealing, is only Tolkien’s figure. With this much noise, of course he would be revealed.

   Well, but, any more than this, there’s no point to conceal his figure any longer. Brigitte’s words just now and Tolkien’s crying. What needed now for them to reconcile, is a face to face honest talk. I held up my palm, and dispelled the illusion.

「F-father……!? Eh……eh!? What is……!? 」

   Where no one had stood previously, Tolkien manifested there, and Brigitte was plunged into confusion. But the illusionist herself, as she realized the trick, she looked at me stunned.

「Impossible……To cast an illusion on me, an illusionist……? 」

「Yeah. I took inspiration from you. 」

「So you’re the same as me……」

「Nope. Although I can use illusion skill, I’m not a specialist. 」

「Wh!? Illusionists have resistance to illusions right……!? To cast an illusion on me that easily, it must be that you’re an expert……!! You’re actually an illusionist right!? 」

   Maybe her pride was hurt, she seemed to have lost her calm as she leaned over to me.

「O-oi. Too close……」

   I was forced back to the wall. If I were to step backwards anymore, Ravi would be squashed. Since she was still oppressing me for answers, I grabbed onto her shoulders firmly, and lightly pushed back.

「Ah……, S-sorry……. I have shown an unbefitting conduct……! Whenever I meet another illusionist better than me, I can’t help but get excited over it. Sorry for being too excited. 」

   The illusionist who regained her calm apologized with reddish cheeks.

   Brigitte who was hearing our conversation at the side muttered 「Illusion……」

「……Does that mean, that we were casted with an illusion so that we can’t see father? 」

「That’s right. 」

「Then that means that he had been here from the start? 」

「Yeah. 」

「When I was blabbering whatever I felt, he had been listening to it……!? 」

「Uhh, well, yes. 」

「N-no way……」

   Brigitte’s face became redder by the moment, and she glared at her father with an embarrassed face.

「F-father―!! 」

「Hi―……!! 」

   Tolkien’s back shuddered from the sudden yell.

「To hear only my intentions is cowardly……!! To make me feel this much embarrassment……! 」

   Brigitte who had been a modest lady just a moment ago. But now she’s a different person completely, howling at her father. The way she changed her personality into that of a leopard, it’s like the illusionist.

   Could it be because of this, they were on good terms and worked together……?

   As I thought so, Tolkien turned towards me as if seeking help. Well, even if you ask for help from me, I don’t know any technique to appease a girl. But I can’t leave him to die. I made up my mind, and cut into the conversation.

「Tolkien should be feeling the same embarrassment as well. Such an adult man has been crying all day you know. And that’s because that he wanted to see his daughter. A father wants to uphold his pride when he’s in front of his daughter, and remain a dependable father. But now that his pathetic figure is exposed, I’d imagine he’s in a similar situation. 」

   At my words, Tolkien nodded furiously.

「Father, is that true……? 」

「Of course! Even though I didn’t cry in front of anyone before……. ――But Brigitte. I don’t feel regret that I’ve cried now. 」

   Tolkien rubbed the tears off his face, before facing Brigitte again. His nose was still reddish, and his eyes were still wet. But the determined gaze that he had, gave off a feeling of a dependable father.

   Brigitte probably felt the same too. Her irritation face changed, and she stared back at her father. Brigitte’s clear amber eyes seemed to have a little expectation in them.

「Brigitte, I’m sorry. I didn’t know what you had felt all this while. I thought that to make up for the inconvenience of not having a mother, the best is to earn more money……. To misunderstand like this for so many years, I’m really sorry. 」

   Brigitte silently listened to what Tolkien had to say.

「Brigitte, I want you to know just this. There isn’t a single day I have not wished for your happiness. I might be misunderstood, but I assure all I have been doing is for your happiness. 」

   With a gentle smile, Tolkien held his daughter’s hands. The hands full of creases, held the silky hands. When the meaning is strongly conveyed, Brigitte’s amber eyes started to tear up.

「What an idiot, father. You do understand after all……」

「Brigitte……! 」

「Can you lessen your work, take breaks properly. And bring me on holiday like when I was still small? 」

「……And if you won’t break your promise」

「I definitely won’t break them! 」

   Looking at Tolkien who said that confidently, Brigitte’s expression became gentle. She giggled a little and asked, 「Can you try saying that should we take some time off here? 」.

「Of course! Let’s even move here if you like it! 」

「That would be a little difficult. 」

「I-is that so. Then not that. 」

   The retort of a merciless daughter. And the panicking father. While looking at their exchange, I hugged up Ravi. Ravi raised a voice 「Daddy, isn’t it great. 」. I nodded back, and patted Ravi’s head gently.