Report, Communicate, and Consult—Promptly
Well, since I got a new skill, I guess I’m obligated to report it… Can't be helped. Guess I’ll tell the three people here first.
Looking around, I saw Aunt Julie chatting with Snowy like fellow moms, Uncle Gilbert comforting Blau, and Vee petting Zex.
“I have something to report!”
I raised my right hand straight up and called out to Aunt Julie and the others.
“Hm? What is it, Joan? You're being awfully formal.”
“I just thought reporting, communicating, and consulting should be done quickly…”
“Pfft… So, what is it?”
“Um… I’ve been gifted a new skill.”
“““Huh? By who?”””
“By Assist…”
“““Why?”””
“Because it’s my birthday?”
“““HUUUUH!?”””
“So, what kind of skill is it?”
“Animal Talk.”
“Never heard of that one. What kind of skill is it?”
“Ah—apparently, it’s an original skill of mine. I can talk with animals I touch…”
“““Ehhh!?”””
((Ehhh!?))
It wasn’t just Aunt Julie and the others—Snowy and Blau were also shocked.
“I thought so~?”
“Why did you report this now? You could’ve told us when we were in the living room.”
“Big brother Gil, well… I realized it when I was petting Noir, and when I confirmed it with Assist, they said they forgot to mention it.”
“Ahaha! Assist’s just like you, Joan—funny.”
“Vee, you’re laughing too much! And I’m *not* funny!”
“No, no, you’re way over-the-top and definitely funny. Ahahaha…”
“Joan, would you show us a demonstration?”
“Sure. Noir, come here.”
As Noir came close, I petted her and thought about what to ask. I decided to ask what Snowy had been worried about.
“Noir, why don’t you let anyone ride you?”
—Because… they're not strong enough.
“Not strong enough?”
—Yeah. I want someone strong like my dad or like Young master Gene to ride me.
“So, someone strong enough for you is okay?”
—And someone whose wavelength matches mine.
“Wavelength? Like, someone whose riding style suits you?”
—Yeah.
Joan relayed the conversation with Noir to everyone.
Hearing that, Snowy tried to persuade Noir.
(That’s why—right now, there’s no steed at this mansion, and no one here is strong enough for you. We talked about this before, remember?)
“Brrr. Brrrr.”
As Noir and Snowy started… bickering?
“Hey, does that mean I’d be okay?”
“““Eh!?”””
(Eh!?)
“I still don’t have a steed, you know. Father’s been so busy and all…”
“Sorry, Vince…”
“Nah, it’s work, so it’s fine. …So, if it’s okay, would I be good enough? But we’d have to go to the royal capital together…”
“True, Vince is definitely strong… The question is whether your wavelengths match, like Noir said.”
“Hey, Joan. Could you ask Noir if she’d let me try riding her once? I always thought a sleek black horse like her would be perfect for me. Please?”
“Okay. Give me a sec.”
Once more, Joan stroked Noir and said:
“I think you already kind of understand what Vee’s saying, but… would you let him try riding you just once?”
—…Okay. He said I’m beautiful, so… just once. B-but if our wavelengths don’t match, then no, okay?
O-oh, Noir, you’re a total tsundere…
“Thanks. Vee, she said okay.”
“Yesss!”
“Wait, Vince! You need to get permission from the master of the house—my brother—first! Even if Noir says yes, if my brother says no, then it’s no.”
““Oh, true.””
Both Vee and I had prioritized Noir and completely forgotten about Father…
We returned to the living room and explained what had happened at the stables.
It couldn’t be helped that my new skill caused more surprise than Snowy and Blau’s Search results. Brother Noel's eyes sparkled, Brother Gene burst out laughing, Grandfather, Grandmother, and Mother all looked exasperated, and Father and Gray were holding their heads. But it’s not like I did anything wrong. It was a gift!
Then, everyone pressured me to show my status.
“Status Open.”
——————————————————
[Joan Lampail]Status
Healthy
Attribute
Null
Skills
Search S
Storage S
Repair
First Aid (Charm)
Aqua
Dry
Assist
Teleportation
Animal Talk
——————————————————
“I-it’s really there… Haah~”
Father… You’re starting to look good doing the Gendo pose.
“Nine skills, three familiars… At this point, isn’t she basically unbeatable even with the Null attribute?”
““““““That’s true…””””””
The adults all nodded at Brother Gene’s words.
“Now all she needs is a Fire element contract to be perfect.”
““““““““……””””””””
Everyone gave Brother Gene a deadpan stare.
Brother Gene, don’t go triggering weird flags…
What are we going to do if it really shows up?
“Joan. Since you’re starting at the academy in April, let’s begin studying magic too, okay?”
“Yes, Big sister Julie. I’m looking forward to it.”
“Hehe. Me too. Ah, how about we do it twice a month on weekends? You can come stay over at our place when we do. I’ll be waiting.”
“If Joan comes, our house will definitely feel more lively, won’t it, Julie?”
“Indeed. Is that okay, Brother?”
“Yeah. Joan, are you okay with that?”
“Yes. But if I have something else planned, I might not be able to make it…”
“Oh? Something like a date?”
“Well… Now that I can do long-distance teleportation, I want to train under Grandmother, and I’ve promised to train with my friends, and I also want to go to the Adventurers’ Guild…”
“… Joan. Don’t you have any more ladylike plans?”
Everyone looked exasperated after Mother said that.
I mean… Just because I’m starting at the academy doesn’t mean I’ll definitely get a boyfriend, right? Plus, I made a training promise with Belle…
“Hmm, none at the moment.”
““““Haah~””””
Grandmother, Mother, Aunt Julie, and Nancy all sighed at the same time.
“Maggie, we’ll have to focus on social etiquette training too.”
“Yes, it’s as you say, Julie.”
What do you think about this chapter?
