Gratitude
–––Afternoon Tea Time.
When I went into the living room, the hangover crew was sitting on the sofa looking completely exhausted.
“Everyone, are you still feeling sick?”
“No, we’re fine. The drunkenness is gone.”
“... The drunkenness, yes. But I thought my heart was going to stop.”
“Grandfather, what happened?”
“Stan, Gill, and I—while we were still asleep—got buckets of cold water dumped on us by Lindsay and Nancy.”
““Eh!?””
“We got the same treatment from Mother and Aunt, and then they dumped us into the bath while still in our sleepwear.”
Our home has a large bath that can fit about five adults. I’d once talked about public baths from my previous life, and the very next day, a large bath was built. By the way, once a week, the servants and our private soldiers are allowed to use it too, and it’s gotten rave reviews for how relaxing it is.
“Eh? How did they even get you to the bathroom?”
“My brother got carried by Arthur, I was carried by Ben—who could barely hold back his laughter—and Eric by Mike. As for Vee…”
“M–Me? I was… uh…”
“Hm? By who?”
“... Mother.”
““... Pfft!!””
Belle and I both burst out laughing at Vee’s reply.
Apparently, Aunt Julie used Body Enhancement to carry Vee herself.
“Um, anyway—thank you all so much for celebrating my birthday yesterday. I actually have something to report… But before that—do you know what a Dimension Room is?”
“Know it? Of course. The academy’s training ground uses one, doesn’t it?”
Ah—right. I remembered. The training area in the royal capital was made with spatial magic so that people could safely practice magic where space was limited.
“Oh, yeah, that’s right.”
“So? What about it, Joe” Jean prompted.
“Umm… a Dimension Room appeared inside my storage?”
““““““““““Whaaat!?””””””””””
“What do you mean, Joan?”
“It seems it was a birthday present. From Assist.”
““““““““““Ahhh.””””””””””
Since I’d already received Animal Talk as a gift before, everyone accepted the “from Assist” part surprisingly easily.
“So, what exactly does it mean to have a Dimension Room inside your storage?” Grandfather asked.
“Well… apparently, I can live inside the storage now. That means I can carry my familiars inside it and camp without a tent.”
“Wait—so you mean people can actually enter the storage?”
Aunt Julie leaned forward, eyes shining.
“P–Probably. I think so.”
“Th–Then! How many people can go in? What’s it like to live there? Does it have a bath? A toilet? Cooking—”
“Julietta, calm yourself! Joan, all you know is that you can live inside, correct?”
“Yes, Grandmother. I should’ve asked Assist first, but I thought I should at least report it right away.”
While Aunt Julie’s rapid-fire questions left me speechless, Grandmother came to my rescue. She nodded, suggesting I ask Assist now so I wouldn’t forget anything.
––Assist-chan.
––Yeees? You want me to explain the Dimension Room?
––How did you know?
––Because you didn’t ask anything about it after you freaked out yesterday.
––Ah, sorry. Okay, first—how many people can go inside?
––As many as you want! But the current size is about 30 square meters. Oh, and it’s a separate space from the part of your storage where you keep your stuff. You can access items from the storage while in the room, though.
––I see. What about baths, toilets, and cooking?
––You can do all that, but there’s no drainage system.
––Ah, I get it. Oh, how do you go in and out? And how do you check outside before coming out?
––Just say “Dimension” to make a door appear! To leave, just open the door. When you touch the handle, you’ll be able to see what’s happening outside. Oh, and no one but Joan can open the door from the inside, so don’t worry.
––That’s amazing.
––Yattemimashou!
––... Why the sudden Japanese?
––No reason! Just go try it~
After I relayed what Assist said, everyone—who had been watching me in silent anticipation—immediately started saying, “Let’s try it!” Of course they would.
Thinking about it, they’ve always been like this. No one’s ever rejected anything I’ve said or done. If anything, they seem to enjoy it.
I really am so lucky to have been reborn into the Rampale family. And to have met Belle and Lord Eric, too…
“Joan, what’s wrong? Are you alright?” Father asked, looking worried. The others were watching me with the same concern.
“Hm? Oh—”
Belle handed me a handkerchief. Apparently, I hadn’t noticed the tears running down my face.
“Sorry. I guess I was just remembering everything that’s happened… and I started crying without realizing it.”
“Everything that’s happened?”
“Yes. Even now, no matter how strange the things I say or do might be, nobody rejects me—you all just accept me. I was just thinking how grateful I am to have been born into the Rampale family, and how lucky I am to have met Belle and Lord Eric…”
“Joan… That’s only natural, isn’t it? We might scold you sometimes, but we’d never deny you anything. We’re family. And you know, I’ve heard that other reincarnators sometimes flaunt their knowledge—but you never do. You use it to make everyone happier. The sweet potato farmers, the orphanage, Nicholas… all of them are thriving thanks to your advice.”
“Father…”
“It’s not just me—everyone in Burst territory feels grateful to you, Joan. Honestly, at first, your words and actions surprised us. But now? Being with you is just fun.”
“Belle, you’re gonna make me cry again…”
“Being with you’s never boring, Joe. You’re always pulling something unexpected.”
“Yeah, these days, I kinda look forward to seeing what you’ll do next.”
“Brother Gene, Vee… the tears stopped. But… thank you.”
What do you think about this chapter?
