「Fufufu, maybe it’s because I’ve quit my job but I feel absolutely refreshed now! It looks like even the sea of Kagura is happy with the good news of me being free now and blesses me! 」


  Even after sharing his happiness with Roomba and me, Kojirou still smiles, perhaps he’s still immersed in the aftertaste of his joy.

  Oh well, he’s someone who had quit his painful job and is now free. He’s currently in the invincible mental mode. I’m sure he must feel happy no matter what he’s doing right now.

  「Anyway, I’m glad Kojirou manage to quit your job quickly. When it comes to quitting your job, troubles will suddenly happen to you after allー」


  「……well, I didn’t quit that easily without any troubles」


  When I casually asked him that, Kojirou answered with a solemn look.

  「Hm? What happened when you quit your job? Were you being detained by the Daimyo whom you served?」


  「Yeah, the old man told me that he will be troubled if I were to quit」


  Ooh, it’s the typical lines said by your superior that I’ve predicted.

  「So then I told him exactly what Al said to me! ‘And you have been using such an important human resource like a tattered rag!' Man, when I remember the complicated expression of the old men at that time, it was so exhilarating!」


  「Ooh, so you can do it after all Kojirou! Well said!」


  「Hahaha, I’ve been trying to maintain a good relationship with them until now, but that’s none of my business now because I’ve quit my job! I’ve clearly said it!」


  He took over the things I’ve been wanting to say in my previous life.

  I’m really happy that there is someone who succeeds my wish and can fulfill it.

  Aah, I also wanted to witness the moment when Kojirou bluntly said that line.

  「If it’s not that distinguished old man, in the end, what were the troubles?」


  When I was still being deeply moved by Kojirou’s brave action, Roomba - who was listening by the side - asked Kojirou.

  Certainly, looking at Kojirou, it looks like there is no particular problem with his superiors.

  Just who is the one who prevents Kojirou - as he was so determined to do so - to quit his job to his extent? Could it be it’s a matter of inheritance of a family business or something?

  「It’s my mother and sister」


  Ooh, that’s really troublesome.

  「I was able to let my mother eat the incomplete unadon and managed to persuade her about how delicious unadon is, about how it will bring benefits to Kagura, about how I love unadon, but I was unable to convince my sister」


  「Oi oi, wasn’t that because Kojirou is still unskilled? If she ate delicious unadon, then normally even your sister will be convinced」


  「That was exactly what I thought. If I can make delicious unadon like Al, then my sister wouldn’t have objected to my decision!」


  When Roomba pointed out the riddle, Kojirou lamented and tried to cover his face.

  Uh, even if unadon is delicious, that doesn’t mean that all the people in this world will also agree with you, okay?

  「My sister said that the unadon tastes bad and she told me, 『Rather than making something like this, you better continue being a swordsman』 then she forced me to have a duel with her.」


  Ooh, but she insisted that unadon tastes bad and challenged him to a duel. Though speaking of the cause, it’s pretty much not an exaggeration if we said that it all happened because of Kojirou’s inexperience in making unadon, right?

  No, no, Kojirou was not a chef, he just quit his job and now had free time to try cooking.

  Challenging something new has nothing to do with things like age or whether your skill is good or bad, it has no relation to quitting one’s job at all.

  「Somehow, it’s like she was just using that as a pretext」


  「Yeah, but I couldn’t keep quiet after she said all that. So I accepted her challenge to settle the matter」


  To think that just teaching him about unadon turns into a duel between a member of his family.

  「So you won the match, and after that, you quit from your job then?」


  「That’s ‘cause the honor of unadon and me being able to quit my job depended on it. I feel sorry for my sister but I think it’s the only way I’ll be able to quit」


  Kojirou looked calm as he smile.

  Indeed, as a corporate slave and as a man, we can’t lose in such a situation.

  「Well, I was resented by my sister as a result, but I think I’m going to make her approve of my decision by treating her again to a delicious unadon」


  「……that’s right. I’m sure that would be for the best」


  I’m sure that, even that sister-san won’t think the unadon that Kojirou made with his all to taste bad.

  I think the reason she acted like that is that she felt lonely because his brother quit his job as a swordsman.

  It would be great if he can finally make a delicious unadon so that his sister will someday also be able to approve of his decision.

  「Hm? Ah?」


  When I was thinking about that kind of thing, Roomba groaned while folding his arms.

  「What’s the matter Roomba?」


  「A duel between a brother and sister, I’ve heard of it somewhere――」


  「Oーi! Alー! We came to send you offー!」


  As I was listening to Roomba talking, I heard a really familiar voice of a girl calling me.

  「Ah, looks like Haru came to send us off」


  When I turn around, there were Haru and Shuichi, along with their guards Kaede-san, Suke-san, and Kaku-san who came to see us off.

  「Ooh, so a familiar girl is here for you despite you being someone from a foreign country, eh! So Al can do it regardless of your outward――」


  Kojirou was saying something while grinning, but then he stopped mid-sentence as soon as he looked over and he stiffened.

  He looks extremely surprised.

  「Aahh!? What is Kojirou doing here!?」


  「What? Is that really him?」


  Haru and Shuichi said those things while they comes running to us, did they perhaps recognize Kojirou.

  Eh? But how could Haru and Shuichi know about Kojirou?

  While I’m still wondering about that, the guard - Kaede-san - hurriedly approached us.

  「Older brother!?」


  「Kaede!」


  ’Older brother’? Could it be, Kojirou and Kaede-san are siblings?

  「What are you doing in this kind of place, older brother!?」


  「You too, what are you doing here!?」


  「That’s because we are Al’s friends! So we came here to send him off!」


  「Fr, friend!?」


  Kojirou got surprised after Haru interrupt him.

  After that, Kojirou suddenly turned his back on Haru and Kaede, and he went to me and Roomba.

  「………o, oi, you guys………that, do you know them?」


  Kojirou asked us while appearing somewhat inarticulate.

  「You mean about Haru and Shuichi being the eldest daughter and son from the Shogun family?」


  「Aah, that. Why do you know………」


  When Roomba answered him, Kojirou looks relieved somehow.

  It’s natural to be worried about it since we know about Haru and Shuichi’s status, huh?

  「Rather than that Kojirou, Kaede-san is your sister?」


  「Hm, well that’s right. Kaede and I came from a family who serves the Shogun family for generations. Kaede is Haru-sama’s guard, while I was Shuichi-sama’s guard.」


  When you compare both of them, Kojirou and Kaede-san really resemble each other.

  The two of them have well-ordered features, especially their almond eyes are really similar.

  So these beautiful siblings are elites who were chosen to serve as guards in a Shogun family, eh. This is amazing.

  「And why are you here, older brother?」


  While the three of us - me, Roomba, and Kojirou - were talking secretly among ourselves, Kaede-san asked us with an irritated tone.

  Hm? Wait a minute? So that means, I instructed that elite Kojirou in making unadon and then he did something like quitting his job and did it so casually?

  It’d be understandable if he were just a swordsman, but when it comes to being such an elite and assigned with an important role of Shuichi’s guard, then as expected, I would also feel awkward about it……


  If I said that I’m the one who taught Kojirou about unadon, then I feel like Kaede-san will be angry at me.

  「Mmm, I’ve heard that my friend Al is going to leave by the port, so that’s why I came here」


  「Friend? Just when did the two of you have that kind of relationship?」


  「Well no, I mean, I guess he’s a friend and teacher? Al is the one who showed me the path of making unadon, he’s a person worthy of respect」


  「Naa! So it’s youuu!」


  While I was still being worried about the unadon, Kojirou immediately let it slip.

  Hearing Kojirou’s remark, Kaede-san immediately glared at me with such an expression and made clacking sounds as she approached me.

  「So it was Alfried-dono’s fault, huh!? For my brother to suddenly say that he wanted to quit his job!」


  「No, blaming me for his decision is making me seem like the bad guy here! I only met with Kojirou at the riverbed and we ate unadon together! The one who said that he wants to quit his job and make unadon is Kojirou himself, you know!」


  「That’s right Kaede」


  「Then, how could my older brother - who has no planning ability - able to persuade our mother with some sort of strange merchants’ argument? And the reason he spoke so sharply against Shogun-sama and the Daimyo has nothing to do with Alfried-dono?」


  「……no, that’s because I taught him」


  「I knew it! Sure enough, the one who had been instilling my older brother with those ideas is really you, Alfried-dono」


  I was explaining about the benefit of unadon, thought I just taught him all sorts of things to make it easier for Kojirou to be able to persistently quit his job……nah, I’m sorry. I thought that it would be interesting to make Kojirou’s superiors speechless, so I taught him all sorts of things.

  「Kaede, Don’t blame Al! This is something that I’ve decided on my own!」


  「For the older brother who can’t do anything by himself, just what are you saying! You didn’t even do any specific actions even while saying something like wanting to quit from your job before!」


  「Wha, what are you talking about! Tha, that was because I haven’t found another thing I want to do so I could only helplessly continue to work!」


  Kojirou, the moment you answered while stuttering here then you will be thought of as a small fry, I need you to answer resolutely here.

  「………helplessly being Shuichi’s guard…」


  Hearing the exchange between Kojirou and Kaede, Haru said something that greatly perturbs Shuichi’s heart.

  「……Haru, you don’t have to say it like that. Besides, I knew that Kojirou was too busy with his job and fed up with it.」


  「He’s the guard assigned to you, wasn’t he? Are you all right that Kojirou quit from being your guard?」


  Roomba asks Shuchi, who answers with a kind of philosophical look on his face.

  「Of course, I actually felt it was unfortunate. I mean, Kojirou is the second most powerful person in the country after Father. There are still a lot of things I want him to teach me」


  I’m really sorry. That person job-changed to an eel shopkeeper.

  「But, when I looked at Kojirou’s animated expression that time, I didn’t feel like holding him back」


  「That’s right! It’s been a while since I saw Kojirou with such lively eyes! But Kaede looks really lonely」


  Shuichi and Roomba laughed while looking at the fierce argument between Kojirou and Kaede-san.

  Is this the open-mindedness of the Shogun family, I wonder?

  He might be tired because of his working hours, but he has these warm-hearted people around him, didn’t he.

  He probably didn’t need to quit his job as a swordsman, even if he had nothing he wanted to do before. So I thought.