Chapter 228

The store owner readily nodded.

“Sure~ But if you leave it to me, I can take good ones.”

“Haha, I know. But this time, we’ll take them ourselves.”

I paid him the shooting fee and borrowed the camera.

In our past too, cameras around this period were of a weight and size that could be held by hand. Of course, if trying to hold it with one hand instead of both, it would have been a bit burdensome. The magic-powered camera also looked similar to the cameras of our past, and it wasn’t that light either. But with a New Human body, holding it with one hand wouldn’t be too much strain, I think.

I touched the wooden camera box and checked the operation method. Magic power was in the glass bottle inside the box, and pressing the button on the side could take a photo right away. Confirming that the function wasn’t greatly different from those used in the royal family or newspapers, I loaded magic power in my arm and tried holding the camera with one hand.

Heike came next to me and started peeking.

“Why did you borrow that? But it’s the first time seeing someone load magic power in their arm to take photos.”

“Why? You have to do your best even when playing.”

“You do your best in this way.”

“Heike.”

I stood where light came in moderately, and pulled her shoulder close.

Holding the camera upside down and raising it high upward, Heike opened her eyes wide.

“What?”

“Just taking photos, what.”

“But why take photos from above like this?”

“Let’s try once. Heike, don’t raise your head and look at the lens only with your eyes?”

I don’t know if she’ll like it.

Actually, even in modern times, I haven’t voluntarily taken photos like this much, but still, I remember friends nagging me to pose properly. When working, I often took them for uploading on SNS.

Even if the era is different, anyway, all people are the same, so this much… she’ll accept it somewhat okay, I think.

The expectation wasn’t wrong.

30 minutes later, Heike’s eyes, who first received the developed photos, shone.

“…Wow.”

As if unable to decide what to say, Heike, who kept moving her mouth, soon continued rapidly like rapid fire.

“Taking from above comes out like this. When I was going around taking a lot, I didn’t see people holding and taking their own faces. Is this trending these days?”

Not yet….

Occasionally, there were people who took their own faces with cameras of this era, but not enough to call it a trend, and it was close to trying one or two times as a joke. So, there were no cases paying attention to the angle either.

Having nothing to say, just letting out an ambiguous laughter, Heike smiled faintly.

“Good.”

“Yeah? Thankful if you accepted it like that.”

“I like this more. It looks closer.”

Heike smiled brightly. I smiled the same to her and slightly turned my head to look outside.

Doing nothing special and hearing admiration, I somehow feel sorry.

To reduce that uneasiness, I deliberately thought something else.

‘Do Insta-cut business here with a magic-powered camera…?’

Not bad?

Thinking up to there, I soon shook my head.

Already with the sensory transfer artifact patent, hundreds of thousands of Pel are deposited to me every month. Since it’s the thing I properly fixed during the Strauch time, Leo registered the patent in my name.

At that time, Heike said while continuously changing the three developed photos.

“You seem to take photos often? I’m frozen, but you’re all natural.”

“…….”

This time too, nothing particular to answer, I sat next to her and naturally changed the topic.

“Heike, you seem to come here often. You really like taking photos a lot, I see.”

“Yeah. From middle school, I even made a photo album.”

“Yeah? When we go back, can you show it?”

“Of course.”

While coming out of the store, we continued talking about photos.

Rather than a clearly mutual conversation, it was mostly me bringing up topics and Heike answering.

“What occasion made you like photos? Even if wanting to leave records, usually people don’t develop it into a hobby like this.”

“…….”

The answer didn’t come right away.

Around thinking if it was a topic not to ask, Heike answered dryly.

“Because of mom’s photo. I can’t see mom.”

“…….”

Suddenly?

But I know why this story comes out. Previously, on the day of the Eszett inauguration celebration, Heike’s words ‘want to try living with mom after graduation’ passed through my memory.

I felt ahead becoming dark and apologized.

“Hm, yeah. Sorry. I asked something unnecessary. You don’t have to say.”

“No. I want to say.”

“…….”

Want to say? Since she wants to say, I can’t stop her either.

Since I’m not particularly against hearing it, I nodded.

“Do you know why I can’t see mom? Somehow I feel like you’d know.”

“I know. Because of the contract, right?”

“Yeah. Can’t let uncle find out. The condition for me becoming the Ainsidel family successor is never seeing mom for life. That was the contract mom and uncle made.”

It’s a common thing.

When producing a successor or adopting a relative, to prevent the magic provider or biological parents from claiming ownership of the successor’s magic power, they write a contract like this.

“I separated from mom at five, so my memory is faint. The mom photos I took when moving to the direct line, uncle sent all back to mom, but coincidentally exactly one remained with me.”

“I see.”

“At that time, no particular thought, but after a few years, I thought that it’s data with quite high preservation value.”

Data with high preservation value. The expression….

Indeed a New Human. Not that all New Humans speak like Heike, but thanks to Heike’s personality, a really unadorned expression close to New Human basics came out.

However, no repulsion felt. Anyway, expression is just the shell, the emotion she feels isn’t greatly different from others, and as if showing that, the following words were extremely human.

“Sometimes when I feel like a weird person, seeing mom’s face makes me relieved.”

“…….”

I didn’t answer more.

Narce deliberately asking Heike ‘what do you want to do after graduation’ comes to mind. Narce isn’t a person who does useless things. ‘Heike is curious about mother’ being quite important information.

That said, no thought to interrogate the congressman to resolve my suspicion about that.

Only, if Heike has the intention to tell me her worried matters, listen well and perhaps I can utilize it for her.

“Want to see mother?”

“Want to see. Right now. …Of course, no particular affection for mom. Mom probably doesn’t remember me properly either?”

“…….”

“But curious. Why can’t I feel emotions properly. If I lived with mom instead of uncle who has no interest in me as a human, would something be different? My personality, does it resemble mom? If it resembles, it seems I’d have confidence that I didn’t grow wrong, if not resemble… isn’t it saying I also have possibility to become such an ordinary adult.”

That Heike sees her emotionlessness as a problem, I already knew well from the conversation at the Ainsidel mansion.

Grateful for the deep trust that became the basis until telling me an intimate story, but at the same time, no other words to say here. If my goodwill can be read as ignorance to her, better not speak carelessly.

I just nodded and walked to the destination. The sun gradually setting shone ahead of us, rather felt warmer than noon. Now, the sound coming in this narrow quiet residential area was only the melted snow mud sound every time detaching shoes.

From some point, car horns and horse hoof sounds faintly heard. Old Humans’ cheerful conversation sounds started laying small. When the entrance of the bustling area started visible, Heike pointed to the red sign on the building beyond the alley.

“Oh, kegling hall came out.”

*  *  *

The place we entered was a game hall made for commoners. Thinking Heike might be unfamiliar, I chose a place mainly entered by the middle class, but since not a social club anyway, we comfortably took off jackets and rolled up shirt sleeves.

Even so, couldn’t feel an entertaining atmosphere like modern. Why?

‘…There’s someone playing piano here….’

Something, but good to listen.

Still, to Heike, not me who is a 21st century person, it seemed sufficiently exotic space. She followed behind me closely, scanning the ceiling with gas lamp pipes visible, and watching bourgeois youths in relatively comfortable attire. Of course, to me, sufficiently formal attire, so not particularly novel.

Before Heike gets into watching Old Humans, I pulled her to the side, and while examining balls that unlike bowling only two types, said.

“Heike. Good at kegling?”

“Only tried one or two times at social gatherings. That too when young.”

“I see.”

To make her feel fun, need to match levels similar somewhat. I have a lot of experience bowling, if skill difference too much, no meaning in calculating scores, so Heike probably won’t feel interest much and get bored soon.

‘Hm, still, what I did in 21st century is bowling, not 19th century style kegling, so it catches.’

Right away, unlike bowling, no culture of changing shoes, only two balls, string instead of where gutter should be. Pins only nine too.

Other than that, extremely similar, but to adapt, time will take, so no need to hold back deliberately.

At that time, next to me, Heike quietly called my name.

“Lukas.”

“Yeah?”

Strangely tense voice. Reminded of that voice when saying let’s go take photos together.

As expected, Heike’s eyes were shining.

“Want to bet? Loser buys beer.”

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