Kenji stepped out of the adventurers' guild, his eyes mimicking annoyance as he stepped into the rays of the evening sun. That crazy receptionist lady had suddenly turned his life upside down with the quest she had given him. And the worst of it all, he couldn't deny it.
"Sigh," a low, soft sigh escaped his lips as he decided not to think too much about it anymore.
He then scoured around, almost as if he were in search of something—or someone. He had left Pheia, Leia, and Leo outside to wait for him until he was done. Now that he was finished, he began to wonder where they could have gone.
After looking around, only to find the cool evening breeze and a few villagers passing by, he began to panic. What if those slave traders were back and had taken them?!
What if they were kidnapped?!
As his mind and heart wandered with possibilities of them being lost, he suddenly heard a loud shout that made his heart skip a beat.
"Kenji-sama! Look!" Pheia dashed towards Kenji, her tiny fingers clutching some wildflowers.
The wildflowers mimicked her joyful expression, along with her big blue crystal eyes. Her hair bounced up and down as her tiny body dashed toward him.
Following closely behind Pheia was Leia, a mischievous grin etched on her face as she came running with her hands clutching some colorful little rocks that looked exactly like crystals.
As the two ran, Leo followed suit, holding onto a stuffed dragon toy that, by its looks alone, had seen better days.
The three children raced toward Kenji, their faces expressing immense excitement.
"Aww! Is this for me?" Kenji exclaimed as he looked right at the beautiful flowers that Pheia had picked for him. He took them from her hands and placed them close to his nose, enjoying the sweet fragrance of the flowers.
Seeing Kenji only focusing on Pheia, the other two siblings immediately pouted their lips and looked away, seeming a bit jealous that he was only looking at Pheia's gift.
Kenji chuckled softly as he witnessed the sight. Even with their pouted lips and annoyed faces, they still looked as cute as ever. He then moved closer to them and placed his head between Leia and Leo's heads, allowing his head to rest on their shoulders.
"Now, you two little rascals, what do you have there that you think you can hide from your Sama?" Kenji questioned, a playful smile etched on his face.
The two children suddenly had flustered looks on their faces, their cheeks becoming as red as tomatoes. They turned around, facing both Kenji and their sister. They then outstretched their palms and opened them, revealing beautiful items.
Leia's hands contained tiny little colorful block-like rocks that seemed just like gems and diamonds.
Leo, on the other hand, held a small dragon toy in his hands. It seemed a bit dirty, with some parts of it torn. One would begin to wonder where he had found such a toy.
"All of these are great! I love them all!" Kenji exclaimed, ruffling the hair of the three kids in a playful manner. The children smiled proudly as Kenji rubbed their heads. It was like they had just won a trophy after a long and hard competition.
"Alright, now that you guys have gone on your treasure hunting and brought me back such treasures, how about we go and have a picnic?" Kenji suggested with great joy.
"A picnic? Yeah!"
"Yes, yes, a picnic would be nice!"
"Then you'll tell us a story!"
"Alright, alright, let's go then! I think I saw a nice spot while we were coming here," Kenji said, as he suddenly grabbed Leo and placed him on top of his neck.
"Ahh!" Leo exclaimed, feeling himself being carried and dropped onto something hard. His eyes were closed, but when he opened them, he found himself sitting on top of Kenji's shoulder, a small smile creeping up the side of his face.
"Now, you two, your hands," Kenji said, outstretching his hands. Without wasting a single moment, the two little girls placed their tiny hands into his hands.
Kenji then walked off, heading over to the picnic spot that he had sighted before.
---
As they arrived at the spot, Kenji brought out a little mat and some food from his spatial ring. He then brought Leo down from his shoulders and placed him onto the ground.
"Alright, buddy, help me set up the picnic," Kenji said.
Immediately, they got to work.
As the boys did the setup, the girls had something else planned in mind.
"I'm going to build Kenji-sama the tallest house in the world!" Leia declared, as she began laying her block-like rocks on the ground, stacking them on top of each other.
"No! I'm going to build Kenji-sama the biggest house in the world, and I'll add flowers to it!" Pheia countered, scurrying around to look for more of the block-like rocks. When she found some, she immediately got to building, determined to outshine her sister.
The two girls added various accessories to their little "houses," each trying to make theirs the best.
After a while, Kenji and Leo had finished setting up the picnic and were ready to dig in.
"Alright, girls, it's time to eat," Kenji announced, noticing that the sky was already darkening and the stars had begun to twinkle above them, illuminating their little family gathering.
"Kenji-sama! Look! I built you a big house!"
Leia said, getting up to show Kenji her masterpiece, her cheeks bouncing with every step.
"No! Mine is bigger! Look, Kenji-sama!" Pheia chimed in, not wanting to lose to her twin sister.
Seeing the girls competing playfully, Kenji smiled at them, "Both your houses look great! So I can't choose, how about I take them both?" Kenji said, patting their heads in happiness.
He hadn't been this happy since arriving in this world. But after meeting these three little angels, a smile just seemed to not leave his face.
The little girls smiled joyfully as Kenji praised them. They wished this moment would never end.
Suddenly, Kenji felt a tug on his shirt, and when he looked down, he found Leo lightly pulling on it.
"C-can you tell us a story?" he asked, his voice faint but audible.
Kenji smiled at him. "A story? Of course! What kind of story would you like to hear?"
Hearing Kenji's approval, Leo's eyes brightened with excitement. "A story with a dragon!"
"And a handsome prince!" Pheia added, eagerly chipping in.
"And cute children!" Leia exclaimed, her excitement ringing through the air.
"Alright, alright. How about I tell you a story about a handsome knight, three cute kids, and a fearsome dragon?" Kenji suggested, wrapping the children closer to him in a warm cuddle.
"Yay!" they cheered in unison.
And just like that, under the starry sky, the only sound that could be heard was the soft chirping of crickets and Kenji's voice weaving a tale more familiar than he claimed it to be.
As he began to spin his story, Kenji noticed how the children leaned in closer, their eyes wide with wonder, each hanging on to his every word. In that moment, he felt an overwhelming sense of belonging, a warmth that filled his heart to the brim.
In this new world, with these three little ones by his side, he found a purpose that transcended the mere adventures of an isekai hero. They were more than companions; they were family.
And as the stars continued to shine brightly above them, Kenji realized that his journey in this world had just begun, but it was already the most meaningful chapter of his life.