We left the house and decided to make our way to the home center in the morning. Miriam was perched on my shoulder, and while she is visible to us, she seemed to be invisible to everyone else. Instead of her white robe, Ruri was wearing normal clothes that made her look like any other girl. "I wonder how we look to other people?" "In what way?" Arriving at the station, I realized something when we held hands due to the crowd. "We probably seem like parent and child at a glance. But I worry, could I look like a kidnapper or some sort of threat?" To be honest, Ruri and I don't look alike. "Don't worry about it. I've cast a spell that inhibits recognition, so people don't find us odd. I've been shopping by myself at the supermarket during the day throughout the week, and nobody has said anything." Recognition inhibition, huh... Now that I think about it, it would be dangerous for Ruri to walk alone on a weekday. She could be picked up by the police. Plus, I have no ID to prove her origin, nor do i have any proof of parenthood ... Not to mention, we don't have a family register. "I hadn't considered that... Could be risky." "If it comes down to it, we can always escape." Well yeah, but still ... "What would my dad and everyone else think if they saw us?" "If it gets to that, the recognition inhibition might not work, so I'll use a spell for recognition guidance. They'll probably see me as your daughter." Is that even possible... Magic can really be abused if one sets their mind to it, can't it? "That's frightening." "I should give you a lesson in that magic this evening." "Is that neccesary?" "Yes. You never know what might happen, and if you learn it, you'll be able to recognize if someone is using magic to inhibit or influence your perception. It would be quite disturbing to wake up to a stranger in your home, right? Especially if you don't even question their presence." That's way too disturbing. That's scary. "Should I make it a priority to learn such magic?" "It's not an issue as long as I'm here, meow." Trust a high grade cat to reassure me. With a sigh of relief, I boarded the train. After arriving at my destination, I got off the train and headed to the home improvement store. Being cautious not to lose my way due to the crowd on this Saturday, I reached the home center. Entering the store, I went straight to check out the farming tools.

"They really do have a variety, don't they? Just to confirm, do they come in stainless steel?" I'm not sure, but it doesn't seem like iron to me. "It doesn't seem like it." "Nope, meow." Figures. "But will they even notice?" It's somewhat rust-resistant. "I think it's fine. We're not in the business of selling farm tools, after all." "We'll just be using them ourselves, meow. Might as well buy a sickle too." Maybe I should. "Since we can't use spatial magic openly, it might be better to buy just one and order the rest online, right?" "I believe that's a good idea. Let's try them out first." I'd hate to buy in bulk only to find out the tools are useless. After we set our sights on what to purchase, we browsed through other sections. "How about fertilizers or pesticides?" "That sounds good." "If you can't decide at a quick glance, any choice will do, meow." They sure are casual about this... I was going to buy something right away, but decided to put it aside for now and continue looking at other items. "A lawnmower would be a bad idea, right?" "Definitely..." "We should steer clear of machinery, meow." Yeah, that makes sense. The less conspicuous, primitive tools are probably best. After browsing a bit more, we didn't find many other useful items, so we decided on the hoe, shovel, sickle, and also pesticides and fertilizer, along with some random vegetable seeds. The fertilizer was a bit smelly, so I secretly stored it away with spatial magic before heading home. Upon returning home, I drank the tea Ruri had brewed for me and took a breather. "Spatial magic is really convenient, isn't it?" "Yes, I even use it secretly when I go shopping." Because Ruri is so small ... It must be heavy for her. "Isn't it noticeable?" "I just put the contents into the spatial magic after packing them into an eco-bag."

That makes sense. In that case, it would go unnoticed. "Thanks for everything." "Not at all, this is part of my job. Now, let's get ready for lunch. I'll prepare it, so just wait for a bit." With that, Ruri headed for the kitchen. At the same moment, Miriam hopped onto my lap and curled up. "I'll bring out the kotatsu when it gets a bit colder, okay?" While saying that, I gently stroked her. "Thank you, meow." Such a cutie. I've always wanted to have a cat since I was little. "... Um, Miriam?" I asked in a softer tone. "What's up, meow?" Miriam picked up on the cue and spoke in a hushed tone. "What's a homunculus?" "Hmm? It's an artificial human, but I get what you're asking. Ruri is a life form created through magic. However, that doesn't make her different from other humans. She grows normally and will die just like everyone else." Ah, so she does grow up. And she'll die, too. "How long is their lifespan?" "Normal, I'd say? Perhaps around 100 years?" So they're no different from us... That makes her just another kid. "She's not actually some hidden child of grandpa, right?" That would be quite a predicament. "That's not possible. She doesn't bear any resemblance to him." "Well, that's true..." "Anyone could make a homunculus if they really wanted to, meow. If you ask her, Ruri could teach you, meow." "Like creating a younger brother or sister?" Whether that terminology fits when the creators are different, I'm not sure. "Something like that, meow. But you don't have to go to such lengths, you could easily make another huma... nevermind sorry, meow." Hey ...! Why the apology? And why are you looking away?