"Yes. Then I'll change the question. ”

Shirona put her hand on his cheek and looked directly at him.

"Happy?"

Just one word. That's what I heard.

Hearing this, Kem said with a slight relief on his cheeks.

"Ahh

Hearing this, Bai Nai smiled with satisfaction.

"That's good. If you can hear it, that's enough. ”

“… Really"

There, Grecia of Sirona pulled the hem of Kaim . Obviously, my hunger was unbearable, and I could hear bugs in my stomach.

"I'm sorry, I'll go cook right away."

When Kem walked into the kitchen, fastened his apron, and set his eyes on the table visible in the kitchen, it was already set up.

Chopstick rests and chopsticks are neatly arranged on placemats, as well as washed glasses.

"Sirona?"

Cam hadn't done that before he left. So, if I do, it's Sirona.

However, Sirona's housework was devastating overall. In a sense, he is a genius who can turn even such an insignificant environment into a disaster.

Despite this, the dining table is now very neatly arranged.

"Yes, that's all I can do now."

Shirona smiled awkwardly and continued.

"Whether as a trainer or as an academic, you have grown under my leadership. I'm excited to see you grow. But you've been changing, and I'm not changing much. I. "I wanted to grow up with Kem, so I thought about what I could do.

The last thing Shirona likes is general housework. So far, I've basically given everything to Kem, but for the sake of self-growth, I want to be able to do the "bare minimum" thing that I'm not good at, even if it's not as good as Kem.

"Until now, I have always stood in the position of teaching you, and it may not change in the future. But you know, I've always been more than just teaching you, I want to be taught. To get to know you, but also for myself. To be honest, my housekeeping skills are so poor that I can't even do it without the help of Pokémon. But I don't think that becomes a reason not to do housework. I'm not good at it. ”

"So you want me to teach you how to do housework."

"Yes, I want to increase everything I can do, what do you think?

Kem said with his usual expression and tone to Sirona, who smiled awkwardly.

"Bai Nai did not abandon me as a gift. So, no matter how bad your technique is, I'll teach you until you can. “

I don't think I can fully repay you with this money, but I've been blessed too much, so it would be nice if I could repay even a little, Kem thought.

"Hehe, then I'll ask for advice next time."

"I'm telling you, I'm not going to compromise, I'm going to do it well."

"Yes, but let's celebrate today. It was a day to remember for Kem. ”

"Domo.

Now that the preparations are complete, all that's left is to cook. It didn't take long for the meal to finish.

The two and Pokémon ate the food prepared by Kem together.

ーー

"Whew"

While Kem washes the dishes, Hakuna takes care of the Pokémon and takes a bath.

As I came out of the bathroom, dried my hair, and walked to the dining room, Kem sat on the couch and had a drink by himself.

"Rare. Drink it yourself. ”

"Maybe. It's a good day. ”

"Yes. Can I do it too? ”

"Ahh

Pour the golden liquid into another prepared glass and hand it to Sirona. Sirona took the cup, enjoying the scent and putting it in her mouth.

"Delicious"

"This is my cousin. That's what I heard from Denji the other day. ”

"Oh, you know something good, Chuan Zhi-kun."

Keim took a bite of the cheese and tilted the glass again.

After that, we continued to drink and chatted for a while.

Perhaps because she felt hot after taking a shower, Sirona felt comfortable with the cold drink and drank it faster than usual.

"It's delicious, and it's easy to drink, so you'll get drunk right away."

"I've got carbonated water for now, but the rocks are the best."

"Are you alright? Keim, you're weak. ”

"I'm watering"

First of all, the pace is not as fast as when I was drinking at Ish. With such a rhythm, even Kem wouldn't get too drunk.

And Sirona, although she didn't drink as much as usual, still felt drunk, probably because she drank alcohol after taking a bath.

"It's fast-paced, isn't it?"

"yes, it's hot."

"If it's hot, drink some water."

Sirona obediently drank the water that was handed to her.

However, the temperature of the bathtub and the temperature of the alcohol did not change my mind.

"Hey Kem"

"Yes?"

"Like"

The sudden words made Kem speechless for a moment, but Kem immediately came back to his senses.

"Yes, Domo."

"Say me too~"

Kem sighed, and Sirona pursed her lips in a drink.

"Sister, you must be drunk."

"You're drunk."

Kem smiled wryly in front of this rare drunk, he knew he was drunk. Shirona didn't go bankrupt, but she did get drunk. However, the degree of intoxication also depends on the situation on the day. Maybe I'm a little tired today and got drunk early.

Tired of setting the table?

From Kem's point of view, it's not a big deal, but from Sirona's point of view, it's a lot of work. I couldn't help but feel tired because I even said that I had the help of Pokémon.

"So? What about Kem? ”

"Noisy"

"You can say that you like me too~"

Kem frowned at Sirona, who was hunched down, and poked her cheek, but didn't try to pull her away.

"Since you are the person I like, tell me to love myself well~"

"Oh, that's what you're talking about."

I thought he forced Kem to say he liked him too, but apparently that wasn't.

"You can do a good job, so, please accept yourself."

Hearing Sirona's words, Kem sighed softly and rested his head on her shoulder.

"It's okay, at least I think I'll like you more than I used to."

"That's it"

"Can you hurry up and stop headbutting? It hurts. ”

"What about me?"

Shirona looked up and asked Kem.

I don't know if he was drunk, or shy, or both, but his cheeks were red.

Kem gently pinched Sirona's already flushed cheeks.

"Okay"

"Oh, it doesn't look good."

"Isn't this sesame~"

Kem sighed at Sirona, who was talking like a vain child, and then patted Sirona on the head.

"You've decided to like it."

The words did reach Sirona's ears.

"Okay"

Sirona, who was in a good mood, sat beside Kem and rested her head on his shoulder.

Despite the look of disgust on Kaim's face, he allowed himself to do it.

By knowing and confronting their weaknesses and strengths, the young person decides to break with the past, while the woman decides to learn what she lacks in order to grow with the young man.

The moonlight outside the window shone quietly, as if guarding the two of them.

"Society?"

"Yes, there will be news next week. ”

Sirona said to Kem while researching the underwater ruins she had previously investigated at home.

It seems that an academic conference is about to be held, and Sirona will also give a lecture there.

"Did you publish a paper the other day?"

"No, it's not that, it's the Holy Ruins, my paper hasn't been published yet, but the Holy Ruins are still full of mysteries, so everyone is curious."

"Ah, at that time."

Keim was sure that the results of his research had been published since he surveyed the ruins of the Holy City around spring.

"So?"

"I'm the only one making the announcement, but I hope you'll follow me."

"Is it next week?"

"Yes"

So far, there have been several times when it looks like Shirona's announcement is going to be followed. Therefore, Bai Nai was looking forward to Kem going with him this time.

But Cam's answer was unexpected.

"Oops, impossible"

“…？”

Sirona's body froze.

"I see, there's a challenger."

"The schedule that Sirona said has already been booked. The Gym Trainer can be replaced, but the Gym Master cannot. ”

Keim, who had defeated sumo wrestling in a fight the other day, was appointed director of the gym, albeit as a substitute. Therefore, it cannot be easily absent.

Depending on the gym, the number of gym leaders may not be large, as they have other jobs, so there may not be much to worry about.

"It seems that rumors have spread about the change of the director of the gym. As far as I know, Denji and Suzuna, who are also the directors of the gym, know about this, but the challenger seems to know a lot. ”

Gym Curators are all Alliance-approved trainers, so if they are replaced or replaced for some reason, they will be officially notified by the Pokémon Alliance. In this case, the Pokémon League has announced that sumo will be absent due to studying abroad, and Kem will take over as the director of the gym. The notification will be sent directly to the head of the gym, and the challenger will be able to learn from the Pokémon Alliance's announcement. So, there's nothing wrong with the challengers knowing about it, but Cam, who has just become the head of the gym, doesn't know how it works.

"Why has the number of challengers increased?"

"It's not the new gym owner, it's just a substitute, you think the substitute is weaker, then you can easily get the badge."

"I'm sorry."

In fact, Keim is stronger now. To this end, several challengers have already been criticized as proxies and have been countered.

It was difficult for Shirona to forgive her disciples for being looked down upon, but she also understood that it was useless to be angry with Shirona. So I won't say any more.

"Then again, where is Xiao Xiangtao going to study?"

Sumo studying abroad was a factor in serving as the director of the gym. Shirona also heard about this in Kem's biography. Shirona believes it's important to look at the outside world and understand what power means to her, so sumo's behavior makes sense.

And as long as you go to study abroad, there is a place to go.

"I heard you're in the Galel region.

"Galel region! You've come a long way. “

"The martial arts gym master over there looks like he's quite close in age.

"Work hard in gym leaders. And that's a good thing. ”

"The alliance will cover the full cost of studying abroad."

"Hehe, that's a good deal."

Although it was a Pokémon League, Kem didn't think he would pay in full, so he was surprised when he heard the news of sumo, but immediately understood.

"This is because sumo wrestling has a record as the captain of the gym.

"yes, it's a pity it didn't hit."

"That's it. It's bad. ”

"I can't help it. I am the one who will speak at the meeting. I think it's a good stimulus for Kem, but I can't throw away my work. ”

As the director of the gym, you need to deal with challengers, and Tobari City has a relatively large number of challengers due to its well-developed transportation system. In addition, I have to manage the gymnasium, so I can't help but participate in this academic conference.

"Where?"

"This is Alamos."

"Time limit?"

"The announcement itself is the second day, but the whole meeting is going to last four days. It looks like there will be a social gathering on the fourth night. ”

Kem poked his smartphone and showed an image of the town of Alamos.

"Alamos, you haven't been there yet."

"Oh, are you interested?"

"Isn't this the city where the Tower of Time and Space is located? It is a pagoda that enshrines the Tooth Tooth and Palukiru in a different form from Cheonansan. I'm curious. “

The tower is related to mythology and has historical value. Cam, while immature, is also an academic. There's no reason not to be interested in venturing into a certain area of expertise.

"Unlike the Gun Pillar, it's relatively new, it hasn't been there since the time of mythology, but it does have a relationship, so I can understand why you're curious."

"The public transport of the place is not very good, so it is difficult to get there.

Keim, who is conscientious and responsible, conscientiously completes the work assigned to him and never gives up his work. I understand, but I can forgive you for feeling a little disappointed.

"Let's go next time"

"Yes"

We all thought to ourselves, "I'm going to be lonely," but we didn't say anything.

*

I pulled my wind-blown hair and pulled my suitcase along the bridge to the city.

"Alamos Town, huh?"

Alamos Town, a city with huge towers.

It's not far from Mio, but it's in the middle of nowhere, and it's one of the few places in the Sinnoh area that Hakuna hasn't visited.

The city was built on a large island floating in the center of a huge lake, with a large difference in elevation. In addition, many of the buildings are distinctive, with wavy roofs.

"It's a very characteristic city, and I wonder if it's a bit like Altomaré."

What Altomare and Alamos Town have in common is that they are both "cities on the water". Of course, Altomare is located in the middle of the sea and the town of Alamos is located in the middle of the lake, and there are also great differences in geographical conditions such as altitude, so the characteristics of the town itself are also quite different.

"There's only one bridge connecting the city, and if this bridge collapses, we're effectively going to be an island."

In the area around Alamos Town, even in the Sinnoh area, there are few disasters. The Sinnoh region itself has rarely experienced disasters, but there is data that suggests that the area around this area is especially rare. Perhaps there is only one bridge connecting the city, as there is evidence that it is enough to have a connection with the outside world.

It is not known if Dialuca and Palukiru have the protection of Alamos to deal with those disasters.

There is a tower called the "Tower of Time and Space", and the city with that tower rarely has disasters. I think there may be some kind of causal relationship, but it really can't be found by investigating.

Look down from the railing of the bridge. The quiet water spreads out, but because of the height, you can't see anything but the water.

"The town was built on a large terrace, wasn't it?"

The shape of the lowest part of the cliff has the typical shape of a mouse. This is the shape of the rock that has been eroded by long-term water currents.

According to Girona, it was originally a layer that was raised due to the movement of the earth's crust, but the underlying layer was softer, which is why it took on this shape.

As soon as she entered the town, she felt a calm and lively cityscape that she could not feel in other small towns.

It is an exotic street that is different from Altomare, but the atmosphere is not much different from the Sinnoh area. Thinking about the city's history, Sirona was excited.

"I don't know what kind of history this town has. I'm looking forward to it, Kay."

I turned my gaze to the right, but the figure of my loved one, who was usually there, was gone. Over the past few years, Kem has always appeared in places of historical value and places visited for the first time. Out of habit, I almost called out Kaym's name, but he wasn't here.

"I see. You didn't come this time, did you? “

I know, but I still feel lonely.

But that's not to say you can't do anything without Kem. Sirona prepares, completes the announcement and returns with dignity.

After leaving her luggage at her residence, Sirona went out shopping.

A lot of nature is preserved in the city, and the shape of the buildings is different from the neighborhood of Kaminagi Town, where Shirona was born, and Mio City, where she now lives, more precisely Mio City. This may be the result of the optimal architectural shape for the land. From a historical point of view, the shape of the houses and buildings adapted to the climate and nature of the land. The same is true of the shape of this building in Alamos Town.