We Took Out the Pirates, So It's Break Time.

Before going to the lord, I gave Dea-kun a mid-mission report. I'd burned too much mana and was woozy — I needed a rest.

"So yeah, your sister wasn't with the pirates."

"Um… what happened to the pirates?"

"I punished them, and over there is the pirate ship and land base I robbed from the pirates!!"

In my storage I had the ship restored to its original form, a cut-out section of sea, and their shore base. For the sea and the basement, I set them down like recessed floors.

"Karina-neesan… what are you?"

"Oh, you're asking? Well, I've shown you this much. I'll tell you the truth. But it's our little secret, okay?"

"Y-yes!"

Gulp. Dea swallowed.

"At times an archmage! At other times a dashing thief! And the true identity is—"

"True identity…!?"

"—Rookie adventurer-merchant, Karina Shounin-chan! Wahahaha!"

Uh-oh, Dea's making a complicated face.

"Isn't the real identity normally something way cooler?"

"Well, I mean, they're all really me, and that's the only identity I hadn't told you. Right?"

"… I-I suppose I hadn't heard you were a merchant."

Because it's really true.

Take away the parts where I'm an archmage and a thief, and what's left is the cute Karina Shounin-chan.

It's not cool to admit I'm fated to deliver socks to a goddess, so I won't. Also, I'm a former-guy isekai transplant… but making him call me "onee-san" and then saying "I used to be a man" is a big heck no. Zipping it!

Still, a boy his age must dream of a cooler backstory.

… I must meet that expectation! Karina-chan is weak to cute kids!

"Right. Archmage Karina actually bears a noble mission to save the world."

"Eh!? The world!?"

"At this rate the world's energy will run dry and this world will perish! To prevent that, the Goddess asked me to collect artifacts! That ship was an artifact, so I recovered it!"

"I-I see! That's amazing, Karina-neesan!"

Well, actually, I'm told to deliver socks first and foremost. The artifacts are just extra.

"My adventure has only just begun, so there isn't much to tell. Anyway, keep my identity secret. It'd be a problem if I couldn't move around."

"So… you want 'Merchant Karina' and 'Archmage Karina' to be considered different people to the world?"

"Oh! Smart, Dea-kun! Exactly! Genius! Cute!"

I gently patted Dea for wording exactly what I meant.

Ahh, cute and clever. The best.

"Maybe wear a mask?"

"Ooh, that sounds fun… How about a mask like this!"

"Looks cool, Karina-neesan!"

I shaved wood with spatial magic and made a simple mask!

When you hide your identity, you go with a mask! In manga and anime it's often like, "You can't hide with that," but… In a world without social media, it might work!

"After a short rest, I'll head to the lord. I-I'm not slacking, okay!? I just need to recover mana so I'm at full strength."

"No one thinks you're slacking… If anything, I'm the useless one who can't do anything…"

Dea clenched the hem of his dress, frustrated.

True, since I put him in girls' clothes he's been waiting here in storage. Trusting an unknown big sister (me) and just waiting — must be rough.

"… You're fine! You're contributing a lot to me, Dea-kun!"

"R-really? I'm just dressed like this. How is that useful?"

"Looks matter. People try harder when the person they're saving is cute."

Even helping someone in the same circumstances, if they're cute, you get fired up.

If they were plain, cheeky, and ungrateful, this Karina-chan would not feel like helping. I'm no saint.

"In other words, your job now is to work harder on your looks! Make me feel the moe!"

"Moe…?"

"Your job is to motivate me. Figure out the rest yourself."

At that, Dea hmm'd and started thinking.

Cute. Eye candy.

It's not like I'm actually going to pounce… so boy, girl, it's whatever.

"Okay! I'm having a drink today! Not you though, Dea-kun. You're too young."

"I-I can drink! I drank in the Elflands."

"Really?"

He looks like a kid, but he's an elf… maybe it's fine at his age?

"Then just one sip. If you're fine, I'll let you drink."

"Okay, thank you."

I poured a tiny bit of the wine I got from the drinking contest with Gomez.

"Gulp… phaa. See? I'm f—ine… zzz…"

"Totally not fine. Maybe wine's too strong for kids."

Or maybe he was just exhausted from stress.

I took a quick sip too. If I drink too much, I black out, so just a bit.

… Ah, sudden drowsiness. Guess I was tired.

I'll rest a little, then go to the lord… yawn.

… Blanket. Need a blanket. I can't just let Dea sleep on the floor… we'll share. Hic. Zzz.