Konbini Ossan Volume 3 Chapter 2 — Half-Elf Twins

Maria’s children, the twins Tio and Tiana, were what this world called half-elves.

A half-elf is someone born from a union between an elf and an ordinary human.

In this world, elves are considered one of the races. Some say they trace their origins back to fairies, but the truth of that is uncertain.

Still, it wouldn’t be strange if it were true. After all, elves are universally known for their extraordinarily beautiful features.

To most races, the faces of elves seem almost unnaturally refined and attractive.

Because of this, there were times in history when elves were traded as ornamental slaves.

Of course, in today’s world that would be unthinkable. Even so, elven appearance and blood are still regarded as something special.

Which raises the question — what happens if half-elf children are left unattended?

It isn’t hard to imagine that unsavory adults might take an interest in them. In the worst case, they could even be targeted by kidnappers.

In other words, Tio and Tiana, who carry elven blood, are far more exposed to danger than ordinary children.

And indeed, thanks to that heritage, both of them had fragile, delicate features that were strikingly beautiful.

It was no wonder Maria worried about them.

“I understand the situation.”

I nodded and made my decision.

“I’ll employ all three of you as my staff. In particular, for Tio-kun and Tiana-chan, I promise to lend them the magical tools developed at my shop for self-defense.”

“-! Thank you so much, Otsugi-sama!”

The offer must have been better than she expected. Maria’s face lit up with joy and surprise as she bowed in gratitude.

It was generous treatment, but not a bad move for me either.

Maria’s former husband had been both an elf and an A-rank adventurer. His connections must have been considerable.

If I stayed on good terms with Maria, I could tap into those connections as well.

A kindness to others is never wasted. This was exactly the sort of situation that proverb described.

“I truly am deeply grateful. To gain the protection of a man as kind and strong as Otsugi-sama, I can entrust my children to you without worry.”

“Hah… I see. Wait, strong?”

The praise didn’t quite match my appearance, so I couldn’t help reacting.

“Yes. I was once the wife of an A-rank adventurer, after all. I have confidence in my eye for recognizing a strong man.”

As she spoke, Maria leaned in close. Her gestures carried a hint of allure, and the distance between us shrank.

(E/N: Hehe, boi 😏)

Against my better judgment, I found myself seeing her in that light.

“Ufufu. A man like you, Otsugi-sama, could surely fill the emptiness left in my heart after losing my husband.”

“Uh, well…”

“From here on, please continue to look after us, Otsugi-sama. I would especially be glad if you grew close to my children, like a true father.”

“Ah, yes, well…”

I found myself at a loss for how to respond.

If I had no ties or responsibilities, I might have gone along with her invitation.

But taking on the role of raising her children was something I couldn’t accept. At least not until the ventures I was planning had stabilized.

Until then, I couldn’t answer her advances.

To have such a tempting offer right in front of me and not be able to accept it — who would have thought coming to another world would leave me with this kind of luxurious problem?

“Tio, Tiana. How about you two? Do you think you can get along with Otsugi-sama?”

Maria put the question directly to them.

“Yes. I like Uncle Otsugi.”

It seemed I had left a good impression on Tiana.

“Me too. I think it would be wonderful if someone like Uncle could be my papa.”

Tio, too, seemed to think well of me.

Still, I’d rather they not call me papa. It’s far too direct, and honestly, it sounds wrong.

Thanks to Shuri-kun, my tastes had broadened. So truth be told, if it came to a beautiful androgynous boy like Tio, I wouldn’t entirely object to being a papa in that sense.

(E/N: Unc, you muhfugger! 😬)

But letting myself drift into those kinds of thoughts wasn’t the right move here.

“From now on, let’s get along well as employer and employees.”

I drew a firm line and wrapped up the conversation.

“Yes. But if possible, I would like for our bond to be more than that.”

Maria, undeterred, pressed her advances openly.

So this is what people call a carnivorous woman. Experiencing it firsthand, I found it both thrilling and terrifying.

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E/N:

Lawd have mercy on this man! Maria gonna suck this man dry, so scandalous! Stay tuned!

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