"Manner, what in the world are you ranting about?" Zofia couldn't hold back. In fact, Zofia and Manner used to have a very good relationship, but after Snitz disappeared, Manner lost his former carefree demeanor and was no longer the person who would drag her along to skip knight training. Now, he was even scolding Maria in front of her. This was simply unbearable, so she immediately became protective.
"She's your niece! Can't you talk to her nicely!"
"I am talking nicely."
"Talking nicely doesn't mean having that attitude!"
"What's wrong with my attitude?"
Manner's words were sincere; he was indeed talking nicely, and these were the same words his own father often used to reprimand him.
"You… you, you, you!" Zofia, exasperated, picked up the training sword in her hand and threw it towards Manner. Manner twisted to dodge, and the fuming Zofia grabbed Maria and turned to leave. "Let's go eat. We'll continue training after dinner. Don't mind your silly uncle."
…"Silly…" Manner frowned, looking at the discarded practice sword, his eyes slightly lowered.
—Actually, I just came to watch.
The reason he spoke up to reprimand Maria was partly because Zofia had shown that unwilling expression… Maria had overlooked Zofia's expression, but Manner had seen it clearly. In the past, his relationship with Zofia had been very good… Now, although it couldn't be said that they had become sworn enemies, it was probably not far off. Manner's mouth twitched. Although his boss let him leave work on time, breaking the ice in family relationships wasn't that easy.
"Unc… Uncle.", Just as Manner was spacing out, Maria suddenly broke free from Zofia's hand and ran in front of Manner, "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Do you want to… eat together for the first time in a while?"
…"Maria… you.", Zofia watched Maria run up like a naive youth, shaking her head helplessly. She had just been scolded, yet she was still so recklessly approaching him. Wouldn't she just be rejected again?
…"Alright."
Zofia: "!"
Maria: "!?"
Manner: "?"
Immediately, the entire garden training ground fell silent, with the three of them staring at each other. Maria was the first to react. She reached out and grabbed Manner's arm, "Then let's go to that family restaurant Zofia sister recommended! It's delicious!"
"Mm."
...Forget it, one more pair of chopsticks won't make a difference." Zofia had originally intended to simply drive Manner away, but seeing Maria's happy expression, she could only sigh. "Let's go, are you going to stand there and wait for me to invite you?"
"..." Manner didn't say much, just let Maria pull him along. Speaking of which...how long had it been since they last sat down to eat together? Manner couldn't remember.
He was usually working overtime, and by the time he got home, Maria was usually asleep. He also needed to go to bed early to cope with the next day's work. It wasn't without reason that Maria and Zofia had a good relationship; compared to him, an uncle who was rarely seen, Zofia clearly seemed more like Maria's guardian. He wasn't Snitz after all, not as considerate, and not good at handling family relationships.
However, perhaps it wasn't as complicated as he thought...
At least Maria was still willing to accept him... A faint smile still bloomed on Manner's lips.
---
Beep beep beep...
Noah's personal terminal, which was processing documents with extreme efficiency, rang. A text message read-aloud tone sounded in Noah's headphones just as she finished processing a document.
"Sister Noah! Uncle got off work on time today, and he's eating with us!"
Noah paused, then initiated a voice command. "Voice reply, reply: That's wonderful! Have a good chat, you're family, what can't be talked about? Remember not to make Uncle Manner angry, maybe he'll eat with you often in the future."
After all, I'm Uncle Manner's boss, I can let him get off work whenever I want!
It seems my actions weren't meaningless after all! Noah smiled gently. The relationship between Uncle Manner, Maria, and Zofia had always been strained, and she had always wanted to mediate properly. However, Manner, as the backbone of the Nearl Family family, often had to work overtime. So, after poaching Manner for her company, the first thing she decided was to try her best to ensure Manner didn't work overtime and went home on time for dinner.
Many family arguments, or rather, family discord, are basically caused by a lack of communication. And now, Noah was giving Manner, Maria, and Zofia an opportunity to communicate. Being able to eat together, for many families, can already reduce many conflicts. Although the cost might be that she would be a bit busier, compared to the result of making the Nearl Family family atmosphere a little better, it was still very worthwhile.
In a sense, today was also a day worth commemorating...
In Noah's heart, compared to her parents who had left Kazimierz early for Letania and were never heard from again, Zofia, Manner, Maria, and Margaret were more like her family. Oh, right...
Noah shook her head, then changed her tone and spoke. "Kuro."
"Hmm?"
"You are also my family."
...Kuro was silent for a moment, then said with some confusion. "Why are you suddenly saying this?"
"I just wanted to say it." Noah's face was slightly red, a little flustered and shy, but she still pretended to be seriously processing documents, seemingly saying casually, "Thank you for always being by my side, Kuro."
...Kuro didn't respond for a moment, but she knew that her feelings couldn't be hidden in front of Noah. Her smile had become even brighter. She could only close her eyes and shake her head helplessly, "As you wish, my young lady."
"What's there to be shy about—" Noah had already received the information she wanted from her perception, and nodded with a smile, "You'll have to work hard later too, Kuro."
"Mm."
Kuro replied concisely, and through her mask, her gaze fell upon Noah's radiant smile.
If she could see such a smile every day, that would be wonderful.
--- Beep beep beep ---
Just then, the personal terminal rang once more.
"I know, Uncle just isn't good at getting along with us! Oh, never mind, the food is almost ready. Sister Noah, remember to eat well too."