The parents, who should have been chatting excitedly with their children, were instead silent, casting wary glances in my direction. Regalia easily guessed why.

It was because of the two people in front of her—Eight and Arima, disguised as her parents. Their disguises were so flawless that they hadn’t merely mimicked appearances; they had even managed to replicate Regalia’s own supernatural power.

They even copied my abilities... Regalia thought. This makes them seem like real parents.

Regalia’s power was the Dignity of a King, an extraordinary ability that allowed her to control Eblis Corporation despite her young age. That aura of authority was now emanating from both Eight and Arima as well.

Of course, unlike Regalia, who had been using her powers her entire life and could control them effortlessly, the two didn’t seem to know how to restrain the overwhelming energy they were exuding. But the fact that they could mimic her powers at all was astounding.

In essence, there were now three kings in the room, which made it understandable why the other parents—mere company employees—were feeling so intimidated.

"...Eight. You’ve prepared something strange again, haven’t you?"

"Call me Dad, Ria."

"...You didn’t prepare anything else, did you? I’m supposed to be blending in as a normal student!"

"Of course not. Everything I do is for you, Ria."

Hearing Eight’s convincing performance, Regalia let out a sigh of relief. Despite their uncanny resemblance to her and their ability to copy her powers, she was still aware that these two were fake.

They were nothing like her real father, who existed only in her memories. Their appearance and behavior were completely different.

"Just... don’t cause any trouble. I’m trusting you!"

"Don’t worry, Ria."

"Ugh..."

But the fact that they didn’t resemble her real father in any way only made Regalia more uneasy. No matter how refined and aristocratic they appeared on the outside...

On the inside, they were still the scientist and the magician.

Regalia, filled with anxiety, returned to her class.

During the break, I chatted with the boss about various things and soon realized that the tense atmosphere in the classroom wasn’t something that had developed naturally.

I was the cause.

I didn’t think I’d end up copying the boss’s powers too...

This was an unforeseen side effect even for me. Who could have imagined that borrowing a few chromosomes would result in the duplication of her supernatural abilities?

In other words, I had been unknowingly exuding Regalia’s Dignity of a King, and it seemed Arima was doing the same.

Even in modern times, where people don’t usually concern themselves with kings or nobles, this ability forced its authority onto others, whether they paid attention to it or not. Given that I wasn’t even aware of the power's existence, let alone how to control it, the people in the room were essentially being crushed by the presence of two unrestrained kings...

I feel a little bad now.

Just as I was feeling guilty about the pressure we were putting on everyone, a parent cautiously approached and spoke to me.

"Nice to meet you."

"...Yes, nice to meet you as well."

"I’m Dodolf, the father of Adolf over there. I run a small company that receives direct contracts from Eblis Corporation."

Nodding at Dodolf’s introduction, I slightly bowed my head. After all, despite the overwhelming presence of this "kingly aura," it wasn’t something like mind control or hypnosis. With enough courage, anyone could break through it.

Besides, we were in modern times, not the Middle Ages. Speaking to someone who exuded nobility wouldn’t get you beheaded anymore. Dodolf, as a business owner, probably thought there was no harm in striking up a conversation with someone who radiated such power.

"I’m Ria’s father. Just an ordinary company employee."

"Huh? What...?"

"I’m just a normal employee."

Despite the disbelief on his face, I repeated the answer we had agreed on with the boss. Dodolf’s expression froze as if he wasn’t convinced by my words. To be fair, if someone with a face like mine, exuding such an aura, claimed to be a mere employee, I wouldn’t believe it either.

But whether he believed me or not, I had only one thing to say. I was an employee. After all, my real job was working for an evil organization. Technically, I wasn’t lying.

As I continued to insist that I was just an employee, Dodolf seemed to think I didn’t want to engage with him any further, and he quietly withdrew. A wise decision.

"Well, then… Let’s start the homework presentations. Who would like to go first?"

None of the students raised their hands at the teacher’s question. Watching this, Regalia let out a sigh and quietly raised her hand. The teacher, clearly relieved, immediately called on her, and Regalia stepped forward with her prepared assignment.

"My parents are ordinary company employees."

"...Ordinary?"

"They love me dearly and always take care of me. I miss them every day. I love you, Mom and Dad."

"W-well... you did a good job writing that, but..."

The teacher’s gaze flickered toward me. When our eyes met, she flinched and shrank back slightly.

However, it seemed to be part of the curriculum, as she forced herself to maintain eye contact and continued speaking.

"M-Mr. Ria’s father? Could you come forward for a moment...?"

At her request, I looked at Regalia. The boss gave me a slight nod, so I stepped forward. With each step I took, I could hear the children’s breath catch in their throats. I was starting to feel guilty just being in the classroom.

Once I reached the front, I introduced myself just as I had done with Dodolf.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Ria’s father. Just an ordinary employee."

The people in the room clearly didn’t believe me, but at least the children seemed somewhat convinced.

Some of the kids, who had parents that were higher-ranking than an ordinary employee, even started to relax and, as they say, began to act out a little.

"Hey, mister! What exactly do you do?"

"I’m a researcher."

"A researcher? Can you make robots and stuff?"

Smiling at the child’s innocent question, I nodded and pulled a small, square object out of my pocket. The boss flinched when she saw it, but didn’t stop me.

Taking that as permission, I activated the small robot. It was a prototype toy robot I had made shortly after arriving in this world, modified slightly for today’s occasion.

As soon as the power turned on, the square object transformed according to the pre-programmed sequence. Originally, the square-buster sold in stores was a side-villain, so I modified this one to transform into the main character robot that was more popular with the kids.

"O-oh!"

"It’s a Hero-bot!"

The kids screamed with excitement, recognizing the robot. As expected, toys were a hit with children.

Even the boss, who wasn’t usually interested in such things, seemed eager, unable to take her eyes off the toy standing on the desk. I gave her a reassuring smile and introduced the toy.

"This is the kind of thing the company I work for makes."

"Mister! Can I touch it!?"

"Of course."

Confident that no matter how roughly the children handled it, the toy wouldn’t break, I handed it over. As the children took turns holding it, they marveled at the little robot that moved on its own.

While the children were grinning with joy, the faces of the parents darkened for some reason. I wasn’t sure why.

When the toy returned to me after making its rounds through the classroom, and I was about to put it back in my pocket, one of the kids suddenly shouted.

"But the Hero-bot on TV is huge! Why is that one so small?"

"Yeah! It’s huge on TV! Is this one fake?"

I paused, the robot halfway back into my pocket. Why was it so small, you ask? Is it fake, you ask? Of course, it’s fake, but I couldn’t shatter the children’s dreams like that.

I glanced at Arima in the back of the room. He gave me a subtle nod, and I immediately walked over to the window and opened it.

"D-Dad...?"

I heard the boss’s concerned voice behind me, but I tossed the toy robot out the window without hesitation. The kids gasped, wondering what I was doing, but then they watched in amazement as the robot began to grow larger, thanks to Arima’s magic.

Soon, a gigantic robot, the size of the one on TV, appeared in the middle of the schoolyard.

Thud! The ground shook as the giant robot landed, and the children erupted in cheers.

Amidst their shouts of surprise and excitement, I casually spoke up.

"It’s real, of course."

I couldn’t let the boss be the daughter of a father who told lies.

I glanced at her with a smile, as if to say, How did I do?.

The boss’s face lit up with a matching smile.