Fifteen days after Rio and the others departed from the spirit folk village…
The journey had progressed without any particular obstacles, allowing them to reach the Strahl region safely. It was thanks to Rio choosing a safer route, having traveled between the spirit folk village and the Strahl region numerous times now.
It was before noon; their current location was far above the easternmost area of the Galarc Kingdom, known as the Nephilim Mountains — the mountain range that separated the Strahl region from the Wilderness.
“The Strahl region is past here,” Rio informed the others. “So this is…” There was still no sign of civilization, but Sara and the other spirit folk girls looked down at their first glance of the vast Strahl region in awe.
“…” Latifa also stared down at the view before them. “Are you scared, Latifa?” Rio asked.
“Nope, because Onii-chan’s with me! I’m fine!” Latifa answered, tightly hugging Rio, who was still carrying her.
“I see. If you feel uneasy at all, you can rely on me and the people around you.”
“Yup!” Latifa replied obediently to Rio’s gentle words. “We’ve come back again. To the Strahl region…” Aki must have been nervous, as she was looking downwards restlessly. “I hope we can find Takahisa,” Miharu said, squeezing Aki’s hand.
“Yup. Please ask Satsuki everything on my behalf, Miharu,” Aki said with a nod, squeezing Miharu’s hand back.
“First, we have to head to Aishia. Now that we’ve come this far, we should arrive before sundown. I’ll continue leading the way like I have been, so follow me,” Rio called out to the group flying behind him.
“Okay!” Miharu and the others focused and nodded firmly.
◇ ◇ ◇
Several hours later, before sundown — exactly as planned… Rio led the others to an area by the outskirts of the Galarc Kingdom’s capital.
“It should be near the rocks here…” Rio searched through his memory as he looked down at the rocky area down below.
Just like hiding a tree in a forest, he had placed the rock house by other rocks. He could already feel his connection to Aishia nearby, but all the boulders were making it hard to search. Welcome home, Haruto. The telepathic message suddenly echoed in Rio’s head.
Aishia, I’m home. Good timing — I was just having trouble locating the house. Can you lead me there? Rio smiled wryly. If they could communicate telepathically, Aishia must be very close by.
Yeah, I’m heading to you now.
Hm? …Ah, there you are. Rio spotted the figured closing in on them from diagonally to the right and smiled. His eyes had been fixed downwards, so he was a little slow to notice.
“It’s Lady Aishia.” Sara and the others had also noticed her. “Welcome back.” Aishia came to a stop before them in a flash, calling out to Rio and the group.
“Ai-chan… we’re back.” Seeing Aishia for the first time in a while had Miharu’s eyes tearing up.
“Welcome home, Miharu,” Aishia said.
“It’s been a long time, Lady Aishia,” Sara said respectfully. “Long time no see, Aishia!” Latifa called out happily. “Hello, everyone. Celia’s waiting, so let me lead you to the house first. This way,” Aishia said, turning to head back in the direction she came. The party followed behind her, soaring through the air. Less than a minute later —
“We’re here. Over there.” Aishia pointed below. There was the rock house, with Celia standing outside waving her arms.
“That woman must be Rio’s teacher,” Alma muttered quietly.
“I’m nervous, but I hope I can introduce myself properly and become friends!” Orphia said with enthusiasm.
“Agreed,” Alma nodded with a small smile. Before long, they were landing on the ground. As everyone set their feet down, Celia welcomed the party with a little bewilderment.
“T-That’s a lot of people…” “I’m home, Professor.”
“Y-Yeah. Welcome home…” Celia replied fearfully. She first looked at Latifa being carried in a princess hold, then around at Miharu and Sara and the others.
There are so many cute girls… I wonder what their relationship is?! Celia was driven with the urge to ask Rio, but with so many fellow travelers present she couldn’t help but hesitate.
For the record, Sara and the others were currently using magic artifacts in the shape of necklaces to appear like humans, hiding their racial features like ears and tails so that Celia couldn’t see.
“…” Latifa and the others watched Celia in captivation. “…She really is young.” Sara looked at the woman she had heard about in curious wonder.
“She’s about the same height as Aki and Latifa, or maybe a bit taller?” Orphia said, cocking her head.
“She’s a very beautiful person,” Alma murmured, staring fixedly at Celia.
“H-Hey, who are these people? The Miharu person is among them, right?” Celia asked hesitantly. She must have felt uncomfortable from all the attention.
“Yes. That’s correct, but I’m not sure where to begin explaining. Introductions are in order too, so how about we head inside first?” Rio suggested with a troubled look.
◇ ◇ ◇
The group then moved to the living room of the rock house.
“Shall we all have a seat? To make introductions easier, can you all sit in groups of where you came from? Professor, you can come sit next to me,” Rio said, then sat on the three- seater sofa with Celia.
“I’ll go pour the tea, then,” Aishia volunteered.
“Ah, I’ll help, Ai-chan,” Miharu immediately offered. Orphia stepped up too. “I’ll help too…”
“It’s fine. I already know everyone here, so the two of you should stay.” Aishia shook her head before departing. At that, Miharu and Orphia quietly sat down.
“Let’s get straight to it with introductions and an explanation of what’s going on,” Rio began. He was the only one other than Aishia who knew everyone present, so he had to take the lead. “First of all, this is Professor Celia. She’s my former teacher.”
Celia bowed awkwardly. “Hello…” Having ran away from the Kingdom of Beltrum, she wasn’t sure where to start with her introduction.
“I’m sorry. I know this must be very sudden, but I’ve given them a simple explanation of your circumstances — but only as much as they need. They also have their own rather special circumstances and would never reveal your information to anyone else, which I can guarantee. They’ll explain their background after this, so could you introduce yourself first, Professor?” Rio said to Celia quietly, his tone apologetic.
Meanwhile, Sara and the others watched him speak while feeling slightly nervous.
“…All right. It’s a promise, okay?” Celia looked over at the rather stiff-faced girls and agreed in exasperation.
“Umm, like Rio said, I’m his former teacher, Celia Claire,” she began courteously. “I’m actually a noble from the Kingdom of Beltrum, but certain circumstances placed me under the care of Rio right now. Have you heard about what happened already?” she asked Rio, wondering what they knew thus far.
“Yes, very briefly. I apologize,” Rio said awkwardly. “There’s no need to apologize.” Celia shook her head with a strained smile. “I’ll show you what I really look like, then.” She untied her hair, then removed the necklace artifact that was changing the color of her hair, changing her hair from blonde to silver.
“Whoa…” Masato let slip a sound of awe, captivated by Celia.
“…” Miharu and the rest all looked at Celia’s change in wonderment.
“As you can see, I am disguised when in front of other people, but… It’s kind of embarrassing being stared at like that?” Celia said, shyly tilting her head and seeking Rio for help. However, Rio just chuckled and shrugged.
“Wait, huh? Don’t tell me… is there something weird about me?” Celia gasped, searching her hair and face in a panic; she was feeling to see if her appearance had fallen out of sorts in a flustered manner. However, when she couldn’t find any abnormality, she watched Rio’s expression beside her as she hesitantly lowered her hands.
“Everyone’s surprised at how cute you are, Professor,” Rio offered with an amused look.
“C-Cute… W-Why are you smiling?” Celia blushed and puffed up her cheeks, glaring at Rio reproachfully.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think everyone would be this nervous, so it was funny to me,” Rio said with a huff of laughter at Miharu and the other girls.
“…Excuse me,” Sara bowed. “You’re just so beautiful, I couldn’t help but stare in awe.”
“T-Thank you.” Celia thanked her in embarrassment at the frank praise.
“Next, I’ll introduce Sara and the others,” Rio continued. “There’s a few of them, so any detailed talk can be saved for later between yourselves.”
“Okay,” Sara said.
“This is Sara. She’s the same age as me and we met after I first ran away from Beltrum. We’ve had a close relationship ever since, but she’s actually not a human from the Strahl region.”
“She’s one of the people you were talking about before, right? Of the people you met who lived secretly in the Wilderness…” Celia observed the expressions on Rio and the girls and confirmed fearfully.
“Yes, they’re the ones who live there,” Rio said. He had kept information about the spirit folk village secret until now, but he had obtained Sara’s acceptance to reveal it now that everything had come to this.
“I see…” Celia looked at their faces once more. Their existence had come up in conversation briefly before, so she did have a small hunch about it, but she’d never expected to actually meet the people living outside of the Strahl region.
“They’re officially called ‘spirit folk,’ but it’s only an umbrella term, so it doesn’t refer to their specific species. That’s where their secret lies, you can say…” Realizing the need to explain further, Rio grasped for words as he glanced over at them.
“Rio, I’ll take over from here,” Sara said as she took a small deep breath, feeling it best if she revealed the secret herself.
“Sure, please go ahead.” Rio nodded deeply.
“…Just like how you trusted Rio and us enough to reveal your identity, we also trust you as Rio’s teacher, and will reveal our own identities.” Sara, speaking somewhat in an uneasy manner, nervously took off the necklace she had been wearing. Up until now, Sara only appeared as though she was human. However, wolf ears popped out of her head as she took off the necklace. At the same time, a fluffy tail also came into view.
“Huh?!” Celia widened her eyes in shock.
“The magic artifact Sara just took off holds disguising sorcery more complex than in the one used to change your hair color, Professor. You can clearly see why it was used,” Rio explained from the side.
In the Strahl region, werebeasts, dwarves, and elves were species that couldn’t exist as normal citizens — the only exception were slaves like Latifa had been. On top of that, their population was extremely small. Thus, their value as a commodity was high, and many royals and wealthy merchants craved to own them as pet slaves.
Because of this, Sara and the others were afraid because they couldn’t imagine how Celia would think of them. Rio had told them that it would be fine in advance, but they still couldn’t ease their anxieties.
“Oh, umm, are you a were… beast?” Celia blinked her eyes intensely and stared at Sara’s face and ears. She was simply surprised, with no sign of greed or disdain in her eyes.
“Yes, this is Sara, a silver werewolf-type of werebeast,” Rio replied.
“Nice to meet you,” Sara bowed her head timidly. “Yes, you too…” Celia meekly bowed her head back. “Umm, what do you think about me?” Sara, taking a plunge, asked straightforwardly.
“Well, it’s my first time seeing such a thing, so I’m simply surprised, I guess. You’re really cute,” a puzzled Celia answered.
“…Thank you,” Sara replied with a bewildered expression. Orphia, Alma, and Latifa breathed a sigh of relief, reassured by Celia’s reaction.
“It’s just as I said, right? That Professor Celia would interact with all of you like normal people,” Rio said to them and chuckled.
“What do you mean?” Celia asked in confusion.
“You know how non-human species get treated like slaves in the Strahl region?”
“Oh, I get it now. Of course you’d be wary because of that.
I’m sorry,” Celia said a strained smile.
“N-No, you don’t need to apologize! If anything, we’re sorry for antagonizing you without any basis,” Sara apologized back in a fluster.
“It’s all right — don’t worry about it,” Celia said with a smile, and looked at Orphia, Alma, and Latifa who were all sitting together. “But if you’re a werebeast, then are the other three over there also…?”
“I’m a high elf, and my name is Orphia!” Orphia exclaimed, introducing herself with a smile. Then, like Sara, she took off her artifact necklace and revealed her elf ears.
“I’m Alma, an elder dwarf.” Alma bowed before she also took off her necklace. Once she did, her narrow dwarf ears came into view.
With puzzled eyes at the appearances of the two new species, Celia turned to Rio next to her. “…I remember reading about this before, but high elves and elder dwarves are like the royalty of elves and dwarves, right?”
“Yes. Monarchy doesn’t actually exist in their village, but viewing it in that way might make it easier to understand.
Sara also comes from a prestigious family in her village, so all three of them are the princesses in their respective species.”
“Oh, I see… Who’s the other one, then?”
And why are you traveling with people of such high status? — thought Celia, but she turned to stare at Latifa, who sat quietly next to Sara.
“I’m a werefox, and my name is Latifa! I’m Onii-chan’s little sister! Nice to meet you!” Latifa awkwardly introduced herself with a high-pitched voice, her whole body tensed up.
After hurriedly taking off her necklace like the others, her fox ears and tail appeared.
“…Yeah, nice meeting you. Wait, s-sister?! You had a sister?! And such an adorable one with fox ears at that! Y-You never told me!” Celia gazed at Latifa’s fox ears with an astounded face as she bowed, but once she processed Latifa’s words in her mind, her expression changed at once and she turned on Rio.
“P-Professor, please calm down. I’ll explain everything,” Rio said in a fluster, but then, Aishia returned from the kitchen.
“The tea has been brewed. Let it steam for a few more minutes and it’ll be ready to drink.” After placing the tray with the tea on the table, she sat in the empty spot next to Rio.
“Y-Yeah…” Celia calmed at Aishia’s appearance, feeling embarrassed when she realized how she had lost her cool in front of the others.
“There’s too much to explain, so I’ll just give you the overview for now. I met Latifa after I ran away from the Kingdom of Beltrum. I ended up taking care of her, so although we’re not connected by blood, I became her guardian as an older brother,” Rio explained concisely.
“Oh, I see…” Celia nodded dejectedly. There were still many things she wanted to ask, but she refrained from derailing the conversation.
“And so, Latifa, Miharu, Aki, and Masato have been living hidden in Sara’s village until now, but with the discovery of the hero Satsuki’s whereabouts, I’m bringing them back to the Strahl region. It would be difficult to transport them all to the Strahl region by myself, so Sara and the others helped carry them. They’re also using this opportunity to deepen their insights outside their village,” Rio explained, getting straight to the point.
“…I get the overall gist. So you’re talking about the three over there, right?” Letting a small breath out, Celia glanced over at the group sitting away from Sara.
“Yes. They were the three involved in the summoning of the heroes. The oldest girl is Miharu, the other girl is Aki, and the boy is Aki’s younger brother, Masato,” Rio said, introducing them all together.
“Hi, I’m Miharu Ayase. Nice to meet you,” Miharu greeted a bit nervously.
“I’m Aki Sendo.” “I’m Masato Sendo.”
“Pleased to meet you too. Miharu, Aki, Masato, right? And then Sara, Orphia, Alma, Latifa… Okay, I’ve memorized everyone’s names. Once again, nice to meet you all. Oh, do you mind if I speak to you informally? You can call me anything you want in the house as well,” Celia replied with a soft smile.
“Of course,” everyone agreed at the same time.
“But wow, I’m amazed. Even though there’s so many people…” Masato said in awe at Celia’s quick memorization of everyone’s names and faces.
“Her mind works differently from yours,” Aki said with a giggle.
“Heh, and yours too, Aki. She’s pretty and has a nice personality — how perfect,” Masato retaliated with a smirk.
“S-Shut up. I knew that from the moment I saw her,” Aki pouted in indignation.
“Haha, the siblings are fighting again. You’re so close, aren’t you?” Latifa smiled in amusement.
“That’s not true!” Aki and Masato denied in unison. “…Fufu, how funny,” Celia’s eyes widened as she smiled softly.
Rio observed Celia’s facial expression and decided to announce the start of their new living arrangements. “So, I’m sorry about how sudden this is, but until the aforementioned banquet starts, everyone will be living here together for a while. It might get a little rowdy…”
“Of course, I’m all for it. It’s only been me and Aishia for a while, so I’m looking forward to things getting livelier around here,” Celia said happily with a laugh. Although there were still many complicated issues at the forefront, she somehow felt as though exciting days were about to begin.
◇ ◇ ◇
They talked in the living room for nearly an hour after that.
However, with the time being evening, Masato’s growling stomach signaled the start of dinner preparations.
“We’ll prepare dinner tonight, so Rio should go take a bath with Masato,” suggested Orphia, and so it was decided that Rio and Masato would bathe together first. After Rio and Masato headed to the bath, washed their bodies, and relaxed in the bathtub —
“…Hey, Haruto,” Masato suddenly said.
“Hm? What’s up?” Rio was absentmindedly staring up at the ceiling, but turned his gaze to Masato. Then, because Masato had an unexpectedly serious look on his face, he found himself reflexively adjusting his posture.
“Do you like anyone within the group, Haruto?” Masato asked abruptly.
“…You scared me for a moment there. What’s up with this, all of a sudden?” The anticlimax had Rio deflating, hanging his head tiredly.
“Well, I was just wondering if you never felt anything, being surrounded by such impressive girls.” Masato laughed out loud before explaining his thought process behind the question.
“I mean, I don’t know what to say…” Rio looked up at the ceiling with a worried face.
“And? Who is it?” Masato asked insistently.
“This isn’t the time for that, I think,” Rio replied, a faint smile on his face.
“Why?” Masato asked curiously.
“…Because I was originally traveling with a purpose. Even if I liked someone, I wouldn’t be able to stay with them forever. That’s why it’s not the time to be falling for anyone,” Rio said a little sadly.
“That’s… not true, though? You can just travel together.” Masato tilted his head in doubt.
“It’s not as simple as that, probably…” Rio smiled bitterly.
Having crossed swords with Lucius and making him aware of his existence, Rio could no longer turn back. From here on, it was an exchange of blood for blood. Rio would try to kill Lucius, and Lucius would reciprocate.
As long as either of them survived… No, even if one of them succeeded, a new grudge could be born in someone else instead. It would be the start of a vicious cycle of revenge. He would have to live in fear of an invisible danger — of being sought as a target of revenge himself. That was what it meant to devote yourself to revenge.
And so, he couldn’t seek his own happiness, couldn’t expose the person he liked to danger over someone as worthless as himself — that was what Rio thought, though he didn’t voice it out loud. Instead — “What about you, Masato? Is there a girl in the house that you like?” he asked Masato, hoping to distract him.
“Nope, there isn’t.” Masato shook his head bluntly. “How come?” asked Rio.
“No, well… I guess I did ask you a similar question.” Masato hummed in thought and scratched his head. “I mean, I think everyone’s pretty cute. I admire them too. Honestly, they’re all beautiful. But…”
“But?” Rio parroted back at Masato.
“It’s just, I don’t really see them in that way for some reason. I guess I’ve been around them for so long, they all seem like my older sisters. And…” Masato trailed off, staring at Rio.
Aki aside, it seems like all the others are in love with you already. I’ve only just met Celia, and I get the same feeling from her too. Ah, but I’m not too sure about Miharu…
“…And, what?” Rio stared back at Masato curiously. “No, it’s nothing. I might get out now. I’m getting lightheaded.” Masato shook his head with a wry smile and stood up.
“…It looks like you’ve been training properly.” Rio observed Masato’s muscles from close up and grinned.
“…Wait, is it possible that you like men, Haruto?!” Masato gasped and hurried to hide his body.
“Give me a break,” Rio denied in exasperation.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, during the time Rio and Masato were in the bath, the entire group of eight girls — Miharu, Aishia, Celia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, and Aki — were working together to prepare dinner. Miharu and Orphia took the lead in the cooking and the other girls assisted them, progressing smoothly but noisily.
Eventually, Rio and Masato left the bathroom, and within an hour, dinner was ready. The dining table Dominic had set up boasted a fairly large size, but with ten peoples’ worth of food, it was packed rather tightly.
“I want to be next to Onii-chan! Celia can sit over there!” Latifa swiftly and shrewdly acquired her seat next to Rio, then urged Celia into the seat on Rio’s other side.
“Thank you… Then, if you don’t mind,” Celia giggled and took the seat next to Rio. Aishia sat beside her. Miharu, Sara, and the others also took their seats. Then once everyone was seated at the dining table —
“Let’s eat!” Orphia declared, and they began their social dinner with the goal of getting to know Celia.
“Thank you for the food! It looks great again today. I’m so hungry! Yum!” Masato’s eyes sparkled as he reached for the delicious food with his chopsticks. He stuffed his cheeks with the piping hot karaage, puffing as he gave his thoughts. He then proceeded to gulp down white rice.
“Mind your table manners — it’s embarrassing. Celia’s here too,” Aki puffed her cheeks and muttered.
“Fufu, I think boys look much cooler when they eat heartily,” Celia complimented Masato with a smile.
“Heh, hear that?!” Masato grinned happily. “…Don’t let it get to your head.” Aki sighed tiredly.
“You should eat too, Aki. Miharu and the others went out of their way to make us such delicious food, after all.”
“Wha— hey, I helped too! I made some of it!” “Heh, which one?” Masato asked with a smirk.
“Ugh… T-This salad and the dressing.” Aki blushed and pointed at the salad and dressing placed on the table.
“Hmm, I guess it looks good.”
“It tastes good too! I know you don’t like vegetables, but make sure you eat some,” Aki said, serving some onto Masato’s plate.
“I-I’m fine. Hey, not that much!” Masato tried to stop Aki in a panic, but it was too late. A heap of vegetables was placed on the plate before Masato.
“Blergh. I hate tomatoes…” Masato groaned in disappointment.
“You won’t grow as strong as Haruto if you’re picky about your food,” Aki said.
“This salad dressing is delicious, Aki. It’s been emulsified properly.” Rio must have been listening to their conversation, as he spoke up.
“T-Thank you very much.” The sudden words took Aki by surprise, and she thanked him shyly. The bustling meal continued for a while, when Celia suddenly spoke up, as though the thought suddenly came to mind.
“By the way, Rio. Have you decided on your plans for the future? There’s still some time before the banquet.”
“Yes, about that. Miharu wants to attend the banquet too, so I was thinking of going to Amande together to propose a meeting with Liselotte. There’s no guarantee we can see her right away, so it may take several days…”
“True, you won’t know that until you go. Then will we be waiting here?”
“Yes. I’ll plan for us to all go shopping some other time, if you don’t mind.”
“I understand. I’ll spend this time getting closer to everyone else,” Celia said contently, looking between Sara, Latifa, and the others.
“Ehehe, I’m looking forward to it!” Latifa smiled happily. “I’m sure you’ll get along with everyone in no time at all, Professor. It seems like they’ve warmed up to you a lot already.” Rio looked around the dining table, smiling.
“Yes, they’ve already taught me some cooking, and we promised to all bathe together later. Right?” Celia said in a pleasant mood, looking at Latifa.
“Yes!” Latifa nodded energetically. Her speech was a little stiff towards Celia, but that was possibly because they had the biggest age gap out of everyone present. That being said, there was no distance to be felt between them, so there wasn’t a problem.
“Look after the Professor with everyone while I’m gone, Latifa.” Rio smiled gently as he spoke to Latifa.
“Yup!” Latifa said with a carefree smile.
“You two are close siblings in a way that’s different from Aki and Masato, aren’t you?” Celia smiled gently, looking at Aki and Masato, who would bicker with each other at every chance they got.
◇ ◇ ◇
After the dishes were put away and everyone caught their breaths, Rio offered to clean up.
“I’ll clean up the rest, so everyone can go relax.”
“Then as promised, let’s all go take that bath together!” Latifa suggested and up energetically.
“Fufu, then let’s get ready after we’re done with our tea. I’ll help clean up too.” Orphia took the initiative to agree and immediately offered to assist Rio in cleaning up. At practically the same time, Miharu stood up to help too.
“It’s fine, Orphia, Miharu. This is my thanks for making the delicious meal,” Rio said, directing the two of them to rest at ease.
“Then I’ll help carry the tableware, Haruto!” Masato said, offering to help out for once.
“Please do,” Rio said.
“Thank you, Onii-chan, Masato! I’m going to get ready then!” Latifa thanked the two of them before immediately heading to her room to prepare for the bath. Thus, as Rio and Masato cleaned up, the women left to undress together. They each returned to their room to get ready and head to the changing room.
“Ehehe, I’m first!” Latifa took off her clothes before anyone else and ran towards the bathtub.
“Latifa, don’t run inside here.” Sara was just in the middle of removing her bra when she spotted Latifa running inside. She placed a hand against her hip and called out to Latifa, causing her bra to softly fall to the ground.
“Fufu, how bold of you,” Orphia giggled at Sara.
“G-Geez, don’t stare at me. W-What is it, Celia?” Sara hurriedly hid her chest, but she noticed Celia staring at her and shrunk back in question.
“Nothing, it’s just… your tail…” Celia continued to stare at Sara’s tail.
“My… tail?” Sara tilted her head curiously.
Celia mustered her courage and pleaded: “Umm… M-May I please touch it?”
“…Sure, I don’t mind,” Sara agreed, smiling in amusement and agreed.
“Then, if you’d excuse me…” “Go ahead.”
Celia reached her hand out timidly, while Sara picked up her own tail to make it easier to touch. When Celia’s hand gently reached Sara’s tail, her eyes widened in amazement.
“This is… such a thick coat!” It was bushy, but soft, making it a wonderful texture to the touch. Celia petted Sara’s tail, absorbed in how fluffy it was. Each time she touched the tail, Sara would shiver from the ticklish sensation.
“U-Umm, it feels nice, but it’s a little ticklish,” Sara said with a faint blush.
“Ah, I’m sorry! It just felt so nice to touch, I completely lost myself for a moment…” Celia laughed apologetically.
“N-No, please continue petting all you like,” Sara requested with a grin.
“Yes please! I’d even love to wash it!” Celia returned happily. Sara blinked blankly for a moment, before nodding with a giggle.
“…Okay. Then, if you would please.”
“Fufu, we’re going to go in first. Let’s go,” Orphia said in amusement as she, Miharu, Aki, and Alma passed them to enter the bath. Celia and Sara quickly followed them. Inside, Latifa and Aishia were already washing their bodies.
“Hmm, hm-hmm,” Latifa was humming a song as her tail swished from side to side rhythmically.
…I’d love to touch Latifa’s tail too. Celia stared at Latifa’s tail with great interest, deciding to ask to touch it later. For now, she had to wash her own body first.
“Now, shall we wash our hair and bodies too?” Celia suggested, lining up with Sara at the washing area and sitting on a stool. She began to carefully wash her hair, face, and body.
After Sara had carefully washed everywhere except her tail
— “Umm, did you still want to wash my tail like you said?” she asked Celia beside her shyly.
“Yes, with pleasure! Is it okay to wash it just like with normal hair?” Celia said happily and moved her stool behind Sara.
“Yes, that would be fine.” Sara nodded.
“Then, I’m going to wash it now.” Celia gently grasped Sara’s tail and drenched it with warm water first, then used shampoo to gently create bubbles.
“Fufu, it feels good.” Sara smiled, feeling a little ticklish.
“I’m glad. If I hurt you or miss any spots, just let me know.” “Yup. By the way…” Sara opened her mouth to say something, making Celia tilt her head. “Hmm, what is it?”
“Umm. You’ve known Rio for a long time now, right?” Sara asked, curious about Rio and Celia’s relationship. It was a little difficult to ask in front of Rio, but now was a suitable time.
“That’s right. There were a few years in between where we didn’t see each other at all, but I first met him when he was seven, and knew him for over five years after that, so you could say it’s been a while.” Celia paused in washing Sara’s tail to answer, smiling as she reflected on the memories.
“Over five years…” Sara’s eyes widened. In terms of duration of time together, it was much longer than the spirit folk had known him.
“Yes. Huh? What’s wrong, everyone? Why the sudden silence?” Celia noticed the sudden silence in the bathroom and looked around her. Everyone’s attention was completely fixed on Celia, their eyes filled with curiosity.
“Umm! I want to ask about that too! Please tell me more about the old Onii-chan!” Latifa said boldly.
“Fufu, sure. I want to know more about the Rio that everyone knows too. Let’s all talk about it together,” Celia giggled in response to Latifa.
“…Then, I will too.” “Me too!”
Alma and Orphia offered to participate too. However, their voices echoed all over the bathroom, so there was no real point, as everyone could hear everything.
“Uh…” Miharu was about to raise her hand too, but found herself unable to muster her courage and timidly withdrew her hand. Aki watched her do so closely.
Meanwhile, Aishia was silently washing her hair.
“Then, a question! What kind of child was Onii-chan like?”
Latifa asked.
“Let’s see… Not much different to now, I guess? From the first moment we met, he was a rather mature child…” Celia replied, looking back on the past with nostalgia.
“So that’s what he was like…” Latifa accepted this with great interest.
“Ah, but his demeanor’s grown a little sharper now, I guess? Like he’s grown from a boy to a man, or matured into an adult, if I had to say?” Celia added, cocking her head.
“Then it doesn’t sound like he’s very different from the Rio we know.” Sara smiled somewhat happily.
“Come to think of it, Rio went to a school for human nobility, right? Umm, I heard that he was placed on a wanted list after being dragged into a tangle with some nobles…” Alma recalled.
“Yes, so you’ve heard about that from Rio too. He was in a bit of a special position, being an orphan and all. He was used as a convenient scapegoat,” Celia said with a frown.
“Rio… was an orphan?” This was news to Sara and the others, whose eyes widened in shock. Miharu and Aki had also been listening closely, as their eyes were as wide as saucers.
“Eh, h-huh? Didn’t you know? You knew about the academy, so I assumed… I’m sorry, please pretend you didn’t hear that… well, I guess you can’t.” Celia tried to explain herself in a panic, but slumped her shoulders when she realized she had messed up. Meanwhile, Aishia finished washing off the soap from her hair and slowly stood up, approaching Celia.
“Haruto wasn’t hiding that on purpose or anything. He didn’t tell you himself, but that was because he wasn’t asked, so he didn’t answer. Anything he wouldn’t have wanted to be spread he would have informed you of in advance, so don’t worry about it.”
“Really?” Celia hesitantly tilted her head.
“Yup, I think so too. I knew that Onii-chan was an orphan as well, after all.” Latifa nodded.
“Is that so?” Sara asked Latifa in wonder.
“Yup, that’s why it’s fine.” Latifa gave a fleeting smile.
Aishia then left them to enter the bathtub first.
“I see… But I’ll apologize to him later, just in case,” Celia sighed.
“Umm, I know I shouldn’t pry too deeply into Rio while he isn’t present, but he once stated that he wasn’t nobility. May I ask why he was attending a school for nobles?” Alma asked.
“…I can tell you the superficial truth. He saved a member of the royal family of my kingdom, so he was admitted into the academy as a reward. But with how he ultimately ended up being used as a scapegoat and was treated so coldly within the academy… it was more of a punishment than a reward,” Celia said uncomfortably.
“Was there nothing that could be done about the wanted notice?” Sara asked in frustration, unable to bear the thought of that.
“…I don’t think there was. It may sound like an excuse, but the one who made the decision was the king and an extremely small number of his nobles that controlled the kingdom. I was just a lecturer at the academy, nothing more than a researcher, so I had no real power at all. I only knew about the wanted notice by overhearing someone else, and by then it was already too late…” Celia said with an expression of deep shame and regret over her own powerlessness.
“I’m sorry for asking something so difficult to answer,” Sara apologized, her wolf ears and tail drooping.
“No no, it’s fine.” Celia shook her head weakly with a sad smile.
“Umm, then, can I ask one more question?” Orphia said, raising her hand.
“Of course,” Celia agreed readily.
“I’d like to ask about how you and Rio spent your time together within the academy. Rio seems really fond of you, so I assumed you must have had wonderful memories together,” Orphia said with a warm smile.
“How we spent our time… It was pretty normal, I think?” Celia tilted her head in slight embarrassment.
“I want to hear about that normal. I’m sure it was special to Rio, who was isolated from his surroundings at the time,” Orphia said, with Sara and Latifa nodding along.
“…Thank you for saying that.” Celia smiled happily.
“So what did you do specifically?” Sara had forgotten her tail was being washed as she turned around to ask Celia directly.
“L-Let’s see. There were eyes everywhere within the academy, so we spent a lot of time meeting in my research lab. We used to drink tea together often there. We would chat about things, and he’d also help with my research…” Celia looked back on the past with a smile at her lips.
“I see. So to Onii-chan, his time with Celia was his healing time.” Latifa crossed her arms and grunted in understanding. She had actually heard about Celia from Rio personally several times before, but her awareness of her as a rival was newly refreshed.
“That… might be true. I’d be happy if it was.” Celia grinned shyly.
“I’m sure it was. Right, Aishia?” Latifa nodded firmly and addressed Aishia, who was soaking in the water with Miharu and Aki. Miharu also looked over at Aishia in interest.
“Yup,” Aishia said quietly.
“See!” Latifa gave a sunny and cheerful smile. “Thank you,” Celia said bashfully.
“I’ve said this before, but the reason why Haruto is able to open his heart to people now is because of how Celia treated him while he went to the academy. It’s because Celia was always by Haruto’s side when he was at his loneliest that Haruto didn’t completely shut out others.” Aishia had a rare smile on her face as she added to her words eloquently. If he hadn’t had anyone he could talk to for over five years, he would have definitely stopped trusting people entirely.
“T-That’s an exaggeration.” Celia felt helplessly awkward, being praised so openly in front of everyone.
“Nope, I think Aishia’s right. It’s thanks to you being there that we were able to grow close to Onii-chan. Thank you very much,” Latifa said, bowing to Celia.
“…Thank you,” Sara and the others exchanged a look before bowing their heads at Celia with a giggle.
“Hey, don’t make fun of me!” Celia’s face reddened. “But…” Miharu, who had been listening silently until now, opened her mouth for the first time. Everyone’s attention gathered on her.
“But I think that’s the truth. Because he’s so kind,” Miharu said with a slightly high-pitched voice. That was all she wanted to say, yet her chest was thumping uncontrollably, and she clenched her fists before her chest.
“…Thank you. That might be right. He might be cowardly and awkward, but there’s no mistaking the fact that he’s a kind person.” Celia’s eyes widened, her tone softening as she spoke.
“Cowardly, you say?” Sara asked hesitantly.
“Yup. He’s a little distrustful of other people, or maybe you could call it being extremely wary about things. That’s why he’s a coward. Aishia was the one that said it though, I just applied my own reasoning to it,” Celia said with a faint smile.
“…What about awkward and kind?” Alma asked curiously. “Hmm… It’s like he doesn’t doubt the people he trusts, and will believe them to the end, you know? He once said so himself that he was distrustful of other people, but I don’t think he actually wants to doubt them. That’s why he’s awkward, but kind.” Celia seemed to be having fun talking about Rio to others, as her thoughts came out as words quite fluently.
“…You sure understand Rio well.” The spirit folk girls were in awe, watching Celia with looks of respect. Meanwhile, Miharu was watching Celia with a half-envious, half-awed look. Aki, in turn, was observing on her.
“A-Ahaha, well, I have been close to him ever since he was in school.” Celia seemed to be embarrassed, as she tried to brush it off with a laugh.
“Yup, I got it! In other words, you like Onii-chan, right?” Latifa suddenly exclaimed after quietly listening to Celia speak.
“Um… W-Why would you think that?!” Celia was taken aback, shouting as her face turned bright red.
“Eh? Because you really understand Onii-chan.” Latifa tilted her head.
“T-That’s because… I’m his teacher and he’s my student!” Celia explained in a high-pitched voice.
“Hmm, I wonder if that’s true… But you asked Onii-chan to help you run away from your wedding ceremony, right? I want to hear a little more about that. Right, everyone?” Latifa turned a dubious look at Celia, but continued with a question for Sara and the others.
“Ah…” That reminded them of the story behind Celia and her wedding.
“Come to think of it, that’s right. We wanted to hear more details about that from you too.” Sara nodded.
“E-Eeh? B-But I’m still in the middle of washing your tail, so how about I finish this first so we can sit in the bath? You might catch a cold like this.” Celia hesitated, trying to avoid the topic, but it was clear that all further questions for her would surround said topic.
In the end, they ended up having a fairly long bath together, chatting and having fun. There was a slight dispute over room allocations once they got out of the bath and had to go to bed, but that is a story for another time.
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