Mushoku Tensei (LN) - Volume 11 - Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Coping with the Greyrat Sisters 

A FTER A LONG, grueling journey, my sisters Norn and Aisha had finally made it to my house in the city of Sharia. At the moment, they were sitting at the dining table, eating something I’d quickly tossed together. 

“Any good?” I asked cautiously. 

“Yeah!” called Aisha. “It’s great!” 

Norn stayed silent. She wasn’t eating as enthusiastically as her sister, but she hadn’t grimaced or complained, either. I was no match for Sylphie in the kitchen, but I’d at least managed to make something edible. 

Speaking of Sylphie—she’d left for work a little earlier. She’d wanted to stick around, but her responsibilities to Princess Ariel had to come first. I’d chosen to take the day off from school so I could talk things over with my sisters. 

Once they finished their meal, the three of us moved into the living room. Aisha and Norn sat next to each other on the couch, and I took the chair across from them. After serving them tea and letting them relax for a while, I finally decided to broach the main subject. 

“Well, I guess I should have said this earlier, but…it’s good to see you two. I’m really glad you made it here safely.” 

“Thank you, elder brother,” said Aisha with a demure smile. “It’s a pleasure to be here.” 

My younger sister was wearing a maid uniform, as usual. Her outfit had been a bit too big for her last time we met, but it fit perfectly now. In fact, judging from the small patches I saw here and there, it was probably the exact same outfit as before. 

She seemed to be curious about my house. I’d noticed her neat brown ponytail swaying back and forth as she shot glances around the living room. 

“…” 

Norn, on the other hand, was staring quietly at the floor in the manner of a much younger child. She wore a cute blue dress adorned with a few frilly touches—pretty typical garb for children in Millishion but bound to stick out around here. Her golden hair looked a bit longer than Aisha’s, but it was hard to tell, since she had it pinned up behind her head with a big fashionable clip. 

“It sounds like you really pulled your weight on the trip up here, Aisha. I’m impressed.” 

“Naturally. I was very motivated to see you again as quickly as I could, brother dear.” Aisha still wore that calm smile, but something about the way she talked struck me as a little odd. 

“Uh… Look, this is going to be your home starting today. You can relax a little if you want. Be a bit more casual, maybe?” 

“Thank you very much,” Aisha replied. “I appreciate that. But even if we are family, this is still your house. It wouldn’t be right for me to impose on you without offering anything in return. I was hoping I could provide some help with the household chores, at least.” 

Yeah, it felt like she was being really…distant. Or maybe just formal. It was actually making me uncomfortable. 

“Incidentally, my dear sister…” 

“Yes, brother dearest?” 

“Could you maybe stop talking like that? Please?” 

“Oh, but I couldn’t possibly. You always speak so politely to me! How could I fail to do the same?” 

Ah, so this was my fault. I did tend to be a bit formal in my speech—apparently, it had made Aisha feel like she had to do the same. 

“Okay, well, I’ll be more casual with you from now on.” 

“By all means,” said Aisha with a smile. “We are siblings, after all. I’m going to continue to address you politely, though, since you’re the head of this household.” 

Oh, come on. Just follow my lead, won’t you? 

Well, whatever. It wasn’t a bad idea for her to practice speaking formally; choosing the right tone for a given situation was a valuable social skill, after all. Still, it sounded like Aisha had interpreted my politeness to mean I wanted to keep her at arm’s length. Did everyone I’d met over the last few years feel the same way? I sort of defaulted to formal speech in all my interactions, since it felt more respectful…but maybe I ought to try out some casual banter next time I ran into an old acquaintance. 

“Hey, Ruijerd, how’s it hanging? You’ve really changed, man! Did ya put on some weight or what? That beard’s new too! What? You’re not Ruijerd? Damn, changed your name too? Well, good to see you’re still a grumpy jerk, at least.” 

…On second thought, maybe not. It’s only natural to speak politely with someone you respect, right? Just imagining trying to banter with Ruijerd or Roxy made me want to punch myself in the face. 

“Well, anyway… it’s good to have you both here. It might take a while for us to get used to living in the same house, but we’ll figure it out.” 

“Of course!” said Aisha energetically. 

Her enthusiasm was palpable. It reminded me of the way Pursena got when you dangled a slab of meat in front of her. I felt like Aisha would do anything I asked her to right now. 

Norn, on the other hand, still wasn’t saying anything, and the expression on her face looked kind of gloomy. I got the feeling she hadn’t come to stay with me willingly. The way we’d been reunited probably hadn’t helped matters either. From her perspective, I’d wandered home drunk with a strange woman on my arm. 

For the moment, it seemed best to take things slow and treat her with care. 

“Anyway, I had no idea you’d gotten married to Sylphie!” said Aisha. “When did that happen, anyway? You must have been surprised too, right, Norn?” 

Norn shook her head slightly at this attempt to draw her into the conversation. “I don’t…really remember Miss Sylphie that well.” 

That was a little disappointing, but it made sense. Aisha had studied basic etiquette with Sylphie back in Buena Village, while Norn hadn’t spent that much time with her. 

“So what’s the story, brother dear?” asked Aisha, leaning forward eagerly. “What happened to that Eris girl you were with before?” 

I wasn’t eager to revisit that topic, but…it made sense they were curious about it. “Well, you see…” 

Smiling awkwardly, I took a few minutes to fill my sisters in on the recent developments in my life. I started off with my return to the Fittoa Region, where I split up with Eris and became an adventurer. I mentioned that I’d contracted a disease and headed to the University of Magic in hopes of finding a cure. And then I explained that I’d met Sylphie here, and she’d managed to cure my illness. 

Of course, I didn’t specify that the illness was erectile dysfunction, or the means by which Sylphie had cured it. That’s not the sort of thing you talk about with a pair of ten-year-old girls. I did make sure to mention Sylphie was in a slightly tricky situation that required her to dress as a man in public. Princess Ariel had already given me permission to explain this to anyone who I thought needed to know. 

To be honest, it might have been smarter not to tell my little sisters about this. They were still just children, after all. But if they were going to be living with us from now on, they’d inevitably figure out the truth at some point, or at least start to harbor some suspicions. Considering the trouble that could cause down the road, I opted to give them a basic outline of the situation up front. 

“…And that brings us up to the present, I guess.” 

After five minutes or so, I’d covered all of the most important events. 

Norn was still staring at the floor with a troubled look on her face, but Aisha was studying me with concern. “So is your disease gone now, then?” she asked. “For good?” 

“Yeah, I’m fully cured. Nothing to worry about. I’m still doing a rehab session every few days, though.” 

“Hmm, okay,” Aisha murmured thoughtfully, before clapping her hands together. “Oh, I almost forgot!” 

“What is it?” 

“I’ve got something for you from Dad. He told me to hand it over right away once I found you.” 

Popping up off the couch, she dashed up the second floor. Before long, she was trotting back down the stairs with a rectangular box in her hands. 

“Here you go!” 

For some reason, the thing was secured with three large locks. It never hurt to take extra precautions, of course, but this just felt like just broadcasting to the whole world that there was something valuable inside. Then again, maybe the locks were just there to keep Aisha and Norn from poking at the contents and possibly losing them. 

I used a touch of magic to snap all three locks open simultaneously. 

“Oh! Uhm, I’ve got the keys here, if you want…” 

“Hm? Ah, thanks.” 

Aisha had frozen in surprise with a ring of keys in her hand. I took them from her and dropped them in my pocket—not that I needed them. Now, time to open the mystery box. 

“Uh, wow…” 

Well, this was a stash, all right. There was a significant amount of money inside, including a dozen or so king’s dollars, and a small horde of various precious metals. It was hard to appraise their exact value at a glance, but they’d fetch a pretty penny if I sold them all. 

This had to be the financial support Paul had mentioned in his letter. If I used it wisely, this would be enough to keep my family afloat for a decade or so. I’d have to make sure I didn’t spend it carelessly. 

There were also two sheets of paper attached to the inside of the box’s lid. I pulled them off and took a look. 

The first was the same letter from Paul that had already reached me a few days earlier. But the second was a message from Lilia. It went into some detail about the current state of Aisha and Norn’s education and elaborated on what she saw as their “flaws.” 

In Lilia’s opinion, Aisha was a talented child who rarely failed at anything she tried, but this had left her with a swollen head. I was advised to be strict with her. Norn was an ordinary little girl, but constantly being compared to her sister at school had left her sullen and withdrawn, putting up a tough front for all to see. I was asked to treat her gently and with kindness. 

It felt like Lilia was being kind of harsh on her daughter for some reason. She still seemed to view herself as Paul’s mistress or lover, rather than his second wife. Maybe that had something to do with it? Honestly, my gut instinct was to treat my little sisters as equally as possible. 

Still…according to this letter, Aisha really was a remarkably talented kid. As of a year ago, Lilia had basically run out of things to teach her. She had a good grasp on reading, writing, math, history, and geography. What was more, she was skilled at cleaning, laundry, general housework, and cooking. She’d even reached the Beginner tier in the Water God Style—and with all six of the basic elements of magic too. 

While she’d been enrolled in a school at Millishion, Roxy and the others had shown up soon afterward, so Aisha had spent barely any time inside a classroom of late. And even so, she’d gotten this far. It was no wonder Norn had a bit of an inferiority complex. 

Norn was basically an ordinary kid. She had no notable strengths or weaknesses, academically, which put her well ahead of where Eris was at her age, at least. In most classes, she landed right in the middle of the pack, or just a bit below it. Her life had been seriously disrupted by all this travel, though. Given the circumstances, you could say she was actually doing pretty well. She definitely hadn’t given up on improving, at least. 

There weren’t any other messages in the box. I’d been hoping for a few words from Roxy, honestly, but these were intimate family letters, so she’d probably refrained out of politeness. 

“Okay then,” I said, setting down the letters. “Once you’re both settled in, I guess our next step will be to get you back in school.” 

“What?! No!” 

For some reason, it was Aisha who immediately piped up to object. I was a little surprised by that. Maybe her last experience in the educational system hadn’t been too pleasant. 

“I don’t have anything left to learn in school, Rudeus! I worked really hard so I could be a good maid for you!” 

“Okay, but—” 

“I wanna be your maaaaid! You promised, remember?! Look, I’ve still got that thing you gave me!” 

Undoing her ponytail, Aisha showed me what she’d used to keep it in place. It was part of the forehead protector I’d given her back in the day. She’d altered the protective metal plate to turn it into a hair ornament. 

I had to admit it made me happy to see that she’d been holding on to that thing all these years. But that had nothing to do with the topic at hand. Honestly, I was okay with her not attending school if she didn’t want to. Your desire to learn new things is more important than whether you’re sitting in a classroom all day. And if you lack that desire, attending school is just a waste of time. I sure hadn’t gotten anything out of my time in junior high school. 

That said, Paul’s letter had clearly instructed me to get both of my sisters enrolled in school. The concept of mandatory education wasn’t really a thing in this world, but even so… 

“Okay, well… I want you to take the entrance exam for the University of Magic, at least. I’ll make up my mind based on the results.” 

“Huh? Ooh, I get it. Okay! No problem!” 

Aisha’s smile was full of confidence. She seemed convinced she could score top marks on any test I threw at her. Of course, if she could manage that, then it was probably fine for her to stop attending school. And I’d be able to justify my decision to our father. 

“Norn, why don’t you take the test too, while we’re at it?” 

Norn’s eyes flicked toward me when I spoke, but she didn’t move her head. This was starting to get to me. Was the kid going to give me the silent treatment for the rest of my life or what? 

“I think I might fail it, though,” she finally murmured after a long pause. 

It felt like the first time she’d actually spoken to me. Which wasn’t true at all, of course, but I still felt kind of relieved. It kinda hurt to be ignored, you know? 

“Don’t worry too much about that, Norn. Anyone can get into this school if they have enough money,” I said. 

“What…? I don’t want you to buy me a spot!” 

Whoops. Guess I made it sound like I was going to sneak her in through the back door. 

“Hey, Norn! You shouldn’t talk to Rudeus like that!” hissed Aisha. 

“You heard what he said, didn’t you? He said he’s going to bribe someone to let me in!” 

“Well, maybe if you could take a test to save your life, he wouldn’t need to!” 

“Are you calling me stupid?!” shouted Norn, grabbing her sister by the hair. 

Aisha grabbed Norn’s wrist right back and took a swipe at her face. In the blink of an eye, they were pulling and scratching at each other furiously, but not too effectively. 

In a way, it was almost nice to see such a normal fight between two children. Better than one of them punching the other in the jaw, then straddling them for a brutal pummeling. That said, though a little scrap wasn’t the worst thing in the world, this one was my fault. I needed to intervene. 

“Cut it out, you two.” The words came out sharper than I’d expected. The two of them jerked in surprise and instantly stopped moving their hands. 

“…” 

Norn looked down at the floor again, her expression even more sullen than before. I could see tears gathering in her eyes. 

We had a bit of a problem here, clearly. She was even more sensitive about this topic than I’d expected. 

“Let me explain, Norn. The university in this city lets everybody attend, regardless of their age, race, or talents…as long as they can pay the fees. I didn’t mean that I was going to pay someone off to let you in.” 

Sniffling softly, Norn wiped the tears from her eyes but didn’t reply. 

“You remember my tutor Roxy, right? She went here too. It’s a good school, with lots of nice professors who can teach you all sorts of things. You might just find something you’re…interested in there.” 

I’d started to say that she might find something she was better at than her sister, but thought better of it mid-sentence. This definitely wasn’t a good time to be comparing them. 

Norn kept staring at the floor for a while, but eventually she spoke. “Okay. I’ll take the dumb test.” 

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she pushed her chair back loudly and walked out of the living room. 

“Norn!” Aisha shouted at her back. “We’re not done talking yet!” 

“Oh, shut up!” 

Norn stomped her way up the stairs. A few seconds later, a door slammed shut up on the second floor. 

This was…going to be tricky, all right. The girl was clearly at a tough age, and she had a prickly personality. I wasn’t sure how well I was equipped to deal with her. 

“Honestly, Norn never changes,” said Aisha, shrugging her shoulders. “It’s such a hassle , having to indulge sulky children. Don’t you agree, Rudeus?” 

We had some issues on this front too, though. This kind of attitude wasn’t going to help matters at all. 

“Aisha…” 

“Yes?” 

“I don’t want you insulting Norn like that. Especially not about her performance in school.” 

“Whaaat?” Aisha said, pouting. “But she’s barely even trying, Rudeus.” 

“It might look that way to you, sure. But I think she’s doing her best, in her own way.” 

“…Well, if you say so. I’ll try to keep my opinions to myself.” 

That was nice to hear, but she didn’t sound especially willing. Anything I said probably wouldn’t be too convincing, right now. I didn’t know either of them very well, and I didn’t have the faintest clue how to deal with ten-year-old girls, either. 

This was going to be a rocky road. 

*** 

Early that afternoon, I left my two sisters at the house and made a trip to the University of Magic. I made a beeline for the faculty offices, tracked down Vice Principal Jenius, and quickly explained the situation. 

“They were both attending other schools previously, yes? I think they should be able to keep up with the introductory courses, then. It would be best for them to take the exam at their earliest convenience.” 

After a little discussion, we settled on one week from today for the date of their test. They wouldn’t have much time to study, but that wasn’t really an issue. 

“I must say, I’m rather excited to meet them,” Jenius said. “If they’re your sisters, they must be quite talented.” 

“One of them is a bit of a prodigy, but the other’s just an ordinary girl.” 

“I do hope you’re not just being modest again. Why, I half-expect them to both be capable of silent spellcasting.” 

“No, no, nothing of the sort…” 

As we engaged in this polite back-and-forth, an unrelated thought popped into my mind. 

“By the way, Vice Principal Jenius, do you happen to know if Badigadi is on campus today?” 

“…Sir Badigadi? I don’t believe I’ve seen him today, no.” 

“Ah. All right, then.” 

For such a big, loud guy, Badi could be real elusive when he wanted to. But when he did decide to make an appearance, he was impossible to miss. 

“If you have some business with him, I could pass along a message…” 

“Nah, it’s nothing urgent. I’m just hoping to sit down and have a talk with him about a mutual acquaintance of ours. I think there might be a misunderstanding I could clear up.” 

“Understood. Should I happen to see him, I’ll certainly let him know.” 

I thanked the vice principal politely for his help, then went on my way. 

I’d meant to head straight home afterward, but had some spare time, so I dropped in on Nanahoshi instead. I knocked at her door and stepped inside, but I found her research room empty. That was unusual at this hour. The girl was basically a shut-in, after all. 

I took a peek in her dedicated experiment room, but she wasn’t in there either. I’d been strictly forbidden from entering her bedroom, but I knocked on the door just in case. 

“Hmm? Guhhh…” 

A long, miserable groan emerged from inside. It sounded like she was in distress. 

I hesitated, wondering if I should try to enter. But after a little while, Nanahoshi opened the door herself. Her face was alarmingly pallid. 

“Uh, hey. Are you all right?” 

“My…my head is killing me… I think…I’m gonna be sick…” 

Gah. She stinks of booze. 

Come to think of it, it was no surprise she was hungover. She’d really gone for broke last night. If anything, she was lucky she hadn’t given herself alcohol poisoning. 

“Come sit down for a second, Nanahoshi. I’ll fix you up.” 

I dragged my stumbling friend into her experiment room, seated her in a chair, and then took her head between my hands. After leading off with a basic detoxification spell, I added a little healing magic to help with the pain. 

“Phew… Thanks, Rudeus. I owe you one.” 

Shaking her head slowly, Nanahoshi pressed her fingers to her temples. After a moment, she turned and put on the mask she’d left lying on her table. 

I was speaking to Silent Sevenstar now, apparently. 

“Anyway, is there something you need from me? If it’s about your reward, it’s not ready yet. I’d appreciate a little patience.” 

Her words were as cool as ever, but there was a hint of embarrassment in her voice. Could she be one of those “kuuderes” I’d heard so much about? 

“I don’t need anything,” I said. “My two little sisters showed up at my house all of a sudden, so I came by campus to arrange for them to take the entrance exam. I just stopped by to see you, since I was in the neighborhood.” 

“…Your sisters? Wait, are these your sisters from the other world? Were they brought here as well?” 

“Nah. They’re my sisters from this world. They were born and raised here.” 

“I see,” Nanahoshi murmured thoughtfully, staring at my face. “Well, if they’re your sisters in this world, I imagine they’re quite adorable.” 

“Wait, are you complimenting my looks or something?” 

“By the standards of our old world, you’re an objectively handsome man. I don’t know what you looked like on the other side, but right now, you could pass for an European model. Wouldn’t you agree?” 

“Uh, I guess.” Wasn’t expecting that… 

I had to watch my step around this girl. In my past life, I might have assumed she had a thing for me. But I wasn’t a virgin anymore, damn it! I wasn’t even single! She wasn’t going to mess with my head that easily. 

“How old are they?” Nanahoshi asked. 

“They’re both ten, I think.” 

“I see. I’ve got a little brother about the same age, actually. But I suppose he’s older than me now, if time’s passing at the same rate back home…” 

It was hard to tell through the mask, but she sounded nostalgic, probably remembering her life in Japan. Personally, I didn’t have many pleasant memories associated with the word brother . 

“Well, now you’ve got me craving pudding,” Nanahoshi muttered. 

What? Where did that come from? 

“Uh, do you have fond memories of pudding or something?” 

“The little jerk used to eat the ones I put in the fridge for later. Those things were really expensive too…” 

Classic little brother stuff. It didn’t strike me as the sweetest of memories, but it had Nanahoshi homesick, clearly. She was looking up at the ceiling, holding back tears. I averted my eyes to avoid embarrassing her. 

“Well, anyway. I’ll stop by again soon, okay?” I said. 

“All right… Uhm, sorry for all the trouble earlier, by the way. You’ve improved my opinion of you quite a bit.” 

“Heh. Just don’t fall in love with me, kid. You’ll get burned…” 

“Excuse me? Are you even hearing yourself right now?” 

“Come on! That was supposed to be a laugh line!” 

Once I gave her the cue, Nanahoshi did chuckle a little, but it sounded kind of forced. Kids these days! No appreciation for the classics. 

At any rate, the girl clearly wasn’t in any shape to be conducting experiments today. Not that I had time to help out, either. We’d have to resume our research later, once things had calmed down a bit. 

*** 

Once the school day was over, I met up with Sylphie and we headed home together. I wanted to get her advice about Norn and Aisha. She was much closer to their age, so I was hoping she might have some insight. 

Before I could broach the subject, though, Sylphie spoke up. “Oh, right. Let’s stop by the market, Rudy. We’ve got more people in the house now, so we’re going to need more food.” 

Sounded reasonable enough to me. We made a little detour. 

As soon as we set foot inside the marketplace, the sweet smell of stewing beans hit my nose from all directions. The Commerce District market was always bustling in the evening hours. People tend to think of markets as an early-morning thing, but the ones in this area sold a lot of meat supplied by hunters or adventurers. Hunters had unpredictable schedules, but adventurers tended to spend their days slaying monsters out in the forests or plains. Naturally, the meat they brought back with them in the evenings tended to go on sale at night. 

There wasn’t much variety in the food available here, and most ingredients were fairly expensive. But the Kingdom of Ranoa and the other Magic Nations were actually better off than most countries in this region; if you could afford it, there was at least meat available here. If you headed out further east, you’d find countries where there was little fresh food to be had at any price. 

Apart from the market itself, you could also find some jobs for adventurers posted in this area of the city. Most of these involved magically freezing fresh meat—jobs popular with younger university students who’d learned basic magic and needed some pocket change. 

Sylphie and I wandered around, picking out ingredients for dinner. I took the opportunity to fill her in about everything that had happened today. 

“Well, I think you’re right,” she said. “It sounds like the two of them don’t get along very well.” 

“I’m not sure what they’re thinking, honestly. I guess I don’t know how to see the world through a kid’s eyes anymore.” 

“It’s tough, yeah.” 

“Aisha sounds determined to become our household maid instead of going to school, though. You have any thoughts about that?” 

“Hmm. I haven’t been able to devote much time to the housework, what with everything else…so personally, I’d kind of appreciate the help.” 

Sylphie’s smile looked sincere. Nice to know she didn’t see it as an intrusion on her domain or anything. 

“The thing is, though, we’re the adults here,” I said. “And she’s a kid.” 

“Yep.” 

“Do you think we have a responsibility to send her to school? She might end up discovering some new interests there, right?” 

“Hmm. Well, maybe you’re right. We could encourage her to take all sorts of weird classes and see if anything appeals to her…” Sylphie paused thoughtfully and put her hand to her chin, seemingly torn between the options I’d placed in front of her. 

Then I followed her gaze and realized she was considering two differently priced cuts of ham. 

“Come on, Sylphie. I’m seriously conflicted about this. At least think it through with me.” 

“I am thinking! But you know, Rudy, I’m pretty sure you’re underestimating Aisha a bit. She’s a very clever girl.” 

“I know. So what?” 

“Well, I think she’ll do just fine for herself whether she goes to school or not.” 

“Hmm…” 

“That said, maybe we shouldn’t be overthinking this. Letting her do what she wants is the simplest option, right?” 

I hadn’t expected such a strong show of confidence in my sister. But Sylphie had known them when they were much younger, hadn’t she? She must have seen what Aisha was capable of firsthand. 

“I’m more concerned about Norn, to be honest,” she said. “She’s obviously anxious, and I think she misses your dad and Ruijerd. We have to make sure we take good care of her, okay?” 

“Yeah… You’re right about that.” 

Sylphie’s voice was calm, her words reasonable and measured. It made me realize how flustered I was in contrast. My wife really was a reliable woman. This felt like I was being given advice by my old friend, Master Fitz—which I was, in a way. 

“So basically, we give Aisha the freedom to do what she wants and put Norn on rails for the moment?” I said. 

“On rails?” 

“Uh, it means we set a path for her to follow, basically.” 

“Ah, okay. Yeah. I think that sounds good.” 

Was it really okay to treat the two of them so differently? Well, Aisha was much further along than Norn right now. Ignoring that fact and treating them exactly the same wouldn’t make much sense. Recognizing their differences wasn’t the same as playing favorites. 

“Uhm… That said, Rudy, it’s ultimately your decision. Sorry if I sounded a little bossy.” 

I shook my head. “Nah, you were a big help. I think I know how I want to approach this now.” 

“I won’t be able to help out that much, though,” Sylphie replied, scratching the back of her ear with a troubled expression. “I’ve still got my duties with Princess Ariel and all…” 

Her job did keep her away from home a lot. And she always seemed guilty whenever that caused me even a minor inconvenience. Sometimes, I felt like her job caused her more stress than she was letting on. We were married now, after all, and there was the possibility I’d ask her to quit. 

On an impulse, I decided to follow up on this thought. 

“Tell me something, Sylphiette, my dear.” 

“What is it, my dearest Rudeus?” 

“Let’s say I told you quit your job with Princess Ariel before we got hitched. What would you have done?” 

I tried to phrase the question as lightly as possible, but when Sylphie turned to me, her expression was very serious. 

“I…might have turned you down, I guess.” 

Huh? Hmm. That actually stings a little. Maybe I should have built up to the question more gradually or something. Well. Okay, then. So…she’d pick Ariel over me, huh? Right… 

“Oh!” Apparently picking up on my reaction, Sylphie suddenly got very flustered. “Don’t get the wrong idea, Rudy! I love you very much—you know that! I mean, there’s more to it than that, even… I barely know how to explain it, to be honest. It’s this big warm jumble of feelings…” 

She really was too cute when she got thrown off balance like this. 

“Well, I guess they’re all different kinds of love, basically. I mean, uh…for one thing, I really want to have a baby with you…” As she spoke those words, Sylphie reflexively rubbed a hand over her belly. 

Now she had me blushing as well. Had she forgotten we were in public? 

“But I love Princess Ariel, too, you know? In a different way, of course. She’s a really dear friend, I guess…” 

I hadn’t actually heard her put her feelings about Ariel into words before. Now that she’d got started, though, the words kept coming. 

“Princess Ariel might look perfect from the outside, but she has plenty of flaws and weaknesses. I know you’d be just fine without me around, Rudy, but if the princess didn’t have me and Luke keeping an eye on her, she wouldn’t last a week. I couldn’t bear to just abandon her.” Sylphie paused for a moment to catch her breath and scratch behind her ears again, then continued awkwardly. “Uhm, but you know…being married to you is, well…it’s kind of a dream come true for me. I don’t want to give that up either. As long as you’ll still have me.” 

Sylphie seemed to be under the impression that it was unfair of her to even ask this much. Rather than choosing between me and Ariel, she felt like she was taking advantage of my kindness to have her cake and eat it too. Maybe that was why she was always so…accommodating when she was with me. 

It was all completely ridiculous, of course. 

Instead of responding, I leaned over and planted a kiss on Sylphie’s cheek, prompting hoots of amusement and a few jeers from all around us. We’d clearly attracted some attention. 

Blushing red out to the tips of her ears, Sylphie quickly put her sunglasses on. 

Master Fitz was cuter than ever these days. 

After a few minutes, my wife managed to calm down enough so that we could resume our grocery run. We’d drifted off the main topic at some point, but at least I’d gotten her advice on the most important short-term problems. With any luck, she’d hit it off with Norn and Aisha. That would be a big help. I wasn’t too confident I’d ever be able to understand the mind of a preteen girl. 

“Anyway, I might have to lean on you for help with those two sometimes, Sylphie. I’m not great with girls.” 

“That’s okay. We’re married, remember? I’ll help you out any time you need me.” 

Sylphie’s smile was downright radiant. It was nice to have such a charming and reliable wife in my life. Of course, she seemed to think Princess Ariel would be lost without her, whereas I’d be fine on my own. That was…interesting. 

By the same token, though, Sylphie could surely manage just fine without me around. In that respect, at least, things were no longer like the old days. 

One week later, Aisha took her entrance exam as scheduled…and earned a perfect score.