Bonus Short Stories
Side: Kiriha
Kiriha enjoyed a good relationship with her two haniwas, Karama and Korama. They’d been good companions ever since they became her bodyguards, and a mutual respect between the three of them had deepened their bond immensely. The haniwas, however, were always aspiring to better themselves, which incidentally led to them blurting out something most unexpected one day.
“Ane-san! We want to beat you at something, ho!”
“We want to show off our selling points, ho!”
The haniwas stood atop the tea table, flailing their arms with wild enthusiasm. It bothered the two little automatons that, no matter the circumstances, they were never a match for their owner. Mentally and physically, Kiriha was constantly outperforming both of them. Faced with her superiority, the haniwas couldn’t help wondering if she even really needed them.
“When it comes to combat, though, you’re both far stronger than I am,” Kiriha replied calmly as she sipped her tea.
In her eyes, the haniwas were plenty useful. They could scan for enemies with their sensors, attack with fire and electricity, and defend using their spiritual energy field—all things she was incapable of.
“No, Ane-san! It’s just our gear that’s strong, ho!”
“That’s right, ho! With the right equipment, you could do the same, ho!”
“I think it would be difficult to overcome your teamwork with equipment alone.”
The haniwas had another great asset: peerless teamwork that had been developed over years of working together. Kiriha knew it would be difficult for her to outperform them in that regard, no matter the gear she was using. So as far as she was concerned, the haniwas were actually much more of a threat to be reckoned with than she would ever be alone.
“There’s no merit in winning if we can only do it two-on-one, ho!”
“Yeah, ho! We both want to be better than you at something, ho!”
The haniwas, however, insisted despite knowing that. They knew their teamwork was powerful, but they also wanted to be strong on their own individual terms.
When it comes to this kind of creative thinking, I think you both already have an advantage over me... But I guess that’s what makes the heart so difficult to understand, isn’t it?
Kiriha held the haniwas in high regard to begin with, and she admired them even more for seeking to become stronger in creative ways. But she also knew that the haniwas would never settle for that, so she set about finding a solution that would please them.
“Let’s see... Why not try getting good at something that’s not my forte?”
“Ho! Please tell us what that it, Ane-san!”
“We’ll definitely get good at it, ho!”
The haniwas sidled up to Kiriha, their eyes sparkling with ambition. They were so earnest that she had to try hard not to giggle a little.
“Well, there are two things I’m bad at: repetitive work over long periods of time, and eating a lot.”
Whenever Kiriha had work to do, the first thing she did was plan out the most efficient way of doing it. In that sense, repetitive tasks that simply required a time commitment and dedication were troublesome for her. Eating a lot was also something that she disliked doing. Overeating would jeopardize her womanly figure, which was key to her confidence in standing tall at her beloved’s side. Though Kiriha always appeared to be brimming with assurance, she was actually quite self-conscious when it came down to it.
“Repetitive tasks and eating, ho...”
“In other words... We need guts, ho!”
“You could say that.”
Fearlessness in the face of tedious work and too much food... It was true that both of those tasks required guts, so Kiriha couldn’t disagree with the haniwas’ conclusion.
“Got it, ho! We’ll train our guts, ho!”
“Ho! Thank you, Ane-san! We can always count on you, ho!”
“I’m glad I was able to help.”
After thanking Kiriha, the haniwas bounced off towards the bathroom. They were going to begin their training by working up their endurance with hot water.
“Guts and that gung-ho nature... In truth, I could stand to work on those traits a little myself.”
Kiriha took another sip of tea with a wry smile as she thought to herself that she had a thing or two to learn from the haniwas. In fact, that just might be what she needed to get her beloved to look her way.
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