Chapter 3: Sisterly Bonds
One day before the events in Rodania, an enchanted airship was arriving at the Galarc Castle. The ship came from the kingdom of Centostella.
The visit wasn’t an unexpected one; Sendo Masato, who was under the care of the Centostella Kingdom, had suddenly been summoned to Galarc as a hero with the First Princess Lilianna Centostella. As allied nations, Galarc had no choice but to contact Centostella. Thus, this was an anticipated visit.
“The enchanted airship from Centostella has arrived.”
Notice of the arrival reached Miharu and Satsuki through Charlotte. They went to the entrance of the castle with Masato and Lilianna to greet the visitors. The delegation from Centostella Kingdom soon arrived at the castle’s courtyard in horse carriages.
“They’re here,” Charlotte said when she spotted the first carriage.
Everyone’s gazes locked onto the group approaching the castle. The carriages were securely guarded by numerous knights, so whoever was on board was assumedly of ambassador rank or higher.
The carriages eventually came to a stop before them. The knights moved swiftly to open the door of the most securely built carriage first. However...
“They’re not coming out...?”
Satsuki tilted her head, puzzled at the prolonged silence. But a few seconds later, a boy and girl hesitantly stepped out of the carriage. The boy was gently pulling the girl by the hand.
“Aki... Takahisa...” Miharu mumbled, eyes widening with a gasp. Beside her, Masato shot Takahisa and Aki a conflicted look and sighed.
“You came,” Satsuki said, glancing at Miharu and Masato. She had expected Takahisa and Aki’s arrival. After all, Aki was his older stepsister by one year, and Takahisa was his older brother by four. It was only natural for them to be worried.
However, things weren’t as simple as that. The relationship between them all was complicated—and it had started with the hero banquet previously held in Galarc. It all started when Takahisa disagreed with the idea of being separated from Miharu and tried to take her to Centostella against her will. Aki had assisted his reckless behavior—the two of them were too dependent on her.
Luckily, the quick-witted Lilianna prevented Takahisa’s abduction attempt with the help of the Galarc Kingdom. But even though the attempt had failed, the two weren’t forgiven right away. After some long discussions, it was decided that Takahisa and Aki were forbidden from making contact with Miharu until everyone involved agreed to forgive them. In order to ensure that, Lilianna and Masato took Takahisa and Aki to the Centostella Kingdom and away from Miharu.
That was why Takahisa and Aki were currently in no position to complain if they were asked to leave immediately. Just what were they thinking coming all the way to Galarc and showing themselves to Miharu? An explanation was direly needed.
“Step back, Miharu,” Satsuki said, standing before Miharu to protect her.
Lilianna walked forward. “The two of you were forbidden from making contact with Lady Miharu without Sir Masato’s and my permission, I believe.”
This statement was a test from Lilianna to Takahisa. If Takahisa were to reply with anything along the lines of, “But the two of you both disappeared,” she would promptly tell them to leave. Thus, Lilianna stared at them with narrowed eyes, awaiting their reply.
“I’m sorry!” Takahisa eventually apologized, bowing his head. “I wanted to apologize properly to Miharu, and to everyone else... I went to the king for permission to board the ship instead. I can’t believe what I did to you all... There was something wrong with me back then. I just truly, truly wanted to apologize. I did something so awful to you...”
Takahisa seemed to have reflected on his actions, as he accepted all the blame with clear shame in his voice.
“I’m sorry...!”
With his head still bowed, he repeated his apology. Incidentally, the king had allowed him to come on the condition he would follow whatever orders Lilianna gave him upon their arrival.
“I want to apologize too. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry, Miharu.” Aki similarly bowed her head while she apologized repeatedly and cried, her tears falling to the ground.
“We’re not expecting you to forgive us like this... But we wanted to give a proper apology for everything. That’s all, honestly... Let’s go, Aki.”
Takahisa patted Aki on the back, gently directing her to return to the carriage. They had made their apologies and were now voluntarily making their leave. In a way, that was admirable, but—
“H-Hold on a minute. You can’t just appear out of nowhere, say what you want, then leave again...” Satsuki called out, stopping them from boarding the carriage. She looked to Miharu and Lilianna for their reactions. Miharu had been the actual victim, and Lilianna had also gone through a lot of trouble for their sakes.
Besides, they had previously agreed on spending some time apart for the two of them to reflect. The incident had happened several months ago, so they had indeed spent time apart. They had also said their apologies. Wouldn’t it be better to talk a little more to see how sincere they were?
“I will leave the decision to the three of you—including Sir Masato,” Lilianna said, clearly expressing her stance on the subject.
“I see. What do you think, Masato?”
“Miharu was the one who went through the most trouble. Princess Lilianna too. If they agree with each other, then I won’t object to their decision. Though it all depends on the attitudes of these two.”
“Miharu... What do you want to do? I want to respect your decision. I also think the final call on whether they should be forgiven or not is up to you. We’ll make them leave if you want them to leave, or we can let them stay if you want to talk to them. I’ll always be on your side, of course,” Satsuki said, expressing her full support of whatever Miharu decided.
“Satsuki...” Miharu bowed her head at Satsuki gratefully, then looked at Aki.
She had known Aki her whole life. Aki was the little sister of her beloved childhood friend, and someone she treated like her own little sister. Aki also adored Miharu as an older sister, and they had grown up beside each other in Japan. That’s why Miharu considered Aki her own family.
But whether or not she forgave Aki because she was family aside, it wasn’t easy to cut a family member out of her life. She didn’t even want to consider it as an option. If a complete stranger had done it, it would have been unforgivable, but their relationship would continue forever. And Takahisa was Aki’s stepbrother—she couldn’t cut contact with one without doing so with the other.
“I... I want to talk to Aki. I don’t know whether I want to forgive Takahisa yet, but...Aki is my precious little sister.”
Was Aki doing well? What had she been up to while they were apart? In a corner of her heart, she had always been worried about her. That’s why Miharu spoke frankly about her own feelings. When Aki heard her words, she started crying even harder.
“I see... Of course, that makes sense. I agree completely,” Satsuki said, nodding along to Miharu’s opinion. She then turned to Lilianna and Charlotte. “And so, we’d like to talk to them a little,” she said.
“In that case, how about we head to the mansion? I will have rooms for them prepared in the guesthouse where Gouki and his company are staying.”
That way, on the off chance Takahisa tried to pull anything, they would have backup on hand, Charlotte hinted implicitly.
“Right... Let’s do that. Does that sound okay with you, Miharu?”
“Yes.” Miharu nodded firmly.
“What about you, Princess Lilianna? Everyone in the delegation is about to have an audience with my father...” Charlotte was about to split up from Satsuki and the rest of their group as their guide. The original plan was to have Lilianna go with her.
“I will attend the meeting as planned,” Lilianna said, prioritizing meeting the king.
“Understood. In that case, we will go our separate ways here. Can we entrust these two to the rest of you?”
“Of course.” Satsuki nodded.
Seeing that, Charlotte began to show the delegation the way inside the castle. “Then if Princess Lilianna and the delegation could follow me...”
“Please take care of the rest,” Lilianna said before following Charlotte.
Thus, Miharu, Satsuki, Masato, Aki, and Takahisa were left behind. Technically speaking, they were also accompanied by the female knights who were to escort them back to the mansion too.
“Shall we get going?” Satsuki suggested. She believed she had to take the lead as the eldest. With a look at Aki and Masato, she encouraged them to start moving towards the mansion. But Aki was still sobbing loudly—
“...” Takahisa was frozen with an awkward look on his face.
“Hello? Are you listening, Takahisa?” Satsuki called out with a light sigh.
“Y-Yes...” Takahisa winced. “Err. Is it really okay for me to go too?” he asked hesitantly.
“Were you not listening to what Miharu just said?”
“No—I mean, I was, but...”
“You’re Aki’s older brother. You’re getting another chance for the sake of your siblings. This isn’t forgiveness. This is probation. If you weren’t their brother, you would have been kicked out without question, so you better be grateful to them.”
Satsuki made sure to emphasize exactly how serious his actions were.
“Right... Thank you, Aki. Masato too. And I’m sorry.” Takahisa bowed his head at Aki, who was still crying, then Masato, who was standing beside Miharu.
“Has your personality changed in the time we’ve been apart...?” Masato asked skeptically. He recalled what Takahisa had been like before he had been summoned to Galarc as a hero.
Takahisa and Masato had been in constant conflict with each other. Masato took every chance to criticize Takahisa for what he did, which Takahisa found extremely disagreeable. Takahisa had basically shut himself in his room and refused to see anyone other than Aki.
That’s why seeing Takahisa here apologizing so earnestly wasn’t just an unexpected sight—it was eerie. Just what had happened for this change of heart? Had his personality really been replaced with someone else’s? He wouldn’t doubt it at this point.
“I know what you mean. I found it strange myself. But when I heard that you and Lily had suddenly disappeared from the castle, I was really worried. I was in such a panic... I asked myself what I had been doing until now...” Takahisa said with a self-deprecating smile. His guilt seemed so genuine, he would make one extremely talented actor if this was a lie.
“I’m glad to hear you were worried when we disappeared. But you’ve currently lost all my trust. That’s why I don’t want to hear your apology, but to see it in your attitude. Otherwise I’ll never be able to trust you again.”
Unsure of how to react to Takahisa’s dramatic change of heart, Masato chose to end their conversation with a cold warning.
“That’s fine,” Takahisa said with a nod.
He’s kind of returned to being the brother I knew in Japan, Masato thought, observing his older brother. If the brother that had tried to kidnap Miharu to Centostella and quarrel with him every day was the dark Takahisa, then the brother before him right now was the light Takahisa.
Instead of seeing it as a change in personality, it was almost like Takahisa had time traveled to a point before he had come to this world. Masato had almost forgotten what his brother had been like on Earth, thanks to their constant fighting as of late.
“At any rate, we’ll kick you out immediately if you try to pull anything funny. If you don’t have anything else to say, we’re going to go now.”
Satsuki was similarly thrown off-kilter by Takahisa’s lack of sulking. But a change of heart didn’t mean automatic forgiveness. What Takahisa had done was so terrible, she refused to give up her blunt attitude towards him.
“Yes, of course. I’m truly sorry for everything,” Takahisa repeated, bowing once again.
“Is that sorry directed to me?” Satsuki asked, looking at Miharu. She felt like Takahisa had yet to look at Miharu even once—and her impression was correct.
“No... I’m sorry, Miharu.”
Takahisa finally found the resolution to face Miharu and lowered his head.
“...Okay.”
“I’m truly, truly sorry...”
“That’s enough apologizing. Just don’t do anything that would make Aki sad again. Masato either.”
Having known her since birth and treated her like a real little sister, Miharu wanted to continue her relationship with Aki. And as long as Aki considered Takahisa her beloved older brother, then Miharu had to keep in contact with him as well. That’s why Miharu didn’t want to hear his apology through words, but through his actions towards Aki and Masato as an older brother.
“Yeah, I got it.” Takahisa seemed to feel too guilty to make eye contact with Miharu any longer. He nodded while hanging his head. Then, Miharu approached Aki, who had been crying with her head down the entire time.
“Aki,” she called gently. It had been several months since she called her name like this.
“...” Aki flinched.
“Will you raise your head?” Miharu asked.
Aki sobbed, keeping her head down in silence.
“Why don’t we have a chat?”
“...I...”
“Yes?” Miharu gently encouraged her to continue, as though she were soothing a small child.
“I don’t have the right...”
“The right?” Miharu wondered.
“I... I did something horrible to you. I’m not allowed to be treated kindly by you. I don’t have the right to talk to you again...”
“I don’t hate you, Aki. I want to be friends again,” Miharu said slowly and clearly, conveying her feelings to Aki. “Because I’m your older sister.” Sure enough, her feelings seemed to reach Aki.
“Miharu...” More tears spilled from Aki’s swollen eyes.
“Do you still consider me your older sister, Aki?”
“I-I do... I do, b-but...”
Aki trembled from head to toe. She didn’t know how to approach this reconciliation with Miharu. She felt so guilty, she couldn’t look at Miharu out of shame. That’s why she was holding her ground even though she wanted nothing more than to hug Miharu and cry.
“I’m sorry.” Miharu wrapped her arms around Aki and patted her back.
“Why are you the one apologizing?” Aki asked, tears streaming down her face.
“I think we just had a normal sibling quarrel. That’s why there has to be a way for us to make up. Let’s talk about what went wrong and what we should have done instead. I have lots of regrets about my choices as well. If you have any that you can think of, I’d like to hear them as well.”
Even if they weren’t related by blood, Miharu accepted Aki as her little sister. That was the painful truth.
“Waaah! I’m...I’m so sorry, M-Miharu!!!” Like a burst dam, Aki started wailing at the top of her lungs.
“I know.” Miharu nodded, accepting the crying Aki.
“I don’t really want to be the one to say this, but this is all your doing, Takahisa. You were the one who dragged Aki into this,” Satsuki pointed out harshly.
“...Right.” Takahisa hung his head with a bitter expression.
Miharu continued embracing the wailing Aki for several more minutes. The group only set off for the mansion after she had stopped crying.
◇ ◇ ◇
With Miharu leading Aki by the hand, the group made their way to the mansion.
It was Takahisa and Aki’s first time visiting the mansion. Strangers were normally forbidden from entering the mansion, the only exception being if they were accompanied by one of the residents there. They greeted the female knights guarding the mansion and went inside.
“Ah. Welcome...back? Oh! Aki!”
The first person to notice their return was Latifa. She appeared in the entrance hall after detecting their return. She hesitated for a brief moment when she saw Takahisa, whom she had never met before, but she brightened up immediately when she spotted Aki holding hands with Miharu.
“Ah...” There was still a guilty look on Aki’s face. She timidly opened and closed her mouth, struggling for words. However...
“It’s Aki!” Latifa ran right up to Aki and hugged her.
“L-Latifa...” Aki mumbled, on the verge of crying.
“Ah... Here, I’m called Suzune. So please keep quiet about my real name! Shh,” Latifa whispered in Aki’s ear, realizing it’d be problematic if she called her Latifa in front of other people.
Latifa had a past in the Strahl region as a slave trained for assassination. She couldn’t risk her former master, Duke Huguenot, catching wind of her name and recognizing it, so she went by the name Suzune now.
Thankfully, everyone present other than Takahisa was aware of her circumstances. They hadn’t informed Charlotte and Lilianna of it, and the knights that guarded the mansion naturally didn’t know anything either. Aki had only uttered Latifa’s name quietly, so it was uncertain whether Takahisa had even heard it. As long as she called her Suzune from here on, there shouldn’t be a problem.
“Huh...?” Aki blinked in surprise at the unexpected request.
“Okay? It’s Suzune. Suzune,” Latifa emphasized while whispering.
“O-Okay. Suzune...” Aki called in confusion.
“What are you two whispering about?” Satsuki asked with a smile.
“He he. It’s a secret! Right?” Latifa answered, hugging Aki tighter.
“Yeah...”
Tears welled in Aki’s eyes once again, and she hung her head and nodded. To Aki, Latifa—as well as Sara’s little sister, Hera—was her closest friend of the same age that she’d made in this world. And that friend wasn’t treating her any differently.
There was no way Latifa wasn’t aware of what she had done, yet she was choosing to remain her friend. That’s why, in spite of her guilt, she felt happy as well.
“How have you been?” Latifa asked caringly, peering into Aki’s face.
“Good...”
“You went away without saying a proper goodbye, so I was worried.”
“I’m sorry... I’m sorry, Latifa.”
“There’s nothing to apologize for.”
Latifa moved to stand beside Aki and gently rubbed her back.
“Oh, do we have guests?”
Just then, Gouki arrived at the entrance hall with his wife Kayoko and daughter Komomo. Their servants, Sayo and Aoi, followed behind them.
“These are friends of ours, Gouki. This is Masato’s older sister, Sendo Aki, and his older brother, Sendo Takahisa.” Satsuki introduced the Sendo siblings to Gouki and his family.
“Oh?” Gouki hummed with curiosity, staring first at Aki, then Takahisa. “Allow me to introduce everyone. I am Saga Gouki, and this is my wife Kayoko and daughter Komomo. These are our servants, Aoi and Sayo.”
The people he named bowed as they were introduced.
“Saga Gouki... Are you Japanese?” Takahisa asked with surprise. With their appearances they could pass off as Japanese people, so he was probably shocked that so many people had wandered into this world like them.
“Ha ha! Lady Satsuki asked us the same thing. But we are not. We are immigrants from a land called the Yagumo region.” With a hearty laugh, Gouki cleared Takahisa’s misunderstanding.
“They’re close friends of a friend of ours. After we met each of them, we all started living together. The whole family’s really strong—they’re like samurai from Japan. Masato and I are training under them.”
“I-I see...”
“Position-wise, I’d be considered a guest military general. My family and our servants are staying here while serving as guards of this mansion. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“R-Right. Nice to meet you too.”
Takahisa returned Gouki’s bow in a fluster. The age gap between them was enough for Gouki to be his father, yet he was bowing to him respectfully.
“If this is a reunion between friends, then we should make our leave. Feel free to call us if you need anything.”
It seemed they had only come to introduce themselves. Once Gouki finished his greetings, they promptly turned to leave again. However...
“U-Umm...”
Gouki stopped and turned around. “Is something the matter?”
“Miharu and Aki are about to have a private conversation, and I was hoping to talk to you and Kayoko alone...” Satsuki said, looking at Masato and Takahisa. If they grouped off like this, the two would be left by themselves—and they had been bickering with each other not too long ago. It was clear they’d awkwardly struggle for words if left to their own devices.
“I see... In that case, Aoi can show Sir Masato and Sir Takahisa the way. Komomo and Sayo, you two can go too.”
Gouki sensed that Satsuki didn’t want to leave the two alone. He didn’t have so much life experience for nothing—he was able to read the room and give orders to Komomo and his servants.
“Of course, father!” Komomo replied energetically. Aoi and Sayo nodded with a bow.
“Suzune too. I’ll be there right after I’m done talking to Gouki and Kayoko. Look after Masato and Takahisa for me.”
“Sure, leave it to me,” Latifa agreed happily.
“Thanks, everyone,” Miharu said, looking at the girls.
Out of the residents of the mansion, Komomo was the youngest along with Masato, but she shook her head briskly with a friendly smile. “No worries.”
“Aki and Masato are both my friends. Let’s talk a lot later, Aki!” Latifa said, hugging Aki tightly once more.
“Yeah...”
Aki agreed with a bashful smile. Thus, the group temporarily broke up to hold their respective discussions.
◇ ◇ ◇
Sendo Takahisa and Sendo Masato moved to the dining room of the mansion with Latifa, Komomo, Aoi, and Sayo.
“I’ll go and prepare tea and snacks,” Sayo immediately offered, heading for the kitchen.
“Go on, please take a seat,” Latifa said, encouraging Takahisa to sit down. The others were all residents of the castle, so Takahisa was the only guest there. Perhaps it was because he was surrounded by girls he had never met before, but—
“Sure... Excuse me.”
Takahisa seemed rather nervous as he sat down in a chair.
“Let’s sit down too,” Latifa prompted, and the rest of them sat at the dining table. Then...
“We still haven’t introduced ourselves properly, so I’ll go first. I’m Suzune, a friend of Masato’s. It’s nice to meet you.”
Latifa led the conversation and introduced herself to Takahisa. She was normally shy around strangers, but her awareness of her status as an elder to Komomo and Masato and the familiar faces around her helped her find her courage.
“I’m sure you know after watching them earlier, but she’s also a friend of Aki’s. When we first wandered into this world and were at a loss for where to go, she was one of the people who helped us out.”
With a light sigh, Masato joined the conversation. He would have either cursed out loud or held his silence for much longer if he was alone with Takahisa, but he was able to talk like his usual self thanks to Latifa’s presence.
Thanks, Latifa.
He shot a look of gratitude over to Latifa. Latifa tilted her head with a smile as though to say, “for what?”
“And this is Saga Komomo, and her attendant Aoi. Sayo, who went to the kitchen just now, is an apprentice attendant for the Saga family.”
“I’m Komomo. On behalf of Aoi and Sayo as well, it is a pleasure to meet you, Sir Takahisa.”
After being introduced by Latifa, Komomo straightened herself and bowed politely. Aoi had no intention of stepping forward as a mere attendant, so she simply bowed deeply in silence.
“I’m Sendo Takahisa, Masato and Aki’s older brother... It’s nice to meet you.”
Takahisa stood up from his seat and returned the bow hesitantly. He looked around at everyone’s faces with a curious look, seemingly bothered by something.
“Okay, that’s the introductions done. You look like you want to ask something. Is something the matter?” Latifa asked.
“Ah, no, it’s just... Everyone has Japanese names—names that sound similar to the ones from where we came from. I just found that strange. The black hair also makes everyone seem like Japanese people... You really aren’t Japanese, right?” Takahisa asked in return, explaining his confusion.
“Oh, I see.”
Latifa and Komomo, who were sitting beside each other, exchanged a look of understanding.
“We are most definitely born and raised in this world. The Yagumo region is just a long distance away from Strahl,” Komomo said, regarding her birthplace.
“The Yagumo region, huh? Even the place name sounds Japanese... Right, Masato?” Takahisa said, awkwardly inviting Masato to speak.
“I guess...” Masato muttered.
“I mean, we were summoned to this world, so maybe there’s something that connects our old world to this world?”
“Maybe. We’ve discussed that with Satsuki and Miharu before, but we concluded there was no way of finding out for sure. It could also just be a coincidence.”
While their names and facial features resembled those of Japanese people, the writing system used in the Yagumo region was different, and the words they used weren’t from Earth either. The last time they discussed this, they agreed there was more than enough possibility it was all just a coincidence.
“It would’ve been nice if there was some kind of clue to getting back to Earth...” Takahisa muttered. He seemed to have some lingering attachments to his former world.
“You’ve come to a faraway world that you’ve never heard of before. It’s only normal for you to miss your own world. We also came here from a distant land, so I understand how you feel,” Komomo said clearly, empathizing with Takahisa.
“You said the Yagumo region was far away, right? Is it too far to visit from Strahl?”
“Yes, we had to journey through uncharted lands to get here. It’s called the Wilderness. There’s no civilization out there, and the environment is too harsh for people to live normally. Even for a veteran soldier, journeying on foot would take years.”
The Wilderness was overrun with dangerous creatures, and the terrain was difficult to traverse. It was covered in abnormal weather all year long, so most humans couldn’t travel through it.
“Wow... I’ve heard that sea routes haven’t been developed due to dangerous sea creatures, but what about the sky? Wouldn’t it be easy to fly over it in enchanted airships?” Takahisa asked.
“The Galarc Kingdom used to have contact with the Yagumo region, but apparently it was impractical to travel there by airship,” Masato answered. “Something about the creatures in the sky being dangerous as well, and not having enough enchanted gems as fuel.”
The reason why they couldn’t refill on enchanted gems was because there were practically no monsters in the Wilderness to obtain them from. It was possible to have humans supply their magic essence as fuel, but the entire crew would have to be made of sorcerers in order to secure enough essence for the trip.
“The Yagumo region doesn’t even have magic artifacts, so things like the enchanted airships don’t exist. And like Sir Masato said, the skies are filled with danger. Demi-dragons reside in the Wilderness, and there are plenty of other dangerous creatures that can fly,” Komomo added.
In order to travel through the Wilderness, one had to have either the strength to deal with the dangers, or the mobility to run and hide from them as soon as they were detected. In that regard, enchanted airships were big and slow targets moving through the open sky. If fast and ferocious dragons suddenly appeared in the sky on Earth, no one would want to fly over the affected area in aircraft that had limited flexibility in takeoff and landing. In fact, they would probably call it a no-fly zone—which was essentially what it was here.
If it was through a smaller means of flying, such as a caster using spirit arts or a knight on a griffin, then the journey would be less risky. But either way, there was no way to truly understand the Wilderness’s dangers unless one experienced it in person.
“And you made it through that dangerous journey at such a young age, Komomo?” Takahisa said in an impressed tone.
“In my nation, some girls marry at the age of ten. As a daughter of a military family, I’ve been trained by my father from a young age, so it was nothing to me,” Komomo said with a cool expression.
“That’s right, Komomo’s strong. When I fought her without physical body enhancements, I lost straight away...”
Masato had continued his sword training after coming to the Galarc Castle. Gouki was the one training him, and he had sparred with Komomo numerous times. Losing to a girl his age must have been a shock, as he retold the tale with slumped shoulders.
Takahisa’s eyes widened in surprise. “You lost, Masato?”
His shock was also because of how small Komomo was for her age. It was hard to believe someone of such a small frame could win over Masato.
“You should try sparring with her too, bro. You won’t win either. Probably,” Masato said with a smirk.
“I’d be happy to take on any challengers.” Komomo nodded with a determined smile. This competitive spirit of hers was most likely inherited from Gouki, a result of being raised in a military family.
“Aha ha, if the chance arises.” Takahisa laughed off the offer, seeing it as no more than children playing with each other. He probably didn’t see the possibility of himself losing, and he didn’t want to injure a child either.
Just then, Sayo returned with tea and snacks. “Here you go.”
“Thank you, Sayo,” Takahisa said.
“You remember my name...”
“I’m great at remembering the names and faces of girls. Besides, you’re cute.”
“...Thanks,” Sayo said with a stiff smile, bowing politely.
“Come have a seat as well, Sayo!” Latifa patted the seat beside her.
“Okay.” Sayo nodded happily and sat in the seat next to Latifa.
“So what were we saying... Oh, right, the Yagumo region. Do you get homesick when you’re so far away from home?” Takahisa asked, looking at Komomo and the others from the Yagumo region.
“My brother stayed back in Yagumo, so I do miss him sometimes. But I’ve made new friends with everyone here, and it’s not like we’ll never see each other again,” Komomo answered with a calm grin.
“I see... You’re really strong for someone so little, Komomo. You’re almost like an adult.”
Takahisa seemed to see something similar in her circumstances to his, as he had another self-deprecating smile on his face.
◇ ◇ ◇
A short while ago, Miharu had brought Aki to her bedroom. She sat Aki down on her bed before sitting down beside her.
“Aki...”
“...” Aki was clearly nervous, her face tense at her thoughts. Miharu called out to her gently.
“I’m sure your head is a blank slate right now, so you don’t have to force yourself to talk. I’ll wait for you to calm down and organize your thoughts. Until then, we can stay like this,” she said, rubbing Aki’s back gently. However...
“No... I’ll talk now. I want to talk now.”
Aki shook her head with resolution. She was filled with the urge to let Miharu spoil her with her endless kindness, but she couldn’t follow that urge. If she did, she would end up drowning in it—that was the feeling she got.
“Okay, then I’ll listen.” Miharu stopped touching Aki’s back and placed her hands on her thighs.
“I... I don’t want to betray everyone’s trust anymore. I never want to do anything to betray you again, Miharu. I did something unforgivable, yet everyone looked at me with kind eyes... I want to be able to look them in the eye in return,” Aki said, confessing the feelings in her heart.
“I see...” Miharu replied. “But you know, Aki. I don’t feel that you betrayed me,” she added.
“That’s... I definitely betrayed you—your trust. I knew you didn’t want to go, but I helped you get taken away against your will,” Aki admitted.
“Yeah, it was against my will. But I believe that was because we lacked communication. We each wanted the other to do something without saying what that was. We were too hopeful that the other would know without using words. When we realized we couldn’t live up to the other’s expectations, we avoided talking about it. At least, that was the case for me. I failed to tell you how I felt.”
Miharu also admitted her own fault in words. Then, after a slight pause... “I’m not interested in Takahisa in a romantic sense. That’s why, depending on your decision, we can’t all be together,” she said to Aki clearly.
“Okay...” Aki let out a pained voice, but nodded firmly.
“Sorry. I was faintly aware that you were trying to get us together. I knew that was your hope for the relationship between us. But I pretended not to notice. I didn’t try to reject it. I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“It’s fine... I knew deep down as well. You’ve got someone else you like.”
“Huh...?” Miharu stared at her blankly.
“You don’t have to hide it. You still love him, don’t you? Amakawa Haruto,” Aki said.
It was strange. Hearing the name was enough for her to feel strong abhorrence, yet she felt nothing when she said the name herself.
“...”
Meanwhile, Miharu was shaken and struggled for what to say. She felt something strange too.
It was true that she had always loved Amakawa Haruto. He was her first love whom she had made a very important promise with. She grew up treasuring those childhood memories, and they were still as vivid as ever to her. So...why?
Why did it feel like something essential was missing? Was there someone she loved other than her childhood friend, Amakawa Haruto...? The moment she considered that thought, it was like a haze filled her mind.
“What’s wrong, Miharu?” Aki peered into her face. With that, the blurry figure in Miharu’s mind dispersed back into the void.
“Ah... Yeah. You’re right. I still like Haru-kun even now.” Miharu snapped back to her senses and spoke slowly, as though she was convincing herself.
“I hated him so much... But it seems like I don’t hate him anymore,” Aki muttered in revelation.
“Did something make you have a change of heart?”
“When mom got divorced, he was seven and I was four... I actually knew all along that it wasn’t his fault. There was nothing he could have done about it. But until recently, I couldn’t accept that... I hated him because I thought it was so unfair. I’ve finally realized that now,” Aki explained eloquently.
“I see... I actually noticed when you started hating Haru. That’s why, to avoid hurting you, I stopped mentioning him... But I should have told you that I still loved him the entire time,” Miharu said with a look of deep regret.
“No, it’s not your fault... Even if you told me, my past self would have refused to listen. You brought him up a few times, didn’t you? But when I got super angry in reaction, you read the room and stopped...” Aki said. “I took advantage of that kindness of yours, and tried to make you get together with Takahisa. That way, I would have an older sister and older brother. I tried to force my ideal onto you,” she continued, analyzing her own actions.
“You were separated against your will at four years old. It must have been hard. I know just how much you used to love Haru-kun,” Miharu said, gently making a reference to Aki’s painful circumstances.
“I tried to use my new older brother to replace him. That’s why I wanted you to fit in your previous position beside him. But that was... That was rude to both you and my new brother.” Aki condemned herself with a bitter expression.
“I’ll be honest with you... I actually had that thought. That you were trying to replace Haru-kun with Takahisa.”
“Right... Of course.” Aki trembled in reaction to Miharu’s words.
“No, I was wrong. I quickly realized that you weren’t trying to do that.” Miharu shook her head, correcting Aki’s misunderstanding.
“What do you mean...?” Aki asked nervously.
“Because I realized you truly loved Takahisa.”
“...”
“Perhaps Haru-kun’s presence had an influence on that. But even without Haru-kun, I think you truly love Takahisa now. You don’t just adore him as a replacement for Haru-kun, you see him as your real brother. I’ve grown up by your side, so I can tell.”
“Mmn...” When Miharu pointed that out, Aki’s face crumpled. She couldn’t hold back the tears threatening to spill from her eyes.
“But there’s one thing I’m mad about.”
“What...?”
“Even if I don’t get together with Takahisa, I’m still your older sister. At least, that’s what I believe. We’re not related by blood, but I consider you my real little sister. I didn’t want to ask this, but—is that not the same for you? Do you not consider me your older sister?” Miharu asked with a faint hint of anger.
“Th-That’s— That’s not— I never—! I’m sorry! I’m so sorry, Miharu!” Aki sobbed hysterically as she clung to Miharu.
“I’m sorry for asking that out of the blue.” Miharu hugged Aki tightly. Aki had probably just wanted the security. She lost her happy family when she was only four years old. She learned just how quickly it took for a warm family to disappear, so she wanted a visibly evident bond—that was why she’d wanted Miharu and Takahisa to get together.
“Haru-kun and Takahisa are unrelated to this matter. I will always be your older sister. It’s the duty of an older sister to listen to her little sister’s selfish requests, so I won’t hate you over this. You can still act spoiled in front of me.”
“Okay... Thank you, Miharu. Thank you, and sorry. I’m sorry...!” Aki wailed, desperately burying her face in Miharu’s chest and crying at the top of her lungs.
“It’s okay. Thank you as well, Aki,” Miharu said, continuing to hug Aki lovingly. For the next few minutes, Aki cried in Miharu’s arms until she fell asleep like an exhausted child. Miharu lay her down on the bed and returned to Satsuki.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, in another room of the mansion, Satsuki had just finished giving Gouki and Kayoko an explanation. The topic was, of course, their relationship with Takahisa and Aki. Now that Takahisa and Aki had come to the mansion, she believed it’d be better to share the situation with them.
“And that’s why I’d appreciate it if you could keep an eye on things,” Satsuki said, concluding with a bow.
“Understood. If that’s the case, then we’ll happily assist wherever we can. If you need someone to take on more meddling or troublesome duties, just say the word,” Gouki replied with a cheerful nod.
“Thank you very much. But I can’t ask you to go that far...”
“We’re freeloaders, after all. Don’t hesitate to work us to the bone. Isn’t that right, Kayoko?”
“Indeed so.”
The Saga couple offered their assistance good-naturedly.
“You’re not freeloaders! You’re all family to us.”
“It’s an honor to hear you say that. But if you truly believe that, then there’s even less reason for you to hold back.”
“Gouki, Kayoko... Oh? Who is it?” Satsuki called out, as there was suddenly a knock at the door
“It’s me.”
“Miharu? Come on in.”
With a clack of the door opening, Miharu entered the room. “Satsuki. Hello Gouki, and Kayoko too...”
“I just finished explaining the situation to them. How did things go on your end?” Satsuki asked, watching Miharu’s face.
“It’s okay. We shared our feelings with each other. I don’t think she’s had any sleep recently, so I’ve just put her to bed. She seemed tired.”
“I see...” Satsuki let out a breath of relief at Miharu’s peaceful expression.
“That’s why I was hoping to let Aki stay the night here if possible.”
“Sure. But Takahisa will have to leave the mansion.”
“Thank you.”
“I’m trusting you to handle things with Aki. But Takahisa can at least have dinner with us before he leaves. I wanted to talk to him too.”
◇ ◇ ◇
That night, a humble banquet was held at their mansion. The attendees were the residents of the mansion, Masato and Lilianna, and the newly arrived Aki and Takahisa. With Miharu, Aki, Satsuki, Masato, and Takahisa present, everyone from Japan had gathered for a long-awaited reunion meal.
Time passed by amicably. No one brought up any dark topics, and it was almost as though they had returned to their previous relationships on Earth.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve had so much fun,” Takahisa muttered happily. However, fun times were fated to end in the blink of an eye. With the meal over and some pleasant conversation exchanged...
“Now, let’s call it a night,” Satsuki interrupted.
“...” At that moment, Takahisa stiffened. The sky was already dark outside. All that was left to do for the day was bathe and sleep. He wondered what would happen from here. Perhaps he would be allowed to stay over here? It would be a lie to say he wasn’t hopeful.
“Aki will be staying the night here, but Takahisa has his own guest room in the castle, so he’ll be staying there.”
Satsuki didn’t allow him to have any false hope. The first words she said after dinner ended were to address the issue of his accommodations.
“Huh...? Oh, okay...”
With his hopes dashed, a sudden sense of loss filled Takahisa.
“I arranged the room myself. It’s one of the best guest rooms in our castle, so I hope you find it comfortable to stay in, Sir Takahisa. Hee hee,” Charlotte said to Takahisa with a grin. She seemed to be enjoying his disappointed reaction.
Gosh, Char. That’s nasty.
Satsuki had known her long enough to have a vague idea of what she was thinking. She shot Charlotte an unimpressed look.
It’s just so amusing, I can’t help it. You should keep raking him over the coals this much. Charlotte continued grinning as though to say just that. However, Satsuki didn’t feel any sympathy for Takahisa either.
“Sorry. This mansion is meant to be for girls only,” she said with a small sigh.
“Huh? But Masato’s staying here...right? And Gouki too...” Takahisa was taken aback.
“That would be because of the difference in trust.” Satsuki implicitly reminded him to consider what he had done did to Miharu.
“Ah... Right, of course,” Takahisa muttered weakly. He’d had so much fun since coming to the mansion, he’d forgotten that he wasn’t trusted. The truth was thrust in his face once again, reminding him that things still weren’t the way they used to be. That had to be a shock to him.
“I have things to discuss with the delegation, so I will be in the guesthouse as well tonight. I can accompany you back to your room,” Lilianna said, informing Takahisa of her intent to head to the guesthouse as well. As the First Princess of the Centostella Kingdom, she probably wanted to use this opportunity to talk to him alone as well.
“Lily... Okay.”
Takahisa nodded dejectedly, leaving the mansion with Lilianna in low spirits.
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