Bonus Short Stories
Teatime with a Friend
In the skies above the Beltrum Kingdom, Celia was on her way back to the Galarc Kingdom in the airship that had departed from the Claire territory. She sat on the sofa in a cabin across from Aria, who had accompanied her on her trip as her guard.
“It should be ready now. Here you go.” Aria poured tea into a cup and offered it to Celia.
“Thank you. It smells great.”
Celia picked up the cup in her right hand and took a deep breath to enjoy the scent. She then tilted the cup to elegantly pour it into her mouth.
“Wonderful as always,” she said happily.
“Thank you very much. If I’ve impressed a tea enthusiast like you, then I can have confidence in myself.” Aria poured herself a cup with a pleased smile.
“Even without impressing me, you impress Liselotte every day, don’t you?” Celia said bashfully.
“I won’t deny that my master is just as much of an enthusiast as you. She mentioned how she wanted to have tea with you again sometime.”
“Really? I’d love to.”
“Please humor her when you have the time.”
“Of course.” Celia nodded happily and took another sip of her tea.
“...” Aria began drinking her tea quietly. Thus, the two relaxed from their journey by enjoying their tea for a while. There were lulls in conversation, but the silence was never awkward. Time passed peacefully.
“This is bliss.”
“Indeed.”
Those were the only words they exchanged, until Celia suddenly giggled.
“He he.”
“Is something the matter?” Aria asked curiously.
“Nope. Spending time with you like this takes me back to our time at the academy. It made me happy remembering those days.”
“I see. It was indeed a great time.”
“We used to study together back then.”
Celia looked into the distance, quietly remembering the past.
“We did. I can’t believe it’s been over twelve years since then.”
“Huh?! Wow, you’re right. It’s really been that long.”
“The thought of getting older with every passing year is unpleasant,” Aria lamented with a sigh.
“Really? I think you’ve become more beautiful with time. You were pretty before, but you’re even more beautiful now.” Celia praised Aria with an amused chuckle.
“There’s nothing to gain from flattering me.”
“That’s fine. I’m saying it because I want to,” Celia said with a grin.
“I see...” Aria smiled with a hint of shyness, then observed Celia closely. “Meanwhile, you haven’t changed at all,” she said.
“What?! That can’t be! I’ve changed a lot! I-I must have grown taller since I was twelve!” Celia stood up in a fluster and used her hand to show how tall she used to be in comparison.
“Oh, I don’t know about that. But either way, you’ve always been extremely adorable. On the outside and inside too,” Aria said with a soft tone as the image of past Celia overlapped with the person before her.
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