Chapter 1: A Chance Meeting and Welcome
It was Year 1000 of the Holy Era, in early spring.
A giant eagle-like bird was soaring through the skies above the spirit folk village; it was Ariel, the contract spirit of Orphia, the high elf girl. Four girls in total were riding on Ariel’s back.
“Orphia, faster! Faster!” Latifa, the werefox, urged Orphia to make Ariel move faster.
“Got it. Ariel, if you’d please,” Orphia ordered Ariel, smiling with amusement. With a great flap of her wings, Ariel accelerated her flight speed.
“Hey, Latifa — there’s no need to rush. It’s not like Rio’s going to run away,” Sara, the silver werewolf who was also riding on Ariel, said with an exasperated face.
“But I want to be the first one to greet Onii-chan!” Latifa pouted her lips cutely.
“There he is.” The dwarf girl Alma, who had been silently watching the ground from Ariel’s back as they moved, spotted the people they were looking for and pointed toward them. There in the distance stood five boys and girls — Rio and his guests.
Onii-chan. And those people must be... Latifa enhanced her vision with spirit arts and focused her eyes on all of their faces. Rio and the others must have noticed their approach, as they were all looking back.
“The peach-haired girl seems to be Lady Aishia. Ariel is drawing back a little,” Orphia said in awe.
“My Hel is also acting a little weird. Is it because of Lady Aishia? Alma, how about your Ifritah?”
“Same here. I’m not surprised — she is a humanoid spirit. Her rank really must be high.” Sara and Alma also seemed to feel the abnormality from their contract spirits residing within them in spirit form.
As they were speaking, Ariel closed the distance to Rio’s group. Once they arrived in the skies above him, they began to slowly circle the area and lower their altitudes.
Latifa fidgeted impatiently while waiting for the landing, then jumped off Ariel’s back while they were still a fair distance above the ground.
“Ah, hey! Hold it right there, Latifa! Good grief!” Sara immediately noticed and yelled for her to stop, but Latifa had already landed on the ground. She adjusted her balance and set her eyes on Rio before she took a small breath and burst into an energetic dash.
“Welcome back, Onii-chan!”
“Whoa, there. I’m back, Latifa.” Rio caught Latifa gently, killing the force of her impact. Miharu, Aki, and Masato stared at the two of them, having been somewhat taken by surprise.
“Ehehe,” Latifa grinned shyly. Ariel landed right beside them, and Sara, Orphia, and Alma all jumped down to the ground.
“Geez, Latifa. You know it’s dangerous to jump from so high up, right?” Sara scolded Latifa with a hand placed against her hip.
“It’s fine! I made sure to enhance my physical body beforehand.”
“Geez! ...Oh, forgive my rudeness!” Sara was about to launch into one of her lectures when she noticed the eyes fixed on her. She bowed her head in a fluster, then cleared her throat with a small cough. She smiled brightly to hide her embarrassment and addressed Miharu and the others.
“Welcome to the spirit folk village — we are pleased to have you here.”
Rio chuckled. “This is Sara. She’s a werebeast of the silver wolf variety and from one of the more prominent families in the village.”
“It’s nice to meet you. I’m Sara,” she greeted with a faint blush to her cheeks.
“This is the high elf Orphia, and next to her is Alma, a dwarf. Both of them are from prominent families in the village, just like Sara,” Rio continued.
“Nice to meet you.”
“It’s a pleasure.”
Orphia and Alma both bowed politely in greeting.
“Umm, my name is Ayase Miharu. Pleased to make your acquaintance,” Miharu replied rather nervously.
“I’m Sendo Aki. Nice to meet you,” Aki greeted awkwardly.
“Whoa... They’re real.” Masato let out a squeaky noise as he stared at Sara and the others in a captivated daze.
“...You introduce yourself properly, too,” Aki said, poking Masato in the head roughly.
“O-Oww, that hurts. What’s your problem, Aki?” Masato complained as he held a hand up to where he was poked, but Aki didn’t bother responding to him.
“Please accept my apologies — this is my foolish brother, Masato. As you can see, he is lacking in many areas, but he doesn’t mean anything by it. I would appreciate it if you treat him with some level of tolerance,” Aki explained and bowed her head at Sara and the others in embarrassment.
“Fufu, that’s all right,” Orphia nodded with a giggle. Rio looked at the three Japanese visitors and introduced them to Latifa, who was still in his arms.
“This is Latifa. We’re not related by blood, but she’s my beloved little sister. She should be the same age as Aki.”
“I’m Latifa. Onii-chan’s little sister, and a werefox. Pleased to meet you.” Latifa adjusted her posture and bowed to them with a bashful smile, then raised her head and glanced at Miharu and Aki’s faces.
“Hello, Latifa. It’s wonderful meeting you,” Miharu said, returning Latifa’s grin.
“...Yes,” Latifa nodded hesitantly, enchanted by Miharu’s smile.
“Now, I’ll introduce this girl to Sara and the others. You may have figured it out already, but this is my contract spirit, Aishia. Aishia, can you introduce yourself to them?” Rio asked.
“Hello. I’m Aishia,” she said simply.
“It’s an honor to finally make your acquaintance, Lady Aishia. On behalf of all the spirit folk, we welcome you to our village.” Sara, Orphia, and Alma all kneeled respectfully where they stood. In response to their reverent reaction, Aishia tilted her head curiously. Miharu and the others also seemed taken aback.
With a faint smile, Rio explained why the spirit folk trio were acting with such humility. “Like I told you before, the spirit folk consider high-ranking spirits that have a humanoid form to be sacred, and worship them. You’re one of those humanoid spirits, Aishia.”
“I don’t need to be treated so stiffly,” Aishia said, shaking her head quietly.
“Well, I know you can’t just agree with that so easily, but it’d be nice if you could take appropriate measures for that. For now, please stand up,” Rio said to Sara’s group, the faint smile still on his face.
“...Okay.” The villagers nodded, standing hesitantly. “Umm, then... May I call you Aishia?” Latifa asked Aishia without faltering.
“Geez, there you go acting all overly familiar again. Try and follow the spirit folk ways for once...” Sara sighed tiredly and expressed her disapproval, but—
“Latifa can call me whatever she likes. I don’t mind if you call me Aishia,” Aishia answered nonchalantly.
“Oh.” Sara was immediately at a loss for words.
“Hmm... Then, Aishia, is it?” Latifa cocked her head and hummed to herself.
“Yep, that’s me.”
“Yay! I’m glad to meet you, Aishia!”
“U-Umm, Rio. Are you sure this is okay?” Sara looked at Rio worriedly for confirmation.
“It’s fine. Miharu even calls her Ai-chan.” Rio gave Sara his stamp of approval with an amused smile.
“...Really?” Sara stared at Miharu fixedly, as though she was seeing something awe-inspiring.
“Huh? Sh-Should I not have been doing that, by any chance?” Miharu asked nervously, trembling with a start.
“You’re fine. Aishia herself told you it was fine, so please respect her opinion.” Rio shook his head cheerfully as he consoled Miharu.
“Umm, by the way. When they say ‘Rio,’ are they talking about you, Haruto?” Aki suddenly asked, having been listening silently for a while. At the same time, Latifa’s ears twitched at the sound of Aki calling Rio “Haruto.”
“Ah, that’s right. I still have to explain the circumstances around that properly.” Rio scratched at his head with a troubled expression, unsure of where to start. Latifa watched him silently at his side.
“I mentioned it indirectly when I first met you guys, but ‘Haruto’ is the alias I am using while I’m active in the Strahl region. My real name is the one Sara and the others have been calling me — Rio,” he explained.
Sara raised her hand hesitantly. “Erm, may I ask why you need to use two names separately?”
“It goes back to several years ago, before I first visited this village. I was involved in some trouble with the royalty and nobility of a certain kingdom in Strahl. They made me into a scapegoat for a crime I did not commit. In the end, they even put out a wanted notice for me,” Rio replied uncomfortably. At that, Latifa’s expression fell with an apologetic look.
“Huh?!” The other girls all widened their eyes. Only Aishia remained indifferent to his story, having known what happened already.
Ah! Sara and the other spirit folk girls recalled how they had been told of Latifa’s past as an assassin who had tried to attack Rio. Expressions of understanding fell across their faces as they began to suspect that the incident may have been related to how Latifa and Rio had met.
“Well, I know it doesn’t sound very believable...” Rio said with a troubled face after a moment, the faces around him appearing dumbfounded.
“Of course we believe you. We’re just shocked at how horrible it must have been.” Sara shook her head in a fluster.
“It really is horrible. Is that wanted status still in effect even now?” Alma asked with a frown.
“Thank you for your concern. I’m not sure if the warrant is still active... I haven’t returned to that kingdom yet, after all. However, the crime wasn’t a light one, and its statute of limitations wouldn’t have run out after a mere few years. Even if they aren’t actively searching for me, I think it’d be best to consider the crime as still pertinent.” Rio shook his head slowly.
“I see. So that’s why you decided to use two names and change your hair color with a magic artifact...” Sara said, comprehending his words with a conflicted expression.
“It’s also because black hair simply attracts attention in the Strahl region,” Rio added. “But its true purpose is to act as a precaution if that warrant from back then is still effective. So... I don’t mind what you call me while I’m in the village, but Miharu, if you and the others ever return to Strahl with me, I’d like to ask you to only call me ‘Haruto’ there,” he said lightly, clearing the heavy mood. Masato cocked his head.
“Hmm... You’re still Haruto to me, though. It doesn’t feel right to call you Rio at this point, and switching names would just confuse me if we ever go back to Strahl, so I’m going to stick with calling you Haruto!” he said with a grin.
“I’d like to continue calling you Haruto, too, since I’m already used to it,” Miharu agreed with a smile.
“Umm, then... me too.” Aki also nodded hesitantly.
“He has always been Rio to us, so it’s a bit curious to see him being called Haruto,” Sara said with a giggle.
“But it strangely suits him, don’t you think? His gray hair is lovely, too,” Orphia said, smiling cheerfully.
“It’s true... Rio’s aura is a little different when he has gray hair instead of black hair, but they both make him look handsome,” Alma agreed.
“Ah, I think it suits him too, you know?! When I said curious, I didn’t mean it was weird... Wait, what’s that look for, Alma?” Sara hurriedly added on to her earlier comment, but when she spotted Alma’s triumphant expression, she stopped to question the meaning behind it.
“Oh, no reason. Don’t you think it’s time to lead everyone now?” Alma smiled with a puff of laughter and calmly changed the subject. Orphia was giggling, too, as Rio’s guests watched their exchange with deep curiosity.
“I-I know that! And what are you laughing at, Orphia? We’re going to lead everyone now. Hurry up and let them on Ariel’s back.” Sara’s cheeks reddened with embarrassment as she urged Orphia into moving.
? ?
The entire group took to the skies and headed toward the giant tree house that was used as the village’s town hall. Once they landed in the square just before the town hall, Miharu and Aki timidly dropped down to the ground, whereas Masato leaped down with enthusiasm.
“That was amaaazing! Flying is so fun! The village buildings are amazing too!” he shouted in high spirits.
Beside him, Aki shot him a look of distaste at his childishness, but she also greatly enjoyed the scenery during their flight, so she wasn’t one to talk, either. Miharu chuckled at the sight of the two.
Just then, particles of light gathered at the entrance of the town hall, taking on the shape of a beautiful woman. “You’ve arrived. I’ve been waiting.” The woman who had materialized was Dryas, the spirit of the giant tree.
“Great Dryas — you’re here.” Sara, Orphia, and Alma bowed at Dryas respectfully.
Dryas approached Aishia and spoke to her with a radiant smile. “Yes, I felt the presence of a powerful spirit appear within the village barrier. I flew over immediately, knowing it had to be Rio’s contracted spirit. You must be the one. I’m Dryas.”
“I’m Aishia. Hello, Dryas,” Aishia replied in a monotonous voice.
Dryas stared into Aishia’s face with a look of contemplation. “Hmm. You really are a spirit I don’t know, then. Not to mention your... Well, it’s fine. Let’s continue this conversation inside. You’re meeting the elders, right?” she asked, then immediately turned on her heel and faced the town hall.
“All right. Follow me, everyone.” Led by Sara and the others, the party headed toward the top floor of the town hall.
? ?
Ten minutes later, on the top floor of the town hall in the council room, Aishia and Miharu’s group received a warm welcome from the elders of the village. The three head elders began with simple introductions.
“It is a pleasure to have you in our village, Lady Aishia. On behalf of all the spirit folk, we welcome you from the depths of our hearts.” One of the head elders, the high elf Syldora, stood up from his chair and addressed Aishia sitting in the guest seat with reverence. The other elders also stood and lowered their heads at Aishia out of respect.
“Thanks,” Aishia said shortly.
With a small smile, Syldora turned to greet Miharu, Aki, and Masato sitting beside Aishia. “Children from another world, you have done well coming this far. We welcome you, too.”
“Y-Yes! Umm, thank you very much for agreeing to look after us. We are truly so grateful... I’m not sure what to say.” In contrast to Aishia’s composed manner of gratitude, Miharu bowed her head nervously.
“T-Thank you very much!” Aki and Masato bowed awkwardly after Miharu.
“Hahaha, there’s no need to be so formal. This gathering is to merely exchange simple greetings and to see each other in person. I’m sure you have heard from Lord Rio already, but as long as you to agree to several of our conditions, we will guarantee you a peaceful life here in our village. We will leave formal arrangements for another day.” Syldora gave a good-natured smile as he spoke to the nervous group of humans.
“Hmm. We were told you would be otherworldly folk, but you look just like humans.” The head elder dwarf, Dominic, gazed at Miharu and the others with curious interest.
“Hey, don’t stare at them with your fierce mug. You’re scaring the guests,” Ursula scolded Dominic jokingly.
“W-What?” Shocked, Dominic was at a loss for words. The other elders in the room laughed in amusement, and Miharu and the others followed suit. The air the room became much lighter. Sensing that, Dominic let out a dramatic sigh to show that he wasn’t upset.
“Now, there’s no use in continuing this chatter with the boring elderly folk. Sara, you and the girls can guide them to their lodgings,” Syldora said, turning to address the group.
“Understood. Everyone, follow me.” Sara nodded respectfully before swiftly making her way over to Miharu.
“Huh? Is that all?” Miharu asked in surprise, expecting the meeting to go on for a little longer than that.
“Indeed. Tonight was merely a modest greeting of sorts. Perhaps you could tell us stories of your other world some other time? But first, you should get some rest.” Syldora nodded warmly.
Miharu bowed her head deeply. “Y-Yes. Thank you very much!”
“There’s something I’d like to ask Lord Rio and Lady Aishia. Could the two of you remain here a little longer?” Ursula asked.
Rio nodded immediately, before looking over at Sara and Latifa. “Of course. Everyone, I’m leaving Miharu and the other guests in your hands. You too, Latifa.”
“Sure. You can leave it to me, Onii-chan!” Latifa puffed out her chest proudly.
? ?
After Sara and the spirit folk girls led Miharu, Aki, and Masato out of the room, Ursula spoke up.
“My apologies, Lord Rio. Lady Aishia. There are some more complicated matters we’d like to discuss with you, so please keep us old folk company a little longer.”
“Of course, it’s nothing to apologize for. If anything, we should be thanking you for your consideration,” Rio replied with a bow. He figured that the reason why Sara and the others were sent to lead Miharu’s group away was because the topic of the discussion to come was highly confidential.
Right now, the only ones remaining in the room were Rio, Aishia, the council of elders, and Dryas, the spirit of the giant tree. All were more than qualified to know what was being discussed, and to keep the information to themselves.
“So, what did you wish to discuss?”
“Hm. While there’s a lot to cover, we’ll start with Lady Aishia first. Great Dryas, if you’d do the honors?” Syldora immediately cut to the chase, seeking further instructions from Dryas, who sat next to Aishia.
“Let’s see. First, it’s clear that Aishia isn’t any spirit that I know of. From what I’ve heard through the elders, Rio’s mentioned a few odd points here and there, too... Aishia, is it true you don’t have any memory of what kind of spirit you are?”
Aishia nodded. “Yup.”
“That’s what I found odd. Normally, a spirit would retain their memories from before they ranked up to a humanoid state, but she doesn’t have any memories, not even of her name. It seems she has the awareness and intellect of a humanoid spirit, but her sense of self seems strangely weak... I suppose that’s because of the amnesia?” Dryas contemplated out loud.
“...I’d like to ask you something about that. Are all spirits capable of climbing the ranks up to a humanoid state, all while keeping their memories from the lower and middle ranks?” Rio asked.
“That’s a difficult question. I can only tell you based on what I’ve seen myself, so this may not be the correct answer, but not every spirit can climb to a rank higher than they’re already at. There are many components and conditions required,” Dryas replied. “I’m not entirely certain with regard to the memories, either, but I know I can’t remember anything from when I was a low-ranked spirit myself. Spirits are normally said to be mana that hold a clear sense of self, but low-ranked spirits are basically the equivalent of a human baby in terms of cognizance. I only have memories from after I became a middle-ranked spirit. Although, I couldn’t wander very far from the tree I resided in at the time, so I basically spent every day sunbasking,” she added, looking wistful as she spoke.
“Thank you for your answer. In other words, Aishia should have had a stage before she became a humanoid spirit, and she should have memories of that period.”
“That’s right. I should add that once a spirit reaches the upper-middle ranks, it takes many long years to strengthen their sense of self and gain individuality. Just like me,” Dryas said, smiling proudly.
“I see...” Rio nodded in understanding, then looked at Aishia. She indeed had a personality that was quite different compared to Dryas’. Unlike Dryas, who freely expressed her emotions, Aishia didn’t show many of her emotions outwardly.
“That’s why... How should I put this? Aishia... She almost seems like a young spirit that just ranked up from being a low ranking spirit to a middle ranked one. Her rank as a spirit is high, but her sense of self seems weak and irregular. Unless she’s actually a really eccentric girl beneath that exterior... but she isn’t, is she?” Dryas said thoughtfully, looking at Aishia with an incline of her head.
“Am I?” Aishia tilted her head, too, looking at Rio.
“Who knows. But, I think you’re already very charming as you are.” Rio laughed in amusement.
“Thank you, Haruto.” Aishia smiled faintly; Dryas watched their exchange.
“Fufu, it seems like your contract relationship is going well. That’s a good thing. I don’t have anyone I’m contracted to, so it makes me a little jealous,” she said pleasantly.
“Indeed, she does seem to have opened to Lord Rio a fair amount,” Ursula agreed. “However... Does she mean Lord Rio when she says ‘Haruto’?”
“Yes. Due to certain circumstances, I’ve been calling myself Haruto while in the Strahl region. I informed Sara and the others earlier, but this is a good chance to inform everyone here, too.” Rio said, then repeated everything he had told the girls earlier. The elders listened to him in silence, only speaking up once he had finished his explanation.
“I see. So Lord Rio had that kind of past...” Ursula murmured with a conflicted expression. The other elders wore similar looks on their faces.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to keep it a secret all this time, but I didn’t think it was a good story to spread around, so I kept quiet about it. With the circumstances as they are right now, you deserved an explanation... but it isn’t a very positive story, I admit. Please do not let it weigh down on you,” Rio apologized with a guilty expression. “There’s one more thing I need to explain to everyone that might not be very pleasant... It’s the reason why I was able to communicate with Miharu. I’d like to ask you to keep what I’m about to say as confidential as possible — is that all right?”
The three head elders looked at each other with wide eyes. “...Are you sure? There’s no need to force yourself to explain anything.” Syldora asked, watching Rio’s expression.
“I’m not forcing myself into anything. However, it isn’t the type of explanation I expect to be taken seriously, so you may find what I’m about to say to be rather strange. If Miharu, Aki, and Masato hadn’t appeared, I would have never told anyone about this,” Rio said with a troubled expression.
“Does this mean you’ve told the otherworlders this, too?”
“Yes. The need for an explanation was unavoidable due to the course of events. That is why I think it would only be right if I gave everyone here the same explanation, since they will be under the care of your village from now on. I omitted my reasons from our talks the other day, but I am willing to explain everything today, if everyone so wishes.”
“I see... Everyone, it is as you have just heard. If Lord Rio discusses this with us, it will be strictly forbidden to speak of this outside of this room. Those who cannot vow their silence should leave this room immediately,” Syldora said. Once he confirmed that not a single person had left their seat, he spoke up again, smiling at the elders. “Then it is assumed that everyone present has sworn to strictly adhere to the aforementioned conditions. Those who break their word... Well, you all know what happens. Great Dryas, you are fine with this, too?”
“I don’t mind. I have neither the interest nor gossip partner to do so,” Dryas agreed with a nod.
“It seems we are all in compliance, Lord Rio. Now, would you please tell us what you have to say?” Syldora asked, looking at Rio.
“Of course. I am greatly obliged for your consideration.”
Rio bowed deeply, then began to explain the reason why he could communicate with Miharu in Japanese — because he had memories of his own previous life — but only to the extent of what he already told Miharu and the other Japanese visitors. Specifically, he told the elders how he had awoken to memories that weren’t his own when he was a young child, and that those memories were set in a world that was coincidentally the same as the world that Miharu had been living in. He hid the fact that he had a connection to Miharu in his previous life.
“That’s all,” Rio said, wrapping up his explanation. The elders had remained silent for the entire duration of Rio’s speech, but the moment he was done, they all inhaled at once — as though just remembering to breathe.
Syldora was the first to open his mouth. “Hmm. That is indeed an unexpected tale to believe... but it is the truth, no?” After a heavy moment of thought, he accepted Rio’s words as truth.
“...You believe me?” Rio’s asked in amazement, having not expected anyone to believe him so easily.
“It’s because you’re the one saying this, Lord Rio — that is enough for us to believe you. Not to mention, it seems to be true that you were able to communicate in their language. Even if you were to lie about it, there would be no need to make up a story this nonsensical to cover it up.” Syldora nodded with a wry smile.
“However, it is indeed nonsensical. I can understand why Lord Rio wants us to keep this truth confidential... Being reborn with your memories is something I have never heard of before in my long years of life.” Ursula said, also with a wry smile.
“Right...” Rio acknowledged how impossible it sounded.
Dominic placed a hand by his chin. “Hmm. Great Dryas, have you ever encountered anyone in a similar situation as this before?” he asked her, since she was the oldest living being in the village.
Dryas shook her head bluntly. “I haven’t. As far as I know, no one like that has ever appeared in this village before.”
“Is that so... Sorry, Rio. I was hoping there’d be a precedent that could provide you with hints, but alas.” Dominic shrugged his shoulders at the hopeless situation.
Rio shook his head with a smile. “No, it’s still of great use to me to know that no one like this has openly appeared throughout the long history of the world. I wondered if it was possible my memories of my previous life had something to do with how I suddenly found myself contractually bound to Aishia without realizing it, but I’ll set that thought aside for now.”
He already knew of someone who had memories of their previous life, and another that he highly suspected to be the case, but he decided not to reveal that right now.
“Hmm... If only we at least knew what kind of spirit Aishia was... All I can say for certain is that she isn’t a part of the only high rank spirit network I know. By the way, what kind of element do you specialize in, Aishia?” Dryas suddenly asked.
“All of them,” Aishia replied calmly. At that, the elders all stirred noisily. Even Dryas, the one who asked the question, widened her eyes in astonishment. Rio was the only one who was confused, wondering why everyone was reacting with such surprise.
Dryas repeated her question nervously. “...Umm, I’m not sure I heard you correctly. Did you just say you specialize in all types of spirit arts?”
? ?
While Rio met with the village elders and the Great Dryas, Miharu’s group was being led outside the town hall by the spirit folk girls. In front of the town hall was a wide and spacious square that doubled as a playground for the children. They had missed them earlier, when they had first arrived, but there were young boys and girls running all over, now.
“The scenery was amazing to see from above, but it’s just as amazing from below, too. The spirit folk really are incredible... They even made a tree house that looks like this. It’s almost like a skyscraper,” Masato said in awe as he looked up at the tree house that was used as the town hall.
He had spoken in Japanese on the spur of the moment, but Orphia was able to pick up on the general gist of Masato’s statement through his reaction. She smiled pleasantly.
“Fufu, the giant tree of Great Dryas is several times the size of this one, you know?” she said in the Strahl tongue.
“Huh? W-Wow, even more... than this? Umm, I would love to see it, if that’s not too much trouble.” Sensing that he was the one being spoken to, Masato blushed, his reply awkward.
“Wipe that sloppy look off your face... Speaking like you’re someone you’re not.” Aki said, looking at Masato with disgust in her eyes.
“W-What’s your problem, Aki? This is my normal way of speaking,” Masato objected in a high-pitched voice, making Aki sneer with a laugh.
“You say that, but your true colors are showing already.”
Meanwhile, Sara and the others hadn’t quite picked up on what was happening yet, so they looked curiously to Miharu for an explanation.
“Ah, umm. Masato is actually quite shy around strangers. I believe he was a little nervous when talking to Orphia...” Miharu explained.
“M-Miharu, you don’t have to tell them that!” Masato yelled in embarrassment.
“It’s not quite shyness around strangers... Masato’s weak to cute and beautiful women older than him — even more so when they’re strangers he’s meeting for the first time,” Aki explained bluntly.
Taken aback, Masato tried to drown out Aki’s voice. “Wah! Stop it, Aki!”
However, it seemed that the spirit folk girls were able to hear her anyway, as they started giggling.
“Ahaha, I see. Should I be saying ‘thank you,’ then?” Orphia smiled bashfully.
“Ah, geez! I’ll never be able to show my face again!” Masato covered his face and squatted down where he stood; he wanted to dig a hole in the ground and hide in it, but the gesture only made Sara and the other girls giggle even harder.
“What a funny child,” Alma murmured, smiling as she looked at Masato.
“You’ll be fine if you can make jokes like that. No one here will be bothered if they never see your face again anyway, so don’t worry about it. Come on, you’re blocking the way, so stand up already,” Aki cracked a merciless verbal whip at Masato, who was still groaning with shame.
“Ugh, I know that. ...Wait, why are all of those people looking at us?” Masato put on a bold front and stood up, before noticing the village children staring at them from afar; their ages appeared to span from five years old to the early teens.
“They’re probably curious about you, since we rarely have visitors from outside the village,” Sara commented.
“Looks like their morning classes ended and they’re using their time for training and exercise. Vera and Arslan are there too,” Alma said, pointing at the children.
The silver werewolf Vera and werelion boy Arslan stepped out from the crowd and approached the group. “Sister! Are these three people the guests Rio brought along?” Vera asked Sara with a friendly smile.
Out of consideration for Miharu and the others, she was speaking in the common language of Strahl instead of the language of the spirit folk.
“That’s right. We’re giving them a tour of the village.” Latifa nodded with a smile.
“I knew it! They have black hair just like Rio, so I could tell right away. It’s nice to meet you! I’m Sara’s little sister, Vera.” Vera faced the humans and bowed politely as she introduced herself.
“Hello there. My name is Miharu, from the same hometown as Haru... as Rio. It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Miharu returned without missing a beat.
For the record, the truth as to how Miharu and the others had come from another world was information that was known only by the council of elders and certain individuals. Because of that, Miharu had to explain that she and the siblings were all humans from Rio’s hometown. In addition to that, she decided against calling Rio “Haruto” in this situation, since the explanation would be complex.
When Vera saw Miharu’s smile, she widened her eyes and nodded. “Y-Yes. Wah... Isn’t she beautiful, Arslan?”
“D-Don’t ask me!” Arslan shouted with embarrassment from his spot beside her, having been put on the spot. Seeing him flustered, Sara giggled.
“This boy’s name is Arslan. He’s Vera and Latifa’s friend,” Sara said, introducing him to everyone on his behalf.
“...I’m Arslan. Nice to meet you,” Arslan said with a turn of his head, cheeks faintly reddened with a blush.
“I’m Masato. I’m twelve years old.”
“My name is Aki. I’m one year older than Masato, so I’m thirteen.”
“That makes Aki the same age as me, then. I love making new friends my age. I hope we can all get along well,” Vera said with a carefree smile.
“As you can see, the two of them can speak the Strahl tongue, too. They’re good friends with Latifa, so I’m sure you’ll have many chances to interact with them in the future. Please be good friends with them,” Sara added.
“Of course,” Aki and Masato said, nodding in unison.
“By the way, where is everyone heading to now?” Vera asked with a tilt of her head.
“We’re about to take Rio’s guests to the house they’ll be living in while he finishes his talk with the elders,” Alma explained.
“Aww, that sounds nice. I wanna go, too!” Vera replied with jealousy.
Sara shook her head sternly. “You can’t. You two have training after this, don’t you?”
“That’s right, Vera. Today’s the day Uzuma’s teaching us, so it’d be a shame to miss it. Let’s go and visit them later?” Arslan said impatiently, trying to persuade Vera against leaving.
“Hmph, fine then.” Vera backed down reluctantly.
“Hey hey, when you say training, what kind of training is it?” Masato asked with great interest.
“Combat training, of course. Our instructor is the warrior chief of our village, you know?” Arslan answered proudly.
“Combat training, huh...” Masato murmured in awe.
“I use two-handed swords,” Arslan stated. “Can you use any weapons, Masato?”
“No, I’ve never had any kind of training like that before... But I’m interested in it,” Masato replied hesitantly.
“Huh, so you want to learn how to use a sword?” Aki asked in surprise, eyes widening.
“Y-Yeah. We don’t move around much studying all the time, after all.”
“Hmm...”
“W-What? You got a problem with that?”
“As long as it’s not dangerous, I suppose... What do you think, Miharu?” Aki suddenly turned to Miharu with a contemplative look.
“Huh? Umm, I wouldn’t like it if it was dangerous, but I’d want to respect Masato’s choice, too, I think? Ah, but make sure you get permission from Haru... I mean, Rio,” Miharu replied.
“Rio would probably make the ideal instructor. If Masato has the fighting spirit to learn swordcraft seriously, then it may be a good idea to discuss it with him properly,” Sara said in a somewhat resolute tone.
“So, would you say that Haru... that Rio is actually really strong?” Masato inquired, making sure his tone was polite.
“Yes. Not only is he strong in pure close combat abilities, his combat with medium and long range spirit art attacks are clearly strong enough to be the very best of the village,” Sara replied proudly.
“Sara’s even fought with Rio before,” Alma said with a huff of laughter.
“T-That goes for you, too!”
Just as Sara was about start arguing back in a fluster, Orphia stepped in with a gentle smile. “All right, all right. You two have both been working hard in your training, so make sure you show your growth to Rio again later in a proper manner.”
“Maybe I’ll get Rio to face me some time. If Masato learns how to use a sword, we can eventually spar each other, too. I’ll train you up to par,” Arslan said, challenging Masato with a smile.
“You still have a ways to go yourself. It’s far too early for you to be training a beginner,” Sara said to Arslan with an exasperated look.
“Haha, I’d love to spar, though. I’ll try asking Rio, but I’ll be looking forward to our match one day... umm... Arslan!” Masato said somewhat shyly, and Arslan nodded energetically in return.
“Yeah, I’ll be waiting!”
? ?
After bidding farewell to Vera and Arslan, the spirit folk girls led their three new guests to their new lodgings. The house — a tree house supported by several trees — was located toward the center of the village, several minutes from the town hall.
“You will be living in this house from now on,” Sara said to Miharu, Aki, and Masato after the party stopped in front of the house.
“...That’s amazing. Is it really okay for us to live in such a wonderful place?” Miharu asked nervously as she looked up at the tree house.
“Of course,” Sara agreed. “This house was vacant to begin with—”
“—as it’s the house Onii-chan and I used to live in together,” Latifa cut in happily.
“Hey. Putting it that way makes it sound like you and Rio lived here alone. We lived here, too, remember?” Sara corrected with a slightly sulky tone. Miharu and the others were all rather taken aback, their eyes wide; Masato especially, who was most surprised of all.
“Umm, is something the matter?” Sara asked hesitantly, noticing the change in expression of the three humans.
“...When you say ‘we,’ do you mean Miss Orphia and Miss Alma, too?” Masato asked quietly. He still seemed rather resistant to acting overly friendly with Sara’s group and couldn’t quite call them by just their names yet. He would surely get over that soon.
“Yes,” Sara replied, nodding curiously.
“T-The five of you?” Masato asked once more in a high-pitched voice.
“Y-Yup,” Sara confirmed, now faltering.
“Wow... I’m jealous,” Masato muttered to himself.
Beside him, Aki furrowed her brows unhappily; with a cold smile pasted on her face, she dug her nails into Masato out of view from Sara and the others.
“What? You’ve been living in a home with a skewed gender ratio until now. Do you have something to complain about?”
“O-Oww, that hurts, Aki,” Masato complained painfully, but Aki quickly withdrew her hand and turned her head away with a huff, ignoring him.
“Fufu, the two of you are close.” Latifa laughed with amusement, watching the two of them.
“No, we’re not. We’re always fighting.” Masato shook his head tiredly.
“That just means you’re close enough to fight,” Alma said with a faint giggle.
“Yup yup, just like Sara and Alma,” Orphia agreed with a cheerful smile, then casually directed her glance at Alma and Sara.
“...Or maybe not. I take that back.” Alma blushed red and muttered with embarrassment.
“Geez, what are you saying? Let’s go inside already,” Sara said tiredly, walking off briskly towards the front door of the house, though her cheeks were also faintly red from the side. Miharu realized Sara was blushing from shyness and smiled to herself.
Latifa tugged on Miharu’s sleeve. “Hm? What’s wrong, Latifa?” Miharu asked gently, smiling at her.
“Umm, may I call you Miharu?” Latifa asked, staring straight up into Miharu’s eyes with a look full of anticipation.
Miharu’s eyes widened for a moment before she happily agreed. “Of course you can.”
“Ehehe. Thank you, Miharu. Tell me lots about Onii-chan!”
“Umm, sure... But wouldn’t you know more about Haruto than I would, Latifa?”
“Mm... that might be true, but I kind of want to hear what Onii-chan looks like from Miharu’s point of view, too. I also want to learn lots about you, and I’d love for you to know more about us, because I want us to become friends quickly,” Latifa said, smiling innocently.
Miharu also gave a relaxed smile. “Fufu. If that’s the case, then... gladly. Let’s get along, Latifa,” she said, nodding.
“Yup! Let’s, Miharu!”
As Latifa and Miharu stayed in place to converse, Sara and the others had already moved to the front door.
“Miharu, Latifa. Is something the matter?” Sara asked the two girls.
“It’s nothing. Hey, when you’re done giving the tour of the house, I want to have tea with everyone! Are there any snacks?” Latifa held Miharu’s hand and started to tug her along as she spoke.
“Yup, there are,” Orphia nodded.
“But only a little, it’s almost time for lunch,” Sara added without missing a beat. Miharu watched their exchange from the side and giggled.
Latifa is such a good girl. Sara and the others are so kind, too.
Miharu had hidden her concerns about moving to the village, so it was a relief to see everything going so smoothly. At that moment, it felt like something good was about to happen. It was just a feeling she had.
After that exchange, Miharu, Aki, and Masato were given a tour of the house interior and chatted with the others until Rio and Aishia finished their discussion. Later on, Vera and Arslan visited as well, forming a close group of similarly aged kids with Latifa, Aki, and Masato. Before long, the time for the banquet was upon them.
? ?
Evening reared itself; lead by Sara and the spirit folk girls, Miharu, Aki, and Masato were taken to the town hall once more.
They stepped inside the large dining hall on the bottom floor to find countless round tables set up, each one stocked to the brim with delicious dishes in a buffet-style dinner.
“Oooh, amazing! It looks so good!”
“That looks great! I’m so lucky I get to join in!” Both Masato and Arslan exclaimed at the dishes before them. The two boys got along well and hadn’t taken long to hit it off as friends.
“Masato, stop acting so childishly. It’s disgraceful. The families of the important people in this village prepared this for us today, so you should at least mind your manners,” Aki warned.
“Aki talks like she’s your mom,” Arslan whispered to Masato.
“Right?” Masato whispered back. “She’s always trying to tell me off for every little thing. I can’t stand it.”
“Hey, I can hear you,” Aki said to them, the smile on her face twitching.
“Th-There, there, Aki. Today’s a welcoming party for you, so there’s no need to act all formally, either,” Latifa consoled her, with Vera stepping in as well.
“That’s right. Please relax and make yourself at home.”
Next to where the five younger ones had gathered, Miharu was talking to Sara, Orphia, and Alma. The four of them had also warmed up to each other, but there was still some awkwardness that remained.
“So, you prepared such a wonderful party for us too...” Miharu was looking around the dining hall with widened eyes and a hint of surprise.
“It seems like most of the upper families of the village will be attending. Great Dryas and Lady Aishia will also be present, so it looks like those in charge of food preparation went all-out. That being said, everyone’s just happy to have an excuse to party, so there’s no need to be nervous, Miharu,” Alma said, easing Miharu’s worries. It seemed like she was looking up to Miharu with the same respect she showed for Sara and Orphia.
“It’s exactly as Alma says. Once the alcohol comes out, it’ll become much noisier,” Sara said with a bittersweet smile.
“Ahaha. You might be surprised seeing it for the first time,” Orphia added with the same smile on her lips.
Alma looked around the hall. “Looks like everyone’s arriving now.”
Residents of the village had been streaming through the door continuously for a while now.
“If it isn’t Lady Sara, Lady Orphia, and Lady Alma. Good evening.” The werecat girl Anya appeared and called out to Sara’s group.
“Good evening, Anya,” they replied with a smile.
“Is this cute girl the rumored visitor? The one from Rio’s hometown.”
“Yup, this is Miharu. Miharu, this is Anya, the werecat.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Anya. My name is Miharu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Miharu bowed courteously.
Anya stepped closer to Miharu and shook her hand, smiling with amusement. “Nice to meet you, Miharu. Hmm... The girls around Rio are all so cute.”
“Eh, no, that’s not...” Miharu blushed in a fluster.
“The demand for Rio is rather high, after all. Feel free to come to me if you need someone to listen to your troubles.” Anya grinned mischievously, probing for details.
“N-No, umm, I’m fine... I think?” Miharu ducked her head in embarrassment.
“Anya. Stop teasing Miharu,” Sara sighed, warning Anya.
“Okaaay,” Anya drew out, then spotted a friend of hers. “Oh, my friend’s here. Miharu, let me introduce her to you. Hey!”
After that, Miharu chatted with the girls of the village for a while. At the same time, Masato and Aki were also deepening their friendships with the other children that were around their age. The adults of the village watched the younger generation mingling across species with pleasant smiles on their faces.
Once all the guests had gathered, head elder Syldora spoke up. “Now, shall we begin? Everyone, may I ask that you please be silent?” he said, his voice echoing throughout the room; he had amplified his voice with wind spirit arts. The bustling hall immediately fell silent. Syldora, Dominic, and Ursula presided over the dining hall, gathering all the attention of those present.
Once Syldora had the hall’s attention, he spoke with a wry smile as he looked out over those present. “Lady Aishia and Great Dryas will be entering the hall, now. I believe everyone knows already, but this is a reminder not to act too reverently.”
Events like this were always held without social ranks, so a natural laugh fell from the audience as the atmosphere of the hall became less tense.
“I don’t see Haruto...” Miharu muttered as she looked around the hall. Sara followed her gaze, glancing around.
“Yes... maybe he’s attending late?” she said, though the head elder continued to speak without concern.
“Now, if the two of you could please enter,” Syldora said, summoning Aishia and Dryas, who had been waiting outside the room.
Upon closer observation, Ursula and Dominic both had wicked grins on their faces, but no one had noticed as of yet. The doors of the hall had already been opened by people assisting the process, and everyone present — including Miharu, Sara, and the others — naturally had their gazes drawn by the doors. Immediately after, those in attendance stirred with noise.
While Aishia and Dryas certainly did enter from outside the room, they were accompanied by a third person who had been intentionally hidden away — Rio. He was sandwiched between Aishia and Dryas, each holding onto an arm of his. He had a rather uncomfortably strained smile on his face. Aishia wore her usual absentminded expression, whereas Dryas’ pleasant smile was truly impressive.
“Rio?!” Sara’s eyes widened as she accidentally raised her voice to the level of hysterics.
“O-Ooh...” Orphia and Alma also widened their eyes in surprise.
The spirit folk villagers present were half-surprised and half-speechless, in awe of seeing two humanoid spirits, Aishia and Dryas, walking together.
“Ahaha. Rio’s really something, huh?” Anya’s cat ears and tail flickered to and fro as she laughed with amusement.
Humanoid spirits ranked high class and above were practically regarded as sacred beings by the spirit folk; to be accompanied by two such goddesses on each side was an act of the highest honor to the spirit folk — or rather, an act of the greatest amusement to Anya. The three head elders watched the reactions of the attendees and smiled at how humorously their plan had succeeded.
Rio continued to escort Aishia and Dryas until they reached the stage beside the head elders’ seats.
“Now that the surprise has been revealed, I’d like to introduce everyone to Lady Aishia, who has come to visit our village today. I’m sure many of you are already aware, but Lady Aishia is Lord Rio’s contracted spirit. She was asleep for a long, long time, so her memories are still rather vague, but the chance meeting with a new humanoid spirit is a tremendously auspicious event to our people. That is why we have decided to hold a small banquet in celebration tonight,” Syldora said warmly.
“Tonight will also act as the welcoming party for the three new friends Lord Rio has brought to us. As our sworn friend, any friend valued by Lord Rio is a friend of ours, too. Let us welcome them to our village lavishly, so that they may enjoy the duration of their stay. Let’s see... How about the three of you come up to the stage?” Ursula said.
“Huh?” The three of them flinched and nervously looked around the excited hall. Rio chuckled at their reaction.
“It’s all right, Miharu. Please, come this way.” He called the eldest, Miharu, up first. She took a deep breath and timidly started walking toward the stage. Once Miharu had started to move, Aki and Masato soon followed.
“Welcome, Miharu,” Aishia said to her quietly as she approached.
“Y-Yeah, thanks. There’re a lot of eyes on us... ahaha. I might be a little nervous... Uhh...” Miharu said, grinning shyly as she turned to face the room. Once she made eye contact with the rest of the villagers, her face turned bright red, and she bowed up and down. Aki and Masato hid behind her, while the spirit folk villagers watched over the three with warm gazes.
“Gosh, your surprise went too far, Haruto,” Masato sighed.
“Sorry, I didn’t really understand the progression of things, either. They won’t do anything bad to you, so just go along with it,” Rio replied with a wry smile.
“B-But I’ve never stood in front of so many people before. It’s pretty nerve-wracking.” Even the usually cool Aki was speaking in quite a high-pitched voice. Rio nodded in understanding.
“You can see how they are, so please go easy on them, Syldora,” he said.
Syldora laughed heartily and nodded, looking over the room. “Hahaha, all right. Everyone: as you can see, our three new visitors are lovely people. Let us give them a warm welcome, so that they may adjust to life in our village as soon as possible. Please, raise your glasses.”
The audience raised their glasses in turn, and a waiter came over to Rio and the others on the stage with a tray of cups. Then, once everyone had a drink in their hand, Syldora raised his cup into the air and led the toast.
“It looks like the cups have gone around. Now, to celebrate this wonderful meeting of fate. Cheers!”
The attendees also raised their glasses in an uplifted manner. “Cheers!”
“Alright — it’s time to talk, drink, and make merry! The young ones should make sure to use this chance to humbly greet Lady Aishia and the other visitors. Go on.”
In order to enliven the banquet, the alcohol-loving Dominic took the initiative; he walked around briskly and relentlessly addressed the younger villagers, urging them toward the stage. Then, young boys and girls of the village — those acquainted like Sara’s group and those unacquainted — all started to move toward Aishia, Miharu, and the other visitors.
Sara and the other girls approached Rio first, offering to take on an assistant role for Miharu’s sake. “Leave Miharu’s support role to me. Rio, you support Lady Aishia.”
“That’d be a great help. Thank you.”
“Yup. All right, Miharu. Come this way.”
Sara and the others quickly took charge and led Miharu’s group a short distance away from the stage. Having everyone gathered in one place made it hard to manage; Sara probably intended on splitting up the crowd a little this way. Her idea seemed to work, as a decent number of people gathered toward Miharu, Aki, and Masato.
The young children of the village actively started to talk to them, immediately starting a kind of cultural exchange. Thanks to Sara and the spirit folk girls acting as an icebreaker, Miharu and her group weren’t as nervous as they could have been. It was a good atmosphere.
Looks like that side will be fine. I’ll have to do my best, too, Rio thought in relief, then braced himself.
“Everyone, feel free to come this way. I will introduce Aishia to you.” He invited those who looked eager to talk to Aishia to come closer. While they had set ranks outside of this event, they were still feeling inferior in front of their deity of worship. Then, the youngsters of the village gathered around Aishia, greeting her in awe. Aishia didn’t respond with many words, but Rio kept the conversations going well in her stead.
Furthermore, the adults of the village kept the banquet lively during that time, turning the hall into quite the busy place. There were many laughs to be had as time passed.
Just like that, nearly an hour went by in the blink of an eye.
“Fufu, it’s turned into a good welcome party. I’m having a lot of fun, too,” Dryas said to Syldora and Ursula, who were watching over the banquet in a corner of the hall. For the record, Dominic was still actively heating up the banquet from where he was.
Syldora noticed Dryas’ presence and happily addressed her. “It is a great honor to hear that you are pleased, Great Dryas.”
Ursula nodded along happily, slowly turning her gaze toward where Rio and Aishia were on the stage. “However, Aishia’s identity still remains a mystery... possibly even more so now than before. I thought she may have possibly been one of the upper high class spirits that disappeared in the Divine War, but...” she said a little uneasily.
“Hmm, good point. She does have a lot of latent power within her, I believe. I don’t know if it’s a side effect of her amnesia, but she doesn’t seem to understand how to use her powers properly as a spirit, and I’ve never heard of a humanoid spirit having aptitude for every element before. If we fought seriously, I wouldn’t be able to win.” Dryas had a rarely seen expression of contemplation on her face as she nodded.
Similar to how people had their own strengths and weaknesses in spirit arts elements, spirits also had elements that they had a higher aptitude for than others. This rule was more prominent in spirits ranked middle class and higher — that was common knowledge among the spirit folk, until now.
This was because a low class spirit — even if it didn’t have any strong or weak elements — could bloom in a particular element upon ranking up in class. From there, it would become a spirit that specialized in that element. It wasn’t as though middle class spirits and higher couldn’t use spirit arts of other elements, it was simply that their efficiency in those other elements was far worse compared to their specialty.
While humans who could use a number of different spirit art elements and people who could use all kinds of spirit art elements were a rare phenomenon, there had never been a confirmed case of a middle class spirit or higher. At most, there would appear the rare spirit with multiple elements that they had enough aptitude to specialize in at once. Presently, Dryas herself was a high rank spirit that mastered the element of earth, and even the six former upper high class spirits were said to each have their own specialty element.
And so, neither Dryas nor the village elders had expected the response from Aishia claiming to specialize in every element, so their earlier conversation had truly been shocking to them.
“For the Great Dryas to give this much praise, both Lady Aishia and Rio must be tremendously exceptional... Perhaps even more than the former upper high class spirits that vanished...” Syldora said with great awe for Aishia.
“The six upper high class spirits that formerly stood at the top of their element ability, and the single spirit that is at least high class who has the aptitude for every element... I wonder which is the more peculiar existence.” Dryas smiled, showing a glimpse of her great curiosity.
“Well, it seems neither Lord Rio nor Lady Aishia recognize their own peculiarity yet,” Ursula said, laughing heartily.
People and spirits had elements they were strong and weak in. It was extremely rare for anyone to be proficient in every element — it seemed that Rio had a slightly warped understanding with regard to the history of spirit arts, as he wasn’t quite aware of how rare that occurrence was amongst humans and spirits.
In reality, low class spirits aside, any spirit middle class or higher would — without exception — form a specialty in a particular element, making it impossible to have aptitude for every single element. But knowledge of spirit ecology like this was a rather specialized field, which was why it was understandable that Rio had misunderstood until now.
“I’ll teach him all the knowledge he needs to know about spirits during his stay in the village this time. It’s been a long time since my curiosity has been piqued like this, after all,” Dryas said, watching Rio and Aishia as they continued to chat with the villagers.
? ?
The welcoming party for Aishia and Miharu’s group continued late into the night, but their lively time together was over in a flash.
“Now, let’s go home!” A slightly drunk Sara led the way happily, leading Rio and the others to the house they were moving into. They stepped out of the town hall and the cool spring night breeze wrapped around their bodies.
“Phew, I ate and drank to my heart’s content!” Masato said with a small burp as he patted his stomach.
“Geez, you’re like an old man, Masato,” Aki sighed. Miharu and Latifa laughed in amusement at the siblings’ exchange.
“By the way, I heard that you guys would be staying together during our time in the village...” Rio said to Sara and the others.
“Yes. The head elders have ordered us to stay together, saying it’d be the fastest way to get them used to life in the village. Ah, we’ve already checked for Miharu’s approval on this.”
“Of course, I’ll be staying with them, too!” Latifa said, clinging to Rio’s arm tightly.
“I know.” A soft smile pulled at Rio’s lips as he gently petted Latifa’s head.
“Fufu, it reminds me of those days we lived together. I’m looking forward to it... I’m sure it’ll be so much fun,” Orphia said, smiling pleasantly.
“It might get much noisier this time around,” Sara said with a sigh, making Alma laugh teasingly.
“Sara’s been looking forward to it for a while, now.”
“A-Alma, too. Anyway... All the rooms have been prepared already, so once we get to the house, we’ll decide who sleeps where.” Sara turned away with embarrassment, then increased her walking speed; her faintly blushing cheeks were probably because of the alcohol.
“Ehehe, I want to try sleeping in the same room as everyone so we can all talk together,” Latifa said with a cheerful smile.
“Huh? E-Everyone?” Masato replied in a fluster, but Aki shot him down.
“Everyone other than you, of course.”
“D-Don’t say that! Why is it okay for Haruto to do that, then?!” Masato whined in a pathetic voice, making all the girls laugh in good humor. They continued to chat noisily together and arrived at the house within a few minutes.
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