Chapter 1: The Days Leading to the Banquet
The Strahl region.
In a rocky area in the outskirts of Galtuuk, capital of the Kingdom of Galarc...
Miharu had woken up early before anyone else, changed into her casual clothes, and climbed up the ladder outside onto the roof of the rock house. Then, she aimlessly watched the sun rising in the sky by herself.
Nature spread out before her in a spectacle not easily witnessed on Earth, but Miharu’s expression was dazed and her gaze wasn’t fixed on anything. She was thinking about what happened last night.
Miharu had dreamed. It was a dream of the life of her childhood friend, Amakawa Haruto, set in a time period that shouldn’t have been possible for Miharu to witness.
And when Miharu awakened from her dream, Aishia had been standing beside her, asking about whether she wanted to forget the dream or not, pressuring her to make a decision about staying beside Haruto.
As a result, Miharu answered that she wanted to be with Haruto and could still clearly remember the dream. But something didn’t sit well with her.
I fell asleep before I knew it. And then it was morning...
She wasn’t sure whether her conversation with Aishia had been reality, or something that had happened within her dream.
“...Maybe it was a dream after all. No, but...” Miharu muttered hesitantly, shaking her head.
I definitely woke up and talked to Ai-chan.
Her memories were crystal clear, so she couldn’t imagine that being a dream. And there was more she was concerned about, too.
The dream before I woke up was shown to me by Ai-chan, making Haruto the same person as Haru-kun... right?
At that time, they had been talking as though Haruto was the same as the Haruto she’d once known, but now that she thought about it, she had never confirmed the fact for sure.
On top of that, Miharu was currently in her first year of high school, while Haruto had died as a university student — the misaligned timelines also bothered her a bit.
...Yeah. I should try talking to Ai-chan one more time, after she gets up.
Miharu took a deep breath. However, no one in the rock house — including Aishia — was awake yet, so she’d have to wait here for a little longer. Miharu sat curled up on the roof as she continued gazing at the daybreak.
Her emotions were running high right now, so she wouldn’t be able to go back to sleep if she tried, and she didn’t want to do anything else either. She couldn’t even appreciate the great expanse of nature before her. Sitting still made all kinds of thoughts swirl around her head, but she couldn’t think sharply.
Thus, Miharu continued to sit on the roof of the rock house in her dazed mental state. She had no idea how much time had passed, but after a while...
“...ru?” A voice could be heard from beneath the roof, but Miharu was so immersed in her own thoughts that she didn’t notice the person approaching.
“Miharu? Hey, Miharu?” This time, the voice repeated Miharu’s name louder.
“...Huh? Ah, Haruto?!” Miharu stood up in a fluster when she realized she was being called, and she turned her gaze downwards. There was Rio with a sword in his hand.
“What are you doing so early in the morning? And up there, of all places?” Rio’s eyes were round as he curiously looked up at Miharu standing on the roof. The wind blew and sent a soft ripple through Miharu’s long hair.
“Ah, umm. I woke up early, so I thought I’d refresh myself,” Miharu said, making up a reason on the spot. Rio watched Miharu’s face worriedly.
“...Isn’t it cold?”
“No, I’m fine.” Miharu shook her head with a slightly nervous tone to her voice. The wind blew again; this time, it was a little stronger, and it gently flipped up Miharu’s long skirt.
“Ah...” Rio hurriedly averted his gaze, his face slightly red. He had seen it: the pure white underwear under Miharu’s skirt...
“Fweh, ah...” Miharu reflexively held her skirt down, but judging from Rio’s reaction there was no doubt he had seen it. At that, Miharu immediately turned scarlet.
“I-I’m sorry!” Rio apologized in a panic. “N-No, no. I-I’m the one who should be sorry f-for not being more carefu—!” Miharu blushed even more as she shook her head in embarrassment. She was so shaken up, she tried to back away in a fluster, but the surface on the roof of the rock house wasn’t exactly good for walking around on. Miharu tripped over the uneven surface and teetered dangerously.
“Look out!” As soon as Rio saw Miharu lose her balance, he enhanced his physical body and leaped for the roof, then gently supported Miharu’s body by holding her.
“Uh...” Miharu had squeezed her eyes shut when she was about to fall, but when she felt Rio hold her, she opened her eyes with a flinch.
“Are you all right?” Rio asked, peering at Miharu’s face from close-up.
“...Y-Yes.” Miharu stared back at Rio’s face and nodded hesitantly.
“Thank goodness...” Rio sighed in relief.
“Thank you... very much.” Miharu curled up on herself in Rio’s arms.
“Not a problem.” Rio shook his head with a smile. Miharu watched Rio’s face closely.
“...”
“...Is something the matter?” Rio tilted his head curiously.
“Huh? Ah, no, umm, err...!” Miharu returned to her senses with a gasp, reddening in the face once more as she tried to say something.
“Oh right, I’m sorry. I should probably move.” Rio seemed to think Miharu was embarrassed, as he distanced himself promptly. However, Miharu was reaching out to clutch Rio’s clothes before she could stop herself.
“Ah...”
“Miharu?” Rio was taken aback.
“Ah, umm, are you about to practice your sword skills, Haruto?” Miharu released Haruto’s clothes in a panic and blurted out an irrelevant question.
“Yes, it’s part of my daily training.” Nodding, Rio lifted the sword in his hand to show her.
“...May I watch you?” Miharu asked, having mustered up enough courage to do so.
“Of course, I don’t mind...” Rio said, nodding as he watched Miharu’s face.
“Then I’ll just sit down here.” Miharu did just that and hugged her knees to her chest once more.
“Put this on. It’s a little cold in the mornings.” Rio handed the towel he had brought along to Miharu for her to use like a blanket.
“...T-Thank you very much,” Miharu replied with a slight squeak, accepting the towel in a fluster.
“I’ll be off, then.” With that, Rio leaped down to the ground and began his sword practice alone.
“Warm...” Miharu wrapped Rio’s towel around her shoulders and squeezed it tightly, feeling Rio’s warmth through the fabric. She could tell her heart was thumping away loudly.
He was so near... Yet, so far.
She still half-doubted whether Rio was really Haruto. However, the Rio down there swinging his sword was actually the reincarnation of Haruto — Miharu was keenly aware of that as she gazed at him.
Her heart beat even faster at that, showing no signs of slowing down.
H-Huh? W-What should I do...
Miharu could feel her body burning up and her heart thunder in her chest, making her panic at the unfamiliar sensation. The feeling only grew as she watched Rio swing his sword with an intense expression on his face, but she repeatedly took deep breaths to calm her agitated heart. She crouched over, frozen in place and continued to stare intently at Rio.
After a while, she was numbed enough to the feeling to start thinking for herself again. The first thing she thought of was, of course, Rio.
...I wonder what Haru-kun’s trying to accomplish in this world?
Aishia had said that Rio could no longer turn back. That was why he didn’t want to drag the people who were precious to him into his way of life...
Just what could Rio be trying to do here? This time, Miharu felt distressed as she watched Rio in frustration.
“Miharu?” Rio had finished his sword practice and returned to the roof of the rock house.
“Huh? Are you done with training already?” Miharu asked, blinking.
“Yes, I’ve gone through everything,” Rio said, watching Miharu somewhat dubiously. He had noticed her acting rather restless during his practice.
“I... see...” Miharu accepted his words awkwardly. It seemed like quite some time had passed without her noticing.
“Sara and the others still seem to be sleeping, and I’m about to go back inside. What will you do?”
“I’ll stay here a bit longer.”
“Okay... See you then.” A delicate silence fell between the two of them, before Rio made to descend from the roof.
“U-Umm, would you like to chat a little?” Miharu stopped Rio in a fluster. Her mouth had moved before her brain could think.
Rio’s eyes widened a bit. “...Sure. Then, if you don’t mind.” He sat down next to Miharu anyway.
“...” Miharu side-eyed Rio’s expression, huddling in on herself out of nervousness. In the end, Rio was the one who spoke first out of consideration for Miharu.
“What did you want to talk about?”
“Ah, right. Umm...” Despite being the one to suggest they talk, Miharu had just been trying to stop him and didn’t have a topic decided yet at all, leaving her in a fluster. But Rio just tilted his head curiously and waited for her to speak as Miharu desperately wracked her brain, searching for a topic.
After a while, a thought popped up in her mind and she hesitantly opened her mouth. “U-Umm, yesterday, while everyone was in the bath, we were talking to Celia and she told us about your past...”
“...Ah, Professor told me about that afterward. I didn’t mean to hide the fact I was an orphan to anyone. Was it awkward because of me?” Rio gave a slightly questionable smile as he asked Miharu.
“N-No, not at all! Everyone wanted to hear about your past, so we were all listening very seriously,” Miharu said in a fluster.
“I see...” Rio smiled in embarrassment.
“I also — I wanted to hear about it too. About your past. And how you grew up before you met us. If it’s okay with you, could you tell me a little more about that?” Miharu mustered up her courage and asked. She had been refraining from touching upon Rio’s past until now, but she decided that she wanted to be closer to Rio.
“I don’t think I’d be able to tell you anything interesting, though.” Rio shrugged his shoulders with a troubled face. He had expected this question would come up one day, so he wasn’t surprised.
“That’s not true. Of course, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but is there anything you CAN tell me?” While she normally would have backed down there, today’s Miharu pushed forward.
Rio made up his mind and nodded slowly. “...All right. Then, a story from before I became an orphan... I lived with my mother up until I was five years old. My father passed away soon after my mother gave birth to me.”
“I see.” Rio began his story with a gloomy start, but Miharu just nodded quietly.
“So, I became an orphan at five years old. My mother passed away, and my parents were migrants, so I didn’t have any relatives around, leaving me with nowhere to go other than the slums... I lived there as an orphan for two years, until I turned seven.”
“Ah...” Miharu didn’t know what to say and bit her lip.
“The turning point for me was when I regained my memories at seven years old, I guess. I nearly died from a very high fever, but it faded before I knew it and left me with my memories of my past life. When I look back on it now, I think it was probably Aishia who saved me. Although it doesn’t seem like she remembers doing so,” Rio said with an amused smile. Meanwhile, Miharu had a distressed expression on her face.
“As soon as I regained my memories, I was involved in a scuffle with the kingdom which led to my enrollment in the Royal Academy of Beltrum. That was where I became friends with Professor Celia. After I was falsely accused of a crime at twelve years old, I headed for my parents’ hometown in the Yagumo region. It was on my way there that I met Latifa and took her to the village,” Rio said in summary, turning to Miharu. “Do you have any questions so far?”
“Umm, what kind of person was your mother like?”
“...She was a strong, gentle, and warm person. After my father passed away, she raised me with care all by herself. She tried to protect me all the way up to her death...” Rio’s expression was a little sad as he spoke.
“Was it an illness?”
“No, she was killed. Public safety isn’t very good in this world.” Rio tried to smile as brightly as he could and brush it off.
“T-That’s...” Miharu’s face twisted with sorrow.
“Don’t worry about it.” Rio said with a wry smile.
“But...” Miharu was on the verge of crying, her eyes shimmering with tears.
“...I’ve already processed my feelings within myself. That’s why it’s fine now,” Rio stated firmly.
That can’t be true, Miharu objected sadly in her heart. However, Rio looked like he had completely accepted everything, so she couldn’t say it out loud.
A barely five-year-old child’s mother had been murdered, and he’d lived as an orphan in the slums until the age of seven. There was no way that was fine.
“You must have gone through a lot... Losing your mother and your home, being all alone...” Miharu managed to say.
With no parent or home, just how did a five-year-old child survive? For Miharu, who was born in a world of peace, it was impossible to imagine.
“It was pretty tough. I did anything I could to live when I was an orphan. That’s what I had to do, and even that was difficult. Fortunately, I was taken in by some thugs in the slums who gave me the minimum amount of leftovers while I had a use to them,” Rio said with self-depreciation.
“...” They’d lived in different worlds — quite literally. Miharu was once again at a loss for words.
“Mm, what a nice morning!” The door to the rock house opened and Sara, Alma, Latifa, and Aishia appeared.
“Ah, I knew Onii-chan would be outside! Good morning!” Latifa said with a friendly smile, spotting Rio with her innocent gaze.
“Good morning, Latifa. And everyone else, too,” Rio replied to Latifa with a smile.
“Good morning, Rio.”
“Miharu’s with you too, I see. Good morning.”
Sara and Alma gave their morning greetings before looking at Miharu curiously.
“Yup, good morning everyone.” Miharu put on a smile and replied. Her eyes were faintly shimmering with tears, but she wiped them away casually.
“...” Aishia watched Miharu silently from below.
“Good morning, Ai-chan.” Miharu noticed she was being watched and called out to Aishia.
“Miharu, good morning,” Aishia replied quietly.
“Ah, Miharu’s wearing Onii-chan’s towel around her shoulders! How nice!” Latifa chimed in, able to identify the towel as Rio’s.
“I lent it to her because the mornings are cold. Why don’t you warm up for our usual sparring match?” Rio said with a strained smile, leaping down from the roof to approach Latifa and the others.
“Yes, please!” Sara was the first to nod enthusiastically. The members of their group who practiced with weapons — Rio, Latifa, Sara, Alma, and Masato — sparred as part of their morning routine. They all woke up at different times, but it was usually Masato who arrived last.
“...” Miharu looked down upon the scene near the doorway that had grown noisier all of a sudden, a soft smile on her face. Then, to replace Rio who had gone down to the ground, Aishia floated up to the roof.
“Miharu, did you sleep well last night?”
“...Ai-chan. Last night... that wasn’t a dream, was it? Haruto is Haru-kun, isn’t he?” Unable to withstand it any longer, Miharu questioned Aishia imploringly.
“Yup.” Aishia nodded once.
“Ah...” Miharu gasped in shock at the confirmation that it wasn’t a dream.
“Do you remember what I told you yesterday?” asked Aishia.
“Yeah. That someday soon, Haru-kun will tell me the truth and try to distance himself from us...” Miharu replied hesitantly.
“Yes. That’s why when it happens, you can’t run away, Miharu,” Aishia stated in a flat voice.
“What can I do until then?” Miharu asked in near-confusion.
“Stay by Haruto’s side as much as you can, and don’t be afraid of him. Be gentle to him. Tell him clearly that you want to be with him. Because Haruto is a gentle and cowardly person,” Aishia said in her usual flat voice, the words sounding very gentle. It was clear that she knew everything about Haruto and was thinking of Miharu.
Ah, that’s right. I still don’t know anything. About Haru-kun, about Haruto... Miharu felt extremely disheartened about her own worthlessness and frowned gloomily... But it wasn’t too late.
“...Okay!” Miharu looked down at Rio talking to the others below and nodded with determination.
After Rio sparred with Sara and the others as per their routine, it was time for breakfast.
“If Rio and Miharu are going to participate in the banquet, they’re going to need formal outfits,” Celia suggested during their meal. And so, it was decided that they would pay a visit to the Ricca Guild in Amande for some shopping today.
Sara, Orphia, and Alma had actually never visited human regions before, and Latifa hadn’t been in one for years. Miharu, Aki, and Masato weren’t too used to going outside either, so there was a need to limit the members who would be going out.
Rio and Miharu had to go as they were the ones attending the banquet, and Celia was going as the one with actual experience attending banquets. Accompanying them as their guard was Aishia. Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Aki, and Masato would stay back at the rock house.
Latifa looked like she wanted to go, but since she had promised not to be selfish as part of the condition for coming to Strahl, she didn’t make a fuss about it. And so, Rio’s group left the stone house in the morning and arrived at Amande. They immediately headed towards the Ricca Guild’s store.
“Fufu.” Although she was there as Miharu’s chaperone, Celia was in a good mood about the shopping trip and walked in the lead. She was so adorable, Rio and Miharu couldn’t help but chuckle to themselves.
Several minutes later, they arrived before the Ricca Guild building. “Let’s start by choosing Miharu’s dress,” Rio suggested.
“...I’m sorry for making you spend money on me.” Miharu hung her head apologetically. Naturally, there was a dress code for the banquet, but Miharu had completely forgotten about it until Celia had reminded her that morning. Doing anything in the world of nobility required money, and Miharu couldn’t help but feel regretful for forcing another burden onto Rio.
“It’s a necessary expense, so don’t worry about it. I need to buy a formal outfit too.” Rio shook his head with a smile.
“See, Miharu? Let’s show Haruto how wonderful you’ll look in a gown,” Celia giggled, pushing Miharu towards the store.
“...Okay.” While Miharu still looked a little apologetic, she nodded and started moving slowly. Rio and Aishia brought up the rear as they all entered the store.
“Welcome.”
As soon as they were inside, the graceful voice of a female shop assistant welcomed them. They had visited this store several times in this past, but the Ricca Guild was a high-class brand shop and its interior was similarly tranquil. Wealthy-looking customers could be spotted throughout the store, browsing through the clothes.
“Now, let’s start making some selections. I believe they deal with dresses on the third floor. We’ll have to get you measured first.” Celia headed for the third floor with confident footsteps.
They moved to the dress corner; with her experience in these kinds of stores, Celia first talked to a shop assistant and had them measure Miharu’s size. Miharu and Celia headed to the dressing room together. Rio and Aishia waited in a corner elsewhere. “I will now take your measurements. Can you get undressed down to your underwear?”
“Yes.” After Miharu entered the measuring room, she removed everything but her underwear, as instructed.
“...You really have a nice figure, Miharu.” Celia gazed at Miharu’s underwear figure from beside and sighed in awe.
“I agree, you’re very beautiful.” The shop assistant doing the measurements also complimented Miharu with a smile.
“Ahaha, thank you very much.” Miharu grinned bashfully and covered her chest with her arms. In no time at all, Miharu’s general size measurements had been skillfully recorded.
Afterward, they left the measuring room and finally began browsing the dress choices. The two of them started by going around the floor and picking everything that caught their eye. They filtered that selection down to the ones that looked good before Miharu moved to the dressing room and tried many different dresses with the help of the shop assistant. Each time she finished changing, the curtain of the dressing room would pull back to reveal Miharu in a new dress.
“Hmm, this one suits you too. Okay, try this one next.” Celia was enthusiastically enjoying the dress selection, offering dress after dress to Miharu.
“...” Rio fixedly watched Miharu change into a colorful range of dresses from a short distance away.
“Is Miharu beautiful?” Aishia suddenly asked Rio from beside him.
“...Yeah, she is.” Rio glanced at Aishia; he wore a hint of a shy smile.
“She’ll be happy if you tell her that,” said Aishia.
“You think so?” Rio tilted his head, watching Aishia in slight surprise.
“Yup.” Aishia nodded her head once.
As the two were exchanging words — “Hey, Haruto, Aishia. Which dress do you think looks better?” Celia turned back to them and asked.
“...I think dresses in cooler colors suit Miharu more,” Rio answered.
“I think so too,” Aishia agreed.
“Ah, yeah? That’s what I was thinking too! Okay then, can you try this dress next? There’s still plenty of options, so let’s get through them all!” Celia said, smiling innocently.
After Miharu took her time carefully selecting a gown, it was Rio’s turn to pick his formalwear. Miharu was just as excited as Celia for this, and Rio ended up becoming a dress-up doll for the two of them until they had carefully decided on an outfit for the banquet.
The group departed from Amande before sundown. Rio carried Celia, while Aishia carried Miharu with her wind spirit arts.
“We managed to get back before it got completely dark, at least.” Rio sighed in relief as they arrived at the rocky area where their house was set up.
“Ahaha, sorry about that. I completely lost track of time while I was picking out clothes,” Celia said apologetically.
“Me too. Sorry for losing myself there...” Miharu apologized with a guilty look.
Rio shook his head with a pleasant expression. “No, we got some good shopping done thanks to you.”
As they conversed, they reached the area above the rock house.
“...Masato’s practicing outside,” Aishia muttered, peering down.
Miharu checked to see if anyone else was outside. “You’re right. Is everyone else making dinner? We’re home, Masato!” she announced loudly.
“Oh, you’re finally back. You took forever.” When Masato heard Miharu’s voice, he looked towards where Rio and the others had just descended and shrugged in exasperation.
“Hmm, were you waiting for us?” asked Rio.
Masato scratched his head. “Ah, no. Well, kind of. Come inside first,” he muttered evasively before making for the front door.
Did something happen? Rio and the others exchanged glances before deciding to follow Masato for now.
As soon as Masato opened the door, he yelled, “Oi, Haruto and the others are back!”
“Really?! Miharu, Aishia, and Celia should wash their hands and come to my room immediately! Onii-chan, you wait in the living room!” Latifa called out right away.
It seemed like this was the “something” that was happening.
“Hmm, I wonder what it is? Let’s go.” Celia smiled in anticipation and headed to the bathroom to wash her hands before walking to Latifa’s room. Miharu and Aishia followed her lead.
Rio and Masato waited in the living room together, with Rio going to wash his hands after the girls were done. “What’s this about?” he asked Masato.
“Ah, you’ll find out soon. I’m sweaty, so I’m gonna take a bath. Later!” With that, Masato departed for the bathroom with a sharp grin. By wanting to get cleaned up, he seemed to be acting out of consideration for the others, oddly enough.
Rio went ahead and prepared tea while he waited for Latifa and the girls in the living room. Less than ten minutes later, all the women of the house appeared before him.
“Thanks for waiting, Onii-chan! Ta-da!”
Latifa was the first among them to appear in the living room, twirling around once before posing to show off her uniform to Rio. Aishia, Celia, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Miharu, and Aki were also wearing uniforms of the same design. Other than Latifa and Orphia grinning happily and Aishia with her usual expression, the other girls all looked embarrassed.
“...I’m definitely surprised.” Rio gazed upon the uniform-clad girls with round eyes.
“Ehehe. What do you think, Onii-chan?” Latifa asked bashfully.
“It looks really great on you,” Rio said honestly. Latifa beamed with innocent delight.
“Yay! Everyone made them together, based on Miharu’s school uniform!” she explained.
“I see. It does bear some resemblance to the uniform Miharu wore when she first came here. But I wasn’t expecting the Professor and Aishia...” Rio glanced at Miharu, before looking at Celia and Aishia’s uniformed figures.
“I-I just put it on because I was told to...” Celia seemed to be embarrassed by the unfamiliar uniform, fidgeting as her cheeks reddened.
“Does it look good?” Aishia tilted her head.
“Yup. You both look great in them,” Rio praised the two of them a bit shyly.
“Hehe, we made their uniforms on the way here from the village. But since we couldn’t take their exact measurements, Aishia’s was made to be around the same size as Miharu’s and Celia’s was based off the impression we got from Rio’s stories, making it a little bigger than Latifa’s,” Orphia said a bit proudly.
Come to think of it, Orphia asked a lot about the Professor’s height and stature before. “I see... Orphia, Sara, Alma. You all look great. Miharu and Aki too,” Rio said, complimenting everyone else as well.
“Thank you very much!” Orphia said, delighted.
The others were embarrassed, but happy.
“It was worth making them to show Onii-chan!” Latifa said to Miharu and Orphia, laughing brightly.
Orphia nodded warmly. “Right, Miharu?”
“...Yup.” Miharu nodded in embarrassment.
“Wait, did you only make them for that reason?” Rio was slightly taken aback to hear they were just made to be shown to him.
“That’s right, we wanted to surprise Onii-chan!” Latifa nodded without an ounce of shyness to her.
Rio’s lips turned upwards in a smile as he looked around at everyone. “...I see. I was really surprised, so thank you. And everyone else, too,” he said awkwardly.
“No, it was fun wearing the same clothes as everyone else,” Sara said, blushing.
“I’m not used to clothes like this, so it’s a little embarrassing,” Alma added, also blushing. They both looked down at their uniforms.
“Uniforms aren’t a part of the village culture, after all,” said Rio.
“Huh, really. I wore a school uniform back when I attended the Royal Academy, and Rio wore one while he was there too,” Celia said with interest.
“I think I would have liked to have seen the Professor in the academy’s uniform,” Rio said, looking at Celia cheekily.
“D-Don’t say that. It’s embarrassing. And I’m wearing one right now... Isn’t that enough?” Celia shyly averted her eyes from Rio with a huff.
“I would have liked to see Onii-chan in a uniform too! He must have been so cool.” Latifa must have been imagining Rio in a uniform, as she was giggling quite a bit.
“Why don’t you make a uniform for Rio, then?” Celia said, struck with the idea.
“Oh, that sounds good! What do you think, Miharu? Orphia?” Latifa exclaimed, completely on board with that plan.
“Hmm, sounds interesting. We’ll have to start with measurements; we can make a matching one for Masato, too,” Orphia said. “I have the measurements from the formalwear fitting,” Miharu added.
“Ah, no, I don’t need that...” Rio shyly tried to refuse, but it seemed it was out of his hands — there’d be a uniform made for him in the near future.
Thank goodness... Rio’s able to make friends with people his age, Celia thought, watching Rio with a happy expression on her face. Knowing what she did about his academy days, she was as happy to see him surrounded by people who understood him as she would have been for herself. And yet, her own romantic heart did feel a bit conflicted about how they were all — with the exception of Masato — cute and attractive girls.
“Okay, we’ll definitely make some uniforms for Onii-chan and Masato in the near future. Now that we’ve shown off our own uniforms, let’s see the outfits you two decided on! Show us!” Latifa whined at Rio and Miharu. It was possible that she had chosen this timing to show off their uniformed figures so that she wouldn’t fall behind Miharu, who would have bought a gown in Amande.
“Then let’s try them on,” Rio said, chuckling. “Miharu?”
“...Okay.” Miharu smiled bashfully and subtly nodded her head. Roughly 20 minutes later, Rio and Miharu had changed into their formal outfits and were standing in the living room.
Masato, who had finished his bath, let out a sound of amazement. “Ooh!”
“That’s amazing, Onii-chan! So cool! Miharu looks beautiful too!” Latifa was quite excited as she shouted her words of praise.
“You really look beautiful, Miharu. And Rio looks handsome too.” Sara also praised Miharu before turning to praise Rio next with embarrassment.
“This design doesn’t exist in the village. So there are outfits like this out there.”
“Rio looks slender like this, and Miharu’s great figure is emphasized.”
Orphia and Alma were also looking at Rio and Miharu with interest.
“Thank you very much,” Rio said awkwardly.
“Ahaha, it feels a bit embarrassing, being stared at so much.” Miharu’s cheeks reddened as she averted her eyes, landing on Aki instead. “What do you think, Aki?”
Aki had been watching Miharu with adoration. She snapped back to her senses when Miharu addressed her, nodding firmly. “...Yeah, it’s beautiful!”
“Hehe, thank you.” Miharu smiled happily.
Aki tilted her head. “By the way, does this mean you’ll have to dance in those outfits during the banquet?” she asked Rio.
“Hmm, I wonder. Will we?” Rio had taken etiquette lessons in his time at the Royal Academy, but he had never attended a real banquet before, so he asked Celia.
“Well, you’re not forced to participate, but there will be an opportunity to do so while you’re there,” Celia replied, drawing on her experience of attending noble banquets.
“R-Really?” Miharu’s body stiffened in fright.
“Ah, I see. Is it possible that you don’t know how to dance, Miharu?” Celia asked, to which Miharu nodded hesitantly in response.
“...Yes.”
“Hmm. Well, it won’t be a problem if you can’t dance, but we don’t know for sure what might happen, so maybe it’d be more reassuring if you learned the basics of how to dance? If you’d like, I could teach you in the time before the banquet...”
“Would you? I would really like that, please!” Miharu sighed in relief, relying on Celia’s expertise.
“Got it. Just leave it to me!” Celia agreed confidently. “Rio can be your practice partner too. You learned how to dance at the academy, right Rio?”
“Yes. Very roughly, though...” In contrast to Celia’s confidence, Rio nodded weakly. He hadn’t danced once in the four years since he fled the academy, so it made sense that he had no confidence in himself.
“Well, I’ll need to show Miharu an example and check how much you remember, so why don’t you dance with me for a bit to jolt your memory? Since you’re wearing your outfit and all. Now, take your stance, won’t you?” Celia suggested, raising her right hand to urge him to take it. At that, Miharu and everyone else naturally gathered their attention on the two of them with great interest.
“I understand. Then, if you’d excuse me.” Rio grasped Celia’s right hand with his left and pressed his body up to hers. His right hand gently supported her back.
“...Y-Yep, looks like you have a proper form.” It was something she should have known, but to dance as a pair, they had to press their bodies close to each other. Celia looked up at Rio’s face from close-up and blushed.
“Thanks. It feels strange having you as a dance partner, Professor.” Rio smiled faintly.
Uuh... I was so excited about getting to show a professor-like side of myself, but now everyone’s watching and I feel so embarrassed... Celia thought rather belatedly.
“Could you take the lead? Make sure you’re watching closely, Miharu.”
“Okay.”
Rio immediately took a step and began leading Celia. His steps were fluid, and Celia followed his lead easily, naturally moving her feet and body.
“Wah...” Latifa and the others gulped as they watched them dance together.
Rio stopped dancing after a few seconds. “I only remember the basic movements, but how was I?” he asked Celia.
“...More than good enough, I’d say. It was very easy to dance with you.” The parties held by nobility didn’t particularly treat dancing as a competition; it wasn’t as though long-term pairs were formed for it. Of course, it was better to be good at dancing than not, but the dancing itself was just a form of social interaction that changed depending on your partner at the time, so while it wasn’t especially important, not being able to do the basics was seen as shameful.
In that regard, Rio’s dance was a passing mark. It was clear that he was carefully attempting to recreate each and every movement, giving a sense of stability. As long as he could remember the steps, there shouldn’t be any problems.
“No, my steps aren’t quite there yet, so I’d appreciate your instruction in that regard,” Rio asked of Celia.
“Okay. Then first, let’s have Miharu try to dance a little.” Once Celia had a grasp of Rio’s level, she invited Miharu over next.
“Huh? Me? Right now?! I can’t!” Miharu said, panicking.
“That’s not true. If you can remember the basic steps, you’ll be able to dance to a minimum degree, and if Rio leads you, your feet should move naturally. Let’s start with forming a hold. You’re wearing your gown and all.” Celia giggled, grabbing Miharu’s hand and pulling her to stand before Rio.
“Oh...” Miharu hung her head in embarrassment. Celia had been so beautiful when she was dancing... just imagining herself being pressed that close to Rio’s body had Miharu’s heart pounding excessively.
“...May I have your right hand?” Rio raised his left hand rather hesitantly.
“Y-Yes. Uh...” Miharu nervously raised her right hand, which Rio grabbed tightly. The sensation of Rio’s hand directly against hers, followed by the close contact of their bodies as they formed a hold, left Miharu’s heart pounding violently.
“Place your left hand on my right shoulder as a support. Right, like that. If you try to maintain your stance with only your arm strength, you’ll lose your form easily, so focus on using your stomach and back muscles in your upper body. That’s good. This is the basic stance when dancing,” Rio explained as he moved his own arms and legs, adjusting Miharu’s positioning.
“I see...” Miharu replied in a stiff voice, trying to stifle the thumping in her chest.
W-We’re pressed so close. The same thought crossed my mind when they were dancing earlier, but... Having actually formed a hold, the contact of their bodies was a lot more than she had expected.
“Hmph. You look really good together in your formal outfits. I want to wear a dress and dance with Onii-chan, too.” Latifa was watching them with slight jealousy.
“Hmm. Even the minute details of Miharu’s dress design is elaborate, so it might be complicated to create, but I might be able to manage something?” Orphia analyzed the dress ambitiously, wondering if she could make one herself.
“Really?!” Latifa’s eyes sparkled.
“Yup. Everyone looks like they want to dance with Rio while wearing a dress, after all. I’ll do my best.” Orphia giggled as she motivated herself, looking over at Sara and Alma’s faces.
“W-What are you saying?!” Sara had been staring fixedly at Rio and Miharu, but when Latifa and Orphia’s conversation reached her ears, she was taken aback.
“Well, as long as we don’t disrupt Rio and Miharu’s lessons, we should be able to sit in and learn ourselves,” Alma expressed casually.
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