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“Yup!” Latifa said with a carefree smile.

  “You two are close siblings in a way that’s different from Aki and Masato, aren’t you?” Celia smiled gently, looking at Aki and Masato, who would bicker with each other at every chance they got.

  ◇　◇　◇

  After the dishes were put away and everyone caught their breaths, Rio offered to clean up.

  “I’ll clean up the rest, so everyone can go relax.”

  “Then as promised, let’s all go take that bath together!” Latifa suggested and up energetically.

  “Fufu, then let’s get ready after we’re done with our tea. I’ll help clean up too.” Orphia took the initiative to agree and immediately offered to assist Rio in cleaning up. At practically the same time, Miharu stood up to help too.

  “It’s fine, Orphia, Miharu. This is my thanks for making the delicious meal,” Rio said, directing the two of them to rest at ease.

  “Then I’ll help carry the tableware, Haruto!” Masato said, offering to help out for once.

  “Please do,” Rio said.

  “Thank you, Onii-chan, Masato! I’m going to get ready then!” Latifa thanked the two of them before immediately heading to her room to prepare for the bath. Thus, as Rio and Masato cleaned up, the women left to undress together. They each returned to their room to get ready and head to the changing room.

  “Ehehe, I’m first!” Latifa took off her clothes before anyone else and ran towards the bathtub.

  “Latifa, don’t run inside here.” Sara was just in the middle of removing her bra when she spotted Latifa running inside. She placed a hand against her hip and called out to Latifa, causing her bra to softly fall to the ground.

  “Fufu, how bold of you,” Orphia giggled at Sara.

  “G-Geez, don’t stare at me. W-What is it, Celia?” Sara hurriedly hid her chest, but she noticed Celia staring at her and shrunk back in question.

  “Nothing, it’s just... your tail...” Celia continued to stare at Sara’s tail.

  “My... tail?” Sara tilted her head curiously.

  Celia mustered her courage and pleaded: “Umm... M-May I please touch it?”

  “...Sure, I don’t mind,” Sara agreed, smiling in amusement and agreed.

  “Then, if you’d excuse me...”

  “Go ahead.”

  Celia reached her hand out timidly, while Sara picked up her own tail to make it easier to touch. When Celia’s hand gently reached Sara’s tail, her eyes widened in amazement.

  “This is... such a thick coat!” It was bushy, but soft, making it a wonderful texture to the touch. Celia petted Sara’s tail, absorbed in how fluffy it was. Each time she touched the tail, Sara would shiver from the ticklish sensation.

  “U-Umm, it feels nice, but it’s a little ticklish,” Sara said with a faint blush.

  “Ah, I’m sorry! It just felt so nice to touch, I completely lost myself for a moment...” Celia laughed apologetically.

  “N-No, please continue petting all you like,” Sara requested with a grin.

  “Yes please! I’d even love to wash it!” Celia returned happily. Sara blinked blankly for a moment, before nodding with a giggle.

  “...Okay. Then, if you would please.”

  “Fufu, we’re going to go in first. Let’s go,” Orphia said in amusement as she, Miharu, Aki, and Alma passed them to enter the bath. Celia and Sara quickly followed them. Inside, Latifa and Aishia were already washing their bodies.

  “Hmm, hm-hmm,” Latifa was humming a song as her tail swished from side to side rhythmically.

  ...I’d love to touch Latifa’s tail too. Celia stared at Latifa’s tail with great interest, deciding to ask to touch it later. For now, she had to wash her own body first.

  “Now, shall we wash our hair and bodies too?” Celia suggested, lining up with Sara at the washing area and sitting on a stool. She began to carefully wash her hair, face, and body.

  After Sara had carefully washed everywhere except her tail — “Umm, did you still want to wash my tail like you said?” she asked Celia beside her shyly.

  “Yes, with pleasure! Is it okay to wash it just like with normal hair?” Celia said happily and moved her stool behind Sara.

  “Yes, that would be fine.” Sara nodded.

  “Then, I’m going to wash it now.” Celia gently grasped Sara’s tail and drenched it with warm water first, then used shampoo to gently create bubbles.

  “Fufu, it feels good.” Sara smiled, feeling a little ticklish.

  “I’m glad. If I hurt you or miss any spots, just let me know.”

  “Yup. By the way...” Sara opened her mouth to say something, making Celia tilt her head.

  “Hmm, what is it?”

  “Umm. You’ve known Rio for a long time now, right?” Sara asked, curious about Rio and Celia’s relationship. It was a little difficult to ask in front of Rio, but now was a suitable time.

  “That’s right. There were a few years in between where we didn’t see each other at all, but I first met him when he was seven, and knew him for over five years after that, so you could say it’s been a while.” Celia paused in washing Sara’s tail to answer, smiling as she reflected on the memories.

  “Over five years...” Sara’s eyes widened. In terms of duration of time together, it was much longer than the spirit folk had known him.

  “Yes. Huh? What’s wrong, everyone? Why the sudden silence?” Celia noticed the sudden silence in the bathroom and looked around her. Everyone’s attention was completely fixed on Celia, their eyes filled with curiosity.

  “Umm! I want to ask about that too! Please tell me more about the old Onii-chan!” Latifa said boldly.

  “Fufu, sure. I want to know more about the Rio that everyone knows too. Let’s all talk about it together,” Celia giggled in response to Latifa.

  “...Then, I will too.”

  “Me too!”

  Alma and Orphia offered to participate too. However, their voices echoed all over the bathroom, so there was no real point, as everyone could hear everything.

  “Uh...” Miharu was about to raise her hand too, but found herself unable to muster her courage and timidly withdrew her hand. Aki watched her do so closely.

  Meanwhile, Aishia was silently washing her hair.

  “Then, a question! What kind of child was Onii-chan like?” Latifa asked.

  “Let’s see... Not much different to now, I guess? From the first moment we met, he was a rather mature child...” Celia replied, looking back on the past with nostalgia.

  “So that’s what he was like...” Latifa accepted this with great interest.

  “Ah, but his demeanor’s grown a little sharper now, I guess? Like he’s grown from a boy to a man, or matured into an adult, if I had to say?” Celia added, cocking her head.

  “Then it doesn’t sound like he’s very different from the Rio we know.” Sara smiled somewhat happily.

  “Come to think of it, Rio went to a school for human nobility, right? Umm, I heard that he was placed on a wanted list after being dragged into a tangle with some nobles...” Alma recalled.

  “Yes, so you’ve heard about that from Rio too. He was in a bit of a special position, being an orphan and all. He was used as a convenient scapegoat,” Celia said with a frown.

  “Rio... was an orphan?” This was news to Sara and the others, whose eyes widened in shock. Miharu and Aki had also been listening closely, as their eyes were as wide as saucers.

  “Eh, h-huh? Didn’t you know? You knew about the academy, so I assumed... I’m sorry, please pretend you didn’t hear that... well, I guess you can’t.” Celia tried to explain herself in a panic, but slumped her shoulders when she realized she had messed up. Meanwhile, Aishia finished washing off the soap from her hair and slowly stood up, approaching Celia.

  “Haruto wasn’t hiding that on purpose or anything. He didn’t tell you himself, but that was because he wasn’t asked, so he didn’t answer. Anything he wouldn’t have wanted to be spread he would have informed you of in adv
ance, so don’t worry about it.”

  “Really?” Celia hesitantly tilted her head.

  “Yup, I think so too. I knew that Onii-chan was an orphan as well, after all.” Latifa nodded.

  “Is that so?” Sara asked Latifa in wonder.

  “Yup, that’s why it’s fine.” Latifa gave a fleeting smile. Aishia then left them to enter the bathtub first.

  “I see... But I’ll apologize to him later, just in case,” Celia sighed.

  “Umm, I know I shouldn’t pry too deeply into Rio while he isn’t present, but he once stated that he wasn’t nobility. May I ask why he was attending a school for nobles?” Alma asked.

  “...I can tell you the superficial truth. He saved a member of the royal family of my kingdom, so he was admitted into the academy as a reward. But with how he ultimately ended up being used as a scapegoat and was treated so coldly within the academy... it was more of a punishment than a reward,” Celia said uncomfortably.

  “Was there nothing that could be done about the wanted notice?” Sara asked in frustration, unable to bear the thought of that.

  “...I don’t think there was. It may sound like an excuse, but the one who made the decision was the king and an extremely small number of his nobles that controlled the kingdom. I was just a lecturer at the academy, nothing more than a researcher, so I had no real power at all. I only knew about the wanted notice by overhearing someone else, and by then it was already too late...” Celia said with an expression of deep shame and regret over her own powerlessness.

  “I’m sorry for asking something so difficult to answer,” Sara apologized, her wolf ears and tail drooping.

  “No no, it’s fine.” Celia shook her head weakly with a sad smile.

  “Umm, then, can I ask one more question?” Orphia said, raising her hand.

  “Of course,” Celia agreed readily.

  “I’d like to ask about how you and Rio spent your time together within the academy. Rio seems really fond of you, so I assumed you must have had wonderful memories together,” Orphia said with a warm smile.

  “How we spent our time... It was pretty normal, I think?” Celia tilted her head in slight embarrassment.

  “I want to hear about that normal. I’m sure it was special to Rio, who was isolated from his surroundings at the time,” Orphia said, with Sara and Latifa nodding along.

  “...Thank you for saying that.” Celia smiled happily.

  “So what did you do specifically?” Sara had forgotten her tail was being washed as she turned around to ask Celia directly.

  “L-Let’s see. There were eyes everywhere within the academy, so we spent a lot of time meeting in my research lab. We used to drink tea together often there. We would chat about things, and he’d also help with my research...” Celia looked back on the past with a smile at her lips.

  “I see. So to Onii-chan, his time with Celia was his healing time.” Latifa crossed her arms and grunted in understanding. She had actually heard about Celia from Rio personally several times before, but her awareness of her as a rival was newly refreshed.

  “That... might be true. I’d be happy if it was.” Celia grinned shyly.

  “I’m sure it was. Right, Aishia?” Latifa nodded firmly and addressed Aishia, who was soaking in the water with Miharu and Aki. Miharu also looked over at Aishia in interest.

  “Yup,” Aishia said quietly.

  “See!” Latifa gave a sunny and cheerful smile.

  “Thank you,” Celia said bashfully.

  “I’ve said this before, but the reason why Haruto is able to open his heart to people now is because of how Celia treated him while he went to the academy. It’s because Celia was always by Haruto’s side when he was at his loneliest that Haruto didn’t completely shut out others.” Aishia had a rare smile on her face as she added to her words eloquently. If he hadn’t had anyone he could talk to for over five years, he would have definitely stopped trusting people entirely.

  “T-That’s an exaggeration.” Celia felt helplessly awkward, being praised so openly in front of everyone.

  “Nope, I think Aishia’s right. It’s thanks to you being there that we were able to grow close to Onii-chan. Thank you very much,” Latifa said, bowing to Celia.

  “...Thank you,” Sara and the others exchanged a look before bowing their heads at Celia with a giggle.

  “Hey, don’t make fun of me!” Celia’s face reddened.

  “But...” Miharu, who had been listening silently until now, opened her mouth for the first time. Everyone’s attention gathered on her.

  “But I think that’s the truth. Because he’s so kind,” Miharu said with a slightly high-pitched voice. That was all she wanted to say, yet her chest was thumping uncontrollably, and she clenched her fists before her chest.

  “...Thank you. That might be right. He might be cowardly and awkward, but there’s no mistaking the fact that he’s a kind person.” Celia’s eyes widened, her tone softening as she spoke.

  “Cowardly, you say?” Sara asked hesitantly.

  “Yup. He’s a little distrustful of other people, or maybe you could call it being extremely wary about things. That’s why he’s a coward. Aishia was the one that said it though, I just applied my own reasoning to it,” Celia said with a faint smile.

  “...What about awkward and kind?” Alma asked curiously.

  “Hmm... It’s like he doesn’t doubt the people he trusts, and will believe them to the end, you know? He once said so himself that he was distrustful of other people, but I don’t think he actually wants to doubt them. That’s why he’s awkward, but kind.” Celia seemed to be having fun talking about Rio to others, as her thoughts came out as words quite fluently.

  “...You sure understand Rio well.” The spirit folk girls were in awe, watching Celia with looks of respect. Meanwhile, Miharu was watching Celia with a half-envious, half-awed look. Aki, in turn, was observing on her.

  “A-Ahaha, well, I have been close to him ever since he was in school.” Celia seemed to be embarrassed, as she tried to brush it off with a laugh.

  “Yup, I got it! In other words, you like Onii-chan, right?” Latifa suddenly exclaimed after quietly listening to Celia speak.

  “Um... W-Why would you think that?!” Celia was taken aback, shouting as her face turned bright red.

  “Eh? Because you really understand Onii-chan.” Latifa tilted her head.

  “T-That’s because... I’m his teacher and he’s my student!” Celia explained in a high-pitched voice.

  “Hmm, I wonder if that’s true... But you asked Onii-chan to help you run away from your wedding ceremony, right? I want to hear a little more about that. Right, everyone?” Latifa turned a dubious look at Celia, but continued with a question for Sara and the others.

  “Ah...” That reminded them of the story behind Celia and her wedding.

  “Come to think of it, that’s right. We wanted to hear more details about that from you too.” Sara nodded.

  “E-Eeh? B-But I’m still in the middle of washing your tail, so how about I finish this first so we can sit in the bath? You might catch a cold like this.” Celia hesitated, trying to avoid the topic, but it was clear that all further questions for her would surround said topic.

  In the end, they ended up having a fairly long bath together, chatting and having fun. There was a slight dispute over room allocations once they got out of the bath and had to go to bed, but that is a story for another time.

  Chapter 7: To Amande Once More

  The next afternoon, Rio departed from the rock house placed in the outskirts of the Galarc Kingdom to visit Amande. Miharu accompanied him, and Aishia was in her spirit form.

  They were finally going to Liselotte’s mansion.

  The two of them went to the gate at the northern area of the city and went through all the designated processes before going to the mansion.

  “Are you nervous, Miharu?” Rio asked the stiff-faced girl as they walked.

  “Yes, a little. This will be my firs
t time meeting a noble...” Miharu nodded awkwardly. She had already met a noble daughter when it came to Celia, but it appeared she had forgotten that fact.

  “Cecilia’s a noble too. Or does she not appear that way?” Rio informed her, using the alias that was decided. He was trying to ease Miharu’s nerves and had a teasing smile on his face.

  “...Ah, umm, in Cecilia’s case, I heard in advance that she was close to you, so she didn’t seem that way, or something... Of course, I think she’s beautiful and intelligent, just like a princess, you know?” Miharu gasped and excused herself in a fluster. In reality, from Miharu’s point of view, Celia was wonderful and had quite a presence to behold.

  “She would be delighted to hear that. If you’re not nervous interacting with Cecilia, then you should be fine with Liselotte too, so don’t be so tense,” Rio said, smiling naturally.

  “Okay,” Miharu nodded, peeking at Rio’s side profile.

  Thank goodness I can still speak normally even when I’m alone with Haruto. She sighed in relief.

  It may have been Miharu’s imagination, but she was a little worried that recently it felt like her relationship with Rio had been a little awkward. In particular, after Rio had returned to the village to inform them of Satsuki’s whereabouts, and Miharu had tried to ask Rio about his previous life...

  There were most likely two causes: the first was that Miharu herself was strongly convinced that Haruto — that Rio — was Amakawa Haruto. This one was for certain.

  Then, as for the other... For some reason, ever since Rio had returned to the village, it felt like he had been distancing himself somewhat. Of course, he wouldn’t do that in an obvious way and acted normal when they were with everyone else, but Miharu could feel a distance that was hard to put to words. It was different to being pushed away, more like being avoided...

  It made Miharu feel sad. That’s why she was a little anxious about today — she’d be in a situation with just the two of them. While part of her nerves was because of meeting Liselotte, the majority of it was because she had to be alone with Rio.

  That being said, Aishia was with them too in her spirit form, so they technically weren’t alone. On top of that, Miharu herself knew that her thoughts should be focused on other things right now, so she kept her doubts hidden in her heart.