“How about this?”
“Hmm.”
“Or this one?”
“Huh.”
“Are you not going to answer properly?”
Sen glares at me displeased with her arms crossed. The clerk beside us awkwardly chuckles while subtly giving me a hint.
“Actually, thinking about it, I’ve never paid much attention to design when buying stuff. I just buy things that serve their purpose.”
As long as the plate holds food and the cup can hold water, isn’t that enough? I’ve never really thought about the design aspect.
But Sen was the same.
What would a girl who’s only lived in the Chokugen Faction understand? She’s just thinking instinctively.
“Well, you must have some preferences.”
“Why are you asking about my preferences when you’re the one using it?”
“……”
She raises her nose in a sort of smug way, and I can’t help but nod in agreement, but Sen puffs her cheeks slightly and pokes her fist against her chest.
“Because I’m going to use it with you, big brother.”
“Oh.”
“So hurry up and choose.”
Sen says in a voice that crawls along, and without realizing it, my body freezes up, but I don’t show it and reply that I understand, looking around slowly.
“You two seem to get along really well.”
“Hehe, right?”
At the clerk’s compliment, Sen beams with joy. Seeing that makes me tense up without knowing why.
Her face doesn’t look like that of a child who used to assassinate others due to the drugs affecting her emotions at all.
I thought about wanting to pick something slightly better for her as I cautiously began to stroll through the shop.
*
“Huh-hum.”
Sen walks while humming a tune. It wasn’t just about choosing the same dishware; she surprisingly seemed happy about matching the bedding set too.
After a quick lunch, we were heading back to the royal palace. Not that we had anything special to do, but I wanted to check on Eris’s condition.
Sen claimed she had already bought everything she needed, so she silently agreed.
As we walked, still with arms crossed, Sen leaned her head lightly on my shoulder and asked,
“So, big brother, who will the new sister-in-law be?”
“Don’t ask things like that.”
It was a question I couldn’t just carelessly answer, so I kept my mouth closed, but Sen suddenly looked up at me and hopped a little.
“Why not? Now that I’m family too, can’t I be curious about who the next family member will be?”
“Sigh, you’re still an academy student. What new sister-in-law?”
“……I think you’ll get married next year, big brother. You’ll be caught.”
That’s scary, so I give her a light smack on the forehead. Sen rubs her forehead, saying it hurt, but quickly cuddles against my arm, her mood restored.
She looks like a cat.
Then she burrows deeper into my chest.
“I’m experiencing family for the first time. So I might make mistakes, but I hope you can be a bit forgiving.”
Sen’s honest confession, her face hidden. I smile and gently pat her head.
“You’re my little sister. No matter what you do, I’ll always be your big brother.”
“Hehe.”
“So, let the past be the past and move forward.”
Sen wraps her arms tightly around my waist.
Strands of her disheveled white hair brush softly against my hand.
Her hair—devoid of color, as if to signify all that she has lost—might never return.
But the past is the past, and I just hope this girl will live looking ahead.
‘May all the tragedies that will eventually find you become part of your past.’
I simply wished, holding her a bit tighter. Sen seems to feel good about it and leans into me.
After a while, Sen peeks her head out from my embrace and asks,
“So big brother, if a new sister-in-law comes, will four people be living at home?”
“Well, Diana is at the Dragon’s Boundary, so I guess it’ll be three, but if she’s on vacation, then four.”
“Four might make the house a bit cramped.”
“Yeah, it could be tight.”
Since it was just me and my sister living there, the place was a bit small. I had thought living as three would be a bit cramped.
“Then can’t we just work something out?”
“Work something out how?”
“Think about it; one person can take on two roles at once, right?”
“……Hey.”
I was about to smack her again, but she quickly buried her face into my chest, whispering.
“Think about it, Daniel.”
*
“Sigh.”
In the past, when Sen used to call me Daniel, just her saying ‘big brother’ once would tug at my heartstrings.
Now, somehow, the opposite situation has formed, and it feels a bit strange as I headed to our meeting place.
The sun outside was slowly setting.
The soft glow of the sunset strangely comforted me.
But it didn’t feel good.
It was more like being dragged down by a heavy sister-in-law, which was a bit annoying.
“Phew.”
Another sigh escaped.
It seems that the battle against the end of the continent’s fate was fast approaching, and while I thought of spending some time with friends,
this was my first time not wanting to be alone with someone like this.
At the end of the corridor stood Bertia, politely waiting.
Though I had no choice but to come due to my dinner appointment with Elise, seeing the gentle smile on her face made me want to go back again.
“Welcome.”
Did she read my mind, as she greeted me first without me even getting closer?
Unease slowed my steps unconsciously.
Standing in front of Bertia, my pace completely halted.
“Don’t worry too much. It’s just a simple meal.”
“Do you really think I’ll believe that?”
“Hehe, the suit looks great on you.”
Once again, Bertia expertly turns the conversation, opening the door. Inside the grand banquet hall, Elise sits elegantly at a long table.
“Here, waiting for you.”
“It feels like stepping into a tiger’s mouth.”
The tie around my neck feels tighter than before. When I mentioned that I’d be having dinner with Elise, I suddenly recalled Sen’s anxious face saying, “Stay focused.”
“Ah, you’ve arrived, I was waiting.”
“Yeah. I’m here.”
Dressed not only in a gown but adorned with various exquisite accessories, I thought that if she sold them all, she could probably buy a whole castle.
“Let’s start with the meal.”
“Alright.”
Despite the long distance between us due to the sheer length of the table, she doesn’t seem to mind at all.
As I sit down, a myriad of dishes enters the room. I’m surprised at the amount, thinking this is a bit excessive for just two people.
I candidly state while observing the food being calmly presented on the table,
“Don’t expect any dining etiquette from me. I’m not good at it.”
“Don’t worry. Just eat as much as you want comfortably.”
“……”
This feels oddly courteous, doesn’t it?
Forcing myself to ignore the strange sense of unease that had been lingering since earlier, I start eating.
“Is the food to your liking?”
“Yeah, it’s tasty.”
Royal palace food is always good, but today’s dishes seemed particularly excellent; I found myself continuing to eat without realizing it.
“It’s a shame that it’s just us.”
“Eh, we can share, it’s okay.”
Her joy as she covers her mouth while giggling seems to fit her name of princess, being both beautiful and graceful, prompting me to ask frankly.
“……What are you scheming?”
“Excuse me?”
“I don’t really think you’re just having a meal like this.”
Seeing Elise behave so calmly, unlike the crazy girl I’d met before, filled me with unease.
But Elise, as if already knowing, smiled and said,
“I thought it would be nice to have this time together.”
“……”
“I can tell you’re hiding something from us. If it’s something you can tell, then you would have already done so.”
Considering Elise’s insights, I thought she’d realize quickly if I were hiding anything.
“But that’s okay. I trust you. So for today, just enjoy the meal.”
“Alright.”
To be honest, I didn’t expect her to respond like this.
The relaxing atmosphere and aroma soothed me as I picked up my fork.
“Thanks, thanks to you…”
Thump.
“Uh?”
My heart unexpectedly races.
For a moment, I wondered if something went wrong with the imprint, feeling anxiety, but it wasn’t that.
Thump, thump.
My heartbeat quickened, and my face felt strangely hot.
As my body temperature boiled, I suddenly looked up at Elise.
She was already coming closer to me.
“I trust you, but shouldn’t I at least make sure by taking a definite promise with you?”
“What… did you do?”
“Nothing much. Just, um. I put something in the food to boost vitality, make you want to move right away, and to awaken your primal desires.”
What does that even mean?
Though my heart’s racing, I force my restless hand to calm down.
Thunk.
As Elise pushes my shoulder, I stumble and fall to the floor, and the princess I was just dining with vanishes, replaced by the crazy girl Elise.
“Ahh, my master! Let me become completely yours. Leave your marks on me!”
“Y-You crazy girl!”
“Ahh! My master!”
The drug I ingested throws my thoughts into chaos. I feel my mind spinning, yet my body is desperate to move.
Elise’s luxurious perfume draws closer, and her soft lips, which had just been so gently placed on the food, now stick to me, as if intent on breaking my reason.
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