“Umm, does that mean you have memories from when you were asleep, too?”
“No. It’s just that the things Haruto saw and heard flowed into me through our contract’s connection.”
Celia’s eyes widened in surprise. “...That’s amazing. I don’t know about ancient sorcery, but that’s an art that cannot be done in modern day sorcery, for sure.”
“It’s hard even with spirit arts. Telepathy is one thing, but sharing memories between each other requires quite a high level of mind synchronization.”
“I see. ...Hm? But isn’t that... It sounds like you’re saying that your consciousness and Rio’s consciousness are strongly tied together, almost...?” It was something Celia couldn’t overlook.
“That’s what a spirit contract is. We’re spiritually bound together on a soul level,” Aishia agreed bluntly.
“Wha...” Celia was at a loss for words. T-That’s not fair! she thought in her mind. Aishia tilted her head curiously.
Celia met Aishia’s eyes; fearing she had been seen through, she flinched, before purposefully changing the subject. “T-That aside, Rio’s been able to use spirit arts since his days in the academy, right?”
“Yup. He was self-taught, so his technical skills were a little clumsy, but he worked hard at it by himself,” Aishia agreed with a nod.
“I-I see. He never showed any sign of that, so I never noticed, but he really worked hard...” Celia smiled somewhat wistfully. Considering how out of the ordinary spirit arts was, her judgment made sense... though she was a little sad that he hid it from her at the time.
“The reason why Haruto didn’t tell you wasn’t because he didn’t trust you,” Aishia uttered simply. She’d hit the nail on the head.
“I-I know that. It isn’t something to tell someone for no reason, and even telling someone trustworthy can be risky. Rio isn’t that kind of person. That is, how should I put it...”
“Even when he’s in trouble, he doesn’t really rely on others. He tries to solve it himself,” Aishia pointed out, making Celia nod along furiously.
“Yes, like that!”
“But, he’s a little different from before. He’s still a little shy about it, but he’s starting to rely on others more,” Aishia said regarding Rio’s growth, which was something that Celia was unaware of.
“Huh, is that so... So he’s grown up that much in the time we were apart...” Celia’s eyes widened in interest as she watched Aishia with envy in her eyes.
“It’s thanks to Celia,” Aishia said.
“R-Really?” Celia blinked, looking shocked.
“Yup. Of course, part of it was also because he met lots of warm people on his journey and grew close to them, but the first person to show Haruto kindness was Celia. Celia stayed beside Haruto throughout his whole academy life,” Aishia said, showing a rare smile.
“...” Celia found herself captivated by Aishia’s soft, warm smile without realizing it.
“Please be kind to Haruto, as you always have,” Aishia said in conclusion.
“...Fufu, of course I will.” Celia smiled gently, nodding happily.
◇ ◇ ◇
The two girls continued to chat for a while. Then, Celia and Aishia left the bathroom and returned to the living room.
“Rio, that was a wonderful bath. Thank you. Wait... What’s that nice smell?” Celia called out to Rio, who was just on his way between the kitchen and dining table, when an appetizing scent wafted over to her nose.
“I prepared dinner while the two of you were in the bath. You must be hungry, no?” Rio asked.
“Yup, I’m starving!” Celia agreed energetically. Her stomach growled loudly.
“So it seems,” Rio said with a chuckle.
“I-It’s not what you think! Wait, it’s true that I’m hungry, but I haven’t eaten since breakfast, you know?!” Celia excused herself in a fluster, face blushing red.
“I know. I just finished the last dish, so let’s dig in. You can sit at the table first.” With that, Rio headed toward the kitchen.
“Uuh...!” Celia blushed red, slapping her tummy several times.
“Let’s go, Celia. This way,” Aishia called out.
“O-Okay.” Celia nodded shyly, trotting along after Aishia.
“Uwah, it looks delicious...” Celia’s eyes widened.
Lined on the dining table was a rice container with freshly cooked white rice, along with western main dishes like bread, beef stew, steamed tomatoes with rolled cabbage, terrine, and salad.
“They’re all just made from leftover ingredients lying around. I grilled some hamburg steaks, too.” Rio carried over a plate with the steaks on it.
“This is a whole feast...” Celia gulped.
After they took their seats and finished preparing, Aishia clapped her hands together and gave the Japanese greeting that was said before eating a meal. “Itadakimasu.”
“I-ta-da-ki-ma-su?” Celia tilted her head curiously at the unfamiliar words and action from Aishia.
“It’s a word from the other world, like a prayer before eating, or like a greeting. Kind of like offering your gratitude to the cook and food,” Rio explained.
“Huh. Then, itadakimasu. Thank you, Rio.” Celia imitated Aishia’s behavior.
“No problem. My turn, now. Itadakimasu.” After Rio also said his pre-meal greetings, they finally began to eat.
Celia delicately handled her knife and fork to slice a piece of terrine and bring it to her mouth. She grinned brightly almost immediately. “I’ll try the terrine first... Wow, it’s good!”
“I’m glad to hear that.” As a noble, Celia was far more knowledgeable about gourmet foods than the average person; getting high praise for the food from someone like Celia was something to be proud of.
“I’ll try the steamed cabbage next... The broth looks a little red. What kind of flavor is that? Wait... Uwah, it’s so soft!” Celia lightly pressed her knife into it to see the surface slice immediately. She then pushed a little harder and gracefully cut off a slice.
“I used an ingredient unavailable in the Strahl region called a tomato. Please give it a taste first.”
“Tomato? Okay. Then, I will... Ah, there’s meat and cheese inside it! I can already tell this will be delicious with just this. Geez...!” At Rio’s urging, Celia moved her knife and fork. She moved a small slice of rolled cabbage to her mouth before wriggling a little.
“Is it delicious?” Rio asked as he observed Celia for her reaction with a grin on his face.
“Yup, it’s delicious! So good!” Celia nodded her head furiously like an attention-seeking dog.
“Thank goodness. Please try the stew and hamburg and everything else. It goes well with both the bread and the white food over there.”
“Huh, what’s this white thing?”
“This is called ‘rice,’ a grain used as a staple food instead of wheat in the Yagumo region. It’s possible that a similar grain is cultivated in certain areas of the Strahl region too, though...” Rio explained.
“Hmm. At the very least, I haven’t seen grain served like this before. Well, whatever. I’ll try a little first...” Celia scooped a little rice onto her plate.
“The rice itself doesn’t have any particular taste, so you eat it together with flavorful side dishes,” Rio lectured.
“Okay. Then, with this hamburg... Aah, geez, it really is yummy. Yeah, this is, definitely...” After smiling broadly at the taste of the hamburg, Celia followed it up with a small forkful of rice. She chewed for a few moments, checking the taste. It was her first time eating the food, but she seemed to like it quite a bit.
“There’s lots, so please eat your fill.”
“Thank you. But with a meal this delicious, I can’t help but want to drink some alcohol, too.”
“I have good alcohol as well. Dissolvo.” Rio responded to Celia’s request by immediately using his Time-Space Cache. Suddenly, a wooden alcohol bottle appeared on the dining table.
“You really leave nothing to be
desired...” Celia laughed with an almost exasperated smile. Rio poured the alcohol into three glasses and served them to Celia and Aishia.
“Okay, cheers.”
“Cheers!” With a toast from Rio, Celia and Aishia both raised their glasses and voices. Celia ecstatically enjoyed the scent of the alcohol before bringing her mouth to the glass. Her eyes widening in astonishment.
“?!”
Her expression changed at once, and she peered fixedly at the contents of the glass. “W-Where is this from?!” She asked, taken aback.
“I picked up along my journey.” To be precise, it was sake made in the spirit folk village.
“Which means in the Strahl region...”
“It doesn’t exist.”
“I-I see...” Celia hung her head in disappointment at Rio’s answer.
“Is it good?”
“It’s not just good. Out of all the alcohol I’ve had until now, this is unmistakeably the best tasting one I’ve ever had — I guarantee it! This must have been quite expensive for a single bottle, I’m sure,” Celia declared heatedly. As a noble, she must have had many types of high quality alcohol before, so her assessment was quite reliable.
“I see. Well, there are no plans for it to be sold as of right now. The only ones who can drink it in the Strahl region are us,” Rio stated proudly.
“...How utterly extravagant.” Celia muttered quietly, her smile twitching.
With the soap from the bath earlier, the magic artifacts contained in it, and all the other things today, Celia’s idea of reality was crashing down around her. They were hogging all this knowledge and technology that could produce tremendous riches all to themselves, so an indescribable feeling of guilt rose within her.
That aside, their meal time passed by harmoniously until most of the food was eaten in the blink of an eye.
“Gochisousamadeshita.” Rio and Aishia clapped their hands together and gave their end of meal greeting.
“Gochisousamadeshita.” Celia imitated the two of them with awkward pronunciation.
“Here, have some tea to help you digest.” Rio poured some tea he had warmed up in advance into a teacup and served it to Celia and Aishia.
“Thank you. This tea uses some good quality tea leaves, too.” Celia’s nose twitched as she sniffed before she smiled with satisfaction.
“I’m just pouring it the same as always, though. You’re free to drink as much as you want in this house, and there are many other types of tea leaves available, too,” Rio said, laughing loudly.
“Honestly, the longer I stay in this house the more my sense of reality flies out the window.” Celia smiled wryly with a sigh.
“By the way, I was thinking we should go out tomorrow to buy the daily necessities you need. Is there anything else you want to do, Professor?”
Celia frowned and hesitated for a long moment before speaking up timidly. “...Umm, I was hoping I could at least inform my father of my safety. Would that be okay?”
“Sure, I don’t mind,” Rio agreed immediately.
“...Is that okay?” Celia’s eyes rounded, as she was taken by surprise.
“Yes. Judging by your reaction, you must have worried about this. I should have brought it up first. I apologize for my lack of consideration...” Rio said with an ashamed expression.
“N-No, not at all! I should be the one to apologize. I’m causing nothing but trouble for you.” Celia frowned apologetically.
“You’re no trouble at all, Professor. I told you before we left, remember? That I’ll do whatever I can to make sure everything returns to its proper place.” Rio shook his head gently and smiled cheerfully.
Celia was moved to tears. “Y-Yeah. Thank you, thank you so much. I was hoping there’d be some good way of informing him of my safety, since it’s not like I can meet him in person, but I couldn’t think of anything, so it was hard to bring up... I’m sorry for putting this on you. It’s not your fault,” she said sadly.
“...Then, how about writing a letter? As soon as we finish tomorrow’s shopping,” Rio suggested in a soft voice.
“A letter?” Celia blinked, her eyes widening.
“I’ll personally deliver it to your house. Just like when I snuck into the castle,” Rio said, grinning mischievously.
Celia gazed at him in surprise and understanding. “Ah, I see... Th-Then, can I come along too?!”
Rio nodded easily. “Yes, of course!”
◇ ◇ ◇
After Rio had his turn bathing, it was time for bed. With Celia’s room decided, all that was left was to go to sleep.
“Good night, then.”
“Yes. Good night, Professor.”
They said their farewells for the night and left the living room. Celia watched Rio’s departing back with a pleasant smile, before turning on her heel to leave, too.
“W-Wait! Wait, hold on a minute! Hold it right there!” Rio and Aishia were about to enter the same room together, so she called out to them in a panic.
Rio and Aishia both froze mid-step, turning to face Celia. “Is something the matter?”
“D-Don’t give me that. Why are you two trying to enter the same room so naturally? W-What do you intend on doing — I mean, you’re going to sleep, right?” Celia asked in a high-pitched voice.
“Huh? That’s right... Ah, I’m sorry. This is what we always do.” Rio looked at Aishia and gave a strained smile, scratching at his head awkwardly. It had become so natural for Aishia to always be beside him; Aishia tilted her head curiously.
“A-Always?! Always sleeping together?!” Celia’s eyes widened in shock.
“N-No. Well, yes, but please calm down first, Professor. We aren’t doing anything weird,” Rio said hesitantly, first trying to calm Celia down. Aishia only slept in the same room as him on the condition that she was in her spirit form, but he wasn’t able to explain that on the spur of the moment.
“A-A-Anything weird... B-But, you’re sleeping in the same room together... right?” she questioned in a barely audible voice, unable to look Rio and Aishia directly in the eye. Celia seemed to be imagining something as she blushed.
“We’re in the same room, but its impossible for something physical to happen accidentally between us since, well, Aishia is in her spirit form.”
“Spirit... form...” When Rio explained the circumstances succinctly, Celia simply blinked.
“Spirits like Aishia use magic essence as their source of energy. By binding a spirit contract, they are able to replenish their essence through their contract connection. And the closer they are to the contract party, the more efficient this is... Right, Aishia?”
“There’s that, too, but being beside Haruto is calming.” Aishia nonchalantly revealed her true feelings, tightly clinging to Rio. At such an easily misunderstood statement, Rio froze.
Celia came to a sudden stop and stiffened, too. “...H-Huh, is that, so... H-How close of you,” she said in a horribly upset squeak.
Worried about Celia, Rio hurriedly called out to her. “P-Professor.”
“W-What?” Celia once again feigned composure and awkwardly inclined her head.
“No, umm, how should I put this...” Rio scratched at his head with a troubled expression.
“Do you want to sleep with us?” Aishia suddenly suggested.
“E-Eeh?” Rio’s eyes rounded in surprise.
“Celia should just sleep in the same room. Then I can sleep in my physical form, too. It’s no big deal.”
“No no no...” Rio murmured. There was most definitely a problem.
“You don’t want to, Haruto?”
“That’s not the problem here...” Rio looked at Celia with an expression that was borderline pained. Celia froze, her face turned bright red. She returned to her senses when she noticed Rio’s gaze, making her yell in astonishment.
“...W-What are you saying, Aishia?!”
“We went into the bath together,” Aishia stated simply.
“Huh... What do you mean?”
Unable to understand the meaning of the sudden statement, Celia looked at her questioningly.
“During naptime earlier, Celia said you have to take a bath before sleep. Since we had baths, that means the three of us can sleep together, right?” Aishia explained, peering at Celia’s face.
“N-No! T-That wasn’t what I meant when I said that!” Finally understanding the meaning of her statement, Celia shook her head in a fluster.
Aishia tilted her head curiously. “Then what did you mean...?”
“I-I mean... That’s not what I meant. Got it, Rio?!” Celia found herself at a loss for words. She looked over at Rio to seek help.
“Ah, ahaha... I know.” Rio agreed with an uncomfortable laugh.
“...In other words, Celia doesn’t want to sleep together?” Aishia seemed to come to her own answer as she looked between Rio and Celia.
“Uhh...” Celia mumbled, not really wanting to reply.
“Umm, I guess so?” Rio nodded nervously as he cocked his head in confusion. He had the feeling someone had missed the point somewhere, but he figured it was better not to think too deeply about it.
“Then, let’s sleep. I’m sleepy...” With a small yawn, Aishia pulled at Rio’s arm.
“W-Wait, Aishia?!” Rio tried to stop Aishia, glancing at Celia.
After a brief moment of conflict, Celia made up her mind and called out to Rio and Aishia. “...G-Geez! I get it, I get it already!”
The two stopped and turning around to face Celia. “Umm... What do you get?” Rio asked timidly.
“I-I’ll sleep in the same room. I-I just can’t overlook the two of you sleeping together. I need to check if it’s really problematic or not!” Celia declared with a squeak of embarrassment.
“E-Eeh?!” Rio let out a hysterical noise. He had never imagined Celia would say something like that.
“W-What? Aishia can sleep in the same room as you, but I can’t?” Celia glared at Rio’s face reproachfully.
“I-It’s not a matter of whether you can or can’t. Aishia sleeps in her spirit form anyway...” Rio said, trying to persuade Celia.
“If Celia sleeps with us, I won’t turn into spirit form. It’s no fair for only Celia to be in a material form,” Aishia said without missing a beat.
Twilight Overture (Premium) Page 4
