“...Yes, I’ll take one.” Gulping down the well-iced cocktail, their throats were quenched in an instant. At the same time, a huge wave of fatigue came upon them.
Charlotte gulped down her drink before expressing her appreciation towards Rio and Miharu with a smile. “Thank you for your hard work today, Sir Haruto. Lady Miharu.”
“Yes, even I feel a little tired,” said Rio.
“We’ll be ending tonight’s event soon, but I think you should have an idea as to why the banquet takes place over three days. The first day always ends after greeting everyone you don’t normally see, so we limit the attendees to those within our circles and prepare for outside guests on the second and third day. You two must have been especially busy, as the banquet ends with just the greetings for us royalty and guests of honor. I’m sorry for that,” Charlotte explained, holding a hand against her cheek as she apologized to Rio and Miharu. Seeing how the members of the Restoration were permitted to attend the first day, it showed just how much special treatment they were receiving.
“Not at all. We’re the ones causing trouble with our abrupt attendance, so please make use of us whenever you need to,” Rio said willingly.
“Yes, I’ll do my best as well!” Miharu agreed.
“However, position-wise, the first day is probably the toughest day for you two. You’ve already finished greeting the nobility from the Galarc Kingdom and Restoration tonight, and there’ll be other heroes in attendance from the second day onwards, which will scatter everyone’s attention. You should have a little bit of time to move around freely tomorrow,” Liselotte added.
“Yes, it’s our job as royalty to greet important figures from the other kingdoms. Please relax and enjoy yourselves tomorrow. Would you like to join the dance? If there’s time to spare, I’d love to have Sir Haruto as my partner for a song,” Charlotte said, inviting Rio with a flirtatious look.
Normally, the unspoken rule was for the man to make the invitation for a dance, but it was also acceptable for the woman to do the asking, depending on their relationship. For such exceptional cases, it was considered a breach of manners for an unmarried man to decline a dance invitation from an unmarried woman.
All the more so for Rio, who despite being Miharu’s savior, was still merely a commoner. There was no way he could decline. Or rather, there would be disadvantages in declining the offer, whereas there wouldn’t be any in accepting.
“Yes, it would be my honor,” Rio agreed without hesitation.
“Oh, I’m happy to hear that. In that case, it’s a promise — please ask me out tomorrow, Sir Haruto,” Charlotte said, grasping Rio’s arm as she drew closer to him.
“...Yes.” Rio almost stiffened up by impulse, but nodded amiably. He suddenly looked around to gauge the reactions of their surroundings, and Miharu startled in unrest. Liselotte sighed quietly so that Rio wouldn’t hear.
“Well then, I shall head over to Father’s side for a while. It looks like Lady Satsuki is heading this way now, so please continue your conversation.” Charlotte glanced at Miharu and smiled, bowing gracefully before looking in the direction of King Francois. Satsuki had just finished her wave of greetings and was left free to make her way towards them.
Charlotte grasped the hem of her dress and elegantly bowed to Rio and the others before calling out to Satsuki, who was about to replace her spot. “Thank you for your hard work, Lady Satsuki. I’m going to head over to Father, so please enjoy what little time is left in Sir Haruto’s company.”
“Yup, thank you. Good work today, Char.” After Satsuki smiled and nodded, Charlotte headed over to Francois. “Great job today, you three. Thank you for staying right beside these two for the whole time, Liselotte. I felt reassured,” Satsuki said to Rio, Miharu, and Liselotte.
“Not at all. Her Highness Princess Charlotte was present as well, and these two were answering all inquiries very smoothly without my assistance.” Liselotte shook her head with a smile.
“That’s not true. It was a big help to have you there,” Miharu said, and Rio agreed.
“What they said. And besides, I wanted to thank you for bringing Miharu to the banquet in the first place, Liselotte,” Satsuki said.
“I brought Lady Miharu to the banquet because I owed Sir Haruto a debt. If anything, bringing Lady Satsuki’s friend here has ultimately benefited me as well, so I should be the grateful one. I’ve been able to form a new bond with Sir Haruto as well,” Liselotte smirked devilishly and glanced at Rio. The four people present could tell what kind of relationship she meant without any further detail.
“I’ve heard that you have memories of your previous life, including the story behind the Ricca Guild. Of course, I don’t know the specific details of your past life...” Satsuki said as she carefully watched Rio and Liselotte’s reactions. She could only imagine herself what it was like to have memories of a past life, but she figured the topic of a dead person’s memories was rather delicate and found it hard to ask about it directly.
That being said, it was the perfect topic to dig into how close the relationship was between Rio and Liselotte, and depending on what was discussed, it could give her a clearer view of Liselotte as a person. With the four of them gathered together, it was the optimal timing to bring up the topic, even in a roundabout way.
“Actually, while part of the reason is due to how I’ve been too busy to make the time, we haven’t really sat down and discussed our past lives with each other in detail,” Liselotte said with a wry smile, glancing at Rio.
“It could also be because of the difficult topic,” Rio added with a slightly guilty look. As a matter of fact, the reason why Liselotte hadn’t discussed her past life in great detail was due to Rio hinting at his connection to Miharu in his previous life — he’d requested that he be the one to tell Miharu and the others the truth about how Miharu was from a world four years before Haruto and Rikka died.
Until Rio told Miharu the truth, she wouldn’t say anything. She drew a line there out of consideration for Rio, which he was somewhat aware of.
“Yes. However, I’ve wanted to talk to you too. If it’s okay with Sir Haruto, I would like to discuss this more in the future,” Liselotte said.
“...After the third night of the banquet, sometime in the near future, I’d like to have some of your time to discuss it,” Rio declared to Liselotte eloquently.
“Is that really okay with you?” Liselotte widened her eyes a bit and looked at Rio.
“Yes. My goal was this banquet to begin with. I won’t put it off anymore,” Rio said, showing a fleeting smile. Incidentally, the goal he was referring to was his deadline to reveal the truth to Miharu and the others. However, Miharu and Satsuki had no idea what he was talking about, and tilted their heads in confusion.
“...I see. Well then, I’ll be looking forward to it. There’s a lot of things I want to talk about with you,” Liselotte rejoiced with a kind smile.
“It seems like these two are lost in their own world. Right, Miharu?” Satsuki narrowed her eyes at Rio and stepped closer to Miharu, who was similarly being left out of the conversation. Miharu looked panicked and stumbled over her words.
“Ah, no... Umm...”
“Don’t worry. I’ll be sure to tell you as well, Satsuki.” Rio said with a bitter smile.
“Hmm, I don’t intend on prying into things forcefully...” Satsuki had an apologetic but conflicted look on her face.
“It’s something relevant to you too.”
“...Hmm. Well, all right then.” At Rio’s words, Satsuki’s eyes widened as she nodded. Meanwhile, Miharu was silently and idly watching Rio, when their gazes suddenly met.
“Of course, I’ll tell Miharu too. I’ve stayed silent about it until now, and I know it’s completely at my convenience to tell you now... But I’d appreciate it if you could listen,” Rio explained awkwardly, frowning at Miharu.
“O-Okay...” Miharu gulped, nodding her head.
“...It feels like the air got a bit heavy
. Okay! Let’s set this conversation aside for now. Oh yes, that’s right. Liselotte, there’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you in person.” Satsuki clapped her hands together as she changed the subject, looking at Liselotte.
“Sure, what is it?” Liselotte cocked her head.
“Does the Ricca Guild handle rice and miso?” Satsuki asked, looking at Liselotte’s face expectantly.
“Ah, of course you would miss that,” Liselotte seemed to sense Satsuki’s emotions and laughed a bit sadly in empathy.
Satsuki assumed there was little hope from Liselotte’s reaction. “I guess you don’t have it, then...?” she asked helplessly.
“Technically speaking, we do have rice. However, we lack an appropriate method to cook the rice grains into white rice. I eat it as risotto, but I do miss the taste of white rice. Unfortunately, I don’t have the knowledge of how to produce miso, so it doesn’t exist at present,” Liselotte replied regretfully.
“I see. I asked around in the castle, but they said they didn’t know, so I didn’t have high hopes... Ah, I want to eat white rice and miso soup...”
“...Yes, I want to eat it too.”
Meanwhile, Rio and Miharu exchanged a slightly awkward glance with each other, unsure of how to react when they had been eating that on a daily basis. Rio realized it would be bad to stay silent and spoke up to the two of them. “...In that case, shall I prepare it for you?”
“...Huh?” Satsuki and Liselotte both widened their eyes, looking at Rio in unison.
“I have rice and miso, so I can share some with you. And with some pickled vegetables too, if you’d like,” Rio said with a strangely strained smile as he explained his previous statement in more detail.
“Y-You have them?!”
“And with pickled vegetables?!”
Satsuki and Liselotte reacted in unison once more, drawing close to Rio.
“Well, yes, actually...” Rio nodded awkwardly.
“You! If you had them you should have said so earlier!”
“That’s right! Do you know how long I’ve spent searching for those?!”
Satsuki and Liselotte were completely synchronized in their pouting. Even the normally courteous and well-spoken Liselotte was showing her true self at the prospect of a white rice, miso soup, and pickled vegetables set.
“I-I understand. Then, sometime in the near future, if you could find the time to have a meal with just the four of us. I would be happy to prepare the food.” Rio was overwhelmed by their enthusiasm and made a firm promise, though he left all the minor details to them.
“A meal with the four of us... No, I got it. It’s for the sake of rice and miso soup and pickled vegetables. I’ll negotiate a way to hold a dinner party in my quarters.” Satsuki hummed in thought, refusing to back down.
“Please do, Lady Satsuki,” Liselotte said with a serious expression.
The first night of the banquet came to an end, and they all fell into a deep sleep, too tired to visit the stone house.
Chapter 6: Banquet, Before Day 2. And in the Shadows...
It was decided that Rio and Miharu would continue to stay in Satsuki’s quarters for the first night of the banquet. The next morning, they rose a little later than usual due to their fatigue from the previous night and enjoyed a relaxed breakfast. Once afternoon rolled around, they had a later lunch to accommodate for the late breakfast.
“Mm, I still feel tired from yesterday. It was my first time talking to so many people, so it was more exhausting than I thought it’d be. Are you two doing all right?” Satsuki asked Rio and Miharu as she stretched her arms in the air.
“I think I’ll manage,” Rio nodded cheerfully. There was no sign of fatigue on his face.
“Me too,” Miharu said, but her face showed a bit of exhaustion.
“No pushing yourselves. The hero from the Centostella Kingdom could arrive at any moment, but we don’t know if it’s Takahisa or not, so we should just relax until we find out. Ah, speaking of relaxing, I want to go to Haruto’s house!” Satsuki said teasingly.
“While it would be bad to sneak out regularly, if there’s an opportunity for it, then you’re most welcome to come.” Rio chuckled. Miharu also laughed happily, clearly at ease at the moment despite her fatigue.
However, their moment of relaxation did not last long, as a knock echoed from the door to Satsuki’s quarters.
“Yes, who is it? It’s open.” Satsuki remained seated at the dining table as she called out to the door. Immediately, the door opened with a clack to reveal a female knight acting as messenger.
“Pardon the intrusion. The Centostella Kingdom’s hero, Sir Takahisa Sendo, has arrived. In line with this, he has immediately requested an audience with the two of you, and is waiting in the drawing parlor. Can you come with me?” The female knight said.
◇ ◇ ◇
Roughly ten minutes later, Satsuki and Miharu brought Rio along as they rushed towards the drawing parlor. When the guard before the room opened the door, Satsuki entered the room in the lead, Miharu and Rio following behind her.
“Excuse me!”
Inside the room, Francois and Charlotte from the Galarc side were seated in the lower seats, while the seat of honor at the back was taken by a black-haired Japanese boy and a beautiful girl with long, sparkling blonde hair. Three female knights stood on standby behind the boy and girl. A young girl in her early teens was among them, and for some reason her eyes widened a bit when she spotted Rio and the others.
“Satsuki! And...!” The black-haired Japanese boy shot out of his seat as soon as Satsuki appeared. Then, when he spotted Miharu behind her, his expression was overcome with emotion.
“You seem to be doing well, Takahisa.” Satsuki giggled at him.
“Y-Yeah! Ah, thank goodness. I’ve wanted to see you this whole time!” Takahisa nodded firmly before approaching Satsuki and the others, unable to stand still any longer.
“Ahaha, were you lonely?” Satsuki asked him teasingly.
“Of course I was. I thought I’d never be able to go home — never be able to see everyone again. I was so sad,” Takahisa said.
“Well, I know how that feels. I was the same until I met Miharu,” Satsuki said, turning back so that Takahisa could see Miharu behind her.
“Long time no see, Takahisa.” Miharu smiled gently. She hadn’t seen Takahisa in a long time.
“Ah, so you came to this world too, Miharu. I don’t know what to say... Umm, can I... can I look at your face from up close? I really wanted to see you. I wanted to see you all this time. When I thought I’d never see you again, I... I always regretted it...” Takahisa had a conflicted mix of happiness and regret on his face as he suddenly approached Miharu.
“Y-Yeah...” Miharu stiffened faintly when Takahisa came right up to her.
“I’m really so glad to see you again!” The swirling emotions within Takahisa’s chest must have exploded, as he suddenly hugged Miharu. Everyone’s eyes widened.
“Eh...?” Takahisa’s sudden action had Miharu completely taken aback too. Her entire body froze, but she subjected herself to being hugged for a few moments.
However, when she met Rio’s eyes beside her, she snapped back to her senses with a gasp. “A-Ah, s-stop it!” Miharu shoved Takahisa away reflexively and distanced herself from Takahisa. It was a reaction unimaginable of the normally-docile Miharu.
“Uh...” Takahisa blinked, slowly backing away one, then two steps. Then he looked down at his own arms, dumbfounded. Miharu’s warmth still remained.
He hadn’t hugged her as a means of harassment. He had just been so happy to reunite with Miharu, his elated emotions made him act before he realized it. However, he realized he’d done so without her permission and was shocked by his own actions.
“Ah, umm. I’m sorry.” Miharu returned to her senses and apologized for shoving Takahisa, her gaze wandering to avoid his out of fear. At the end of her gaze, she made eye contact with Rio.
“...” There was a
shadow over Rio, but he had a gentle expression that was worrying over Miharu’s loss of composure. The expression was very similar to the Haruto in her dreams, making a chill run down Miharu’s back.
Miharu suddenly had a flashback — in the dream Aishia showed her, Haruto had just entered high school and was watching Miharu and Takahisa talk intimately with a somewhat sad look on his face. “Y-You’re wrong. It’s not like that!” Miharu suddenly yelled to Rio in a panic, feeling as though her heart had frozen over. Everyone’s eyes widened — Rio included. He was taken aback.
“W-What’s wrong? Are you okay, Miharu?” Satsuki cheerfully grabbed the flustered Miharu by the shoulders and called out to her to calm her down, causing Miharu to return to her senses and blink.
“...Ah, y-yes! Umm, I’m sorry, I was just surprised!” Miharu rapidly cooled down and apologized awkwardly. When she looked at Rio’s face, her heartbeat thundered in her chest. Her body was heavy, like lead.
“Really?” Satsuki asked, looking carefully at Miharu’s face.
“Yes.” Miharu nodded, her face slightly pale. The two maintained eye contact for a while.
“That was all Takahisa’s fault just now,” Satsuki stated bluntly, glaring at Takahisa.
“Y-Yes!” Takahisa’s face stiffened with guilt, accepting that he messed up.
“I know how precious you consider Miharu to be and I know how happy you must have felt to see her again, but you shouldn’t hug a girl out of the blue. Miharu isn’t comfortable around boys to begin with, so you have to treat her more delicately,” Satsuki said, effectively scolding him.
“S-Sorry. I was overwhelmed by the moment, and just... out of happiness...” Takahisa’s face was completely pale as he struggled to explain himself.
“Well, I know how you feel, but...” Satsuki heaved a sigh in exasperation.
“Umm, Miharu! I’m sorry! Truly!” Takahisa gave up on the unnecessary explanation and bowed his head deeply.
“I-It’s okay. I’m sorry too. I shoved you really hard... Are you hurt?” Miharu said kindly, looking at the part of him she had shoved at.
Heroes in the Moonlight Page 17
