“Haruto, is that person possibly Amande’s...” Miharu suddenly said. It seemed like she had someone in mind.
“Yes. She’s the governor of Amande and the president of the Ricca Guild too,” Rio confirmed.
“Huh? Wasn’t the Ricca Guild the place that sold the underwe... the swimsuits that we were trying to reproduce?” Orphia nearly said underwear, but corrected herself to swimsuit. The village was currently manufacturing experimental modern underwear and swimsuits based on what Miharu and the others brought to the village. Since there was an overwhelming number of opportunities to use underwear, Orphia had said underwear by reflex, but she apparently thought that word was a little embarrassing to say in front of Rio.
“Yup. Amande was a nearby city back when we lived in the Strahl region...” Miharu nodded, thinking hard. She knew that the Ricca Guild sold a lot of items that resembled modern Japanese products, so it was possible that the president, Liselotte, could also have been reincarnated like Rio...
Which meant Rio might have shared information about his previous life with Liselotte.
“You said that you saved Liselotte during some predicament, but what happened?” Alma asked out of curiosity.
“It’s a long story, but to summarize: there was a large-scale monster attack on Amande, and I cooperated with the extermination efforts,” Rio answered broadly.
“Did everything work out okay?” Miharu asked worriedly. She had never imagined such a thing would occur after they left Amande.
“Yes. I wouldn’t be here otherwise. Just to be safe, I had Aishia wait in a location away from Amande,” Rio replied with a smile.
“We don’t get monsters in this village, so it’s a little hard to imagine, but if Rio says it was large scale then there must have been an exceptional number of them,” Alma muttered.
Monsters seemed to live in areas close to human civilization, so there were barely any that took up residence in the Wilderness. Instead, all kinds of savage creatures ran rampant. She knew well how they could be threatening when they ganged up.
In the meantime, Sara’s interest as a warrior was piqued. “Could you tell us what battling monsters was like, if you don’t mind?”
Perhaps it was also because they were gathered for a meal where they were more taciturn than normal that she thought it was a good topic to go with.
Latifa raised her hand. “Ah! I want to hear about the circumstances under which Onii-chan and his teacher Celia lived together instead!” It was something that had bothered her ever since Rio returned to the village and casually mentioned they were cohabiting. Now that everyone was gathered together, she figured this was the perfect time to ask.
“Geez, Latifa, don’t interrupt other people while they’re speaking... Wait, living together! You’re right! Was it true you were living together?!” Sara tried to object to Latifa in exasperation when the topic of Rio cohabitating with Celia came up and she flipped sides instantly, her expression changing.
“Y-Yes. This is also a long story, but...” Rio was a little surprised, but he replied with a wince.
“How curious indeed, Sara,” Alma said with a giggle.
“Ah, no, that’s not...” As Sara had shown an excessive reaction already, she mumbled her words while blushing deeply. Orphia giggled as she watched Sara act in such a way.
“Hey hey, is she your local mistress, Onii-chan?” Latifa suddenly asked.
At that, the spirit folk looked surprised and coughed.
“...She’s not. Where did you learn such a word?” Rio must have felt a headache coming on, as he was pressing his head with his hand lightly.
“From Dominic,” Latifa revealed honestly.
“Got it. I’ll have a word with him the next time I see him,” Rio said with a sigh. He figured there was a need to emphasize not teaching Latifa strange things like that...
“Good grief, that old man... I shall scold him too. I’m sorry about him.” Alma felt ashamed of her own family and apologized to Rio with a dejected slump in her shoulders.
“Say, Onii-chan. How did you end up living together? She’s a noble lady, isn’t she?” Latifa was still curious and pouted her lips as she pressed Rio to talk. Sara and the other girls also seemed interested, staring at Rio closely.
“All right, I’ll tell you,” Rio nodded with a strained smile, explaining the series of events that led to Celia’s rescue.
◇ ◇ ◇
Later that night, Miharu called Aki and Masato to her room. The three of them sat in chairs around a small table.
“Have the two of you settled on your thoughts about the situation?” Miharu asked, immediately getting straight to business.
“...Yup,” Aki nodded.
“I’m still in the middle of thinking, but I want to hear your opinions too,” Masato said, scratching his head roughly.
“I see. Then let’s talk about it. Aki, could you start by telling us your thoughts?” Miharu asked.
“I... I want to return to Strahl. If there’s a chance that my brother is there and there’s a possibility that I can meet him... Then I want to attend the banquet,” Aki said seriously.
Miharu nodded. “I see... Then what about you, Masato?”
“The main issue stopping me is the possibility that we won’t be able to return here. Being with Haruto might mean he can teach me swordcraft, but... My first goal was to win once against Arslan...” Masato said, pondering to himself. “But we have to meet with Satsuki and my bro at some point, I guess. Well, it doesn’t feel great knowing we’ll be a burden, but I do want to go see them,” he added.
“Will we really be unable to return to this village? With my brother and Satsuki,” Aki muttered.
“Didn’t they say that the king wouldn’t approve of that? At the very least, Satsuki’s affiliated with the Galarc Kingdom now,” Masato repeated Rio’s words from earlier, stating the predicted outcome.
“But we don’t know how my brother and Satsuki feel about that.”
“That may be true, but isn’t that why we have to meet them to find out? Bro and Satsuki could have made close friends within the kingdom already, you know?” Whether they could or could not leave the kingdom aside, there was a possibility that they didn’t want to leave.
“That’s why I’m saying we should go see them and ask them directly. We also have to talk about whether we can return to Earth or not. That’s our problem, right?” Rather than have Rio act as an agent, there were things that could only be conveyed by the people involved.
“Mmgh, I see... But even supposing that Bro and Satsuki wanted to come to this village, and that we can return here too, are we even allowed to bring them along? Isn’t this place meant to be a secret? We made a promise.”
“That would... require consulting Rio and the elders...” Aki trailed off towards the end. She seemed to feel as though they had caused enough trouble for Rio and the village, so she had an uncomfortable look on her face.
Masato raised his hands in a gesture of surrender and looked to Miharu. “Mm... it’s no good. I still have no idea what to do at all. What do you think, Miharu?”
Aki’s gaze followed him to Miharu too. Miharu had been listening to the two of them talk in contemplative silence the entire time. “...I can understand both of your concerns. On top of all that, I want to follow Haruto.”
“Me too!” Aki chimed in.
“Wait, Aki. Let me continue.”
“O-Okay...” Aki was taken aback and nodded uncomfortably.
“Like Aki said, this is our problem. That’s why it isn’t something we should leave completely up to Haruto... It would be preferable to meet up directly and discuss things. Isn’t that right?”
“...Yeah,” Aki agreed fearfully.
“But, like Masato said, we’d most likely be burdens and get in the way. That’s why... This isn’t exactly a compromise, but I’m thinking I should represent the two of you and attend the night banquet with Haruto,” Miharu said.
“Then what abou
t us...?” Aki asked worriedly.
“You’d stay back here at the village. If you insist, we can ask if you can come along to Strahl, but I’ll be the only one to attend the night banquet. I want you to wait with Ai-chan somewhere safe near the castle,” Miharu said, peering at Aki’s face.
“But that’s... That means that even if Masato and I follow you to Strahl, there’s a chance we won’t get to see Satsuki at all, doesn’t it?” Aki asked, looking terribly frustrated.
“...Yeah. Haruto said he would try bringing Satsuki out of the castle if possible, but that doesn’t guarantee that he will, just that the possibility is there. Of course, I’ll try discussing it with Satsuki too to see if we can get the two of you inside the castle, but that’s not guaranteed either,” Miharu explained to Aki honestly. “Do you still want to go to Strahl regardless of that, Aki?”
“Uh...” Aki was unable to respond straight away, a tearful expression on her face.
“What about you, Masato?” Miharu continued.
“I...” Masato hesitated with a sour expression.
“We don’t know what kind of position we’ll be placed in at the castle, so having the three of us present would be an even greater burden on Haruto, don’t you think? That’s why I want you to let me talk to Satsuki alone first.” That way, even if Miharu became unable to move in the castle, Aki and Masato could return to the village.
“...Miharu, you...” Aki suddenly raised her head, trying to say something with a look of deep thought.
“What is it, Aki?” Miharu looked back at Aki, listening in earnest.
“Miharu, you... Haruto...”
Do you like Haruto? Is it because you’ve overlapped Haruto with that man so much? Is that why you want to be beside Haruto?
That’s what Aki wanted to ask, but the words got stuck in her throat and her mouth wouldn’t move. Instead, a very sulky expression fell across her face and she pouted with tears in her eyes.
“...Say, Aki. I know you might find it hard to rely on me, but I’m your big sister too. We’re not related by blood, but I’ve grown up with you this whole time, so I believe we are. That’s why... If you think of me in the same way, could you leave this to me just this once?” Miharu asked with a troubled face. Aki bit her lip in frustration and suddenly stood up.
“...All right.” She hugged Miharu, burying her face into Miharu’s chest.
“Thanks, Aki. I’m sorry.” Miharu smiled gently and patted Aki’s back to comfort her.
“It’s okay. But I still want to go to Strahl. Even if I can’t see Satsuki or my brother this time, I want to be beside you.” Aki shook her head and tightened her hold around Miharu.
“Aki...” Naturally, Miharu hugged Aki back tighter too.
“...Umm, are the two of you forgetting me?” Masato seemed to feel uncomfortable at being forced to watch the display of their sisterly love, as he reinforced his presence with embarrassment.
“What? You were here?” Aki said to Masato, her eyes slightly puffy with tears.
“Uh, yeah, I was. From the very beginning,” Masato stressed.
“Hmm... So? What, do you want to be hugged by Miharu too? Gross. What a pervert.” Aki shot Masato an unamused look, trying to hide her embarrassment.
“Wha— No, that’s not it! I wasn’t thinking anything about how jealous I was or how soft they must be!” Masato denied with a red face.
“You’re just digging your own grave...” Despite Aki’s exasperation, she couldn’t hold back her giggles.
“S-Shut up!” Masato yelled in a fluster.
“Well, whatever. What will you do, then? Do you want to stay at the village and continue your sword training?” Aki asked Masato, trying to recover their derailed conversation.
Masato scratched his head shyly. “Ah, well. If it’s come to this, I’ll have to bow my head to Haruto too. I want to go to Strahl as well.”
“Hmm, so you’re coming after all. You didn’t seem that enthusiastic about it...” Aki stared closely at Masato’s face.
“Shut up. I changed my mind.” Masato turned away.
“Oh, really.” A smile tugged at Aki’s lips.
“Fufu.” Miharu watched the two of them with an amused smile on her face. They finally felt like their usual selves again. But with that decided, they had to make haste.
“First, let’s all go to Haruto. Then we’ll call Sara and the girls over and give our report together,” Miharu suggested.
“Yup.”
“Okay.”
Aki and Masato nodded in unison.
With that decided, the three of them visited Rio’s room and knocked on the door, with Rio’s reply coming immediately. “Come in.”
“Wait, Latifa?!” It seemed there was something of a commotion inside.
“Excuse me...” Miharu opened the door fearfully. Rio was carrying Latifa on his back — or rather, Latifa was clinging to Rio’s back. “Good evening, Miharu.”
“Umm, good evening, Haruto. Do you have a moment right now?” Seeing Rio carrying Latifa on his back made Miharu hesitate.
Rio smiled faintly “Yes, we were just messing around. If the three of you are here together, it means you’ve come to a decision, right?”
“Yes,” Miharu said.
“Ahaha, you’re so attached to Haruto, Latifa.” When Aki spotted Latifa clinging to Rio’s back, she couldn’t help but give a slightly strained smile at the display of affection between the two.
“Yup!” Latifa nodded with a carefree smile.
“For now, please come inside. Latifa, can you go to the living room or back to your own room?”
“Eeh, but I wanna hear too.” Latifa pouted.
“It’s an important conversation. You understand that, right?” Rio warned her with a troubled look. At that, Latifa puffed up her cheeks and climbed off his back, obediently moving to leave the room.
“Umm, Latifa can stay,” Miharu said. “Actually, we were thinking of calling Sara and the others over too, so that we could all talk together. About our thoughts.”
“With me too?” Latifa cocked her head hesitantly.
“Yup. I want you to listen too,” Miharu said, smiling gently.
“I understand. Let’s talk in the living room, then.” Rio respected their decision and suggested they relocate.
◇ ◇ ◇
Sara, Orphia, and Alma were called to Rio’s living room. Once everyone had gathered and taken their seats on the sofa, Rio spoke up.
“Now, could you tell us what the three of you have decided to do?”
Miharu took a deep breath. “Yes. Firstly, the three of us have reached the conclusion that we all want to go to Strahl.”
“I understand. If that’s first, then is there more?” Rio asked.
That request was well within his expectations. There was nothing to be surprised about. Neither Latifa nor the spirit folk girls seemed particularly shocked, either. However —
“I would... I would like to attend the night banquet with you.” Latifa and the spirit folk girls twitched in reaction.
“...If the kingdom finds out about you, the royalty and nobility may try to find a way to use you. I’m sure they will treat you politely on the surface, but that would mean revealing your name and face to the public from here onwards. It’s possible that people who will try to use that for their own plots may appear. You are aware of all this, yet still want to attend the banquet. Is that correct?” Miharu’s request to attend the banquet too had been a little unexpected, making Rio pause for a moment before confirming her intentions.
“...Yes,” Miharu nodded deeply, conveying her own determination. Even if she couldn’t attend the banquet, if she made herself available to meet Satsuki at any moment, she would be well-known at some point. It was just a matter of whether it was sooner or later.
But more than anything, Miharu hated leaving everything to Rio alone. While leaving everything to Rio might certainly be a wise choice, it also felt like Rio would go somewhere far away,
which made her feel quite scared. This choice was Miharu’s own selfish desire — it was her chance to take her future into her own hands. Now, whether Rio would accept her selfishness or not was another thing.
Miharu watched Rio’s face closely, feeling a little scared.
“...Then, let me confirm one more thing. If this is for you, then what about Aki and Masato?” Rio asked, looking at them.
Miharu wrung out all her courage to answer Rio’s question. “I was hoping they could wait near the castle.”
“...Depending on how our discussion goes, it’s possible that Aki and Masato won’t be able to meet Satsuki even if they go to Strahl. You might be going for no reason, you realize?” Rio asked.
“Yes, we have taken that into account. After the three of us talked, I made this request of them. This is what we decided,” Miharu said resolutely.
“I see...” Rio gave a small sigh and looked at Aki and Masato once more. The two of them nodded and returned his gaze. They didn’t look like they had anything further to say; Rio could tell that they had truly accepted this.
Meanwhile, the spirit folk girls were all watching them silently.
“Is that okay, Haruto? Or is taking the three of us too difficult...” Masato asked fearfully and bowed his head toward Rio. Though Rio could use spirit arts to fly, there was no way he could carry Miharu, Aki, and Masato together while doing so.
“I have to make sure I fly safely, of course, but that doesn’t mean its impossible,” Rio replied to Masato with a wry smile. On the other hand, Sara, Orphia, and Alma all exchanged secret glances.
“Then...” Masato and Aki gulped, awaiting Rio’s conclusion.
“If that is the answer the three of you have arrived at after careful consideration, then we shall proceed with that.” Rio smiled gently. If this decision of theirs had been made lightly, he would have given them more warning, but he could tell that wasn’t the case.
“Yay!” Masato and Aki said together, high-fiving each other.
“That’s great.” Sara smiled with the other girls, watching Masato and Aki.
“...Are you sure?” Miharu had been expecting more resistance, so when everything went so smoothly, her eyes widened in surprise.
Beyond Memories Page 9
