“Everyone’s surprised at how cute you are, Professor,” Rio offered with an amused look.
“C-Cute... W-Why are you smiling?” Celia blushed and puffed up her cheeks, glaring at Rio reproachfully.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t think everyone would be this nervous, so it was funny to me,” Rio said with a huff of laughter at Miharu and the other girls.
“...Excuse me,” Sara bowed. “You’re just so beautiful, I couldn’t help but stare in awe.”
“T-Thank you.” Celia thanked her in embarrassment at the frank praise.
“Next, I’ll introduce Sara and the others,” Rio continued. “There’s a few of them, so any detailed talk can be saved for later between yourselves.”
“Okay,” Sara said.
“This is Sara. She’s the same age as me and we met after I first ran away from Beltrum. We’ve had a close relationship ever since, but she’s actually not a human from the Strahl region.”
“She’s one of the people you were talking about before, right? Of the people you met who lived secretly in the Wilderness...” Celia observed the expressions on Rio and the girls and confirmed fearfully.
“Yes, they’re the ones who live there,” Rio said. He had kept information about the spirit folk village secret until now, but he had obtained Sara’s acceptance to reveal it now that everything had come to this.
“I see...” Celia looked at their faces once more. Their existence had come up in conversation briefly before, so she did have a small hunch about it, but she’d never expected to actually meet the people living outside of the Strahl region.
“They’re officially called ‘spirit folk,’ but it’s only an umbrella term, so it doesn’t refer to their specific species. That’s where their secret lies, you can say...” Realizing the need to explain further, Rio grasped for words as he glanced over at them.
“Rio, I’ll take over from here,” Sara said as she took a small deep breath, feeling it best if she revealed the secret herself.
“Sure, please go ahead.” Rio nodded deeply.
“...Just like how you trusted Rio and us enough to reveal your identity, we also trust you as Rio’s teacher, and will reveal our own identities.” Sara, speaking somewhat in an uneasy manner, nervously took off the necklace she had been wearing. Up until now, Sara only appeared as though she was human. However, wolf ears popped out of her head as she took off the necklace. At the same time, a fluffy tail also came into view.
“Huh?!” Celia widened her eyes in shock.
“The magic artifact Sara just took off holds disguising sorcery more complex than in the one used to change your hair color, Professor. You can clearly see why it was used,” Rio explained from the side.
In the Strahl region, werebeasts, dwarves, and elves were species that couldn’t exist as normal citizens — the only exception were slaves like Latifa had been. On top of that, their population was extremely small. Thus, their value as a commodity was high, and many royals and wealthy merchants craved to own them as pet slaves.
Because of this, Sara and the others were afraid because they couldn’t imagine how Celia would think of them. Rio had told them that it would be fine in advance, but they still couldn’t ease their anxieties.
“Oh, umm, are you a were... beast?” Celia blinked her eyes intensely and stared at Sara’s face and ears. She was simply surprised, with no sign of greed or disdain in her eyes.
“Yes, this is Sara, a silver werewolf-type of werebeast,” Rio replied.
“Nice to meet you,” Sara bowed her head timidly.
“Yes, you too...” Celia meekly bowed her head back.
“Umm, what do you think about me?” Sara, taking a plunge, asked straightforwardly.
“Well, it’s my first time seeing such a thing, so I’m simply surprised, I guess. You’re really cute,” a puzzled Celia answered.
“...Thank you,” Sara replied with a bewildered expression. Orphia, Alma, and Latifa breathed a sigh of relief, reassured by Celia’s reaction.
“It’s just as I said, right? That Professor Celia would interact with all of you like normal people,” Rio said to them and chuckled.
“What do you mean?” Celia asked in confusion.
“You know how non-human species get treated like slaves in the Strahl region?”
“Oh, I get it now. Of course you’d be wary because of that. I’m sorry,” Celia said a strained smile.
“N-No, you don’t need to apologize! If anything, we’re sorry for antagonizing you without any basis,” Sara apologized back in a fluster.
“It’s all right — don’t worry about it,” Celia said with a smile, and looked at Orphia, Alma, and Latifa who were all sitting together. “But if you’re a werebeast, then are the other three over there also...?”
“I’m a high elf, and my name is Orphia!” Orphia exclaimed, introducing herself with a smile. Then, like Sara, she took off her artifact necklace and revealed her elf ears.
“I’m Alma, an elder dwarf.” Alma bowed before she also took off her necklace. Once she did, her narrow dwarf ears came into view.
With puzzled eyes at the appearances of the two new species, Celia turned to Rio next to her. “...I remember reading about this before, but high elves and elder dwarves are like the royalty of elves and dwarves, right?”
“Yes. Monarchy doesn’t actually exist in their village, but viewing it in that way might make it easier to understand. Sara also comes from a prestigious family in her village, so all three of them are the princesses in their respective species.”
“Oh, I see... Who’s the other one, then?”
And why are you traveling with people of such high status? — thought Celia, but she turned to stare at Latifa, who sat quietly next to Sara.
“I’m a werefox, and my name is Latifa! I’m Onii-chan’s little sister! Nice to meet you!” Latifa awkwardly introduced herself with a high-pitched voice, her whole body tensed up. After hurriedly taking off her necklace like the others, her fox ears and tail appeared.
“...Yeah, nice meeting you. Wait, s-sister?! You had a sister?! And such an adorable one with fox ears at that! Y-You never told me!” Celia gazed at Latifa’s fox ears with an astounded face as she bowed, but once she processed Latifa’s words in her mind, her expression changed at once and she turned on Rio.
“P-Professor, please calm down. I’ll explain everything,” Rio said in a fluster, but then, Aishia returned from the kitchen.
“The tea has been brewed. Let it steam for a few more minutes and it’ll be ready to drink.” After placing the tray with the tea on the table, she sat in the empty spot next to Rio.
“Y-Yeah...” Celia calmed at Aishia’s appearance, feeling embarrassed when she realized how she had lost her cool in front of the others.
“There’s too much to explain, so I’ll just give you the overview for now. I met Latifa after I ran away from the Kingdom of Beltrum. I ended up taking care of her, so although we’re not connected by blood, I became her guardian as an older brother,” Rio explained concisely.
“Oh, I see...” Celia nodded dejectedly. There were still many things she wanted to ask, but she refrained from derailing the conversation.
“And so, Latifa, Miharu, Aki, and Masato have been living hidden in Sara’s village until now, but with the discovery of the hero Satsuki’s whereabouts, I’m bringing them back to the Strahl region. It would be difficult to transport them all to the Strahl region by myself, so Sara and the others helped carry them. They’re also using this opportunity to deepen their insights outside their village,” Rio explained, getting straight to the point.
“...I get the overall gist. So you’re talking about the three over there, right?” Letting a small breath out, Celia glanced over at the group sitting away from Sara.
“Yes. They were the three involved in the summoning of the heroes. The oldest girl is Miharu, the other girl is Aki, and the boy is Aki’s younger brother, Masato,” Rio said, introducing them all together.
&
nbsp; “Hi, I’m Miharu Ayase. Nice to meet you,” Miharu greeted a bit nervously.
“I’m Aki Sendo.”
“I’m Masato Sendo.”
“Pleased to meet you too. Miharu, Aki, Masato, right? And then Sara, Orphia, Alma, Latifa... Okay, I’ve memorized everyone’s names. Once again, nice to meet you all. Oh, do you mind if I speak to you informally? You can call me anything you want in the house as well,” Celia replied with a soft smile.
“Of course,” everyone agreed at the same time.
“But wow, I’m amazed. Even though there’s so many people...” Masato said in awe at Celia’s quick memorization of everyone’s names and faces.
“Her mind works differently from yours,” Aki said with a giggle.
“Heh, and yours too, Aki. She’s pretty and has a nice personality — how perfect,” Masato retaliated with a smirk.
“S-Shut up. I knew that from the moment I saw her,” Aki pouted in indignation.
“Haha, the siblings are fighting again. You’re so close, aren’t you?” Latifa smiled in amusement.
“That’s not true!” Aki and Masato denied in unison.
“...Fufu, how funny,” Celia’s eyes widened as she smiled softly.
Rio observed Celia’s facial expression and decided to announce the start of their new living arrangements. “So, I’m sorry about how sudden this is, but until the aforementioned banquet starts, everyone will be living here together for a while. It might get a little rowdy...”
“Of course, I’m all for it. It’s only been me and Aishia for a while, so I’m looking forward to things getting livelier around here,” Celia said happily with a laugh. Although there were still many complicated issues at the forefront, she somehow felt as though exciting days were about to begin.
◇ ◇ ◇
They talked in the living room for nearly an hour after that. However, with the time being evening, Masato’s growling stomach signaled the start of dinner preparations.
“We’ll prepare dinner tonight, so Rio should go take a bath with Masato,” suggested Orphia, and so it was decided that Rio and Masato would bathe together first. After Rio and Masato headed to the bath, washed their bodies, and relaxed in the bathtub —
“...Hey, Haruto,” Masato suddenly said.
“Hm? What’s up?” Rio was absentmindedly staring up at the ceiling, but turned his gaze to Masato. Then, because Masato had an unexpectedly serious look on his face, he found himself reflexively adjusting his posture.
“Do you like anyone within the group, Haruto?” Masato asked abruptly.
“...You scared me for a moment there. What’s up with this, all of a sudden?” The anticlimax had Rio deflating, hanging his head tiredly.
“Well, I was just wondering if you never felt anything, being surrounded by such impressive girls.” Masato laughed out loud before explaining his thought process behind the question.
“I mean, I don’t know what to say...” Rio looked up at the ceiling with a worried face.
“And? Who is it?” Masato asked insistently.
“This isn’t the time for that, I think,” Rio replied, a faint smile on his face.
“Why?” Masato asked curiously.
“...Because I was originally traveling with a purpose. Even if I liked someone, I wouldn’t be able to stay with them forever. That’s why it’s not the time to be falling for anyone,” Rio said a little sadly.
“That’s... not true, though? You can just travel together.” Masato tilted his head in doubt.
“It’s not as simple as that, probably...” Rio smiled bitterly. Having crossed swords with Lucius and making him aware of his existence, Rio could no longer turn back. From here on, it was an exchange of blood for blood. Rio would try to kill Lucius, and Lucius would reciprocate.
As long as either of them survived... No, even if one of them succeeded, a new grudge could be born in someone else instead. It would be the start of a vicious cycle of revenge. He would have to live in fear of an invisible danger — of being sought as a target of revenge himself. That was what it meant to devote yourself to revenge.
And so, he couldn’t seek his own happiness, couldn’t expose the person he liked to danger over someone as worthless as himself — that was what Rio thought, though he didn’t voice it out loud. Instead —
“What about you, Masato? Is there a girl in the house that you like?” he asked Masato, hoping to distract him.
“Nope, there isn’t.” Masato shook his head bluntly.
“How come?” asked Rio.
“No, well... I guess I did ask you a similar question.” Masato hummed in thought and scratched his head. “I mean, I think everyone’s pretty cute. I admire them too. Honestly, they’re all beautiful. But...”
“But?” Rio parroted back at Masato.
“It’s just, I don’t really see them in that way for some reason. I guess I’ve been around them for so long, they all seem like my older sisters. And...” Masato trailed off, staring at Rio.
Aki aside, it seems like all the others are in love with you already. I’ve only just met Celia, and I get the same feeling from her too. Ah, but I’m not too sure about Miharu...
“...And, what?” Rio stared back at Masato curiously.
“No, it’s nothing. I might get out now. I’m getting lightheaded.” Masato shook his head with a wry smile and stood up.
“...It looks like you’ve been training properly.” Rio observed Masato’s muscles from close up and grinned.
“...Wait, is it possible that you like men, Haruto?!” Masato gasped and hurried to hide his body.
“Give me a break,” Rio denied in exasperation.
◇ ◇ ◇
Meanwhile, during the time Rio and Masato were in the bath, the entire group of eight girls — Miharu, Aishia, Celia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, and Aki — were working together to prepare dinner. Miharu and Orphia took the lead in the cooking and the other girls assisted them, progressing smoothly but noisily.
Eventually, Rio and Masato left the bathroom, and within an hour, dinner was ready. The dining table Dominic had set up boasted a fairly large size, but with ten peoples’ worth of food, it was packed rather tightly.
“I want to be next to Onii-chan! Celia can sit over there!” Latifa swiftly and shrewdly acquired her seat next to Rio, then urged Celia into the seat on Rio’s other side.
“Thank you... Then, if you don’t mind,” Celia giggled and took the seat next to Rio. Aishia sat beside her. Miharu, Sara, and the others also took their seats. Then once everyone was seated at the dining table —
“Let’s eat!” Orphia declared, and they began their social dinner with the goal of getting to know Celia.
“Thank you for the food! It looks great again today. I’m so hungry! Yum!” Masato’s eyes sparkled as he reached for the delicious food with his chopsticks. He stuffed his cheeks with the piping hot karaage, puffing as he gave his thoughts. He then proceeded to gulp down white rice.
“Mind your table manners — it’s embarrassing. Celia’s here too,” Aki puffed her cheeks and muttered.
“Fufu, I think boys look much cooler when they eat heartily,” Celia complimented Masato with a smile.
“Heh, hear that?!” Masato grinned happily.
“...Don’t let it get to your head.” Aki sighed tiredly.
“You should eat too, Aki. Miharu and the others went out of their way to make us such delicious food, after all.”
“Wha— hey, I helped too! I made some of it!”
“Heh, which one?” Masato asked with a smirk.
“Ugh... T-This salad and the dressing.” Aki blushed and pointed at the salad and dressing placed on the table.
“Hmm, I guess it looks good.”
“It tastes good too! I know you don’t like vegetables, but make sure you eat some,” Aki said, serving some onto Masato’s plate.
“I-I’m fine. Hey, not that much!” Masato tried to stop Aki in a panic, but it was too late. A heap of v
egetables was placed on the plate before Masato.
“Blergh. I hate tomatoes...” Masato groaned in disappointment.
“You won’t grow as strong as Haruto if you’re picky about your food,” Aki said.
“This salad dressing is delicious, Aki. It’s been emulsified properly.” Rio must have been listening to their conversation, as he spoke up.
“T-Thank you very much.” The sudden words took Aki by surprise, and she thanked him shyly. The bustling meal continued for a while, when Celia suddenly spoke up, as though the thought suddenly came to mind.
“By the way, Rio. Have you decided on your plans for the future? There’s still some time before the banquet.”
“Yes, about that. Miharu wants to attend the banquet too, so I was thinking of going to Amande together to propose a meeting with Liselotte. There’s no guarantee we can see her right away, so it may take several days...”
“True, you won’t know that until you go. Then will we be waiting here?”
“Yes. I’ll plan for us to all go shopping some other time, if you don’t mind.”
“I understand. I’ll spend this time getting closer to everyone else,” Celia said contently, looking between Sara, Latifa, and the others.
“Ehehe, I’m looking forward to it!” Latifa smiled happily.
“I’m sure you’ll get along with everyone in no time at all, Professor. It seems like they’ve warmed up to you a lot already.” Rio looked around the dining table, smiling.
“Yes, they’ve already taught me some cooking, and we promised to all bathe together later. Right?” Celia said in a pleasant mood, looking at Latifa.
“Yes!” Latifa nodded energetically. Her speech was a little stiff towards Celia, but that was possibly because they had the biggest age gap out of everyone present. That being said, there was no distance to be felt between them, so there wasn’t a problem.
“Look after the Professor with everyone while I’m gone, Latifa.” Rio smiled gently as he spoke to Latifa.
Beyond Memories Page 12
