When Vera saw Miharu’s smile, she widened her eyes and nodded. “Y-Yes. Wah... Isn’t she beautiful, Arslan?”
“D-Don’t ask me!” Arslan shouted with embarrassment from his spot beside her, having been put on the spot. Seeing him flustered, Sara giggled.
“This boy’s name is Arslan. He’s Vera and Latifa’s friend,” Sara said, introducing him to everyone on his behalf.
“...I’m Arslan. Nice to meet you,” Arslan said with a turn of his head, cheeks faintly reddened with a blush.
“I’m Masato. I’m twelve years old.”
“My name is Aki. I’m one year older than Masato, so I’m thirteen.”
“That makes Aki the same age as me, then. I love making new friends my age. I hope we can all get along well,” Vera said with a carefree smile.
“As you can see, the two of them can speak the Strahl tongue, too. They’re good friends with Latifa, so I’m sure you’ll have many chances to interact with them in the future. Please be good friends with them,” Sara added.
“Of course,” Aki and Masato said, nodding in unison.
“By the way, where is everyone heading to now?” Vera asked with a tilt of her head.
“We’re about to take Rio’s guests to the house they’ll be living in while he finishes his talk with the elders,” Alma explained.
“Aww, that sounds nice. I wanna go, too!” Vera replied with jealousy.
Sara shook her head sternly. “You can’t. You two have training after this, don’t you?”
“That’s right, Vera. Today’s the day Uzuma’s teaching us, so it’d be a shame to miss it. Let’s go and visit them later?” Arslan said impatiently, trying to persuade Vera against leaving.
“Hmph, fine then.” Vera backed down reluctantly.
“Hey hey, when you say training, what kind of training is it?” Masato asked with great interest.
“Combat training, of course. Our instructor is the warrior chief of our village, you know?” Arslan answered proudly.
“Combat training, huh...” Masato murmured in awe.
“I use two-handed swords,” Arslan stated. “Can you use any weapons, Masato?”
“No, I’ve never had any kind of training like that before... But I’m interested in it,” Masato replied hesitantly.
“Huh, so you want to learn how to use a sword?” Aki asked in surprise, eyes widening.
“Y-Yeah. We don’t move around much studying all the time, after all.”
“Hmm...”
“W-What? You got a problem with that?”
“As long as it’s not dangerous, I suppose... What do you think, Miharu?” Aki suddenly turned to Miharu with a contemplative look.
“Huh? Umm, I wouldn’t like it if it was dangerous, but I’d want to respect Masato’s choice, too, I think? Ah, but make sure you get permission from Haru... I mean, Rio,” Miharu replied.
“Rio would probably make the ideal instructor. If Masato has the fighting spirit to learn swordcraft seriously, then it may be a good idea to discuss it with him properly,” Sara said in a somewhat resolute tone.
“So, would you say that Haru... that Rio is actually really strong?” Masato inquired, making sure his tone was polite.
“Yes. Not only is he strong in pure close combat abilities, his combat with medium and long range spirit art attacks are clearly strong enough to be the very best of the village,” Sara replied proudly.
“Sara’s even fought with Rio before,” Alma said with a huff of laughter.
“T-That goes for you, too!”
Just as Sara was about start arguing back in a fluster, Orphia stepped in with a gentle smile. “All right, all right. You two have both been working hard in your training, so make sure you show your growth to Rio again later in a proper manner.”
“Maybe I’ll get Rio to face me some time. If Masato learns how to use a sword, we can eventually spar each other, too. I’ll train you up to par,” Arslan said, challenging Masato with a smile.
“You still have a ways to go yourself. It’s far too early for you to be training a beginner,” Sara said to Arslan with an exasperated look.
“Haha, I’d love to spar, though. I’ll try asking Rio, but I’ll be looking forward to our match one day... umm... Arslan!” Masato said somewhat shyly, and Arslan nodded energetically in return.
“Yeah, I’ll be waiting!”
◇ ◇ ◇
After bidding farewell to Vera and Arslan, the spirit folk girls led their three new guests to their new lodgings. The house — a tree house supported by several trees — was located toward the center of the village, several minutes from the town hall.
“You will be living in this house from now on,” Sara said to Miharu, Aki, and Masato after the party stopped in front of the house.
“...That’s amazing. Is it really okay for us to live in such a wonderful place?” Miharu asked nervously as she looked up at the tree house.
“Of course,” Sara agreed. “This house was vacant to begin with—”
“—as it’s the house Onii-chan and I used to live in together,” Latifa cut in happily.
“Hey. Putting it that way makes it sound like you and Rio lived here alone. We lived here, too, remember?” Sara corrected with a slightly sulky tone. Miharu and the others were all rather taken aback, their eyes wide; Masato especially, who was most surprised of all.
“Umm, is something the matter?” Sara asked hesitantly, noticing the change in expression of the three humans.
“...When you say ‘we,’ do you mean Miss Orphia and Miss Alma, too?” Masato asked quietly. He still seemed rather resistant to acting overly friendly with Sara’s group and couldn’t quite call them by just their names yet. He would surely get over that soon.
“Yes,” Sara replied, nodding curiously.
“T-The five of you?” Masato asked once more in a high-pitched voice.
“Y-Yup,” Sara confirmed, now faltering.
“Wow... I’m jealous,” Masato muttered to himself.
Beside him, Aki furrowed her brows unhappily; with a cold smile pasted on her face, she dug her nails into Masato out of view from Sara and the others.
“What? You’ve been living in a home with a skewed gender ratio until now. Do you have something to complain about?”
“O-Oww, that hurts, Aki,” Masato complained painfully, but Aki quickly withdrew her hand and turned her head away with a huff, ignoring him.
“Fufu, the two of you are close.” Latifa laughed with amusement, watching the two of them.
“No, we’re not. We’re always fighting.” Masato shook his head tiredly.
“That just means you’re close enough to fight,” Alma said with a faint giggle.
“Yup yup, just like Sara and Alma,” Orphia agreed with a cheerful smile, then casually directed her glance at Alma and Sara.
“...Or maybe not. I take that back.” Alma blushed red and muttered with embarrassment.
“Geez, what are you saying? Let’s go inside already,” Sara said tiredly, walking off briskly towards the front door of the house, though her cheeks were also faintly red from the side. Miharu realized Sara was blushing from shyness and smiled to herself.
Latifa tugged on Miharu’s sleeve. “Hm? What’s wrong, Latifa?” Miharu asked gently, smiling at her.
“Umm, may I call you Miharu?” Latifa asked, staring straight up into Miharu’s eyes with a look full of anticipation.
Miharu’s eyes widened for a moment before she happily agreed. “Of course you can.”
“Ehehe. Thank you, Miharu. Tell me lots about Onii-chan!”
“Umm, sure... But wouldn’t you know more about Haruto than I would, Latifa?”
“Mm... that might be true, but I kind of want to hear what Onii-chan looks like from Miharu’s point of view, too. I also want to learn lots about you, and I’d love for you to know more about us, because I want us to become friends quickly,” Latifa said, smiling innocently.
Miharu also gave a relaxed smi
le. “Fufu. If that’s the case, then... gladly. Let’s get along, Latifa,” she said, nodding.
“Yup! Let’s, Miharu!”
As Latifa and Miharu stayed in place to converse, Sara and the others had already moved to the front door.
“Miharu, Latifa. Is something the matter?” Sara asked the two girls.
“It’s nothing. Hey, when you’re done giving the tour of the house, I want to have tea with everyone! Are there any snacks?” Latifa held Miharu’s hand and started to tug her along as she spoke.
“Yup, there are,” Orphia nodded.
“But only a little, it’s almost time for lunch,” Sara added without missing a beat. Miharu watched their exchange from the side and giggled.
Latifa is such a good girl. Sara and the others are so kind, too.
Miharu had hidden her concerns about moving to the village, so it was a relief to see everything going so smoothly. At that moment, it felt like something good was about to happen. It was just a feeling she had.
After that exchange, Miharu, Aki, and Masato were given a tour of the house interior and chatted with the others until Rio and Aishia finished their discussion. Later on, Vera and Arslan visited as well, forming a close group of similarly aged kids with Latifa, Aki, and Masato. Before long, the time for the banquet was upon them.
◇ ◇ ◇
Evening reared itself; lead by Sara and the spirit folk girls, Miharu, Aki, and Masato were taken to the town hall once more.
They stepped inside the large dining hall on the bottom floor to find countless round tables set up, each one stocked to the brim with delicious dishes in a buffet-style dinner.
“Oooh, amazing! It looks so good!”
“That looks great! I’m so lucky I get to join in!” Both Masato and Arslan exclaimed at the dishes before them. The two boys got along well and hadn’t taken long to hit it off as friends.
“Masato, stop acting so childishly. It’s disgraceful. The families of the important people in this village prepared this for us today, so you should at least mind your manners,” Aki warned.
“Aki talks like she’s your mom,” Arslan whispered to Masato.
“Right?” Masato whispered back. “She’s always trying to tell me off for every little thing. I can’t stand it.”
“Hey, I can hear you,” Aki said to them, the smile on her face twitching.
“Th-There, there, Aki. Today’s a welcoming party for you, so there’s no need to act all formally, either,” Latifa consoled her, with Vera stepping in as well.
“That’s right. Please relax and make yourself at home.”
Next to where the five younger ones had gathered, Miharu was talking to Sara, Orphia, and Alma. The four of them had also warmed up to each other, but there was still some awkwardness that remained.
“So, you prepared such a wonderful party for us too...” Miharu was looking around the dining hall with widened eyes and a hint of surprise.
“It seems like most of the upper families of the village will be attending. Great Dryas and Lady Aishia will also be present, so it looks like those in charge of food preparation went all-out. That being said, everyone’s just happy to have an excuse to party, so there’s no need to be nervous, Miharu,” Alma said, easing Miharu’s worries. It seemed like she was looking up to Miharu with the same respect she showed for Sara and Orphia.
“It’s exactly as Alma says. Once the alcohol comes out, it’ll become much noisier,” Sara said with a bittersweet smile.
“Ahaha. You might be surprised seeing it for the first time,” Orphia added with the same smile on her lips.
Alma looked around the hall. “Looks like everyone’s arriving now.”
Residents of the village had been streaming through the door continuously for a while now.
“If it isn’t Lady Sara, Lady Orphia, and Lady Alma. Good evening.” The werecat girl Anya appeared and called out to Sara’s group.
“Good evening, Anya,” they replied with a smile.
“Is this cute girl the rumored visitor? The one from Rio’s hometown.”
“Yup, this is Miharu. Miharu, this is Anya, the werecat.”
“It’s nice to meet you, Anya. My name is Miharu. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Miharu bowed courteously.
Anya stepped closer to Miharu and shook her hand, smiling with amusement. “Nice to meet you, Miharu. Hmm... The girls around Rio are all so cute.”
“Eh, no, that’s not...” Miharu blushed in a fluster.
“The demand for Rio is rather high, after all. Feel free to come to me if you need someone to listen to your troubles.” Anya grinned mischievously, probing for details.
“N-No, umm, I’m fine... I think?” Miharu ducked her head in embarrassment.
“Anya. Stop teasing Miharu,” Sara sighed, warning Anya.
“Okaaay,” Anya drew out, then spotted a friend of hers. “Oh, my friend’s here. Miharu, let me introduce her to you. Hey!”
After that, Miharu chatted with the girls of the village for a while. At the same time, Masato and Aki were also deepening their friendships with the other children that were around their age. The adults of the village watched the younger generation mingling across species with pleasant smiles on their faces.
Once all the guests had gathered, head elder Syldora spoke up. “Now, shall we begin? Everyone, may I ask that you please be silent?” he said, his voice echoing throughout the room; he had amplified his voice with wind spirit arts. The bustling hall immediately fell silent. Syldora, Dominic, and Ursula presided over the dining hall, gathering all the attention of those present.
Once Syldora had the hall’s attention, he spoke with a wry smile as he looked out over those present. “Lady Aishia and Great Dryas will be entering the hall, now. I believe everyone knows already, but this is a reminder not to act too reverently.”
Events like this were always held without social ranks, so a natural laugh fell from the audience as the atmosphere of the hall became less tense.
“I don’t see Haruto...” Miharu muttered as she looked around the hall. Sara followed her gaze, glancing around.
“Yes... maybe he’s attending late?” she said, though the head elder continued to speak without concern.
“Now, if the two of you could please enter,” Syldora said, summoning Aishia and Dryas, who had been waiting outside the room.
Upon closer observation, Ursula and Dominic both had wicked grins on their faces, but no one had noticed as of yet. The doors of the hall had already been opened by people assisting the process, and everyone present — including Miharu, Sara, and the others — naturally had their gazes drawn by the doors. Immediately after, those in attendance stirred with noise.
While Aishia and Dryas certainly did enter from outside the room, they were accompanied by a third person who had been intentionally hidden away — Rio. He was sandwiched between Aishia and Dryas, each holding onto an arm of his. He had a rather uncomfortably strained smile on his face. Aishia wore her usual absentminded expression, whereas Dryas’ pleasant smile was truly impressive.
“Rio?!” Sara’s eyes widened as she accidentally raised her voice to the level of hysterics.
“O-Ooh...” Orphia and Alma also widened their eyes in surprise.
The spirit folk villagers present were half-surprised and half-speechless, in awe of seeing two humanoid spirits, Aishia and Dryas, walking together.
“Ahaha. Rio’s really something, huh?” Anya’s cat ears and tail flickered to and fro as she laughed with amusement.
Humanoid spirits ranked high class and above were practically regarded as sacred beings by the spirit folk; to be accompanied by two such goddesses on each side was an act of the highest honor to the spirit folk — or rather, an act of the greatest amusement to Anya. The three head elders watched the reactions of the attendees and smiled at how humorously their plan had succeeded.
Rio continued to escort Aishia and Dryas until they reached the stage beside the head elders’ seats.
<
br /> “Now that the surprise has been revealed, I’d like to introduce everyone to Lady Aishia, who has come to visit our village today. I’m sure many of you are already aware, but Lady Aishia is Lord Rio’s contracted spirit. She was asleep for a long, long time, so her memories are still rather vague, but the chance meeting with a new humanoid spirit is a tremendously auspicious event to our people. That is why we have decided to hold a small banquet in celebration tonight,” Syldora said warmly.
“Tonight will also act as the welcoming party for the three new friends Lord Rio has brought to us. As our sworn friend, any friend valued by Lord Rio is a friend of ours, too. Let us welcome them to our village lavishly, so that they may enjoy the duration of their stay. Let’s see... How about the three of you come up to the stage?” Ursula said.
“Huh?” The three of them flinched and nervously looked around the excited hall. Rio chuckled at their reaction.
“It’s all right, Miharu. Please, come this way.” He called the eldest, Miharu, up first. She took a deep breath and timidly started walking toward the stage. Once Miharu had started to move, Aki and Masato soon followed.
“Welcome, Miharu,” Aishia said to her quietly as she approached.
“Y-Yeah, thanks. There’re a lot of eyes on us... ahaha. I might be a little nervous... Uhh...” Miharu said, grinning shyly as she turned to face the room. Once she made eye contact with the rest of the villagers, her face turned bright red, and she bowed up and down. Aki and Masato hid behind her, while the spirit folk villagers watched over the three with warm gazes.
“Gosh, your surprise went too far, Haruto,” Masato sighed.
“Sorry, I didn’t really understand the progression of things, either. They won’t do anything bad to you, so just go along with it,” Rio replied with a wry smile.
“B-But I’ve never stood in front of so many people before. It’s pretty nerve-wracking.” Even the usually cool Aki was speaking in quite a high-pitched voice. Rio nodded in understanding.
“You can see how they are, so please go easy on them, Syldora,” he said.
The Silver Bride Page 3
