Kelvin’s Residence – Garden
“Hmm hmm, hmmm ♪”
One day had passed since their return to Pars. As the sun, rising in the clear sky, reached its zenith, Dahak was trimming the garden trees in the mansion’s garden, which had been neglected for some time, with a pair of pruning shears. Dahak hummed a tune, appearing to be in good spirits. It wasn’t that he was particularly cheerful today; he was always like this when he was tending to the soil or working in the fields.
“Haku-chan, you’re working hard again today.”
“Ah, young lady! Yes, I enjoy doing this. Is Alex in your shadow?”
“Yes. He’s napping right now. He seems to have eaten too much.”
From behind Lyon, who gave a wry smile, Shutra poked her head out and peered at the garden.
“Your care is surprisingly delicate, isn’t it? The trees and flowers seem to be rejoicing.”
“What, there’s a little one here too?”
“Who are you calling a little one! I’m only a little smaller than Rion-chan!”
Shutra retorted to Dahak, who had a stern face. At first, she had been shy, always hiding in Lyon’s shadow, but now she seemed completely accustomed to it, showing no trace of her former self. Of course, Dahak’s nature, which made him easily liked by children, also played a part.
“Lyon-ojou is exceptional, exceptional. Even if she’s small, her generosity and depth are amazing.”
“S-small… Yes, that’s right… Lately, Ryuka-chan has surpassed me too, in terms of bust size…”
“It’s not about that, is it!?”
“Eh, what are you talking about?”
It wasn’t meant to be a jab at Lyon, but Shutra, who was now similar in build, would grow into quite a figure if she returned to her original form. She would also surpass Lyon in height. Plagued by despair that her daily efforts were not paying off, Lyon simply placed her hands on her chest.
“R-right! In a week, we’re apparently going to Delamis! I heard it from brother, who returned with Ange from the Guild.”
Sensing that this was a topic to be avoided, Dahak immediately tried to shift the conversation. He brought up a topic that might interest Lyon, involving Kelvin.
“Ah, yes. That seems to be the case. Kel nii said that at the main branch of the Rinne Church, we might be able to find out something about Elearis and the Apostles of God.”
“Delamis, huh~. I wonder if Colette-chan will be there?”
“She’ll surely be there. Let’s play together when we get there.”
With Shutra’s unintentional support, Lyon seemed to have returned to her usual self. Dahak, relieved, clenched his fist tightly in a place where Lyon couldn’t see.
“Oh, right. Kel nii is back, isn’t he? Is he in the mansion?”
Lyon’s face clearly indicated that she wanted to play, but Dahak was troubled again.
“He is, but he immediately went to the underground forge room. Sister Sera is probably with him too.”
“I see. By that estimate, he probably won’t come out until dinner…”
Once Kelvin got engrossed in his hobby, he wouldn’t return from his hobby room in the basement until he was satisfied or it was mealtime. Lyon didn’t want to disturb Kelvin’s time, so she rarely entered facilities like the forge room. Dahak knew this.
“Speaking of which, it seems like the arms and armor he’s making this time are for Haku-chan too, right? Because when you’re in dragon form, you can’t use human equipment, so he’s making it for that purpose, aren’t you?”
“Yes! We can get plenty of good materials from that ridiculously huge golem. He said he can finally start working on my and Boga’s equipment. I noticed something with the gauntlets: ‘Martial Arts’ works even in dragon form! And then there’s the weapon that brother himself forged… Ah, I’m so moved!”
“Haku-chan, are you crying? …There, there.”
Climbing up the ladder Dahak had been using to prune the trees, Shutra petted Dahak’s head.
“I’m not crying! It’s sweat! Sweat of emotion! And get down, it’s dangerous.”
“Sweat of emotion, what’s that… But if that’s the case, I understand. Hmm, well then, what about Anne-nee, who came back with you?”
“She seems to be teaching Lyuka combat in the training hall. She said something like, ‘I’ll raise you to be a magnificent assassin!’ She seems to like Lyuka too. Lyuka seemed motivated, so it’s like a master-disciple relationship.”
“Lyuka-chan’s real job is a maid, though…”
“Think of it as sharpening her self-defense skills, Rion-chan.”
Lyon wondered if assassination techniques and self-defense skills were truly the same, but since it was Shutra who said it, she decided to believe her. Besides, if they were in the training hall, she thought they might be able to continue their practice from yesterday—
“Shall we go to the training hall, Shutra-chan?”
“Okay! See you later, Haku-chan.”
“Don’t fall over because you’re in too much of a hurry?… Ah, they’re already gone.”
When Dahak looked towards the mansion’s door, it was just closing with a bang.
***
Kelvin’s Residence – Underground Training Hall
“Are you really going to do this? I was quite strong in my country, you know?”
“There’s no point otherwise. I want to test if my strength works.”
In the underground training hall, Shutra, with a large backpack on her back, and Hoover, in a maid’s outfit and holding the spear of the great waterfall, faced each other. Shutra found Hoover taking a break (slacking off) from her maid duties in the training hall and said, “I want to practice together,” which was the beginning of it all. Hoover, unable to refuse a direct order from her master, readily agreed, thinking it would be a bit like military training. However, for some reason, it had turned into a full-blown mock battle.
“Go, Shutra-chan!”
“Master, who will win!?”
“You’re too naive, Ryuka-kun. A true professional is always prepared for either outcome! Come, prepare the celebratory drinks!”
“…”
On the spectator seats, along with those who were freely commenting, was maid Rozaria, who remained motionless with a strange smile. *You’re slacking off again, aren’t you?* Even from this distance, it was easy to tell that behind her smile, she was incredibly angry.
*(This is difficult… And why is Rozaria here!? I’m definitely going to be punished now!)*
Furthermore, Shutra herself was a factor that made things difficult. Or rather, it was what she was carrying on her back. Two round, small black eyes stared at Hoover. Hoover had seen it many times before. That was because Shutra always carried it with her.
*(But is it just me, or is the size… bigger than usual…?)*
Hoover stared intently at the object on Shutra’s back. It was Shutra’s favorite bear plush toy, peeking out from the backpack. It was a limited edition, rare item with a premium. However, the plush toy she saw daily was about the size that the small Shutra could hold in one hand.
*(…Indeed, it looks bigger than I remember. The face alone, peeking out from the backpack, is more than one size larger than Shutra-sama’s face.)*
The bear’s face was larger than the volume of the backpack, which itself appeared to be relatively large. Imagining it fitting into the backpack would make its body smaller than that of a two-headed figure, creating an unbalanced appearance. If that were the case, it must be different from the original plush toy. While she was contemplating this, the plush toy’s round eyes and Shutra’s eager, adorable eyes turned towards Hoover. It was very uncomfortable.
“If I may be so bold, I, Rozaria, will serve as the judge for this mock battle.”
“Whoa!”
“…What is it?”
“N-nothing, it’s nothing, yes…”
Perhaps she was too focused on the front, but Hoover hadn’t noticed Rozaria approaching. She let out a startled cry. And it was scary.
“If Shutra-sama wins, I will serve the Head Maid’s special pudding for dessert. Furthermore, Hoover’s cleaning duties will be doubled. If Hoover wins, Hoover’s cleaning duties will be doubled. Do you have any objections?”
“Whoa, special pudding! What about Rion-chan’s share?”
“Of course, there is.”
“W-wait, isn’t that a bit unfair!?”
“…Indeed. My apologies. If Shutra-sama wins, Hoover’s cleaning duties will be tripled!”
“Gyahhh!”
No matter which way it turned out, her anger wouldn’t subside. Hoover’s retort had been rash.
