“— So, Kousuke is troubled, huh?”
Floria said while laughing, seeing Kousuke’s face, which looked like he might be coming down with a fever from overthinking, after hearing the story from Silvia.
“I told him there’s no need to rush…”
“Well, considering it’s Kousuke, once he starts worrying, he’s likely to get deeply engrossed in it.”
Floria nodded in agreement, her expression mirroring Silvia’s somber face.
Hearing Floria’s words, Silvia sighed.
“Did I say something unnecessary…?”
As Silvia showed signs of distress, Floria’s face shifted to one that looked slightly annoyed.
“Not at all. Someone would have eventually mentioned it. It just happened to come back around to you. Besides, knowing Kousuke, he would probably realize it on his own sooner or later.”
At the likelihood of that happening, Silvia’s face momentarily expressed surprise, followed by a chuckle. Anyone looking at her could easily tell that she indeed found it plausible.
Since it was just Silvia and Floria in this place, Floria, while still laughing, continued with her comforting remarks.
“Silvia, you also tend to overthink things just like Kousuke. I guess you’re two of a kind.”
“Oh, but isn’t that the same for you too?”
Floria’s teasing remark prompted Silvia to counterattack. However, it was just a playful banter between good friends.
Floria and Silvia soon exchanged chuckles.
Once they confirmed their laughter had settled, Floria’s expression turned reassuring.
“Well, knowing Kousuke, after worrying for a while, he’ll bounce back. It’s probably better to let him stew over it for now.”
“Indeed.”
Having reached their usual conclusion, the two nodded to each other. Due to having repeated similar exchanges many times, both felt reassured that everything would be fine this time as well.
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A few days after that exchange between Silvia and Floria, just as they had expected, Kousuke sat in the Lounge Space, looking relaxed and engaged in a conversation.
“— And so, I’ve decided to give up on making a decision right away.”
Kousuke, with his distant gaze, said this, prompting Floria to return a wry smile.
“What’s this? You’ve given up rather easily this time.”
“Well, if I hastily set a direction, it would dictate the future of the wolves. I realized that making a decision based solely on momentum is probably not a good idea.”
Floria nodded, finding his reasoning acceptable.
Since it was a reasonable conclusion, Silvia wore a similar expression of understanding. However, there was still something on her mind that she decided to address.
“While Kousuke’s conclusion is fine as is, does that mean the familiars will continue to not set any paths as before?”
“Well, that’s how it seems, right? Perhaps eventually things will decide themselves, but…”
Giving a blessing and then hesitating, Kousuke concluded that forcing a path upon himself was a mistake.
Naturally, he recognized the issues Wanri had brought to his attention.
Those couldn’t be left unaddressed, so he was planning to find solutions eventually. However, he prioritized not making such significant decisions about the direction of the species in just a few days.
Silvia and Floria nodded in agreement with Kousuke’s conclusion, which was, in a way, only natural. Notably, a slight relief floated on Silvia’s face, as she felt they wouldn’t end up going down a strange path despite her responsibility for the words she had spoken to him.
Floria, smiling toward Silvia, looked at Kousuke and said, “I understand what Kousuke wants to express. Well, I guess it’s come to rest in its proper place.”
“Is that so? I suppose so.”
Kousuke tilted his head at first but quickly nodded in agreement.
This matter wasn’t a conclusion Kousuke felt all that confident about either. Simply put, it was just a procrastination of the issue, so it was natural for him to feel a sense of anxiety.
Not that Floria intended to console him, but she offered a follow-up remark.
“In politics, there will always be problems that can’t easily be decided. Especially with this situation, where not only the thought processes but even the ordinary lives of this species are completely different. It’s only natural that it can’t be decided easily.”
Furthermore, in Kousuke’s case, there was also the issue that it could end up reflecting the words of a god. Indeed, it would undoubtedly be an oracle.
Even Kousuke couldn’t just decide such things on a whim.
Floria’s assurance helped Kousuke feel relieved as he nodded.
“It’s reassuring to hear that. But, you see….”
“Is there still another problem?”
“No, it’s just about how to explain things to Wanri.”
This was the aspect that had troubled him most while arriving at this conclusion. To postpone the issues meant potentially undermining what Wanri had made the effort to teach him, if not outright wasting it.
As Kousuke’s face clouded in thought, Floria spoke with a reassuring expression.
“There’s no need to worry about that. Moreover, since you’re not making a decision immediately, Kousuke will probably continue to ponder over it, right? So it’s fine to show that side of you every now and then.”
“That’s true. Plus, we can explain it to Wanri from our side. That would probably be better.”
Silvia chimed in, picking up Floria’s point. Sometimes, a third party can explain things better than the person directly involved, and both Floria and Silvia understood that this was one such situation.
Gaining the reassurance from the two, Kousuke’s face relaxed. He knew that they would provide thorough support, but hearing it articulated was still comforting.
That was why Floria and Silvia felt compelled to voice their support. After being together for so long, they had moments when it was clear without words, but still, it felt good to vocalize it.
Kousuke reflected on this as he looked at the two, realizing that this was one of those times.
In the end, this was the conclusion Kousuke arrived at.
Well, it was just another exchange between them.
