Elianora hummed a vague song and stirred the dinner pot to the rhythm. Tonight’s dinner was soup: common and practical. Olive trotted down the narrow steps after having changed out of her priestess clothing. She hesitated at the doorway to the kitchen.

“I thought Patch was coming over for dinner tonight,” she said meekly.

“He is,” Elianora looked over her shoulder and smiled. “He’ll be a few more minutes yet, so I decided to quickly cook something.”

“Oh,” Olive smiled slightly and avoided eye contact, pulling out her chair to sit down.

“Hm?” Elly tilted her head. “What was that look for?”

“Nothing,” Olive murmured, tracing the lines in the wooden table with her eyes.

Elly watched the angelic little girl for a moment longer due to suspicion. Then, her eyes grew sharp. “Olive! You think Patch cooks better than I do, don’t you?!”

The girl flinched. “Uu, I’m sorry! I can’t help it, his really does taste better!”

Elianora let out a plain sigh. “Right. I shouldn’t get mad since I think so too. But it’s rude to make him cook every time he comes over, right? Even if it’s not that often.”

“Well, I guess so.”

There was a knock at the door and Elly propped the wooden stirring spoon against the side of the pot. “That must be him. I’ll be right back, okay, Olive?”

“I’ll come too!” the girl said, hopping out of her chair to trot after her sister.

“Hey, you’re right on time,” Elly called with a smile as she pulled open the door. “Eh?” The Mage blinked and tilted her head, causing her glasses to slip a bit. “Rudan? What are you doing here?” She glanced at his feet. “What are all those bags?”

Rudan, meanwhile, made a painful face. He was glaring, but at something more distant than herself. “Elianora,” he bit his lip, “I’m going back to that place.”

“That place?” she parroted, tilting her head the other way. After a minute, her eyes came into focus. “You mean that place! Why? Did something happen?”

“That’s,” the young man hesitated. “I need to get stronger quickly. Can you accept that answer?”

“Ahh, true. If it’s that place you’ll be able to improve quickly. But, um, does it have to be so sudden? Maybe we can talk about it first. We are a team, after all. I’d like to help you if I can.”

“Sorry. I don’t have much time. It’s,” he looked vaguely stressed, “it’s a family matter.”

Olive looked up at Elianora while gripping the hem of her robe. The Mage’s face had become somewhat serious and dark. “Sis?”

“Rudan,” Elly opened her mouth, and a cool tone came out, “If you’re going to lose someone important, please tell me now. Because that sort of thing,” she fixed her glasses, “I understand well.”

The swordsman avoided her gaze for a moment, clenching his fists tightly. “I don’t want to be associated with them,” he said slowly, and resolve built up in his eyes, “but I can’t stand to lose them either.”

About at that moment, Patch walked up to the front of the house. “Oh. Hey, Rudan. Hey Elly. Olive.” He cocked his head, “What’s going on?”

Elianora didn’t break eye contact with Rudan. It was as if she was trying to see the depths of his situation. “I understand,” she nodded. Then she looked at Patch with an apologetic smile on her face. “You’re right on time Patch. Dinner’s almost ready.” She pressed her hands together in a begging gesture and tilted her head cutely. The apology began to overwhelm the smile. “Would you mind watching over Olive for a while? Possibly a few weeks.”

“What?”

“Sis?!”

“Elly?” Rudan blinked in surprise. “No, you have things to do here! I can go myself.”

“Elly, you’re leaving again already?” Patch said with a frown.

“You promised to take me with you the next time,” Olive protested with tears in her eyes.

“Olive,” Elly chose who to address, turned to face her, and knelt down. “At times like this, if we have the ability to help, we should. At that time, don’t you think that if someone had been around to help, momma wouldn’t have,” her throat choked up. “And then dad would still be here too. So this is important, understand?”

Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes, and she clung to her sister’s robes. Rudan also, his eyes became moist. Patch just looked on helplessly.

He shook his head, She already decided.

In the shadows trailing down from the tall, narrow houses all crowded together, a rat scurried away from that scene. It trotted down a few alleys before stopping at an inconspicuous dead end. It began to squeak and dance around in circles. A low female chuckle spread out from what was apparently thin air.

“I have good timing~”

***

Stretching one arm and using the other to cover my mouth, I let out a loud yawn. I stayed up too late last night reading, but I got up early anyway because I want to consult with Fiara about making a magic tool.

I’d better remember not to neglect the humans while I’m at it.

Today is Neunrekt. I was born on Zehnrekt: the last day of winter. Well, it’s more like this planet’s one day of spring. Anyway, tomorrow, I’ll be ninety days old. That also leaves only thirty days until winter. If possible, I’d like to have magic tools for dealing with cold weather ready before then. The Orcs have apparently managed in the past, but I can’t stand the cold, and I won’t make these guys do it either.

Fiara wasn’t awake yet when I got to her house. Normally, I wouldn’t wake her forcefully, but I think she’ll forgive me this time.

“Hey, Fiara~ Wake up!”

“Ummmu, chief,” she rolled over in her nest-bed and opened one eye to glare at me.

I waved the last few pages of the Indigo text I had obtained. The rest were hidden under my nest-bed at home with their appearance returned to normal, coded Human notes.

“I have some pages from a textbook recovered from the ancient Indigos,” I said in a singsong voice.

“WHAT?!” Fiara sat up so fast her upper body blurred in my vision. Her bloodshot eyes are almost scary.

“Do you want to research how to build a Magic Tool with me?” I grinned.

“Uuu,” Fiara sniffed as she fell to the verge of tears. “Chief~!” she cried, clinging to me from pure happiness.

“There there,” I smiled awkwardly, petting her short brown hair. “I’ll help you translate it.”