Chapter of Soul Expansion: A Farewell to the Past

"Yumi! Yumi! Hurry!"

"Wait, Emily, don't pull."

"Hurry!"

We were currently in an incredibly large room that served as a bath. Given the size of the fort I wasn't surprised that they had a bath, but the sheer size of it did astonish me after all. It was way too large for only seven people. You could easily swim here without getting in the way of anyone, even if there were dozens of people.

Then again, it probably had to be able to handle a few hundred people at once.

"Yumi!"

"Emily, calm do-- Woah!"

Emily, energetic as always, already had undressed and tried to hurry me into undressing as well. Now, it wasn't the first time but I was still a bit hesitant to simply undressing. Maybe Karen noticed that as she crept up from behind and stripped me in a flash.

"Ehehe, there's no escape, Yumi."

"Sis... At least let me prepare myself."

I was fidgeting around and I could feel my face becoming hot. Embarrassing things were embarrassing after all.

"Yumi, we've done much more already, so why are you even embarrassed at this," whispered Karen, making sure Emily couldn't hear it.

"That's completely different from this, Sis. Uhh..."

"Just come."

Karen mercilessly pushed me towards the bath.

"Yumi! Come!"

In addition to that, Emily took my hand and pulled me forward.

Forced by these two, I soon reached the area close to the pool. Karen pushed me towards a small sink that was filled with water.

"Now, let's first wash ourselves."

"Nn?"

Karen brought a small wooden chair from the side and beckoned me over. Curious as to what she wanted I sat down on the chair. I was facing the sink while Karen was now behind me.

"Hehe, I got something nice. Look forward to it, Yumi."

"Nn? Okay..."

After a few seconds, I could feel Karen touching my hair. Apparently, she was rubbing something into it.

"Sis? What are you doing?"

"Washing your hair."

"... Washing my hair?"

"Yes. I got something that's similar to soap. It's specifically for washing someone's hair."

"Haa..."

Was it something like shampoo? How curious, I didn't expect shampoo to exist.

Karen continued rubbing the shampoo into my hair, gently but steadily spreading it throughout my hair. It was nice. As if you got a massage, it was quite relaxing. Although, only while she was busy rubbing it onto my scalp. Which unfortunately only made out a small part of it.

"Oh, you already started?"

While Karen was washing my hair, Lily entered, together with Rina and Maya plus Sele. Since Lily wasn't using her disguise anymore, her fluffy dark blue ears and tail were freely displayed. Next to Maya, they looked a bit like sisters.

Apart from the fact that if I had to describe the kind of animals the ears and tails resembled, then Lily would be more similar to a dog or wolf while Maya seemed to be more like a cat.

I wonder, do wolves, dogs and cats even exist here? Or are there similar animals and they are closer to those?

There was still so much I didn't know about this world. Maybe I should ask Lily about it the next time she would be teaching me.

"Yes, we did. Ah, the hair wash is here, Lily."

"Oh, thanks. Rina, come here. I'll wash your hair."

"Got it. Thank you, Lily."

Lily beckoned Rina over who promptly sat down in front of her.

"Sele, Emily. I'll wash your hair!" declared Maya right after.

"Okay!"

"..."

Emily dashed over to Maya and sat down in front of her. Sele sat down right next to Emily. Lily handed her the hair wash and she began rubbing it into Emily's hair.

"Ehehe, that tickles."

"Emily, stay still."

"But it tickles!"

"Ahh, don't move so much."

Poor Maya had some difficulties with Emily. She simply didn't want to stay still and was squirming around under Maya's hands, her drooping ears twitching.

"Yumi, don't keep looking to the side."

"Ah, sorry."

I was scolded by Karen.

"Well, stay still and close your eyes, yes? I was told it hurts if it gets into the eyes."

"Nn."

Just like regular shampoo did. I shut my eyes and waited for the inevitable. I could hear how Karen was filling something in the sink in front of me.

"Here we go."

And then splashed it down on my head. Obviously, it was water. Warm water, much to my surprise.

"Mh, I guess we need to do it a few more times."

"Nn."

She repeated the procedure quite a few times, trying to wash out the shampoo slash hair wash.

"I think it's all out now."

"Thank you, Sis."

"And now for the rest of your body."

"... Eh?"

The rest of my body? Not only my hair but...

"Yumi, turn around."

"Eh? Wait, Sis."

Karen grabbed my shoulders and forced me to turn around.

"Mh, you're cute, Yumi."

"Si-, Sis. I, I can wash the rest myself."

"Maybe you can. But we won't find out, at least not today."

With a smile that allowed no resistance, she held up a piece of cloth and a bar of what I assumed was soap. It did look similar to soap at least.

"Sis? Are you really going to?"

"Yes."

"Haa... I got it."

Well, even if I pretended to, I wasn't exactly averse to the idea. Being pampered like this was embarrassing but I was pampered by the person I loved. Still, I did have some reservations. Yet, something deep inside was feeling a bit happy.

"Now, hold still, Yumi."

"... Nn."

Karen dipped the cloth into the water and rubbed some of the soap onto it. The soap seemed to have a consistency similar to a creme. Despite it being in the form of a soap bar.

Karen took hold of my left arm and began washing it with the soaked cloth.

"Nn, this tickles quite a bit."

"Try to hold still, yes?"

"Nn."

I really wanted to squirm under the ticklish feeling, but I had to hold back as much as possible.

Karen washed along my left arm, then the right arm followed by the shoulder and my collarbone. And then obviously...

"Ah, Sis, wai- Nn!"

"I won't stop."

And then she obviously worked her way down to my chest. Karen's gentle rubbing made a certain feeling rise up. A feeling that was not exactly suitable for the current location, in front of others.

"I'm just washing you, Yumi, there's nothing wrong with this."

"Si-, Sis..."

A mischievous smile floated on her face. She clearly knew what she was doing. In fact, she probably did so on purpose.

Thankfully, Karen had at least a shred of decency left and finished thoroughly washing my chest.

"Next is here..."

She continued with my tummy. Which actually wasn't a lot better. It was more ticklish but similar to before, it just made feel a bit aroused.

Yet, Karen continued under the guise of washing, regardless of how much I squirmed and how I had to hold back.

"Okay, done with this. Yumi, turn around."

"Hee?"

"Turn around."

"Nn..."

I followed her instructions, slightly lightheaded, and turned around, showing her my back. Slowly calming down, I took a quick glance to the side, in the hopes nobody noticed.

Lily had finished washing Rina's hair and was currently getting her own hair washed by Rina instead. Behind them was a little row of Sele having her hair washed by Maya, who in turn was getting her hair washed by Emily. It was cute.

Good, it seems nobody has noticed anything.

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Karen in the meantime put my hair over my shoulder, so it's out of the way. Then she promptly started washing my back. Different to the front, this was somehow calming.

"Now, only your legs are missing. Turn back around, Yumi."

"Eh?"

Why didn't she wash my legs before my back? Wondering about that, I turned back around nonetheless. Karen was smiling even brighter now, looking a bit giddy.

"Uhh, Sis? Why did you wash my back first?"

"Why? Because, don't you save the best for last?"

"Eh?"

The best for last? So, she wanted to wash my legs so much she decided to do it last? Was that it?

"Now, here we go!"

"Ah."

Interrupting my thoughts, Karen took hold of my left leg and started washing it. With quite the vigour.

"Ehehe, your legs are so squishy and soft. They are nice to touch."

"Sis..."

In between, she most obviously was just playing with around again. Like squishing my thighs or my feet. The latter was a bit troublesome since it tickled a whole lot. Nonetheless, Karen continued on. It took quite a while for her to just finish one leg. Of course, she did the same to my other one...

By the time I was released, we were already the only ones left here.

"Ahh, too bad it's already over..."

"Sis... You're enjoying this too much... Lily will scold us."

"It's fine, the others didn't notice."

I had the subtle feeling that that was wishful thinking. There was no way they wouldn't notice. We had been right beside them, after all...

Letting out a sigh, I could only resign myself to it. What was done was done. I certainly didn't want something like this to happen again though.

"I'm sorry, Yumi. Don't be angry, okay?"

Karen pulled me over and hugged my head.

"Nn, just... please don't do it again. It's embarrassing when everyone else is around."

"Ehh? But they left by the time I started with your legs."

"Eh? They did?"

"Yes, they did."

Karen let go of me and pointed towards the pool. Lily and Rina were sitting quite some ways off, talking with each other. The other three were even further away and splashing around in the water.

"See? Nobody noticed."

"Uhh..."

I hadn't even noticed them leaving. I thought they were still around by the time Karen went out of control.

"Now, since that is cleared up. Yumi, will you wash me now?"

"Ha?"

"Being the only one who has to wash my hair myself would be lonely, wouldn't it?"

"... I understand."

I switched places with Karen, now sitting behind her. Her silver hair resting on her shoulders and her tail limply hanging down to the ground.

Didn't Sis say that their tails are really sensitive?

... Time for some revenge.

Yes, there was no way I could just let this go. No, revenge was a matter of course for this.

"Yumi? Are you begi- Hya!"

A cute shriek escaped Karen the very moment I touched her tail. The tail twitched violently in response.

"Hey, Sis. I've been wondering, but Rina's tail is rather lively, isn't it?"

"Wha-, What does that have to do with this, Yumi?!"

"Even though it's such a cute tail, it's just limply hanging down."

I gently rubbed the tail from the base down to the tip. Copying what she did earlier, I rubbed some soap onto the cloth and thoroughly washed her tail.

Needless to say, Karen enjoyed quite a lot of my attention. Towards her tail. I fully enjoyed her tearing up and squirming around.

"Now, close your eyes, Sis."

"Okay."

After thoroughly playing with Karen's tail, I did actually wash her hair, followed by her back. She also made me wash her front, just like she did to me. Although I felt rather embarrassed at first, I quickly grew to enjoy it. We were messing around a bit, but in itself, it was still just washing each other. It was incredibly mundane, yet it made me feel all warm and happy.

"And, here it comes."

I heaved the basin filled with water and poured it over Karen, rinsing off the remains of the soap and the hair wash.

Speaking of the hair wash, it was a rather weird substance. It was also more similar to a creme, though with clumps and so, mainly caused by the ingredients. It was apparently something of a mix of a type of soap together with various herbs. As a result, it did smell like herbs. A rather refreshing smell, too.

"Nn, all good now."

"Great, thank you, Yumi."

Karen turned around and immediately pulled me into a hug.

"Ah, Sis."

"Ehehe, you are so soft. Really, do you even have muscles? It feels like you have none, so soft are you."

"Sis... Stop... Nn..."

Once more, Karen was feeling me up. She was turning into quite the pervert, wasn't she? Though I didn't dislike that.

"My, my, you two. It's nice to see lovers getting along, though I do feel a bit jealous. But I would appreciate it if you didn't leave me out. Hey, you two, mind washing my hair for me as well?"

"Nn?"

"Eh?"

An unfamiliar voice suddenly made itself present. Right next to us.

Karen and I both turned our heads towards the source.

"Now, my dear children. How about it? You've been playing around for so long now, I'm slowly getting tired. Or are you trying to kill me with this feeling of jealousy? Please explode."

""...""

My mind couldn't quite process what was happening. It absolutely couldn't. After all, this person wasn't supposed to be here.

"Eh? Eh?! Ma, Mama?!"

From behind us echoed Lily's surprised voice.

Yes, this was the person that took care of Lily like a mother. The very person that gave me quite a bit of trouble a few days ago.

Yumias la Freyr.

"Oh, hello, Lily dear. How are you doing? My, you've grown haven't you? We haven't seen each other for a while now, so I'm quite surprised."

Lily quickly climbed out of the pool and dashed over. Yet, wet as she was, even she couldn't prevent the forces of nature.

"Wah!"

Which caused her to fall flat on the ground.

"Oh dear, don't be so impatient. Are you hurt? Are you fine?"

Yumias quickly left the stool next to us and hurried over to Lily, who was now sitting on the ground rubbing her nose. Considering the sound of the impact, it must've hurt quite a lot.

"I, I'm fine. More importantly, Mama, you are back?!"

"Yes, dear. I'm back. It's good to see you again, have you been a good girl while I was away?"

Yumias patted Lily's head. It was obvious that she held a lot of affection for Lily, a gentle smile floating on her face.

"I... Mama, I..."

"My, still such a crybaby. Aren't you an adult now? You shouldn't cry so much."

Lily jumped into Yumias arms and hugged her. I wasn't all too happy about Yumias being here, but Lily was so overjoyed...

It made me feel bad, just a bit.

"Eh? This little girl is Big Sis Lily's mama?"

In the meantime, the other girls also came over, observing the commotion. And Emily asked the question that probably all of them were thinking of. After all, while Lily was a young girl, not yet an adult woman, the person she was hugging was even smaller than Emily and the others themselves. She looked to be around seven or eight, a bit younger than they were.

"My, are you all Lily's friends? Thank you for being friends with her."

Yet, just like a gentle mother would, she greeted the four girls. It was rather surreal.

"Yumi... Is that really..."

"It is, Sis... That's Yumias."

"Haa..."

We were watching the rather odd sight of Lily hugging a little girl and the other four surrounding them and asking Yumias various questions for a bit. After a while, Yumias turned her attention back to Lily.

"Lily dear, if you keep hugging me here, it's going to be a bit of a bother. Ah, I know, would you like to help me wash my hair?"

"Yes, I want to! Let me do it, Mama!"

Lily's face, adorned with a smug smile, resurfaced. She let go of Yumias and moved with her next to us. Yumias sat down on the stool again and Lily sat down on her knees behind her.

I took a quick glance to the other girls, but they were already back in the water. It was probably cold outside of it, wet as they were.

"Now, while Lily dear is helping me, you two there. How long are you going to flirt in public?"

"Eh? Ah..."

Karen was still hugging me. Though nobody had minded, except this little one. Karen quickly let go of me.

I was a bit miffed about her cutting my private time with Karen short. And because of that, I decided to sit down in Karen's lap. It earned me a scowl from Yumias, but I couldn't care less.

Nn? Thinking about it... Last I met her, I was really scared. But now... I still can't feel any mana in her but... It doesn't feel as dangerous anymore.

"Well, I guess that'll have to do."

"Hey, Mama. How come you are back now?"

"Oh? Well, I finished my business, so I decided to come over. I wanted to see my dear child after all."

"Ehehe."

A happy giggle escaped Lily. Her wet ears, that unfortunately weren't so fluffy right now, twitched occasionally.

It was an endearing sight.

"There are also a few other things I've come to do, though. But I'm mostly done now, so I'll stay for a while."

"Really?!"

Lily shot straight up and leaned over to Yumias.

"Yes, really. I've also talked with your superiors, and with Lil' Greyward already."

"Ehehe, that's great!"

"Yes, dear. But, don't stop, yes? The hair wash is running down."

"Ah! I'm sorry!"

And with a little bit of panic, Lily resumed washing her adoptive mother's hair.

"Now, since that's out of the way... My dear child, Yumi, I've also come because of you."

"Because of... me?"

"Yes, you. There's been a little bit of an issue that I didn't expect to come up, at least not yet. Though maybe it is good if we get it behind us sooner rather than later. Yes, it's about that dream of yours."

"Wha-!"

So she did have something to do with it after all? But... She said it wasn't something she had expected...

"Before you start accusing me of things, I have nothing to with it. In fact, if it went my way, I probably would've never told you. Rather, I would've preferred if you had absolutely no memories of that place. Unfortunately not something I was able to arrange, what, with the lack of time."

"..."

"Now, my dear child. It seems I owe you a little bit of an explanation. But one thing first: Your former sisters from that other world, all three girls, are alive and well."

"Eh?"

They were alive and well? But, what about that dream? What... What happened then? Towards the end of that dream... those girls...

"Now, you seem a little bit shocked. Well, that's about to be expected. It's a nasty curse after all."

"... What? Curse?"

Even Karen and Lily paused and stared at Yumias with astonished expressions.

"Yes, a curse. It's a curse that let's the affected 'experience the worst'. What the worst is depends of course on the person, but it basically lets you experience some of the most horrible things you can imagine, pretty much your biggest fears."

"... So you mean... Those memories... were fake?"

"My, I wouldn't say necessarily fake, rather... they are based on your memories. You know how certain kinds of drugs make you hallucinate or see and imagine things? It's very similar to that. Just that instead of making you feel elated, you become depressed and scared. It's still a product of your mind and your memories, things you might have thought at one point, things you were worried or things you prayed would never happen."

Like a drug? So those scenes were a fabrication of my imagination? If that was true... That made me feel relieved. Really, really relieved. It still begged the question though... What had really happened then? What part was real... and what was wrong?

"Now, to be honest, your case was rather weak, actually. After all, the majority of this fort is affected by that very same curse."

"... What did you say?"

Once more, she surprised us. She seemed to enjoy our surprised reactions, as she grinned and then continued.

"The reason many of those soldiers are ill... is because of a curse?"

"Yes, dear Karen, that's mostly correct. Rather, they cannot recover because they are trapped in that curse. And with a bit of bad luck, your beloved Yumi would have shared that fate."

"... What... do you mean with that?"

"Waking up from that curse isn't so simple for a normal person. Which should be obvious, considering you have hundreds of soldiers and they don't get any better, right? Your beloved shouldn't have been affected by it in the first place, though. While monsters can be affected by curses, it depends on their strength. And Yumi's soul crystal is simply too strong for most curses to have even a chance of working."

My soul crystal was too strong? Did she mean my mana crystal with that?

"In any case, due to your little liaison in that warehouse, your beloved girl was temporarily weakened, making her a suitable target for the curse. Albeit only for a very short time."

"..."

I would have certainly liked it if she didn't speak so nonchalantly of Karen's and my relationship. But considering what she was telling us just now... It was a sacrifice I had to live with.

"Wait, so, if it weren't for that curse, Yumi wouldn't have collapsed either?"

"That's correct, dear Karen. There are no worries, really, about the mana you absorb from her. In actuality, you should already know it isn't really mana you take, right? Otherwise, you weren't hiding that little... thing."

"Nn? Hiding?"

I took a look behind me at Karen, who was glaring at Yumias.

"Yumi dear, you shouldn't pry too much into a maiden's secrets. In any case, there are no real adverse effects, the absorbed mana is a little side-effect, nothing more."

"But, if I'm not absorbing mana, then what do I..."

Yumias turned around and stared at Karen with a mischievous grin.

"That's something you will have to find out yourself. But like I said, there won't be any adverse effects."

"..."

"At the very least, barring a case like this, you won't even need her to replenish mana. It'd be useless even if she tried to anyway, the mana you take her would be recovered naturally within a few minutes anyway."

If there weren't adverse effects... That would still mean that there were effects. And she stated that Karen was hiding something in regards to that... It worried me a bit.

"In any case, at some point, it'd likely even stop absorbing mana. When that happens, a demon's desire is nothing more than an act of pleasure."

"...Is that so..."

So at some point, it would make no difference anymore on. While that was basically good news, the question what it did actually cause was still left unanswered.

"Mama, I'm done now, so I'll rinse it."

"My, thank you, Lily dear. I'll close my eyes, so go ahead."

"Okay."

Lily filled the basin with water and poured it over Yumias head. She repeated this a few times.

"Done, Mama."

"Thank you. I'll quickly wash myself and then we can go into the water, okay?"

"Okay."

"You two as well, it's cold here, right? Well, maybe it isn't if you are basically hugging each other. You still should get into the water. Shoo shoo."

Yumias directed her attention back to us, trying to shoo us away.

"... Yumi, let's go into the water."

"Eh? Nn... Okay..."

I stood up from Karen's lap and we walked together to the pool, slowly entering the water. The moment we were in, Karen quickly grabbed me and pulled me back into her lap.

"Sis? What's up?"

"Yumi..."

"Nn?"

"What Yumias said..."

She stared past me, at the water, not continuing her words.

If I had to take a guess, Karen was probably thinking about what Yumias just told us. Well, it would be surprising if she was thinking about something else right now.

"..."

"Sis? Are you okay?"

"Yumi."

"Nn?"

"Yumi... I... have to show you something."

"Show me something?"

She seemed oddly serious. She raised her hand behind her ear, parting her hair a bit.

"Eh?"

"... This was there since this morning..."

Rather hidden in her hair was a strand that stood out. I actually was surprised that I had missed it while washing because it honestly was quite obvious. It was pink. The same pink that my own hair was.

"She says there are no adverse effects... But is that really true? I'm... worried... Something... Something changed... Is changing..."

She looked at me with an insecure, worried expression. Something happened. Something changed. She did not know why, and what else might happen. Yes, I had to agree... It was worrying me a bit, too.

But... More than that...

"... It suits you."

"Eh?"

Karen stared wide-eyed at me. She didn't seem to have expected that.

"Well, if it's caused because of me, it actually makes me feel a bit happy."

"Happy?"

"Well, now you'll always have a part of me with you, right?"

She stared at me wide-eyed. After a short moment, she suddenly broke out in laughter.

"Ahaha. I guess I understand why Lily called you a hopeless romantic."

"Wha-"

A hopeless romantic? I did admit I liked romantic things, but that sounded a lot worse than it was, right? It wasn't really that bad, right?!

"Well, even if you are a hopeless romantic, I still love you."

"..."

"But... Yumi. Is this really fine?"

"Why shouldn't it? It's cute. And... doesn't it make us look more like sisters? Though I'd prefer looking like lovers."

"... Like sisters, huh. "

Karen buried her face in my hair. Maybe, she simply needed a bit of time.

I faced forward again and watched the younger girls splashing each other with water.

After a short while, I heard a few footsteps behind me.

"My, my, still flirting in public, aren't we. Are you trying to make me feel envious on purpose?"

"... No, not really."

"I see, I see, that's good. Yes."

Yumias came over together with Lily. I heard them entering the water right next to us. Taking a quick glance I, I saw how her head was barely peaking out of the water. It looked a bit as if a severed head was floating on the water. It was a little bit grotesque.

Regardless, this little person knew so much and was just as hard to understand. There were still too many things I wanted to know. Way too many.

"There's still something you didn't tell me."

I glanced towards Yumias who was right next to us. On her other side sat Lily.

"You said my dream was a fabrication of my mind and not true. Then... what is the truth?"

"You want to know about your past?"

"Yes."

Yumias expression turned serious for the first time.

"I won't tell you that."

"Wha-, Why?"

"Because it's not necessary."

"..."

Yumias turned forwards and was now watching the younger girls, just like I did prior.

"Listen, my child, leave that past behind. You are here and you cannot change that anymore."

"But... I still don't know what happened to those girls."

"I told you, they are alive. Isn't that enough?"

Yumias raised her hand, pointing her index finger forward. After a few seconds, a little pink light glowed at the tip. She was simply staring at the light, not doing anything.

"Child, do you wish to know how they are?"

"... Nn."

"I see."

She snapped her fingers and the little light disappeared. Nothing else happened.

"After your 'disappearance' your older sister returned home. Your little sisters, who had been present in the accident as well, both survived. All three of them are currently living with their parents. They are now quite happy, you know. Well, except for the fact, that you disappeared on them, I guess."

"Disappeared... So, they don't think I'm dead?"

"Apparently not. I did not look further into why that is. I wasn't that interested in it, either."

"But... what about what I saw...  My father being angry?"

Yumias turned to me and smiled wryly.

"Well, every family has their own troubles, but he wasn't particularly worse than other families. He was strict and expected a lot from his children, yes."

"...Just that?"

"Just that. Well, he was a bit old-fashioned in his sense of values. But he never truly abused you or his daughters."

So, that dream... That dream wasn't true. Still... Even if she told me this...

"Jeez, child... Well, guess that's so cute about children, right?"

"... What are you talking about?"

"You still can't believe what I say, right? Well, I guess seeing something holds more value over just hearing it, right? Yes, that's right."

Then, Yumias lifted once more her hand, with her index finger pointed forward. Suddenly, something changed. The mana was behaving strangely, moving erratically towards her fingertip. The whole thing barely took a second before it stopped again. But the result was immediately visible. Something appeared in the air. An image.

"If you can't believe it, I just have to show you."

The image... showed a familiar place. The place I saw in my dream. A table, with a family of six, no... of five... eating dinner...

"What... is that... Is that Yumi's..."

Karen stared wide-eyed at the image. Lily was similarly staring, her mouth agape. That wasn't surprising. After all, I was just as surprised.

"It is. Or rather was. And as you can see, there's nothing really of an issue with them."

"... Nn."

With a snap of her finger, the image quickly disappeared again.

"Seriously, you are really troublesome. But well, I guess half of that was my fault. I should just have taken my time and made sure you didn't remember anything. Actually, I can still fix that, can't I..."

"... I don't think... that is necessary."

"Mh, not? Well, if you change your mind, just tell me."

I preferred to keep my memories. Even if they were fragmented, even if they would only cause me to worry... They were still mine. Especially now, when I had seen myself that it wasn't as bad as I thought...

Honestly... I was glad. Really glad, that it had been all a lie. That there wasn't some dark past that would haunt me forever.

"My, now then, I'll talk with those girls a bit. After all, I think we're all done here, right? And, those girls are cute, after all. Maybe I should keep them. My, that might not be such a bad idea. Well then, have fun, you three... Ah, wait, there's one thing I still wanted to say."

Yumias, who was in the middle of leaving us alone, turned around once more and stared at me with a meaningful smile.

"Yumi, child, do not rest on your current situation. Life is cruel, and if you do not prepare yourself, you will once more lose everything."

"Eh?"

I gasped and stared at her, surprised. But Yumias did not seem to particularly care about my reaction and turn around. Leaving those slightly troublesome words behind, Yumias swam over to the other girls.

I shouldn't rest... she said... Am I... resting?

I leaned back, resting my head on Karen's shoulder. Both, Karen and Lily, had kept mostly silent during our conversation. But now, Karen was tightly hugging me.

"Yumi, are you okay?"

"Nn... I'm fine, Sis."

"Are you sure?"

"... I don't know. But... I feel a bit better now. Although what she said at the end... worries me a bit..."

It was like some big worry had disappeared. Her parting words were foreboding, though.

"Yumi!"

"Nn?"

Lily crawled over to us and then jumped onto me and Karen.

"Woah! Lily, that's dangerous!"

"It's fine, Karen, it's fine."

She grinned from ear to ear and then pat my head.

"Yumi, we're family."

"Nn? Of course, we are... Ah."

"Right? So, you don't have to worry. I am a bit confused about all those things Mama said, but..."

Her smiling face closed in and she hit my forehead with her own.

"But you're already my sister, you hear? I won't share you with strangers. We're now your family. And the family stays together and shares their responsibilities! So, don't worry too much, okay?"

"... She's right, Yumi. I'm a bit jealous that you still care so much for that place. It may be hard, but this is already the place you belong to."

"The place I belong to..."

Ah, that was right, wasn't it? I already had a new family. I've been saying that all the time, and I thought that was already clear to me. But... maybe, somewhere deep inside...

"Thank you, Lily."

"You're wel- Woah!"

"Ah! Lily, that's unfair! Yumi, me too! I want a kiss on my cheek too!"

"... Aha... Ahahaha!"

I burst out in laughter, causing Karen and Lily to look at me in surprise.

Yes, I was stupid, wasn't I? This was my family. It might be harsh, but... this was already the place I belonged to, the place that I had to protect. It might have been different if I still had to worry, but I'm sure that family would manage to live on and have a happy life.

After all, even if I was gone, there were already traces of smiles back in their faces. The image Yumias showed us, it didn't show a dissonant family, no, it was one that was back on the path to being happy.

Ahh... Somehow... I feel like a heavy weight has disappeared...

I looked at the two girls next to me with a smile.

This is the place I belong to. Farewell, you all on the other side. I hope you will live well. I will do my best here, together with my new family.

Rinne

Then again there's not much to say.

Except maybe, really close to that extra chapter on Patreon.

Thank you for reading and thank your for all your support!