Chapter of Heart Resonance: Our Hearts at Peace

The Kingdom was at war.

That was their official stance after the attempted assault on the Fort on the Hollow. Albeit I called it official, they hadn't yet announced it, of course. That would likely come over the next days, according to Korwen.

But, although it was called a war... There wasn't really much to be done, right now. After all, the Hollow separated both countries and crossing it was... a difficult task—without a bridge anyway. Blowing up the bridge might have saved many lives. For now.

"There's still the question of how they crossed the Hollow during the Triside War. Seeing how they still aimed for the fort, it probably isn't the most efficient method, otherwise, they could've attacked the fort from behind. But that doesn't change the fact that they can invade some parts of the country. Nonetheless, they aren't likely to invade tomorrow or the day after. Or really, anytime soon. The earliest would be in a month. But realistically speaking, probably not within the next half a year."

That was Korwen's assessment.

"So, we'll have time?"

"Time? Yumi, you seem to misunderstand something."

"Nn?"

"Who says we're going to be involved?"

I cocked my head, confused.

"But, didn't we support the fort already?"

"Because we got paid. Quite well, in fact. Yumi, a mercenary fights for money. If there is no money involved, then neither are we."

"So, if Lafria said they wanted to hire us..."

"Then we would take the job, yes. But Lafria has a strong standing army. While some people in the military—like the fort's commander Ruben—are on good terms with us, they aren't likely to hire us. At least, not for the war itself."

Korwen twirled around the cigar, watching the burning tip create a glowing circle.

"We value our life and we value our money. We don't fight out of loyalty like the army. They cannot trust us, because we will always choose our life over our job. And they aren't wrong about that. The most the military will do is give us some jobs for monster subjugations. Although, for now, we got our contract with the Academy anyway."

"Nn... I see..."

"Your hand is stopping."

"Ah..."

These documents were quite a pain... No wonder that Korwen wanted someone to deal with them. Never before would I have thought that I would have to look over a complaint ranting about how the waroxen's shit stinks and makes them unable to sleep at night. Well, yeah, animals tend to smell... But everyone else had to deal with it too...

"Captain, I thought that being able to read and write aren't common skills, so how come we got so many written complaints?"

"We got trusted people for various sections that write their complaints and bring them to me. Or they ask a friend who can write. Some write them themselves too. Occasionally I write them out myself as well when they come directly to me. Got to keep track, after all."

"I see... but what do I do about... these... rather unique ones."

"You ignore them. Put them on the 'solved' stack."

"..."

Well, that was one way to deal with complaints...

"By the way, how did that elf girl fare after I left?"

"Nn? The Elder? Well..."

I frowned a little.

It had taken quite a while until the Elder calmed down, and immediately after, she had set out to collect her brethren, that had run all over the place because of that moronic monster. We hadn't had the chance to really talk with her after. Nonetheless, her expression... spoke volumes. She had been everything but well.

"I see... Haa... A home, huh."

He let out a deep sigh after hearing what happened, a small smoke cloud rising into the air. After he had watched the smoke cloud for a while he stretched his arms and yawned.

"Hopefully elves are more easily pleased than a bunch of Aldreighan refugees... Jeez, am I glad that we got those done with. I can finally take a day off. I don't even remember when was the last time I could just sit back and not have to think about work."

"..."

Yes, because I'm doing the work.

The shamelessness was impressive. Then again, I already had my break earlier... So I couldn't really complain about it either. Still, it was a little mean...

"Nn? This is... Captain, what should I do with this?"

"What do you have there?"

He took the sheet I was holding and skimmed over it.

"Are these people stupid?"

"Captain, even if you ask me, I don't know."

"How did this even make its way here?"

"No, even if you ask me..."

The paper in question was... A response? Or something like that. From another mercenary band. And it was actually addressed not at the Dragon Knights but at the Black Guards.

"Who was 'The Little Company' again? I feel like I've heard that name before..."

Korwen rubbed his temples in an attempt to remember.

"The Little Company, Little Company... Little... Little... Mh, can't remember."

He went over to his wagon, disappeared for a minute and then came out with a huge file folder. It was packed to the brim with files, documents, papers...

"Let's see... The Little Company... L... L... Oh, I actually have something about them."

"Captain, what's the file folder?"

"A collection of information on various mercenary bands."

He pushed the folder to the side before going over the file he had pulled out.

"Let's see... A group of eight young men... Seems they made a name for themselves in Lafria. Five of them are beastkin, three humans. No magicians. Mh, dated to... two years ago. Still alive after two years, huh."

After some mumbling, he took another look at the letter.

"So, why are they... requesting to talk with us, or with Greyward, and then just proceed to say a date where they come here? That's... not exactly how it works. In the first place, why... a letter?"

Korwen shook his head in exasperation. The letter was a little... arrogantly written? Something along the lines of 'We have heard of your urgent request for help. We will come then and then to discuss how our awesome band may help you!'

Of course, it wasn't written exactly like that but... It could have very well been.

"How about asking them? If I read the date right..."

"Yes, that's today. Actually, that's in less than an hour. What were these people thinking?"

Probably... nothing.

"Haa... Yumi, postpone your work. We'll collect Greyward and... welcome them."

"But, we don't even need their support anymore, do we?"

"We don't. But they're already on our way here, so it's only common courtesy to say our greetings."

Apparently, his day off would have to be postponed.

He took the folder and the stack of my unfinished work and brought them back to his wagon. He came back, carrying a little badge.

"Can you sew?"

"... No, not really."

"Why am I not surprised. Get someone to sew this on your armour. It'd look bad if you walk around in that armour with the Black Guards emblem but not the Dragon Knights emblem. No need to put it over Greyward's work though, just put it somewhere visible."

"Nn, okay."

He handed me the small, metal badge.

"Come to Greyward's after you're done."

"Nn."

I took a look at the emblem.

A group of men—Knights—fighting a dragon. Rather than Dragon Knights, they looked more like dragon slayers.

But for now... Who can sew?

Swift movements with a needle. It took barely three minutes for the badge to be sewed onto the armour. And I didn't even have to undress. Truly a seamstress' work.

"That should do it. But, kid, this armour needs a lot of fixing. That blacky boy did some temporary fixing but this really needs a complete overhaul. Actually, it'd be easier to just make a new one... Well, for makeshift armour it's fine I guess. Most of the mercenaries here walk around in worse."

Orbiting around me with a serious look was Wanda, who had just finished sewing the badge on it. Who better to ask to sew the badge on than an actual seamstress? Although I had to admit, I had nearly forgotten she was one...

"Well, it'll have to do for now. Used armour makes more of an impression than a new one anyway."

"Thank you, Wanda."

"You're welcome, kid. If you're free, come by sometime. I got quite a few clothes for you to try out."

"... I'll think about it."

Clothes, huh...

I only had a few clothes, as in, the one dress, a simple shirt and shorts, and the armour... I definitely needed a little more, didn't I? Then again, I could also look around in the capital. We did have a little money now, so... Speaking of which, Karen didn't really have much to wear, either.

I said bye to Wanda and made my way to Greyward's.

The camp was... not as busy as usual. Many mercenaries obviously lazing around, taking breaks and so.

Everyone is relaxing now, huh...

It was honestly impressive, how they could switch gears so quickly. It had been barely a few hours since they fought for their lives, but now they were all relaxing and taking a break. Some were even drinking and making merry, already.

A little bit of a walk later, the uniforms of the mercenaries changed, from a veritable mess to mostly black. Although, that was also the only thing that had changed. The Black Guards were lazing around just as much as the Dragon Knights.

But, they all keep to themselves... There aren't any groups of both really together.

While I kept watching the mercenaries, I arrived at Greyward's.

"Nn?"

Something... odd... was there. Right in front of me, hiding behind a wagon was a young girl, black hair, a wildly wagging, fluffy tail and fluffy ears, that seemed to glow in a rainbow sheen, depending on how the light was reflected.

"Lily? What are you doing?"

"Woa— Yumi?! Ahh... Don't surprise me!"

"... Sorry. So, what are you doing, hiding here?"

"Ah, right! Yumi, look! Look!"

"Nn?"

She peeked past the wagon again, pointing at the group of people. Obviously, since I was told to come here by Korwen, he was there, together with Greyward. But they weren't all alone. There was another group of people, as well as... Fenna.

"A group of women? Who are they?"

They certainly weren't the Little Company that Korwen had spoken of since those were men.

"They're the Flower Brigade! A famous mercenary group of women that has their base set here."

"Huh..."

I took another look at the unknown women. There was a demonkin woman speaking with Korwen and Greyward. A dog beastkin, a cat beastkin, two demonkin and... one where I wasn't sure if she was a demonkin too... were talking with Fenna.

"They've been active for nearly a century apparently, fighting in a few wars and slaying powerful monsters, they're really famous! Haa..."

Are these... signs of a fangirl?

Lily stared at them with a dreamy expression, continuing to watch from a distance.

"I see. Then, let's go."

"Eh?"

I grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her along. I had to go to Korwen anyway, and if these were her idols, then now was the chance to actually talk to them.

"Wait, Yumi?! I'm! I'm not mentally prepared for this!"

"It'll be fine."

They clearly were on good terms with Fenna, after all. I doubted Fenna had troublesome acquaintances... Probably.

"Oh? Yumi, you're finally... What is Lily doing?"

Korwen saw me approaching and furrowed his brows, seeing Lily act a little... problematic. Namely, hiding behind me.

"Nn, she was watching so I brought her along."

"Yumi... You can be quite cruel, huh?" Greyward said with a wry smile.

"Nn?"

Cruel? Me? No way. I was just helping Lily out a little.

"Hey, hey, Mr Korwen. Who's that little girl?"

"Ah, right. Let me introduce you. This is Yumi. We picked her up in Arkesta and she's working as my accountant right now. Yumi, this is Tonna, the Captain of the Flower Brigade."

"Nice to meet you."

"Oh, so cute. Nice to meet you."

She smiled and then took a look behind me.

"And that girl?"

"That's my daughter, Lily," Greyward answered, instead of Korwen.

"Oh-hoo?"

Tonna walked over and tried to take a peek at Lily, who was hiding behind me. But... if she went left, Lily evaded to my right, and if she went right, Lily evaded to my left.

"Jeez, no hiding!"

With incredible speed, she dashed past me to grab Lily... and failed.

"Woah! That girl is nimble! Hohoho, getting my riled up here!"

"Lily..."

Greyward hid his face behind his hands and Korwen sighed.

"Nn, this is bothersome."

"Wah, Yumi!"

The simple solution to the problem? Just sidestep.

"Ohh! Another cutie!"

"Waaaahh!"

Tonna, seizing the chance, caught Lily and hugged her.

"Hello there! You're Lily? You're a cute one, huh? Such a waste among these burly old men!"

"Hey, you're way older than we are, Miss Tonna."

"I don't look like an old man, though! So I win by default!"

A lively fellow, huh...

"Captain, why are they here? I thought we were waiting for that other group?"

"Mh? Ah, well. We are. They haven't come yet. The Flower Brigade only came by coincidence to give their greetings."

"Yes! We heard the Dragon Knights came over and got already in trouble with the military! Of course, we wanted to know what was going on. Glad to see everything's fine, though."

Tonna had completely seized Lily and was now hugging and petting her. That was a change for once. Usually, it's me who was in that position.

"Fine, huh. We got still some problems, but for now, everything is resolved."

"Mh, but not sure what to think about the war with the Akkians. Maybe we should take a trip to Krohmea or Aldreigh. Oh, or through the wooden sea, I always wanted to travel beyond the wooden sea."

"That's going to be impossible without a guide."

"True... We'll have to figure something out. Don't wanna get involved in a war again for now. Whatever, still got time till then."

Tonna let go of Lily—who was as red as a tomato—and walked back to Korwen and Greyward. Lily slumped down onto the ground, looking... embarrassed? And a little happy. Hopefully, Rina wasn't going to see this.

Greyward threw a worried glance at his daughter, before turning back to Tonna.

"Miss Tonna, have you met the Little Company before?" he asked her.

"Mh? Those idiots? I have, I have. We got into quarrels a few times over jobs. They don't like that we hog the Academy's requests. Don't like them on a personal level, but can't complain about their work. They're reliable and by far one of the better bands that have been popping up over the last decades."

Their work was good but their personalities bad? Well, wasn't that comforting now...

"Well, if those idiots come here, we won't overstay our welcome. You probably won't have a decent discussion with us around."

"Mh, well. We'll probably see each other anyway on the jobs. Until then."

"Yeah, we'll do. See ya!"

She waved her hand and walked off to collect her companions. With a quick shout, she collected them and left for good.

"Nn, Captain. They also work for the Academy?"

"Yeah, they're under the same contract we are. They're only a small group, so large-scale work is beyond them, but their base is set here in turn. Small errands and specific requests are done by them. We worked quite a few times together before. It'd be good to remember them."

"Nn, will do."

Their leader was pretty lively and seemed nice, at least.

"Now, we can only wait. Let's see... They should arrive soon."

He took a look at... a pocket watch.

"That's..."

I had seen this before, somewhere... Oh right, Lily and Karen had one. What were they called again, though?

"Mh? What, haven't seen a Savonette before?"

"No, I did."

I just had forgotten about them for a little. Savonette, right, that was their name. What an odd name.

"Speaking of which, you should probably get one too. They're useful and it'd be useful for work. You girls got some money now, so you should take a look. I also don't mind if you ask the treasurer for a bit in advance. Just keep in mind it's deducted from your salary."

"Nn, I won't forget."

In the first place, I didn't like lending money. So, if at all possible, I'd like to get by without. But considering that I also needed some more clothes, the expenses might turn out to be a little much.

"Uhh... That was so embarrassing."

"Recovered, Lily?"

"Yumi! I won't forgive you! That was so embarrassing!"

"Nn, well... I didn't expect her to hug you either."

"She didn't just hug me, she petted me and touched me all over!"

Wasn't that exactly the same thing she had done to me? Maybe it would give her a little to think about...

"Now, now, Lily. Wasn't it good to have spoken to them once?"

"That's... Well..."

Fidgeting around, she averted her gaze, slightly red.

Really hoped, Rina wasn't going to see this.

"... I guess so."

That was good. Glad, it hadn't been a bad choice to pull her forward.

"Yumi, Lily, I think our guests arrived."

"Nn?"

In the distance, a group of men approached, clad in armour and weapons.

"Yumi, straighten up a little!"

"Ah, yes, Captain."

I stood as straight as a candle in response.

"Mh. Good. Now then, I'm a little interested, let's see how they are."

And it hadn't been them.

It had been people from the military, in fact, requesting Korwen and Greyward to come to their headquarters. In other words... The people in question never arrived and even if they did, Korwen and Greyward were gone now. Way to go.

Lily and I waited for a little, just out of curiosity, but the Little Company never came...

A slight disappointment.

"Guess it's not worth waiting any longer."

"Nn."

"I'll go back and look for Rina. What about you?"

"I'm going to look for Sis."

"Figured. Until later then."

"Nn."

Lily waved and left, on her way to Rina. I doubted it but... was Rina still in that footbath? Wouldn't be surprised, to be honest.

Well, if she still is, Lily can deal with that. For now... Where did Karen go again? She wanted to talk with Wendl about her magic training, didn't she?

Wendl's wagon should be close, considering this was the Black Guards' part of the camp.

Let's take a look, shouldn't be hard to spot it either.

Compared to the Dragon Knights, the number of wagons the Black Guards had was quite small. They had a few more than I would've thought, though. Maybe they had fewer people living in a single wagon.

"Shadow, shadow, where you are?"

"Nn?"

There were voices singing something.

"Fled the light, you fled the light!"

A group of children was playing around, singing something that seemed to be a nursery rhyme.

They danced in a circle while holding hands, their eyes closed. One child was behind them walking around the circle.

A children's game? Cute. But why is Wendl with them?

His rough singing voice was... Well... Quite noticeable.

Let's pretend I didn't see that.

I walked past the singing children and knocked on the wagon's door, before opening it.

"Yes?"

"Sis."

"Oh, Yumi. You're back already?"

"Nn."

Karen sat on Wendl's desk, reading something that seemed to be a book.

"Busy?"

"Ahh... Mr Wendl said I should try to find out a little more about magic theory, before deciding on what kinds of magic systems I should try out."

"Different magic systems, huh."

"Yeah. He told me that combat magic like Lily's might turn out to be useful, but it'd become useless in everyday life then. On the other hand, there's also not a whole lot of everyday uses, outside of making Silver Moon metal. The stuff you called 'steel', if I recall correctly?"

"Nn."

She put a small coloured piece of cloth between the pages and closed the book. Then she turned around and pat her lap.

"Want to sit down?"

"Nn."

Who would say no to that?

I quickly sat down in her lap and leaned back, resting my head on her shoulder. The comfortable, soft sensation on my back was great.

"You certainly didn't waste time."

"Nn. There's no way I would."

Every second wasted was a lost second in her lap.

Karen wrapped her arms around me and hugged me.

"It's been busy, but I heard Mr Captain saying that it's going to be a lot calmer for now."

"Nn. He said, they are officially at war now, but it'd take quite some time before things actually happen. He also said, that we aren't necessarily going to be involved, so we shouldn't worry either."

"Worry... It's good if it's going to be calmer now, I guess."

"Nn."

Certainly, that was a good thing.

"Sis, do you have any other clothes than... those?"

"Others? Mh, no, not really. Wanda gave me some old stuff but..."

She fell silent, slowly stroking my head.

"We should get some clothes."

"Nn."

"If we bring some cloth to Wanda, she should be able to make quite some nice things. She's pretty good at her work."

"Huh... Aren't there shops selling clothes?"

Custom-made clothes sounded like it was going to expensive.

"A shop selling clothes? Do you mean, pre-made clothes?"

"Nn."

"There's no way there are. Everyone needs different sizes, after all. And the different races need a few extra things too. Haven't you noticed how Lily's clothes have a tail hole?"

"Eh? Really?"

I hadn't. Then again, it should've been obvious, probably.

"Yeah. It's a slit at the top of the pants or the bottom of the dress, that you close with a button or something similar. Although, the cheaper ones only have a simple slit."

I never noticed...

"Is it the same for demonkin?"

"More or less. Demonkin have many varying characteristics, some even have wings. In my case, I'd only need a tail hole like the beastkin. I've been going on for so long without that I completely forgot about it but..."

Karen turned around a little, looking down her clothes.

"I guess it'd be a lot more comfortable with an actual tail hole."

"Huh..."

The races needed different clothes... Thinking about it, that was kind of obvious...

"Let's take a trip into town tomorrow and look for some cloth for Wanda to use."

"Nn."

I wondered, what kind of clothes Wanda would make for Karen, though. Considering Karen was quite pretty and slender... Something cute would surely work but...

... Have I gone down the deep end? I just imagined Sis in male clothing... And I actually like it... Maybe I should make a request to Wanda...

Handsome Karen in male clothing... That was going to be good. Yes, that was good. I had to make sure this was going to happen.

"Yumi, that laugh is creepy."

"Eh?"

Had I been laughing? Seriously? I... hadn't even noticed. And I sure didn't remember doing it either.

Scary...

"So, what have you been imagining? That you got such a creepy laugh."

"... Handsome Sis in male clothing."

"... Excuse me?"

"Handsome Sis in male clothing."

"..."

Silence.

As expected. Maybe I shouldn't have said it. But I wanted to see it. I really did. But, I also didn't want to if she didn't want to wear it.

"I... see... That's certainly not what I expected."

"... Sorry."

"... It's fine. But, are you sure that would even look good on me? I can't really imagine it..."

"I'm sure it will."

She wasn't against it, yay.

"Hmm... Well, I'll think about it."

"Ohh."

Now, that was something I was going to look forward to.

"In exchange, you have to join me."

"... Nn?"

"I want to see Yumi in male clothing too. I'm not going to do it if I'm the only one. Ah, but I also want to see Yumi in something cute..."

"..."

Me? In male clothing? Was that... even going to loo— Oh, wait. Karen had just asked me the same thing.

"Nn, okay. I'll wear it too. The cute clothes too."

If it was going to make her happy, I'd wear anything. And I liked cute clothes myself, so that wasn't a problem in the first place.

"Really? Like, really? Hehehee...  Ahh, I'm looking forward to that."

She squeezed me strongly. Laughing and kicking her legs into the air, like an excited child.

"Then, we'll have to look for some good cloth, tomorrow. We should maybe ask Wanda first, what kind of cloth she'd need. Maybe she knows where to get some too."

"Nn, that's a good idea."

"Then, let's go later to her. Is there something else you need to buy? If we're going to look around anyway..."

"The Captain said I should maybe look into getting a... Savonette? Those pocket watches..."

Being able to tell time would surely be convenient. Right now, I was always guessing... My inner clock was probably not bad, I was actually sure it was quite good, but it would never be as accurate as an actual watch.

"A Savonette. Mh, a cheap one doesn't cost much, but it might break down quickly. We should probably look for something better. Maybe I should look for one too."

"But Sis, don't you have one already?"

"I do, but I honestly rarely use it. I was always scared someone might steal it, after all. I don't think it's going to be as likely as before but... I still worry."

"Can't you attach a chain to it?"

Pocket watches in my old world sometimes had chains on it.

"A... chain? That's actually a quite good idea... I'll ask Mr Wormaz if that's possible."

"Nn."

Sure, it 'd be bad if someone were to steal it, but with a chain, it'd be a lot harder to do so.

"I wonder if we can find a similar looking Savonette."

"Nn, why?"

"Then we'd look more like sisters if you have one looking the same."

"Oh..."

Shouldn't she say stuff like this to Rina? I'd rather we looked like a couple. Then again, I was calling her 'Sis' and I kind of liked her like an older sister, too. It was a bit of a complicated feeling...

"Ah, speaking of which. I talked with Mr Captain, about the wagons."

"Nn? The wagons?"

"If we could get one of our own."

"Oh? And?"

If he had simply said no, Karen likely wouldn't have said it like this, so...

"He said, he'd think about it. A doll workshop would be an interesting idea, and they helped out quite a bit. But, it'd also depend on the result of the talk with the families."

"I see. But he didn't refuse, so that's nice."

"Right?! Ehehe, I hope that'll turn out well. Then we'll have our own place!"

A private place just for us... Hehehe...

"... There are many things to look forward to."

"Nn?"

"I've told you many times before already but... I still can't believe it. Somewhere, I am still worrying that tomorrow, I'll wake up back in the slums... without Rina, Lily, without you. But, this is the reality. I'm together with you all. I got a great family, I got work, I can make a living. There are food and drinks. I don't have to eat that disgusting, salty jerky anymore."

Karen burrowed her face in my hair, giggling a little.

"To think it would turn out like this. It sure is different from what I had expected."

"And it will surely stay like this, in the future."

"The future... Yumi. Have you thought about what you want to do in the future?"

"What I want to do..."

I had. I had thought about it... But it was hard... There were things that I wanted to do but... Of course, I wanted some more than others. And, not all of them were really important per se. That's why...

"I... gave it a little thought..."

"Oh?"

"There are two things, I guess? Nn, two things I want to do in the future. The first... The first would be, to live happily with you. A future where we can live happily, without worries. Of course, with Lily and Rina and the little girls as well. I want all of us together. I guess that's what is most important to me? Where we are, or what we do, I don't really care. But I want to be together."

"..."

Silence. A little worried, I turned my head back, to see a dumbfounded, but smiling Karen.

"Really... You're such a..."

She squeezed me, strongly. Like, really strong.

"Sis! Sis! Give! I give! Air! I need air!"

My pleas fell on silent ears and I had to endure until she had her fill with squeezing me... How I survived... Was a mystery to me. Was it because I stopped conforming to normal biology? Like, having no bones and stuff? Was it that?

"A future with all of us together... Really, Yumi... Of course, we're going to stay together!"

"Nn."

"So, what is the second?"

"... I guess that's a more... personal one? You see..."

I stared out the window close by. The wind was creeping through the gaps, bringing with it cold air and fresh smell, reminiscent of the forest, or nature.

"I want to know what really happened to me. What really is the reason I am here... Was it really just her whim? In the first place, was it really Yumias who brought me here? Things... don't make a whole lot of sense... Some of them. I simply don't understand... I don't know, what I should believe. Should I believe in Yumias words? The things she said about me, about my old family back there? Even if I do, I am certain she is hiding things but... What are they?"

I took a deep breath.

"I just want to know. To live without this... uncertainty. I... I think I can live with how I am, with how I turned into a monster. I don't even mind it that much anymore, I think... Or that I turned into a girl. Honestly, I quite like how I am, right now. But that... that doesn't change that there was something before all of this. And I want to know what it is. I'm sure, Yumias won't answer all of it. That's why, I have to find it out myself. I don't know yet how, but... I will."

"..."

That was the conclusion I had come to. These two things were the most important right now. The things dear to me. And the things that once had been dear to me.

"Hee... You really did think about it."

"Nn, of course, I did."

"A little surprising."

"How rude. I had plenty of time to think about it."

Mainly when I had been more than a little intoxicated, yes, but I could still think about it. At least, before I had completely lost consciousness, back then... It had also made it easier to ignore Korwen's complaints.

"But... I see... I guess, this doesn't come as a surprise."

"It doesn't?"

"It could've always been different but... at least for your second goal, I kind of expected it."

"Nn... Is that so?"

Had it been that obvious? Maybe it had been... It was a little hard to see such things yourself, so maybe it really had been.

"And your first one... Well, it makes me happy?"

"Why a question?"

"I don't know... I just feel all warm and giddy... Ehehe..."

She burrowed her face once more in my hair and rubbed it with her cheeks.

"It made me really happy, that you think so dearly of us."

"Of course, I do! Sis, you're the most important person to me."

"..."

Again silence. She had even stopped rubbing her cheek on my hair.

"You know... When you say things like without any shame... I'll feel all embarrassed and don't know how to react..."

"... Sorry?"

"... No, it's me who's sorry. Thank you, Yumi. You're the most important one to me too. I love you."

"Nn..."

Yes, that was... certainly a little embarrassing to hear. But also... made me smile. I couldn't help but smile, and I really wanted to giggle and laugh too.

"Yumi."

"Nn?"

I turned my head around and... Was promptly kissed by Karen. A deep, long kiss, that would last... for quite some time.

Shadow, shadow, where you are?

Fled the light, you fled the light!

Shadow, shadow, here you are!

Killed the light, you killed the light!

In the dark and in the light,

She will dance and dance around!

In the light and in the dark,

She will hunt and hunt them all!

Light, oh Light! Oh, where you are?

Fled the shade, you fled the shade!

Light, oh Light! Oh, here you are!

Killed the shade, you killed the shade!

In the dawn and in the dusk,

She will dance and dance around!

In the dusk and in the dawn,

She will curse and curse us all!

A nursery rhyme that is sung by children in the Grand Arkestan Continent, specifically the area around The Hollow, the Wooden Sea and the Northern Lights' Plains.

It is suspected to be based around the Tale of the Curse-coloured Witch, often just called Tale of the Witch, Tale of the Demon or The Cursed Tale, among other names. What exactly the nursery rhyme references to is currently unclear. The most popular theory is the struggle between the two gods, which ended with their destruction after the Witch intervened.

The first written instance of it can be dated back to the Year 112. The original author is unknown. Over the years, many variations have been found, often having minor differences in the rhymes or the words.

The nursery rhyme is often accompanied by a game. Children dance in a circle with their eyes closed. One or two children are circling around the others. In the case of two, the children have to catch each other. The caught child has to tell an embarrassing secret. Some variations also offer the option to kiss the one who caught them or reveal their sweetheart. If they refuse to do so, they have to sit in the middle of the circle until someone else replaces them in the following rounds.

In variations with only one child or in the case that neither child catches each other before the rhyme ends, the circle dissolves and all previously dancing children have to catch them. A designated safe spot, often a tree or similar, has to be decided on beforehand. The children have to escape to this safe spot. Should they get caught, the same rules as before apply.

The children having to circle around outside are decided upon by random, usually going either clock-wise through the circle, by drawing coloured lots, by name, or any other method.

To this date, the game and the rhyme remain popular with children.

The Cruel Rhymes of Children written by #####,

Year 301, First Edition, published by the Lafrian Academy of Magical and Physical Science

Rinne

There's much I'd love to say now, unfortunately I am currently not feeling well so I'll keep it short:

Thank you very much for reading!

I hope you will continue to enjoy the story in the coming arc!