CH 105

With his motive of being able to rest as soon as possible cheering him on, Kyrill made his way back to the house in the forest. The moment he finally found a chair, he collapsed on the table knowingly it is rude.

「What happened, Kyrill­­――? 」

「Tired, Kyrill――? 」

The twins who came here running asked teasingly. Lifting up his heavy head, there were two pairs of eyes with different color of blue and light green staring at him. They’re the twins that Ardis had sheltered since four years ago.

It’s almost a month since Kyrill was first introduced to the twins. Although he still couldn’t tell them apart, their names are 『Fillia』 and 『Riana』.

From Ardis’s story, they’re twelve. It’s an age when the normal city dwellers girls would be maturing but, Kyrilll still felt their mental age are younger than they look.

Kyrill is now considered a young man. With the twins showing a lovely smile, Kyrill couldn’t get angry even when they’re teasing him. Kyrill intuitively felt like the silky platinum blonde hair would escape if he ever tried to reach out to it.

Their large eyes highlighted their loveliness, with a small nose perfecting the balance. Their expressions are gentle yet cheerful, the boys at the town would surely send admiring gazes to them.

If not for the fact that they’re twins, it’s unthinkable that they’re targets of discrimination. In fact, their first meeting was much better than he thought. They weren’t afraid of Kyrill who they met for the first time, it was the definite proof that they are able to live happily under Ardis’s shelter.

「Hmm, take this and dry off your sweat! 」

The twins had a big smile as they pushed out a towel to Kyrill.

「Thanks. Umm……, Fillia-chan? 」

Receiving the towel, Kyrill was a little hesitant as he called out her name, however the girl grinned widely.

「Correct―! 」

Fortunately, his guess was on the mark. Wiping off the sweat at his neck and face with the towel, there was a fragrant smell of herbs coming from the kitchen.

「My master, shall I prepare some warm tea? 」

「I’m fine either way but, can you give Kyrill a cold one? 」

「Of course. 」

A woman appeared along with that voice.

She was introduced along with the twins by Ardis, her name is Nere. She is also one of the reasons――the main reason why Kyrill is working as a home tutor in this house.

She looks a little older than Kyrill himself. The ideal proportions that the artistic students in the arts course would want to see. Although her lack of expression and her cold gaze dimmed it a little, her looks are more than enough to compensate that.

「There’re herbs with relaxing effect in them. It will be good for recovery. 」

「Ah, ………Yes. 」

With her movements as she bent over to place down the drink, Nere’s long hair dropped on her shoulders in front of the mesmerized Kyrill. The elegant hair flowed behind her back, Nere was arranging the cups one by one on the table. Kyrill could almost smell a sweet fragrance from her hair.

Nere took the now empty tray under her arm and went back into the kitchen. Kyrill was looking at her mysterious figure that somehow felt a little lacking in realism absentmindedly.

「Are you not drinking, Kyrill? 」

「Eh……? Ah, yes. 」

Kyrill who was called back by Ardis panickily gave a reply.

There’s the cup that Nere had left on the table a while back in front of him. The cooling tea had a refreshing herby fragrance.

「I-Itadakimasu­―」

With water droplets forming on the sides of the cup, Kyrill could tell that it would be cold. Kyrill who was reminded of his thirst by that immediately downed the cup of cold tea. He could feel the coldness of the tea diffusing into his body from the insides.

「Fuu……」

After downing the cup in a single breath, Kyrill who opened his eyes found that the long hair entered his vision once again. The bluish color that is closer to white than blue――Aliceblue. The owner of such hair color is none other than Nere.

「It’ll be good if you drank more slowly for the seconds. 」

As if already calculated the timing, she offered another new cup of tea to Kyrill.

「T-Thank you. 」

The person herself introduced herself as 『Ardis’s servant』 but, Kyrill felt a little strange at that. Although Kyrill himself never seen any servants serving their masters before, as a merchant apprentice, he had seen many attendees and servants themselves before.

Although there are some that aren’t as upstanding as they seem but, he had also encountered many that can be said as experts.

As for Nere, she wasn’t in any way inferior than those experts. Beside her lord, her capability would surely outshine them. Not just that, if she would wear something better, not just being a servant, a beautiful flower would better describe her.

Even her figure as she silently sat beside the twins and drank the tea, it is the manifestation of the ideal maiden in the minds of artists. The aura exuded from her would more than enough convince anyone if she was introduced as a noble’s daughter.

It is certain that she had affected the twins’ growth as well. After all, looking closely, the twins’ movements, they weren’t like uneducated children at all. Even the way they picked up their cups was well trained――, even if they didn’t go anywhere, they already seemed well educated enough.

But is it because of Nere taught them so, or did the twins just imitate her, that wasn’t clear. But at the very least, that’s only possible since they were living together.

「Nere, it’s a little hot―」

「Don’t be so eager. Try to hold the cup well in your hand and sense its heat first. It’s not befitting to be flustered by the heat of mere tea. 」

Seeing the twins who had troubled face after taking a sip at the tea, Nere was showing an example.

「Like this? 」

「Umu. Best if it’s subtle. 」

Seeing that, Kyrill whispered to Ardis.

「Who is Nere-san actually? 」

「……Who knows」

Kyrill’s question was natural, but Ardis didn’t have a clear answer to that.

「There isn’t much thing I can do except the talking part though……」

Leaving aside the way she speaks, it seemed perfectly fine to leave the other aspects of the twins’ education to her.

「It would be good if that’s the case……. Well, just don’t think too much and teach them the normal way to speak and the common knowledge for now. 」

「Haa……」

As Kyrill couldn’t really get a sense of his role here, his reply is vague.

「Kyrill, Kyrill. There’s still a lot time today. 」

The twins had leaned out and asked. Although Kyrill’s training is prioritized now, the main purpose Kyrill is here is to educate the twins anyways. Leaving aside when would the lessons start for real, Kyrill had used the short time before his training to chat with them about the town and the events in his academy.

For the twins that had never left the forest for the past four years, Kyrill’s story was really refreshing for them. That was too effective as the twins would now pester Kyrill for more stories about the outside world.

「Unn, let’s see. I’ve bought a story book from a bookstore in the academy today. There’re many stories that girls seem to like, let’s read it later. 」

「Umu! Good! 」

With stories that had a female protagonist, Kyrill judged that the book would be able to teach them the normal way to talk naturally. With the innocent twins rejoicing over that, Kyrill felt like some of the weight on his body had lessened.

「Then I shall prepare for the dinner albeit a little early. 」

「Kyrill should join us too. Since you don’t have class tomorrow, it’s fine even if it’s a little late right? 」

Just as Ardis said, Kyrill has a rest day tomorrow, there’s no reason for him to return to the dorm immediately.

「Umm, I guess so……. I will take up that offer. 」

Kyrill who knew Nere’s skills didn’t think twice before accepting Ardis’s offer.

******

After finishing the early dinner, Kyrill started reading the stories to the twins. It seems that Nere had taught them the bare minimum of reading but, for some reason, the twins liked it better when Kyrill read it to them.

「I mean, Fillia flips the pages too quick」

「Isn’t it Riana just slow at reading? 」

It seems like the twins have different reading speed, so they weren’t happy reading together. With Kyrill reading it to them, the two were able to find a compromise.

Sitting on the carpet on the ground, the twins were at Kyrill’s side as he read the story.

Since that, quite some time had passed. After reading two short stories, Kyrill realized the light coming in through the window had weakened quite a lot.

「Ah, it’s already this time huh……」

The reddish sky of the sunset had already gone by, the sky seen through the window is light greyish. Even though the sky is in grey, there were countless small lights littered all over it. While flickering like waves hitting the shore, the lights only and only illuminated the world quietly.

The people would refer it as the 『Twilight』, it is the scene that announced the end of the day and the start of the night.

Now that Kyrill’s narrating had stopped, the house is enveloped in silence. Only the rustling of the leaves and some insects sound could be heard. At the table, Nere was pouring freshly brewed tea from a pot into a cup.

The flowing water sound into the cup was the only manmade sound around in the room. Sitting between Nere and the table, there was Ardis resting as he supported his chin with his arm.

That person, he would go sleep whenever huh. Kyrill felt a little impressed at that.

「Kyrill. Look, the night! 」

「There! It’s coming! 」

Looking outside at the twins’ prompt, the twilight was slowly getting overtaken by the night sky.

The border between the twilight sky and the night sky were slowly encroached by darkness. As if black ink was spilled onto a wet cloth, the pale glowing sky slowly became black.

Eventually, the black had dominated till the western sky, only a small hole remained as the twilight sky. It felt like it was desperately fighting back the darkness.

The only light source that illuminates in the sky wrapped in darkness, the 『Moon』.

「Nee, nee Kyrill. Why does the night not get the moon? 」

「Eh? Why……, it’s been like that since the olden days though. 」

Kyrill who didn’t have a real answer tried to cloud it over but――.

「But, certainly why? Come to think of it, I’ve asked the same question to the president in the past. 」

Recalling the same curiosity that he had as a child, Kyrill had a nostalgic smile.

「I see, Kyrill don’t know huh. Then Nere? Nere knows? 」

With the twins now judged that Kyrill couldn’t answer, they switched their target to Nere. Nere carried the steaming cup to her mouth and, after confirming the scent, she opened his mouth.

「It’s useless hoping for a non-existent object. But that is exactly a human’s nature to do so. Even if it meant a self-sacrificing act. 」

Could that possibly had answered the twins’ question. Kyrill who couldn’t understand it had one of his brows rising. Of course, the twins had the same question mark above their heads as they looked at each other.

「Riana, understood? 」

「No. How about Fillia? 」

「Fillia can’t get it either. 」

They were tilting their heads in confusion.

Kyrill was looking at the twins with the same emotions but, suddenly, he noticed a golden shine moved at the side of his vision and looked over there. At the end of the gaze that didn’t have any meaning, there was the figure of Rona who had been curling up beside Ardis looking at Nere interestingly.