Walking around in a kimono is easier than I thought, and I never knew they were so comfortable.
And more importantly, I like this feeling that it’s special.
I lived in Japan, but other than when we’re kids, not many guys actually wear kimono. Only in coming-of-age ceremonies and weddings, I guess. And those are both formal occasions.
“Those kids are always so full of energy.”
“Yes, they really don’t know the meaning of the word tired.”
Of course, we’re talking about the two kids walking in front of us this whole time, Snow and Luna.
Snow is excited because she keeps seeing things she’s never seen before, and Luna, who’s been here a few times, keeps explaining them to her.
“They really do look like sisters when you see them like that.”
“Yes. All that’s missing is Tiltue to complete the trio.”
That would make Snow the youngest child, but who would be the oldest?
Both Luna and Tiltue feel like they’d fit…
“Are they all the youngest?”
“That’d make them triplets.”
“But doesn’t Luna look like the eldest daughter when she’s acting like a big sister like that?”
“Hm, maybe. But if you ask me if Tiltue is the eldest daughter, that doesn’t feel quite right either.”
“Yes.”
Well, it’s not like personalities have to match who came first.
Both Luna, and Tiltue, who volunteered to look after our house, are like Snow’s big sisters.
By the way, I’m giving the title of eldest daughter to Sakuya. Apparently she’s two years younger than Reina, but she’s very competent, and she’s over there laughing with Snow and Luna right now.
Did those two energetic girls take to her too? They’re listening to Sakuya so much that it’s surprising to me.
If it was Elga, those two wouldn’t be stopping for one second, and they’d be playing all over the place.
And as I’m thinking that, Sakuya turns around and quietly smiles.
“We should be heading to the house.”
“Yes, thank you.”
““Thank you!””
We’ve been walking all over the demon god’s village, and the sun has just turned a little red.
We keep following Sakuya as she takes us up a paved mountain path, and after a while, we reach an area with several wooden houses lined up. And strangely enough, when I look around, I only see girls.
As I’m wondering what’s the meaning of this, Sakuya points to one house.
“That is the house I share with my brother.”
“Hum… Your parents?”
Asks Reina, a little awkwardly.
If they’re not around, I assume they’ve passed on.
“Our parents are up there.”
But Sakuya doesn’t seem to mind, and points deeper into the mountain.
I can see the path continues there. So that’s where their parents are.
“You live apart?”
“Demon gods come down from the mountain when they become ten years old, and come live here. And they go back to the mountain when they get their ancestral name.”
“Eh…”
That’s not a custom that exists in other races, but I’m impressed.
“And that is why people like us look after guests who come here to visit, and use the hot springs.”
“So that’s why there are so many young people…”
“Yes.”
But then isn’t it a problem that there aren’t any men around?
And don’t Gyes and the others fight ancient dragons because they need strength to get their ancestral names? Then how do the women get their ancestral names?
“How do women know the names of their ancestors?”
Reina asks what I’m thinking.
“We know when we wed and receive their seed.”
“Wai…”
Reina wasn’t expecting that, and looks flustered. I get flustered too, to be honest.
I definitely wasn’t expecting someone who looks so pure to talk about ‘seed’.
“What is the matter?”
“No, I mean… Eh? Hum… So you mean…”
Reina’s face turns red as can’t help but be flustered, despite how incredibly relaxed Sakuya looks.
It happens when Wil makes fun of her too, but Reina really is weak to ‘dirty’ stuff.
And the worst part for Reina is that Sakuya isn’t trying to tease her at all.
“Leaving descendants and a connection to the next generation is very important.”
“No, sure it is, but…”
Reina is pushed back by how Sakuya looks just as serious as when she was talking about kimono.
And I… Should I be listening to this…
I look at Snow and Luna, and see them tossing stones into a small river.
That’s nice, so carefree. Those two aren’t going to slip and fall into the river or anything like that, but I’m worried about them getting those borrowed kimono dirty.
Then I turn back to Sakuya and Reina, and see that Sakuya has Reina completely on the ropes.
Well, Sakuya is around the age where she should be in middle school or high school, so it’s the right age to want to talk about love like that.
“Demon gods are a race that desires strength. And so, women value strength in their mates.”
“I-I see…”
The problem is that since their values are different from humans’, Sakuya’s words have no hesitation behind them on an instinctual level.
If she was trying to tease Reina like Wil does, Reina would be able to bear it more.
Come to think of it, Tiltue also said it was natural to be attracted to a strong male. I’m pretty sure she said it was to birth stronger children.
Lately she’s been toning down that sort of thing, so could it be that she found something more important than strength?
“Maybe what is more important is love.”
“Ah, love…?”
“From what I see, it seems Reina and Arata love each other…”
“Ah, Sakuya, stop! That’s enough! Let’s end this conversation!”
Reina rushes to step in as she raises her voice, but Sakuya isn’t stopping.
“Strength, appearance, charm… All important for both males and females. But for me, it’s love. If you feel you want to love someone ever deeper, even the wall that is race…”
It looks like Sakuya has someone in mind when she’s saying that.
Her usual graceful air has taken a complete turn to the romantic.
“Sakuya?”
Sakuya suddenly comes back to her senses and puts on her usual expression, but Reina doesn’t miss that.
“Yes, what is it?”
“Do you think you’re fooling anyone with that face you have on now?”
“…”
Reina smiles, and despite keeping her cool, Sakuya kind of awkwardly turns away.
Even I can see through that behavior from before. It looks like the tables have turned.
“How about you tell us about that person you love?”
“Au…”
Reina’s question makes Sakuya’s face turn a little crimson.
It looks like she was just letting her instincts do the talking before, but she does feel embarrassed about talking about love.
She even hides her face with her sleeve.
“Fufufu.”
“Uu… Hum…”
Reina is strangely animated right now, probably because she was attacked so much before.
Usually she’s the one being teased by Wil, so it’s rare to see her be the one doing the teasing.
Actually, this is my first time seeing her like this.
Maybe they actually get along pretty nicely.
I think Katima’s the only girl on this island close to her age, but Katima is surprisingly cautious considering how much it feels like she screws around.
I’m sure she considers Reina a friend, but there’s a bigger distance between them, compared to me or Snow.
I think Reina knows this, and treats her with some distance too.
But with Sakuya…
“Come one now, who is it? You can’t tell us all that and not tell us who.”
“M-Miss Reina… For goodness sake…”
Even I can tell from a distance that Sakuya isn’t actually upset.
In fact, there’s an attractive aura around her.
Everyone Reina has met on this island is like a being that would normally be comparable to a god in her eyes. Even if they are good neighbors or friends, it’s inevitable that she’ll have a lot on her mind.
As one of the seven great mages, she had a lot of tense days. But when I see her with Sakuya like this, it looks really fun for her. Like a high school girl talking to her friend.
And it looks like Sakuya is having fun in her own way too.
“Uuu… You won’t tell anyone?”
“Of course not.”
Sakuya peeks my way, and I close my ears with my hands.
Even if I’m not close, I’ll hear it anyway if I don’t do this.
By the way, Luna and Snow are pretty far, having fun in a place that overlooks the village.
We’ve gone up so much, that the giant spring looks pretty small at this point.
“…”
“…!”
Whose name is Sakuya whispering to Reina?
Reina looks surprised, and for some reason she gets happy and is about to say something, but then she looks my way and closes her mouth.
But she really wants to say something, and her somewhat happy face is twitching.
I guess I can take my hands off my ears…
“Sakuya, you have my support. After all, I read in a book that barriers only make love burn more intensely.”
“T-thank you very much…”
Is what I hear. Reina’s strange excitement makes me wonder what it’s all about, but I’m better off not asking.
After all, I don’t think a guy like me has any room in that kind of girl talk.
And with that life lesson in mind, I go get Snow and Luna, who are having a race.
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