After dinner, Snow falls asleep with a full stomach, using my lap as a pillow.
Luna is also nodding off.
“Those two look sleepy.”
“Yes, they played so much today.”
Snow’s sleeping face is like an angel’s.
“I’ll take these two to the room.”
“By yourself? Do you want me to go too?”
“It’s fine, Luna can walk by herself. Luna, are you awake?”
“Yes… Luna can walk.”
She looks sleepy, and that response didn’t quite match, but she’s talking.
She should be fine. Luna gets up, and starts staggering.
“It’s not looking too good.”
“Luna’s fine…”
The way she’s acting is weird, so Reina and I start laughing.
“Can you hand Snow over to me, Arata?”
“Yes. Snow, time to go sleep in the futon.”
At first I think that woke her up, but she just changes position and holds on tightly.
This is how small kids tend to resist, but the way they hold on like this actually makes it easier to hold them.
“Here we go.”
“Come on Snow, over here.”
“Uu…”
Snow keeps resisting at first, but when she realizes it’s Reina’s voice, she lets go.
Then Reina holds her, and Snow loosens up and goes back to sleep.
“Thanks.”
“Yes, you can take it easy, Arata.”
Reina follows Luna as she wobbles away.
“Fufufu, it really looks like a friendly family.”
“Family… I guess. Those two are pretty much family.”
That word probably fits better than friends.
I was alone when I came to this island, but I got a big family before I knew it.
Thinking about my daily life, people like Snow and Luna really make me feel energized.
At the same time, thinking about how their usual behavior also makes me nervous sometimes makes me smile awkwardly.
“I feel like I’m always being dragged around by those kids.”
“Mister Arata, you’re a father, a backbone.”
“I wonder if I’m a good one…”
“Those girls’ happy faces are the answer to that. It is because you are a tree that will never fall, that they can feel safe by your side.”
“I’m happy if that’s the case.”
I keep chatting with Sakuya, until I hear heavy steps from the other side of the sliding door.
“Big bro! Are you feeling at home!?”
“Yes Gyes. Sakuya is looking after us.”
“Ooh! I see I see!”
He plops down in front of me, and Sakuya goes to get his food.
“It looks tasty as always!”
“Do you want something to drink?”
“Yes!”
He comes across as kind of arrogant, but I guess this is how it is with the demon gods.
That gets me thinking. Gyes has Sakuya, but the others don’t. How do they get by?
“Hm? Aren’t you drinking big bro?”
“The kids were here until just now.”
“We can’t have that. You need to drink the sake we’re so proud of here.”
He starts pouring from his gourd into a sake coup, and then hands it to me.
After gulping his own, he pours more, and raises it for a toast.
I also raise mine, when Sakuya opens the sliding door leading outside…
“Ooh…”
The beautiful moonlight streams into the room, and the sake starts sparkling between me and Gyes.
“This sake is called kigetsu, demon moon. We drink it when we’re celebrating something.”
“There’s not really a celebration going on now.”
“What are you talking about? You came over to our village. What better celebration could there be?”
Gyes has a really high estimation of me, but all I did was make him listen through force.
I wish he wouldn’t put me on a pedestal because of that, but I guess power is the most important thing for them.
“Well then big bro, keep looking after us demon gods.”
“I didn’t do anything. Yes, well then…”
We both drink.
Sakuya is watching over us with a smile on her face.
I already knew this, but this body is strong to alcohol.
This sake is pretty dry, but even that feels good, so I feel like I could gulp it all down.
And much to my surprise, this guy in front of me with that fierce look is actually weak to alcohol.
“Biibro… You’re awshome!”
“Yes, I know.”
“But! You took on Graham and me, and beat us!”
He starts telling Sakuya about my heroic tales, totally drunk. He’s just an annoying drunk.
But Sakuya just lets it wash over her without a care. She’s used to it.
“Your cup is empty. Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
But she doesn’t forget her guest, and still shows consideration for me. I can see why Gyes brags about her so much.
“Are ya listenin’ big bro!? Sakuya’s a good girl dontcha think!?”
“Yes, a very nice girl.”
“Oh! That’s my big bro! You get it!”
My response makes him happy, and he drinks even more, letting out a sound that shows how much he likes it.
By the way, at a certain point, Sakuya swapped what he’s drinking for water.
I look over at her, and she has a smile on her face like a kid pulling a prank.
I’m guessing that’s an expression she only shows to her brother.
“Listen! Sakuya’s popular! But! They’re all weaker than me!”
“Yes, that makes sense.”
Despite him being pitifully dead drunk right now, this man is the leader of the young demon gods. He already knows the name of his ancestor, and he’s far stronger than the others.
It’s no wonder the others who haven’t reached maturity yet can’t beat him.
“Demon god women get happy when they get with strong men!”
“Yes, so I’ve heard.”
“Right!? You get it!”
So? I look over at Sakuya, but she just smiles awkwardly.
“He’ll be happy if you just half listen.”
“I see.”
“Biiro!”
It’s not even big bro anymore.
How come he keeps getting drunker, when he’s only been drinking water?
“I’ve been raisin’ Sakuya since she was ’bout this big!”
“Hn?”
He grabs a bean as he says this. Is he waiting for me to retort that she’s never been that small?
But still, that means he’s been raising her since she was young…
“Our parents passed away early, so my brother has been looking after me since then.”
“I see…”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. Everyone in our village is like family, and I have my brother too, so I don’t feel alone or anything.”
“…I see…”
Then it would be rude of me to think that.
And as I think that, Gyes gulps down another cup.
“And I’m gonna have to let her get married someday!”
“Oh, you actually understand that?”
“Gettin’ married means gettin’ happy!”
By the way, I’m not worried about the conversation being stuck in a loop. After all, he’s too drunk to hold a proper one.
“I think it’d be good if it was you biibro!”
“Hn?”
For a moment there I thought it was advancing past the loop, but… I guess I misheard.
“Biibro’s strong! Stronger than me! That terrible Graham is as shrong as me, but you’re mush shronger than both!”
“Well, I got this strength from god.”
“We got it there too! We’re the same!”
Really?
Well, I guess from their point of view, their ancestors are as strong as gods.
“Of courshe, there hash to be love! But! On this island, a strong man’s gotta get lots of wives and show he’s won!”
He’s really getting hard to understand now, with how much he’s slurring.
But as I’m thinking that it’s time to end this, Sakuya approaches him.
“Gyes. You drank too much.”
“Sakuya! What do ya think!?”
“Mister Arata is a wonderful person.”
“Yes yes! Biiro’s awesome!”
“But despite your respect, you’re just troubling him by pushing that onto him all of a sudden. So let’s end it here.”
Then she puts her hand on his back and rubs it.
“Ei.”
“Kyuu!?”
Actually, she chops his neck.
It made a big sound despite her just going ‘ei’. Gyes’ eyes roll to the back of head, and he faints as he falls forward.
“…”
“You can make him quiet like this.”
“I see…”
Sakuya looks kind of boastful, and I’m just going to tell myself that’s just how brothers and sisters are.
And, well, it’s Gyes’ fault for getting so drunk.
“By the way, he said all that, but you already have someone you like, right?”
“Yes, but unfortunately, it’s someone my brother would never accept…”
“I see… Well, when the time comes, I can help convince him.”
I say, and she looks happy.
She looks very magical, and very beautiful, smiling under the moonlight.
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Thanks for the treat.