Chapter 143 Welcome To The Merifa House
"Oh, big brother, big brother!"
"What’s up, little sis?"
"I think we might be a bit short on root veggies for the stew, but should I add sugar or salt to the sauce?!"
"At least remember the oil. Chill out, sis."
"If I could calm down, I wouldn't be in this mess! You brought so many people here, big brother!"
"Uh, um. Sorry for barging in like this."
"No, no, no, it's totally fine!"
"We should have at least waited a day. My bad. We were too pushy."
"No, no, no, don't worry about it, knights! I'm really sorry for this small, messy house!"
"Look, Sis Shura, this chair cover! The duck pattern is so cute, I wonder if it's homemade? It looks homemade!"
"Yeah, it's amazing, Lyam..."
"Wow, there are so many good-looking people here... what should I do, big brother? I can't even open my eyes with all this brightness, I'm just a village girl!"
"Treat 'em like they're just salad or something."
"I'm telling you, it's the root veggies we're short on, you idiot brother!"
"What the heck?"
My house has never been this lively before. Among them, the loudest is my little sister, Sara. But even she is adorable.
"Hiiro. Wasn't it a bit rude to just show up like this for your sister?"
"Wha'? She was looking forward to this, so it ain't no big deal. See for yourself; she's beaming."
"She's smiling while her eyes are spinning, that's why I'm saying it."
"It doesn't matter. My motto's to act when the thought comes."
"That's more like not thinking ahead."
Thanks for the sharp comeback. But starting the day after tomorrow, Captain Shidou will be back and we are taking on new missions, so today is the only chance we have.
But wow, I didn't expect Sara to get this flustered. I guess having knights from the main squad is something really special for a small village. Even on the way here, we were the center of attention. Especially Shura, the village men were staring with bloodshot eyes.
And Ms. Shura, on the other hand, was still sitting there looking grumpy.
"Hey. Cheer up already."
"...Hmph."
""Aww, I'm sorry! Didn't mean to be all snarky or anything..."
"...That's not what I meant, you idiot."Huh?"
(Oh, is that what it is? Wow, what a shameless girl.)
(Shameless, huh? How does she get away with it?)
(It's just that this girl misunderstood things on her own. She was a bit confusing with your invitation yesterday too, Master. Haha.)
Ruthless nods to herself, feeling left out even though she's part of this.
"Ms. Eshurareze! Um! Is there anything you don't like?"
"...I don't like it too spicy."
"Understood!"
"...Ya know, Sara, ya are a real firecracker."
"But then, this is the third time we've had this exchange. Why is it only me...?"
"I dunno, Shura."
"Sara said it's because you're the first girl Hiiro wrote his name to in a letter after becoming a knight, right?"
"Why do you know that?"
"I heard it a little while ago."
"...Oh, I see. Well then, I'm expecting something mild."
"Huh?"
Sham is casually getting close with Sara. Impressive. Sara is all over the place, and Shura suddenly cheers up. Well, whatever.
...Huh? Is there such a thing as mild stew?
* * *
"Sigh... So my brother is really that reckless, huh?"
"Yeah. It's not an exaggeration to say he's walking around with no common sense. He was just as crazy today."
"That's a harsh thing to say about someone who helped you out, isn’t it?"
"...Just take it easy, okay, big brother?"
"Y-Yeah."
After being back home for the first time in a while, there's a mountain of things to talk about. But it's kind of sad that all I hear about is how reckless I've been. Mostly because of Quollio, but if I trace it back, it's my fault. That makes me feel a bit uneasy under Sara's worried gaze.
"Yeah. If you could just tone it down a bit, I wouldn't have to worry about my stomach──."
"Okay, Quo. Let's keep it down while we're eating, alright?"
"What? You were there at the end of the day, so you should know, Syam."
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"How can you be so forgetful?"
"Ugh, whatever, just open wide."
"W-Wait, why are you holding the whole bowl instead of a spoon! Ugh..."
"Since they went through the trouble of making it, we better eat it nicely, seriously. Why don't you learn a bit from Lyam?"
"Shut up, you're the last one to talk."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Shh, Ms. Shura, calm down. The stew is spilling everywhere!"
Thanks to Sham being considerate, I feel a bit more at ease. It would be a waste to feel all cramped up after finally coming back home. Well, it's not just Quollio to blame; the folks in the village have a part in it too.
Especially the village head, Helmel. Just when we were about to eat, he popped his head in with a big smile and rubbing his hands together. Apparently, he came to invite Shura and the others to have a meal at the village head's place since the knights from the main unit had come all the way here. You could tell he really wanted to get close to us. Of course, I turned him down.
The reason Shura and the others came was that Sara wanted to see them. They kept pushing, saying they wanted to talk about the future of the village with me, and that the village head's daughter wanted to hear about my achievements. That last part, I wouldn't mind at all!
"...Hey, big brother."
"What's up?"
"I need to talk to you, or rather, I want to give you a report on something that's almost decided, but I just need a little push to finalize it."
"Whoa there, punk. You're acting like you own the place. Chill out."
"Y-yeah."
In the brief pause, Sara suddenly jumps in with what seems like her consultation. When I tried to calm her down, she shrank back, her face turning red.
What's this report about? Did she get a boyfriend or something? Huh, now that we've eaten, is this the part where I test if her boyfriend is stronger than me? I wouldn't mind at all; I'd take him down without mercy!
"Um, you know, I've been working with a caravan, right? I wrote about it in a letter."
"Mm-hmm?"
"Right, Hiiro. She's being taken care of by Lady Diora's caravan, the one everyone talks about."
"Wait, Mr. Quollio knew about that too?"
"Not just Quollio, the whole squad knows. He kept asking about the caravan like crazy."
"Back then, Hiiro was really shaken up, right? Not knowing what kind of group the caravan was, thinking his little sister might have gone bad."
"B-big brother..."
"Ugh..."
These guys are just having a laugh at my expense. Well, when the letter first came, I mistook the caravan for some kind of lady biker gang. Depending on how things went, I said I might have to take down the organization, and they shut me down hard. Sham was just laughing away.
"So, what's your game plan for this?"
"Um, the other day Ms. Diora suggested... how about joining a real trading venture?"
"A legit one?"
"──You mean going out on a trading journey?"
"Yes, that's right, Ms. Lyam."
Everyone says that Diora's caravan is a famous trading group across the continent. Being famous on the continent means they're doing business all over the place. That's what she means by a real venture. Sara is probably outside of Asgardam.
"Shura."
"Huh? What is it?"
"So? Think about it. You say you were a traveler before you joined the knights."
"Yeah, but..."
Suddenly being put on the spot, Shura looks unusually blank. But maybe my seriousness got through to her, as she furrows her brow and goes quiet for a few seconds.
"Well, I can't say it's without danger. There's always a chance of losing your life."
"..."
"...But. There are so many things you can't see just by staying here. Beautiful things and dirty things. The things you see with your own eyes won't be a waste, will they?"
"Ms. Shura..."
I only know places like Korghi Village and Joosa outside. That's why I wanted to hear Shura's opinion, since she traveled around before coming to Asgardam. Her words seemed to be soaked in the scenes she had witnessed. There must have been good and bad experiences. I found myself captivated by her more mature profile, feeling a push to go for it.
"Sara."
"Y-yeah?"
"If you're reporting back, guess your head's already spinning with plans, eh?"
"Yeah."
"F*cking great. Just so you know, if you're my little sis, no half-assed moves here. Do it right, got that?"
"...Yeah, thanks, big brother!"
If you want me to push you, then I'll push you. While holding back a bit of worry, I granted my cute little sister's wish.
I don't know why, but seeing Sara's bright smile made me feel a warm light.
It's like a little chick trying to grow its wings.
Right now, I felt a bit lonely, and honestly, I envied that.
"Thank you too, Ms. Shura!"
"It's not a big deal. I'm just soft on you, so the result is the same."
"...Ms. Shura. Yeah, that's how it is, right?"
Well, it was supposed to end on a nice sentimental note, but...
Is it just the default for the Merifar tribe to not let things end easily?
Sara, her face turning red, looked back and forth between me and Shura as if she was sure of something, then suddenly grabbed Shura's hands tightly and said.
"Ms. Shura. He may be a useless brother, but please take care of him from now on!"
"""!?"""
"Huh?"
(Huh?)
"...Huh!?"
Why am I being included in this?
But this feels familiar somehow.
Is it that? You can't escape blood ties, huh? HAHAHA.
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