Chapter 22 Relaxing Time With Elder Brother
After a rush of invitations calmed down, finally, a peaceful moment has come for me.
Waking up to the gentle morning sunlight, I get ready with Lisa's help, enjoying the daily life of the Granbell Family.
Dressed in the dress I carefully chose, I spin around in front of the mirror.
Yep, I look cute today too!
"Yumie, are you ready?"
"Yes!"
Just then, Elder Brother came into my room.
We had promised to have a little picnic in the garden today along with our usual magic training, so he must have come to call me.
"Elder Brother, good morning!"
With a big smile and my ultimate Yummy smile, I hug Elder Brother.
At that moment, seeing Elder Brother's face soften with a goofy grin, I can't help but smirk inside, thinking it's all going according to plan.
"Hey, if you cling on like that, I can't walk, you know?"
"That's fine! I've decided to be spoiled by Elder Brother today!"
The Granbell Family's plan to become close is going well, and now I'm completely treated as part of the family.
However, I shouldn't take that for granted; if I'm not careful, some misunderstanding could crack our family bond.
I need to keep showing off my cuteness.
I absolutely do not have any selfish thoughts about wanting to be healed by Elder Brother's adorable charm after being tired from the long rush of invitations.
"Well, Yumie has been working hard too, so I guess I can let it slide today."
"Hehe."
He seems to be trying hard to show his elder composure, but it's clear he's actually happy to be spoiled by me.
Every man in this world has a desire to pamper cute girls, that's for sure.
"But if this keeps up, I really can't walk... here we go."
"Whoa!"
Elder Brother suddenly lifted me up.
No matter how small I am, I can't help but think that it's a bit heavy for Elder Brother, but he pets me as if there's no problem.
"With this, we can move while sticking together. Are you happy?"
"Yes, very much!"
Since it's a rare opportunity, I decide to take advantage of Elder Brother's kindness.
I wrap my arms around his neck and cling tightly.
As I do that, Elder Brother's expression loosens even more, and I feel a sense of warmth while also directly feeling his body heat, which brings me peace.
...I'm pretty easy to please, huh?
"Well then, shall we go?"
"Yes! Lisa, I'm off!"
"Be careful. Don't go outside the premises."
"Okay!"
I wave goodbye to Lisa and leave the room.
Still being held by Elder Brother, I get dropped off in the garden, and as soon as we arrive at the usual magic training area, I start my special training in magic.
"Hmm."
I float countless bubbles in the air, changing their colors one after another with light magic.
The key is not to change them all at once, but to change each one to a different color with a slight delay.
This is quite difficult.
At the same time, I use wind magic to lift the bubbles, moving them left and right while carefully controlling the force so they don't pop.
Water magic to create the bubbles, light magic to change their colors, and wind magic to move them.
Elder Brother lets out a sigh of admiration at my ability to manage all 3 types of magic simultaneously.
"Your magic is always so precise. When it comes to this kind of fine control, I can't compete with you anymore."
"Hehe, I can't use cool magic like Elder Brother, so I worked hard for that. Besides, I still have a long way to go."
Ideally, I want to be able to maintain (light magic) and (wind magic) while activating this.
When I'm not using any magic, I've gotten used to keeping these two active all the time... but I want to be able to keep them activated unconsciously during social parties, no matter what happens.
Well, given my magic capacity, it seems impossible to keep this up for hours.
"Yumie is amazing. But don't push yourself too hard, okay?"
"I understand. If I collapse, it would all be for nothing."
Seeing a sickly child show a bit of dependence can be cute, but intentionally doing that is not just a bad personality; it goes against my aesthetic of "cuteness".
My cuteness is meant to make everyone smile.
"Rather, are you okay, Elder Brother? I've heard you've been training even harder than before lately."
Elder Brother not only accompanies me in my magic training but has also started special training in swordsmanship and magic, plus he's begun his education to succeed Father.
For me, it's just self-satisfaction, so I'm fine, but Elder Brother is under real pressure since he'll be entrusted with the territory in the future.
As his sister, I can't help but worry if he'll be crushed by that.
"Don't worry, I'm doing this because I enjoy it. ...I won't let Sigurt have my little sister."
"Ah, ahaha..."
It seems he's serious about what he said before: "If you want Yumie, you have to defeat me first".
You shouldn't talk about a prince like that, Elder Brother.
"Then let's do this. We still have time until noon, so let's take a nap together!"
"A nap? Right now?"
"Yes! You told me not to overdo it, so you'll join me, right, Elder Brother?"
Right? I press him with a smile, and Elder Brother hesitates.
Eventually, he lets out a sigh as if he's resigned.
"Alright, then let's take a little nap."
"Yes!"
Elder Brother leans against a tree and pats my knee.
It seems he intends to use my lap as a pillow.
I honestly followed that, resting my head on my knees and closing my eyes...
After a while, I could hear Elder Brother's breathing.
"Zzz... Zzz..."
"...I guess it was Elder Brother who was tired after all."
As I gazed at his peaceful sleeping face, a smile crept onto my lips.
Slowly getting up, I gently used magic to support his body so he wouldn't wake up, placing his head back on my knees.
"Good night, Elder Brother. Sweet dreams."
Whispering that to Elder Brother, I settled in for a nice nap.
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