Chapter 225: We finally met…
[Nimi]
It was past twenty-one hundred. Orders at the tavern had started centering on liquor, and Nimi was resting with Pafa in the kitchen. There was no place to put a table so they had not set one, but there were a few chairs. After Raide had been called by Melaine and left the tavern, she had been circulating while talking now and then with Pafa and the two helpers. More than that, she had not thought Raide would bring the Pope. Nimi was uncommonly at a loss. She understood it was because of Raide’s secret that Lea had made known, and because of that knowledge.
But speaking from the result of meeting her today, that had been the face of a maiden who had feelings for Raide. Maybe because they were the same woman, Nimi understood immediately.
(Handful... that name fits perfectly.)
The nickname for Raide that Pafa had started saying when her personality switched, "handful." It was not that far off, and because it was easy to call, among "us" Raide’s nickname was starting to stick. With ordinary senses you would get so restless you could not stand it and would leave.
But we like that handful. Not someone who makes us suffer. A precious person who saved us. If you call it the weakness of being in love that may be so, but we will absolutely not leave Raide. A woman’s... a woman in love, even after that love is fulfilled, her will does not shake. Especially those of us who have experienced painful things... she muttered that in her heart, smiled in a troubled way while cooking, and someone softly hugged her left arm. "Someone," but right now only Pafa and herself were in the kitchen, so it had to be Pafa...
She started to say Pafa’s name when next someone hugged her right arm and Nimi froze. She turned her face to look at whoever had hugged her right arm and Pafa was smiling softly. Then who was hugging her left arm? She turned her face hard and was surprised.
"We finally met, Nimi!"
"You are... were you the one who switched with Pafa now and then?"
"Nnfufu. Correct! I got worried about the handful and couldn’t leave him alone. Nimi understands, right?"
"...Fufu. Yes. I do."
"Nnnn~~! See, Nimi is cute! Raide’s lovers are all cute. It’s unfair!"
At the girl’s reaction Nimi stopped cooking, turned off the fire, then smiled wryly. When the girl confirmed Nimi had turned off the fire she spread both arms and hugged Nimi and Pafa, nuzzling as if sandwiching herself between them. Nimi and Pafa looked at each other, smiled in a troubled way together, and hugged the girl’s body. She smiled so happily they could not take it. From the girl they felt a warm, kind atmosphere, and it was so warm Nimi ended up associating it with Raide without meaning to. While she was thinking that the girl pulled away from Nimi and Pafa, laughed happily, and said,
"’I’ will protect Nimi and the others too! First I’m going to see the handful and the second!"
"Fufufu. Yes. Thank you. Um..."
"...? Ah! Sorry. My name is Hiero! Nice to meet you!"
Hiero, who resembled Pafa, said that, waved one hand hard, and left the kitchen. Nimi and Pafa saw Hiero off, looked at each other again, smiled, and both said the same words.
"It never gets boring."
"It never gets boring~"
[Raide]
I had been called by Melaine and come to Erika’s residence, and there were the two of them having tea with Elysia. When Mirishu and Kuna found me coming into the house they smiled happily. I thanked Melaine for pulling out a chair and sat. Elysia hid her mouth with her fingertips, laughed happily, and said,
"I’ve been asked again and again. Does nothing strange happen when you’re with Raide-san?"
"...Strange things, huh."
"So I told them. Not just me. All of ’us,’ from the first meeting, it was strange."
"Was it?"
Sudden appearances and the like might be strange, but I thought it was ordinary helping people. I smiled in a troubled way and rubbed the back of my neck with one hand. Elysia saw that and whispered to Mirishu. Mirishu hid her mouth with one hand, laughed modestly, then whispered to Kuna as well and Kuna started laughing too. I tilted my head in doubt. A cup of tea was set in front of me. I turned my face sideways and thanked Melaine who had poured it.
"Raide-sama is an honest person, fufufu."
"It’s true I’m bad at lying, but..."
"Of course. You can’t lie."
"...I’m glad the two of you seem to be enjoying yourselves."
At the words I said with a wry smile the three of them laughed happily with their shoulders shaking. Melaine also uncommonly turned her face away with her shoulders shaking. I was being laughed at but no unpleasant feeling rose. It was not mockery, so I could enjoy it too. After all I felt more at ease if they were laughing than making sad faces. If they smiled because of me I would become as much conversation material as they wanted. The instant I reached to lift the cup, someone suddenly hugged me from behind and I was surprised. Elysia, Mirishu, and Kuna could see the person hugging me. Their eyes went wide and they froze in surprise. Who? I turned my face sideways, saw the smiling profile of a girl who looked a lot like Pafa, tilted my head, and asked,
"You are...?"
"Yaho~! You know, don’t you, handful."
"That bracelet... ah. I get it. Looks like I made you worry."
"You really did."
The right hand raised in front of me while she still hugged from behind had Kuro’s Bracelet on the wrist, and I understood at once. I had vaguely noticed since Pafa begged this morning, but I had not thought I would meet her this soon. Her bright silver-white hair looked so bright it seemed to shine. Her figure resembled Pafa but the atmosphere was different. If I had to say, she was a lively type, and her chest was a little larger than the girl’s? The girl stopped hugging from behind, suddenly pulled my chair, moved to the right, and urged me to open my legs. I opened them as requested and she sat as if straddling my right knee, so I laughed in a troubled way.
"Un! See, you are big~! The handful has a good build!"
"...Fuha, hahaha. I’m glad you’re enjoying yourself. More than that, will you tell me your name?"
"Ah, sorry! I’m Hiero. Nice to meet you, Raide!"
"Yeah. Nice to meet you, Hiero."
Hiero laughed happily, shaking grapefruit-sized breasts. Melaine, who had frozen but recovered immediately, brought a chair beside me. I thanked Melaine with a smile, glanced at the next seat, and the next instant she was hugging Elysia from the side. The movement that looked like teleportation went past surprise into a wry smile. Elysia was smiling in a troubled way from being too surprised too.
"Nice to meet you too, Elysia!"
"Yes. Fufu. Yes, a pleasure, Hiero-san."
"Nn nn~! So cute~! Raide is a lucky man, really!"
"Yeah. I’m aware."
I thought she was rubbing her cheek against Elysia’s head, then she vanished again and the next moment was sitting in the next seat. Melaine setting a cup in front of Hiero was something you had to call impressive. She did not show a speck of agitation. Hiero lifted the cup, took a sip of tea, and let out a breath with a peaceful smile. I smiled wryly at Mirishu and Kuna, who had faces that did not know what to do, and said,
"You two, is this the second time you’ve met Hiero?"
"Probably... at that time we could not recognize her."
"We could not tell. The ’form’..."
"...??"
I tilted my head at their impressions and looked at Hiero’s profile. Hiero noticed my gaze, set the cup on the table, and explained happily. At that time she had not materialized, so from the viewer’s side it had apparently been a vague state. That was why it was hard to remain in memory, and recognizing the "form" was difficult. Just understanding she was a girl was amazing, she said. "It’s proof everyone treasures Pafa!" she said, and I got embarrassed and rubbed the back of my neck with one hand. She said happily that Mirishu and Kuna had been able to recognize Hiero as a girl because they were people of the Holy Kingdom of Kail.
"Probably~, I think you’ve seen me?"
"Seen you, is it..."
"You entered the ritual room, right?"
"...Ah, aaaah, the mural?"
"Correct! Good~! If the mural remains the effect is still going. My ’curse.’"
""’Curse’!?"""
At the dangerous statement Mirishu and Kuna pulled back a little, but Hiero paid it no mind and put the cup to her mouth. When Hiero set the cup on the table her smile looked a little ironic. I did not think that was my imagination. But it was a fact she had helped me, so there was probably some reason. What to do? I folded my arms and turned my face toward Hiero. Hiero also turned a serious face this way.
"Is it all right? I might be a threat to the Holy Kingdom of Kail, you know? You two are in danger, you know?"
"Hm... well, that’s a problem."
"...Aha. You’re not panicking."
"Well, if you really meant to threaten us, I, Mirishu, and Kuna would not be alive, right?"
"Ahaha! That’s right! Correct! Because thanks to Raide I shouldn’t be used anymore! Right, second Pope?"
"Th-that’s the intention, but..."
Stop it. They’re getting scared... Mirishu was leaning her body toward Kuna beside her. Kuna was giving off an atmosphere like she was a little on guard. As expected of a close escort, she seemed to prioritize protecting over fear. I gently stroked Hiero’s head with the meaning that I wanted her to stop. She narrowed her eyes like it felt good, smiled, and nodded. Hiero put on a troubled smile, apologized lightly to the two of them, then started talking as if giving an answer.
"I was the close escort of Grize, who was the first Pope. Like Kuna, I guess?"
"A close escort...?"
"Un... ah. I wasn’t human then either, you know?"
If you were human that would be problematic in various ways, Hiero? I looked at her with a wry smile and she stuck her tongue out adorably. ...Hey. Is this close escort a little calculated? From there Hiero started explaining why she called Mirishu the second Pope. It was nothing special. A simple story. She told us happily while laughing that it was because of the book I had intended to return to Mirishu, and because Hiero had recognized her, that she was the second Pope. But the words after that surprised us.
"More than the one who killed Grize, Mirishu should be chosen as the second Pope."
"K-killed...?"
She smiled sadly at Mirishu’s words, looked up at the ceiling a little, and started talking. About the past of the Holy Kingdom of Kail that was no longer passed down now.