“So Cecily beca an honorary duchess of Steg Maia. Isn’t that amazing?”
Swoosh—Cecily puffed out her chest in front of her sisters.Her attitude was extrely proud and arrogant.Hina yawned softly while listening to this story.
“I’ve heard this story 8 tis already… I could recite it from mory, Cecily.”“Naru finds it fascinating every ti she hears it! Where’s that friend lody? Did she beco a princess of Steg Maia? Huh?”
While Naru and Hina were reacting differently to the story they had heard many tis, Sifnoi, who was hearing this story for the first ti today, shouted “I see!” as if she had gained a great realization.
“I see, so that’s why the nobles were carrying around the ‘Nymph Declaration of Rights’…! It’s an excellent system…!”
Even after experiencing another world, Sifnoi was still as noisy as ever. No, if anything, Sifnoi seed even noisier than usual.
Hmm, hmm, hmmm—It was quite unsettling to see Sifnoi humming and sweeping the garden. Usually, when asked to do work, Sifnoi would try to negotiate by saying, “This requires additional pay…!”But today, Sifnoi’s mood was completely on cloud nine.
“Sifnoi, you seem to be in a good mood. Did anything happen?”
I asked.Then Sifnoi spoke as if she had been waiting for this question.
“Mwehehe, do you want to hear about it…?”“No.”“You must listen…! I, Sifnoi, will soon obtain the Thieves’ Codex and beco the King of Thieves…! Now that I’ve found the hidden cave, the end is in sight…!”
I see.It ans the end of the back alley era is near.The Thieves’ Codex was actually hidden deep inside ‘that cave’, so it should feel more like ‘just the beginning’, but I didn’t say that.Then, the cheerful Sifnoi started babbling about things I hadn’t even asked about.
“Also, I, Sifnoi, am a nymph born in autumn… Nymphs born in autumn beco extrely happy when autumn arrives…! Look at these autumn leaves…!”
As Sifnoi said, the autumn leaves were beautifully coloring the garden.It seed like just yesterday we were suffering from the hot sumr weather, but now cool breezes often blew, making walks in the garden quite pleasant.
“So, is that lady the Lady Leone?”
Swoosh—As I was walking in the garden for a while, Brigitte approached and whispered in my ear.Brigitte’s eyes were glancing at a woman sitting on the balcony near the garden, combing Cariote’s hair.It was as Brigitte said.
“Lady Leone is just visiting for a bit.”
So ti had passed since the journey to Steg Maia.Lady Leone, who had beco a resident of 「Abyss Land」 first visited the Ragdoll family mansion and then stopped by our odds and ends mansion.I heard that when she visited the Ragdoll family mansion, it was complete chaos.People were flipping out, crying and laughing, it was a total ss, they said.It was because soone they thought was dead had appeared after more than 20 years.
Anyway, Cariote was sitting on the balcony, having her hair combed by her mother.Rustle— Rustle—It was similar to how Cecily used to comb Cariote’s hair long ago.
“Mom, I’m not a little kid anymore…”“Are you going to deprive your mother of the joy of combing her daughter’s hair? I couldn’t do it for so long, so let do it at least today.”“……”
Cariote obediently let her hair be combed. She seed quite embarrassed, but probably couldn’t bring herself to refuse her mother’s request.Soon, Cariote opened her mouth as if trying to change the atmosphere.
“How is it living in Abyss Land? I heard it’s a very barbaric and unpleasant land. Wouldn’t it be better to just live with us instead of staying there?”“No, it’s not necessarily like that. I’ve been in Steg Maia for so long that the chaos there is just right for . And your father is in ‘Abyss Land’.”“Dad is?”
Cariote looked at .Soon after making eye contact with , Cariote opened and closed her palm towards a few tis.Was that her way of greeting?As I was greeting her back in the sa way, Brigitte poked my side.
“What’s going on with you two? There’s sothing, right? You didn’t cause any trouble, did you?”“No.”“Rember this well. You need to rember the date when children are born into the world. They’re…”
Brigitte started to say sothing but slowly closed her mouth.She probably realized that the date when Naru would co into existence was approaching. After all, Naru is the first among the children to be born.
Swoosh—Brigitte soon pulled out a small notebook from a pocket in the air. It was the notebook that the 25-year-old SSR Princess Naru had dropped in my cabin long ago.It contained quite a lot of information, including things like this.The day Naru ca into existence.What happened— that kind of story.It seed to be written after an older Naru asked her mother, Brigitte, “How was your date with Dad?” and recorded the contents.
“How many days are left? Until our official first date.”
I asked.Then Brigitte flipped through the notebook and read a certain passage very seriously.
“About a week now…”
A week.It was a long ti if you thought it was long, and a short ti if you thought it was short.We now had to prepare for a new encounter.However, neither I nor Brigitte, nor the other mothers or children ntioned it explicitly.Everyone probably felt the sa way.
“Naru, where are you?”
Brigitte called out towards the garden.
Rustle—Then, as if the bushes were shaking, Naru, with autumn leaves all over her head and nose bridge, jumped out like a wild animal.
“Naru is here!”
Thump—Naru hugged Brigitte as she always did.And then she hugged tightly as well.Naru was a child who loved hugging people.
“Why did you call!”
Naru asked.To this, Brigitte stroked Naru’s forehead and said.
“We’re going shopping today, and Naru should co with us. Naru, we’re going to buy lots of clothes for you and things you’ll use. It’s better if you choose them yourself, right?”“Wow, holy shh…! Naru loves shopping! Wait a bit! Naru will get her coin purse!”
Thump—Naru ran hurriedly into the room.And then she appeared with a coin purse attached to her waist, filled with coins she had received from adults for doing small errands.
“Naru is ready now!”
# # #
I had promised to go shopping with Brigitte and Naru today. And I was slightly regretting my past self who had readily accepted the proposal.Won’s shopping required great patience and discernnt from n.
“Judas, what do you think of this tablecloth? This one has a checkered pattern, and this one has stripes.”
To my eyes, all tablecloths looked pretty much the sa.The important thing is not the tablecloth, but the food that will be placed on it, right?But Brigitte put so much effort into shopping for even these small things, so I was feeling quite fatigued.The one fortunate thing was that Naru was there.
“Naru likes the striped one!”“Oh really? Then we should buy the striped one.”
Naru was quite an opinionated child.She saved ti by quickly picking out the items Brigitte was pondering over, truly a filial daughter. I should consider increasing Naru’s allowance.
Anyway, we walked around the high-end goods store in Freesia 3rd Street in that manner. Then Brigitte stopped in front of a certain store.It was a place that sold various small and cute items.
“…Was there a store like this here?”
Brigitte seed to find the unfamiliar store strange.It was my first ti seeing it too.Did it open recently?
Ding-a-ling— Ding-a-ling—As we entered the door as if entranced, a warm-looking elderly lady greeted us.
“My, what a wonderful couple. And such an adorable little child too.”
The old lady’s speech was leisurely, sounding like a dialect from the southern region. Perhaps she was an immigrant from the warm southern region to this Freesia?Her white hair tied with a hairpin made her look like a noble lady.She probably opened the store as a pasti or hobby in her later years.
“Naru is Naru! Hello, grandma!”“Hello, Naru. You look very healthy and cute.”“This is Naru’s friend, Molumolu!”
━o
“My, what a cute Molumolu. My granddaughter loves her Molumolu too.”
While the noble lady and Naru were greeting each other, Brigitte slowly looked around the store.After wandering around for a while, Brigitte stopped abruptly in front of shoes as small as my thumb.The old lady said.
“Those are shoes I wove myself with thread. Aren’t they cute? We have plenty in various colors, so take your ti looking. Or would you like to choose for you?”
In response to the elegantly aged clerk’s question, Brigitte looked at Naru.And then she asked Naru.
“Naru, which one do you like?”“Hmm… Naru likes yellow! Because most butterflies are yellow!”
Swoosh—Naru picked up the yellow shoes.Seeing this, the old lady smiled gently and asked.
“Did Naru choose shoes for her little sibling to wear?”“No! Naru will wear them!”“…Huh?”
The old lady seed not to understand. She was probably puzzled that the big Naru said she would wear shoes that looked like they should be worn by one-year-old babies.But the old lady soon laughed softly and wrapped up the shoes.She might have thought it was just a child’s playful talk.
“Cradle! Milk bottle! Rattle! Naru will choose the things Naru likes!”
Naru skillfully chose items in the store that sold products for young babies. As if she had been planning to choose these things from the beginning.
Rustle— Rustle—The old lady wrapped the items in fine paper and occasionally looked at , Brigitte, and Naru with warm eyes.
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