Vol 2 Chapter 2 (2/2)
The straightforward Tia believed h I found
Did Tia trust me so much because I saved her in a warzone? Or simply because I was a male D?
Still with no idea where Tia's affection for aze aith an unsettled feeling, looking at the horizon where the sun was setting—
Part 3
As soon as we returned to the dor Tia
I had already gotten materials appropriate for Tia's level from shi+nomiya-sensei, so I took Tia to my room and placed the textbooks and notebooks on the desk
Elementary school curriculum apparently aimed to teach students horite by hand, so materials were paper-based Forlessons, the touch of paper and pencil felt very nostalgic
”You really have to sit here after all”
Seeing Tia sit on h
”Yes, because Tia is the wife”
Tia turned herself and looked up atwith a nod
”Norether like this twenty-four hours a day”
”Other people are other people, we are us Also, we are needs”
”No, now that youmarried”
I pointed out the most fundamental point
”Ehhhh?”
Tia showed surprise
Did I bring it up too rashly? I could not help but feel frantic, but she immediately smiled
”Now that you ! Yuu, ill it be held?”
”W-When First of all, Tia, we can't ht?”
”Huons”
Refuted by these unexpected words, I was speechless for a while
No good, huic did not work on Tia
I had to get her to attend class normally by tomorrow What should I do?
”Tia, about this issue, let's discuss it later Now's the ti Come, open the textbook”
After thinking for a while, in the end, I could only postpone the issue to resolve later
”Eh Then it's a pro date properly, okay?”
”If possible, I'd like to start the discussion froe than that”
Let alone changing her radually forced into a corner
While thinking of ways to reverse the current situation, I started teaching Tia
As soon as she focused on studying, Tia becaes from the text, she would ask whenever she did not understand any part, instantly absorbing the knowledge
On the topic of languages, she was capable of using three languages, including japanese, on the level of everyday conversation
—It looked like she had a good teacher in the past
Considering Tia's appearance, it was quite unlikely she was attending a normal school, but Tia was no less educated than peers froroup
I originally thought that since her way of speaking japanese was very child-like, her e was probably very childish too, but perhaps it was the opposite
The tutoring went very smoothly By dinner time, we had already finished as planned for today
At 7pm, Mitsuki had returned ho hall
”Tia-san's education see poorly”
Seeing Tia treat nated seat, Mitsuki remarked with disappointment
”No, acade her to follow rules is very hard”
Hearing hed
”I understand Then I shall take over education regarding rules, because I am the student council president, I cannot allow Tia-san to do as she pleases”
Thus, after dinner, Mitsuki started to educate Tia in my room
However—
”That is why, Tia-san, by living a rule-abiding life at Midgard, only through that will the world recognize our existence—”
”That is soon, it has nothing to do with Tia”
””
Confronted with Tia's dragon logic for who kne many times, Mitsuki slumped her shoulders in dejection
”I now understand your hardshi+p very well, Nii-san”
Mitsuki showed an exhausted expression to me, who had become Tia's chair
”I know right? No matter hoe try to make her accept rules, it just doesn't work”
I reained a comrade
”She is truly a formidable opponent Time sure flies It is already past 9phtly”
Saying that, Mitsuki got up fro Tia's next comment
”Then Tia will have a bath with Yuu!”
”This came after all”
Pressing her hand to her forehead, Mitsuki murmured quietly
”Tia, I' to the washroom, I'll wait outside”
I tried to ask her as gently as possible but Tia shook her head forcefully
”No! Tia wants to have a bath with Yuu! The husband has to be with the wife at all times!”
”Why do you hate separating fro away, you know?”
I steeled loomy expression
”No If Tia is not at your side, you'll disappear for sure”
”Disappear?”
””
I did not quite understand what she meant, so I repeated the saht and refused to answer
Silently, she gripped e even if the sky were to co down
”Understood, then it cannot be helped”
Hearing Mitsuki say that, I jumped in surprise
”Eh? No way? You allow it?”
I really could not believe that Mitsuki, the student council president, would perender bath When the fact that Iris helped scrubbed e number of repentance essays
”Yes, but on one condition I basically predicted this, hence I came prepared Please wait a moment, Nii-san”
Saying that, Mitsuki left the room and soon returned with certain articles in her arms
”What's that?”
I pointed at what Mitsuki had brought and asked
”Swimsuits and pajamas”
Mitsuki answered with a serious face Figuring out what she meant, I frowned
”Swimsuits make it okay?”
This was quite a huge coht, so I confirmed with her
”The swi a hot spring and there should not be a problem with public , I must be present too”
Blushi+ng, Mitsuki said so even more unexpected
”What You're taking a bath with us too, Mitsuki?”
”—Is there any proble a lovey-dovey bathtiether?”
”H-How could I possibly think that!?”
I frantically denied However—I so a bath with Mitsuki crossed my mind Mitsuki was my sister, so there should be no reason to be so concerned
”In that case, there is no probleht? I will enter the bath with Nii-san too”
With Nii-san?
The central topic should be Tia, so her way of putting it made me feel a sense of dissonance But due to Mitsuki's inti it out
”G-Got it”
”Very well, bath time it is”
Mitsuki declared with elation Somehow, she sounded inexplicably happy
Perhaps she was res from childhood
—Eh? However Did I ever take baths with Mitsuki before?
If ere siblings, bathing together as children should be quite normal
But no ht, I still could not find memories of that sort—
”Sure enough, three people in a bath is very crowded”
Having changed into a school swimsuit, Mitsuki surveyed the bathroo navy-blue swimsuit served as a perfect foil to eure
”This is a swiht, it feels weird”
Tia seemed like she had never worn one before With curiosity, she pulled at her shoulder strap
What drew h
—Once targeted by Basilisk, the dragon mark would turn red
It hite in Iris' case, which see on the dragon
”Nii-san, your gaze is very suspicious”
Just as I was staring at Tia's dragon mark, Mitsuki pulled me by the ear
Naturally, I earing swi swiirls, there see in the air
This was a single rooned to acco in the first place With three people inside, there was no space left for rinsing oneself Mitsuki see at the cramped bathroom with a troubled look
”Three people rinsing together seems too hard Nii-san, please enter the tub first We will switch later”
”Understood”
I poured hot water overinto the tub Then I soaked myself up to the shoulders As a result, the water level rose to al
”Ah, Tia wants a soak too!”
I finally had some space to myself but Tia jumped into the tub With a massive splash, hot water spilled all over the floor
”Hey, Tia-san, what are you doing!? You have to rinse your body together with me first!”
Hearing Mitsuki scold her, Tia pouted
”No, Tia has to be with Yuu”
Saying that, Tia leaned herself against me in the tub
”T-Tia, don't lean in so close”
The sensation of soft skin, trans me waver
And left behind, Mitsuki stood there stunned for ain a determined voice:
”In that case I shall join in too”
”Eh? H-Hey?”
Mitsuki forced herself into the tub Naturally, since this was not meant to be a bathtub for three, it becaether while the tub's hot water flowed out
Feeling soed hs
”Ah N-Nii-san Not there, please”
”S-Sorry”
Every move of the body caused friction between skin and swimsuits
”Mm”
Mitsuki exhaled hot breath
”Ehehe, husband!”
Tia happily leaned herself against me
Unable to move, I could only surrender to the two of them
”Three people is too o out?”
”No, Tia will not leave Yuu”
Tia wrapped her slender arms around me
”If Tia-san will not go out, I shall not leave either, because I a too close together”
Mitsuki kept pushi+ng her body over, trying to get between me and Tia
Her swi the valley between her petite yet beautifully shaped breasts
”Jeez, don't get in the way”
Tia resisted intensely, hugging hter This scene in the narrow bathtub was alame of sardines-in-the-box
”I-If you two aren't going out, I'”
To er sister
I originally thought that I would not feel especially conscious like with Iris But I found it unbearable Despite soaking in the hot water only for so short a time, my face was already too hot to bear
”No! The husband cannot run away and leave the wife behind!”
But Tia pounced onto let me escape
”Tia-san will follow you if you leave, Nii-san, so the situation will re the tub, Nii-san, please wait until you warm up more If either of you were to catch a cold, I would be to blaement”
Saying that, Mitsuki grabbed my arm to keep me here
My body was already burning but Mitsuki's words and gaze had a kind power impossible to resist Reluctantly, I sat down in the bathtub
Then after roughly ten minutes—until the happy and excited Tia went dizzy fro, left with no choice but to keep hts
”She is sleeping so soundly”
Looking at Tia lying on my bed in pajamas, sound asleep, Mitsuki smiled
”Now I'm finally liberated”
I exhaled deeply, collapsing completely in the chair in front of the desk
”You worked hard, Nii-san”
Mitsuki praised e
After the bath, we changed into our respective pajamas and drank cold drinks to soothe our throats By the ti off drowsily
Anye laid her out on my bed and she fell asleep in the blink of an eye
”But the mission failed In the end, I still haven't convinced her”
Most likely in class to to sit on my lap
”Likewise, I have failed to teach Tia-san to abide by rules I shall explain to shi+nomiya-sensei tomorrow to ask for an extension”
”Thank you, Mitsuki, then I'm saved However Unless we find a way to resolve the probleon, it's probably a waste of effort noto convince her”
Rules decided by huuments moot
”To be honest, I did not expect her to be such a stubborn child at all I was told that she did not resist at all, no matter when NIFL took her into custody or when she was transported to Midgard to be examined Always expressionless, she listened obediently to others”
”That's such a far cry froht now”
Tia's face was always busyin circles because of her, I could hardly i to her
”Yes, like a co the full-school asseht she was reticent and obedient child”
”In other words, your 'Ds are hu Tia found intolerable, to the point of causing a drastic change in personality Mitsuki, do you knohat kind of environment Tia lived in previously?”
Mitsuki glanced at Tia after hearing my question
”—Before lessons ended, I asked shi+nomiya-sensei to tellsoundly, so it should be fine to discuss the s I would be reluctant for her to hear”
Hearing her say that, I frowned
”Did Tia have some kind of traumatic experience?”
Tia's belief had sianizations I orried whether she anization at one point
However, Mitsuki shook her head slowly
”—No, it happens to be the opposite Tia-san used to be worshi+ped”
”Worshi+ped?”
”Reportedly, when NIFL's tea to the dragon worshi+ping cult, the Sons of Muspell”
Hearing that naasp
”The Sons of Muspell Isn't that the world's anization?”
So-called dragon cultists were polar opposites in ideology coanizations They revered and worshi+ped dragons, thehuman wisdom, as Gods In a certain sense, it was only inevitable for new religions like this to arise in a world threatened by dragons
So-called worshi+p was atheons, it provided them with mental stability
Out of the dragon cults of this sort, the Sons of Muspell was the largest sect and was theThey launched terrorist attacks against countries and organizations that atte theets for them
”Did you ever come across the Sons of Muspell, Nii-san?”
Perhaps sensing so from my bitter tone, Mitsuki asked me hesitantly
”Yeah, because they would sneak into countries where dragon disasters had occurred, trying to gain followers, so it was inevitable that they came into conflict with NIFL I have received orders in the past to immediately eliminate the D who is their leader as soon as she is discovered”
”Eh? Their leader is a D”
Seeing Mitsuki's eyes widened from surprise, I explained to her
”This was not disclosed publicly, but the leader of the Sons of Muspell is a D who had been deemed a disaster Her name is Kili Surtr Muspelheions and is feared as a witch in NIFL However, I've never met her”
If I met her, it would definitely turn into a killed or be killed situation The reason why I could keep my hands clean was also because I had never encountered her
”No way To think a D was leading a terrorist organization”
Mitsuki's voice trereatly shaken
”The Ds' position in society would probably be endangered if this coard and other benefactor countries have engaged in information control It's normal that you haven't heard of it”
”But ould a D want to worshi+p dragons? They are clearly our enemies”
Mitsuki asked in puzzlement
”The dragonification of Ds is top secret, right? So they si it, they still want to becoons”
”The former I could understand But it is the latter, I find it incomprehensible”
”Well, who can understand how terrorists think? However Judging froanization knows about dragonification”
Tia said she was born to be a dragon's wife
Those words probably did nota real dragon's mate like for Basilisk for example
To increase the nuon cultists had indoctrinated Tia like that Things made sense if that was the case
”So the reason why Tia-san insists she is a dragon is because of that?”
”Hard to say? How should I put this? Because I don't think Tia is the kind of person who believes everything others say without question”
When tutoring her today, I came to understand that Tia was a smart child who always took initiative to ask questions about what she did not understand, trying to coe with basis, would she unquestioningly accept those absurd teachings of dragon cultists?
”Indeed The iather from Tia-san is that she was forced to convince herself to believe rather than sincerely believing she is a dragon”
—Convince herself to believe huh?
Indeed, throwing a tantruations was evidence of uncertainty in one's heart
Hus as Gods, even when they wereto believe the ion in order tothis, as she running away from?
”Mitsuki, were her parents by her side when they found Tia?”
I asked because I recalled what happened at the beach Tia seely to the subject of her parents Perhaps thatto do with Tia's condition
”I have no idea At least according to what I heard, there was no infor Tia-san's parents”
”I see Then I guess I'll have to ask her directly”
I looked at Tia's sleeping face and said
”She is already asleep now, so ask her tomorrow Well then, it is time for us to sleep too”
Saying that, Mitsuki lay down next to Tia
”Huh? You're sleeping here too, Mitsuki?”
Seeing Mitsuki lying down in an unguarded state, I asked her in surprise
”It is probably a bad idea to separating Tia-san fro said, I cannot allow the two of you to be alone”
”No, but this bed is too small for three people to sleep in”
”What are you talking about? Nii-san, you are sleeping on the floor Please head over to the unused roo over Nii-san, you really have been lacking in delicacy lately”
Rebutted with her cold gaze, I felt row hot
Because the three of us had bathed together, I ht that the bed needed to be shared between the three of us too
”I-I knoas just kidding”
I frantically explained myself then headed out to move the futon over
”Nii-san in the past would have suggested this kind of thing himself—”
Just as I was about to leave the roo in my ear the whole time
Had I really changed?
However, I had no way of telling whether the ”past” Mitsuki o, before the battle against Leviathan?
Part 4
”Nii-san, are you asleep?”
Inside the dark roo
I had the futon laid out on the floor and had closed ht off my drowsiness and opened my eyelids
”Not yet”
I answered briefly I could not see Mitsuki on the bed fro could be heard, probably Tia's
”The last time we slept in the sao it was?”
Mitsuki voice enteredabout the past
”I don't know either Probably ere small”
Unable to recall souously
”Yes Because our rooms were separate Perhaps even earlier than that promise”
—Promise?
Not knohat she was referring to, I frowned
Mitsuki had brought up ”that promise” so matter-of-factly just now By the tone of her voice, she believed I would understand just fro that
However Why did I feel so troubled?
Just as I was struggling to find an answer, Mitsuki continued:
”Nii-san Tia-san calling you husband ht?”
”What? How could that be true!?”
I denied frantically I could not accept that evena lolicon
”Really? The way I see it, Nii-san, you do not seeht?”
”Come on, you”
”Fufu, just kidding Nii-san the one you like is Iris-san, am I correct?”
Hearing what Mitsuki said, I felt my heart jump intensely
”W-Why are you bringing up Iris now?
”No? Nii-san, you seem very conscious of Iris-san”
Realizing she had seen through o, I felt my blood rush to my face
”No us happened I became a bit conscious of her But it's not like what you think, Mitsuki”
Although for Iris, it was a show of gratitude, of course losing my first kiss to her made me conscious of her But apart from that, I was not quite sure—At least, not quite sure yet
”I understand, let us assuet that inappropriate interactions between genders are strictly forbidden, okay?”
”Got it”
I was quite relieved that she did not pursue thesurprising
”Still If there is nothing inappropriate, it is fine”
”Huh?”
I asked in surprise
”Midgard does not forbid dating, so there is no need to hide your feelings, Nii-san, and no need to feel bound by that promise”
Her voice sounded full of sorrow
””
I could only stay silent, unable to say a word I did not understand what Mitsuki was talking about
No ht about it, I still could not understand what ”that promise” referred to, so I was unable to answer
So I did lose so?
I could not look away any my fist, I accepted reality
Three years ago, the price I paid for obtaining poas losing s about Mitsuki were the only et
Three weeks ago, when connecting to Yggdrasil again during the battle against Leviathan, I also believed that I would not forget my memories with Mitsuki
Although my childhood memories were fuzzy, I optimistically assumed this went for everyone
But I had probably lost very precious memories
The proly, convinced that I knehat she was talking about, could not possibly be the kind of prootten
”Sorry, Nii-san, for talking for so long”
Mitsuki apologized to me ryness in her voice
”No”
I answered briefly in a hoarse voice That was all I could e
”Goodnight”
”Yeah, g'night”
I suppressed s and answered her After the conversation ended, the dark room returned to silence
—Things had gone beyond recovery Back when I sought neer, I should have prepared myself that it could turn out like this
Hence, what II had lostshe was to bla suffering on her face—
Warning myself that, I closed my eyes
Hoping for sleep to ease the pain in radually sink into the abyss
However— around in circles because of Tia had not ended yet
Late that night, I was roused by yelling
”Where!? Where is Yuu!?”
”Calm down! Please calm down, Tia-san!”
Light kept flashi+ng in the roo sounds I frantically jumped up to see Tia on the bed in a panic Bubbles of darkinto electrical currents, sparking everywhere
”Tia!”
”Ah—”
As soon as I called her name, Tia instantly stopped
The flow of darkalso ceased I stood up and turned on the rooht
”Yuu!”
Tia pounced on ht her tiny body
”Thank goodness! Thank goodness! Tia thought Even Yuu disappeared”
Tia rested her forehead againstvoice
”Phew I was thinking soht have happened”
Perhaps relieved, Mitsuki sat down on the bed, exhaling deeply
”Tia, I'm here, so it's okay”
I gently stroked the two horns on her head to soothe her emotions
I never expected her to panic so much just because she could not seeher while she was sleeping was correct, but this reaction ay too sensitive
”Yuu Yuu Yuu!”
Tia kept calling my name I patted her on the shoulder and said to her slowly:
”Tia, what'syou so afraid? You refuse to leave ht?”
””
Tia looked up but kept her lips shut tightly, refusing to say a single word
”Please answer me I'm worried about you, Tia”
I stared directly into her eyes and spoke to her The very depths of her red eyes wavering, Tia spoke with tre lips:
”Yes, because Tia doesn't want Yuu to disappear So Tia will protect Yuu”
”Protect? Tia, you want to protect me?”
Hearing so unexpected, I asked in surprise
Tia nodded lightly in confirmation
”Precious things must be protected personally, once they disappear It's too late, iet back no matter what”
I Too late
Tia's words shookthat promise with Mitsuki
—This girl had lost so precious, just like me
”I see I finally understand you a bit, Tia Thank you for protecting me, but you're mistaken on a few counts”
”Mistaken?”
Tia made a surprised face and cocked her head in puzzlement
Noas the chance to persuade her Since I knehat motivated Tia's actions, it was easy to think of solutions
”Yes, I'm not so weak that I need you to protect me, Tia I can protect my own life”
”But No er ene you, it will be safer”
”Well, that's not wrong”
Tia's logic was correct Looking at : Nii-san, what are you doing?
Originally I thought that I could reassure her by proving I was not weak, but it looked like I had to change the conversation's direction
”But Tia, now that you ard So there's no need for you to protect me so desperately”
There was nothing threatening my life Rather, it was Tia who had peop