GalaxyTL
“Geez, don’t surprise me like that!”
“Eh? Did I surprise you? Sorry, Meg-onee-chan.”
I put my hands on my hips and protested, only to have him apologize, looking sad, so I couldn’t say anything more. Ugh, so cute! I forgive you! The adults, who had been making a fuss, also calmed down after seeing our exchange. Right? You’d probably also just think, “Oh well,” because he’s so cute, I get it. But then Asuka’s next comment made the guild freeze again.
“But, I want to be mates, with Meg-onee-chan. Okay?”
“Eh, mates…?”
Mates… isn’t that like… being married? No, no, no, no, what’s he talking about? Well, our ages are close, we’re both elves, we’re still children, and there aren’t many other candidates, so that’s probably why he said that, but… well, I’m not used to having someone directly confess their feelings, you know? Um, so basically?
“Ahahaha! Meg-onee-chan, your face is so red! Are you happy? You’re happy, right?”
“Auu…”
I don’t have any resistance, so this is what happens. Sorry! Even as a human, no one ever treated me like this! So my face turns red easily! Uwah, it’s so hot. Am I okay? He’s just a child, you know? I’m also a child, but.
“Asuka, that’s enough. You’re making Meg uncomfortable. There are other things you can talk about, since it’s been a while, isn’t there?”
Finally, a lifeboat appeared! Schlie-san, the elf master! It’s true, I’m uncomfortable right now. I-I’m saved.
“Eh? That’s why I said it, because it’s been a while. I mean, Meg-onee-chan’s so cute, you know? I’m sure a lot of people are after her, right? You need to be mates with me soon, or someone’s going to take you away.”
“…Who on earth taught you such a thing?”
Wow, he’s serious. It’s like I’m the only toy he wants. And if he doesn’t get me soon, someone will take me away? This isn’t about sooner or later. I’ve never seen anyone talk back to Schlie-san like this. I have a feeling he’s going to be a handful… Asuka, how did you get like this?
I happened to make eye contact with Gil-san. I was about to call out to him, but then I stopped. Because…
“Eh…?”
Because he suddenly looked away.
Eh? What? This has never happened before, and my heart skipped a beat. I wonder what’s wrong? Is he feeling unwell? No, not him. Did I do something to make him angry? …No, he usually just sighs and forgives me, no matter what I do. Hmm, I wonder what it is. It’s making me feel uneasy.
…Okay, I’ll go ask him. I’m the type to act if I notice something strange. There’s no way I’d be too afraid to ask. Still, it’s been a long time since I’ve felt this way. As Meg, everyone’s always been doting on me, so it’s been a while since I’ve been rejected by someone. So it’s because of that. My hands and feet are trembling because of that.
“Gil-sa…”
“Hey, Meg-onee-chan! We’re eating lunch together, right?”
Just then, Asuka spoke to me. Is he done talking to Schlie-san? …No, he’s sighing, so it seems like he lost. Th-That’s rare.
I’m worried about Gil-san, but I promised to show Asuka around today and tomorrow. So I should prioritize that. And I’m happy to see him after so long. It would be rude to mope around when Asuka’s come all this way to see me, and I might even make him worry.
“Yeah, let’s eat together! Asuka, are you already hungry?”
“Ehehe, actually, I am. I wonder why, even though I had lunch.”
“Children get hungry easily, compared to adults, and maybe you’re tired because you’ve been travelling for a while. It’s a bit early, but I’ll take you to the cafeteria.”
“That’s probably it. Okay, let’s go!”
Asuka, grinning so brightly that it’s almost audible, is so cute. He’s a boy, but he’s still a child, his voice is high, he’s an elf, and he looks like a girl. But boys probably don’t like being told that, so I’ll keep that thought to myself. He’s cute. Incredibly cute.
I gently took Asuka’s hand, saying, “Over here,” and showed him to the cafeteria. Somehow, everyone’s looking at us. Are we that noticeable?
The cafeteria wasn’t that crowded yet. It’s only natural, since it’s early. We decided to introduce our spirits to each other while leisurely eating our lunch. Just our first contract spirits because we have so many.
“A voice spirit? That’s rare. I’ve never seen one before!”
“Ehehe, I knew from the moment I saw it. It’s incredibly capable!”
“I can’t even imagine what that would be like, but if you’re saying that, Meg-onee-chan, then it must be amazing.”
It seems like voice spirits are rare, as expected. He’s never even seen one before, not even in the Elf Village.
『There aren’t many voice spirits, you know.』
“Really?”
Shou-chan said that. That’s news to me! When I asked, Shou-chan, twirling around, explained.
『They can only be born in places with a lot of people. Because they’re born from sincere words.』
“Really… but you can hear any kind of voice, even if it’s not a human’s, right? So why does it have to be a place with a lot of people?”
『I don’t really know, but I think it’s because only people talk that much?』
“I see.”
And being born from sincere words… yep, it’s only natural that there aren’t many. Shou-chan was born in Ortus, so it just goes to show how honest everyone in Ortus is. It makes me smile, proudly.
“Then I think I’ll try searching for a voice spirit when I go back to the Elf Village.”
“The people in the Elf Village are all so nice, I’m sure there are some there!”
“I’m happy to hear you say that. Thanks, Meg-onee-chan.”
We chuckled to ourselves. So peaceful.
“Okay, my turn now! This is my contract spirit, Shaio!”
“It’s gold… so maybe—a Light spirit?”
I immediately guessed what it was, because the spirit he called was shining gold. The light spirit then started to transform. In the blink of an eye, a palm-sized golden elephant appeared before me. So cuuuute!
『I am Shaio. It is a pleasure to meet you.』
“Shaio-kun, huh. I’m Meg. It’s nice to meet you too.”
Shaio-kun, swaying its trunk, shook my hand? Shook my nose? That’s right, light spirits take the form of elephants. I was surprised by how unexpected that was, when I saw it for the first time.
“Meg-onee-chan, do you have a contract with a light spirit? I thought it would be nice to have a spirit who could relay messages.”
“Hmm, sorry, I haven’t made a contract with a light spirit yet. I have a Wind, Fire, Water, Lightning, and Vine spirit.”
“So many!? That’s amazing. I only have this one and an Earth spirit.”
Asuka sounded a bit dejected. Well, it seems like compatibility matters with spirits. And it’s not like having more is better.
“I want to make more spirit friends too.”
I agree! Because spirits are cute. You have a long life ahead of you, so I’m sure you’ll get more. He smiled when I said that. So cute.
“But then we won’t be able to contact each other through our spirits. I thought it would be nice to contact you through our spirits since we live so far away, Meg-onee-chan.”
“Ah, that’s right. We don’t have the same type of spirits… what should we do?”
If the attributes are the same, the spirits can relay messages even over long distances. But our contract spirits are all different attributes. Hmm, I thought for a bit, and then I had an idea. Wouldn’t it work if we just make a contract?
“How about making a contract with a wind spirit? You’ll be able to contact both me and Schlie-san if you have one…”
“I’d love to, but… will I really be able to meet one I’m compatible with?”
It’s not like you can have just any wind spirit. In my case, it went smoothly because my spirits introduced me.
“Let’s ask Fuu-chan and Nephry-chan, Schlie-san’s contract spirit. You’ll be here for a while, so maybe there’ll be a good encounter.”
“A good encounter… yeah, I want to meet one. And then we’ll have matching spirits, Meg-onee-chan!”
Matching? His choice of words was so cute. I made a mental note to ask Fuu-chan about it later.
“But still… Meg-onee-chan, you’re a slow eater, aren’t you?”
“Uu, s-sorry.”
As always, I’m a slow eater, and I don’t eat that much. Asuka was already done, and I was the only one still eating. I know, it can’t be helped! So don’t ask, with those innocent eyes, if that’s why I’m still small! I know he didn’t mean anything by it, but it was a huge blow to my dignity as an onee-chan! Guh.
“It’s fine, take your time. It’s fun to watch you eat, Meg-onee-chan.”
Th-That’s strange. Somehow Asuka sounds more mature than me? He’s even resting his cheek on his hand, acting so nonchalant! Though his large, sparkling eyes are shining innocently! I can’t help but to think that he’ll be popular in the future because he’s so good looking. He’s so friendly and… yep, he’ll be popular. But seriously.
“’Meg-onee-chan’, aren’t… you going to stop calling me that…?”
I don’t want to admit it, but it’s obvious that I look younger. So that way of addressing me is counterproductive. Stop it, stop crushing my pride as an onee-chan!
“Oh? Okay, then I won’t hold back. …Meg.”
“…………”
It’s good that he’s being obedient and changed how he addresses me, but… where did you learn to look at me like that!? A boy shouldn’t be emanating that much sex appeal! Ugh, these damn elves! Such good-looking people!
“Y-Yes… th-that’s fine.”
I’m used to good-looking people, but unexpected things like this, well… they get to me, you know. Like, it’s embarrassing, or rather. So I couldn’t give him a proper answer. Ah! my dignity as his senior!