Side: Aslin
"...Mmm."
...?
Ah, right. I'm sleeping right now... Last night, I was participating in the meeting with Onii-chan and the others until late.
My body says it's still sleepy but I have to get up. I need to make breakfast together with Onii-chan.
Today, we're going to Cleana-oneechan's country, after all.
Still half-asleep, I squirm around under the blankets
"...Mmmfuu. Anii-sama..."
Filia-chan, who is sleeping beside me, clings to my arm as she says that.
She loves Onii-chan just as much as I do, so she often talks in her sleep like this.
Whenever she sleeps with Onii-chan, she always uses his arm as a pillow and hugs him in the morning.
"Anii-sama smells nice..."
Sorry, Filia-chan. Today it's not Onii-chan, it's me.
When I'm with Onii-chan, I do the same thing Filia-chan is doing now. I snuggle up against him and take deep breaths.
Then I can smell Onii-chan, and it makes me really happy.
"Un. I'm happy."
Onii-chan, all the Oneechans, Labyris-chan, Sheila-chan, Filia-chan, the babies—everyone, everyone is Aslin's family.
My precious treasures.
Back when I was a slave, I didn't know anything and thought it was natural to live as a slave.
Every day, every single day, my tummy grumbled, it was cold, and I spent my time huddled together with Labyris-chan and Filia-chan.
I remember being so happy when Uncle Mobu and his group bought us and we were able to go outside.
But what made me happiest of all was meeting Onii-chan.
Thinking about it now, back then we were filthy, hadn't had a proper bath, and were unclean, but without any hesitation, Onii-chan patted our heads and held us tight.
No matter what anyone says, Onii-chan is my Onii-chan.
While thinking about such things right as I woke up, the time suddenly caught my eye.
Currently 9:10 AM.
"Fueh!?"
No matter how many times I look at the clock hands, it says 9:10 AM.
Academy classes start at 8:00 AM.
Breakfast is at 7:00 AM.
In other words...
"I overslept!?"
Quickly switching on the transceiver screen to check the time... it really is 9:11 AM.
And... Labyris-chan isn't here. She must have left us sleeping so she wouldn't wake us.
We were supposed to leave for Cleana-oneechan's country at 10:00AM.
Everyone must have already gone to the academy. They probably planned to wake us at the last minute. We stayed up late last night, after all, so everyone is being kind to us.
"Filia-chan! Wake up!"
I have to wake Filia-chan up right away and head to the academy.
I shake her body back and forth.
"Mmrmm...?"
Her reaction is sluggish.
Unlike us, Filia-chan has been learning blacksmithing from Naljia-san after coming home and making various things together, so her fatigue levels are higher than ours. That's why once she falls asleep, it's hard to wake her up.
Since there's no choice, I'll use my special secret move. Taking a deep breath...
"Onii-chan left without us!!"
"—No way!? Anii-sama, please don't leave Filia behind!!"
She shot up immediately.
It seems super effective.
However, Filia-chan, who just woke up, has tears welling in her eyes.
"...Uuu, being alone is awful-nanodesu."
And then she started sniffling and crying.
"I'm sorry, Filia-chan. But since you woke up, let's go to where Onii-chan is. There's no way he would leave us behind. Look, check the clock."
"Sniff... Aslin? Clock? ...Huh!? It's already this late!? I overslept-nanodesu!!"
Filia-chan looked at the clock and realized that we had overslept.
"Yes. So hurry and get dressed. We have to go to the academy."
"Yes! But Anii-sama and Labyris could've woken us up..."
"It can't be helped. We were having a meeting late into the night yesterday."
"Umyu~ They still treat us like children-nanodesu."
"It's our fault for not being able to wake up. For now, let's meet Killue-oneechan, tell her we're going to catch up, and eat breakfast. As for clothes, we can stay in pajamas on this side and just have the Doppel-sans wear clothes over on the other side."
"Okay."
With that, we get out of bed and walk past the table when...
—Rustle.
I hear a sound and look at the table, but there's nothing there.
"What's wrong?"
"Hmm? Nothing."
I felt like it was the sound of paper, but there's no such thing on the table, so it must be my imagination.
Anyway, more importantly, we have to eat breakfast and go to the academy.
The two of us trot toward the kitchen.
"Ara? Good morning, you two."
"Auu~"
"Auu!"
Inside were Killue-neechan, her baby Shael-chan, and Derieu-neechan's baby Yuyu-chan.
"Good morning."
"Good morning-nanodesu."
The two of us properly return the greeting to Killue-neechan.
"Yes. And since the two of you have come here, I assume you're here for breakfast?"
"Un."
"That's right! We'll eat quickly and chase after Anii-sama and the others!!"
"You don't need to rush that much. You were up late last night, so it's understandable. Danna-sama and the others know about it too, you know?"
"But we still overslept."
"We overslept!"
"Hehe. Even though you aren't related by blood, that serious nature of yours is exactly like Danna-sama. All right, I'll prepare breakfast, so could you look after the two of them for me?"
Saying that, Killue-neechan hands Shael-chan and Yuyu-chan over to us.
"Eh? We can prepare it ourselves, you know?"
"We can do it-nanodesu!"
"U?"
"Auu~?"
But since we're already holding the two babies, we can't cook.
Killue-oneechan has already started preparing the food.
"That will not do. If you rush, you might accidentally get hurt. Therefore, I will prepare it in your stead. In the meantime, please play with the children and calm your minds. It is alright. You will make it in time."
"Okay. I understand. Shael-chan, what should we do?"
"Auu."
"Understood-nanodesu. Then, Yuyu, let's play with Filia."
"Uu~ uu~"
Even if only for a short time, we leave the breakfast prep to Killu-oneechan and relax with the two babies.
Yep. Onii-chan and the Onee-chans' babies are so cute.
They desperately cling to me and reach for my fingers.
* * *
"Here you go. It is a simple meal, but it is ready. Please enjoy."
"Ah, thank you, Killue-neechan."
"Thank you-nanodesu!"
Since breakfast is ready, we hand the babies back to Killue-oneechan and quickly eat our meal.
"Thank you for the meal!!"
"Thank you for the meal-nanodesu!!"
We immediately take our dishes to the sink.
"I will wash the dishes, so have a safe trip."
"Thank you. We're off!"
"Thank you-nanodesu. We're off!"
Killue-oneechan is so kind, so she offered to do the dishes. I have to thank her properly later.
But right now, we have to catch up to Onii-chan.
Returning to our futon right away, we shift our consciousness to the Doppel-sans. Then, the room in the academy dormitory comes into view.
"Yep, you changed our clothes properly. Thank you."
『Not at all, My Master. Preparations are complete, so you may head out right away.』
After having that conversation with Doppel-san, I check Filia-chan beside me, and since she's looking back at me, it seems she's ready as well.
"Then for now, let's go to the Headmaster's office."
"Yeah."
The two of us leave the student dorms and start running toward the Headmaster's office.
"Ah, Aslin-chan and Filia-chan? Good morning."
"Huh, Amanda-oneechan?"
"Ah, it really is her-nanodesu."
Meeting Amanda-oneechan along the way, we stopped in our tracks.
"What's wrong with you two, rushing like that? Departure got changed to noon, didn't it?"
"Eh?"
"Fueh?"
We haven't heard anything about that.
Ah, I see.
So that's why Onii-chan and the others let us sleep!
"Um, last night the meeting lasted until late, and they said the items to bring increased a little bit... Ah, you two were in that meeting, so could it be that you were asleep until just now?"
"...Yeah."
"We overslept-nanodesu..."
"Ahaha, it can't be helped. You don't need to be so down about it. Also, Yuki-san and the others seem to be making preparations with the Headmaster. So I think they're in the Headmaster's office. I have to go take care of the wyverns, so see you later!"
"Ah, thank you, Amanda-oneechan."
"Thank you-nanodesu."
Saying that, we parted ways with Amanda-oneechan and stood still in the hallway.
"Aslin, what should we do?"
"Hmm... What should we do. If we go now, we might get in Onii-chan and the others' way."
If we were there from the start, that'd be one thing, but barging in halfway through would stop Onii-chan and the others' work.
I hate stuff like that... Even though I want to help Onii-chan, getting in his way is no good.
On the other hand, it's already too late to attend first-year classes, and there's not much point in going now...
"I know! Aslin, let's explore the town! That way it'll be a good way to pass the time, and we can return to the academy right away-nanodesu!"
"...Yeah! That's right. Let's go explore the town a bit."
With that, the two of us set off toward the academy town.
* * *
Since we didn't have any specific goal, we were just walking around town when we bumped into Kirika-chan.
"Kirika-chan~!!"
"Kirika~!!"
"Ah, Aslin-oneesama, Filia-oneesama. What brings you to a place like this?"
Kirika-chan is a female Dullahan Assassin. She looks like a proper adult woman compared to us, but she's actually younger than we are.
We're the older sisters.
"Umm, you see, until Onii-chan and the others finish talking, we thought we'd kill some time in town."
"That's right."
"Ah, I understand. But just in case, please call us immediately if anything dangerous happens, okay?"
""Okay~""
"Yep! Do your best at work!"
"Do your best~"
"Please be careful as well, you two."
Exchanging those words, we said goodbye to Kirika-chan and strolled around town.
We even stopped by the innkeeper's place and got some fried chicken.
"Munch. As always, uncle's karaage is delicious-nanodesu."
"Nom. It's yummy."
The time is just about to turn 10:15 AM.
There's still plenty of time until noon.
Now then, where should we go next—as I was thinking while eating karaage...
『Mother? Mother? Are you okay? M-Mother!? Hey, answer me!』
""?""
I hear a voice.
Filia-chan beside me seems to hear it too, looking around frantically just like me.
However, there's no sign of any child or mother-like person nearby.
『Someone, save my mother!』
But the desperate voice continues.
...Hmm?
I remember this feeling.
"Hey, Aslin. Isn't this a monster-san?"
"Yeah. I thought so too. Wait a second, okay? I'll try talking to it."
"Please do-nanodesu."
In Weed, there are many monsters who can't speak with their mouths but communicate via telepathy.
Since we haven't seen any in the New Continent at all, I completely forgot until now.
『Hey, monster-san? I heard your voice. Where are you? Maybe we can help save your mother!』
『Ah, s-save my mother! She fell into a hole, I got dragged in too, and mother won't wake up!』
『Yeah, got it. But calm down. Where is that? If we don't know the place, we can't go help.』
『Ah, um... I'm sorry. I've never moved from here, so I don't know where this is.』
『Is that so? Then, can you flow magic power into our conversation like this? If you do, we can locate where you are.』
『How do I do that? Like breathing fire from my mouth?』
『Are you a dragon-san? Then, with the same feeling, try gathering power into our conversation.』
『O-Okay, I'll try...』
Then, I can feel a large amount of magic power flowing toward us.
Filia-chan seems to feel it too, staring in the same direction.
"Roughly outside the town, about 40 km in that direction-nanodesu."
"Yeah. I felt the same."
『D-Did you get it?』
『Yep! We're heading there right now. Ah, since we don't know your mother's condition, try not to move her recklessly, okay?』
『Okay, got it! Come quickly and save my mother!』
『It'll be okay. We will definitely save her!』
Saying that, Filia-chan and I stand up.
"We still have time until noon, and before asking for Onii-chan's help, we should check the target's condition ourselves first-nanodesu."
"That's right. The monster-san seems really worried about its mother too, so let's head to the monster-san's location first."
The monsters, bandits, and Holy Sword Wielders around this area are no match for us anyway, and if worst comes to worst, we can just call Ta-chan and the others, so it'll be fine. Onii-chan will understand too.
There's no way we can ignore a child who is desperately calling out to save their family. We were saved by Onii-chan too, so if we have the power to save someone, we have to help them.
Onii-chan said it before:
'One for all, all for one.'
"Phew. We made it outside the town-nanodesu."
"Un. Full speed from here on!"
"It's been a while-nanodesu!"
"We have to make sure not to blow away any monsters or animals by mistake."
"Indeed. If we cause a traffic accident, the other party will die-nanodesu."
Stealthily jumping over the wall, we do a light warmup.
Even if the Doppel-san bodies have slightly inferior performance, they're almost identical to us. If we accidentally bump into someone, they'll die. There's no point in causing another accident while trying to save a monster-san.
Onii-chan said it: 'when you're in a hurry, if you don't stay cautious and calm, it will actually take more time'.
『Please hurry.... Mother still isn't moving.』
『Un, hang on! We're almost there!』
And so, Filia-chan and I dash through the forest.
We used to race at full power in Weed's forest all the time, so a forest of this level is a piece of cake.
The forest Onii-chan prepared was way more intense.
There were tons of traps, monsters inflicting status ailments, and it was super hard to advance.
But this forest has no such traps or monsters, so we were able to advance at incredible speed.
In less than ten minutes, we get close to the location of the monster-san's magic power.
Then, a voice from the monster-san reaches us.
『Ah, mother moved!』
『Really?!』
『Yeah! Mother says she was just knocked unconscious from the shock of the fall.』
『I see, that's a relief!』
『Yeah!』
『But let's still check properly to see if she's injured, okay? We're already super close.』
『Thank you! Mother, stay still for a bit, okay? Help has arrived!』
『...H...elp?』
What a beautiful voice.
Is this voice the monster-san's mother?
『We heard your child's cries for help, so we brought some medicine. It should probably work on monsters too, so please wait for us!』
『...'Monster-san'? Are you... perhaps a Tamer?』
『Yes!』
『...I see. Then you're the same as me.』
『Hm? Could it be, Mother-san is a human?』
『Yes. It looks like my leg is broken... can I rely on you?』
『Leave it to us!』
『Thank you. But why did you answer my child's call for help?』
『Monster-san called you mother. We don't have parents anymore. But we have a family! We aren't related by blood, but they are our precious family! Appearance doesn't matter at all! If we say we're family, then we're family! That is something truly precious! That's why we're going to save you!!』
『That's right-nanodesu!! It's obviously best for family to be together-nanodesu!!』
『...I see. You're right. Families should stay together. Thank you.』
『We're almost there, so please wait for us!』
With that, we race through the forest.
Then a goblin wearing a loincloth appears in front of us.
...?
"Steve?"
"Steve-nanodesu?"
"Stop saying it like it's a question!! M-More importantly, now isn't the time to worry about that!! Leave this place immediately-ssu!!!"
""?""
We don't really understand what Steve is talking about.
But since Steve will probably be way more useful than us in many ways, the two of us decide to drag Steve along.
"W-Wait!? Princess Aslin!? Princess Filia!? Wait, please listen to me-ssu!?"
"Steve, come with us! There's an injured monster-san!"
"That's right-nanodesu! You need to help us!! And we need to tell Anii-sama to protect this family!!"
"Wait, that means there's only one group you could be talking about in this situation!! Aaaahhh!? This is why being middle management sucks-ssu!!"
I don't really understand what he's talking about, but it's the usual Steve, so dragging him along should be fine!
Wait for us.
We'll make sure to heal your mother's injuries!
Dragging the screaming Steve along with us, Filia-chan and I ran straight toward the monster-san's location.
