With the troubles in the baron’s domain safely resolved, we set out on our journey once more.
The carriage rattled along the road.
“Oniichan, we’re staying at an inn along the mountain today, right?”
“Yeah. We’ll be stopping at one in the post town.”
We were heading toward a small post town nestled along the mountains, planning to cross a modest pass. Since we were only staying the night, we hadn’t intended to do anything in particular.
But the moment we arrived at the inn, everything changed.
Rumble… rumble…!
“““U-nyah!”””
“Eek!”
Just as we were about to have dinner and turn in, a sudden downpour and a violent thunderstorm swept over the area. At the deafening cracks of thunder and the tremors from nearby lightning strikes, the girls clung tightly to me, hands pressed over their ears.
Ao tried to calm them, gently patting their heads, but… yeah, this wasn’t going to settle down anytime soon. Shiro and Fran, being beastkin, were especially sensitive to sound—thunder must have been unbearable for them.
“Looks like thunder’s not your thing either, Sue.”
“Uu… I—I can’t handle it… it’s scary…”
Sue looked up at me with teary eyes, and for some reason, the way she looked right now—so childlike—was incredibly cute.
Rumble… crack… BOOM!
““““Aaaah! I hate thunder!””””
“Alright, alright. Calm down, it’s okay. You’re safe.”
And so, for a while, all I could do was focus on calming everyone down.
Eventually, worn out from all the screaming, the girls fell asleep right where they were—still clinging tightly to me as the storm finally began to subside.
To be honest, I spent so much energy trying to soothe them that, the moment they drifted off, I followed soon after.
Chirp, chirp.
“Mm…, morning already? Uh-, why can’t I move?”
The next morning, I woke to a strange heaviness pressing down on my body.
Every single one of the girls was still clinging to me in their sleep.
Wait—hold on. When you think about it, isn’t it kind of a problem for a noble lady like Sue to be sleeping in the same bed as an unmarried man?
Just as that thought crossed my mind, I noticed Sue peacefully sleeping, hugging Horn like a pillow.
Carefully, I tried to slip free from Shiro and Fran’s tight hold, hoping to make my escape from the bed without waking them.
“““Mmm”””
But even then, Shiro and Fran refused to let go, still clinging tightly to me in their sleep.
That’s when an idea struck me.
Why not just carry them like this and move to another bed?
Just as I was about to put that plan into action—lifting both of them in my arms and rising from the bed—
Thud.
“Sir, this is an emergency. There’s been a landslide further up the road.”
Ah—the innkeeper had burst into the room to deliver the urgent news.
At the sound of the door being flung open, the girls—
“““Zzz… zzz…”””
—didn’t stir in the slightest. They’re sleeping soundly.With a wry smile, I held onto Shiro and Fran and headed toward the innkeeper, Ao already awake and moving alongside me.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
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