Before we knew it, the three girls had somehow shifted their conversation to me.
“Since the Minister has been dismissed, the earliest Shun’s decorations and ennoblement can be processed will be after the New Year.”
“It’s strange how long that takes when Sue can be officially recognized as royalty right away.”
“In my case, the law stipulates that I’m recognized once His Majesty is informed at the time. But apparently, while awarding a decoration is one thing, granting a new noble title involves a troublesome amount of paperwork.”
“He was perfectly happy to hand out titles to his own cronies, though. What a nuisance.”
Now, now. Personally, I’d much rather avoid the troublesome obligations and political entanglements that came with receiving decorations or a noble title. Shiro didn’t seem particularly interested in the conversation. She was happily eating sweets alongside Fran and Horn.
“Sue, do you have any plans for tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow, I’m meeting with the wife of the Southern Margravate. After that, I’ll probably head straight to the Adventurers’ Guild in the royal capital.”
“The Adventurers’ Guild? Are you going there to register your arrival in the capital?”
“Um, we’ve decided to register Ao as an adventurer. I believe that’s what the visit is about.”
“Ah, okay. That makes sense. Ao-chan is clearly on a whole different level from an ordinary adventurer.”
We were also planning to discuss Marquis Broker and Count Broker with Arisa-sama, but I suspected she’d want to ask us about plenty of other things, too.
There was no doubt she’d ask about our journey.
“Shiro-chan, do you have any interesting stories to tell?”
“Hmm, is there anything besides the dark organization?”
“Let me think… Shun-oniichan and Sue-oneechan were playing newlyweds!”
Hey, Shiro! What on earth are you saying?!
She’d blurted it all out so casually that neither Sue nor I had a chance to do anything about it. But then, to my surprise, Casey-san and Telma-san barely reacted at all.
“Ah, yeah. Shiro-chan, we can skip that kind of story. You two are always like that anyway, so it’s really no big deal.”
“Wasn’t there anything more interesting that happened during your journey?”
Um, Casey–san, Telma-san… The way you’re both acting as though it’s nothing at all is leaving Sue and me at a complete loss for how to respond.
Just then, Shiro seemed to come up with an idea.
“Oh! Then how about a kotatsu?”
“A kotatsu?”
While Casey-san and Telma-san stared at her in bewilderment, Ao was already setting up a kotatsu on the floor of the reception room.
“It’s so warm!”
“Th-this is what makes it warm?”
“At first glance, it looks like nothing more than an ordinary table with a blanket draped over it.”
As soon as Fran and Horn settled side by side beneath the kotatsu and began basking in its warmth, Casey-san and Telma-san cautiously slipped their legs underneath it as well.
“It’s wonderfully warm! There must be a magical heating device inside.”
“This is marvelous. If you adjust the length of the blanket, you could even use it as a table for one person.”
“So cozy…”
Wow. Casey-san and Telma-san had already fallen under the kotatsu’s spell. They are probably planning to have one made as soon as they got home. At some point, they even produced a mandarin-like fruit from who-knows-where, peeled it, and began eating it leisurely while basking in the warmth.
“Oh, there’s already one in Sue-oneechan’s room, too! She even has cushions!”
“Ahh, yeah. It’s so comfortable that I can understand why someone would want to lie down and sleep.”
“Nothing beats lounging around in comfortable indoor clothes.”
“Ahaha…”
And so, there they were, lounging lazily beneath a kotatsu while still dressed in their elegant gowns. It was quite a surreal sight in its own way.
Eventually, we agreed that we would visit their estates sometime soon, and our little gathering came to an end.
“It’s so warm…”
“You two, your carriages are here to pick you up.”
“Just a little longer…”
Well, I guess the kotatsu had the power to turn people into lazybones even in another world.
Casey-san and Telma-san had become so comfortable that they simply couldn’t bring themselves to leave it.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeneijiworks.com
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
