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“WHOA! Everything looks so clean!”
We’re busy making dinner when we hear a shocked cry coming from the front door. It’s Rinny.
Hee-hee! All that hard work was worth it!
“It really is amazing… Like a brand-new house! Did you two do all this?” Ektor calls out to us as he enters the living room.
Macro’s eyes are wide open in obvious surprise as he scours every inch of the house.
He’s definitely shocked!
“Is this really our house?” Macro’s reaction is the most amusing of all. I can’t help but snort with laughter.
I’m so happy!
“And what’s that amazing smell?”
“Huh? Did you two even make us dinner?!”
Rinny sniffs the air loudly as he laughs wholeheartedly, while Ektor seems flustered and apologetic. They’re both so easy to read.
“Yeah! We wanted to eat together. Oh! Unless you all had plans already? Or maybe you have allergies?” I ask, worried.
We assumed no one was allergic to any of the ingredients we used, since we found them in the house. But we did make dinner without asking, and I immediately begin to worry we did something wrong. I cling to my tail anxiously, and the formerly flustered Ektor speaks up immediately.
“We don’t have any plans at all! And we aren’t allergic to anything! I just assumed making all this food would be a huge hassle and was prepared to take you two out somewhere. The fact you already made dinner for us… It makes me really happy! Thank you!”
I feel a huge sense of relief seeing his sparkling prince-like smile. Good! He’s happy. But I’m not the one he should be thanking.
“Um, actually, Claire made most of the food. I’m not that good at cooking…” I admit.
It’s not that I can’t cook at all, but I’m not very good at preparing the ingredients, and I can never get my food to taste the same way twice. I’ve never made any big mistakes, but since I make a lot of small mistakes, it’s easier for Claire or Mom to take over. Claire has a huge repertoire of recipes, and since she’s so good at cooking, she quickly took on the role of chef for our entire family. She claims it’s all based on knowledge from her other life, but just knowing is half the battle, which is why I think she’s so amazing.
“Claire made all this…?” Ektor asks in disbelief.
“What? You didn’t think I could? Just so you know, I’m a better cook than Miku,” Claire snaps at Ektor in response.
Come on! He’s not trying to insult you!
I’m about to open my mouth to try and smooth things over when…
“I never thought that. I was just truly impressed by your skill!”
Before I can, Ektor speaks up, complimenting her.
He doesn’t need my help, after all. Ektor really is warm and caring.
Claire stands there, her mouth hanging open in shock for a moment, before she abruptly turns away and goes back to her cooking.
“I don’t know about that,” she says simply in response.
Come on, Claire! You could at least say thanks or something! Gosh! This isn’t going well at all. Ektor doesn’t seem to mind, but I can’t help but be on edge. There’s still an uneasy air between the two of them.
“Come on! My stomach’s about to eat itself!”
Just as I begin worrying about the situation, Rinny cries out and lightens the mood instantly. And now everyone’s ready to eat!
Thank you, Rinny!
As we sit down at the table, the three boys continue talking about how shockingly clean the mansion is now. I’m embarrassed by all the compliments! But Claire only responds with a triumphant “Of course!” her eyes sparkling with glee. I can’t get over how much of a cutie she is!
“Miku was amazing!” she gushes. “You wouldn’t normally think you could use light magic for something like cleaning, right? Our house is always clean thanks to her! She even helps make the beds and futons all fluffy!”
Claire seems so proud of me, her ears twitching this way and that as she speaks, but I honestly didn’t do anything that amazing. All I did was fly around and use some magic. Besides, anyone with light magic can do what I did. I’m so embarrassed…
“Wow. So, the rooms are all clean thanks to Miku’s magic?” Ektor asks, sounding really stunned. “That’s amazing! The entire mansion is sparkling clean!”
“Uh! Um! I’m really glad you’re so happy.”
Both Claire and Ektor tend to give straightforward compliments. I’m used to hearing them from Claire, since she gives them to me every day, but hearing those same words from someone I still don’t know very well makes me blush. I hug my tail tighter, and Claire and Ektor laugh in response. They’re making me feel super uncomfortable! In that regard, they’re both pretty similar!
“S-Speaking of which, we cleaned the bathroom, too! So, um, is it okay if we use the tub later?” I try to change the subject in an attempt to escape my discomfort. As soon as I do, Claire turns to me, clearly shocked.
Huh? What…? Oh, no! We talked about this earlier! I wasn’t supposed to bring up the bath at all! I’m s-sorry, Claire!
“Of course, it’s fine. Have yourself a nice, long soak,” Ektor responds casually, completely ignoring our apparent awkwardness.
“Huh? It’s fine? Really?”
Claire, in fact, seems even more confused than before. She stares at him, flabbergasted. I’m sure I look the same way. Not only did he not seem to care, but he also followed it up with, “Have a nice soak.” I guess that means he is used to taking baths after all.
“It’s only fair, considering how much work you put into making this place sparkle. Plus, it’s your house, too, so start treating it like one,” Ektor chuckles as he speaks, perhaps misunderstanding our confusion as reluctance. Am I relieved? A part of me is, but a part of me is worried, too.
“Well…thank you. But I’m a little surprised,” Claire comments.
“Surprised? About what?”
Claire is on edge, but I guess I’m the only one who recognizes that. After all, her stress doesn’t show through her words or her actions, but her tail tends to twist around her own thigh. Maybe she’s simply trying to figure out what’s going on. Ugh… A part of me wants to know, while another doesn’t want them to fight! It makes me so edgy!
“I was expecting you all to look more surprised,” she continues. “Everyone in our village does it, but sometimes when travelers pass through, they seem confused by the very idea. You guys acted like it was no big deal.”
Oh, wow! She straight-up asked them! She even casually brought up how taking a bath is normal where we come from, and she didn’t sound awkward at all. She’s amazing.
“I get it now. I hate to disappoint, but taking baths is normal for us, too, so it’s not weird in the slightest.” He answers without sounding even a little upset.
I see. Everyone in this house takes baths, too… Still, what an amazing coincidence!
Claire continues watching Ektor suspiciously.
Hey! Come on! You’re being a little too obvious, Claire!
It’s blatant enough that even Rinny picks up on it, and he jumps into the conversation.
“When I first heard about him taking a bath, I was like, what the heck are you talking about?!”
So, in other words, baths aren’t normal for Rinny? Which means that someone here must have started the household custom.
Claire quickly turns on Rinny, practically biting his head off. “Right?! Who did you first hear about it from, Rinny?”
Probably Ektor, right?
I feel my heart pounding in my chest anxiously, but the answer is not what I expect at all.
“Who? From Macro. Dwarves usually live near volcanoes, which means there are tons of hot springs, right? It’s because of him that we had to find a house with a bathtub.”
“Huh? Macro?”
We’re both taken aback. After all, we’d assumed it was Ektor. I didn’t realize dwarves took baths!
“Shut up! You’re the one with the barbaric habit of eating raw meat. Dwarven habits are far superior.”
“What?! Guys like you, sulking around in dank places and acting all high and mighty, are way weirder!”
“Shut up, you air-headed barbarian!”
Aaand they’re at it again. They really do fight all the time.
“So, who was the person who started the habit in your village, Claire?” Ektor asks. Either he wants to shut the two of them up, or the question just came to mind, but either way, it catches us off-guard. He has both elbows propped on the table, his chin resting in his hands, a soft smile on his lips.
“G-Gee, I’m not sure,” Claire says with a swish of her tail. “It just sort of naturally developed over time!”
“Oh, really?”
“Wh-What?! Don’t gimme that silly grin!”
“Ouch.”
Huh? Things are once again getting heated between the two of them. Macro and Rinny are engrossed in a heated argument, while Claire and Ektor look like they’re about to go head-to-head. And then, there’s me. What am I supposed to do? At a complete loss, I heave a huge sigh and give up, continuing to eat the food in front of me.
It would be a shame to let such good food go to waste after managing to get everyone to sit down for a meal together! I just want everyone to start getting along! We should be friends, right?!