“It’s true I have no interest in the affairs surrounding the royal family. And I have no intention of entering into the Dragonauts’ service. But I’m grateful that you went through the trouble of inviting me here, and I’m honestly moved by how hospitable your father and everyone else here has been. So if there’s any way I can be of use, I don’t mind helping you all out.”
Astrid’s eyes widened in surprise. Then she beamed, as though overjoyed from the bottom of her heart, and bowed deeply. “No, Mr. Sora, it’s us who should be grateful to you, and Miss Suzume as well. Without your efforts, we never would have found a way to remove my sister’s toxin. And when I recall the way she smiled for the first time in so long, I couldn’t possibly think of your visit here as any trouble. And yes, we would love for you to help us in any way you can in the future. The Dragonaut family will never forget what you did for us.”
Astrid and I continued to talk for a bit longer about our plans until someone knocked on the door. When Astrid gave the okay to enter, two people appeared—a pair that I was quite shocked to see together.
“Sorry for interrupting your talk, dear sister and Mr. Sora. C’mon, Suzume, don’t be shy! Go on in!”
“R-Right... Apologies...for the intrusion...”
Claudia grabbed Suzume’s hand and half dragged her into the room. The demonkin was wearing the black dress Seele had bought for her and her newsboy cap that concealed her two horns...
Wait, huh?
“Where’d that hat come from?” I asked. “I’ve never seen it before.”
When I did a double take, it wasn’t her usual newsboy cap, but a wide-brimmed hat that a noblewoman might wear outside. It was fashionable, and she could hide her face with the brim, so it was suited to keeping a low profile. Right... It was the type of hat a certain tomboyish young noble might use to sneak out of the house.
And just as I’d suspected, the tomboy in question threw out her chest proudly. “I was sure Miss Suzume would look good in it, so I gave it to her as a present!” Claudia declared. “Well? Not bad, huh?”
“Indeed, it suits you rather well, Miss Suzume,” Astrid said with a radiant smile.
“Oh...thank you,” Suzume said in a small voice, sounding bashful. Having come out of the forest only just recently, she was still quite aloof in the ways of human society. And in this case, that seemed to have worked out for the better. If Suzume had properly recognized Astrid and Claudia as the daughters of the esteemed Pascal Dragonaut, she would probably be cowering with anxiousness alone in her room right now. In fact, Seele had been too nervous to talk to either of them. Lunamaria, meanwhile, conversed with them like a pro.
As I was ruminating on this, I noticed Claudia was staring at me intensely. And...was it just my imagination, or was her older sister’s gaze on me expectant as well? Oh, right—they wanted my opinion on the hat, didn’t they?
“Yeah, it looks great on you, Suzume,” I said.
“Th-Thank you very much!” Her face lit up at my compliment. She was so easy to understand that it was almost adorable.
“Actually, since we’re here in the royal capital, it wouldn’t hurt to go shopping for some new clothes for her,” I murmured. A girl her age probably ought to have more than one outfit. Come to think of it, I hadn’t extended the same consideration to Seele yet, so perhaps I ought to take both of them shopping.
But my suggestion excited Claudia most of all. “In that case, let’s go to the store Astrid and I always buy from!”
“Oh? A store so high-class that the Dragonauts recommend it, eh?”
“Yeah! Their fabric is high-quality, and their sewing is so expertly done! Miss Suzume and I are about the same height, and while I don’t know the rest of her measurements, I should be able to take those right away. Oh, except...”
“Except?”
“Miss Suzume’s bust is much larger than mine, so that part’s probably more dear sister’s department,” she said with a grin.
Directed by her words, my gaze traveled over to Suzume’s and Astrid’s supple chests...
Not! Nice try, Claudia Dragonaut, but I’m not going to fall for your trap! Not that I thought either of them would particularly mind if I did look, but still, I wasn’t going to deliberately walk into something I recognized as a trap.
“Clau, that’s enough. It’s not nice to tease your elders.”
“Aw, but I just wanted him to recognize the aspect of my older sister that I envy so much,” she said, looking down at her own chest sadly.
Astrid sighed. “This is what happens when schemers get carried away by their own schemes,” she said. “Calm down, Clau. I know you’re all excited because you’re in good condition today, but overdo it and you’ll pay later tonight. Be careful.” After scolding her younger sister, she turned to Suzume with a gentle smile. “Miss Suzume, thank you for accompanying my sister. Because of the status she holds, she doesn’t have very many friends her age, so if you could continue to be her friend, I would be very happy. She can be a handful at times, but as her older sister, I’d love for you two to continue to get along.”
“O-Oh, no, that’s... Well, I’m also happy that Miss Clau has been so...kind to me!” Suzume replied, incredibly nervous. Partway through her answer, she glanced at me as though asking me to bail her out, but from the looks on the sisters’ faces, her reply had clearly earned a perfect score from them both.