After we cleaned up the venue, the party broke up and everyone went their respective ways. That said, Luna and Tailtiu were going to come to our house to play after this, and Zelos and Merlyn were our neighbors. The others went back together on the smoothly paved road, returning while enjoying conversation.
“Even so...”
Right when I arrived home, I looked at my surroundings with a fresh perspective. There was the Divine Beastfolk Luna, the Ancient Dragonfolk Tailtiu, and us four humans. Perhaps, in a sense, it was a miracle that we could all be together like this, without regard for species. Even Zelos, who had been frightened of Luna and Tailtiu at first, had gotten much more used to the island, and there were apparently even times when they went hunting together. Merlyn still seemed a bit reluctant, but it was probably only a matter of time before she opened up too.
“I hope we can get along with all the other races, just like this.”
With that, I quietly and leisurely passed the time, but then I was suddenly interrupted.
“Darling! Me or Luna? You have to choose one!”
“That’s right, Mister Arata! Just pick already!”
I was silent. They yanked on my arms, each demanding I choose them over the other. It was like I was a two-timing man, and the gazes of the three Celestial Archmages were painful to bear.
“Hey, Reina, is Arata actually a loli—” Merlyn trailed off.
“I’ve suspected it for a while now, but...” Reina paused. “There’s really something with him and little girls...”
“Yeah, you’re right,” Zelos chimed in. “He does sorta strike me as one of them...”
They were whispering quietly, but with my hearing, I could make out even the trickling of a faraway river. So even if they were trying to keep it down, I wished they’d stop it with this “lolicon” business.
“Wait... You’re all saying that because you know I can hear, aren’t you?!” I shouted.
“Pff, heh heh heh. I mean... Arata, you look so confused! Heh heh heh.”
“Hey, you should be glad you’re so popular. As a guy, it’s a mark of pride to be surrounded by women while you’re still so young.”
“Don’t act like you’re not a part of this, you two...” I said.
Reina and Zelos didn’t even try to hide their laughter. As for Merlyn, she alone was looking at me with a serious expression.
“So? Which will you choose?” she asked.
“Please, don’t say it like there’s some double meaning behind it! I’m just choosing which one of their kills we’re going to eat for lunch!”
“It isn’t just about that, Mister Arata!”
“Exactly, darling! This is a crusade with women and seed at stake!”
“Mina taught you those weird words, didn’t she?!”
Next time she comes by, I’ll definitely make her regret it!
Suddenly, the two released my arms. I saw that Merlyn was behind Tailtiu, and Reina was behind Luna.
“You’ve shown your spirit wonderfully, Tailtiu,” Merlyn said.
“Hrmm?” Tailtiu sounded confused.
“As a fellow woman, I’ll be your ally. Let’s teach this imbecile of a man a thing or two about women.”
“I don’t really get it, but...basically, you want to be my friend?”
“Yes, that’s right. From now on, we’ll be girlfriends.”
“I-I see... So we’re friends! Heh heh heh, ‘girlfriends’ has a rather nice ring to it.” Tailtiu smiled happily from ear to ear.
I thought they had already become friends at the feast, but Tailtiu seemed to be happy to have it put clearly into words. She had been ostracized by the other young Ancient Dragonfolk who were afraid of her extreme potential ability. Being all alone had given her a complex, so she was sensitive to the word “friend.” Seeing her look so happy put a smile on my face too, but...
“Tee hee hee! I’ll be able to mold this pure, innocent girl to my liking... This is going to be quite fun.”
When I saw the wicked grin on Merlyn’s face, my expression stiffened. I had heard from Zelos that the captivating Merlyn was, well, insatiable. I hoped that her being friends with the simple Tailtiu wouldn’t lead to any negative influence.
“Hey, Zelos, is this going to be all right?” I asked.
He didn’t reply.
“Would you mind not silently averting your eyes?”
Mina had already been meddling with Tailtiu lately. I got the feeling that nothing good would come of this if I let Merlyn into the mix as well. I’ve got to have a word with Merlyn next time, I thought.
“Listen closely, Luna,” Reina said. “Merlyn and Tailtiu are planning to use their femininity as a weapon. But you shouldn’t go for the same approach.”
Luna was tilting her head to the side, as if she couldn’t quite understand what Reina was saying. I mean, I didn’t get it either. Why was she saying stuff like that now?
“There’s no need for you to challenge your opponent directly in the same arena,” Reina went on. “Your weapon is your pure and innocent nature, so be as needy as you can, as if he’s a kind older brother.”
“That’s all I have to do?” Luna said.
“Yes. Ugh, Arata is soft on you, so he’ll fall right away without any resistance.”
“Okay! Then I’ll be as needy with him as I can!”
How is that any different from usual? And besides, Reina’s just as soft on Luna... Well, whatever.
Zelos had completely averted his gaze away from me. As it would be dangerous to get involved in this, he appeared to be planning on escaping himself while leaving me behind as a sacrifice.
I’ll definitely drag him back in after this.
We men were outnumbered, so we had to at least stick together. Of course, I was also planning on calling Elga, as the older-brother-type. It might worsen the situation if Livia came along with him, but three people was better than one.
“Hey, Arata, you’ve got a scary look in your eyes,” Zelos said.
“Oh, you’re just imagining things,” I said, lazily waving him off. As I did, I wondered what to do about the two pairs in front of me. They had each separated into teams, the kids listening to their master’s words with serious looks on their faces. At any rate, it seemed like they would take a bit longer.
“For now, why don’t I go on a walk or something?”
“I’ll come with you,” Zelos said. “I get the feeling it’ll be dangerous for me to stay here.”
I looked at Team Tailtiu and Team Luna. I did admittedly feel like I was just putting off the problem, but I decided that there was nothing I could do here now. So, the two of us went into the forest and randomly wandered around.
“Still, I can’t believe they can make so much fuss over just a lunch,” Zelos said.
“Zelos... You know, those two would tackle you if they heard that.”
He paused. “Pretend I didn’t say anything.”
With my invincible body, I’d be fine, but it would definitely be lethal for an ordinary person. Even Zelos, one of the continent’s strongest magicians, would likely be annihilated.
“Well, both of them have learned to restrain their power now, so I think you’ll be fine,” I said.
“But I was sent soaring by that ‘restrained’ power...”
“You were?”
“Yeah, when I was out hunting with Luna the other day.”
“Huh...”