“Sis... Pleasure to meet you! I’m Distania’s Diva, Saaya. I turn six this year!” Saaya was a bit timid at first, but thanks to Luna’s help—or blunder—she managed to properly introduce herself. While everyone was charmed by little Saaya’s cute and proper introduction, Al alone was worried.
“Are you really a Diva?” He blurted all of a sudden, but he couldn’t really blame himself. I mean, if she’s really a Diva, then...
“What’s wrong with you!? She’s doing her best, okay!? Plus, she’s adorable!” Sharon, however, could and did blame him, and so did the others.
“Ah, wait! Don’t tell me you’re trying to bare your fangs at this little angel!?” Kanon jumped in front of Saaya, covering her. “Don’t you have any honor left!?”
“You’re one to talk, Boing-Boing.”
“Huh? Am I actually stuck with this ‘Boing-Boing’ nonsense!?”
Al somehow managed to survive Sharon’s fiery glare and let Kanon’s and Feena’s comedy routine slip past his ears, but...
“If you’re thinking about violating my precious little sister, I’d rather you die!” Luna delivered the killing blow.
“Wait, why do I have to drop dead now!? I just want to know if she’s actually a Diva!” Al reflexively tried to explain himself, but hearing his first love say she wanted him to die broke his heart. His last bastion of hope was that Luna was simply jealous of her sister.
“Oh my, you don’t have to worry, Al’s not into little girls. He’s all about the older sister-types!”
Before he realized what was going on, Cecilia appeared right next to him, grabbed his hand, and pushed it against her breasts.
“Ahhh! Hahhhn!”
“What are you doing!? If you activate—Huh? Wait, I’m wearing gloves.”
“Indeed. I simply enjoy your touch! Ahhhn!”
“What are you trying to do!?” Al tried to pull his hand away, but couldn’t.
“H-Hey, what do you think you’re doing in front of a child!?” Sharon quickly covered Saaya’s eyes.
“Cecilia, I expected more from you.”
“Ahaha, so you like being dominated? I’ll remember that!”
What the hell are you doing in the middle of an audience!? Is this how our Diva should act in front of another!? Haah, and she’s not some random Diva, either. It’s Luna, for crying out loud. She must be stunned to see this.
He took a glance at Luna. Rather than looking at them in shock or anger, she was simply trying to take in the unsightly scene unfolding before her. Her eyes crossed with Al’s.
“Look at you go! I stepped out for a couple of years and you grew up to be a womanizer!” She said with a huge smile. Somehow, hearing her say those words hurt Al more than being bashed in the head by a rock.
✦ ✦ ✦
“I didn’t feel like eating at all...” Al whispered to himself on the way back to his room. It was a standard dinner in the standard dining room. At least, it should’ve been. As per usual, Al’s sides were taken by Sharon and Feena, and one seat further sat Cecilia and Kanon. Jamka and Brusch were also at the table, which rounded out their usual dinner lineup.
Now, usually, when a diplomat or anyone of the sort visited them, they would set up a wonderful banquet to honor their guests. That didn’t happen. Instead, both Luna and Saaya joined them for dinner, while Ranbolg respectfully declined attending a banquet, opting to eat dinner in his room alone. Luna’s reasoning was that it’d be boring for them to eat alone after coming all the way to Althos, so she’d most definitely prefer joining Al and the rest.
With all the guests officially rejecting the banquet, they moved to the usual dining hall along with Luna and Saaya. There was even more banter at the table than usual, which exhausted not only the guests, but Al himself too.
“I’m so tired. I’m ready to hit the sack!” Al had been feeling much better lately. He was rarely weighed down by his worries and regrets. “Is it because I’m getting used to this lifestyle?”
I’m not sure if that’s good or not...
“Al.”
“Who’s there?” Normally, he’d sense someone approaching him, but he was caught completely off guard. He figured he was too tired, but he couldn’t cut the conversation short because of that. After all, the one calling out for him was Luna herself. “Y-Yes? Do you...”
Unfortunately, the only two options in his repertoire were “Do you want more food?” and “Do you want me to fondle you more? Because that’s not happening.” Realizing that, Al slowly sank into an existential crisis, which he had no time for. His mind switched gears, shuffling through every combination of words he could think of in an attempt to string together a sentence that didn’t make him look like a fool in front of Luna.
“Y-You... want to see town tomorrow?” Forget about the stuttering, that was barely a sentence! And yet, Luna was smiling.
“I would love to! Let’s meet tomorrow morning at the gate!”
She didn’t seem to care about the absolute disaster of the audience with Al, nor about the mundane dinner. She simply bowed before him, turned around and ran toward her room.
“Watch out! Don’t trip!” He somehow managed to squeeze out some words of concern.
Wait, did I just invite her on a date? Al wasn’t sure if he should lament his limited vocabulary or jump for joy in anticipation of their date.
“I’m going on a date... with Luna...” He didn’t want to let anyone see him smiling so happily, so he hid it with his hands and hurried to his room.