She sipped on the tea, which had grown cold, and rested her chin on the kotatsu top. She sighed again. “If only...I had someone like that.”
♢
“Are you sure you want to give this to us...?” Allen asked Miach.
“Oh, I’m sure all right,” Miach grinned back at him. It wasn’t like him to hesitate.
After Jill showed up to relieve her from her task of minding Flora’s shop, Miach had headed to Allen’s mansion on the outskirts of the city. She’d already delivered the day’s mail to him that morning, but this time she came for something else: to bring over the kotatsu set that Flora had given her.
“Mmm...it’s so nice and warm,” Charlotte murmured, her face melting into a smile.
“So comfy...” Roo cooed.
“C-Capyyy...” Gosetsu sighed. Both beasts were snug in the kotatsu, with their heads poking out of the blanket. They were already drifting off to dreamland.
This kotatsu was much smaller than the one that Flora and her group had gathered around. This one was just big enough for four adults to squeeze in together. Miach looked around at the cozy, peaceful atmosphere, and nodded in satisfaction.
“My apartment is too cramped, and it’s a little too big to keep in the office,” Miach explained. “But if ya can keep it here, Dark Lord, I can pop in when I want a break. It’ll be purrfect when winter comes around!”
“You always think ahead...” Allen said. “Well, in that case, you can come by anytime. How about some tea?”
“’Course! That’s what I’m here for!”
With all of them snug in the kotatsu, it was time for a tea party. Since she’d wrapped up all her work for the day already, Miach was ready to unwind, smacking her lips over the tea and sweets that Allen whipped out. Even though she was sitting back, relaxed, her eyes still gleamed. Heh heh heh... You walked right into my trap, Dark Lord. I’m not here just for tea!
After all, Miach had another motive for bringing them the kotatsu. She looked at Allen, who sat across from her. He was just settling down in the kotatsu when he turned to Charlotte, a little startled, and bowed his head.
“S-Sorry. That was an accident,” he said.
“I-It’s okay...” Charlotte said timidly, blushing a little too.
Miach could tell at a glance what happened: since the kotatsu was so small, his leg must’ve brushed against hers. With that, her true purpose for the kotatsu was achieved. She did a little fist pump under the blanket so no one would notice.
This is the good stuff! This is what I’m after! I knew it, the small kotatsu is the best for couples! It sets the stage for these little moments of heart-thumping romance when you accidentally brush against each other!
In effect, Miach had given the shy couple a helping hand. Things seemed to be going according to her plan. Allen, all in a fluster, was pouring cup after cup of tea for himself. Charlotte quietly nibbled at a cookie. The scene of the pure and innocent lovers sated Miach’s appetite.
Come to think of it, wouldn’t these kotatsu sets be a huge hit if we marketed them to couples like this? I should pitch this to Flora later. Our company can help her with the sales channels and everything... Miach’s brain switched to full-on business mode as she rapidly did some mental arithmetic.
Allen cleared his throat. “By the way, Miach, thanks for holding on to our mail while we were away.”
“Hm? Oh, no worries,” Miach replied with a smile. Allen and the others had been gone for the last two weeks, so Miach had looked after their mail in the meantime. “Where were you all off to, anyhoo?”
“We just had a bit of business to take care of,” he said. “Right, Charlotte?”
“Yes...” Charlotte smiled tenderly. “We went to see my little sister.”
“Huh?” Miach widened her eyes at the unexpected news. She was well aware of Charlotte’s background. These days, the papers didn’t mention it anymore, but her scandal had been all over the news, even in this neighboring country. Though the media frenzy had quieted down, that didn’t change the fact that Charlotte was a wanted person. And to go see her sister in such a situation...Miach simply didn’t understand why she’d take the risk. “Was that...okay? I mean, it must be tricky to go back to Neils Kingdom...”
“Oh, we didn’t have to go to Neils,” Charlotte clarified. “We found out that my sister is studying at an academy in this country.” Charlotte recounted their adventure at the Athena School of Magic. It was a rather topsy-turvy tale...but all’s well that ends well. The sisters managed to reunite in the end. “I feel like we’re finally true sisters. She said she’ll come visit us soon too.”
“It was a pain in the neck to get back home, though...” Allen sighed wearily. It had been no mean feat to soothe Natalia, who’d clung to Charlotte and tried to make her stay. They reasoned with her that it wasn’t prudent for Charlotte to stay in the public eye for too long, and she reluctantly acquiesced. Charlotte was all smiles at this, but in contrast, Allen didn’t hide his fatigue. Apparently, he still had a long way to go until he could earn Natalia’s full approval as Charlotte’s partner.
“So that’s whatcha were up to...” Miach murmured, dropping her eyes to her own cup. Somehow, her face reflected on the surface of the tea looked dazed, as if she’d lost her spirit. Before Charlotte could notice, though, Miach looked back up with a bright smile. “That’s terrific news. I’m sure you’ll have lots of fun with your little sister now.”
“Yes! I’d love for you to meet her, Miach!”
“Yes please. I’ll be lookin’ forward to that!” Miach nodded deeply. Charlotte was a precious friend, and the fact that she’d reunited with her family should have been something to celebrate—but Miach couldn’t shake off the pain that pricked her heart.
After the tea party at the kotatsu, Miach was invited to stay for dinner too. They enjoyed Charlotte’s cooking, which was rapidly improving these days, and chatted some more in the kotatsu. By the time Miach got up to leave, it was already dark outside.