By the time we got back to Ashley’s house, it was extremely late at night. Filia and I put Loli Loli and Ashley to bed on the living room sofa. Both of them were incredibly exhausted and super sleepy. Filia and I let out a simultaneous heavy sigh.
“I’ll get us something to drink,” said Filia.
“Oh, thanks.”
Filia poured some drinks into cups and sat down next to me. We were so close that our hands were almost touching. Filia’s faintly sweet scent tickled my nostrils. “I’m really glad that Ashley and Loli Loli were so happy,” she said.
“Yeah, I’m relieved.”
“By the way, Yuri, I was just wondering…” Filia touched the tips of her fingers together, her hands in front of her chest. Then she brought her hand up to her light pink lips, and for a moment, gave me a pouting look. “Aren’t you going to give me anything? I’m so jealous of the other two!”
Then she beamed. “Eh he…just kidding! What a thing to say,” she said, smiling brightly.
I stared back at her intently.
“Yuri, I was joking, okay? Joking! Did I fool you? Or…is something the matter? I guess you just want to stare at the transcendentally beautiful elf, Filia, eh? Ah, Yuri, I should’ve known! Okay, okay, you can look!” She gave me her usual teasing look and poked me in the forehead, putting on a little act.
“Well, actually, I did get something for you. Here.” I took a stuffed animal out of the bag of holding at my waist. It was a hefty boy, almost as big as Filia’s waist.
“Um…huh?”
“You wanted it, didn’t you? You kept glancing at it out of the corner of your eye.”
I was positive that I’d seen Filia looking at the stuffed bear with a wistful look in her eyes, even as she had been trying to win the prizes for Ashley and Loli Loli. So I’d put the advice Ashley had given me into practice: You have to give a gift that your recipient really wants. I’d been watching Filia throughout the day, and this was the one I’d noticed.
When Filia saw the stuffed animal in my hands, she froze for a few seconds and just stared at it silently. She was probably overcome with happiness, right? But just as I was thinking that, Filia opened her mouth to speak, though it looked like she was having trouble getting the words out.
“I, uh. I wonder if maybe I shouldn’t tell you this, but…it was actually the small stuffed animal next to this one that I was looking at…maybe?”
Wait, really? I mean, sure, there had been a small stuffed bear next to this one, but I’d thought for sure that the big one would be better. “Oh. I…I’m sorry.”
“N-no, it’s okay! I suppose realistically, the smaller one would’ve been easier to get, but the larger one is cuter, so it’s okay! But, ah…are you sure you’re okay giving this to me?”
So that was it. Did she really feel the big one was better or was she just trying to spare my feelings? Judging from how she fidgeted, fidgeting with the hem of her dress, I didn’t think she didn’t want it. Right?
“You’re always doing so much for me,” I said. “Besides, I got this for you, Filia. Because, well…because.”
“Th-thank you very much…” She was about to reach and grab it, but suddenly stopped. “You didn’t put a dumbbell inside this or anything, did you?”
“Like hell I would!” I snapped. Jeez, who did she think I was? “Anyway…here.”
I was feeling kind of embarrassed from being teased, so I just handed the plushie over brusquely.
Filia took the bear carefully with both hands and hugged it tight with both arms. “Thank you very much, Yuri. I’m really, really happy… Tee hee hee!”
Filia bowed graciously to me, at the same time using her hands to make the plushie bow as well. She wore a shy, bashful look. When I saw that expression, my heart started to beat faster. Thanks to my extensive training, I should have been able to control every part of my body at will, but as soon as Filia’s smile entered my field of view, I just completely lost control.
I was utterly unable to pull my eyes away from her face, so I just kept staring…and I could tell that she was starting to blush, her face going bright red in the blink of an eye.
“Yuri, when you stare at me like that, it…it’s rather embarrassing,” she squeaked in a small voice, her face thoroughly red. Even her ears were red.
“S-sorry.” I somehow managed to regain control of my body, and I vigorously averted my eyes.
Then I noticed Loli Loli and Ashley both had their eyes wide open.
“They’re flirting!” whispered Loli Loli.
“Ah, Loli Loli, you dummy!” Ashley snapped. “Now they know we’re awake!”
As if their eyes being wide open wasn’t a clue?
“Y-you’re awake?!” Filia stammered. “I-If you were awake, you need to—you should have told me!”
“Y-yeah!” I said. “I’m shocked! Shocked, I say!”
“Hmm…” Ashley grinned at our protests. Damn it, why did she have to keep smiling like that?! I thought desperately for a retort, but my brain was mush.
Then Loli Loli tilted her head to the side. “Hey, hey! How many kids do you want to have?” she asked.
“H-hey!” I protested.
“K-kids…” Filia murmured.
The embarrassment was too much and, just like that, Filia completely shut down for the night.