Yeah, I was starting to get the picture here. “You followed the village chief’s orders, then. Rather than go against his wishes, you just…ignored Filia. That’s what happened?”
“That’s exactly right.”
So maybe Filia’s inability to read her parents’ minds wasn’t because they were disgusted by her, but because they’d closed off their minds to her from sheer guilt?
Elgis looked overwhelmed by sorrow and anguish. “I can say these things all I want, I suppose—say that if we’d disobeyed the chief, we might have still put Filia’s life in danger for violating his decree. But no matter what I say, we did something terrible to our girl.”
“You did. When Filia told me about her past, she was shaking and crying…”
At that, the two went completely still, like time had come to a halt.
“But the smile she’s had since we got here…it’s real,” I said. “I can tell.”
It wasn’t like I could read minds or anything. If anything, I was pretty awful at guessing how other people felt. But Filia and I had been traveling together long enough that I think I knew Filia’s feelings better than most.
When we first arrived, I had sensed Filia feeling somewhat timid toward her parents, but that was hardly the case now. This was just my opinion, but it seemed Filia was beginning to open up to them again.
I continued as her parents listened in silence. “You two are the only parents Filia has, and now you’ve been given the chance to make amends. Isn’t it up to you to use that chance?”
Okay, sure, I didn’t have parents, and I didn’t quite grasp stuff like caring for your family. It was hard for me to get it. But when I looked at how Filia had been since we got to the village, I somehow felt like maybe I did get it. Here, Filia was a kid again, a kid who adored her parents.
“Filia’s definitely expecting a lot from you two. She’s probably thinking: ‘Maybe I can bring them to my side this time.’ I’d like it if you didn’t betray her expectations. She might be your beloved daughter, but she’s also my beloved partner.”
I hit them with my real feelings. When it came to how I felt about Filia, I wasn’t gonna lose. But this was a family affair, and I couldn’t just rant about how I felt. The rest was for the three of them to talk about. Saying anything more would just be insensitive.
I’d been sitting up straight, but now I leaned in close. “I’m sure Filia will probably talk to you about this stuff sooner or later. Until then, it’s probably a good idea to keep carrying on like normal. Oh, and for now, I think I’ll just say that it’s probably better not to let the mood get dark. I’m sure you know this since you’re her parents, but she’s sensitive to that kind of thing.”
“I’m…really glad you’re our daughter’s partner, Yuri. Thank you.”
“We will have to talk to our daughter directly about this, properly.”
I nodded. “Yeah. Probably better to talk to Filia directly, straight out.”
Yep, I really felt like I understood where they were coming from now. Good talk.
Filia ran back down the stairs, having just changed clothes. “What were you talking about? Wait—don’t tell me. Was Yuri hitting on Mother, by chance?”
Was I what?
“What?!” Elgis gasped. “Yuri, I won’t forgive you for this! Not only are you after Lia, but Fira too?!”
Wait, why did he fall for that?! He’d been talking with me the whole time!
Fira got in on the goof and drew closer to me. “Oh, but maybe I’ll be swayed by Yuri?”
“Waahhhh!” Elgis…shouted? Said? I wasn’t sure how to even describe a guy pretending to cry.
“I kid, I kid, honey! Elgis is the only husband for me!”
“Fira!” The two of them shared a passionate embrace. What exactly was going on here? And how had this happened?
Wait. Was this just how they normally acted? Were they secretly just as awkward as Filia? I squinted at Filia, wondering if she found this weird, but she was happily gazing at them as they embraced.
“Mother, Father, you’ve always been so close. Someday I want to have a marriage like that.”
This was normal?
“Elgiiis!” cried Fira.
“Firaaa!” cried Elgis.
Huh. Guess this was a standard to aspire to, eh? More wisdom of the world for Yuri!
Now that Filia was back, the conversation returned to what she’d seen outside the forest. It seemed like Filia just wanted to keep on talking about one thing after another, so her mouth never stopped moving.
“Oh, and then! Yuri—”
“Hey, Lia? I think I’d like to hear about more than just you running around with your sweetheart,” said Fira.
“M-my—my sweetheart? He’s no such thing! I’m only talking about Yuri because I have extremely few friends!”
(Uh, that wasn’t the comeback Filia thought it was.)
“Why don’t you tell us what’s been going on with yourself, Lia?”
“Hmm, well, it’s a little embarrassing to go on and on about myself, don’t you think?” said Filia, blushing a little. Jeez, she could get so bashful for a narcissist.
Elgis turned to me instead. “How about we hear from you, Yuri? What do you think of Lia, eh? What’s she like, from your perspective?”
What did Filia look like to me, huh? Once again, it was hard to put into words. “Let’s see… I think she’s kind and considerate. When I was fighting with the majin—remember when Filia mentioned that?— I lost one of my arms. Filia healed it back. Normally she messes around a lot, but she’s super serious and really cool when she’s casting recovery magic.”
I was in front of her parents, so I thought it’d be a good idea to pick up the slack for her a little. That kind of care for others was what made me a true gentle muscle man, after all.
“J-jeez, Yuri! You’re going too far!” said Filia happily, lightly smacking me on the shoulder.
“Oh, and then, she also said somethin’ to me like, what was it? ‘You can lick the bottom of my foot—’”
“Whaaaaaa?! J-jeez, Yuri, that’s too far! Again! But…but bad!” said Filia, repeatedly smacking my shoulder in a panic.
Sorry, that just slipped out! Not the greatest thing say in front of her parents, huh? But when I looked over at Elgis and Fira, they were leaning forward attentively.
“Now, Yuri…” said Elgis, “did you lick it?”
Did I…uh…what? “Uh, no, of course not.”
“Eh he he. Still a novice, Yuri. If I were in your shoes, young man, I would lick it without a second thought.”
“What?!” Filia cringed out of her skin. “Father!”
“I understand Elgis,” said Fira, nodding sagely. “I’d lick it too.”
“Hey, wait a minute, Mother?!”
Filia’s family was nuts. Or maybe…maybe this was what a family just did?
Nooope, don’t think so. It was all so much that Filia just kind of froze.
“It’s so nice to be doted on, isn’t it?” I said.
“Is this doting?” Filia said with a groan. “Does this count as doting?”
Why was she asking me? I had no idea!