“And that’s how things went between me and Soar here. Anyway, the name’s Marble, and I’ll be Soar’s main Earth Fairy from now on. Nice ta meet ‘cha!”

““…””

It was the early morning after my meeting with the new Earth Fairy of my group who I named ‘Marble.’ I figured I should fill everyone in on what happened since they all knew of my other fairies already, so when we all gathered for breakfast before heading out to Brightlas for my hunter’s registration, I introduced her to everyone then. The reactions that followed were varied.

Some were too tired to react like they had seen everything up to that point, others the same for a different reason, and one particular young dark elf was grinding her teeth with her head on the table before muttering ‘why?’ repeatedly.

“Welp! I see no problem with this! Welcome to the family, Marble!”

“Dear, you’re only in for this because Soar can finally use Earth Magic like you do.”

“That isn’t entirely the case …” Dad and Mom exchanged the usual spat at the news.

With that, we went right to eating and energize ourselves for the day. All of the fairies in the room other than my own introduced themselves to Marble and quickly got friendly with each other as they ate at their own fairy-sized table.

“Still, to think one could possess five Fairy Companions … if there are others, then you are the very first I have ever met to make this feat possible. I must say I am quite honored to bear witness it,” Seal said with a more formal tone towards me than usual like one would expect a noble to address another.

“Isn’t there a saying that guys with more Fairy Companions have better chances of achieving a harem than others? I gotta admit that I’m rather jealous, and this one’s bolder than most I’ve seen.”

“Yeah~, I can already tell Soar’s got quite the future ahead of him if that were true.”

“You two, keep yourselves from drooling on the table, would you? You look like wolves ready to breed,” Lilia talked down on Weiss and Sam who were eyeing Marble’s form while she ate obliviously.

I did hear about that ‘more fairies equal more girls in harem’ saying from some of Dad’s bar buddies as well but frankly, with the luck I had with girls up to that point, I wondered if achieving such a thing was worth it. I knew I wanted to try living a bolder life and find some girls to love but when you’re literally a child in everyone’s eyes and they can’t take you seriously because of that, it makes things difficult. Of course, I couldn’t do anything with those around my physical age and I didn’t want to anyway with how loud and annoying they could be. It may be another story if my mind regressed to fit the body’s age but at that point, I thought it wasn’t worth attempting the ‘childhood friend’ route and it would be best to wait it out until I got older.

It's too early to even be thinking things like that but I should at least follow through on Ms. Renne’s advice and try to get better acquainted with the girls.

With that thought, I first turned to the one sitting closest to me before I noticed the change of demeanor. “Hey, Fila, you okay? Did you sleep well?” I asked.

“Just … a little tired.”

“I think Fila might’ve gone through a nightmare last night,” Claire said as Fila wiped the tiredness out of her eyes. After getting permission from her parents, Claire stayed over with Fila and Onelri and had a bit of a girl’s sleepover in one of the rooms, agreeing to come with me to Brightlas for my hunter registration and ‘cheer me on.’ “I woke up in the middle of the night noticing she was moving around. She also muttered some things about bandits hurting Soar.”

The grip on my fork tightened from hearing that.

“A-Ah, yeah, she was like that the night before, too, worse, actually,” Flomi then spoke. “Onelri had to come to wake me up because Fila was crying in her sleep during that time while they were sleeping together, too. I guess our encounter with the bandits took more of a toll on her than I thought.”

“A hunter passing by came and saved you all, right?” Lilia asked. “After Soar directed you a way out of the forest you got lost in, those bandits captured you and was going to sell you all off. I can’t imagine how terrifying that must be for a girl her age.”

So, that’s the story they came up with, huh? Still, I made sure to make the conditions hard to see so the girls wouldn’t get traumatized. I didn’t expect Onelri to have eyes that can see in the dark, though, and I suppose a rabbitkin’s hearing is sensitive enough to make out most of the details while the rest can be left to the imagination.

When I came to that conclusion, I felt my insides eating themselves away. I did what I could to lessen the blow at the time, but since I was taking part in the scramble, I felt somewhat responsible for Fila’s current condition. Even after the misunderstanding was cleared, I was surprised Onelri was able to start moving on despite her wariness towards me from the beginning. She seemed fine, so I didn’t have to worry about checking her condition, but Fila’s was on the top of my priority after hearing the details of her sleeping habits the last few nights.

That was why after breakfast, as we were preparing ourselves for departure, I took advantage of the activity and brought Fila outside behind the storehouse where I spent time with Ms. Renne during the party. The food helped pick her up, but she still looked rather subdued as we sat on the grass. I brought Breezy and Mist to keep watch in case someone came by and I was already equipped with the new hunter gear everyone got me for my birthday.

“Listen, Fila … I need to sincerely apologize to you.”

“Huh?” Fila’s rabbit ears perked up slightly when I started.

“I know … I could’ve done things where that night wouldn’t end up the way it did, where it wouldn’t be as scary, but I didn’t want to take any chance of them possibly taking revenge on me or coming after you all again. I made that place dark not only to confuse those bandits, but mainly so you and Onelri wouldn’t see what could happen, to avoid what you’re going through right now, but it looks like I failed to do even that if you’re having those nightmares. I think how I left you behind like that didn’t really make the situation better, either. I feel partially responsible for bringing that towards you, something that you never needed, and so I must apologize for that.”

“No, no, don’t take that all on yourself,” Fila says while waving her hands. “It may have been scary, but you were there and I really am grateful for you helping us, especially saving Mama from getting hurt. I feel I should be the one apologizing for bothering you after we came here.”

“… It was a surprise, yeah, but you didn’t bother me. Actually, a part of me was kind of happy you came all that way to see me.”

“Really?”

“Really. Still, I feel bad I brought those nightmares to you, so I want to make up for it in some way … I got it. You ask me of any one thing, and I will do it for you.”

“Anything?” she asked with widened eyes.

“As long as it’s something I can do, I will do it if it means getting you feeling a little better.”

“Hmm …” Fila crossed her arms while closing her eyes to go into deep thought. Her bunny ears perked and twitched to a few subtle sounds in different directions before they both rose up a little at once.

“Then … I want you to make friends with me, Onelri, and Agnes.”

“… Huh?” I blinked my eyes.

“Claire told us how you finally made friends with her, and since it hadn’t been decided for the rest of us, it wouldn’t be fair if we were left out, would it?”

“I can kind of understand you and Onelri, but why Agnes?”

“I know she was really mean and rude from the start to make you upset but I think you were also the same when you said she meant nothing to you. I don’t think anyone would want to hear that from anybody no matter who or what they were. I know I would be really hurt if you ever said that to me. Wouldn’t you feel the same?”

“… I guess.”

“She also seemed really sincere in wanting to make up with you. I saw her writing a bunch of letters after setting up the dinner and dessert until finally coming to one that would truly express her feelings. I have never seen anyone put so much thought into how they want to apologize before.”

I did notice a bunch of crumpled up papers in the trash bin earlier. So, they were rough drafts for her letter of apology.

“That’s why I think becoming friends with her may be the best way to make up the fight between you two and start over,” Fila continued. “Of course, Onelri and I haven’t changed our minds in wanting to be friends with you, too. I would be really happy if you accept … is that too much to ask?”

Goddamn it, don’t look at me like that! This is why I can’t stand kids thinking they can get away with everything with those eyes!

Despite my internal agony, I held back an exasperated sigh. “… Let’s say if I do agree to become friends with you. Since I haven’t made any friends up to now, I’m not really sure what kinds of things they even do, other than maybe playing games. Can you give me some examples?” I worded it this way in hopes of gauging what she wants out of our friendship as well as a little of her character. I understand friendship enough that it comes in many different forms, good and bad, and I’d like to avoid the latter kinds as much as I can.

“Well … playing games is fun and I would like to play some with you, maybe even learning magic with you may also be like that, but I like talking with you like this. I want to hug and have sleepovers with you, too.”

“Aren’t the last two something done between girls?”

“I have heard boys from my old class having sleepovers from time to time. I don’t know about hugging, but I know I want to do it with all of my friends. Ah, I did ask Claire and Onelri if you could join our sleepover last night but Claire said you needed to rest for the hunter test though.”

Huh … were the boys back on my world like that, too? Going over to play and hang out is one thing, but spending the night? I know just the thought of going into another person’s home makes me tense, but maybe that’s just my introversion and social anxiety speaking. Fila has been pretty huggy since she came yesterday. I don’t know if she knows how awkward it might be to invade someone’s space like that, but I’ve quickly adapted to not make a big deal of it … it’s honestly kind of nice, too.

But still, shouldn’t Claire be saying it wouldn’t be a good thing to sleep with me because I’m a guy?

“Actually, just being with you like this makes me feel glad, too, that things would be okay no matter what may happen,” Fila continued. “I was wondering if sleeping with you might stop the nightmares from coming. It wasn’t as bad last night knowing you were nearby.”

If she thinks it would help, it might not be a bad idea to try. I want to do what it takes to help her recover from this trauma. It’s the least I can do after putting that stress on her. “… Okay, I think I kind of get it,” I said after some thought. “I won’t mind being your friend, Fila. Agnes, I was planning to apologize to her the next time I see her, but it would be up to her whether she wants to be friends with me or not. As for Onelri … I honestly don’t want to be friends with someone who threatens to snitch on me every time they want to get their way.”

“Ah, I see. So, if she doesn’t threaten to snitch, would you want to be friends with her then?”

“… Maybe? I don’t really know.”

“Wait right there. I’ll go get her.”

Before I could even respond, Fila dashed off without any hesitation like a speeding rabbit. All I could really do then was wait.

Still, sleeping with a girl, huh? I haven’t even gone that far with the few dates I had back in college on Earth. I slept with a few sexy dakimakura, though, and it did wonders with my sleeping habits. I can still manage to sleep like that with a regular pillow while I’m this size, but cuddling with a girl like Fila … no, no, don’t go there. She’s just a kid, I shouldn’t expect much to come from it. This is only to help quell her nightmares. I’m taking responsibility to atone for what I’ve done like the adult I am inside this small body.

Before I knew it, Fila came back leading Onelri by the hand. I stood up and patted whatever grass I had off of my pants.

“Onelri, you still want to be friends with Soar, right?” Fila asked first.

“… I suppose.”

“Then you need to stop threatening to snitch on Soar about what really happened that night or he won’t do it.”

“What makes you think I would?!”

“Onelri, you did just that yesterday to make me explain why I ditched you two the night before, and I bet you a glit that you were thinking about doing it again so I could teach you more on magic.”

Glits, by the way, are the currency used in our continent. They’re basically coins made of copper, silver, and gold of different sizes.

“I would not … do thaaaaat.”

“You hesitated there.”

“Onelri, just promise you won’t do it,” Fila said. “Our parents agreed to keep Soar’s secret in the first place and you should follow through. It wouldn’t be fair to him, otherwise.”

“Only if he tells me how he managed to make a contract with five fairies at his age and I still have not even gotten one.”

“I don’t really know what I can tell you there without sounding like a jerk.”

“… How am I even supposed to respond to that?”

“Look, if you’re really that desperate to make a contract with a fairy, I can at least help you with it. If I help you find one Fairy Companion, can you promise to not threaten to snitch on me anymore?”

“… Very well, then.” Onelri then takes a hand to her chest while raising another in the air with both of her eyes closed. “In exchange for being your friend and helping me get a Fairy Companion, I solemnly swear to never threaten to snitch on you about that night ever again.”

“You promise?” I asked.

“You have my word as a proud dark elf.”

“Fairy pinky promise?” Fila then asked.

“… What is this ‘fairy pinky promise’ you speak of?”

I honestly didn’t think that was actually a thing on Manara, either, so I was as confused as Onelri was.

“Ah, then let me show you as we do it together!” Fila then took all of our pinkies together and link them three ways before singing a song while our hands moved in rhythm.

“With our pinkies joined, we will now swear~! Whoever breaks their promise must swallow a fairy’s broken heart~! Fairy! Kiss! With that, our fate is now sealed!”

“How can a promise that twisted be sung like that?!” Onelri exclaimed.

“It’s because it’s such an important promise that it must never be broken. I honestly didn’t know what it was until Mama recently told me what a fairy’s Heartbreak is. I’m guessing it means it would make fairies so sad that they would go into it and you wouldn’t want to be under them with your mouth open when that happens, so … yeah! This means we’ll be friends forever! Yay~!” Fila cheers before pulling us both into a hug.

“… I do not think I have ever been more terrified of something before than I do right now.”

And I thought the swallowing the 1000 needles thing from Japan was dark. This is as hardcore as that one rocker eating a bat’s wing.

~~

By the time our promise was made, solidifying our friendship, it was time for us to depart. All of the adult men along with Fila, Onelri, and Claire were coming with me to Brightlas while the adult women would stay behind and have a ‘girl’s day off’ of sorts while getting dinner prepared on our return.

How we would be getting there was obvious: using my Dark Gate as I did when I dropped Fila’s and Onelri’s families off the night before. I had only traversed that far on foot while I was training on my own and never really got through the city gates. Dark Gate only allows one to move between places they’ve been to before if they have enough mana to pull off the distance. Dad and Seal would lend me some mana potions to recover some of what I would lose to get there so I could still be in shape enough to take on the exam. Frankly, though, it was getting difficult trying to use up all of my mana without going all out to start with, and that was before I even got Cinder, Marble, and all of those power-ups for my other fairies.

Contracted fairies actually serve as mana reserves for emergencies along with powering up our magic, like extra batteries, and since I had five Companions then with four already powered up so much, it was difficult for me to tell when I would even be at my limit.

Dark Gate apparently takes more of a toll on someone than I thought if they went a far enough distance, so the guys—Darida especially being more of a specialist in Darkness Magic than Weiss was—were quite surprised to see me not even the slightest bit fatigued. They were hesitant on the idea of me using Dark Gate to get us all there when I brought it up during the party from the start, so I either had a lot more mana in reserve than I thought or I just knew how to use that spell and spend as little as possible.

Dad paid for my toll as well as the girls as we went through Brightlas’ gates. It was my first time stepping into a place that wasn’t Lunargrove so I was surprised by how big the city was as we walked the streets as a group. Claire wasn’t as surprised, likely because she had been there on multiple occasions, especially since she picked up my gift from the bookstore her uncle ran. We apparently had to pass by the inn Fila’s and Onelri’s families stayed in the night prior in order to get to the hunter’s guild.

It was as we were approaching that inn that I encountered someone I didn’t expect as she stepped through its doors and loosened her joints before spotting me.

““…””

Agnes and I stood there staring at each other while Dad was at my side and everyone else was behind us.

“Uh … hey—”

“Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!”

“Milady?!”

I attempted to make the greeting first before Agnes screamed and ran in the opposite direction. I made out her face was as flushed as her boyish scarlet hair and eyes. Her maid, Melissa, stepped out just as she did so and was flabbergasted at her behavior.

I didn’t think what I was doing other than I needed to catch up to her. Like I was chasing one of the deer in the forest as part of my training, I focused mana into my legs to increase running power and burst at great speed, the slight wind pressure blew what was in my trail.

Agnes was such in a panic that she didn’t even notice me passing her within a few seconds. I stopped right in front of her with a stable stance and used Gravity Magic to increase my weight.

“Oof!”

“Gotcha.”

Like an unbreakable wall, Agnes slammed right into me as I trapped her in place with my arms around her torso. Despite our slight height differences, the increased weight didn’t let me get knocked over by her force.

Agnes screaming stopped, and in its place was her poor attempt to restrain from crying, utterly failing to do so as she sobbed over my shoulder.

“Why did you run from me?” I asked calmly.

“I-I … I’m so embarrassed I want to d-diiiie!”

Well, with how everyone’s staring now, that makes two of us.