Chapter 156: Even Apart, We Will Always be Friends (8)

The last morning of the trip arrived.

My father and the officers who had been drinking late the day before were still fast asleep, and Shouhei and I were helping Yuri-san with breakfast.

The girls were also up early, sorting through their luggage, and things are a bit hectic.

There’s no way I’m going to touch any of the women’s stuff, and I’m sure there’s a lot of stuff they don’t want me to see (mainly me), so that’s why I’m standing in the kitchen with Yuri-san.

It’s a light breakfast, but it takes a lot of time when there are so many people.

Yuri-san made miso soup. Shouhei is cooking scrambled eggs and bacon, and I’m making a salad.

We’re a rice family, but sometimes bread is good.

The miso soup was Yuri-san’s consideration for when they wake up with a hangover.

The next day after a day of drinking, they crave miso soup, which is something I don’t understand since I’m not allowed to drink yet.

“Shouhei, go wake Koji up.”

“Ok, what about Rouge-neechan?”

“Oh, I saw her just now, she was happily holding the baby bear. Let her sleep a little longer.”

Koji and Rouge were the ones sleeping in, and also the baby bear.

Jaja and Nana tend to wake up very early in the morning.

I guess they’ve gotten into the habit of it, because Jaja cries when she senses when I wake up for school.

When I checked the futon a while ago, I found the two of them playing with their arms and legs next to the sleeping Aoi.

I tried not to wake Aoi who was tired from the crying at night from being in an unfamiliar environment, but she woke up because Nana, who was hungry, dove into her clothes and wanted breast milk.

It’s really tough being a mom.

I looked at Rouge, who was sleeping in the same room as us, and she was happily sleeping with the baby bear in her arms.

She had her face buried in her fluffy fur and her hand gently resting on her equally fluffy belly.

It was as if they were a real parent and child, and I felt a bit relieved.

Rouge is not a morning person by nature, so there’s no problem if I let her sleep a little longer.

Today, we said goodbye to the little bear. It was only one day, but I’m sure she’ll miss her.

I want to let Rouge do whatever she wants as much as possible.

As for Koji, he’s just sleeping too much.

He went to bed earlier than anyone else last night, but he hasn’t shown any signs of waking up.

If you don’t work, you can’t eat. I won’t tolerate self-indulgence.

I’ll assign him some kind of work.

“I’ll see you later.”

“Oh, please. Go wake him up.”

“Okay.”

Shouhei left the kitchen, wiping his hands on his apron.

As I listened to the sound of his slippers clomping up the stairs, I portioned out my salad from the salad bowl onto the paper plates I had prepared.

“What did you decide to do in the end with that little bear?”

Yuri-san asked me while tasting the miso soup from a small plate.

The gesture was very picturesque, like an experienced mother.

“I heard that there are dragons of the same tribe as Rouge in this area. They seem to know where her parents are, and should be coming to show her around in a little while.”

“Oh my. I’m surprised to see a dragon species in this place. I’m surprised you didn’t find them before.

Yuri-san placed her hand on her cheek as she said this.

As far as Rouge could perceive, there were six of them.

I don’t know if that’s a lot, but dragons are unexpectedly common.

Hmm? I wonder if that means Aoi can find out the whereabouts of her own kind. I’ll ask her next time.

“Dragon King’s daughter! Good morning! The herb dragon is here. Hey, Wera, are you sure this is the right place? This is a human nest, right?”

“I don’t know. But I can feel the presence of dragons from here, so I’m sure it’s right?”

“Don’t talk like it’s somebody else’s problem. I’ve never met the dragon king’s daughter before and I don’t know what to do! Oh, I’m afraid she’ll get mad if I’m rude.”

“Azui is such a worrier, but I didn’t expect the dragon king’s daughter to come here. I’ve seen the face of the Earth Dragon King a very long time ago. She was a beautiful woman.”

Hmm?

The voices came from the wooden deck instead of the entrance.

It seems that the dragons that made this area their territory are here to greet us.

“It looks like they’re here. I’m sorry, Yuri-san but can you go wake up Rouge? Also, please go and get Aoi. I’ll go welcome them.”

“Yeah, okay.”

After turning off the burner for the miso soup, Yuri-san left the kitchen with a slight rush.

I took off my apron, hung it on a chair in the dining room, and headed for the window that led to the wooden deck.

I’m actually a little traumatized by the idea of welcoming a dragon.

After all, the precedent is that Yule.

It’s not unreasonable for me to suddenly get blown up without even listening.

You can’t help but feel a little defensive.

“Um, sorry for keeping you waiting. Rouge is asleep right now… huh?”

They’re not here?

That’s strange. I’m sure I could hear their voices coming from here.

“H-h-h-human? Wera, there’s a human! We’re going to be eaten! They’ll attack us! They’ll kill us!”

“Calm down, Azui. It seems this human knows the name of the dragon king’s daughter. Hello, human, nice to meet you.”

“What?”

I could hear their voice, but I couldn’t see them.

I wonder if I’m being affected by something.

“Ah, over here, over here.”

“Oh, Wera! Don’t go near it! You’ll get eaten!”

I felt a tug at my shirt.

I looked down and saw two kids.

“What? Kids?”

Two brown-haired kids with two black horns on their foreheads, wearing some kind of risqué piece of cloth, were standing there.

They were wearing a piece of cloth with a hole in the middle just big enough for their head to fit through, and tied together at the waist with a string. I guess you can see them from the side, can’t you?

“We may look small, but we’re not children. We herb dragons of the Earth Dragon Tribe are a small tribe by nature. I’ve lived 1,200 years. Azui has lived for 800 years.”

A child with her long hair in a ponytail and her left eye hidden by her bangs smiled and explained.

“Nice to meet you, human. I’m Wera, Wera Draffilo.”

“Ah, nice to meet you. I’m Kazamachi Kunpei.”

She introduced herself to me, so I hurriedly introduced myself back.

A slender waist, thin arms and legs. I thought for a moment that he was a boy based on how she spoke, but I thought there were only girls in dragons. So this must be a girl too.

“Come on, Azui. It would be rude if you didn’t introduce yourself too.”

She smiled and pulled the other girl, who had hidden herself behind Wera’s back, forward.

This one had long hair tied up that reached her hips and, contrary to Wera, had her right eye covered.

Ah, and if you look closely, you can see a rather short tail.

You can see that she is on guard, pointing upwards under the cloth.

“Ughhhh… I’m Azui, Azui Drafexy. I’m afraid so please don’t come near me. Ah, I don’t even taste good! Wera doesn’t taste any better! So please don’t eat us!”

“No, I won’t, but…”

You don’t have to be so frightened as soon as you see my eyes.

It was the same with Yule, and Rouge also told me gently, but I wonder if my look gives a bad impression to dragons…

“Doesn’t taste good, I don’t know if I’m supposed to be happy about this.”

Wera smiled and patted the frightened Azui on the head.

“B-because if you don’t say so, they’ll eat you! Wera is, um, well, I’m sure you must be delicious, but! But!”

“Calm down, Azui. I’m very happy that you tried to protect me. But it’s rude to do that in front of a human you’ve never met before. It’s okay. This human is not going to eat us, or rather who even told you that humans eat dragons?”

As she gently nursed Azui, who had her face buried in her chest, Wera smiled with a troubled expression.

“Oh, my mother taught me that a long time ago. Weak dragons like us are easy targets, so never get too close.”

“Auntie’s a worrier, too. Don’t worry, Azui. No matter what happens, I will protect you. I won’t let anything happen to my precious Azui.”

“W-wera.”

“Azui…”

Two little girls started flirting right in front of me. What is this?

What should I do?

“Oh, you know what? I’m not going to do anything to you two, so don’t worry.”

I tried to talk softly to her, trying to manage the atmosphere that was starting to become amorous.

“I’m sorry, human. Azui is very timid. But that’s one of the cute things about her.”

“Well, if it’s okay with you, it’s okay with me.”

No, I can’t.

I’ve been forced into a love affair. This is something I can’t handle.

I wonder if sickeningly sweet love birds are popular recently.

“Hmm. Good morning, Kunpei. I’m late.”

I heard a sleepy voice behind me.

“Oh, good morning.”

I turned around to find Rouge still rubbing her eyes with a sleeping baby bear in her arms.

My shirt and sweatpants, which she use as pajamas, were loose, and her shaggy hair was bouncing around freely.

I could tell at a glance that she hadn’t had enough sleep, as her tail was hanging down weakly.

“Good morning, Ru-anesama. Did you call for me, Kunpei-san?”

“Dah!”

“Ah, Rouge-san, good morning.”

“Ugh.”

Aoi, who was holding Jaja, and Mikuma, who was holding Nana, also came into the dining room, their slippers clattering.

“Ah, the dragons are here. Look, there they are.”

Thank God. We can now break through the rose-colored atmosphere of the two girls.

“Good morning, Aoi and Yuno. Jaja, Nana, good morning.”

“Dah!”

“Au”

Jaja replied cheerfully to Rouge’s voice, and Nana nodded quietly.

A healthy day starts with a cheerful greeting in the morning.

Our twins are great.

“You girls are the earth dragons that has this area as its territory”

“Yes, yes! The dragon king’s daughter is in a very good mood!

“Nice to meet you, Miss Rougerichte. The Earth Dragon Tribe is the Herb Dragons. I’m Wera Drafillo. This is Azui Drafexy.”

When Rouge turned around and looked at them, Azui tensed and stood upright, while Wera softly bowed in reply to Rouge’s question.

“Hmm. You don’t have to be so respectful. I’m the one who needs a favor.”

Rouge, fixing the misalignment of the little bear’s head.

“Wow, I didn’t know the other dragons were so close.”

“Well, I heard that Aoi-chan has been cooped up for a long time.”

“I’m sure you’re right, but…”

Aoi made a bitter face after Mikuma quickly pointed it out.

“So, about that thing I asked you to do yesterday. What did you find out?”

“Y-yes! It’s a tribe of beastmen who live all over these mountains, but it seems that they started living along the river near here last week!”

Azumi, who was still nervous, replied louder than necessary.

“Adah!”

“Udah”

No, no.

It’s not like they’re playing with us, little guys.

Let’s be quiet for a minute, okay?

“We live in a place where we move around to avoid running into them, so we know exactly where they are. It’s just a little weird.”

“Weird?”

I unconsciously interrupted Wera.

“Yeah. The tribe has been making a lot of noise since about the day before yesterday, you know? They came out to a distance where we don’t usually go hunting, so we were in a hurry to get away from them. If we were discovered, it’s going to be a lot of trouble.”

“Oh, you know. It seems that the men of the tribe are searching for something with their armor. They’re not hunting, but they’re splitting up into different parts of the forest and mountains. We’ve been running this way and that way.”

Searching?

Could it be?

“Rouge, I think they’re looking for this girl.”

A small child is missing in this huge forest. It would be a big deal, wouldn’t it?

“Hmm. I want to take her home right away. Kunpei, is that okay?”

“Yeah, we’ll go as soon as we’re ready. Wera, Azumi. I would like you to show us around.”

We have to get her back to her parents as soon as possible, they’ll be worried about her.

“O-okay!”

“I’ll be happy to show you around. I’ll be happy to show you around. This area has become quite difficult to live in since the world collision. If there’s too large of a commotion, we’ll finally have to move out.”

Oh, you guys are going through a lot too.

“Are you going into the mountains?”

Before I knew it, Aoi, who was standing next to me, looked at me.

“Yeah, I want to get the little bear back to her parents as soon as possible. Can you stay here?”

“No, I’ll go with you. I’m sure Jaja and Nana will want to stay with their friend until the end. I mean, Kunpei-san might get hurt again, so I’ll definitely go.

No, I’m not going to get hurt.

You don’t trust me…

“But for Jaja and Nana…”

“Kunpei, don’t worry. There are three earth dragons. It’s impossible for them to get injured in the forest or mountains.”

Rouge interrupted me and pointed to Wera and Azui.”

“Really? If you guys say so, then let’s take them…”

But you know what? I’m still worried.

“I think I’ll stay here. I’m not sure if I’ll be able to keep up with everyone in the mountains, and I’ll just slow you down.”

Mikuma smiled bitterly while holding Nana.

If we go with too many people, it’ll just make it harder to move. It would be better for Mikuma to stay behind, physically.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I’d like to be back by evening, so can I have you pack up my things?”

“Yeah. I’ll take care of it.”

Mikuma nodded and smiled.

“Shall we have breakfast first? Well, Wera, Azui. Are you hungry?”

“Hungry? Yes… but…”

“I’ve been looking all over for the beastman in a hurry. Are you going to feed me?”

Azui patted her own belly timidly.

I’m sure you’ve been working hard for Rouge’s request. I’ll make sure to let you eat to your heart’s content.

“I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. Our food is delicious.”

“Hmm. Thank you.”

All right, let’s get ready.

“…Wera, I’m kind of out of touch with the situation.”

“I wonder why the dragon king’s daughter is with the humans. Those kids also seem to be of the dragon species too.”

Even if you think you’re being sneaky, I can hear you perfectly!

“Nii-chan, I woke up Kou-chan. Huh? Who are you?”

“Ni?”

“Oh? More kids?”

“Oh my, there doesn’t seem to be enough for breakfast. Shall I make a few more dishes?”

Shouhei, the Saeki siblings, and Yuri-san came into the dining room.

“I’ll explain it to you over breakfast. I’ll help you too, Yuri-san. You guys, come on in.”

“Oh, excuse us for the intrusion.”

“Thanks for the food.”

I urged the dragons, who were still standing on the wooden deck, to come inside.

Ah, they’re barefoot, aren’t they? And they’re covered in mud.

“Why don’t you go take a bath first? Do you know how to use a bath?”

“Ah, why don’t you come in with us? Jaja and Nana were sweating in their sleep.

Ah, that’s right.

By the time they come out, the food will be ready and dad and the officers will be up.

“Why don’t we all go in together anyway? The baths are huge here.”

Saeki said, looking around at all the girls.

“Uh… I, um…”

“Give it up, Yuuno. It’s only women and there’s no need to be shy.”

“Because Ichika-chan will definitely do something unnecessary!”

“Well, of course.”

Your hands are very erotic, Saeki.

It’s a misfortune that Mikuma has such an uninhibited childhood friend.

“How nice… I want to go in too. Yuuno, can you wash this child as well?”

Before I knew it, the little bear had woken up and was rubbing her eyes while being held by Rouge.

“Ah, yes. I understand… Jaja-chan and Nana-chan too, the more people there are, the better…”

It seems that Mikuma has given up.

“What? A bath?”

“It’s been a while since I had a hot bath, Azui.”

“Your clothes are pretty dirty, too. I have a change of clothes if you’d like one of my shirts?”

“I think Ichika’s size fits better than Aoi’s.

“What’s that? Are you trying to say I have a child’s body?”

“Hmm. Ichika is cute.”

They all headed for the bathroom with Azui, who was swept away by the situation, in tow.

It was the kind of lively atmosphere that was unique to girls. They’re so energetic in the morning.

“Shouhei-kun, is there any bacon left?”

“There’s plenty left. shall I cook some more eggs too?”

“Sure. I’m sure bread won’t be enough, so let’s cook some rice as well. I have a feeling that dragon children seem to eat a lot.”

In the kitchen, Yuri-san and Shouhei were already cooking.

“Funyaaaaah…”

“Why do you look so sleepy? You’ve already slept a lot.”

“Nyaa!”

I lightly chopped the top of Koji’s head as he curled up on the floor and yawned.

“Go do the dishes and pour the drinks. Come on, come on.”

“Nya, nya, nya, nya.”

I helped Koji up and nudged his back as we headed for the kitchen.

It’s going to be a busy day.