Three Years Later

It is finally summer season, which means summer break, which means the school year is over, which means it is my birthday season. I turned thirteen years old a while back, which means I am a teenager. My first, second, and third years went great, I'm kind of glad I've had the opportunity to relive my school life, it's been a very nostalgic experience. For the last three years, I've been enjoying myself like never before.

After my death, I was blessed to be reborn again, and sometime later throughout my life, it was as if there was a spark that ignited within me that made me enjoy every moment of every day. Not to mention this is a magical world and casting spells has never gotten old. My magic and physical skills have definitely improved but not as much as I hoped, maybe I'm starting to get more comfortable again.

Throughout my school life, I sort of built a reputation for myself as well. People know me as that one noble guy, the Arathel kid, or the princess's pet, thanks to Asia that nickname was born. It doesn't bother me all that much since they're just a bunch of kids spreading rumors, plus, I've got my own companions whom I call friends.

The reason I couldn't make a good name for myself is because I couldn't. First, second, and third years are excluded from most dangerous activities because they are still considered too young, that is until our fourth year. And with that, this upcoming fourth year I'm excited to participate in all the battle-engaging events.

Looking at myself in the mirror, I checked myself one more time before I left. I grew a tiny bit taller, not my desired height but it will do for now, I still have a ways to go. I also let my hair grow a little bit longer, it now falls messily onto my nape with my front reaching areas as low as my neck. My outfit isn't anything special either since we're only having a small get-together downstairs for Theodore and Nina's fourteenth birthday.

My face got sharper, and features like the shape of my nose, chin, cheeks, eyes, forehead, and lips became more discernable, resembling that of Emma's, my mother's, soft features.

Straightening my posture, I deemed myself ready and turned elsewhere, my gaze directed toward possibly my most loyal companion. "Are you ready? Flare?" I asked, my voice hadn't changed, if anything it only got a tad bit lower.

Flare turned eight years old back on our shared birthday. Throughout these past three years, she's come a long way, constantly picking up new things and maturing at her own pace. "Let me see..." she mumbled looking down at her outfit. "I don't like this pattern." Closing her eyes, her outfit began rustling, resembling that of a mane moving with the wind.

Then, strands of her fur became apparent, swishing back and forth covering her body until it finally stopped, compacted, and settled. The end result was a small white dress with black outlines. "I like this one!" Flare exclaimed, turning up to face me, her smile contagious. "I'm all ready."

"All right," I spoke letting out a small chuckle, her behavior both adorable and amusing. Bringing my hand up, I gave her head a few pats as I added, "Come on, let's go."

With a happy smile on her face, Flare followed me toward the living room where the small party was being held.

By the end of my first year semester, Flare had mastered her transformation ability, and not long after she learned how to direct her fur and use it to make clothing. Now she can change into clothes in an instant without having to constantly be putting them on and off. I don't think her race is able to change their fur into different colors so flare is stuck with white clothing. However, she got creative with it and used her dark markings to add a little black in some places to her outfit.

I made my way through the house alongside Flare until we reached the lobby area where Lize rushed to my side. "Master, Arata, you're friends are here," she informed me.

"Right, I'll go get them," I said, giving her a nod of understanding. In turn, she lowered her upper body into a low bow before leaving. As Lize made her way somewhere else, I turned to Flare and said, "Go on ahead, I'll be right there," signaling to the door behind us that led to the living area where everyone was.

"Kayy," was the only thing she said, her high-pitched tone resounding through the walls as she walked ahead.

Without wasting a moment, I made my way out the front door and noticed the front gate had been opened with two carriages sitting there in the front yard, one much less fancy than the other. One was large and spacious, neatly adorned with several golden designs, while the other was much smaller and more plain. One came from the Royal Palace while the other belonged to us, the Arathel family.

It was Theodore's and Nina's wish to invite their friends for their birthday so Grandpa Orin arranged a carriage to pick them up. The door of the plain carriage swung open, revealing a familiar figure.

With cat ears and a tail, a boy stepped out first, it was Ari. "Yoooo, Arata! Long time no see!" he exclaimed, greeting me with a happy smile. Behind him, other familiar figures stepped out like Selkie, Shina, Asmodeus, and Nia. Neither Nina nor Theodore are close friends with Asmodeus but I asked if he could also come along to which they happily agreed to.

Everyone came at the same time, all holding a wrapped-up gift of varying sizes, and greeted me with a smile. Ari looked mostly the same while Asmodeus grew a bit taller in height with his hair growing out a bit as well. Shina and Nia were the same as I remembered while Selkie... if anything he looked a bit more feminine. "Doesn't it feel good to be reunited again after so long?" continued Ari.

"What are you talking about?" said Shina, her brows furrowing in confusion as she stared up at Ari with crossed arms. "It hasn't been that long." Hearing this everyone chuckled in amusement. Although, she was correct, last we saw each other was when the school year ended, so around two and a half months ago. The new school year was just around the corner too so we would soon be seeing each other on the daily.

But overall it did feel good to see them again. Behind them, toward the second, much fancier carriage I noticed several figures walking our way with guards on all sides, it was the second queen alongside her two children. Stepping forward I dropped to one knee with the others following suit behind me. "Queen Mary," I greeted, keeping my voice low and respectful.

Seeing this, she brought her hand up to cover a small giggle. "Oh, you're merely kids, there's no need to stress yourselves just to welcome my presence," she said, playfully disregarding our efforts with a wave of her hand. "Now, if you'll excuse me," she added, leaning slightly forward before continuing on her way toward the house. Two of the guards that followed behind carried one gift each.

"Arata," came a came a soft and honest voice. Turning my head up I noticed Hansel towering over me, extending his hand down to me. Reaching out I took his hand. "It's good to see you again," he said, helping me up to my feet.

"It's a pleasure to see you as well, Hansel," I replied, giving him a firm handshake before letting go.

In all honesty, Hansel wasn't really invited either but since he knew Asia would be coming here to celebrate Theodore and Nina's birthday he probably wanted to be part of it as well. But, it's okay, no one will question his arrival, he's welcome here any day in my book. Speaking of Asia why is she awkwardly fiddling around back there?

Asia's Perspective

When I received an invitation letter from Nina, I got excited and wanted to come in a heartbeat. I was eager to see everyone again, the whole way here I was basically restless, but now that I'm here... Why is it always awkward for me to greet people after I haven't seen them for a long time!? I thought to myself, my fists clenching in frustration.

"Asia," called a voice, a familiar voice that I longed to hear which broke me out of my reverie. Turning up I saw Arata standing in front of me. Outstretching his hand, he said, "It's good to see you again."

Slowly, I reached my arm out and the softness of his hand enveloped my own, both warming and welcoming, though, it was a bit rough in some parts. "Yes, it's good to see you too," I answered, lowering my hand from his.

"Come on, let's go inside," he continued, showing a smile as he signaled for me to follow along. Returning the gesture, I did just that and tagged along behind him.

While we made our way inside, my eyes couldn't help but linger on Arata. He had mentioned before that he wanted to let his hair grow out and last I saw him it was shorter. I had merely forgotten that fact and seeing him like that took me a little by surprise.

Noblemen usually keep their hair short, neat, and styled but... I don't know, Arata has never really played the noble part, the way he dressed was proof of that. However, that change didn't hinder his looks in any way, if anything he seemed a bit more attractive. And, what's more, the way he talked and the way he acted, he always carried himself with a higher sense of maturity than everyone else. Looking back on it he's always been this way.

During my mind's wandering I took notice of how everyone else marveled at Arata's home, knowing that they'd probably never seen anything like it. "This place is so big," Ari commented, his head swiveling from side to side. "You really live here?"

"Yup," answered Arata as if it were just a simple thing. He stopped before a door and turned back to see us, his hair swishing in response to his actions. "Theodore and Nina are in here, so get ready."

Turning back around he opened the door and as soon as we entered, Arata's family, comprising of his uncles, grandparents, and parents turned to us for a second before turning away. My gaze fell on Theodore and Nina whose faces lit up in excitement. Immediately they made their way to us.

"Ah? The birthday twins," said Ari as they neared.

With her two pinkish buns tied at both sides of her head, stood Nina wearing a casual outfit, her bangs hung above her green eyes, happy as always and even more now that we were here. "You guys are finally here," she said, her smile wide and persistent. She still looked mostly the same, only with a few changes to her voice and height.

Then there was Theodore, for the most part, he too, same as Nina, remained the same. "It's good to see that everyone made it," he spoke, his smile mirroring Nina's. "Now come on, let's get the party started."

Following his words, we walked deeper into the room, and after the invitees introduced themselves, everyone split up into their own groups. The boys hung around each other while the girls did the same and so did the grown-ups. On our end, Nia and Shina were happily chatting with Nina who was patting Flare's head.

Turning my head elsewhere, I was able to see my brother being himself around Arata, Theodore, Asmodeus, Selkie, and Ari. They seemed to be having a good time, laughing and talking with each other. My eyes settled on Arata who had brought his hand up to cover up a small chuckle, but from where I sat I was able to see his smile, and witnessing it brought one to my own face.

"What's with that smile, princess," came a familiar voice from beside me, startling me out of my daze. Snapping my head back, I saw Hanna looking my way with a mischievous grin on her face. Her sudden jump-in lowered the other girl's conversation to a shush.

"Hanna?" I questioned, my voice rising in surprise. I hadn't seen her before, did she just get here? I wondered as I now noticed Mia as well.

"Don't tell me you have a crush on one of the boys," Hanna continued, Leaning closer to me, her voice more mature than it used to be. Hanna had grown taller and her figure more developed. Since she did sword practice she remained in shape, only adding to her beauty.

Hearing her words, my face flushed with color. "N-No!" I exclaimed, moving slightly away from her.

"Hehe, I'm just kidding," she giggled, leaning back away from my personal space, her smile wide and amused. "Hello, girls," she continued, her gaze sweeping around through each and every one of us. "You mind if we join you."

"Of course not," answered Nina, happy to have more company. Signaling toward an open seat she didn't hesitate to have them on board. "Please sit."

Mia then passed by me and upon laying her eyes on Nia, she stopped in her tracks to scrutinize her closely. "Mia!" exclaimed Nia, reaching out to give her a hug. "Is that you!?" she questioned, pulling back to get a good look at her. "Look at you! You're so big! Do you remember me?"

"Yeah, kinda," Mia replied, scratching the back of her head in embarrassment.

"Wait, Nia, you're here?" questioned Hanna, her mood changing completely, from relaxed and playful to suddenly being on edge. "S-So that means..." she continued, her head slowly swiveling to the side. She took a step forward and peeked in the direction where the boys were. I tried following her line of sight to see who she was looking at, when suddenly. "Huh," she let out as her face flushed with color and she hid by Nina's side.

"Hanna!" exclaimed Nina, taken aback by Hanna's actions. "What's wrong with you?" In turn, Hanna just awkwardly looked down at her feet.

"Uh!" I let out as I came to a realization. "Don't tell me..." I paused, letting my words hang in the air as everyone's attention settled on me. "Are you crushing on one of the boys?"

"Well..." she began, her voice soft conveying her hesitance to speak. "Maybe."

Hearing this, every one of us perked up in interest, shocked that Hanna had a love interest in mind. "Who is it?" questioned Nina, pulling back from Hanna to get a better look at her. Though, Hanna remained silent. "Come on, you gotta tell us, at least me," she pressed further, eager to hear the answer.

Well, it can't be Arata or Theodore, that's obvious. I highly doubt it's Selkie. My brother, perhaps? Bleh, no, no, no, it can't be him. Hm? Think! That leaves only Nia's brother. Now that I look back at it, when she came in she saw Nia and then looked over at the boys then freaked out. "Is it Asmodeus!" I said immediately after my mind arrived at that answer.

Hearing my words, her cooling face flushed back with color. "Busted," she mumbled while bringing a hand up to hide her face.

"Seriously!?" Nina exclaimed while straightening herself up. All of our expressions mirrored one another as we sprung up with intrigue having heard the news.

"You all better not tell anybody!" said Hanna, her voice firm. With furrowed brows and narrowed eyes, she took in each one of our images, conveying her seriousness.

Arata's Perspective

"What do you think they're freaking out about?" questioned Ari, turning back to look at me after his attention was briefly taken by the girls who, by the look of it were exchanging some sort of juicy gossip.

"I don't know." As curious as I was I quickly disregarded his words along with the girl's questioning behavior since something else had caught my eye. "The food is ready."

Hearing this, Ari and Selkie's ears perked up and noses flared. "It sure smells like food," Ari said, his mouth already drooling as he stared at the carts of food the maids had brought.

"Let's go take a seat." Following my words I stood up from where I was sitting and walked toward the dining table.

Seeing this, the girls quickly joined us as well. "Selkie, Shina," Ari began, taking his seat beside them, his words conveying some level of worry. "Remember the eating etiquette we practiced. We don't want to embarrass ourselves."

Having caught wind of his words, I let out a chuckle. "You guys practiced for this?" I asked, turning to my side to face Ari. "Just relax, it's not that serious."

"Not that serious!?" he exclaimed, leaning slightly my way, the fur on his ears and tail stiffening. "We're inside a noble home and not only are the Prince and Princess sitting at the same table but the very Queen herself is as well," he loudly whispered to my ear which everyone was able to hear.

"Arata is correct," said the Queen, flashing a smile. "Don't feel pressured. I quite like the diversity we have," she spoke, clasping her hands together as she looked around. "I guess since this family had to split and grow up in remote areas you grew accustomed to other races and are able to befriend and accept them into your home, unlike many other persistent conservatives," she continued, not bothering to hide her political point of view. "But enough about that, I know it's a sensitive topic, let's just eat this delicious meal."

"Right," said Grandpa Orin. With a wave of his hand, he signaled for the maids to distribute our plates. The Royal family was served first, followed by the rest of us.

The meal wasn't anything too fancy, just a steak with a side of vegetables and a drink. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the food, especially Selkie and Shina who, judging by the way they ate, didn't look like they practiced any eating manners. Ari reprimanded them a lot at first until finally, he gave up.

At the dining table, everyone got a chance to speak, we got asked a lot about school and our grades until the conversation moved to the grown-ups and them sharing funny stories about our past silly behavior.

It was fun to have friends over. It didn't matter what we talked about or the silly jokes we made to poke fun at one another. With all of us being together I truly felt at peace.

Theodore's Perspective

After eating our food, I noticed Arata talking to one of the maids. He must've asked her for something since her determined footsteps led her out of the room. Then I saw him take a seat beside Ari and Asmodeus.

Immediately, they all began conversing about a topic I couldn't quite get my ear on. During these past three years, those three have been closer than ever, almost as if some ethereal force kept them bound together or rather... reunited. Even early on, by the way they talked and acted toward each other, it looked like they'd known each other for many, many years.

But they haven't. Before meeting Ari, Arata told me he had only met one cat person before and it was a half-human who was from his father's adventuring party. And before Asmodeus, he said Nia and her parents were the only demons he'd ever met. There is something much deeper about their friendship that they don't want to share.

Which is totally fine, if they choose to tell me then that's that. I won't pressure them for any answers, it's not like me to do something like that.

"Are you not going to join them?" asked Nina, my sister, who watched me staring. Turning around, I noticed everyone else was behind her.

"Why don't we all go?" I replied, not wanting to leave anyone out. With everyone nodding in agreement, we began making our way.