“KYAAAAA!!!”

“WAAAH!?”

What?! What’s happening?!

I was woken up by a really loud scream…no…more like a squeal…

It’s Milin for sure! She’s in my room again early in the morning!

“KYAAAAH!! YOU CAN’T ASAGAO-SAMA! THAT'S A FORBIDDEN LOVE BETWEEN THE SAME GENDERS!~”

“Eh?”

“SLEEPING TOGETHER WEARING NOTHING BUT ONLY YOUR UNDERWEARS, I DIDN’T KNOW A BEASTKIN CAN BE SO CUTE AND FLUFFY TOO!”

“W-what are you say—!”

I rise up from my bed and support my body with my hand placing it on the bed and next to me… I touched something…

She said wearing nothing but only underwear…

Yeah… this fabric belongs to underwear…

It would be a bit safe if my hand grabs something like the face or breast but…

This sensation…

I can feel the blood draining from my face and my hand froze on the spot.

And this, by no mistake…Higan…

“H-Higan?!”

“Asagao-sama, such bold move early in the morning!!!”

“N-no…”

I try to carefully remove my hand but before I knew it… it rubs to something…

“Ahn!~”

“Higan!”

“Asagao… I like the initiative… please keep going.”

“NO!”

“Eh? Why Asagao? Are you being shy?”

“Asagao-sama is shy! Please keep going! I’ll be saving this scene in my memory and it will be etched forever!”

“SHUT UP! Milin, get out of my room! Higan! Why are you here?!”

“Kyaa!~ Asagao-sama got mad! Run!~”

Milin playfully runs out of the room while giggling.

“Now…Higan… why?!”

“Why you say…I missed sleeping with you.”

“Ah…that’s right. We always sleep together back then.”

“And I plan to go home as soon as Alstroe-san gets better.”

“Why?”

“I am going home to mother to learn more magic and to train more.”

“I see. But isn’t training with master or with Violetta-nee here is good too? I mean, they are specialized in magic too.”

“Yes, but, mother knows the spell that only the fox clan can use, and I have to stay there a bit longer for mother too.”

“Then I won’t be forcing you to stay.”

“Ehehehe. Asagao doesn't want me to go.”

“Izuna-san is important too.”

It has been a week since that brawl happens. The land master is restoring is gradually getting better but, he said that he may return the land to normal except for the plants and trees that were destroyed. He said the people should start cultivating the land there on their own.

 On the other hand, the perpetrators of destroying the land are almost in full recovery and they have been moving around too much lately.

“What are you going to do today Asagao?”

“Ah. That’ right. I have something to ask Violetta-nee!”

“Oh? So we are going to the library today?”

“Yes! But let’s grab some breakfast first. Before that, let’s tidy up ourselves.”

“Okay!~”

We head to the washroom to wash our faces.

One thing why alchemy is useful and greatly demanded as a job in this world is because of basic necessities for proper hygiene.

They have pseudo shampoo’s here too for your hair and a pseudo body soap, one more thing that I am always carrying in my dimensional storage, the other thing that I am always carrying is this mouthwash base cleaning paste.

Apparently, you dilute it into a small amount of water in small quantity and then you wash inside your mouth with it and then gargles it. It disinfects and cleans your mouth and teeth in the process and your mouth will smell fresh like a mint or menthol.

After doing the basics of proper hygiene in the morning, I had Higan sit down in front of me in a small chair and proceeded in brushing her hair.

“Asagao!~ You’re getting better!~ it feels less rough now.”

“Yes, it is really easy because your hair is smooth and silky Higan. And it smells good on top of that. Higan is so cute.”

“…”

“Higan?”

“…”

“H-Higan?”

What happened to her?

I try to have a peek on her face.

Uwaah!

It’s beet red!

“Eh?”

“A-Asagao… I know I have heard you complimented me several times in the past but, even now, when you do it… my heart gets jumpy.”

“I… I didn’t know you were that easy…”

“I’m only like this to Asagao…”

“Is..that so?”

“Ah,take…it’s my turn to brush your hair! Come, come!”

Higan forcefully takes the brush from me and beckons me to sit in front of her. After that, she brushes my hair gently and smoothly.

We enjoy the time together at each other’s company.

I am well aware of what’s Higan actually feels for me…

But… I can’t reciprocate it. Not right now… I don’t even know if…It’s even right. Besides… she is still young… there would be many opportunities for her to rethink and arrange her feelings about it as she grows up…

In the first place, why is she so fixated on the same gender?

No.

She has a strong aversion of the man.

Why is that?

After our bonding time, we eat breakfast and heads to the library to talk to Violetta-nee. Right off that bat, she’s already there, eating breakfast… inside the library…that’s kind of rude to be honest.

“So, what do you want to ask, Asagao-sama?”

“Violetta-nee, I was just wondering… if Fon-nii and you are so strong and powerful, why do you need to summon heroes in the first place? Isn’t kind of pointless if they can’t even reach the same level as you two?”

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

“Ah, that is really confusing for your side. There’s a major reason on why we needed the heroes.”

“Why?”

“Fon and us… the royal guards are indeed renowned as powerful group roamed the world in the past. But, the problem that arises before us, the devils, are mysterious creatures that even if we annihilate millions of them, they numbers are limitless.”

“Limitless…”

“Yes. And we found out that these devils… spawn at a certain continent…”

“The…center continent…”

“Correct. We investigated that continent before. There… we saw a gigantic… dimensional gate… where the devil comes out.”

“A dimensional gate?! What happened?”

“Fon… tried to enter it, but… he wasn’t able to. We tried to destroy it many times with our power…none were effective… we tried it hundreds of times… hundred of tries to seal it… none worked.”

“…what are devils…anyway?”

“Devils… are believed to be the creation of the enemy of the Goddess of Blessing. These devils only have one purpose on these lands… that is to destroy. It’s their instinct… So that’s why I can’t believe that the man called Nil claims himself as the lord or king or whatever of these devils…If he is, then found a way to bend the devils to his command… and that would be terrifying…”

“Then, the reason the heroes are summoned is..”

“It is as you think, Asagao-sama. With the blessing they received from the Goddess of Blessing, they, only they have the power to seal, or to even destroy that dimensional gate where those damn devils came from. But they certainly need to get powerful to do that… that’s why we sent them to train…”

“I see now… then… Ichirou-nii would be really glad to be of help to everyone…”

“Asagao-sama…”

“What’s wrong?”

“…”

“Violetta-nee…”

“Hero Ichirou… is gone…”

“…”

“I know that among them, Ichirou is the one you are closest with… but… we poorly evaluated him…”

I see…

He…died…

I just close eyes… tears start to run across my cheeks.

“Asagao-sama!”

“It’s okay…let me weep… let me shed tears…for someone…”

“…”

“It’s sad. It’s frustrating. I know well that… death is inevitable. It’s scary. Everyone must be sad too. So, let me weep. And in the future, I will also shed tears, to people who will also lose their lives. I know full well that I can’t save everyone. So that’s why…these tears of mine…even if it can’t bring back their lives, will fall for them.”

“Asagao-sama, that’s why you are going to be stronger, to prevent anyone from losing their life.”

“Yes…you’re right… Violetta-nee…thank you…”

After that, I spend the whole day trying to figure out more about my powers with Violetta-nee with the participation of Higan until master finishes his task.

.

.

.

As the night came…

In the garden, I am gazing at the clear night sky of this world, although, it’s a bit blurry with the sorry state of my eyes. I can tell where the moons are located.

I remember all the time that I have talked with Ichirou in this place. He was a fun guy to tease. He gets easily embarrassed. But among everyone from the heroes, he is the most gentle and kind. He also lifts everyone spirits up when they falter.

Higan then came and sits beside me.

“Higan?”

“Fufufu. What a romantic night.~”

“Ahahaha… yeah…”

“…”

“…”

…

“Asagao…”

“?”

“Do you… believe a red moon exists in the night sky?”

Ah?!

“Higan. Do you see a red moon?!”

“Eh?! You too Asagao?!”

“Yes! Alstroe-nee said there’s no red moon like it was obvious!”

“No… Asagao… to tell you the truth… I was… branded as crazy… when I was a kid… when I tried to convince everyone about it…”

“Eh? So…”

“Apparently… only you are the only one who can also see the red moon besides me…”

“What do you think it means?”

“Who knows?”

“Yeah… something like wouldn’t be a simple matter for us…”

“Hehe…”

“By the way Higan…”

“Muh?”

“Why… are you so averted to men?”

“…”

“Higan?”

“Well…um…”

“?”

“Because…mother…. Don’t like men too… apparently… my human father was an exception.”

“I see… your father is a human…that’s the reason you have a soul weapon…”

“Is that how it is?”

“Yes, that’s what master said. Anyway… what kind of person your father is?”

“Father… is gentle and quiet… but he is rarely in the house… he goes to many places. Mother doesn’t want to tell me what father is doing. The only thing that I remember from him, when I was seven… before… he died in another place… he told me that I have sisters too… I have twin elven sisters the same age as me…”

“Uwah? That’s really surprising!”

“Right?! I wanted to meet them! I bet they are cute!”

“Oh! I am getting interested too!”

“Do you think we can meet someday?”

“Of course! And if you do, please introduce me to them. But, how are you fine despite knowing that your father had an affair?”

“Muh? It’s not that I am not bothered by it but, It was something out of my hand.”

“Ahaha…typical Higan.”

“Geez. What does that mean?!”

The night passes with us chatting pointlessly like that.