It was late at night and just as I promised Lily, we were all sleeping together. It was beyond me how this was supposed to work with seven people but Lily didn't care about the details and just hugged whoever was close to her. Well, that was one way to solve this.

Though I said we were all sleeping, I was still awake. Probably because I slept earlier a little, I wasn't that tired yet. Sele was similarly still awake but she was leaning on the sleeping Karen and reading quietly. I wanted to be at Karen's side as well, but Maya and Lily were occupying me from both sides. There wasn't any freedom to be had.

The wagon had a small window at the front and the back and I could see the stars in the night sky through it. I couldn't remember the night sky in my former world, but it didn't feel particularly different.

That reminds me, how do these different worlds even work? Is it only an inhabited planet that is different or is it really the entire universe? And if you were to travel between worlds in the way that Yumias told me... would you actually land on an inhabited world if there exists one or could you land in the middle of space...

That might be a dangerous thought. Landing straight in space where there's nothing was definitely a bad end.

I shook my head, trying to chase that thought away. I glanced over to Sele who was reading quietly.

"Sele?" I whispered, so as to not wake up anyone.

"... Mh?"

She stopped reading and glanced over at me. I kind of felt bad that I interrupted her but I was bored to hell and not sleepy at all.

"What kind of book are you reading?"

"..."

She turned to her book and then held it up in my direction so that the cover was facing me. She probably wanted me to read the title myself.

"... I can't read it..."

"..."

She returned the book to its original position and looked at me again.

"The Tale of... the Seven Heroes..."

"The Tale of the Seven Heroes?"

She nodded.

"So... What is it about?"

"... There are... Seven Heroes..."

Yes, I figured as much from the title.

"... They set out... to save their village... and their families... from a dragon..."

"Huh... So, a dragon-slaying story?"

She shook her head. It wasn't one?

"... The heroes... fight the dragon... and win... But... They don't kill it..."

"They don't?"

She nodded again and a small smile appeared on her face.

"... They become friends..."

"That's... surprising? Didn't they want to save their village?"

"... They saved it... and became friends..."

So, it was basically a happy end for everyone? But wait... She knew how it ended?

"Sele, if you know how it ended, then you are reading it a second time now?"

Once again, she gave me a nod.

"Huh... You like the story that much?"

"... I do... Friends... and Family... It's nice... I..."

She paused, looking a bit sad now.

Family, huh... Maybe she is yearning for a nice family? Korwen told me about the abuse...

"... Yumi..."

"Nn?"

"... Are we... friends?"

"Nn? Of course, we are," I answered without hesitation and a small smile.

In response, she smiled as well. Not a sad one, but a genuine, adorable smile. Then she closed her book and put it back into her bag before crawling over to me.

"... Yumi... Thank you..."

"Nn."

I cautiously freed my hand from Lily's embrace and pat Sele's head. The sleeping Lily was quick to look for my arm but thankfully she instead grabbed onto Emily who was sleeping on her other side.

"Sele, thank you as well, for being my friend."

"..."

Her eyes widened a little as a dumbfounded look found its way onto her face.

"It's really fun being around you all."

"..."

"That's why, please stay with me, okay?"

"..."

Then, a beaming smile, easily rivalling Emily's, showed itself. She threw herself at me with quite some force, causing me to nearly fall on the sleeping Maya.

"Love you," she whispered in a clear tone, unusual for her.

It was my turn for my eyes to widen in surprise. I didn't expect such a reaction.

I smiled wryly while patting her head.

Don't surprise me like that... Still, it makes me a bit happy. No, quite happy.

There wasn't anyone who wouldn't be happy about words like that. Especially when said with the innocence of a child like her. I wish I could be as upfront as them. But when you got older, words like that became hard to say.

I continued patting her head for quite a while silently until I could hear her soft breathing. She must have fallen asleep.

Thank you, Sele.

I thanked her in my mind. I was truly grateful to her and the others.

Yumias said that I was quite happy now, right? She wasn't wrong... This warmth, I don't want to let it go anymore. Whether it is Sis... or Lily... or Sele, Maya and Emily, they've all become dear to me in such a short time.

That monster also said that I was happier now than I was before. I wondered, what was my life like before I came here? I didn't know. I was sure, there were people precious to me. But it felt so far away. So, so far away.

Again, I looked towards the small window, at the night sky

Maybe, one day I will remember... And maybe, one day I will get the chance to say goodbye...

I looked over the girls surrounding me and a small smile found its way onto my face.

One day, I'm sure, I can tell them 'I'm fine, I'm happy.'

----------------------------------------

Many hours later the night found its end and the sun was slowly rising, sending warm rays into the wagon. It didn't take long before the first ones started to wake up. Their biological clock was truly amazing. Taking a look I found Emily already staring at me.

Thankfully, this time I hadn't rubbed Sele's cheek while half-asleep so there wasn't anything to feel guilty of. Though, I couldn't claim to be completely innocent this time either. Nobody had to know, right?

"Morning, Emily."

"Morning, Yumi!"

The girl sat up, belying the fact that she was sleeping mere minutes ago. Barely a few seconds later Lily stirred as well—bereft of her hugging pillow Emily—and looked sleepily around.

"Good Morning, Lily."

"Mhh... Mor... ning..."

"Good Morning, Big Sis Lily!"

"... Big Sis Lily?"

I looked towards Emily who was innocently looking back.

"Why Big Sis?"

"Mh? Because they are our Big Sisters! So she's Big Sis Lily!"

Meanwhile, the oldest one here wasn't treated as a big sister. It broke my heart.

Okay, it didn't really break my heart but I did feel a bit complicated when I thought about it. Well, they didn't know I was the oldest one... I didn't know whether I should tell them either.

"Big... Sis..." murmured Lily, staring at Emily with her sleepy eyes.

"An angel?"

"Lily, come back, that's Emily. She's not an angel."

She was probably just as rare as one. Actually, did angels exist?

"Mhh... I'm awake."

Lily sat up as well to the best of her ability. She stretched her arms and yawned.

"It's morning, huh... It's over already..."

She sounded a bit sad.

"It was fun! Let's sleep all together again, Yumi, Big Sis Lily!"

"Yes, let's do that!"

Reviving quickly, Lily agreed with her.

"Still, I slept really well. Not having to do a night watch is so great."

"But you stayed in the city before, didn't you?"

"That city isn't a place where you can sleep deeply..."

"Huh?"

I tilted my head. In the city she didn't have to worry about wildlife and monsters, right? Why would she be unable to sleep deeply?

"Well, that city's public security isn't good. Chances are high that someone tries to break into your room and then... Well, anyway, it's more bothersome than sleeping outside. But it has a bed, so it's hard to give that up too..."

"Oh... I see."

That actually sounded worse than the slums. Well, you couldn't sleep safely in the slums either... The first night I was with Karen, she actually hit me when I apparently started snoring. I sincerely hoped she wouldn't hit me now, even if I started snoring. Because it hurt.

In the meantime, Emily began violently shaking Maya. Watching it was a bit painful so I averted my gaze as fast as possible. Being woken up like that was nearly as bad as waking up half-naked and freezing.

"Uhh... Morning..." groaned the pitiful Maya once Emily was done with her.

"... Morning, Maya. My condolences."

"... Please stop her... when you are awake..."

"I'll try."

I couldn't promise anything. Emily was now sitting next to the sleeping Karen who was using Rina as her body pillow. Maybe she felt that her sister role was endangered by the way Lily had monopolised Rina. I felt a bit bad for her since she was worried for so long.

"Emily?"

I called out to her when I saw how she was fidgeting next to those two.

"Mh... Yumi!"

"Nn?"

"How do I wake them? I can't lift them both and shake them."

For the love of everything that is holy, stop shaking people full throttle just to wake them up. Are all your wake-up methods screwed up?

"E, Emily... Maybe you could just... Try calling them?" suggested Maya hesitatingly.

"Mmm... I'll try."

She leaned over the two.

"Big Sis Karen! Big Sis Rina! Wake up! It's morning! Wake up!"

"Mmmm...

"Wake up! Morning! It's morning! Breakfast might be ready!"

"But it isn't..."

I couldn't prevent myself from retorting. Emily called for them for a while and they actually woke up. I could see Maya breathing a sigh of relief from the corner of my eyes.

"Morning..."

"Mmm..."

"Morning, Sis, Rina."

I greeted the two and the others wished them a good morning as well.

"Now, only Sele is left!"

"Nn, good luck... Nn? Wait..."

It took me a moment to realise my predicament. Sele was still sleeping. In fact, she was still right next to me. She had been holding onto me for the entire night and I had completely failed to escape her grasp even once. And then, there was the method to wake her up.

"Wait, Emily. You can't do that now! Please don't!"

"Sele! Wake up!"

She ignored my pleas as she began with her handiwork with trained movements. There was no hope left.

----------------------------------------

"Yumi... You did your best..."

"Thanks, Sis..."

Sitting together with Karen and Lily in a corner of the wagon, I was being comforted. Emily, in her savage wake-up spree, had fortunately been unable to do her handiwork, since Sele was still clinging to me. It didn't stop her from trying, though.

"Well, all is well that ends well, right? Don't take it too much to heart," said Lily in an attempt to comfort me.

"You weren't the one that was nearly stripped down..."

Yes, she failed with her work. Yet, Emily, with her flawless logic, figured she should just strip me instead as well. She very nearly succeeded, hadn't Karen swiftly cut her finger again and saved me and Sele from the humiliation. Emily was quite displeased with that though. She really seemed to hate it if somebody got hurt.

However, I sincerely wished she would find a different method of waking Sele. Seriously. It was one thing as children since you could chalk it off on them not knowing better... but if you did something like this as an adult, it would lead to... complications.

"While I can understand your feelings, Yumi, let me remind you who it was that was walking around nearly naked for close to an entire week. Also, it was just us girls there, so it shouldn't be a problem anyway, right?"

"..."

"Wait, Yumi was walking around naked? I want to hear more about that!"

"I wasn't. I was still wearing something! And there's a difference between being stripped or stripping myself. And I didn't choose that shirt. If I had the option I would've liked something with more coverage at the time too."

"There were plenty of options for clothing around."

"From dead people."

"They aren't using it anymore, are they?"

"..."

How should I respond to this? Should I appeal to her morals? For someone so caring she was surprisingly brutal towards unrelated people. Even if they were dead.

I sighed, giving up on thinking about it.

"Whatever... It's not like it's a problem now anymore, right, Sis? I got something to wear now."

"It's still something you were lent from Wanda though."

"Ah..."

She was right about that. I had completely forgotten that I got them from Wanda and that I basically had nothing. If Wanda were to ask them back I'd really have to walk around naked. I doubted she would do that though. She was more likely to dress me up in more clothes.

"That reminds... We still have to pay Mr Korwen, don't we?"

"Oh..."

Karen pointed out something rather important... This was a much-appreciated change in topic.

"Ah, you don't have to worry about that. I talked with him regarding that already."

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

"You did?"

I turned in surprise to Lily.

"Yeah, I mean, you technically haven't paid me either..."

"..."

"Well..."

"Ah, I don't mind. When we're at the capital of Lafria, Korwen wants to find a magic craftsman. At the time I'll just take my share from you!"

So she wasn't letting us off. Well, we did make a deal with her and with Korwen, so there's that.

"Ah, Korwen also said, if it's not possible to pay us like that, he'll just keep our wages until we paid it off."

"Huh... Wait, wages?"

That was the first I heard of this.

"Well, we're probably going to have a talk with him or Merim about it for the specifics, but yes, wages. I mean, we joined a mercenary band. Of course, you're getting paid if you do work."

"Well... I just didn't expect that."

"Wages..."

Honestly, you could say he literally picked us up from the slums, a place where it was hard to even fill your stomach enough to survive. Going from that lifestyle straight to employment was nothing short of astonishing. That must have been even more true for Karen, who lived like that for most of her life.

"Does that mean... I'll have money? I won't have to pick up change from the streets or the dead anymore or sell the few valuables I could scavenge from them?"

"Karen... No, you will earn your own money."

Her life as a scavenger was over and she was going to live a stable life, tears were flowing down her face when she finally realised that. Maybe she had expected that food and a place to sleep was our payment. Not that I had thought of actually earning something either.

"Well, you're still going to be a mercenary, so don't think it's easy. It's a job about fighting and killing after all."

"..."

"..."

You just ruined the moment, Lily... Even if it is dangerous, it's completely different from not even having food for one day.

I sighed in astonishment. She was such a good girl but she really couldn't read the atmosphere. Or maybe she could and just pretended she didn't, I was honestly not quite sure which one it was.

"Speaking of which, you two... Since you're going to be mercenaries, how about we make use of our free time in the wagons for training?"

"I don't think there's a lot of space for training, Lily."

"Well, Yumi, there are other things you can train. For one, simple magic training doesn't really require much space, unless you want to fire off something big. Then, there's also that you should learn about communication, the ranks and other little things, right? Well, for the latter part, we'll have to consult with someone else first, I don't know how they manage that here."

"..."

Basically, we should learn about a mercenary's job and everything that it entailed... That did sound a bit intimidating if I was honest.

"Oh, right, Yumi."

"Nn? What is it, Sis?"

"You said you wanted to learn to read and write, right? We should probably make some time for that as well."

"Ah, right."

"Well, guess we'll be busy for a while. We should start with the basics, okay? Until we reach the Hollow Bridge, I want you two to have at least enough of a basic understanding to not get in the way, okay?"

"Nn."

"I understand."

Karen and I nodded to Lily's suggestion. I even swallowed my question about that 'Hollow Bridge.' It was most likely just some landmark.

Then, Lily turned towards me with an expression as if she just remembered something, though it quickly turned serious.

"Ah, but, Yumi..."

"Nn?"

"Maybe, we should first teach you some common sense and knowledge?"

"Eh?"

"Like, tell me what you know about the Akkian Empire."

The Akkian Empire? That's the country we were currently in if I recalled correctly.

"... It has an emperor."

"And?"

"There's the church."

"..."

"..."

A suspicious silence filled the room for a moment.

"Then tell me about the demonkin."

"... They have a tail and stop ageing sometime?"

Karen would forever be a cute and caring big sister. That was a great thing. Lily held her head and Karen was looking away awkwardly.

"Okay, then something simpler, tell me the major humanoid races."

"Uhm... Humans? Beastkin? Demonkin? Elves?"

I just listed the ones I knew existed, so I hoped that would be enough.

"Elves aren't even part of the humanoid races, they belong to the fairy folk..."

"... Eh?"

They weren't? But, weren't they humanoids? Emily looked perfectly like a person to me, except for her drooping long ears.

"This is even worse than I thought... Okay, my last question. How many hours does a day have?"

"Twenty-four."

"... Karen, how did this girl survive?"

"... I'm sorry, Lily. I don't know..."

Wait? Twenty-four is wrong? But? Huh?

My eyes went wide at the sudden revelation.

"Listen, Yumi, there are twelve hours a day, or in simpler terms one dozen. They are split into equal parts and spread out over the day."

"..."

So one hour was basically twice as long as the hours I knew? I vaguely remembered reading stories with a system like that using a bell as a measurement unit.

"Do they ring a bell every two... Ah, I mean, every hour?"

"Huh? Why would they?"

"So you know the time?"

"Ah, you mean it like that. No, they don't. It would be annoying if someone rings the bell while you were sleeping, right? And the bell is only used for emergencies anyway."

"But then, how do people tell time."

"Most people use either the position of the sun or a magic item to tell the time accurately. Here, look at this."

Her hand disappeared into the pocket of her beige shirt-slash-dress. I hadn't even noticed that it had pockets. What she took out was a small device, slightly reminiscent of a pocket watch.

"A watch?"

"Watch? No, it's not called that? Well, the official name of this was... Let me think for a moment."

"Nn? I thought you remember everything?"

"I don't exactly remember everything, you know. I do remember most things, though, but it's mostly in regard to things I've seen before. If it's just something I heard on the side it takes a bit. Anyway, don't distract me."

She was lost in thought for a few seconds until she shot up again.

"I remember! It was Onno Ukena's Savonette!"

"... Isn't that the manufacturer's name?"

"Well, yes, it is. But nobody calls it like that obviously so it is usually just called Savonette."

"Huh... But how does this work?"

"I don't know, it's some magic. There's a mana crystal inside but the amount of mana it uses is so small that these things work pretty much forever. Still, I'm surprised you didn't see one yet. They aren't exactly rare. And a simple one is cheap anyway."

"They are cheap?"

"Yes. Well, cheap is relative, I guess. A slum resident would be hard-pressed to buy one, huh..."

"They don't really need it anyway so nobody bothers," interjected Karen.

"Mh... Karen, do you have one?"

"I do."

She thrust her hand into her small bag and took something similar to Lily's pocket watch out. Just, hers was vastly different.

"This looks... expensive as hell, Karen..."

"How cute..."

"I got this back when I was still living with my family. Rina was too young so she never got one before we left."

"So it's something important to you, I guess."

"Well, a bit..."

The watch she had taken out was a very well-made and ornate watch. There was a cute and colourful flower pattern surrounding the face and the watch itself was in a metallic silver colour.

"You should keep it close and safe, Karen. Wouldn't want it to go missing or even stolen."

"That's right... I usually never take it out anyway, so..."

Not finishing her sentence she smiled wryly and stowed the pocket watch away again.

"Back to the topic, we should decide how we split the days for the near future. There's a lot you two have to learn, after all. We should also look for someone who can teach us about the mode of operation of the band."

"Nn, that would be good..."

"We probably can't bother Merim or Korwen with that, so don't go and annoy them."

Lily was staring right at me with a severely reproachful look.

"Eh?"

"They are actually busy so don't go around asking them every little thing. I know they answer you but it's not good to disturb their work. And it would be good if we could appeal with our independence a bit."

"... Nn, I understand..."

I honestly couldn't remember bothering them but Lily's stare was really intense. It was better not to question it, was it?

"Big Sis!"

Suddenly, we were interrupted from the side by Rina, who just appeared from behind Karen, hugging her.

"Miria, stop that."

"Stop calling me Miria and I will consider it. Hmph!"

"You..."

I smiled wryly at the sight. I looked to the side and saw Maya and them sitting together and talking with Korwen's wife.

"Rina, you shouldn't bother Karen too much."

"It's fine to bother Big Sis. She still treats me like a child after all!"

She pouted and puffed her cheeks childishly. It was a cute sight but also quite obviously the cause that she was treated like a child.

Really, these sisters are so impressive. They both are so strong despite their desperate situations. And they can still smile even after what happened to them. Speaking of changes...

"Hey, Rina?"

"Yes, Lil' Sis?"

Did it get shortened now? Well, whatever.

"You still have the mana crystal inside you, right? Is everything... I don't know... fine?"

She looked a bit confused for a few seconds then her expression changed into surprise.

"Eh? Lil' Sis, are you saying I still have that thing inside me?!"

"""..."""

She didn't notice? Really?

Karen and Lily were speechless as well from the looks of it. Karen had her mouth gaping wide open while Lily held her temples again.

"Well... Yes, you do..."

"I totally didn't notice... It doesn't feel like there is one, it's not uncomfortable, after all."

"Uncomfortable?"

I tilted my head.

"Well, aren't they usually uncomfortable?"

"... I wouldn't know... Or rather, it doesn't for me."

It didn't feel uncomfortable for me at all. I barely would even know it was there if I couldn't sense the mana of it and the slightly hard feeling. And 'usually' was kind of interesting when most people probably never had experience with this.

"Eh? Eh? You have one too?!"

"Nn. I do..."

Wait, she didn't know? Had nobody told her... What had happened during the rescue? I looked over to Karen but she looked confused and shook her head towards me.

"Rina, do you know what happened when Sis and Lily rescued you?"

"... No?"

"..."

Really? Nobody had told her? And she hadn't asked about it either?

"I mean, when I asked the other girls that were with me they said that the magicians removed the mana crystals. And nothing felt bad so I figured everything was fine as is!"

"Rina..."

"Big Sis? What is it?"

"You see, Yumi changed the mana crystal inside you because it couldn't be removed anymore."

"Is that so? So is Lil' Sis someone amazing? The old men couldn't make it work, so she is someone amazing, right?"

"Well... You could say she is amazing."

What was going on now? Why was I being praised now? I was happy about it, of course.

Rina leaned over towards me with sparkling eyes.

"Amazing! Is that why I feel so much better than before? It always hurt and was like a stone was stuck in my chest but I didn't even notice it now! That’s amazing!”

“I-Is it?”

“Yes!”

She pulled me towards her and hugged me while laughing and giggling.

“So, if it couldn’t be removed that means you saved me, right? Right? Thank you, Lil’ Sis!”

“N...Nn… You’re… welcome?”

“Thank you!”

She smiled brightly at me. Somehow, I felt happy as well at the sight. I was truly glad I could save this girl.

"... Everyone is taking her away..." complained a certain someone next to us with an obvious hint of jealousy.

My smile turned a bit wry at that. I felt a bit bad about it for her. Maybe we should get Rina to fawn over Karen a bit.

"Rina."

"Yes?"

"You know, if you ask me, Sis is way more amazing than me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't even be here anymore either. She was the one who initiated everything. And Lily helped us a lot as well. It was her idea on how to treat you as well. I didn't do much except what I was told."

She stared at me for a bit then grinned.

"That's right! Big Sis is the most amazing one! She's Big Sis after all!"

"Haa..."

I glanced over to Karen and saw her going slightly red. She probably didn't expect Rina to just assume that she's the most amazing one amongst us. She certainly didn't show it in her behaviour, so I could understand it. Actually, she was glued to Karen before she came to me, so maybe we just missed it.

"But Lil' Sis and Lily are amazing, too!"

"Haa... Thank you."

"I am really happy everyone in my family is so amazing!"

She showed us a wide, toothy smile.

This girl... She's wearing her emotions on her sleeve, isn't she?

It was refreshing, she was so upfront with everything, that you could really feel that she meant every word.

"Umm... Rina?" interrupted Lily.

"Yes?"

"Did you... count me too?"

"Of course? You are family, aren't you?"

"Eh?"

Lily was visibly stumped by her straightforwardness, frozen in place upon hearing her answer.

"Two big sisters and a little sister! Ah, or is it four little sisters?"

Four?

Her question made us all stare at her. She turned around and we followed her gaze, only to find three little gazes staring right back at us. They had apparently listened in on our conversation.

"So? Is it four or one, Big Sis?"

"Eh? You're asking me?"

"Who else should I ask?"

She tilted her head quizzically.

"Well... That is..."

Karen was slightly troubled. It was understandable, rejecting it outright might be a bad idea but she wasn't sure she should just include them.

I looked over at those three little girls again. Sele stared wide-eyed in our direction, she actually looked really expectant. Emily seemed to not quite sure what was even happening, judging from her expression. On the other side, Maya's expression was a bit troubled.

"Rina, isn't it just simpler to ask them instead of Karen?"

Lily threw her a much-needed lifeline.

"Is that so?"

Rina seemed not quite convinced but nonetheless, she let go of me and walked over to the three.

"Are you also my little sisters?" she asked without a hint of hesitation.

"That... That is..."

Maya was trying to answer but only managed to stutter. She looked for help to her sides but she only found Sele full of expectations and a confused Emily.

It might have been hopeless but Emily still decided to rescue her, although her expression was really serious, completely different from usual.

"Um, Big Sister Rina, you are Big Sister Rina, so, does that make me your little sister?" Emily asked with a serious tone.

"If I'm your big sister then you have to be my little sister! I'm sure!"

Rina's answer didn't actually sound really convincing as vague as it was but Emily still nodded to herself a few times.

"So, then I'm your little sister and Sele and Maya are my family so they are your family too?"

"Yes! It should be so."

"And you are family with Yumi so she is our family too?"

"That's right!"

She thought for a moment. I had no idea how that logic was supposed to work, though, but they seemed fine with it. Emily nodded again to herself and turned to Maya with her energetic smile returning.

"Maya, Maya! Yumi is family! And we have big sisters! Isn't that great?!"

"..."

Maya had obviously no idea what just had happened either.

"... Family... Not just... friends... My... Family..." whispered Sele nearly inaudibly.

Sele clenched her fists in front of her chest and smiled lightly.

"Well, Yumi... Seems our family suddenly grew to twice its size."

"Seems so, Sis... But... I don't know, I think I'm fine with that."

"... Taking care of you all will be quite a pain. Just who started this, I wonder."

She shot me a meaningful glance. Thinking back, all this just happened because I started calling her 'Sis.' If I had known the family would grow so large... I still might've done it.

Family, huh... A big family, at that. Even though none of us are blood-related... Except for Sis and Rina... And even though we only knew each other for barely a few days... But Rina just went ahead and declared us all family... I guess such pure honesty is her good point...

A warm feeling spread out in my chest. Family... It had a nice ring to it.

"Hey, Yumi..."

Lily leaned over and whispered quietly to me.

"Nn? Why so quiet, Lily?"

"I'm just wondering but... If we go by that logic what about mama and papa..."

"... No."

It took me a short moment to realise what she meant. But the answer was no.

"Eh... But..."

She fidgeted a bit, just enough to not draw attention right now. Her expression was veritably crestfallen when she heard my response. I actually felt bad now.

"Well... We barely know them right? We can't just declare them family like that, okay?"

"... So... There's a chance..."

I averted my gaze and just kept quiet. Luckily, considering she moved back and giggled quietly to herself it must've been the right answer. I honestly didn't want to count that witch as family, but it was obvious that Lily did love her as her parent. It was a bit troubling.

"Ah! But there's one problem. Big Sis, what should we do, we're seven!" shouted Rina all of a sudden.

"Eh? Where's the problem with that, Miri-... Rina?"

A sudden glare made her quickly correct herself.

"One will be left over!"

"Left over?"

"Yes, with seven we can't form couples!"

"... Couples?"

What the heck did she mean now?

"Mhm, couples! I mean, you can only marry one person so we can only form three couples and one will be left over, what should we do?"

Excuse me?

"Rina, could you repeat that?"

"I said, we can't form couples!"

"No, the other part, please."

"I said, we can only marry one person and one will be left over..."

"Did you just say... marry?"

"I did, why?

I wasn't quite sure I heard right. What the heck was she talking about now? Wasn't it Lily's job to ask the ridiculous questions? No, that wasn't even the problem right now. What did she imagine doing with this family?

"Mi—, Rina what does ma—, ma—, marriage... have to do with this..." asked Karen, incredibly flustered.

"Well, we're family, right? And marriage makes us even more into a family! So if Big Sis marries Lil' Sis and I marry Lily then we're really close family! But now we're more so that doesn't work anymore. And we're seven."

"..."

She wanted me to marry Karen? How many steps did she want to skip? We had to go in the proper order, first was holding hands, right? And then we could slowly...

No, no, no, that's all wrong. That's completely off the point! And why am I even starting with holding hands, am I an innocent maiden? Actually... am I? Ahhh...

At one point I apparently shed my last bit of masculinity. Maybe I should just accept it. I was stuck like this for the future and it was surely better to simply accept it. I took a deep breath.

Amusingly, this actually unnerving thought calmed me down. It had distracted me a bit and my initial panic was gone. Taking a look around I could see that I wasn't the only one panicking.

Karen had gone so red that you were likely to still see it in the dark clear as during the day. Additionally, her mouth was opening and closing like a fish's. She clearly looked like she short-circuited. On the other side was Lily hiding her face. If she had human ears they were probably red as well. Interestingly she was actually hiding a smile, though she wasn't doing a good job at hiding it.

Lily, don't tell me, you... No, I won't think about that. That'd be rude, she has to deal with that on her own. I won't meddle.

Turning back to Rina she looked confused too, likely because of our reactions. Behind her, Sele approached her with a dark expression. I had a bad feeling. Sele pulled on her clothes to draw her attention.

"Mh?"

"That's... no... good..."

"No good? Why?"

Rina tilted her head.

"Because... Because..."

Sele took a deep breath, looking up determined. In my direction.

"I will marry Yumi!"

What?!

Rina's eyes went wide. Then she turned to Karen in a hurry.

"Big Sis! You have a rival! You can't give up!"

"... What is happening anymore... I have no idea what is going on..."

Karen was giving up. At least in regard to this chaos.

Sele hurried over to me suddenly and jumped into my arms.

"You said... You want me to stay with you! That's why! I will marry you! Take responsibility!"

How?! I said that because I wanted to stay friends! How did it escalate to this?

Never would I have thought I'd hear the words 'marry' and 'take responsibility' in a single breath. And even if, definitely not by a young girl half my age. Where had she even learnt that? It was wrong on so many levels.

I looked over to Karen for help but she was smiling with closed eyes and not reacting. She clearly escaped reality. I was a bit jealous.

I turned towards Lily. She gave me a thumbs up.

Why a thumbs up?! That's not what I need now.

On Rina's side, she looked clearly excited about this development.

My last hope, Maya, was escaping reality as well, in the same manner as Karen. They were weirdly similar in that aspect.

The last one, Emily suddenly stepped forward. I didn't really expect much from her but she stood in front of Rina and looked up at her.

"Big Sis Rina, why marriage?"

"Why? My, because, the person you want to stay with the most, you see, you marry them! So, marriage is the closest bond you can have!"

"Is that so? But Sele and Big Sis Karen can't both marry Yumi?"

"Unfortunately, marriage is allowed only with one partner..."

"Why?"

"Why? That is... Actually, why is it?"

"The animals in the forest, they stay with everyone, so why can't we stay with everyone? Everyone will be married!"

"... Are you a genius?"

No! Don't be impressed, for the love of... Just... Don't make it any worse!

Rina looked genuinely impressed. And Emily smiled smugly, proud of being called a genius.

"Well, Yumi... Good Luck."

Lily! Help me!

Alas, she left me alone. I had to deal with this scene of future carnage on my own.