"You gonna be okay?" Mom put her hand on my head, "Don't be a nuisance to uncle Meil, okay?"
"Ugh, for the last time, mom!" I shook her off, "Don't call him my uncle! It's weird and untrue!"
Standing at the Southern dock in Cardina, I was saying my farewells to my family as I departed to University. My destination is Simpleton, though my goal is a certain unc-I mean, Meil! Meil is my goal! Like I said, he's not my uncle! I just called him that when I was a toddler!
Shooting me a terribly worried expression, mom then looked over at aunt Anna and sighed. "See? That's exactly what I meant by calling her a nuisance. For Prylos' sake, Nelly, you're thirteen! Lune and I didn't agree to send you out to Simpleton just so you could embarrass us."
"That's right, missy." Aunt Anna gave me a tight hug, the warmth of her bosom enveloping my frame almost fully, "Lune wanted you to be a top-tier scholar once you turned old enough to enroll. It's a shame he didn't get to see you in person, but I'm sure he'll be looking down from heaven intently, so be sure to act like a proper lady over there!"
Mom and auntie have been through a lot ever since dad died. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I can't relate. Back when it happened, I cried myself to sleep every night and refused to leave my room for almost a month. Still, it seems that the grieving period had to be cut short, because uncle Ed had a ton of problems on his own end. Mom pulled me aside one day after I asked him directly about it. She said he apparently has PTSD from the war, which I can understand, given he lost his best friend there. Damned idiots, why did they even go back there after everyone was safe and sound? Everything would've been fine if they hadn't!
"Sis! Sis!" Cene toddled up to me, "Look, a clam!"
"Throw it away, Cene." Mom bossed him around, "You don't know where that thing's been."
"But moooom~!" Cene whimpered, "It's cute! Don't wanna!"
"Cene, I'm gonna count to three now." Mom raised her fist up to count, "One... Two...!"
"Ugh, okay..." Cene went to chuck it, knowing from experience just how dangerous mom's countdown is, though I stopped him just as he was about to, "Huh, sis?"
"Don't worry. I'll hold onto it, so leave everything to your big sis!" I boasted, holding my chest up high as I spoke.
Cene's already three years old. Mom said he was born a week after dad's birthday, which was also the day of his death. His Green Eyes shine a bright emerald color, which aligns with his ever-curious nature. He likes collecting all sorts of things, calling everything he finds "cute". Pretty unbefitting of a boy with the last name "Grimheart", if you ask me, but I've come to find that part of him quite endearing. I used to blame him for dad's death for whatever reason at some point, probably because I was a stupid ten year old back then. But now I'm a completely different Nelly! I am the scholar Nelly Grimheart! I'll take this Grim world on and steal the Heart of my hero Meil!
"Just what are you planning, young lady?" Mom then redirected her fury to me for taking the clam, "Don't think you're exempt from my rules just because you're a bit older than him."
"Ah, let her be." Auntie smiled as she patted me on the head, "She's just taking care of her brother's belongings, just like any good big sister should."
"Sis, when are you coming back?" Cene muttered, his vocabulary still a tad limited.
"Oh, you!" I gave him a tearful hug, "Big sis is gonna take a while, so be sure to look after your moms and dad, okay?"
"D-Don't call him your dad!" Auntie blushed, "It's rude to Lune, and it's rude to him!"
"Although I don't mind you calling me your father, I'd still prefer you don't lump me in with Cecily." A confident voice rung out as a tall, blonde and well-built man lifted both of us off the ground, "I'm your cool uncle Edward, not your dad, okay?"
"Okay, dad!" I thought it'd be good to tease him before I boarded the ship.
"Well, if you insist on me being your dad..." He then carefully put Cene back down before turning me around, "This little lady deserves a spanking for being such a bad girl!"
"E-Eh!? No, none of that, you damned uncle!" I desperately cried out as everyone at the dock looked on, "H-Hey, this is illegal! Or at least it has to be?! Don't embarrass me before my journey even starts!"
"Heh, never gets old." Uncle dropped me hard on the ground, dirtying up my skirt a bit in the process, "Let this be a lesson, Nelly. Don't go thinking you're above others, lest they spank you on the butt in public."
"That's one weird lesson." I raised my finger at him, "You sure you didn't just wanna fulfill your perverted fantasies, huh!? You damned perverted uncle!"
"Hrm..." A vein popped out on his temple as he counted to ten, "Missy, always and forever remember this fact about your dear uncle. He's a big-boobs guy, not even a picometer interested in a kid like you."
As he spoke, he went around auntie and discreetly groped her right tit from over her shoulder. This way he turned their backs away from the public, making it so only we could see the embarrassing sight clearly. As much as Cene found it humorous due to his inexperience and immature age, so too did mom and I shoot deadly glares over at uncle. Auntie didn't seem to be a fan of getting her body used as an example, though I could also feel a hint of superiority coming right from her chest. Damned Saints, they're no more than demons, the lot of them!
"All aboard!" The captain yelled out for my ship.
"Ah, gotta go! I'll tell Meil you guys said hi!"
"Nelly." Mom called out to me in the midst of my hurry, "Take care."
"Yeah, you too."
***
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Today's the day! After nearly a whole decade of waiting, I can finally live with my beloved Meil! Oh how I've missed him, I wonder if he's grown any since we last met? Hehe, I don't mean to brag, but I recently just started my growth spurt, so here's to hoping I get big soon... i-in all sorts of ways...
"Ngah! No use mulling over that damned uncle's words." I shook off the insecurity welling up from within my chest, "Besides, I'm sure Meil is a gentleman like dad! They were best friends, so they must share at least a bit of their taste in women, right?"
Departing from the ship, I was caught in a sea of passengers who were all eager to leave. I wasn't in any particular rush, so I just ended up waiting for the dust to settle before carefully getting off of the ship. Looking around, it wasn't at all difficult to spot the white haired handsome prince in the crowd. Dashing with all my might, I had given him a proper hug as a sign of greeting.
"Meil! I've missed you so much~!"
"Wah! You scared me!" He seemed delighted as he took a good look at me, "I am glad you have grown up so much since our last meeting."
"Hehe, still having trouble with those apostrophies, huh?" I teased, "How cu-"
"Eh, is this her, Meil!?" A large green haired tiddy monster sprung up from behind him, donning a euphoric gaze as her long hair swung around wildly, "Oh my God, you're so cute! You must be Nelly, right? Nice to meet you, I'm Trezzion Kiria Archambeau, but you may call me Kiria for short! Ah, your dress is so adorable, you're just like a doll! Meil told me so much about you!"
"... You talk too much." I winced, "Also, what the hell, Meil! Who the hell is she!?"
"Right, I did not get enough time to introduce you. This is Kiria, my friend and upperclassman from the University." He explained, "She can be a bit overzealous at times, but please give her a chance. Starting today, she is gonna be your upperclassman as well."
"Shut up, you!" She punched him in the shoulder before hurriedly looking over at me, "T-That wasn't a serious punch! Just a friendly one, I swear!"
"R-Right..." I melted into the ground from the weight of the situation, "M-Meil is quite popular, a-after all... Kh, o-of course he'd h-have made some f-f-friends..."
"You do not seem particularly happy that I did, Nelly." He looked a tad peeved as he spoke, "But listen, I did it for you. I wanted you to-"
"For me!?" I sprung at him immediately, "Hehe, but of course you did! I don't really remember asking that of you particularly, but just knowing that you thought of me this entire time makes me super glad!"
"Right..." He then stared down at my body for an uncomfortably long while.
"Humu, what's this~?" The teasing devil broke out of me once more, "Has my grown up body attracted your gaze, I wonder?"
"Your body..." He muttered, flabbergasted.
"My body~?"
"Your body is..." He then snapped out of it, "...too thin. Are you eating well?"
As the green haired lady facepalmed, I winded up for a slap of the century. Thankfully, it seems Meil still hasn't grown a single centimeter since we last saw each other, meaning I finally got tall enough to reach his face with the palm of my hand. I dislike having to stain such a pretty face with a red hand mark, but I really can't stand someone calling me flat.
"I'll have you know I eat four meals a day, jackass!" I shouted in the middle of the dock, prompting everyone around us to stare, "A-Ah, uhm..."
"C'est d'accord! Tout va bien!" Green girl reassured everyone that everything was under control, though my rage wasn't yet satisfied.
"Tout ne va pas bien ! Il m'a appelé plat!" I shouted in Simpletonese, "I'll grow, dummy! Be patient, goddammit!"
Surprised by how well I spoke the tongue just now, or just embarrassed for me publicly outing him as a perv who looks at a girl's chest first and foremost, Meil looked around a bit with a somewhat worried expression as Green girl stifled her laughter like her life depended on it. Before long, he had grabbed me by the wrist and yanked me away from the scene.
"Wah~! What are you doing now, Meil?" I teased.
"Shut. Up." His tone got deathly serious for a second, sending chills down my spine, "Kiria, grab her luggage please."
"R-Right away!" Even Green girl seemed scared stiff as she hurried to do as he instructed.
"Nelly. I am sorry for saying something rude in the heat of the moment." He then stopped after we walked far enough away, "I will not do it again, so from hereon, please do not yell such obscenities in public."
"R-Right, sorry..." It finally hit me just how much of a stunt I pulled, "Ugh, I really messed this whole reunion up completely. Sorry Meil, mom was right, I'm not a proper lady at all..."
"Cecily said that about you, huh?" He then patted me on the head with a gentle smile, "I personally do not see you as anything else, though I guess that is just in the Eye of the Beholder."
Eh, did he just... call me a proper lady? E-Eep, what's happening!? I-Is this a confession!? So soon?! Wawawawhat now, do we k-kiss!? M-Mom said she had her first kiss when she was 14, so does that mean I'm gonna beat her to it!?
Puckering my lips up as I reached for his face and closed my Eyes, I was given the cold shoulder, literally, as he turned around and walked away without even noticing I leaned into him. Damn, I jumped to conclusions again!
"Are you coming?" Meil then turned around after taking my luggage from a blushing Green girl who appeared to have noticed my kissing attempt, "We have time, but that does not mean you should be dragging your feet."
"Hold on, this is all too much for me." I shook my head at him, "Where are we going, exactly?"
"Campus." He pointed Eastward, "Jelena's coffee shop, to be exact. I got some more friends I would like for you to meet."