"What's your name, sister fox?"
“Stop calling her that,” the older one scolds. While I do my best to pretend to be deaf. “Sorry for them, my name is Muffin. By the way, my parents had me at eighteen, hence the cute name, before you ask”
... I wasn't going to ask, but yes, it is a cute name. She continues.
"These are my younger sisters, introduce yourselves"
"Me first! I'm Bellota"
"I'm Twig"
"Hazel!"
"Uh, nice to meet you, my name is Seina"
I don't think the age of their parents had anything to do with their names, they're all cute... I guess Muffin is cuter than the rest.
"You see, we just arrived in this city, but we lost all our money... And no one seems to want to help us!"
"No one? That's weird"
"I know, it must be-"
"Sister Muf is lying!"
"Yes! Many wanted to help us"
"Some wanted to give us money"
"Muffin refused them all"
"She was the one who asked for help, but when they wanted to give it to us, she looked at them like they were criminals"
"What an idiot"
"Muffin idiot"
"That's why she never had a boyfriend"
"Poor thing"
I get some second-hand hurt from the little girls. Anyway, I want to help, of course, but the big sister seems to be someone cautious... What should I do?
"Shut up! Spoiled brats talking bad about your sister, they had ulterior motives!"
"We know! The nun wanted to stroke our tails!"
"No big deal"
"She smelled good, I wouldn't have minded"
"The baker wanted to hug us and feed us"
"Really?"
"You didn't notice?"
"I was distracted by some birds"
"How clumsy"
"I like those ulterior motives"
"Shut up already!"
... Even though they fight, they seem to love each other very much.... Huh, besides my mom and brother, when we were very young, I was never particularly close to anyone in my family. They make me a little jealous... Mh? Muffin has a dagger.
“A-anyway, don't mind them” Then, she sums up her little adventure for me.
Oh? Well, we're going to the same town, so that helps. But bandits?
"I don't remember ever hearing of bandits near Castelmar"
"Me neither, there was something strange about them, they seemed more concerned about making us leave than robbing us"
"Maybe they were just passing through?"
"Beats me"
Never mind, that gives me an idea.
"I see, I can help you, I'm from Castelmar too, I'm going there in a few days, I can accompany you and check on your parents"
"You're a doctor!? Um, but. How old are you?"
"Uh, twenty-two"
"We are the same age! I thought you had to study for at least six years to be a doctor?"
"I think so, yeah. Uh, look, I know it sounds very unreliable, you don't have to believe me"
"... It doesn't make sense, I don't think you're lying to me, although my logic screams that you are"
At least she's honest. Maybe I shouldn't have brought that up, it's not like I'm going to hurt myself to prove it to her, how awful.
"Like I said, you don't have to believe me, I can still pay you all a ticket there, but I want you to teach me how to use the dagger, okay?"
"Eh? Is that all?"
"Yes? I made good money today, so I don't know what else I could ask of you, honestly"
"Mm..." A cute growl from the smaller squirrel stops him from thinking. "Okay, we'll take you up on your offer, for now, these three brats should go home, I'll worry about my parents later"
"Great! Did you hear that?" I squat down and move towards the three girls who lost their energy while we were talking. She already accepted the deal, so I can spoil them a little, right?
"Look, a magic trick"
I put my hands on either side of Hazel's head, the youngest squirrel. And I make four skewers appear, two in each hand.
"Tada~!"
"... Witchcraft!?"
They take them without saying much, greedily stuffing their cheeks like all good squirrels.
"There's a nice hotel a few blocks from my house, let me give you some money." I'll have to borrow some more of Lance's money for the sisters. But Muffin cuts me off.
"I already feel bad about letting you pay our fare, I can't add to my debt with a hotel... I think we'll look for a hostel after all"
"I don't know how safe the hostels are, but you should accept it, you know, it's not about your comfort, it's about theirs"
"Well, yeah, but-"
"Look at them, they're tired and hungry, they need a good place to sleep, I highly doubt a hostel would be very clean"
"I guess..."
She doesn't look very convinced... I understand her, but the safety of the girls is more important than her pride. Fortunately, there is another alternative.
"How about this? I have a room in the dormitory at the academy. I live nearby so I never use it, you'll have to work to get food for the next few days until we leave, but at least your sisters will have a safe place to wait for you"
"... Will they let us in?"
"The caretaker is someone reasonable, I think it will be fine as long as you don't cause any trouble. But if he doesn't agree, you'll have to go to the hotel"
She looks at her sisters for a moment. "Okay, we'll accept your offer, but please think of something reasonable to ask, I'm not even that good with a dagger, this is just a cheap one I carry around just in case"
"We'll come up with something, what do you usually fight with?"
"I use my legs and a sword, but the bandits took it"
"Legs..." My gaze moves in that direction, but she's wearing pants that are a bit baggy, so I can't get a good look at her shape. "Well, let's get going then... Actually, I have to run an errand at the house of... Uh, some friends...
I pause, huh, I can't remember the last time I mentioned to someone that I have friends... I guess it's kind of sad to be happy about it, but I don't mind.
"Do you mind if we stop by before we go? It's not too far from here." Maybe they could grab a bite to eat there, but I don't even know if the sisters are home or if they're busy, so I shouldn't commit.
"Sure"
I won't do what I once did. If I want to keep these new friends, I have to integrate myself into their lives, nothing intrusive of course, just making sure I don't lose touch. Visiting them once in a while to buy food and chat if they want, sounds like a good plan.
It turned out that Sarisa and Lenna were very willing to accept visitors even if they were closed.
"Are you going to keep drinking?"
"Just one more bottle, I'm so glad you're okay"
"Nothing bad happened in the end, did it?"
"If anything had happened, I wouldn't have been able to protect you, I'm a failure..."
"..."
Dom is really drunk. Looks like something happened... Wait, why do I keep calling him Dom in my head? It's rude, I think. But it's almost impossible not to abbreviate Dominic to Dom for some reason.
"Did something happen?" I ask as Sarisa invites us inside. Lenna just waves. As she continues to eat a flan of... Vanilla, caramel... Uh, what is that? It smells like some kind of liquor.
"I don't know, you should know"
"Me?"
"Someone~," she looks at me, "made everything dark this afternoon..."
"... Oh"
"Yeah, Uncle Dom's been like that ever since"
There are four empty bottles on the table. I know next to nothing about alcohol, but I'm sure it doesn't matter how well you metabolize it or how low the percentage of alcohol is. Four whole bottles is too much for anybody.
"I can almost feel his liver screaming at him to stop..."
"Liver?"
"Uh, it's one of the organs that processes alcohol"
"Oh... But Uncle Dom has always been tolerant of alcohol, although this is the first time I've seen him drink this much"
"Even if you're tolerant, it still does a lot of damage to your body. Well... I'm not one to tell him not to drink, but four whole bottles is too much"
"Huh... You know, my father used to drink a lot too, but he stopped when he started getting dizzy and throwing up out of nowhere, he also got short of breath and had bad headaches... It happened more and more often until he stopped drinking, do you think that's why?"
"Yes, mm, well, not necessarily, there are things that can cause the same thing. But if you say it stopped when he stopped drinking, that's most likely, yes. That all sounds like hypertension problems"
"Hyper-what?"
As we sit down, I think about how to explain it simply.
“Well, basically, arteries are these... Tubes, connected to the heart, that are responsible for carrying blood to the rest of the body. Drinking a lot of alcohol can cause hypertension, which is when there's a lot of blood in those tubes, causing them to stretch"
"Oh. Like veins?" asks Sarisa from the kitchen.
"They're similar, but thicker, and that blood has oxygen in it, unlike the blood in the veins, that doesn't have much"
We make small talk, then Sarisa, without ever asking if I want one, puts a lavender latte in front of me. This brightens my evening even more~.
"You girls want something?"
Half paying attention, I notice the squirrel sisters looking at me for a moment.
"Same as her"
"How do you say?"
"Same as her, please"
"Cake!"
"Steaks! Uh, please!"
"Oh, sorry, we don't have many ingredients right now... We'll rebuild the place first, how about something simple and a drink?"
This reminds me the reason I came here in the first place. Well... It can wait until I'm finished, can't it? But at least I still have some skewers left.
"I've got a few, here"
I pull out three skewers for the little ones.
"Thank you!"
"Hum~"
"Huum"
"... What was that?" Asks Sarisa.
"Skewers"
"What?"
"You don't know them? They are also called kebabs, brochettes, uh... Broach, I think, or is that last one the utensil?"
"No, no, I know what skewers are, I mean, where did they came from!?"
"Oh, it's a magic trick"
"... What?"
"A magic trick"
She doesn't look bothered, talking out loud is her thing. So, I lean over to her and do the same silly trick, pulling a skewer out from behind her head.
"Here, have one"
“Thanks, but seriously…”
Seeing that he is at a loss for words, Muffin speaks up.
"Do you have milkshakes? Bellota doesn't like coffee, something simple will do for her, please"
"Okay! Give me a minute," she seems to have decided to ignore what I did, good.
After a while of relaxing, Dom speaks to me, looking a bit more sober... Isn't alcohol supposed to make you drunker over time, not the other way around?
"Seina. Tell me, do you know what caused the darkness this afternoon?"
"... Why the question?"
“So you know.” Am I that easy to read?
"Yes, you're very easy to read," Dom says. ”You don't have to tell us anything, but I'm worried about what you've been through to be able to do something like that”
Should I tell them...? We haven't known each other long, but I want to believe that if they're worried, then our growing friendship is on the right track! It might also help Muffin trust me a little more, maybe.
“It's not what you think, you see, I awakened my darkness magic not too long ago. It came along with some mostly violent instincts and some strange words that pop up in my head from time to time... My cousin Nicole thinks they're remnants of a past life or something"
For the first time, even the three girls pay silent attention. I continue.
"I don't know if it is, since I don't remember anything like another life, but yes, as you saw this afternoon, it could be something... um, volatile, I'm still discovering my new limits"
"You did that!?" Muffin asks.
"W-well, yeah. Sorry..."
"O-oh, no, don't worry, nothing bad happened, but it gave us quite a scare, we were on the road, a few hills away, when part of the city seemed to disappear from the world... On second thought, it was very scary, especially since we would soon be in said city"
"I'm sorry..."
"Why did you get so mad?" Dom asks.
I go on to tell them the story of the brats attacking the children and the instincts I mentioned earlier taking over. So, the five of us chat some more while the three girls stay in their own world.
But in the midst of the good atmosphere... Lenna sits next to me without saying anything.
"..."
"..."
Her breathing is a little slow, her cheeks are flushed and her hands are shaking a little, but most worryingly... She's looking at my tail like a hawk.
"... Lenna?"
"Can I touch it?"
"M-my tail?"
"Yes"
"W-why?"
"Why not?"
"W-Well... If it's just a little bit, sure"
"Thanks for the food"
Then she pounces on my tail like a hungry wild animal! I quickly wag my tail out of her reach.
"Why are you dodging!?"
"Hasn't your personality changed? I agreed to let you touch it, not rip it off!"
"Hahaha! It's happening again!" Says Sarisa.
"Again?"
"Lenna is usually reserved, but when she gets drunk, she lets her desires control her, she's a lover of all things fluffy, like your tail right now, she can't take it anymore~"
"Why do you look so happy about it!?"
"That's not fair, you said I could touch it," Lenna interrupts, not paying attention to what her sister said.
"I'm sorry, I take it back! You have no self-control!"
"You promised..."
"Uh... I'll let you do it when you're sober, don't be so sad, okay?"
"Okay... I demand compensation"
"... What?"
"Let me disguise you"
"Huh? As what?"
"As a waitress"
"... Again, why?"
"Again, why not? A few months ago, we ordered a uniform for my sister, but her tits are huge and it was also very revealing, but it will look great on you." She says looking at my chest.
"You didn't have to say that! And watch your language," Sarisa interrupts, not really sounding upset.
'Tits' is a bad word...? I never use it, but because it sounds informal, not because it sounds rude... Maybe it depends on who you ask.
"Do I have to?"
"Yes"
"... A little help?"
Sarisa and Dom just smile, ignoring my call for help. Muffin just stares at her cup with a tired, pensive look on her face. The girls are playing a game with their hands, ignoring the rest of the world.
"I'll show you." Lenna drags me by the hand into the kitchen.
"Well... If it's just to try it on, it's okay"
"Great"
I finally enter the door behind the bar, and sure enough, there is a nice kitchen, small but very well kept and organized... The idiots Lance brought in that day didn't break anything here, I'm glad.
We don't stop here, we pass another door that leads to some stairs, on the second floor there is an old but clean living room that leads to the balcony seen from the entrance. At the end of the corridor is the laundry room, followed by a small terrace where there are clothes hanging on a loop. A door ajar reveals the bathroom, and the only other door, I assume, leads to their bedroom. The two of them sleep together? That's cute.
"Oh. Right, there's a mess in our room, please wait here"
"Sure," at least she's aware enough to be embarrassed by her mess, huh? Not that I'd mind, that reminds me, I have a lot of work waiting for me in my own room...
I step out onto the balcony. A nostalgic feeling comes over me, that feeling you get when you're doing something you shouldn't be doing, but it's really not that bad, so you have the luxury of enjoying it as much as you can before you get caught.
That happened to me when... Um... Kairi and I hiked up, without permission, to the Mara temple bell, back home. It was amazing to see my hometown from so high up... Seeing the birds resting up close, walking around the strange spherical roofs, looking from the windows into the building from above, wondering if anyone would see us... It was a fun day. We were scolded very badly for doing something so dangerous as the bell tower had no safety bars, I still remember that fondly....
'Regardless of what happened, I miss Kairi...'
I relax on the railing, it's nothing compared to the bell tower of a temple nearly one hundred and fifty feet high, but it still gives me the feeling of being in a place I've seen many times before, but which has been inaccessible until now.
"Here it is!"
I go back inside as Lenna calls me, closing the wooden balcony door behind me, then I see Lenna holding a... Very pretty, actually, waitress uniform, it looks more like a little high-waisted, short-sleeved dress, it's mainly pink, with lots of ruffles and a cute little white apron around the waist.
When she said it was revealing, I suppose she meant the round neckline, the buttons start too low, they will make me show a little cleavage, but for Sarisa... There's also the short circle skirt, which I think would go to mid-thigh. I was expecting something... Much less practical, so to speak... I seem to have a dirty mind.
Anyway, it's very pretty, I love it.
Technically, I was also a waitress at the bakery where I worked, but it was mainly a buy, take and leave business. There were only two tables, so the uniform, if you can call it that, was a simple apron around my waist over my regular clothes.
"It doesn't have a hole or anything for your tail to go through... But you could keep it under the skirt, couldn't you?"
"Hm? Oh... Well, yeah, but I'd have to concentrate really hard, or my tail would rise up naturally at some point and lift the skirt..."
"Really!? Cool!"
"What do you mean cool!?"
"The restaurant is closed, so it's okay, we're just women here, Uncle Dom is an old man, so he doesn't count"
"Uh..."
"Go put it on, I'll help you~"
I don't know if I like this new personality of hers... At least it's better than her barely talking to me, I guess. I'm kidding, I like both.
"Alright, but... Let me go get some clothes, I've been wearing the same thing all day"
"... Are you going to take long?" Why does she look so sad?
"I have a trick to travel fast, it'll only take five, uh, no, ten minutes"
"Fine..."
It's silly, since they're clean, but I don't want to... How should I say it? I don't want to have on my record the fact that I wore three different sets of clothes on the same day without changing my underwear, so I'm going to run home and get something.
A few minutes later, I'm home and... Nicole is here. Lying on the living room couch, reading a book and eating cashews out of a bowl. In her underwear, of course.
"..."
"... Why are you so late? May I ask where have you been, young lady? I'm just kidding"
"Before that, why are you here? After coming to work so late, were you let out at the usual time?"
"Of course not, but I took the day off"
"... Nicole"
"Yes?"
"Why haven't they fired you yet?"
"Hey, I do my job properly, I hardly ever ask for days off, so I'm owed a lot of them. If you arrived at work and suddenly a bunch of idiots started yelling at you, wouldn't you want to get the hell out of there?"
"Yeah, but isn't it better to arrive early so you don't get yelled at?"
"Nah, I don't think so"