Upon Arriving Home, Reiji Opened the Door and Called Out, "I'm Home, Shina!"
Suddenly, standing right at the door, Shina rushed forward and hugged Reiji tightly.
Shina: *With a worried expression* "Brother, where have you been? I was about to sleep, but when I woke up, you were gone..."
Reiji: "I'm fine. I just went out for a bit to check something." *He gently patted Shina's head.*
Shina nodded, then noticed someone standing behind Reiji.
Shina: "Who is that, Brother? Is she a girl? Why is she here?"
Reiji: "Her name is Stelle Sayomi. She's a noble of the royal family. I have no idea why she's so far from the capital."
Sayomi: *Smiling* "Hello, Reiji's little sister. What's your name?"
Shina: "My name is Tsukigami Shina."
Sayomi: "That's a beautiful name."
Shina: *Frowning suspiciously* "Miss Noble, why are you here? What do you want? Don't take my brother away, he's mine!"
Reiji: "Calm down. She's not here for anything strange. She just wanted to visit."
Shina: "Really, Miss Noble?"
Sayomi: "Yes, Shina. I'm sorry if I'm troubling you."
Shina: *Smiling* "Not at all! Let's play!"
They moved to the seating area.
Reiji: "Wait here. I'll get you something to drink."
Sayomi: "Alright."
Shina: "Me too, Brother!"
Reiji: "Okay."
---
As they sat down, Shina curiously stared at Sayomi.
Shina: "Miss Noble, why did you come all the way here? Isn't this the border of the Noctis Kingdom? This is Mount Kageren, the farthest place from the capital."
Sayomi: "I came here to defeat a giant bird monster that appears in winter. Before that, I met Reiji in the village."
Reiji returned, placing drinks on the table.
Reiji: "So, now that you've defeated the monster, what will you do next?"
Sayomi: "I'll head back to the capital tomorrow. It's too late to return now, so I'd like to stay here for the night."
Reiji: "What?! What do you mean? I won't allow it! You can stay at an inn in the village, not in my house!"
Sayomi: *Crossing her arms with a sly smile* "Oh? Did you forget that you borrowed money from me to buy medicine for your sister?"
Reiji: *Grumbling* "Tch..."
Sayomi: "In return, let me stay for one night. Consider your debt repaid."
Reiji: *Sighing* "Argh... Fine. But don't blame me if your body aches in the morning. You'll be sleeping with Shina, is that okay?"
Sayomi: *Smiling* "I don't mind."
Shina: "Yay! Miss Noble is staying over! I have a friend!"
Sayomi: "Hahaha, alright, Shina. We'll have fun tonight, okay?"
Reiji: "No! No playing!"
Shina: *With a sad expression* "Eh? Why?"
Reiji: "What are you even planning to play in this tiny house? If this place collapses, we'll freeze to death!"
Sayomi: "Oh, shut up, Reiji. I'll be careful. What do you think I'm going to do?"
Shina: "I want to play tag with Miss Noble!"
Sayomi: *Laughing* "Sure!"
Reiji: *Sighing* "Argh... You two... Alright, just go take a bath first. I'll go after you."
Shina: *Excited* "Miss Noble, do you want to bathe together?"
Sayomi: "Alright, Shina. Let's go take a bath."
---
Out of nowhere, Shina asked,
Shina: "Miss Noble, do you like Reiji?"
Sayomi: "Huh?! Why would I like him?! I'd rather pick someone else!"
Shina: "Huh? Why? My brother is handsome!"
Sayomi: *Sighing* "Well, yeah, but this is my first time meeting him. I don't even know his personality or how he acts."
Shina: "Oh... Then why don't you just stay here and get to know him?"
Sayomi: "Sorry, I can't. I'm a royal knight, so I don't have time for that."
Shina: "Hmm... Oh well, then."
---
After their bath, Shina and Sayomi played tag inside the house until Shina got exhausted and fell asleep on Sayomi's shoulder.
Reiji walked in, picked up Shina, and carried her to her room. Then, he returned to where Sayomi was sitting.
Reiji: "I want to thank you again, Sayomi, for lending me the money earlier. If I hadn't gotten it, I wouldn't have been able to heal Shina."
Sayomi: "It's fine. You helped me too and let me stay here."
Reiji: "Why would a noble like you help a commoner you don't even know?"
Sayomi: "Because I know how it feels."
Reiji: "I never knew there was a noble like you in this kingdom. I thought you were the same as those nobles in the capital."
Sayomi: "You mean the *nobles*?"
Reiji: "Yeah."
*Sayomi: "I'm different from them. They are direct royal descendants, but I'm just an adopted child of a noble family."
Reiji: "Oh, I see..."
Sayomi:"What about you? What happened to your parents?"
Reiji: "They're gone... More accurately, they abandoned us when I was six, and Shina was four. She's all I have left. She's my only family."
Sayomi: "That's... really sad. Why did they leave you?"
Reiji: "I don't know. Maybe because Shina and I have very little *Seiki*."
Sayomi: "I see... I understand now."
Reiji: "Good."
Sayomi: "It's getting late. I'll go to sleep now. I have to leave tomorrow morning."
Reiji: "Alright. Good night, Sayomi."
Sayomi: "Good night, Reiji."
---
The next morning, Sayomi woke up as the sunlight seeped into the house. She prepared to leave.
Outside, Reiji was already training.
Reiji: "Oh, you're awake. Did you sleep well?"
Sayomi: "Yeah. What are you doing this early in the morning?"
Reiji: "Just some physical training with my sword."
Sayomi: "That's good."
Reiji: *Laughing* "Hahaha, yeah."
Sayomi: "Alright, I'll be leaving now."
Reiji: "Eh, aren't you going to have breakfast first?"
Sayomi: "It's fine. I'll eat in the village later."
Reiji: "Alright then."
Sayomi: "Thank you for letting me stay over. Please give Shina my thanks too."
Reiji: "Of course. Travel safely."
Sayomi: "See you, Reiji."
Reiji: "See you, Sayomi."