Kohaku All Alone
It has been about a year since we came to Nemophila Kingdom.
Around the time it was getting late into autumn and you can start to hear winter’s approaching footsteps, Forlan’s horse riding was given a passing grade.
“Tsukuyomi. Let’s ride to the lake on horses!”
“Aah, yeah. Let’s go before it starts snowing, shall we”
We match the day Tsukikage-nee-sama is on break and go out with Stellaria and Okaa-san, the five of us. Ar and I, Okaa-san and Sonia are galloping at the very front. Tsukikage-nee-sama and Forlan are following behind. Stellaria is galloping while being on guard at the very back. Kohaku is also running side-by-side next to me.
We match Tsukikage-nee-sama and Forlan’s abilities and gallop at a relaxing pace. The mountains are gradually changing from the colour of autumn to winter. We spent about 40 minutes and arrived at the lake while enjoying the autumn scenery.
“Forlan. You sure got good huh. Are you tired?”
“Armeria-oba-sama. I am alright. Horse-riding sure is fun huh!”
“Yeah. I’m glad you became capable of riding well. Now then, we shall rest here for a bit”
Stellaria is serving as our maid for today. She started laying out the mat and preparing tea.
We feed the horses water during that time and tie them to the trees after. The horses then started grazing.
“Onii-sama. It sure is a wonderful place huh”
“Right? Onee-sama. Has your fatigue been accumulating recently?”
“My! Onii-sama. You are like a doctor”
“Eh? Ah. Well, I am a doctor though”
“That’s right huh. I am alright”
“Come to think of it, Onee-sama. How did you do at the dance party?”
“It was no good at all! As soon as they find out that I am the shrine’s chief priest, everybody becomes distant”
“I see. But it is still the first time after all”
“Eeh, I will go again!”
Huh? She’s not feeling down. Was Onee-sama such a positive person?
It was at that moment. The five horses raised their heads altogether, and Kohaku perked up his ears and faced the same direction as the horses. Everybody became nervous.
Immediately after, a pack of wolves came running out from the direction Kohaku came out previously. There are probably 20 of them.
Stellaria drew her sword and went out in front of everybody. Kohaku is growling deeply.
“Everybody, calm down. It’s alright. I’ll speak to them. Don’t go agitating them”
『Ar. Sonia. Everybody, calm down. It’s alright』
『Kohaku. It’s alright. Don’t growl』
I slowly hovered and went out in front of Stellaria. When I looked at the wolf pack closely, the largest wolf looked familiar. I focus and try using Telepathy.
『my child?』
『Hey. It’s been a while huh. That’s right. Kohaku became so big and lively』
『he, who?』
『can eat?』
『hungry』
『stop it!』
Kohaku’s parent is apparently the leader. He yelled at his companions and quelled them for me.
At that moment, Kohaku approached them bit by bit. After going in front of his parent, he read his parent’s expressions while sniffing his scent. His parent also sniffed Kohaku’s scent but ended up going 「humph」 and turning away.
Kohaku loiters in front of his parent for a bit, but his parent continues glaring at Kohaku. Before long, perhaps he gave up, Kohaku turned over here and started walking back dejectedly.
『raising, my son, thank you』
『Un. It’s nothing. I’ll raise him with great care from here on out as well』
『i’m counting on you』
And then when Kohaku’s parent glared at his pack’s companions, they hesitantly returned to the mountains while turning over here over and over again.
『Kohaku, are you alright?』
『i have, Tsukuyomi, love you』
『I see, thanks』
“O-, Onii-sama! Wh-, what was that just now?”
“Onee-sama. They are Kohaku’s parent and his pack. I’m sure they noticed Kohaku’s scent and came out”
“He is not bringing Kohaku back even though they are parent and child?”
“Wolves live in a group as a pack. Kohaku, who has ended up catching the scent of a human once, is unable to be accepted into the pack”
“Then, Kohaku will be all alone from here on out as well?”
“Forlan. That’s right. So we have to get along with him”
“Un. Kohaku is my friend”
“Thanks. Forlan”
“Forlan. Listen up. It wrapped up without any issues today because Tsukuyomi is around and is able to converse with them. These parts are those wolves’ territory. You must never come here by yourself just because you became capable of horse riding”
“Yes. Understood. Oba-sama”
“Tsukuyomi, what did Kohaku’s parent say to you?”
“He said thank you for raising Kohaku. And then he said he’ll be counting on me from here on out as well”
“I see. I’m glad to hear that”
“I am really glad that Onii-sama is able to converse with animals”
“Now then, we can calm down and rest with this huh”
“Stellaria. You were probably nervous, weren’t you. Take a seat as well”
“Ah, yes. I shall re-brew the tea”
After enjoying the scenery together, we rode alongside the canal and returned to the castle while verifying the situation of the canal to the reservoir from the lake.
I turned 6 years old, and my second spring in Nemophila was here.
I heard from the Royal Castle’s ship’s crew members that there was a message from the Moon Palace saying that they want me to come.
It’s about time, Charlotte-kaa-sama’s eldest daughter, Shizuki-nee-sama, becomes a 15-year-old adult and is deployed to Ranunculus Kingdom’s shrine. It’s probably a discussion on that send-off.
I informed Okaa-san that I won’t be back today and teleported to the Moon Palace by myself.
“Otou-sama. It has been a long time. I have returned”
“Ooh! Tsukuyomi. Have you been well? Sorry for calling you over”
“No, it is about Shizuki-nee-sama’s coming of age’s matter huh”
“Aah. That’s right”
I enjoyed a conversation with the family for the first time in a while during dinner.
I talked about Kohaku and Ar in Nemophila Kingdom, and I reported the birth of the two Oba-samas’ boys, the match-making dance party, the recent sex crimes of the Viscount, and the problem with the slavery system.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. Thank you, for giving my sisters a boy. Nevertheless, Viscount Perrine’s matter is a surprise. I did hear some unsavoury rumours. But, to think that he had been doing something so horrible……”
“Yes. Mallee-kaa-sama. It hurts just thinking of the female victims huh”
“But an incident like that is a problem that could happen in any country huh”
“Yeah. It is probably necessary to make the slavery system stricter like Nemophila”
“Nevertheless, Onii-sama. The match-making dance party is an interesting venture huh”
“Eeh. Tsukikage-nee-sama participated as well, you know”
“Eh? Tsukikage did? I did not hear about that. So how did it go?”
“Unfortunately, she did not find anybody this time around. But Onee-sama was positively saying that she would participate again”
“I see. She became capable of horse riding as well, right? That child really is fortunate huh”
“Yes. Mallee-kaa-sama. Nee-sama is doing well”
“Charlotte-kaa-sama. Shizuki-nee-sama. When we head to Ranunculus, shall we try proposing this proposal to the King?”
“Yeah. Let’s most certainly try talking about it. Tsukuyomi-sama. I will be counting on you”
“Onii-sama! Thank you!”
“Leaving that aside, Tsukuyomi-sama. I heard from Mallee-nee-sama, you know. That you have apparently made the incredibly beautiful Sword Saint your lifetime chamberlain”
“Olivia-kaa-sama. Regarding that. I treated that individual’s mother’s serious illness with my ability. And then, because her father is an incredibly honourable person”
“Tsukuyomi-sama. Stellaria did not become your chamberlain because she was ordered by her father. That is obviously the will of the person herself”
“Did Mallee-kaa-sama hear something from Stellaria?”
“No. It is my woman’s intuition”
“Intuition? is it……”
“Eh? How old is that ‘Stellaria’ individual?”
“She is 21 years old, the same as Armeria”
“My! 21 years old, you say? Is she not a whole 16 years older?”
“But she is younger if we go by Tsukuyomi-sama’s mental age huh”
“Hold on, just a minute. Hasn’t the conversation somehow become like Stellaria is becoming my bride? She is my chamberlain, you know?”
“Not a chance, there is no way she will really stay your chamberlain for the rest of her life”
“That is true. She is waiting for Tsukuyomi-sama to come of age, you know”
“I think so too”
“No doubt”
“Eeh? I think Stellaria is not such a woman though”
“Onii-sama! One of your marriage partners is already decided huh!”
“Shizuki-nee-sama. I haven’t thought about something like marriage, you know……”
“Eh? But if it is Onii-sama, it would not be strange even if you have more than 10 wives”
“Yeah”
“Aーh! In that case, I also want to be Onii-sama’s bride!”
“Like I said, Yuzuki-nee-sama. We cannot do that as siblings”
We moved to the saloon even after dinner and talked until late at night. The plan today is to stay over at the Moon Palace as is. I was caught by Olivia-kaa-sama right as I was about to return to my own room.
“Tsukuyomi-sama. You promised previously that you would let me hug you at any time, right?”
“Eh? Is that still ongoing? Didn’t Olivia-kaa-sama, give birth to Joufuu”
“That may be true. But Tsukuyomi-sama’s cuteness is on a different level after all. I have been lonely ever since you ended up moving to Nemophila. We only have tonight, don’t we. Please”
“I-, is that so. Understood……”
I was pulled to Olivia-kaa-sama’s bedroom as is and sent straight into bed.
“Now then, we will be sleeping together!”
She said and hugged me tightly. Olivia-kaa-sama is incredibly glamorous, so it end up surprising me a bit. She has a different fragrance from Okaa-san after all, so it’s unnecessarily seductive.
Although my body doesn’t react because I’m still 6 years old, my heart does. I call her Kaa-sama, but she is practically a stranger after all.
Furthermore, she doesn’t just hug me; she touches me all over, and she even kisses me on the cheeks. I’m gradually starting worry about whether or not this is okay.
“Olivia-kaa-sama. After I grow up more, I will no longer be able to sleep with you, alright”
“Eh! Why?”
“I mean, my body does not react in any way because I am still 6 years old, but I am already 31 years old in my heart, you know. Furthermore, Olivia-kaa-sama is practically a stranger after all”
“My! You are sleeping with me despite thinking about that much huh!”
“Why, I do think about that much……”
“I’m so happy! Does Tsukuyomi-sama like me then?”
“Eh? If you ask me whether or not I like you……I would say that I do like you”
“Who do you like the most among the 7 wives then?”
“Eh? Excluding Okaa-sama, right? Yeah……as expected, it is Olivia-kaa-sama huh”
“I’m so happy!”
“Uu! It hurts if you hug me that tightly!”
Geez, she’s too passionate.
The next morning, I woke up at dawn. I don’t know whether it’s deliberate, but Olivia-kaa-sama had opened up her breasts and pressed them against my face bare. Well, but she has beautiful breasts. I can’t imagine she has given birth to 3 children with this. I used See-Through Vision and did a mammogram just in case since this is a rare chance while I’m thinking about such things.
When I got out of bed by myself, I looked up at the sky where the sun still hadn’t risen and searched for the moons. The moons were floating low in the skies on the west. The skies on the east start becoming white, and one by one, the stars disappear. I stared at the sight of that.
It came the day for Shizuki-nee-sama to set off. During departure, Nee-sama, reluctant to bid farewell to her younger brother, Ranshuu, hugged him for a long time. Urged by Charlotte-kaa-sama, she finally gave up and boarded the ship.
I used Teleportation on the entire ship from the Moon Palace to Ranunculus’ pillar. I’m not used to seeing the orbital elevator no matter how many times I see it. The disjointed feeling that this construction exists in this world is overly powerful.
Come to think of it, Ojii-san was saying let’s go and see whether there’s an elevator that can go all the way to space next time, but he had forgotten about it. Well, even if we can go all the way to space, there’s nothing I want to do though.
And then we enter Ranunculus’ shrine. The chief priest here is, as expected, someone who is my aunt, a person called Gekkou-oba-sama. She looks to be in her early 30s. I would have thought that she is the same age as Olivia-kaa-sama and Charlotte-kaa-sama. I wonder if she’s single as expected? I can’t ask though.
For here as well, it seems Gekkou-oba-sama will move to a local shrine, and Shizuki-nee-sama will enter the Royal Capital’s shrine.
After that, I had an audience with Charlotte-kaa-sama’s parents, the King and the Queen, and proposed the match-making dance party and a reformation of the slavery system. The King listened to me sincerely and ordered the Chancellor to handle the reformation and the dance party project.
I think this world is also, albeit bit by bit, changing for the better.
