I was having a late tea with Erika and Meiya in the church's reception room.
The kids are going to bed late, but it's 10pm so it's not bedtime for me.
I don't think I went to bed because it was time to go to bed, but because my sisters had heard about something I'd whispered to Dill.
After all, Dill was happily taken away by his sisters.
After that, Erika tried her best to motivate herself and continue the conversation.
Arrangements for an escort when Erika goes hunting for high-quality cloth, thread, and slime.
Appraised and sold at Marika's flower garden.
We were talking about distribution, but Erika still wasn't convinced after hearing what I had to say, so the three of us were having tea.
Erika crossed her arms, rested her arms on her chest, and looked at me with a dissatisfied expression while shaking.
Meiya also has one hand on her cheek and looks troubled.
"I still can't accept that there's no need for distribution."
"Well, that's why I told you, I want you to prioritize purchasing things from Suzuya."
"And that has nothing to do with distribution?"
"...No, surprisingly, you have an ulterior motive, don't you?"
As I said that, I turned my gaze to Meiya-san.
When he looked at her, Meiya looked surprised, then blushed a little and looked away, looking embarrassed.
...No, Meiya-san. I don't have any ulterior motives.
I point to the cuffs of my habit and say with a smile.
"Meiya, you're good at embroidery, right?"
"Eh... well, it's something they have to practice when they become sisters. They also sew clothes for children... um, is that it?"
Hearing Meiya's words, I glanced at Erika.
Erika then muttered, "No way..." and looked dumbfounded.
I continued talking to Meiya, who was tilting her head and laughing inwardly.
"Is it prohibited to sell embroidery arranged by Meiya or the church?"
"...No, that's not the case. In fact, I think God would forgive it if it was for the good of the church and the children. ...More importantly, is there anyone who would like some church-themed embroidery?"
"You can see that by looking at Erika."
When I said that to Meiya, who had a troubled look on her face, she shifted her gaze to Erika and gave a wry smile of surprise.
Erika was smiling with glazed eyes and muttering, "It'll sell, it's bound to sell..."
...But Erika, I understand how you feel, but you need money, right? There are no noble ranks left, you know?
I have to earn money to support Elicia and the maids.
As Erika said, church-themed embroidery sells.
The subtle yet vibrant embroidery worn by church sisters on their sleeves, handkerchiefs and aprons.
This is generally called a church arrangement, and the basics seem to be based on what the church teaches during practice sessions.
What's surprising is that there are as many arrangements as there are sisters.
There may be some similar embroidery among them, but they are only similar and the details are completely different.
And among the nobles and commoners, there are many who are faithful to the church...to God.
In other words, just saying that it was sewn by a sister makes it a branded item.
As I continued to look at Erika, she cleared her throat shyly and began to speak.
Since Meiya is working alone, there is no need to rush, so she asked me to embroider the finished pillow.
He tried hard to explain to Meiya, who was skeptical about whether it would sell, that he wanted to sell it separately.
Finally, Erika told Meiya that she would come for a meeting with Marika tomorrow, and the conversation ended.
As I was about to leave the church with Erika, I heard Meiya call out to me from behind.
"Reid-san, thanks to you I was able to avoid making any mistakes. Thank you."
"...Maybe it was thanks to God that I met Meiya on that main street?"
I'm not religious enough to come to church to pray, but it's a romantic idea to think that way.
Meiya smiled gently and bowed her head in response to my mischievous words.
After seeing that, I went outside and saw three adventurer girls chatting.
Incidentally, I could see Erika giving me a blank look at what I said out of the corner of my eye.
It's 11pm and the three adventurer girls are walking a little ahead of me.
As they were walking towards Suzuya, Erika suddenly muttered something.
"It's about time you made a move..."
"...No, I'm not a beast enough to attack a woman who isn't my lover, you know?"
"...I know that."
Erika stopped and looked up at me shyly, pleading with her eyes.
The atmosphere is more lustrous than usual, and can be seen even in the dark.
His actions made me stop as well, and I asked with a serious expression.
"I'm a 29-year-old man...will you regret it?"
"Don't make fun of me, but do you think I haven't thought about anything? I've thought about it all, wondered, and made a decision, and now I'm here."
"...She's a reliable woman."
"If that's what you think... shouldn't you try not to let go?"
Despite her assertive words, the light from the nearby streetlights showed that her eyes were moist.
When I touched both of Erika's shoulders, she gave a cute little smile.
When I brought my face closer, her eyes closed tightly, so I gave her a light kiss.
After kissing her and pulling away a little, she opens her eyes, blushes, and smiles at Erika, who is touching her lips with her fingers.
"I won't make you regret it, so I want you to be my lover."
"...I'd be happy to accept."
She smiled happily and beautifully, and bowed, as if to respond like an aristocrat.
The view, lit by the faint light of the street lamps, was incredibly beautiful.
Without thinking, I pulled Erika's waist towards me and gave her another quick kiss in response.
Erika was surprised, but she slapped my chest and turned away bashfully.
"You've already progressed too quickly."
"...I said I would make a move on you if you were my lover."
"Well, we just became lovers."
Seeing Erika's cute, pouty anger despite her charm, I began to smile and lightly stroked her head.
I was being gentle so as not to mess up her hair, but...
Erika looked surprised at first, but she soon became embarrassed and just let herself be held accountable.
Incidentally, the three adventurer girls were watching the scene a little further ahead, grinning from ear to ear.
As expected, when Erika noticed this, her face turned bright red and she looked down.