"Here, Vivio, I'll leave this towel for you."
"Thanks!"
Vivio wiped the water from her body with the towel Rio handed her. Her athletic body, still lacking curves but with a supple grace unique to a sports-loving girl, showed no signs of fatigue from playing in the river.
It was almost noon. Sho and the others had been called back to the lodge by Megane, who was preparing lunch, and had stopped their river play. They were taking a shower in the hot springs to warm their bodies after being in the cold river.
Even with Nove and Yami present, the sight of innocent girls giggling in their underwear might be enough to make some people faint. It was that kind of dangerous scene. Even Sho might be in danger.
"Kuro's brother was really amazing, wasn't he?"
"I know, right? To be able to skip stones like that in such a short time. It took me a whole week."
"Of course! He's my big brother after all!"
Kuro puffed out her chest proudly. She was in a slightly better mood after the magical energy supply from Sho.
"That's not right. He's our big brother."
Tina countered, also in a better mood after her kiss.
"Takamachi Vivio, I'm going ahead."
"Ah, yes! Got it!"
Yami, who had been quietly changing, said this and left the changing room. Vivio, watching her go, tilted her head, a finger on her cheek.
"Hmm... I wonder if Yami-san is having fun?"
"I wonder."
"Yami-san is so cool, I've never seen her smile."
"But I didn't think she and Sho-san were on bad terms."
Even though Vivio and the others were getting closer, they weren't yet close enough to completely break down all the walls in their hearts.
"I wonder if we did something to make her angry..."
"But would Sho-san do something like that and just leave it?"
Kirin and Einheart were pondering this.
Kuro and Tina, who knew the situation, looked away with a pained expression. Yami was the one who attempted to assassinate the Saintly Empress, and she and Sho had once fought to kill each other. However, what Yami disliked was the way Sho had "won" that fight.
"I wish we could get the two of them to make up."
"Me too! It's a trip, so it's no fun if they're on bad terms!"
A simple, childlike thought. It was a straightforward opinion that came from not yet knowing the troublesome nature of human conflicts.
Even if Yami was somewhat swayed, she wasn't so simple that she would just do whatever was asked of her through a direct approach.
However, things change when others get involved. Specifically, when the people who were training earlier get involved.
"Oh! Mom!"
"Vivio! Did everyone take a bath already?"
Headed by Takamachi Nanoha, the instructor for this trip, the training group burst into the changing room.
This group had finished their morning basic training (focused on body-building menus like running and flexibility) and had come here to wash off their sweat before lunch.
"Yeah! Everyone's done!"
"Yotsuki-kun is already outside getting things ready, so you girls should go help him. The food is all done."
"Okay!" "Got it!" "Alright!"
The children responded with cheerful voices. Then, Vivio said as if she had just thought of something.
"I have a little something I'd like to consult with you older sisters about, if that's alright?"
"Of course, Vivio-chan. What is it?"
Asuna responded with a smile.
"How can we get Sho-san and Yami-san to make up!?"
"Ah~..."
Everyone was at a loss for words. From what they had heard in the bath on the first day, they knew that Yami held a grudge. Even at Sho's house, she hadn't quite fit in. They were almost in the mood to ask Vivio how she managed to get along with her.
"Let's see, it's about time Yami-san opened up, don't you all agree?"
"Uh, well, I guess so..."
To Kurumi's confident statement, Yukina's expression implicitly asked, "Specifically, how?"
"Why, of course, by any means necessary. It seems I've become quite too well-behaved in my thinking after spending time with all of you."
Some of them looked like they wanted to ask what she had been doing until now.
And some of them looked like they knew something was about to begin.
"Tokisaki-san, you have an idea, don't you!"
"Yes. You want to get Sho-san and Yami-san to be friends. As comrades with the same goal, I will assist you."
"Thank you!"
Kurumi and Vivio shook hands firmly. Asuna immediately checked with Kurumi.
"Kurumi-chan? You understand, I assume?"
"Yes. The other party is a child. We will not use that kind of strategy."
"Well, in that case, okay..."
Asuna compared Yami's attitude to the risk of Kurumi leading a plan and gave in.
"I heard everything."
"You, You-san, where did you come from...?"
"Don't underestimate my ability to sniff out interesting things."
"Let's all do our best!"
"...Will this really be okay?"
"...I don't know."
With the addition of the highly motivated You, the plan was set into motion.
----------
"You're up to something, aren't you?"
"I don't know what you're talking about."
Sho declared this the moment he saw You, who had just gotten out of the bath.
"It's so obvious. I saw you with the kids who came up earlier."
They kept glancing at me and giggling. Something definitely happened. And they were looking at "us." At me and Yami, alternating.
It was mostly a hunch, but my intuition, honed since coming to this world, wasn't to be underestimated.
"That's a forceful deduction. It's not like you. Though your overconfidence is as usual."
"Oh, really? Okay, okay. If you say so, I'll go with that."
She probably wouldn't confess no matter what I said. But no matter what they tried, I wouldn't be flustered. In fact, I'd see right through it beforehand.
"Alright, everyone, sit down. Lunch is ready, let's eat!"
"Okay!" "Got it!" "Alright!"
The children responded cheerfully.
Lunch was to be eaten at the outdoor tables. A large plate of yakisoba was piled high on the long table. The chairs were long pieces of log, cut in half.
There were no assigned seats, but yesterday and this morning, people had tended to gather by age. They had, but...
"Alright, alright. Squeeze in."
"Okay."
"Sorry, Yami-san! Could you move over a little more?"
"...Alright."
Pushed by You from the side, I was pushed more and more towards the middle of the table. I was so close that my shoulder was touching the person next to me.
"..."
"..."
Just as I thought, one of my neighbors was You. The troublemaker with a plan who had been pushing me. And the other person next to me was Yami.
She seemed to have been pushed here by Vivio, just like me.
Ah! I see! I get it now. I understood everything.
It was hard to believe this was a coincidence. I could tell from the face Vivio made, which I saw past Yami, that she was in on it. So they must have been talking about how to fix things between me and Yami.
And You decided to join in for the heck of it. That's what this was.
"...Please don't get so close."
"My bad, my bad."
Yami seemed to have figured it out too. She shifted uncomfortably.
"Takamachi Vivio, you're doing something unnecessary..."
"Oh, come on! If you're fighting with Sho-san, you should make up! Right!"
Her too-straightforward words made me feel a little dizzy. Perhaps because of the recent example of her becoming friends with Einheart, she was being proactive.
"Shall we be friends?"
"I refuse."
The plan had no effect at all.
----------
"Wow, this is a big help. I can't believe so many of you came."
"We have a lot of helpers for today's shopping."
"Hey, Lutecia, why are you only looking at me? I'm not the only new person here, am I?"
"Huh?"
Don't "huh?" me. Don't tilt your head with a straight face.
We were currently on our way to the city to go shopping for dinner, traveling by car. I was supposed to participate in the afternoon training, but Takamachi-san gave me an "X."
She said something about wanting to do the afternoon training based on the morning training. But she said it was fine this morning. What was going on... I didn't even have to think about it. Takamachi-san was in on the plan, too.
I could tell just by looking at the people who came with us.
The one-box car, driven by Megane-san, contained me, Megane-san, Lutecia, Yami, Vivio-chan, Testarossa-san, and You.
The idea was to make us spend as much time together as possible to get along.
In this situation, where almost everyone around us was a conspirator, Yami was on guard.
For some reason, Testarossa-san was also with us. Was it okay for her not to train?
"Takamachi Vivio, I understand your intentions. But please stop."
"Eh, but..."
When Vivio's eyes turned downward, Yami looked away awkwardly.
"It's not that I don't trust Yotsuki Sho."
"Oh, really?"
"It's just that I don't consider him an evil person. In the first place, I have no interest in whether someone is good or evil."
I wonder what Yami told Vivio and the others about herself. Did she tell them she was an assassin?
"Hmm, so why do you hate Sho?"
"Because he is lewd towards women."
"Okay, let's stop."
Most of the people here weren't in the know. Yami, who lived with us, must know everything about our relationships, and I'd be in trouble if she said something she shouldn't.
"No, no, no, you have to get it all out and clear the air."
"You, you... you know what you're doing...!"
This... troublemaker! Is she trying to ruin me!?
"I have no idea. Come on, continue."
"It's no more or less than that. I trust him when it comes to combat. What more is needed?"
"Affection?"
"Harukabe You, your jokes aren't funny."
At this point, it seemed impossible to become friends.
Everyone might have forgotten, but I was just a regular person until a few months ago. Facing Yami, who had lived her life as an assassin, made me feel that even more.
"Heh~, so Sho-kun is popular~"
"Yes. He's very popular."
Don't get the wrong idea. That was You's line.
"I know, right~? We were talking about it at the BBQ yesterday. How popular he is. But you should be sincere with girls, okay?"
Sincere is the word furthest from me.
"Be sincere."
"You're so annoying."
I flicked the forehead of You, who was teasing me from behind. She nimbly dodged.
"So, how did you, Vivio-chan, become friends with her?"
To change the subject, I brought up something we hadn't touched on before.
"That's a good question... it's hard to say... The start was definitely when we caught the peeping tom!"
"...That might be right."
Yami agreed with a short comment.
The peeping incident was apparently a case that happened at a pool Nove-san took them to. It was a place with a bath and a sauna, and it seemed Yami used it often.
"So, if we solve a case together, it'll work?"
"It's not that simple. Hey, stop it, troublemaker."
As we talked, our car arrived in the city.
----------
The car carrying Sho and the others entered a large parking lot. The parking lot of the largest department store in this resort town was of a size to match.
After finding a surprisingly empty parking spot, Sho and the others got out of the car in order.
There were eyes observing Sho and his group. Three figures were reflected in the mirror. Two of them had eyes filled with deep hatred.
Oblivious to their gaze, the group looked like a happy family. Although the gender ratio was severely biased for a family.
Seeing this, the two figures gritted their teeth and muttered words of hatred.
"I've finally found you, Golden Darkness...!"
"Golden Shinigami... I'll pay you back for that day...!"
Golden Darkness was Yami's name, and Golden Shinigami was Fate's. Both were aliases of two people feared in the underworld.
The one who hated Yami was a woman. She was tall for a woman and had several small scars on her body. She was clad in a provocative outfit that flaunted her taut, brown skin.
The one who hated Fate was a man. In contrast, he was equipped from head to toe like a soldier on the front lines. One of his eyes was covered with an eye patch, as if it had been gouged out. He was a veteran soldier.
"They both hate a 'Golden' person~"
In contrast to the two, there was a woman who gave a light impression. A small figure in a black hood. There was a hole at the nape of the hood. From it, a long red braid swayed like a tail.
Her outfit was as extreme as the other woman's. A black combat suit. It had a similar vibe to Yami's, but unlike her, it showed her midriff, and she wore hot pants.
"Of course! You have no idea what I went through because of her...!"
"She took away all my comrades!"
Perhaps because she had spoken with an obviously out-of-place tone, they bit back.
"Hmph... Oh, well. Then, let's follow the plan."
"Alright. Don't touch my prey, okay?"
"Don't you forget. It's because of my ability that you can get your revenge."
The red-haired girl tilted her head, watching the two argue.
(Isn't it because Master got the information about this trip that we can get revenge?)
(Hmph, don't worry about the details. Let them do as they please. You do your part well, too.)
(Okay~)
Taking her eyes off the two with bloodshot eyes, the red-haired girl started walking.
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