Fíliya temporarily bid farewell to Sense and then flew in the direction she remembered.
As for the four golems, they were completely handed over to Sense.
Before long, she saw the coastline, and right beside it, a green-haired demon was standing still, gazing out at the ocean.
With Solitär's mana detection range, she must have discovered me long ago, so did she come out early to meet me?
Fíliya initially thought so, but she quickly overturned her own guess.
Because there were no footprints around Solitär, it meant she had been standing on this coast for a long time, so long that even her footprints had been washed away by the sea.
Of course, there was a third possibility: Solitär had deliberately used Flight Magic to choose her current spot to avoid leaving footprints... but was that really necessary? Solitär wasn't such a frivolous person.
In any case, Fíliya chose to muffle the sound of her footsteps and began to slowly approach Solitär from behind.
She certainly didn't intend to startle her; after all, she was already within the other's perception. What she wanted was just a... subtle sense of ritual.
Once Fíliya reached Solitär's side, she immediately reached out and gently poked her on the shoulder.
Solitär then turned to look at her.
"You didn't say you would be back the next day."
Solitär's tone seemed to carry a hint of complaint.
"Hmm... but I never promised I'd be back 'the same day,' did I? I remember saying I'd be 'back soon.' Less than a day, not even 24 hours—even for humans, that's quite soon, isn't it? So I didn't break my promise."
Fíliya immediately offered her reasoning.
"Sophistry."
Solitär stared into Fíliya's eyes.
"Whether it's sophistry depends on you. If you accept my explanation, then it isn't sophistry... So, what do you plan to do? Solitär... big sister?"
Fíliya tentatively uttered the address she had prepared.
The reason it was tentative was that even she wasn't sure what stage their relationship had reached. Would Solitär be willing to accept this title?
It was something she couldn't be certain of.
And Solitär was clearly the same. After hearing that address from Fíliya's lips, her mind went blank, and she froze for two seconds. In a life-or-death battle, this could have been a fatal mistake.
"You... don't you have a sister? That human sister. Why... why call me that?"
Solitär seemed startled, even taking half a step back.
"Hm? That's strange. You, who are so well-versed in human knowledge, don't you know that the title 'big sister' isn't exclusive? Many humans who have only known each other for a short time call each other sisters. Besides... we've known each other for a year. By the standards of the Demon Race, that might just be the blink of an eye, but for me, it's been long enough."
Solitär just felt a mess inside, hesitating for a good while before finally forcing out a sentence.
"Still sophistry."
Fíliya didn't mind this and even moved a little closer.
"Well, then why not accept my sophistry? So, is it better to call you by your name, or 'big sister'?"
Fíliya could see that Solitär was very conflicted now, so her smile was filled with even more teasing. She clearly wanted to see Solitär wear an even more troubled expression.
"Then... what should I call you?"
Solitär looked at Fíliya with some hesitation.
"My name, of course."
? Solitär's eyes widened.
"Isn't that unfair? You call me 'big sister', but I can't call you 'little sister'?"
"Eh? How is that unfair? Solitär, did you learn your human knowledge all wrong? That's how it is in the human world. A younger sister can add the 'big sister' suffix when calling her older sister's name, but when an older sister calls her younger sister, she usually just uses her name. That's common sense, you know."
Seeing Fíliya's dead-serious expression, Solitär immediately hesitated.
Is... is that right? She tilted her head slightly.
"Mhm, that's right. But for now, let's keep this a secret between us. Don't let Aura and Linie know... Solitär, you don't want to see that incredibly arrogant and punchable expression of Aura's, do you? If she found out, she'd definitely say something weird to tease you, even if it meant getting hit."
At this, Fíliya added another explanation.
"Yes, that's true."
Solitär nodded in deep agreement, accepting Fíliya's reasoning.
"Then let's go home."
Fíliya said this, very naturally standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Solitär, then took her hand, and the two walked together towards the entrance of the abandoned shipyard.
"Lady Fíliya, Lady Solitär... welcome back."
Upon entering the house, Fíliya immediately heard a very pleasant voice.
And there was only one person in this house who would use such a form of address.
How strange... Fíliya thought to herself. Originally, when Linie addressed her, while she did call her 'Lady Fíliya,' her name usually came after Solitär's and Aura's. But just now, didn't the girl say my name first?
Is it because I protected her back then? How cute.
Fíliya casually turned her head to look at Linie, and after a moment's surprise, she let out a laugh.
Because Linie was wearing the very same maid outfit that originally belonged to Aura.
"Solitär, I remember we only have one maid outfit, right? It fit Aura just right, but it seems a little too big for Linie... So, did you alter it?"
"Yes. That girl Aura pestered me the moment she got back, demanding I alter the maid outfit's size. She was practically on her knees... She insisted that Linie had to wear it. Why do you think that is?"
Solitär smiled and also looked at Fíliya.
"Mhm, it's just too easy to understand... that girl Aura's thought process."
Fíliya first shook her head helplessly. After all, Aura's intentions were obvious to anyone.
Aura's reason for insisting that Linie wear the maid outfit was certainly not for aesthetic appreciation, nor was it a personal fetish. That girl Aura was simply asserting her 'status'.
With someone weaker having joined the household, Aura was impatient to become the superior... she really is an easy one to figure out.
___
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