Clarice looked at Iris and said,
“But, Iris. Haku expresses himself much more clearly than you said in your letter, doesn’t he?”
“That is correct. In particular, when he is with Student Elysia, his responses are more stable.”
“Then is Young Lady Elysia acting as some kind of reference point?”
“That is highly possible.”
I narrowed my eyes.
Huh?
That was pretty accurate.
Elysia also paused slightly at those words.
Seeing our reactions, Clarice immediately raised her hands.
“Ah, I won’t pry. I was just saying what I felt.”
Iris nodded as well.
“I will not ask about information Haku does not wish to share.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them.
Would they really not ask?
They looked like they were dying of curiosity.
But they were holding back.
That alone made them tolerable for now.
I stared at the remaining pieces of bread, then took another bite.
Clarice’s face brightened again.
Iris’s eyes widened slightly too.
“Second intake.”
“This time, the hesitation was shorter.”
“We can interpret this as a slight increase in trust level.”
“Or maybe it’s just because it tastes good.”
“That possibility also exists.”
I swallowed the bread.
It was because it tasted good.
But it was also true that my trust level had risen a little.
A very little.
Really, a very little.
Elysia asked through thought transmission.
‘You don’t dislike either of them, do you?’
I thought for a moment.
Iris was tiring, but she wasn’t a bad person.
Clarice also spoke a little quickly and had sparkling eyes, but she didn’t cross the line.
And if the two of them were together, the Stellarium side would likely become troublesome, but strangely, the atmosphere wasn’t heavy.
‘……I don’t dislike them.’
‘I’m glad.’
‘But they’re not allowed to observe me at the same time.’
Elysia smiled slightly on the outside as well.
“Haku says he has a condition for you two.”
Iris and Clarice straightened their postures at the same time.
“What is it?”
“What is it?”
Holding back her laughter, Elysia said,
“He asks that you not observe him at the same time.”
Iris and Clarice looked at each other.
Then they began to ponder it very seriously.
“Then in shifts?”
“Being observed in shifts may also be a burden to Haku.”
“Then not observation, but accompanying him?”
“If it is only remembering natural reactions while accompanying him, it may be possible.”
“Records afterward?”
“After Haku’s permission.”
I stared blankly at the two of them.
My condition had become a meeting agenda item.
Elysia patted my back.
‘Haku.’
‘Yeah.’
‘It’s easier if you give up.’
‘I don’t want to.’
I covered my face with my tail.
Still, it wasn’t bad.
Iris no longer had the face of someone quietly carrying everything alone.
Clarice took her words from beside her, Iris organized them, and the two of them laughed together.
Seeing that, I felt like I understood.
Clarice was not Iris’s rival, but someone who let Iris breathe within Asteria.
And now, the two of them had a new shared interest.
Me.
That was a little troublesome, though.
Only a little.
Really, a little.
Iris and Clarice’s brief meeting continued longer than expected.
“Is remembering natural reactions while accompanying him observation, or is it not?”
“If it isn’t recorded, wouldn’t it be closer to appreciation than observation?”
“But if that appreciation is recorded afterward, it becomes data.”
“Then prohibit records afterward?”
“A complete ban is inefficient.”
“What about a brief summarized record after Haku’s permission?”
Lying sprawled on the cushion, I looked at the two of them.
‘Elysia.’
‘Yeah?’
‘Why do Asteria people make simple things sound complicated?’
Elysia slowly stroked my back and suppressed a laugh.
‘Maybe that’s Asteria-style consideration?’
‘Consideration can be this tiring, huh.’
At last, Iris and Clarice seemed to have reached a conclusion and looked at me at the same time.
Iris spoke first.
“Haku. Within the bounds of what does not make you uncomfortable, may we go together toward the spirit garden?”
Clarice immediately added,
“It’s where the spirits are.
To be precise, it’s a small forest connected to the spirit conservatory inside the marquis’s residence.
According to Iris, Haku’s reactions with spirits are unusual.”
So it is observation after all.
I narrowed my eyes.
Receiving my gaze, Iris immediately said,
“It is not mandatory. We will not bring any recording equipment either.”
Clarice raised her hand too.
“I won’t touch you either. I won’t lure you with snacks. Just guide you.”
I looked back and forth between the two of them.
Iris was serious.
Clarice could not hide her anticipation.
Elysia was waiting for my decision.
‘Haku, if it’s too much, you don’t have to go.’
Elysia’s thought transmission reached me carefully.
‘No, I want to go.’
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Don’t push yourself.’
‘Yeah. And…….’
I shifted my gaze slightly.
‘I think it would be nice if Noel came too.’
Elysia’s hand paused.
‘Young Master Noel?’
‘Yeah. If it’s a place with spirits, the mana might be gentler. Of course, only if it isn’t a burden on him.’
Elysia looked at me for a moment, then smiled softly.
‘Haku, you really are kind.’
‘No, it’s not like that. I just want to check.’
‘Yeah. Check.’
It was a thought transmission that didn’t believe me.
Elysia said to Iris,
“Haku says he’ll go. However, he’s asking whether Young Master Noel may come along as well, if it won’t be too much for him.”
Iris’s eyes widened slightly.
“Noel?”
Clarice also looked at me in surprise.
“Haku asked first?”
I folded my ears.
Was it really that surprising?
Iris quickly composed her expression.
“We must check Noel’s condition first.
The spirit conservatory has stable mana, but the density of the spirits themselves is high.
It may be comfortable for Noel, or conversely, it may become a burden.”
“Then let’s ask Mother first.”
Clarice spoke quickly.
“If it’s Aunt Sereniel, she’ll be able to tell Noel’s condition right away.”
Iris nodded.
“I agree.”
The two of them worked together remarkably quickly.
Iris made the judgment, and Clarice presented the practical next step.
Rather than rivals, it felt closer to a rhythm they had matched for a long time.
I muttered inwardly.
‘When those two are together, it’s a little scary, but it is convenient.’
‘Right?’
Elysia laughed.
A short while later, we left the room in the annex.
I was in Elysia’s arms.
My strength had not yet fully returned,
and more than anything, in the corridors of the Asteria Marquis’s residence, mana patterns tickled up through the soles of my paws with every step.
Iris and Clarice led the way.
Even as they walked, the two exchanged words in low voices.
“Taking him all the way to the center of the spirit conservatory may be a burden.”
“Then from the boundary of the outer forest?”
“Yes. If Haku shows a reaction, we should stop.”
“What about Noel?”
“If Mother permits it, briefly. Only as far as the area with the bench.”
“Good. That area has many wind spirits and leaf spirits, so the mana flow is less sharp.”
“We should avoid the crystal spirit area. It is too stimulating for Noel.”
“For Haku too?”
Iris glanced back at me for a moment.
“For Haku…… it is difficult to predict.”
I narrowed my eyes.
In this household, the phrase “difficult to predict” almost sounded like praise.
When we reached the end of the corridor, Lady Sereniel and Noel were in a small drawing room.
Noel had a blanket wrapped around him, and Lady Sereniel was examining the stabilizing magic tool on his wrist.
As soon as we entered, Noel’s gaze went straight to me.
“Haku.”
His voice was a little brighter than before.
In Elysia’s arms, I lifted one forepaw slightly.
That alone made Noel smile.
Lady Sereniel looked at us and asked gently,
“Were you about to go somewhere?”
Iris answered.
“We intend to guide Haku to the outer forest of the spirit garden.
If Haku is all right with it, we would like to confirm whether Noel can accompany us briefly as well.”
Lady Sereniel’s eyes turned toward me for a moment.
Her gaze was fascinating.
It was neither trying to dig into me nor being wary.
It was like the eyes of someone looking at a small animal they had seen for the first time in the forest, so as not to startle it when it approached on its own.
“Did Haku think of Noel first?”
Elysia laughed softly.
“Yes. If it won’t be too much for him.”
I averted my gaze.
‘Elysia, did you have to say it like that?’
‘Yes.’
‘Why?’
‘Because Haku did something good.’
‘I told you, it’s not like that.’
Lady Sereniel examined Noel’s face.
“Noel, do you want to go see?”
After hesitating, Noel nodded.
“Yeah. But if Haku is uncomfortable, I won’t go.”
I looked at Noel.
This child kept respecting boundaries.
Even though he was sick, he asked whether I would be uncomfortable before thinking of his own comfort.
I liked that.
In Elysia’s arms, I raised myself slightly and cried out briefly.
Noel’s face lit up.
Lady Sereniel smiled.
“Then only very briefly. If it becomes difficult, we’ll return immediately.”
“Okay.”
Just then, a low voice came from outside the door.
“I will accompany you as well.”
It was Marquis Theodore.
When had he arrived?
Asteria people had quiet presences too.
He folded the documents in his hands, passed them to the attendant beside him, and approached us.
“The spirit conservatory is an important area of the marquis’s residence. If we are guiding guests, it is only proper that I, as the head of the house, accompany you.”
He said that, but his gaze was on Noel.
‘He’s coming because he’s worried.’
When I said that through thought transmission, Elysia answered,
‘Yes. It seems so.’
Marquis Theodore looked at me and bowed his head seriously.
“Haku. Thank you for being considerate of Noel. However, if Noel’s condition worsens, we will stop immediately.”
I moved one ear.
That was only natural.
Noel came first.
Seeing my reaction, Iris quietly said,
“It appears he has agreed.”
Clarice added softly from beside her,
“And he had a bit of a ‘Of course’ look on his face.”
I looked at Clarice.
That person had good intuition.
In an extremely troublesome direction.