The next morning, Furina was waiting for Avrora in the plaza. Since she had so little time to meet him one-on-one, she had spent a great deal of time agonizing over how to turn their piano lessons into a date. But all that worrying became pointless in an instant. When she spotted Avrora in the distance, Furina approached him with the feeling that the moment she had been waiting for had finally come—only to freeze in shock at the sight of a white-haired girl holding his hand.
"What?! Why is she here?!"
"I got caught... Furina..."
"I knew from the scent on my brother... sniff sniff."
Peruel’s response—that she had recognized Furina by her scent—gave Furina goosebumps. Along with the regret that she should not have worn perfume. She had put it on to make a good impression on Avrora, only for it to backfire on her.
"So... I’m going to keep an eye on you... I’ll watch to make sure you don’t do anything improper to my brother..."
"I-Isn’t it difficult for a student to study when her tutor is nervous? Turn around and go back to your house right now..."
"I won’t. Never. My home is beside my brother."
Seeing Peruel clutch my arm tightly, Furina eventually gave up.
"Fine... You can come along as long as you don’t interfere with Avrora’s lessons. But don’t really interfere, okay? Seriously? No staring at us with that strange look in your eyes, suddenly popping up beside us, or stabbing anyone!!"
She really seemed to have PTSD about getting stabbed. How many times had Peruel tried to stab Furina? I could not even remember.
Furina came to my side and took my left hand. Peruel’s eyes instantly turned vicious, but since she was holding my right hand herself, she let it pass without a word.
Clorinde’s house.
"Welcome, Lady Furina. And who is the white-haired girl beside you?"
"She’s my younger sister..."
"I see. I have work at the Palais Mermonia today, so I will have to leave the house. Please make yourselves at home until I return. Then I shall be on my way."
Clorinde left for work in the outfit I had seen so often in the game. Just look at that chest. Did that mean Peruel would grow even bigger than that when she got older?
When my eyes drifted to Clorinde’s chest, Peruel looked down at her own.
"..."
They had a slight swell, but there was nothing else to say except that they were still lacking. Peruel visibly deflated.
"Peruel? What’s wrong?"
"I’m going to grow somehow. Starting today, I’ll sleep well and eat lots of food."
"Yeah... Please do... Please get some sleep... And stop crawling into my bed..."
"C-Crawling into your bed?! You two sleep together?!"
I pointed at Peruel.
"This one’s the one who crawls in first."
"When I sleep beside my brother, I don’t have unpleasant dreams. It feels nice."
"Eeeek! I’ve never even slept with Avrora!"
Peruel looked down on Furina with an expression that said, Hmph.
"What’s with that look?! Don’t think you’ve won just because of that!"
Remembering that her brother’s eyes had gone to Clorinde’s chest earlier, Peruel gave Furina’s body a once-over. Thinking that, since she was a god, she probably would not grow any bigger than that, she once again went—
Hmph.
"Why are you looking my body over and laughing like that?! What is wrong with my body?!"
I immediately caught the meaning in Peruel’s gaze. She had a future, while Furina had no future. Poor Furina...
"It’s nothing. Peruel probably just thinks you’re pitiful."
"As expected of my brother. You understood exactly what I was thinking."
"No, why exactly am I pitiful?!"
With Furina yelling at the top of her lungs, we entered Clorinde’s apartment.
"Um... Peruel? It’s a little unsettling when you stare at us like that, you know?"
"Why do the two of you have to sit so close together...? You could stand beside him and give instructions."
"This is why!!! This is why I should never have brought her along!!!"
Furina’s voice was nearly a scream as she expressed her resentment over the situation. Peruel sat at the dining table watching the two of us have our piano lesson. Apparently displeased that Furina and I were sitting close together, she kept butting in from the side.
"Peruel? It’s hard for me too when you keep interfering... Just come sit beside me."
"Okay..."
Peruel sat at the end of the long piano bench. It was probably meant for one adult, but with one adult(?) and two children sitting on it, it felt cramped.
As a result, our shoulders and bodies pressed against each other more, and Furina soon found herself unable to focus.
Ugh... Avrora is too close... I can’t focus on the lesson... What do I do...?
Furina, practically in heat, soon got off the bench and went into the bathroom to splash water on her face.
This won’t do, Furina... It’s Avrora, isn’t it? Maybe it would be okay to show him this side of me... But that devil is beside him, so I can’t do anything...!
While Furina was in the bathroom trying to quell her turmoil, Peruel and I sat and played the piano. My finger technique was still lacking, but it would soon settle down.
"Brother... I think you play well..."
"I’m still not good enough. I’m nowhere near capable of playing the songs I want to play."
"What songs do you want to play...?"
"There are a lot..."
Lacrimosa Requiem, Zektbach songs, Hwarhwa, Anima, all sorts of things...
"There are too many to count. And I need to write sheet music, too. Since I have to leave the sheet music to Furina, I’ll have no choice but to keep seeing her..."
Peruel’s face filled with murderous intent once more. It seemed the thought of my having to keep meeting Furina had made her furious.
"Did I keep you waiting, kids? I was feeling a little overheated... Hm? What is this atmosphere now?"
It was Peruel’s murderous intent because she wanted to kill you.
"Hey, bitch. Listen to me."
"B-B-Bitch?! What do you mean, bitch?!"
Even Furina was flustered by such an aggressive word.
"Teach me piano too. So I can play with my brother."
"W-What would I gain from teaching you piano?!"
"The benefit of not dying right now."
Peruel brought over a knife from the kitchen. There she went again, that crazy girl!
"Peruel! Put that knife down! This is someone else’s house!"
"Okay, brother."
Peruel put the knife back where it belonged. Furina’s breathing grew ragged as though she had narrowly escaped death.
"Hah... Hah... You... You weren’t joking, were you?"
"The only person I ever joke around with is my brother."
In other words, she had really pulled out a knife because she intended to kill Furina.
"Fine! Fine, I get it! I’ll teach you piano! Just stop doing that!"
"Good. We have a deal."
And so Peruel’s and my piano lessons—forced in Peruel’s case—began. Furina had originally been scheduled to teach only me for three hours, but she ended up dividing the time, an hour and a half each. She acted as though she truly hated it, but thinking about the chance to be with me, she taught diligently. A few days passed like that, and the day of my third examination arrived.
On the day of my exam, the whole family gathered for breakfast. Angelina seemed to have improved her cooking skills, because she had begun putting a varied spread of food on the table.
"This meat soup is really delicious!"
Cravie offered her praise.
"Really? I studied it. When I went to the restaurants in Fontaine, they were selling recipes, you know?"
"Good thing we’re leaving for a mission soon, so we won’t have to taste Angelina’s shit-soup cooking anymore—Urk!"
Angelina smacked Sergei over the head with an earthenware bowl. Looking at them like this, they really were a harmonious(?) family.
"Avrora? Will you be all right going alone? The reporters will probably swarm you again."
"I’m going alone this time. I’ll just get there early and study a little."
"All right. You have another exam tomorrow too, so don’t overdo it like last time."
"Yes, I understand."
After eating, I packed my bag and left the house.
"Hey, Demon King! Go crush it!"
"Avrora? I’ll draw an aurora, so look at it when you get back, okay?"
"Brother... Go do well."
With my siblings cheering me on, I stepped out of the house.
You damn essay exam, just wait for me. Here I come.
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