Chapter 56
Clael and Reina were having a head-on argument beside the bed in the bedroom.
The content of their quarrel was utterly trivial.
It was about whether or not they would sleep in the same bed tonight.
"No! Absolutely not! You mustn't!"
Though Clael had been dragged all the way into the bedroom... that was as far as Reina had pushed things.
He was doing his best to stop Reina from crawling into his bed.
"Is it really no good? Truly?"
Reina asked, looking up at him with upturned eyes.
Her eyes welled up with tears, making her look incredibly cute, and it hurt to refuse her... but even so, he couldn't just give in.
Even if they were family, there were boundaries that couldn't be crossed.
"Reina, you're already a grown woman. Even among family, there are things you must be mindful of."
"But we haven't seen each other in so long. And you said earlier you'd do anything for me..."
"'Anything' is not what I said, and we already took a bath earlier, so that's it!"
Without spoiling her, he firmly explained things to Reina.
No matter how much he trusted her, a girl her age sharing a bed with a man was absolutely unacceptable.
There was always the chance she'd get involved with some strange man at the academy, so he needed to make things clear now.
"Reina, you're already a proper young lady attending school. Even if we're family, please refrain from doing something as improper as sleeping in the same bed with a man... Understood?"
"............"
Reina drooped her shoulders and hugged the pillow she had brought from her room.
She seemed quite dejected... but there was no helping it in this case.
If anything, he should have made this clear much earlier.
Because they were family, because he was like a parent, because they were like siblings... he had let Reina depend on him too much, and that had been a mistake.
Now that Reina had entered the academy, he needed to reset and approach her upbringing with renewed focus.
"Please don't misunderstand me. Reina, it's not because I dislike you that I'm saying this."
"............"
"I want you to become a wonderful young lady. For that reason, even within a family, there are rules that must be followed. As the saying goes, 'Good fences make good neighbors'—we need to draw clear lines."
"............Yes."
"Of course, if you want to lean on me within reason, I welcome it with open arms. As a father figure, as an older brother, I'll gladly accept it. So please, listen to what I'm saying this time."
"Okay... I understand. I'll sleep in my own room."
After his persistent lecturing, Reina finally relented.
"Good, that's better... Sorry for being so harsh."
"No... I know you're saying the right thing, Clael-sama. I'm sorry for being selfish..."
It seemed Reina understood as well.
Clael let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"You don't need to rush to seek affection, you know. Summer vacation is still long. Once tomorrow comes, let's go out together again. Whether it's a restaurant or shopping, we can go wherever you like."
"Thank you... By the way, there's something I want to ask..."
Reina buried the lower half of her face into the pillow and stared intently at Clael as she asked.
"You attended the noble academy too, right, Clael-sama? I heard that starting in the second year, there's a monster extermination class..."
"Ah, that's right."
For nobles, fighting monsters to protect the nation and its people was an important duty.
Because of that, even students aiming to become civil officials or priests were required to participate in the monster extermination class.
"I also heard that sometimes those classes involve overnight stays... You didn't end up alone with a girl during camping, did you?"
"Of course not..."
He was about to say no... but Clael stopped himself.
Come to think of it, there had been an accident where he ended up alone with his female friend Erika.
Both of them were exhausted, and with no energy to post a lookout, they had curled up and slept together inside a tent protected with monster repellent.
"Well, I did share a tent with an old friend once. She was a girl, but it was an emergency situation..."
"Invitation of the White Sheep (Sleep Sheep)"
"No, count—"
Overcome by sudden drowsiness, Clael collapsed forward.
But instead of crashing to the floor, he ended up burying his face in Reina's chest, who was right in front of him.
"Good night, Clael-sama."
"Nn... mm..."
As his consciousness faded, he heard Reina's voice, gentle like that of a loving mother.
In the arms that tightly embraced his head, he felt a fleeting chill run through him.