Chapter 289 : Tio And Ruki

 

「Ruki, you should help Dad and Mom while I’m not around. You hear me?」(Tio)

「I know. Don’t get fooled by a weird man like my friend’s older sister, okay?」(Ruki)

「Ahaha! Who do you think I am? Do you think I’m a cheap woman? Hmm~!?」(Tio)

「Hey, stop it!」(Ruki)

While laughing, Tio patted Ruki’s head roughly.

Seems like those siblings are getting along very well.

While looking at the two with gentle eyes, their father, the inn owner, rubbed his unshaven chin.

I saw him drinking a lot of wine at the counter last night, but he looks fine now. It seems that he’s quite a heavy drinker.

He probably drank a lot last night because he knew he would be separated from his daughter for a while.

「Tio, I’ve sent a letter to my brother, telling him to take care of you. You can depend on him. Ask him if you need anything.」(inn owner)

「Alright. I wonder how’s Uncle doing.」(Tio)

「I know him. He must have been doing well. Remember, if you don’t like living there, you can come back anytime. However, you can stay there longer if you like the place. Do whatever you like.」(inn owner)

「Thanks, Dad. I’ve always wanted to try living in a big town. More importantly, look. Our guests are here.」(Tio)

The inn owner turned his gaze toward us, who just went down the stairs, and scratched his head a little embarrassed.

「Ah, pardon me. Good morning. Do you want to eat breakfast? It costs five copper coins for one person.」(inn owner)

「Yes. I would like four servings, please.」(Celine)

「Alright. Please wait a minute.」(inn owner)

After Celine ordered, the inn owner went to the kitchen with his wife, the landlady, leaving Tio and Ruki in the dining hall.

「Can I have breakfast with you guys?」(Tio)

Without waiting for our reply, Tio approached us and sat with us at the same table.

「Of course, you can, but don’t you want to eat breakfast with your family? You won’t see them for a while, right?」(Celine)

「It’s alright. I don’t like being too emotional. Besides, I don’t know if I would like the place. I might return home right away. Who knows?」(Tio)

「I see.」(Celine)

While Tio was talking with Celine, Ruki pulled a chair from another table and put it right next to me.

「Can I join too?」(Ruki)

I had no reason to turn him down, so I nodded at him.

「Of course.」(Mark)

「Thanks, Mark. Umm… Please look after my sister while you are with her on the way to the town.」(Ruki)

「Eh? Me…?」(Mark)

「What? You don’t want to? I thought you were a dependable guy.」(Ruki)

「No, no. It’s not what I mean.」(Mark)

I can take care of his sister, but he should have asked Celine, not me.

Tio doesn’t know that I’m good at magic. I’m just an ordinary boy in her eyes. Normally, she would be the one looking after me, not the other way around.

Tio sighed seeing her brother asking me, an ordinary boy who’s not even an adventurer, to look after her.

「Hahh… This worrywart little brother… Ruki, you worry too much. You don’t need to ask your friend to look after me. In the first place, bandits and monsters rarely appear along the road to the town. After all, the reason why the carriages can travel back and forth between this village and the town is that because the road is safe.」(Tio)

「That might be true, but still…」(Ruki)

「I’m happy that you worry about me, but you don’t have to worry too much.」(Tio)

「Alright…」(Ruki)

After Ruki replied to Tio with a mumble, Tio leaned her body forward and looked at Nicola who was sitting across from her.

「Nicola-chan, was it? By the way, I’ve been thinking about you since last night. You’re so cute! How old are you?」(Tio)

「Nine years old!」(Nicola)

Nicola answered with her bright angelic smile.

Tio then nodded in satisfaction and turned her gaze to me.

「And you? How old are you?」(Tio)

「I’m nine years old too. We are twins.」(Mark)

「Whaー Mark, you are younger than me!?」(Ruki)

When I thought someone would say that we didn’t look alike just like usual, Ruki interrupted and looked at me with a surprised face.

「Hm? Ruki, how old are you?」(Mark)

「I’m ten. You’re a bit shorter than me, but you look so mature. I thought you were older than me.」(Ruki)

「I, I see…」(Mark)

As always, I’m bad at acting like a child…

「Ah, I thought so too. You are calm and well-behaved, not like my brother.」(Tio)

「Hey, what do you mean by that!?」(Ruki)

「It’s a fact. You should learn from him.」(Tio)

「Ughh…」(Ruki)

Being told by his sister that, Ruki glanced at me and pouted.

Seems like I really should learn how to behave like a normal child…

「Unlike her brother, Nicola-chan has a completely different nature. Say, Ruki, what do you think of Nicola-chan? Do you think she’s cute?」(Tio)

「H, Huh…?」(Ruki)

Ruki slowly turned his face to Nicola.

Noticing Ruki’s gaze, Nicola put her index finger on her cheek and tilted her head cutely as if saying, “Do you think I’m cute~?”.

She was trying to tease Ruki by acting as cute as possible.

This little devil…

As a matter of course, Ruki’s face turned red when Nicola looked at him with her angelic face.

「I, I… think… s-she is… cu, cu… cu…」(Ruki)

「Fufu!」(Tio)

While Ruki was trying to answer, Tio smiled teasingly at her brother.

「W, What!?」(Ruki)

「You must be very nervous to sit at the same table as this super cute girl, aren’t you?」(Tio)

「Th, That’s not true! I-I’m as cool as I normally am!」(Ruki)

Ruki yelled while blushing.

In Schultria Village, most boys are aggressive toward girls.

A shy type of boy like Ruki is quite rare there.

That was probably why I somehow felt nostalgic when I saw Ruki’s innocent reaction.

After finishing our breakfast, we headed to the public carriage station together.

By the way, we were supposed to pay for the breakfast, but it turned out to be free after Tio whispered something to her dad, the inn owner.

I wonder what she said to him…

 

TOC


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