57. A New Younger Sister

57. A New Younger Sister

The sound of the hair dryer fills the room. The heat warms my hands and slowly dries away the moisture.

“Iris, your hair smells nice.”

As I was drying Iris’s hair, I gently buried my nose in her nape and sniffed. Perhaps it tickled her, as Iris trembled slightly and moved away, saying it was ticklish.

I chuckled lightly and kissed Iris’s nape. Then Iris tilted her head and asked.

“Did you kiss me?”

“Yes. Why do you ask?”

“Daddy said kissing is only for lovers!”

Iris, perhaps embarrassed, covered her nape with her hand. I continued drying her hair while correcting Iris’s understanding.

“No, girls can kiss if they’re close enough. Do you think you’re not that close to big sister yet…?”

“Ah, ah, no, that’s not it….”

Iris spoke in a slightly dejected tone, waving her hands around nervously. I chuckled lightly and added.

“It’s common for girls to kiss. Yes, try doing the same to your close female friends later. They’ll all like it.”

“Is that so…?”

“Of course.”

Even the shy Priscilla later came to like kissing.

After Iris’s hair was dry and fluffy, it was Iris’s turn to sit behind me and dry my tail and hair.

For a moment, she diligently dried my ears with her red eyes sparkling, and then Iris asked me.

“I heard that beastmen feel very uncomfortable when their ears or tails get wet, is that true?”

“Hmm… I suppose so. The fur gets droopy, heavy, and it’s inconvenient in many ways. Did you read that in a book too?”

“Yes!”

Iris smiled brightly.

“You seem to like reading books. I happen to have a novel I was reading, would you like to read it later?”

“Okay!”

I said, recalling the novels stored in my drawer.

Later, listening to Iris talk continuously about the books she had read, I held my throbbing head and said.

“Iris, do you not like anything else besides books?”

Listening to her talk about books other than novels made my head ache. I detest books that aren’t novels, so I felt the need to change the topic.

“Ah, I really like pretty clothes too!”

“Clothes?”

“Yes!”

Iris, hugging my fluffy dry tail vigorously, continued. I lifted my tail, moved Iris in front of me, and replied.

“When you say clothes?”

“Pretty dresses, skirts, this and that….”

Iris explained enthusiastically, waving her arms around. Unfortunately, I didn’t have much knowledge about clothes, so I could only pretend to understand and stroke Iris’s head.

Iris suddenly lifted her head and said.

“So, can I look in your closet?”

“Why my closet?”

“You’re a very important noble, aren’t you! Of course, you must have lots of pretty clothes in your closet, right?!”

Iris’s eyes sparkled as she spread her arms wide. Seeing her immense anticipation, I slowly recalled the contents of my closet.

Uniforms. Training clothes.

And the black underwear with holes that Freya bought me.

That was all.

“… Hmm, I don’t think there’s much to see in my closet.”

“Huh? Why!”

I smiled sheepishly and stroked Iris’s head as she pouted. Instead of answering, I tickled Iris’s nape with the tip of my tail to distract her.

“Kyahaha, it tickles!”

I put my fingers in her armpit and tickled her. Iris seemed to be weak to tickles, as she collapsed onto the bed, exhausted from just this much.

Iris’s face was flushed red, her breathing heavy. I lay down on the bed with Iris and quietly stroked her head.

“Hehe….”

Iris giggled. Her appearance somehow reminded me of Freya.

Perhaps the loneliness of being in a faraway land hadn’t faded yet, and seeing Freya in Iris, I gently hugged Iris tightly.

Startled by my sudden action, Iris tilted her head in confusion, but then buried her head in my chest and sighed with a smile.

We spent some time like that.

After an hour or two had passed.

“Iris.”

“Yes…?”

“Shall we go eat?”

It was about time to get hungry. I woke up Iris, who was dozing, and we walked towards the dining hall.

“Are you sleepy?”

“Yes….”

Still half-asleep, Iris stumbled precariously. I picked her up and held her gently in my arms. Unable to suppress her sleepiness, Iris blinked in my arms and fell asleep.

I poked Iris’s soft cheek and then walked on, intending to wake her up when we arrived at the dining hall.

-Now she’s touching children too…?

-I also saw her drawing a sword at the person called ‘oppa’ this morning….

-So she took her sister away from her own brother?

-How could she do that….

I wondered who they were talking about, but I didn’t stop walking, my ears perked with curiosity, and finally, we arrived at the dining hall.

“Iris, wake up.”

“Yes….”

Iris, who was exclaiming at the sight of the elegant building used by nobles, then gasped at the numerous dishes laid out.

“Can I eat all of that?”

“Of course.”

Money was abundant. Feeding a child like Iris was more than enough. At my words, Iris smiled brightly, took a plate, and began to dart around.

Iris, a small child, stood out among the nobles, drawing considerable attention just by her presence. Strangely, no one spoke to Iris or approached her.

“I’m here!”

I wondered why, and after a moment of thought, Iris returned to her seat with her plate full of food.

Iris’s plate, with vegetables and meat appropriately arranged, seemed to provide a balanced intake of nutrients. I stared at my own plate, piled high only with meat.

… Is it just me, or is Iris more mature than me?

Anyway, we started eating. I poked a piece of meat with my fork and offered it to Iris, saying.

“Here, Iris. Say ‘ah~’.”

“Yes!”

Iris swallowed the meat with her tiny mouth. Seeing that, I chuckled and opened my mouth towards Iris.

However, Iris tilted her head as if she didn’t understand my action. I closed my mouth and replied sheepishly.

“You have to give it to me too. When women eat together, they feed each other.”

“R-really…?”

“Of course. Especially sisters.”

Perhaps reacting to the word ‘sisters,’ Iris soon picked up vegetables and meat from her plate and offered them to me. I carefully took only the meat from Iris’s fork, and then Iris shouted.

“You have to eat vegetables to be healthy too!”

“… I’m already healthy enough.”

After finishing our meal with Iris a while later, I took Iris back to the dormitory. Sitting on the bed, I covered Iris with a blanket and said.

“Iris, shall I read you a book?”

“Yes!”

Iris smiled brightly.

I smiled back and read novels to Iris until we both fell asleep.

——

“Hey!”

“Hic…! Ah, no. Yes, what is it?”

Freya, who had barely escaped the labyrinth, pointed to a noblewoman passing by and asked. The noblewoman was startled by Freya’s wolf ears, but then realized the color was different from what she expected and felt relieved.

“Sister… no, do you happen to know which dormitory Skadi von Lyra lives in?”

Having escaped the alley too late, Skadi’s scent was almost gone. Therefore, Freya couldn’t track Skadi and had to rely on others for help.

“Y-yes…?! Wh-who?”

“Well, she looks similar to me, but a bit taller, her hair and tail are white, and she always has a blank expression….”

“S-sorry! I don’t know anyone like that!”

“What… Hey! Where are you going!”

However, as soon as she heard the detailed description, the noblewoman’s face turned deathly pale, and she quickly fled from Freya. Her speed was so great that it rivaled her sister’s, leaving Freya stunned and standing still for a moment.

“No, this isn’t the time. Hey! You there!”

But there were several noblewomen passing by, so Freya called out to them to ask about her sister’s whereabouts-

“Why is everyone running away???”

All resulted in the same outcome.

Freya swayed her tail nervously and muttered.

“I need to find her quickly… Ah! Hey, you there….”

A brown-haired noblewoman happened to be walking by. Freya intended to stop her and ask about her sister’s whereabouts, but she stopped as soon as she saw her appearance.

“Hehe… Ella kissed me… Maybe Ella likes me too…? Ehehe….”

“Uh… um.”

Freya put a little distance between herself and the noblewoman.

After repeatedly asking for her sister’s location and being met with fleeing noblewomen, the sun began to set. Frustrated by the situation not going as planned, Freya stamped her feet and shouted.

“Damn it… Why is everyone running away?!”

Freya trembled with belated realization, thinking it would have been better to search for her sister by going through every dormitory.

“Tch, I guess I’ll just have to sleep and look tomorrow….”

Sighing, Freya headed towards the dormitory and suddenly remembered something she had forgotten.

“… Did I apply for dormitory housing?”

She had been so busy looking for her sister that she hadn’t applied for dormitory housing.

“Then… where will I sleep?”

Freya’s muttering echoed alone in the twilight path.