Ch.81Chapter 81. Must Be Nice Having Two Wives.

“Um, but why is Tachia here…?”

“Why am I here? I brought you in because you were passed out in the front yard of my new place.”

“…I was sleeping?”

“Don’t you remember what happened last night?”

Last night…

Right, I don’t remember the dream I had before, but I do remember something about yesterday.

I definitely rejected Merilyn’s confession, and then I closed my eyes because I didn’t know what to do, and then I felt something soft on my lips…

I don’t remember much after that. Did I black out from drinking?

“…If you don’t remember, forget it.”

Tachia moved away from me as I was trying hard to recall what happened.

Standing by the door, she concluded our conversation with her usual blunt attitude and gestured to me.

“If you’re awake, come to the kitchen and eat. I’ve prepared food.”

“Ah, yes…”

Well, I’m already used to Tachia being this kind of person.

Let me eat the food she prepared first and think about things later. After tidying up the bedding, I followed her straight to the kitchen.

***

Though she said she moved, the structure of the house wasn’t much different from before.

Coming out of the room and going left leads to the workshop, the middle staircase leads down to the bath, and going a bit further is the kitchen where Tachia had prepared a meal.

The difference now was that there was a familiar face greeting me there.

“Good morning, Hyoseong~”

“…Merilyn?”

“Ahem!”

Why is Merilyn at Tachia’s house?

As I was puzzling over this, a throat-clearing sound from the opposite side caught my attention. There sat a red-haired woman with a stern face across from Merilyn.

“Good morning, Hyoseong.”

“Irie too?”

Unlike Merilyn who smiled brightly at me, Irie sat properly at the table, waiting for me to sit down.

While I had been with Merilyn until last night, I hadn’t expected Irie to be here as well.

Could she have sensed something happened to me through her prophecies and come here?

“Come on, don’t just stand there staring. Sit down~”

Before I could ask about it, Merilyn pulled my arm and dragged me to the table.

After I awkwardly sat next to her, I noticed Irie staring at me from across the table.

“Hyoseong, you seem quite comfortable sitting next to Merilyn.”

“…Pardon?”

“I heard she was an acquaintance you went to meet. It seems you two became quite close while I was away.”

I flinched and glanced sideways.

There was Merilyn sitting next to me, smiling brightly.

She seemed completely unconcerned about Irie’s glare, focusing her attention solely on me.

“Ah, well, that’s…”

“Oh my~ Weren’t you two supposed to be lovers?”

As I was feeling embarrassed, Merilyn tilted her head.

Her characteristic eye-smile opened slightly, revealing her amber eyes directed at Irie.

“If you’re lovers, I suppose you wouldn’t be happy with another woman sitting so close to him. Don’t you think so too, Hyoseong?”

“No, well… Irie and I aren’t exactly…”

“Oh my~ So you’re not lovers yet?”

Her voice was higher than usual, and her smile even brighter.

I had mentioned it because my relationship with Irie was indeed ambiguous, but Irie’s eyebrows raised in apparent displeasure at my comment.

“Hehe, if you’re not lovers, then there’s no problem with me sitting next to Hyoseong like this. You don’t mind, do you, Irie?”

Merilyn even linked her arm with mine as if she didn’t care at all.

Her bright smile despite clearly noticing Irie’s emotions almost seemed like she was deliberately provoking her.

No, it wasn’t just seeming like provocation—it was provocation.

For some reason, she seemed to have developed some kind of wariness toward Irie that I wasn’t aware of.

“Well, I don’t particularly care.”

Though Irie seemed displeased by Merilyn’s behavior, it was only momentary.

Soon regaining her composure, Irie spoke to Merilyn in a dignified voice.

“I prefer sitting across from someone rather than side by side anyway.”

Along with that, a gentle and warm smile spread across her face.

Sensing something from that, I felt Merilyn’s grip on my arm gradually loosening.

“Merilyn?”

“It’s nothing~”

Merilyn laughed with a “hehe” and glanced sideways at Irie.

Irie also smiled and tilted her head, but throughout this exchange, neither woman’s gaze left the other.

What’s going on? Did they have a fight that I don’t know about?

Like, did they have a massive fight over me, with aftershocks powerful enough to wipe out an entire city, and I’m still feeling the aftermath…?

“…No way.”

After briefly entertaining that thought, I dismissed it with an awkward laugh and prepared to continue with the meal.

There’s no way that could happen.

After all, Irie is an astrologer and Merilyn is a minstrel. They’re both delicate people with no connection to fighting, so they wouldn’t fight so fiercely just over me, right?

Yet I couldn’t shake the feeling that it might be possible—probably because my virgin delusions haven’t completely disappeared.

Even though Irie and I have become intimate, our relationship isn’t officially defined, and there’s still a lot of awkwardness between us.

“Hehe, Hyoseong.”

But perhaps because I was too conscious of Irie, Merilyn’s usual behavior toward me felt much more burdensome in this moment.

“Here, open your mouth~ Aahn~”

“Um, Merilyn. Wait.”

“Oh come on, why are you being shy~ I fed you like this during our meal yesterday too~”

-CRACK!

The sound of something being crushed came from across the table.

Merilyn seemed to notice it too, as she briefly withdrew the fork with salad on it and glanced across the table.

“My, what’s wrong, Irie? Is there something wrong with what I’m doing?”

“…Are you really asking because you don’t know?”

“Hehe, well, why else would I ask? If there’s something I’m overlooking, would you mind telling me ‘with your own mouth’?”

The spoon scooping stew trembled as emotions seemed to intensify.

Nevertheless, Irie controlled her emotions and reprimanded Merilyn in a composed voice.

“…Merilyn. Such behavior might be acceptable when you’re alone, but it’s inappropriate when dining with others.”

“Inappropriate? You mean feeding each other?”

“Of course. Don’t you have any common sense?”

“Hmm, that’s strange. Yesterday, Hyoseong fed me like this in the restaurant too. Does that mean Hyoseong also lacks common sense?”

-ZZZZT!!

My body froze instantly at the icy glare.

No, well… Irie. I know it’s an excuse, but I thought it would be okay yesterday.

I thought you knew everything through your prophecies and were okay with whatever I did.

“My, could it be you’ve never done this before? Even though you’re close enough to live together~?”

Merilyn burst into laughter, seemingly oblivious to the atmosphere.

Her smile seemed more like mockery than her usual playfulness.

Though I didn’t know the details, it was clear that Merilyn didn’t have a good impression of Irie.

“…Huff, huff.”

But it seemed Irie felt the same way about her.

After letting out a laugh that seemed to mask her composure, she continued in a soft voice that seemed to calm her trembling.

“Well, I suppose I tend to be cautious when approaching others, so I’m not very good at being as forward as you are, Merilyn.”

“Oh my~ I see. In that case…”

“Of course, I have served food I made to Hyoseong before.”

Twitch.

Merilyn’s body jerked at Irie’s words.

Noticing this reaction, Irie chuckled and placed her hand on her chin.

“No, it wasn’t just serving. Sometimes when Hyoseong came home early, he would cook himself, or we would cook together and share the meal. Isn’t that right, Hyoseong?”

“Uh, um, y-yes, that’s…”

“AHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!”

Before I could finish my answer, a burst of laughter erupted.

I couldn’t help but turn to look at Merilyn with a bewildered expression, as this loud laughter was unlike her usual quiet chuckle.

“Right, right. If you’re living together, of course you can cook meals together~”

“Um, Merilyn. Please calm down…”

“But if you’re that close, how come you’re not lovers?”

Merilyn rose from her seat, ignoring my attempt to calm her down.

Veins bulged on her tightly clenched fist, yet her face still wore a bright smile.

“That can happen too. After all, both Hyoseong and I have missions we need to focus on right now…”

“Missions? That’s quite a convenient excuse for someone freeloading in someone else’s house.”

“Ex-excuse?”

“Yes, isn’t it? If you’re interested in someone, you should just date them, but instead you keep saying ‘it’s not the right time, it’s not the right time.’ Isn’t that the perfect setup to take what you want and then change your mind and move on to another man later?”

These were harsh words I never expected to hear from Merilyn.

Yet she continued without restraint, even becoming more aggressive as she glared at Irie.

“And you have the audacity to say such things in front of someone you think you’ve already caught.”

“Irie, I didn’t take you for someone so skilled at stringing people along~”

-THUD!!

Finally reaching her limit of patience, Irie slammed her fist down.

She stood up abruptly and shouted at Merilyn.

“Don’t talk nonsense! I swear to the heavens I have never seen Hyoseong as that kind of object!”

“Aha~ What meaning does a vow to the heavens have when it carries no force? If I interpret your words literally, it means you could betray Hyoseong if your mission required it. How could anyone trust such a person as a woman trusts a man~?”

“Ah, yes. Speaking of trust, well said! What were you doing before you met Hyoseong with all that trust you’re so proud of?”

“Hey, I told you that’s a completely different matter!?”

“How is it different! You’re someone who would turn your shoes backward at the slightest inconvenience…!”

-BANG!!!!

A heavy impact interrupted the heated atmosphere.

The two women closed their mouths and looked at the intruder, then swallowed hard and trembled.

“…Hey, you two.”

Tachia Pailoi.

She placed a sizzling roast on the table, her eyes burning with even greater heat than the food as she directed her gaze at the two women.

“You don’t like the food I made?”

“N-no. That’s not it.”

A gulp! sound came from both sides at the menacing voice.

Merilyn, one of those who made the sound, averted her gaze from Tachia and began to sweat nervously.

“Ah, haha. We were a bit noisy, weren’t we?”

Irie’s reaction was the same.

Tachia stared at Irie as she apologized politely, then picked up the carving knife she had brought with the roast and said:

“If you’re at the table, just eat quietly. If you get noisy again, I’ll really split your heads open this time.”

SLASH! The roast was cut clean through with the knife.

As the seasoned oil dripped down, both women’s faces turned pale.

“S-sorry.”

“Y-yes, we’ll be quiet.”

Merilyn and Irie sat down meekly, trembling.

The fear that overwhelmed even their anger toward each other made them continue their meal in silence.

What’s going on here?

Did they fight in the front yard at dawn and get flicked on the forehead by Tachia or something?

****

After the meal, the first thing Tachia did was chase Merilyn and Irie out of her house.

The reason was that having the two of them together in the house would just cause unnecessary noise…

It seemed something had happened while I was unconscious, but even now as I joined Tachia in the backyard of her house, I had no chance to learn the details.

I was just following the usual routine of having a conversation about my recent situation after finishing the meal.

“By the way, there’s something I want to ask.”

“Ah, yes. Go ahead.”

As I waited in the backyard at her request, she put a lit cigarette in her mouth and asked me a question.

“Which one is your wife?”

“…Pardon?”

“I asked which one of them is your wife.”

“……”

“Both of them?”

“N-no. Neither.”

That’s not a lie.

No matter how much we care for each other, neither Merilyn nor Irie can be considered that kind of relationship yet.

“For people who aren’t in that kind of relationship, they were pretty fierce at the table.”

“Hahaha, well, somehow…”

I’m not completely oblivious, so it’s strange that I can’t figure out why that scene unfolded.

But separately, Tachia’s reaction was a bit concerning.

“Are you bothered by it?”

I thought someone like her, who takes everything in stride, wouldn’t care about such things.

To my tentative question, Tachia exhaled cigarette smoke and answered immediately.

“Of course I care. I don’t have anything else to care about except you.”

“…What?”

“Never mind, just tell me about what’s been going on with you as usual.”

“Ah, yes…”

Tachia glossed over her previous statement and tried to continue the conversation.

Though her words bothered me quite a bit, I ultimately decided to set aside my curiosity and engage in our conversation as usual.

No, surely that can’t be it.

Anyone else maybe, but Tachia too?