Café With Aurora-chan

The café Aurora-chan had introduced me to was one of the pricier establishments in the Royal Capital.

Still, it seemed the name of House Ark Gate carried plenty of weight even here in the Royal Capital, because the moment Aurora-chan gave her real name, an extremely nervous employee escorted us to a terrace table on the top floor.

It was a beautiful spot overlooking the Royal Capital’s main avenue.

The sunlight and breeze felt wonderful, and being able to drink coffee somewhere like this made it easy to understand why Aurora-chan liked the place so much.

It probably wasn’t just the quality of the food and drinks that earned her approval, but also the fact that it was somewhere she could take her time and relax.

“Mmm! It’s been a while since I had it, but the cake here really is delicious.”

Aurora-chan happily ate her cheesecake.

She had asked if I wanted some cake too, but I declined this time.

“Did you make a reservation here?”

Everything had gone unusually smoothly from the moment we entered, and even the staff’s reaction had made it seem as though they were expecting Aurora-chan.

Aurora-chan set down her fork and gave a firm nod.

“Yes. I made it when I decided to invite you, Nova-onii-sama. I knew Onee-sama had business at the Royal Castle, so entertaining you while she was gone was my job, right?”

“…I kind of feel bad about that.”

“Well, that was only half the reason. The truth is, I just wanted to come here with you, Nova-onii-sama. So don’t worry about it.”

I was sure part of it had been out of consideration for me, but just as she said, anyone watching Aurora-chan could tell she had genuinely been looking forward to coming here.

When I took a sip of coffee, its rich flavor spread across my tongue.

The coffee at House Ark Gate and the coffee Tanya brewed for me were both delicious, but this was excellent too.

I was thinking about how nice the view was when my eyes drifted toward the Royal Castle in the distance.

“I wonder what Shia is doing at the Royal Castle?”

“Who knows… I assume it’s work related to being the head of the family, but I don’t know the details. Apparently there are all sorts of things, like dealing with the aftermath of the war and handling relations with the royal family.”

“…That sounds rough.”

Thinking about the sheer weight of everything she carried left me with complicated feelings.

She was the head of House Ark Gate, one of the great noble houses of the north.

That alone must have left her with countless matters she needed to deal with.

And on top of that, Shia was also the hero who had ended the war.

“…Nova-onii-sama, have you ever thought about becoming the same as Onee-sama?”

“The same?”

I hadn’t understood what she meant at first, but after a moment, it occurred to me.

“You mean… becoming the head of House Fols?”

When I asked, Aurora-chan nodded clearly.

“Hmm.”

The head of the family… huh.

“I’ve never really thought about it. I mean, when I was really little, there was a time when I admired Father, but it was something I could never become in the first place. You know, because I can’t use Haki.”

What House Fols demanded above all else was the strength necessary in times of crisis.

Nowadays, the south maintained friendly relations with the southern nation of Nine Rod, but apparently they had once fought wars just as the north had.

Naturally, House Fols had been the one to take the vanguard in those wars while also serving as supreme commander of the southern forces.

Ever since then, it had become an ironclad rule that the head of House Fols had to be someone with powerful Haki.

“…I see. Then what about assisting Onee-sama?”

“I thought about that too, so I brought it up with Shia right after we got married. But she told me, ‘There isn’t anything I need you to do just yet, so please wait a little longer.’”

I wanted to help Shia in whatever way I could, but apparently Shia herself wasn’t ready yet.

At first, I had wondered if maybe she simply didn’t want me involved, but she used the word “yet” so often that it really did seem like the necessary preparations weren’t complete.

I had no idea what those preparations actually were, though.

“Ahh…”

Aurora-chan murmured weakly, staring into the distance.

As I watched her closely, she came back to herself, our eyes met, and she quickly looked away.

“W-Well, what we’re doing this time is part of helping Onee-sama too. There’s a chance the equipment Nata-san had left gathering dust might actually become usable.”

“That’s true.”

I took the device we had received at the research institute out of my pocket.

The blue glass tube gleamed in the sunlight.

“…Why don’t we stop by the House Ark Gate manor after this? Just you and me, Aurora-chan.”

“Sounds good. I’m sure everyone at the manor and Yuti-onee-sama will be happy too.”

After saying that, Aurora-chan finished the last bit of her cake and took a sip of her coffee with milk and sugar.

“Still, I’m glad I got to come here with you, Nova-onii-sama. I’ve wanted to do this for a long time.”

“Were you really looking forward to this place that much?”

“It didn’t have to be this place in particular. I just wanted to sit somewhere like a café and have a nice, relaxed conversation with someone like you, Nova-onii-sama. I basically never leave the manor, so I don’t have any friends, and I never get the chance to meet people like you either.”

Aurora-chan’s words made sense to me.

I had been the same way, but children of noble families generally grew up inside their estates.

Apparently, people who weren’t nobles sometimes attended schools instead.

I thought about the people around me.

I tried to think of someone close to Aurora-chan’s age whom she might be able to become friends with, but unfortunately, no one came to mind.

Even I barely had anyone I interacted with besides the people at the manor where I lived now.

“Oh, right. Why don’t we buy a souvenir for Yuti-onee-sama?”

“Huh? Oh, sure. Is something from this café okay?”

“Actually, Yuti-onee-sama is very particular about souvenirs. Whenever we bring her something from the Royal Capital, it has to come from one specific place.”

“…That does sound like Yuti-san somehow.”

“It’s not very far from here, so we’ll be there in no time.”

Aurora-chan set down her empty coffee cup and let out a long breath.

Her golden hair swayed softly in the breeze.