Looks Like Skipping Is A No-Go, Aurora-chan

By the time Tiara’s retreating figure had grown quite small in the distance, my right hand was suddenly tugged downward with a soft sound.

When I looked over, Aurora-chan had collapsed onto the ground.

“Aurora-chan!? Are you okay!?”

I hurried around in front of her.

She gave me a strained smile, looking both troubled and exhausted.

“Oh my, are you all right?”

A middle-aged woman passing by called out to us. I answered her.

“She’s okay. She’s just feeling a little sick…”

“This is a dangerous place to sit, so you should rest for a bit at the side of the road. Somewhere in the shade would be best. I’m sure she’ll be fine with you here looking after her, young man.”

Even the passing woman had become worried about her, and Aurora-chan somehow managed to get back to her feet.

I supported her firmly as we moved into the shade at the side of the road.

The two of us sat down on some steps.

“Are you okay, Aurora-chan?”

“Yeah… I guess it all happened so suddenly that it caught me off guard. I never thought I’d end up arguing with Obasama head-on like that…”

Her trembling had subsided somewhat, but she was still holding onto my right hand.

And since she was gripping it tightly with both hands, she probably still hadn’t completely calmed down.

I said nothing and simply let her hold my hand as time passed.

As the minutes went by, Aurora-chan’s trembling gradually faded, and she seemed to regain her composure.

“…Thank you, Nova-onii-sama. You looked really cool when you stepped in front of me like that.”

Aurora-chan turned toward me and smiled.

The trembling was gone, but her smile still looked a little stiff.

“But I want you to keep what happened today a secret from Onee-sama.”

“…Are you sure?”

“Yeah. Please.”

“…All right.”

Aurora-chan had said she wouldn’t tell Shia.

She had also told Tiara that we would pretend today’s encounter never happened.

If that was what she wanted, then I had no intention of saying anything either.

“…You’re not going to ask me anything, are you, Nova-onii-sama?”

“Um… sorry…”

“No, I’m not blaming you… If anything, I’m grateful. Having someone stay by your side without asking questions can mean a lot, you know? I’m sure Onee-sama feels the same way.”

As she said that, Aurora-chan gently ran the fingers of both hands over my right hand.

It tickled a little, but I decided to let her do as she pleased for a while.

I was sure she would soon return to her usual self.

When I looked up at the sky, the sun had begun to sink.

As I watched its still-powerful rays shine down, it occurred to me that there was still so much about House Ark Gate that I didn’t know.

And somehow, I had the feeling that before long, the day would come when I learned those things and had to face them for myself.

Afterward, once Aurora-chan had taken enough time to return to her usual self, we went together to the confectionery.

After buying a souvenir for Yuti-san there, we headed into a back alley with little foot traffic.

“All right, Nova-onii-sama, are you ready?”

“All I have to do is draw the mana out of the device, so aren’t you the one who needs to get ready, Aurora-chan?”

“…That’s true.”

It was time to test the device we had received at the research institute.

That said, we already knew I could extract mana from it and that I could transfer that mana to Aurora-chan, so I wasn’t particularly nervous.

I took the device out of my pocket and lightly gripped it.

At the same time I felt that familiar sensation of power welling up inside me, Aurora-chan took my left hand.

The strength drained out of me almost as though it were being sucked away, and I still wasn’t quite used to the feeling.

“Yeah, there doesn’t seem to be any problem. All right, I’ll open it.”

Aurora-chan nodded and extended her left hand forward. A familiar oval appeared before us.

“Oh, it worked. And it looks beautiful mixed with that white light.”

Perhaps because Aurora-chan’s gate was mingling with Shia’s mana, its golden glow was faintly streaked with white.

Aurora-chan didn’t look particularly tired either, so the gate seemed to have been a success.

“Thanks. Then shall we go?”

Aurora-chan took my hand and led me toward the oval of light, and I stepped inside.

The first thing I noticed after stepping through was the sensation of solid flooring beneath my feet.

When I emerged from the gate, I found myself at the entrance of the House Ark Gate manor, a place I had visited several times before.

It felt just as warm as the Royal Capital had, reminding me once again that this too was thanks to Shia’s magic.

“Ojou-sama!?”

I turned around at the familiar voice and saw Lisa-san standing beyond the gate as it closed.

“Oh, hello, Lisa-san.”

“A-And even Danna-sama is with you!?”

“…You’re way too surprised.”

“Of course I’m surprised! I saw gate magic and thought it was the family head, but then Ojou-sama came through, and Danna-sama was with you too!”

Lisa-san protested emphatically, but she wasn’t carrying anything in her hands.

She really must have simply been passing by.

I felt a little bad for startling her, but Aurora-chan didn’t seem bothered in the slightest.

“Really? Well, whatever. I’m taking Nova-onii-sama to my room, so come with us. Let’s talk for a while since it’s been so long.”

“Huh? Is that okay!?”

Lisa-san’s gaze darted back and forth between Aurora-chan and me several times.

I had no reason to object, so when I nodded, her eyes lit up.

“Ahh, I’ve been lonely because I haven’t gotten to talk with Ojou-sama much lately. And Danna-sama is here too! I’m so happy! Where did you go today?”

“We went to the Royal Capital. Shia, Aurora-chan, and I visited the research institute.”

“Oh… The research institute in the Royal Capital—would that mean Natasha-san?”

“Yes, we met her too. Apparently there’s a chance that one of her inventions that couldn’t be used before might finally become usable.”

The three of us walked while chatting casually with Lisa-san.

We went up the stairs and turned left.

The last time I had been here, I had gone right because I needed to visit Yuti-san’s room, so this was my first time heading left.

“It’ll only work when Nova-onii-sama uses it with me, but apparently the letter paper might become a little more convenient. And there’s also a chance Onii-sama could use gate magic by himself.”

“Ooh… that would be nice. Ojou-sama is always eagerly waiting for replies from Danna-sama, so if that wait could be shorte—”

“Lisa, we agreed you wouldn’t say that!”

“R-Right, we did!”

I couldn’t help smiling as I watched Aurora-chan and Lisa-san trade remarks like that.

I had thought so ever since I first met them, but the two really were very close.

Aurora-chan had said she didn’t have any friends, but it seemed she had at least been fortunate enough to find a wonderful attendant.

As I thought about that while walking down the second-floor corridor, Aurora-chan stopped in front of a door just past a corner.

Apparently, this was her room.

My gaze drifted to the right.

There wasn’t any particular reason; I had simply become curious about what lay farther down the corridor.

At the end of my line of sight stood an imposing set of double doors.

“That’s the family head’s office. Her private room is next door.”

“Ah, I see.”

So that was where Shia usually worked.

But as I thought that, something else struck me as odd.

I had assumed the door beyond Yuti-san’s room led to Shia’s room, but apparently that wasn’t the case.

“Now then, welcome to my room.”

Aurora-chan called out to me, and when I faced forward, a spacious room spread out before me.

The design was simple, though various small ornaments had been placed around the room.

“Um… pardon the intrusion?”

I wasn’t sure what else to say, so I entered the room with those words.

There were cute little decorations throughout the room, though it also felt as if she was still in the middle of furnishing it.

There was a large bed, a broad desk, an oversized table, and more; at the very least, it was larger than my room, and everything inside was more luxurious, making the wealth of House Ark Gate abundantly clear.

Lisa-san entered after me and closed the door.

I noticed that the door she shut had several locks installed on it.

Aurora-chan was a girl of marriageable age, and the daughter of the prestigious House Ark Gate at that.

I supposed they took security seriously.

“Go ahead and sit wherever you like.”

She gestured toward the chairs surrounding the large table, so I headed for one on the far side.

After noting the four chairs, I glanced toward the large desk as well and saw various documents scattered across it.

“Ah, shall I prepare something to drink?”

“My, how unusually thoughtful of you. Then I think I’ll have some tea. What about you, Nova-onii-sama?”

“I think I’ll have tea too.”

Since I had already had coffee in the Royal Capital, I decided on something different this time.

Lisa-san replied with a “Yes,” then went to the corner of the room and began preparing tea from a cupboard.

Apparently, Aurora-chan’s room was equipped so she could make tea herself.

Come to think of it, Yuti-san’s room had also had a cupboard, so perhaps all of their rooms were arranged that way.

Though Yuti-san’s cupboard had been filled with books.

“It’s been a while since I was here, but the House Ark Gate manor really is huge.”

“Oh? You can live here anytime you want, Nova-onii-sama.”

“No, that would be a bit much. I may only have a small territory, but I am responsible for it, and I’ve grown attached to my current manor. Besides, I don’t even have a room here… Actually, I guess there probably is one.”

Thinking back on how enormous the manor was, it was easy to imagine that they had at least one or two vacant rooms.

“That’s true. If you were going to live here, it would be on the second floor, but I’d recommend a room between Onee-sama’s and mine. Then I could see you right away.”

“I told you, I’m not moving in…”

“…What if you just used it as a temporary room?”

“Well, if I needed one, I wouldn’t mind that.”

“Really!? Yes!”

Aurora-chan exclaimed happily.

As I watched her with an amused smile, Lisa-san returned carrying a tray with our tea.

“You mustn’t trouble Danna-sama, Ojou-sama.”

Aurora-chan pouted as Lisa-san said that while serving the tea.

“But if Onii-sama were hypothetically given a room in this manor, wouldn’t it make sense for it to be between Onee-sama’s room and mine?”

“And naturally, it would also be next to the family head’s room.”

“…Well, yes, I suppose.”

The two continued the conversation in perfect sync, and I suddenly decided to ask something that had been bothering me.

“Come to think of it, Shia’s office and room are down that hallway, right? Then is someone using the room at the end of the corridor near Yuti-san’s room?”

“It’s vacant.”

“It’s an empty room.”

Aurora-chan and Lisa-san answered at exactly the same time, catching me slightly off guard.
But Aurora-chan immediately continued.

“That room is about as large as Onee-sama’s office too… but if we were going to make it Nova-onii-sama’s room, I’d still choose one near Onee-sama. Honestly, it could even be the same room as hers.”

“Ojou-sama, sharing the family head’s room might feel a little cramped.”

“Oh? Don’t you know how madly in love those two are? For a couple bound by such deep affection, that amount of closeness would be just right.”

“What kind of logic is that…?”

The two were having another amusing conversation, but since this one was about Shia and me, it was a little embarrassing.

While I was thinking that, Lisa-san suddenly exclaimed, “Ah!”

“Ojou-sama, isn’t it almost time for your studies?”

“Huh? Oh, right. But Onii-sama is here, so surely I can skip just for today?”

“Studies?”

When I asked, Lisa-san nodded.

“At this time every day, Grace-san… um, her teacher, gives her lessons in magic.”

“Oh… so you have a private tutor.”

Setting aside whether someone as talented as Aurora-chan really needed any more studying, I couldn’t help envying an environment where she could receive lessons at home.

“But don’t you think I could take just today off?”

“No, no, Aurora-chan—”

I was about to tell her that we didn’t need to return to the manor immediately and that she should still keep up with her daily routine when a voice suddenly echoed through the room.

‘No, you may not, Aurora-ojou-sama. Today, as always, you will be attending your magic lesson.’

Before I could even wonder where the voice was coming from, the door flew open and a woman entered with swift, precise movements.

She was a mature woman with streaks of white in her hair, but the aura surrounding her made it clear she was no ordinary person.

“Excuse me, Aurora-ojou-sama. It is time for your lesson.”

“Geh… Grace!?”

“I can understand that you are enjoying yourself in Danna-sama’s company, but rules are rules. Ah, Danna-sama, it is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Grace Rockbolt, and I serve as an instructor to House Ark Gate. I hope you will remember me.”

“N-Nice to meet you…”

Her speech was perfectly polite, yet I could sense something sharp underlying every word.

As an instructor serving House Ark Gate, a family renowned for magic, it was obvious that she was anything but ordinary.

“Danna-sama, may I borrow Aurora-ojou-sama for a while?”

“Y-Yes… Daily routines are important, after all.”

“Oh… Danna-sama is a man of excellent understanding. I am deeply moved! Come now, Aurora-ojou-sama, let us enjoy a wonderfully delightful lesson.”

Grace-san made Aurora-chan stand from her chair and lightly pushed her from behind.

Aurora-chan had been stunned by the woman’s sudden appearance, and now she simply let herself be guided along.

“I-I understand! I understand, so stop pushing! I can walk by myself!”

“Come now, come now. It’s time for your delightful lesson.”

Aurora-chan was practically pushed toward the exit by Grace-san, and she twisted her head around to look back at us.

Her expression clearly seemed to be begging us to do something.

“Have a good lesson, Ojou-sama!”

“G-Good luck!”

But since this was part of her daily routine, there was nothing we could do.

Do your best with your studies, Aurora-chan.

“Ughhh… Grace! Give me all the assignments at once! I’m finishing everything as fast as possible today!”

“Oh… Now that is what I expect from the family head’s younger sister. This Grace could not be prouder.”

And with that, the half-desperate Aurora-chan and Grace-san left the room.

Which meant that Lisa-san and I were the only ones left behind.

“…Um, what are you going to do after you finish your tea?”

“…Either way, I can’t return to my manor without Aurora-chan, so I’ll find some way to pass the time for a while.”

All we could do was exchange awkward looks.