Episode 18
“Oh, welcome back~”
Just as instructed, I’d been waiting obediently in the room, and through the window I saw Teresia coming back.
I gave her a wave, and she returned it, small and restrained.
I stepped out of my room to greet her, and the first thing out of her mouth was, “Did you wait quietly, like a good girl?”
“C’mon, I’m not a kid.”
“I think you have plenty of childish moments though, Yurina.”
“I won’t deny that.”
“You’re not denying it? Unexpected.”
“A well-behaved person is capable of properly acknowledging the facts.”
“I see.”
At that, I noticed something in Teresia’s hand.
A fairly large bag, with what looked like bottles peeking out from inside.
“What’s that?”
“Ah, um…”
Teresia looked away, a little awkwardly.
Given how obviously suspicious that reaction was, I figured she probably had her own reasons for wanting to keep it to herself, so I let it go with a vague, “Well, whatever’s fine, I guess.”
“So, what should we do for the rest of today?”
“Right. I’d love to say sightseeing, but — as usual, you’re still not fully recovered, are you, Yurina?”
“Ehh, but I’m at a hundred percent energy!”
I pouted and complained, and Teresia let out a small laugh.
“You’ve been working so hard for my sake this whole time, Yurina. Nobody’s going to complain if you take it a bit easy and laze around for once.”
“But I want to be more active~”
“I know you’re full of energy, believe me. Even so, compared to before, I don’t think you’re quite at full strength yet.”
“Eh, really?”
“Yes. To put it concretely — your body’s not being noisy.”
What does that even mean, “not being noisy”?
“I mean you’ve been expressing your feelings through your body less. It was very easy to read, and honestly, I appreciated that about you.”
“You appreciated my feelings being easy to read?”
“For example, playing Old Maid with you.”
“That’s way too specific a comparison…”
“Anyway, setting that aside.”
Teresia gave the bag in her hand a little shake, and it made a soft sloshing sound.
Then she said, “In any case, let’s not stand around talking in the hallway, let’s head back to the room,” and took my hand, pulling me back inside the inn.
She led me straight to my room, then said “Just let me set my things down for a moment,” and stepped out again.
Left alone, I sat myself down on the bed, and Teresia came right back, looked at me and asked, “Were you being good?”
“I mean, you were only gone for a second.”
“Who knows? You’re the type to get into some kind of mischief the moment I look away, Yurina.”
Talk about zero trust.
Or, actually — is it more that she trusts I would do something the moment she’s not watching?
Either way, it wasn’t exactly flattering trust.
…Or maybe it’s less “no trust” and more “trusted, in her own way.”
Being teased like this, being someone she felt comfortable joking around with — I think that’s its own kind of trust, coming from her.
I believe we’re that close, Teresia and I.
Childhood friends. Close friends.
“Actually, isn’t that the same for you, though? In that sense — who knows what you’d get up to the moment I looked away.”
“I-I don’t think I’ve ever done anything as reckless as you have, Yurina.”
“Can you really say that looking me in the eye?”
“Looking you straight in the eye is embarrassing, Yurina.”
“What are you, some maiden in love?”
“I am a maiden in love. At least enough of one that holding eye contact for too long with someone I care for makes me embarrassed.”
“I… see.”
“…Why are you nodding like that’s some profound revelation?”
“No, just — the fact that you can say something that embarrassing out loud really does prove you’re a proper maiden in love.”
“I feel like that particular way of being convinced is a little rude to the word ‘maiden’…”
Rude to a word — what does that even mean.
“Well, whatever. Anyway, back to the point — what are we doing for the rest of today?”
“Taking it slow.”
“Slow?”
“Honestly, I was hoping to take it slow myself too — holed up in the room, sprawled out on the bed.”
“Hm?”
Teresia’s usually fairly high-energy herself, if not quite as much as me, so hearing her say she wanted to “take it slow” was unexpected.
“…Are you okay? You’re not pushing yourself too hard about something, are you?”
“Ah, no! It’s really nothing you need to worry about!”
Teresia waved her hands hurriedly.
“It’s just, well — I was over at Monica-san’s place until just now.”
“Ah, I see.”
I see, though — thinking about it, that’s a slightly rude thing to say about Monica-san, isn’t it.
Still, it made sense.
“So today we’re just taking it easy in our rooms?”
“Yes. I’m going to, and I’d like you to do the same, Yurina.”
“Mm, alright, got it.”
At my nod, Teresia nodded back too, looking relieved.
“Well then, I’ll head back to my room.”
“Okay. Take it easy.”
Teresia opened the door and left the room.
The door clicked shut, and left alone, I decided to just flop down onto the bed for now.