“It’s been a while.”
Time to depart for Selian’s mansion. As the carriage arrived in front of Anne’s mansion, Selian got out and greeted. I knew that she sent the carriage, but I didn’t expect Selian to come personally to pick her up.
“Selian!”
Anne seemed just as surprised, greeting Selian with evident joy. After exchanging casual pleasantries, Selian turned to the carriage to bid Anne farewell before heading to her mansion.
“Anne. Then, let’s see each other when school’s back. I had fun this week.”
“U, uh… yeah.”
Ever since the last labyrinth incident, Anne’s demeanor had changed significantly from before. She seemed more composed now, although occasionally her usual loud voice and straightforward actions would still show through.
“Well then, I’ll be going now. Anne, have a great rest of your vacation.”
Selian boarded the carriage first, and just as I was about to follow,
Clap Clap
I turned around at the sudden sound to see Anne had her hands pressed against her cheeks. It seemed that the clapping sound was from her pinching her own cheeks. While wondering why Anne was acting this way, she suddenly looked up, locking eyes with me.
“Showing this face while parting isn’t really like me, is it? Sorry, I was just lost in thought. I also had a great time. Let’s hang out again when school’s back!”
Still, it was a relief to see Anne’s spirited demeanor one last time before we parted. With a smirk, I responded to her.
“Sure. In the second semester, let’s have even more fun since we couldn’t play much during vacation. Take care.”
“Uh-huh!”
With Anne’s loud voice echoing, I climbed aboard the carriage, where Selian was looking at me. I thought she might have something to say, but Selian just stared silently.
“What’s wrong? Is there something you want to say?”
“Exactly when again…? No, it’s nothing. Since it’s my turn anyway.”
Selian said something incomprehensible. Just as I was about to ask what she meant, she cut me off first and spoke.
“Then, while we have plenty of time on the carriage ride, would you like a cup of tea?”
“It’s a bit early, but since there’s nothing else to do… Sure, why not?”
Since it wasn’t anything urgent, I decided to enjoy the tea Selian would offer.
There was only the driver accompanying us, so inside the carriage, it was just the two of us. Naturally, Selian prepared the tea herself.
Indeed, just like the luxurious carriages of Yuli and Anne I had ridden before, this carriage was also enchanted with various spells, making it quite expensive. Thanks to these spells, the time spent drinking tea inside felt as calm and comfortable as being inside a room.
Though, it wasn’t an ordinary tea time. Just endless chatter and snacks here and there, whenever we felt thirsty or peckish, for hours on end.
After all, we departed from Anne’s mansion in the morning, but judging by the distance, we likely wouldn’t arrive at Selian’s mansion until late evening. That meant we would have to stay cooped up in the carriage for at least ten hours. With the limited activities available in the confined carriage, the best ways to pass the time were either taking a quick nap or chatting with Selian.
“Yaaaawn…”
Constantly eating snacks made me yawn unconsciously in the middle of lunch and chatting nonstop with Selian.
Since the yawn came suddenly, it was far from refined, but at least I didn’t forget to cover my mouth.
“You seem very tired.”
“Hmm… maybe it’s because I just finished eating. I am a bit sleepy.”
To avoid misunderstanding that I was yawning because I found her stories boring, I quickly made an excuse.
Fortunately, Selian didn’t look particularly offended by my yawn.
“Would you like to take a nap then? I’ll wake you if anything happens.”
“But it feels rude to nap in front of Selian…”
“It’s fine with me. Please rest.”
Thinking about it, Yuli would probably scold me for sleeping immediately after eating, but Selian was even encouraging me to sleep.
While thinking about trivial things and smirking to myself, Selian, who had been sitting across from me, got up and moved to sit beside me.
Wondering what was going on, I turned to see Selian tapping her thighs with both hands.
“Here, lean on me.”
“Huh?”
When I questioned, Selian tilted her head with a sly smile, seeming to ask what the problem was.
“But won’t it be uncomfortable for Selian? You don’t need to force yourself.”
“Not at all.”
“My head is heavy, so I’m sure it will make your thighs ache.”
“If El’s head was heavy, wouldn’t everyone else’s heads be heavy too? And I have a strong body.”
Well, that’s true. Even to me, the excuse sounded ridiculous. My small head wouldn’t weigh much, and Selian’s warrior-trained body would definitely not be affected by the weight of my head.
But the reason I was rejecting despite such a baseless excuse was one:
“…I’m embarrassed, so it’s not happening. It’ll probably chase away all my sleep.”
Finally, I admitted the biggest reason. It was embarrassing, but if I didn’t say this, Selian would likely insist until the end.
But I underestimated her.
“We’ve slept together before. There’s nothing to be embarrassed about. Now, hurry up.”
What does she mean bringing that up? Of course, sleeping together on the same bed is obviously way more embarrassing than using someone’s lap as a pillow, but just because it’s less so doesn’t mean it’s not embarrassing at all.
However, Selian stretched her arms out and gently gathered my still hesitant head, slowly pulling it toward her lap.
“Well then, rest well.”
I could feel Selian’s thigh when I laid my cheek sideways. Selian, who happened to be wearing a short skirt today, had it slightly rolled up, and her bare skin was touching me.
Slightly confused, I felt Selian’s hand gently rest on my head.
As if putting a baby to sleep, Selian softly stroked my hair.
Feeling her touch, the drowsiness that disappeared momentarily crept back due to my fluttering heart.
Eventually, sleep overpowered the embarrassment, and I could feel my eyelids slowly closing.
…
Clunk
“Huh…?”
I woke up with the carriage shaking. Rather than my body shaking, the whole carriage felt wobbling as I sat up.
As I had just woken up, I blanked out for a moment, but soon enough, I remembered where I was lying.
Worried that I might have drooled while sleeping, I cautiously wiped around my mouth with my hand—but fortunately, it seemed that the worst scenario hadn’t happened.
Since I was now fully awake, I couldn’t keep resting my head on Selian’s thigh, so I slowly sat up.
“Aah!”
As I sat up, Selian’s exclamation of disappointment reached my ears. Turning around, Selian was looking at me like a child whose toy had been snatched away, her arms still stretched out.
“Selian?”
“N-N-nothing!”
Selian stuttered, unlike her usual self. Moreover, her face was flushed, and her breathing seemed somewhat ragged.
Even though the carriage surely had insulation and humidity spells, the inside felt unbearably warm.
Looking briefly out the carriage window, the sunset was already casting its deep red glow.
…How many hours exactly did I sleep?
“Are you okay?”
For a quick nap, it had turned into a long slumber.
Regardless of Selian’s well-trained body, it was reasonable that she would be tired after being immobile for hours while her thighs were being pressed.
“Ah, yes. It’s fine. Absolutely fine… Moreover…”
“Huh?”
“A-a-a-ah, no! Nothing at all.”
It was the first time since she got flustered during our study session and when I accidentally touched one of her important letters.
However, before I could even be surprised, the carriage door opened.
“Excuse me, Miss. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“No, I’m fine. What happened?”
“You need to take a look.”
The person opening the door was the carriage driver. When Selian and I got out following the driver, we could see what had happened.
“The wheel has come off completely. I made sure to check everything before departure, but I have no idea how this happened… It’s unbelievable.”
The driver’s tone of complete bewilderment wasn’t a lie.
It must’ve been the imbalance caused by the wheel falling off that made me wake up with the clunky movement.
“Sigh, luckily…”
“Huh?”
“Ah-a-a-a-ah, no! I mean, the spells on the carriage are perfectly fine, that’s why I said ‘luckily’.”
I reacted involuntarily to Selian’s whisper, but instead, Selian jumped and answered loudly.
Well, it is lucky that despite the carriage wheel falling off, the magic held up with just a slight wobble before stopping. The wheel might have been faulty, but the spells on the carriage were intact.
“Ah! The wheel itself seems fine. If we just reattach the wheel, we should be able to continue. Please wait just a moment. I’ll fix it right away.”
After examining the problem area, the driver said that and promptly began working.
“At least we’re lucky. We should arrive before it gets any darker… Selian?”
Just as I let out a sigh and was about to address Selian, she moved first.
Selian walked to where the driver was busily repairing the carriage and began examining the wheel.
Lifting her hand to tap the wheel lightly, it appeared she was confirming if the driver was right about the wheel still being okay.
The wheel seemed fine, as it withstood Selian pressing on it for examination without any issues…
“Uh… Selian, the checking’s good but… aren’t you using too much force?”
Crack
“Eep.”
She probably lost control of her strength as one of the wheel’s spokes snapped under Selian’s touch. The driver, watching this, dropped his hammer, looking completely stunned.
“Hehe… Sorry about that.”
Given that the wheel itself needed repair, it was going to take time, and it was already midnight with the moon high in the sky. Since driving the carriage down dimly lit roads at night would be dangerous, even after the repair, we decided to camp out overnight.
Because we couldn’t stay in complete darkness, we set a small bonfire at a distance from the carriage.
After finishing the evening meal and assisting with the carriage’s repair, it was already time to sleep.
“Mr. Van, please rest inside the carriage.”
“Oh, that’s alright. You and your friend should rest inside. I’ll be fine outside.”
“No. No matter how safe this area is, there are still dangers. It’s better for us to keep watch outside while sleeping.”
Thanks to various spells, the carriage, despite being outside, was much more comfortable. So, there was no particular problem with sleeping inside.
Naturally, the carriage driver stubbornly refused Selian’s suggestion, but since the righteous cause was on Selian’s side, he eventually had to accept it.
Once the driver entered the carriage with a continuously apologetic face, outside there remained only Selian and me. Of course, earlier we were also inside the carriage together too.
“Well then, let’s rest?”
Silian wrapped herself in a luxurious blanket and sat by the bonfire. Thinking there might be an extra blanket, I looked around but none was in sight. If there was a spare, Selian would’ve already brought it out, of course.
I followed Selian’s lead and sat down opposite her by the bonfire.
The moment I took my seat, Selian suddenly stood up and sat down very close to me with surprising speed.
“Selian…?”
“Since we only have one blanket, and I get cold easily… Could we sleep close together?”
“…Alright, I suppose.”
Since it had happened once or twice already, I somewhat got used to it and responded lightly. However, Selian came even closer than expected, almost burrowing into my arms.
As we shared the single blanket, Selian began talking.
“Nostalgia, it feels good.”
“Hard to imagine Selian going on a campout, isn’t it?”
“…Long ago. I often had to camp out, just like today… Sometimes just the two of us.”
It seems Selian, as a prospective Hero, was familiar with camping like this. Likewise, I also had such experiences, so the nostalgia she mentioned felt familiar as well.
Sharing stories like that, Selian and I ended up talking into the night, eventually falling asleep with our heads gently resting on each other’s.
