“Muhehe! I’m so excited! To meet Sasha! To meet Irina!”
“The innkeeper is here too.”
“Oh right! I want to meet the innkeeper uncle too!”
Tia was bouncing next to me, holding onto my hand.
It felt like I was walking while bouncing a basketball.
She must be really excited.
In fact, although I didn’t show it on the outside, I was looking forward to it quite a bit as well.
I wanted to visit a bit earlier, but I’ve been so busy that I couldn’t keep in touch for a while.
Now it feels awkward to send a letter, so I decided to just go visit.
“What do you want to eat when we get there?”
“Pancakes! I want to eat the pancakes that the uncle makes!”
“Okay. Let’s order a pancake then.”
Up until now, I had only been working as a staff member. This was my first time going as a customer.
It would be quite funny to imagine Sasha and Irina sitting on either side of me.
I wonder if strangers would think I was a wealthy lesbian.
Of course, the regulars at the tavern wouldn’t think that.
Now that I think about it, Tia was just a little kid when I left.
Everyone would be surprised to see how much she has grown now.
She has become quite the young lady…
“Oh. It seems like they’ve just started their business.”
As soon as we entered the alleyway, the sign at Ryuba Tavern lit up.
It seemed they had just opened.
I had to hold on to Tia, who was unable to contain her excitement and was trying to dash out on her own.
“Hello…”
“Hello!”
Suddenly.
Tia threw the door open with all her might.
At first, she planned to enter confidently, but feeling a bit embarrassed, she greeted in a small voice.
However, the atmosphere inside felt a bit strange.
“Oh. Isn’t that Julia? Nice to see you. Long time no see.”
“Mm-hmm. Long time no see, innkeeper…”
“Uncle!!!”
“Oh dear. Is that you, Tia? You’ve grown so much…”
The innkeeper’s face looked somewhat dark.
He smiled while hugging Tia, who had rushed over, but it was definitely an artificial forced smile.
He wasn’t the kind of person to have such a dark aura.
People have changed.
Moreover, the tavern was almost empty.
Normally, it was packed with people well before the opening time.
It was a bizarre situation.
“Why are there so few people? Is today a day of rest?”
“No, this is normal.”
“Normal? There used to be so many people around this time.”
“That’s before you left. Before you arrived, this was the norm.”
“Oh…”
The innkeeper awkwardly smiled while answering.
It seems I had contributed significantly to the tavern’s sales.
I felt a bit proud.
No, I shouldn’t be proud of doing such work…
It was a complicated feeling.
“Sales have dropped a lot since you left.”
“Huh? By how much?”
“About 30%.”
“Eh? Did it really drop that much just because I’m gone? You didn’t do anything weird, did you?”
“Not that…”
Sales really have plummeted.
No wonder he seemed to have a gloomy expression.
I felt a bit worried.
If the tavern were to run at a loss, he would likely take all the burden himself, which made me even more worried.
So I decided to contribute a bit to today’s sales.
“Um, innkeeper. Can I get a pancake and a small cheese snack?”
“How about drinks?”
“Eh. How can I drink with Tia here? Instead, can I have a pointer?”
“Here you go.”
“Muhihi! I need to find Sasha and Irina!”
“This kid is going to wear me out…”
As the pointer landed on the table, Tia quickly dove in to examine it.
It was my first time seeing the pointer as a customer, and I was surprised at how explicit it was.
It looked just like a menu for ordering food.
I can understand why the male customers come here.
There might be fun in picking one by one.
“I found it! Here! Sasha and Irina!”
“Innkeeper, could you call Sasha and Irina for me?”
“I got it…”
The innkeeper tilted his head and went into the waiting room.
Something seemed off with his reaction, so I looked at the pointer again.
Sasha normally wouldn’t participate in the second round, so I could understand that, but Irina was also excluded from the second-round pointer.
It was odd for someone who usually participated almost every day.
Is she not feeling well?
Or is it an irregular period?
“Whoa, whoa. Is that really Julia?”
“Mm-hmm. It’s really me, Julia.”
“Julia! Julia! Julia!”
“……?”
Sasha peeked her head out from the waiting room and stumbled toward me.
Sasha was still the same.
She looked just like she did when I left.
But something about her demeanor felt strange.
“Hehe… I missed you…”
“Sasha?”
Hug.
Sasha opened her arms and hugged me tightly.
Then she buried her face in my chest and rubbed against me.
The horn poking out from her shoulder was a bit uncomfortable.
‘Did she always cling like this?’
I don’t remember her being this affectionate.
But since it’s been a while, it made sense.
I feel like hugging Irina now too.
By the way, Sasha, who was slowly sinking into my arms, was soft and fluffy, which felt nice.
It was a comforting touch, unlike Tia, who has only bones.
It felt like I wanted to keep hugging her.
“Muuh! Tia wants a hug too!”
“Wow! It’s the big Tia!”
“Hug me! Sasha!”
“Hehe, of course!”
Seeing this, Tia squeezed herself between us.
Only then did Sasha notice Tia and look surprised before hugging her tightly.
Now that I look closely, the two have become quite similar in height.
If Tia grows a little more, Sasha will probably catch up soon.
I’m feeling a bit nostalgic.
I thought Tia would forever be the smallest little one…
“Who is this pretty young lady?”
“Muhuhuhu! You’ve grown, right?”
“Yes! You’ve really grown… huh? Huh? Huh?”
As Sasha sat down and patted her thighs, Tia suddenly wiggled her butt and climbed onto her lap.
In that moment, Sasha’s expression changed mysteriously.
I realized the reason a moment too late.
“Wha-what?! Does Tia have horns on her butt now?”
“Muh? This is Tia’s tail!”
“Yikes?!”
As Tia cheerfully smiled and lifted her skirt, a cute tail appeared.
Sasha almost fell backward in surprise, and I hurriedly had to catch her from behind.
But with others watching, why would you lift your skirt…
Everyone could see your panties…
I hurriedly pulled her skirt down.
“A tail? Did the demon have a tail too?”
“Muh? Tia inherited the blood of dragons!”
“Wasn’t she not a demon…?”
Come to think of it, Sasha probably didn’t know.
I had left without revealing Tia’s true identity.
I felt a bit sorry.
Looking at us alternately with a confused expression, Sasha suddenly started to tear up.
“I’m sorry, Tia…!”
“Muh? For what?!”
“I’m sorry for saying that you were a demon child that I picked up! I had no idea and I’m so sorry!”
“……”
I felt a bit taken aback.
Sasha had said that to Tia?
It seems that since I dodged the question so much, Tia ended up asking Sasha instead.
It was me who spread the rumor that Tia was a demon.
Sasha simply told Tia what I said.
I felt a bit solemn.
“I’m sorry! I’m sorry, Julia!”
“It’s okay. It’s okay, so stop crying, please…”
“Will you forgive me?”
“Well, of course.”
“Uhuhuhu. Thank you.”
“……”
Sasha hugged me again, her face smeared with tears.
This wasn’t just a minor increase in affection.
I wondered if she was experiencing some sort of regression.
I had to comfort Sasha for quite a while.
At first, Tia had tried to squeeze in between us, but after seeing Sasha crying, she seemed to be quite taken aback and kept her distance.
It felt like I had gained a sister for Tia.
“By the way, why hasn’t Irina come out yet?”
“I-Irina?”
“She’s a bit late.”
When I lifted my head to look around, I saw the innkeeper exhaling a deep sigh as he came out from the waiting room.
Hmm, why hasn’t Irina come out yet…
I should go in and check.
As I stood up from my chair, Sasha followed me with wide eyes.
“Did something happen to Irina?”
“Wh-what do you mean…?”
“What? Did something really happen?”
“……”
Sasha averted her eyes and fell silent.
I had spoken jokingly, but her reaction seemed unusual.
What could be up with Irina…
The moment I grabbed the doorknob to the waiting room, the innkeeper grabbed my wrist.
“I’m sorry. It was my mistake. I didn’t know that Irina won’t be working today, and I inadvertently put her on the pointer.”
“Huh, really?”
“Yes. It was a mistake.”
“Still, since I came back after a long time, I just wanted to see what the waiting room looks like.”
“Why would you want to look? It’s the same as when you left. There’s no need to see it.”
“Innkeeper, Irina is inside, right?”
“……”
The innkeeper ultimately averted his eyes and loosened his grip on my hand.
Why are they trying so hard to keep me from meeting Irina?
At this point, I was feeling obstinate.
“I’m here to see Irina. Let me see her.”
“Then promise me one thing.”
“What promise?”
“Don’t make a surprised face. It’ll hurt Irina.”
“Uh…?”
Why are they making such a fuss?
I started to feel scared.
When I glanced back, I noticed Sasha had taken Tia’s hand and was keeping her distance while playing.
Tia was also being kept aside…
What on earth could be wrong with Irina…
I gulped and turned the doorknob.
With a creak, the door made an eerie sound as it opened.
“Irina?”
“……”
Inside, I found a woman sitting alone at the dressing table.
From her physique, hair color, and seated height, it was definitely Irina.
As if she didn’t hear my voice, Irina was quietly tapping at a cotton pad.
As I slowly approached, Irina finally sensed my presence and turned to face me.
“Julia. I was worried because you didn’t contact me. But I’m glad to see you looking well.”
“Irina…”
The moment I looked down, my breath was caught.
Irina, who always maintained her figure, had a slight bulge in her lower abdomen due to her tight clothing.
No way. No way, right?
My head went blank.
