Translator: Ranzan
「I see, so it"s to help Letty, then, desu. Perfect!」
「…huh?」
Youran was surprised, and her eyes became wide.
What Hera said was not her own words, but sounded like an imitation of someone.
Because Youran knew Hera well, she asked her straight.
「Who are you imitating?」
「Akiha…Perfect…desu!」
Hera flew, repeating the same phrase, and this time posed like her.
「Is that what that girl says all the time.」
「What? You didn"t know, Youran? You said you checked out everything, desu.」
「I have no reason to know that, though.」
While saying that, Youran thought there was no reason to be obstinate.
The reason why being that there were no important elements to her purpose.
Her underlings might omit something from the report, or may have to be following up on information that they forgot.
Even if she were to ask Hera, there was no reason to follow up on such meaningless info.
When she looked at Hera"s reaction, she knew that Hera understood that.
「I understand, desu.」
「Yeah, and we"re getting off the topic, so let"s return to it.」
「Yes, desu. The stalker for Kohaku, desu.」
「Yeah, that midgetfatbaldguywithgla.s.s…no, not that!」
Youran responded with a little extra effort.
「Not that, you went to see Akiha, but the fact that you really didn"t report anything on her.」
「Oh, that"s right, desu. Akiha, desu.」
Hera clapped her hands together as if she really had forgotten.
The normal, cheerful Hera.
「So, what do you think, Youran?」
「You should say something.」
Youran responded immediately.
「May I do that?」
「She"s probably already come in contact with it, I mean…」
She cut off her words there, 「he"s like me」— she thought as she considered that Taiyou shared a lot of characteristics with her.
She had confused thoughts—and because of this, she turned her eyes away.
「In order to make a decision, I need all the information I can get.」
「I know, desu…thank you, desu.」
「No problem, it"s not a big deal.」
「Well, well, I"ll go back to where Taiyou is then.」
Hera spun in the air, and flew away.
As Youran watched her fly away, she called out suddenly.
「W…wait a second.」
「What is it?」
「Are you okay?」
「This?」
「Your wings.」
「These?」
「Yeah, they"re still all messed up. Don"t they heal?」
Youran now pointed at Hera"s b.u.t.terfly-like wings.
One side of her fairy wings had been injured and hadn"t healed.
Youran knew that she had injured them in the incident at Juunishima, but there was little info at what had happened.
Because Youran"s underlings couldn"t see Hera, there was no report about what happened to her.
「It"s fine, this isn"t enough to hurt me, easy-peasy, easy-peasy.」
「Easy-peasy?」
「Yes, desu!」
Youran didn"t know what those words meant as Hera"s expression changed.
She acted like she really didn"t care about the injury.
「You"re slow to heal?」
「No…」
Hera seemed lost in thought.
「I wonder…I guess I"m afraid they won"t heal?」
「Won"t heal?」
「Yes, desu. This is the first time I"ve been injured, I have no idea.」
「Wait, you"ve never been injured?」
「I was born right before I met Taiyou, so I never had the experience.」
「…」
Youran felt that she learned something important from this.
「So that means that desu you always say is because you"re…」
「Huh?」
「…ah, nothing.」
She said as an excuse as Youran moved on.
「You need to be careful, hanging around that guy can get you in trouble.」
「Are you talking about me?」
Hera seemed lost, she had never thought about that before.
「Yes, you need to be more careful.」
「Hm…」
Hera thought a bit.
「Sure, desu. I understand.」
She said, and flew through the wall, this time disappearing.
Youran felt it rare, to earnestly care about Hera this much.
Then, it was right after Hera left. She was alone again and began to feel sedate.
She looked out the window, and finally, self-deprecating words came to her smiling lips.
「For Letty, I guess? If it was me…」
The words she just whispered seemed so anti-climactic, they seemed to disintegrate into the air.
She noticed this as she said it, so she simply stopped.
As she sat there thinking, she heard a knock knock from the door.
A second knock, a second one.
A knock necessary out of manners, so she knew it was one of her underlings.
She drew in a breath, took on the role of 『Shingetsu no Kami』, and responded.
「Come in.」
「Excuse me.」
The door opened with a clack, and the girl came in again.
「I thought there was still time until the next period of reporting?」
Maybe something happened to Taiyou and the three sisters, as she asked the girl for why she was interrupting.
「No, there is no change to their condition. They"ve just entered Tsukaiyama and are climbing the mountain to the shrine presently.」
「Hmph.」
Youran nodded and said nothing about the information.
Silence is golden and eloquence is silver.
As Shingetsu no Kami, she was very careful to be frugal with her words. As someone in a leadership position over others, she had to continue with a feeling of mysteriousness over the people she led.
After she was betrayed by Michiyo, she made it a point never to reveal her true thoughts to those below her.
That is why she remained silent.
Perhaps understanding that, or not, the girl continued with her report.
「We confirmed that Leticia"s people have entered Seikaen Town, and one of them has gone to visit Taiyou"s Castle.」
「Hmph.」
「Because the owner is not there, it seems that Kohaku Azumaya will meet with that person.」
「Their conversation…yes, I was the one stopping the recording of it.」
She nodded as she remembered that.
Just in case, Youran had ordered to her that there be no visual or auditory secret recording inside of Taiyou"s castle.
「Is that the way it is now?」
「Yes, we checked and found that for a 300 radius around his castle that there was no transmissions of that sort found.」
「Hm.」
She put her chin down silently.
「The person visiting Taiyou Castle is different, and seems to have patrolled the real estate around the town, perhaps to find a place to live close to Taiyou"s castle.」
(What could Letty being doing?)
Youran was lost at what to think.
She had been inside of his castle before, she had been in an apartment when Kohaku had owned the place, almost as if it was made for her to meet Taiyou, made with seven different living s.p.a.ces other than one for the owner there.
Due to the cooperation of the women there, Taiyou took over the living place of the former manager, and each of the apartments was split for each of his wives.
If Leticia was to become his 「wife」she could live there as well.
No, she should live there, Youran thought about Leticia.
「Jam the place.」
After thinking a bit, Youran said in a low voice.
「Jam the place?」
「Yes. No matter the means, Don"t let Leticia take position in the three towns of Seikaen, Oriyakata, or Wazashika.」
「I…I see. I"ll go right now.」
The girl raced from the room.
Leticia sat stock straight in the center of the room.
Somehow, her face still seemed fl.u.s.tered and blushing.