[Part 2/6]
"...!? Is he coming?"
While deeply immersed in her fantasies, Shirowakamaru quickly noticed it with her own eyes. A convoy of people and carriages advancing on the city road. Her heart pounded intensely at the thought that one of them might be him. Blushing like a proper maiden, even more so than a love-struck girl.
She almost couldn't wait and was about to run out, but she remembered the manners taught by her master and endured the heart-wrenching feeling. While it might be acceptable on a bed, she had learned that being a shameless woman in public would lead to being disliked.
After what felt like an eternity, the convoy passed through the gate. It seems he wasn't in the front. So, could he be inside one of the carriages...?
People streamed out of the parked carriages. Servants and laborers descended from the wagons, carrying the spoils of their recent subjugation. The welcoming mansion staff received the items and the accountants checked their contents before sending them to the storehouse.
After a while, Shirowakamaru was convinced that the person she was waiting for wasn't in the group. Her interest waned completely. She then looked at a lavishly decorated ox cart. The door opened. And...
"Please step back!! ...Miss, we've arrived now!? Someone, bring a doctor!!"
"Uuuh... uuuhh..."
Servants carrying a stretcher. A lady-in-waiting screaming. On the stretcher was a moaning princess. Something had caused her hair to explode. A snake sword with rolled-up eyes was beside her.
"..."
Even Shirowakamaru was momentarily stunned by the information overload. The truth was, this young lady had been hit by a direct lightning strike from a dragon's thunder, using the sword as a lightning rod, while she was dealing with invisible youkai. True to the spirit of the Ako family, she suffered a major injury that would take nearly half a month to fully heal, although fortunately, it was not life-threatening and would leave no lasting effects.
"What a troublesome thing. I told her she'd get better, and then there's this noisy fuss around her. They're being too overprotective."
"....!?"
While Shirowakamaru's attention had been focused on Murasaki's group, she turned around when she heard that voice with an extraordinary presence. And there, she found the figure of Lady Sumire.
"Ah..."
"Household member Shirowakamaru-san, right? Thank you for welcoming us. Are you waiting for someone?"
The astonishment came not from the sudden address itself, but from the fact that despite hiding, her presence seemed to have no effect. Not only that, she couldn't sense Lady Sumire until she heard her voice...?
"Um... well..."
"Well then, I'll excuse myself. It seems I'll be quite busy."
"...?"
Before Shirowakamaru could desperately say anything, Lady Sumire unilaterally started the conversation and cut it off. She left the scene easily, leaving Shirowakamaru perplexed. Before she could doubt the last words, her consciousness shifted to the following group descending from the ox cart.
"Thank you for the welcome."
"No, thank you, too."
As Shirowakamaru exchanged perfunctory greetings with the servant and aide personnel passing by, the conversations were mechanical and without any genuine interest. There was no departure from the realm of social niceties. However, Shirowakamaru sensed an unmistakable displeasure in them.
"...Tamaki-san, thank you for your hardwork."
"Huh? Ah, yeah... Shirowakamaru-kun, was it? Thanks."
Shirowakamaru took the initiative to greet Hotoya Tamaki, who disembarked as if her mind was elsewhere. Tamaki seemed to recognize her presence only when she greeted first, and she desperately put on a smile in response. Behind her were her somewhat awkward female maid and a servant.
(...I don't like them.)
Shirowakamaru's inner disdain seemed to be directed not only at the smile itself but also at Hotoya Tamaki and her group. She didn't like how these upstarts were being cared for by her beloved. And one of them even cohabitated with him!! Not to mention the strange looks her master sometimes cast toward Tamaki...
It was jealousy. Knowing her position well, Shirowakamaru wouldn't ask her beloved or her master about it, and she tried to appear harmless as much as possible, but deep inside, her favorability towards Tamaki and her group was quite low. Wouldn't it be nice if they just died somewhere? She even wished he would be heartbroken. She would be there to console him.
"...?"
As she bid farewell to Tamaki and the others without saying anything else, the former boy saw woman's figure and involuntarily tilted her head.
"Shirowakamaru, huh? It's not necessary for you to welcome us. It must have been tough in this cold weather."
The words spoken by Onitsuki Hina, who descended elegantly from the carriage, were somewhat eerie. No, the words themselves were no different from what she usually said. The difference was in the atmosphere.
The usually cool and intimidating atmosphere had faded. Instead, she exuded an obvious sense of excitement and joy. Despite this, she maintained her usual facade. It was unnerving, given her position.
"No, it's nothing... It's just inside the mansion. Please don't worry about it."
"I see. But don't push yourself, okay? Even though you're a household member, you're still a child. You don't have to be so considerate of everyone around you, ah—"
Hina's lively and gentle reply to Shirowakamaru's evasive response was interrupted mid-sentence.
"...?"
"Are you jealous...?"
"!!?"
Before she could try to look up at the face of the princess and her changing aura, the murmur reached her ears. Shirowakamaru's body stiffened instantly. She knew that moving would mean certain death.
"...Well then, I'll leave it here. I have to report to the head of the family."
Leaving behind the frozen Shirowakamaru, Hina walked away. A cold sweat streamed down Shirowakamaru's forehead. In the end, she couldn't move a muscle until Hina completely disappeared into the mansion.
"I told you to stay inside the mansion."
"Eek!?"
A gentle hand gently grabbed Shirowakamaru's small shoulders from behind. She let out a cute scream and instinctively turned around. There stood her master, Onitsuki Kochou, wearing a trailing robe and looking down at her.
The official adviser to the Onitsuki family, Onitsuki Kochou, smiled mockingly at her...
"What a troubled child you are. Thanks to you, Hina got suspicious of you. It's still within the realm of doubt... Think about your position when trying to deceive her."
"Y-Yes, I'm sorry..."
Surprised and shaken, but overwhelmed by her master's reproach, Shirowakamaru offered a deep apology. Her honest attitude elicited a gentle smile from Kochou.
"I guess it can't be helped. I understand how you feel. You want to show yourself to him, right? You want to see him as soon as possible? But you have to endure. Endurance is important."
Perhaps the changes in her body were linked to the changes in her character. Kochou noticed that her disciple's self-control was somewhat slipping. Her jealousy was becoming stronger... She thought she would have to 'educate' her a bit later. It wouldn't be good if he saw any slip-ups. However, right now...
"Hehehe. I wonder if he's coming. Shall we welcome him together?"
Kochou had been looking forward to it as well. The shikigami that she had attached to him during the incident in 'Mayoiga' had been lost. While she did attach a shikigami to Tamaki, it was impossible to attach another one to him. It was too risky, as it would draw the attention of the other members of the expedition. It was a completely different matter between attaching it from the beginning and sending it afterward.
"Also... I think I need to talk a little with Aoi."
It was about the incident that led him back into danger. Although it ultimately led to the rescue of Tamaki... While she understood his expectations, she also wanted him to understand the feelings of those watching from the sidelines. She hoped he wouldn't be suspected.
As if responding to the whispering rumors, he finally appeared. The second princess of Onitsuki, dressed in a trailing robe, and accompanied by a white fox daughter... Aoi descended from the ox cart.
"Aoi, are you feeling okay? I heard what happened. It was quite tough over there, wasn't it?"
Kochou boldly addressed her granddaughter. It was also a way of showing off to the surroundings. If they talked secretly, they might arouse suspicions about their deep connections. By speaking openly like this, people would know about Kochou's extensive network. No one would suspect her.
"..."
Meanwhile, Shirowakamaru glared displeasingly at the white fox. Just like with Tamaki and the others, it was jealousy. In some ways, it might have been even stronger...
"...Yes. Thank you, grandmother, for coming to welcome us."
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