Chapter 276: …Rejected

Still carrying Setenia I thanked Melaine for opening the third-floor large room, and with Hiero pushing my back I went in.

Furlin had come along too. She went in before me, floated, lay on the bed, and flapped. Cute.

Once inside Melaine took off my shoes at once and put slipper-like footwear on me.

Fluffy and pleasant... a new work, perhaps?

I looked at Melaine. Without changing expression she told me in a quiet voice, "A new work from Flower Garden."

When the cold season comes these will sell like crazy. The feet feel incredibly good, and they wear well.

And they are warm... in this hot season that is tough, but the annex has cooling so the balance is just right.

"Raide."

"Nn?"

Hiero, who had been pushing my back, took both hands off and called.

So I turned only my face. Setenia in the princess carry looked at Hiero too.

Then Hiero put on a kind smile, stroked Setenia’s head with gentle hands, looked up at my face, and spoke.

"Hear her out, all right? I think it is unease you cannot avoid as long as you are human... but even just being heard makes you glad. Please, Handful!"

"...Aah. Understood."

"Hiero-chan..."

"Mufufufu~~~! It has been a while since someone called me Hiero-chan! Later, all right?"

Hiero left the room laughing happily. Then Melaine also bowed. "Please call if you need anything," and went out.

I watched the door close, dropped my eyes, and looked at Setenia’s face. She turned away. I smiled in that troubled way.

I kissed the forehead of Setenia, who gave cute reactions while putting out a seductive air. Her cheeks went even redder and she strengthened her grip on the clothes at my chest. Sly.

I walked toward the sofa on the window side at the far end of the room.

I get called sly a lot too, but I think my lovers’ reactions are just as sly as mine.

Especially now. From the corner of my vision Setenia, still in the princess carry, had both hands on my neck, flushed, and was staring with a vacant look.

"You are full of mysteries."

"Nnn? Not that much... I am a tavern keeper and an instructor at Filim Academy."

"Fufufu! You are the only one who thinks that. I feel like I understand why I cannot look into your recent state in detail."

"You cannot look into it?"

"Nfu! You had not noticed? Nfufufu!"

I tilted my head with a puzzled face and looked at Setenia. She laughed at me happily.

At that reaction I smiled in that troubled way, carefully set Setenia down from the princess carry onto the carpet, and stood her up.

It might have been Setenia’s first time standing barefoot on a silver wolf rug. She slid her feet, suri suri, enjoying the feel.

"Everyone reacts the same way... so people really do not stand on a rug barefoot?"

"That is so... I do not think they do. Even in my house we wear something."

"Hmm. I think it is fine inside a room. The size of a rug is limited too, and more than that it feels good."

I told Setenia as she went toward the window, with a mischievous smile, "Of course if there is danger it is no good." She put a bent index finger to her mouth and laughed happily.

Setenia looked out the window. I took a wine glass in each hand from what had been prepared on the table and came up.

There was fruit water and such on the table too, but this had been poured, so this first, probably.

Looking at the color it was clear. The scent was ichi... what drink is this?

I tilted my head and handed Setenia a glass. Same as me she tilted her head, lifted the contents, and looked.

"What wine is it?"

"Sorry. I have no idea either. Melaine prepared it so I do not think it is anything odd..."

"Huum? ...Oh my. It is good. Mellow, with a faint ichi scent. Easy for a woman to drink."

"True. A taste men who like it would like too."

It is probably mixed like a cocktail, but I cannot tell what is in it.

Only the alcohol is modest and easy to drink. If you get carried away I feel like people would gulp it down.

In fact the wine glass I had given Setenia was already empty. I took the empty glass and set it on the table.

I wrapped both arms around Setenia’s belly from behind as she started looking out the window again and held her gently. "Ahn... honestly..." She turned a slightly troubled smile this way.

I do not know what she is uneasy about. So I thought I would hold her until Setenia spoke.

I have never drawn a woman’s worries out. All I can do is wait quietly for her to talk.

I set one cheek against Setenia’s side-hair. A scent that almost made me drunk, and yet felt good. I breathed it in a little.

"You will not ask? What Hiero-chan said..."

"A pathetic story... I am not rich in that kind of experience. If you want to talk, Setenia, you can speak. Until then I will wait."

"Kus. For that, you hold me?"

"Of course. I cannot leave a lover carrying unease alone."

"...You fool."

Setenia said it in a small voice like a murmur, then stroked both of my arms around her belly with gentle hands.

Standing would be hard too. I eased away from Setenia, took one hand, sat deep on the nearby sofa first, and had Setenia sit between my open legs.

...It is also my wish that I wanted to hold Setenia in an easy posture.

"Raide is a spoiled boy, is he not?"

"Ah~. Seems I am bad at spoiling myself. My lovers tell me not to endure when I want to be spoiled. ...Did you hate it?"

"No. Your reactions are fresh and they put me at ease... I wonder how long I can have you want me."

"...That is the unease?"

Setenia nodded, grabbed my right hand around her abdomen, stretched it to her charming thigh, and laced our fingers.

She nuzzled one cheek against my profile and started speaking in a settled voice.

She would not call herself an old woman, but it is fact that our ages are apart, and lifespan cannot be helped.

Even so wrinkles and the body’s decline will come no matter what, and when that time comes she has no confidence she will not envy my lovers.

Then... Setenia let out a small breath and kept a faint smile.

"I was worrying that only a physical relationship... might be better."

"Hmm. Wrinkles, huh. Stamina cannot be helped, but only a physical relationship is rejected. You are already my lover. Give up on that. Do you know an herb called Shinifa?"

"Rejected, you... Shinifa? No... I do not know it. And?"

I explained to Setenia that among the herbs used in cosmetics sold at Flower Garden, herbs with different effects had been used.

Now, from my advice, herbs that show the correct effect are used, but that is not necessarily true of other cosmetic shops.

I told her that perhaps with Setenia’s routes she could stock herbs I know with even higher effect.

Then Setenia turned her face, looked at me with a blank expression, and I laughed without meaning to.

"If we talk about age’s decline, it is different from a woman’s sense but it applies to me too. Erika is roughly ten years apart. I brace so I will not be thrown away... there are things I fear. But if it is beauty, my knowledge might manage something. I cannot teach you the details, though."

"...Fufu, nfufufu! I am worrying about beauty, and you say if it is beauty so easily, fufufufu!"

Setenia happily waved the right hand we had laced, furi furi, and laughed without hiding her mouth.

As an aside, maybe because I said thrown away, Furlin’s flat eyes from the bed, chin in both hands looking at me, are scary.

...This may have been reported to everyone.

Thinking that I told Setenia to look at Furlin. She turned, froze, and asked in a low voice, "Is she angry?" I answered, "Not angry, but fed up."

Furlin stood from the bed, came up to us, let out a small sigh, then gently stroked Setenia’s head and spoke.

"You think stupid things too much. And it has been reported to Erika-sama, so brace yourself, Raide-sama. Setenia-sama too. ’Everyone’ has something to say."

"...Is Erika angry?"

"Not angry, but fed up. ’It is a lecture.’"

"I am frightened of what I will be talked to about..."

"Setenia-sama is fine. Probably you will be encouraged. ’Everyone’ carries similar feelings."

"Furlin-san..."

...Erika is scarier when she is fed up.

Because she scolds flatly... while I thought that Furlin put her mouth to my ear. "I will come later. Love Setenia-sama first."

Furlin smiled faintly, stroked one of Setenia’s cheeks once, and left the room.

"I was worrying and it blew away... will you love me?"

"I am glad even a little of the worry cleared. Of course... the thing is? I am actually holding back quite a bit..."

"Fufu. I know. Something hard is hitting my rear, yan, aaahn, honestly... nnuun..."

When I started stroking her thigh with the unlaced left hand, Setenia let out a glossy voice and fidgeted.

As if to blow the rest of her worry away I kissed the lips of Setenia, whose face was turned sideways.