Well, it seems that all Iâve been doing recently is working on developing new means of transportation and taking care of Ellen and the kids, but actually, thatâs not all Iâve been doing. No, I would be lying if I said I havenât been focusing on that, but thatâs not all Iâve been doing.
So what is it that I do?
âShouldnât we be taking more of what we call marital time?â
âYes, I think so, too.'â
âHmm, I think so too.â
âIsla stays with Kosuke during the day, doesnât she?â
âWork is work. A marital time is different.â
âEehh, isnât that unfair?â
I relax with Sylphy on my right, Melty on my left, and Isla on my lap, feeling the warmth of the three of them. This is also an important part of my role. Grande, who is still buried in the cushions, and Shumel and the others, who are enjoying their drinks at a table a little further away, are watching us, but they donât seem to be offering any particular help. Well, all three of them are just playing around and not really arguing.
âI wonder if we canât just split Kosuke in halfâŚâ
âHey, donât say such a scary thing.â
âI wish we could divide him into four parts, not halves. There are four sections: the administrative office, the research and development department, the saintâs place, and the free section.â
âWhat is that? You have your exclusive quarters, and mine will be shared?â
âWouldnât it be better if we could divide it into ten parts?â
Grande and Schumel were making fun of me from the outside. Even if youâre joking, donât suggest cutting me into little pieces like that. Itâs frightening.
âHmm, I can divide up to three people, but not ten.â
âCan you do it? Even if you can, donât divide me up!â
âUp to two people, but if you divide him into three people, heâll put his instincts first, so donât do it.â
What do you mean by âinstinct firstâ? Whether itâs alchemy or magic, itâs scary.
âIf we canât separate him, weâll have to ask Kosuke to do his best, wonât we?â
âI guess so. Oh, thatâs right. Iâve secured various sizes of maidâs clothes made by Kosuke.â
âHou. Then today, why donât we wear them and play around with them? Master?â
Saying that, Sylphy tickles my chin with her fingertips while smiling. Is there a maid with such an irreverent attitude? Ah, no, that may be true. There are many kinds of maids. Itâs not good to think of things in terms of a template, right?
âThe size doesnât fit me.â
âI canât wear it, can I?â
âItâs out of standard, so please give it up.â
ââEh.ââ
Bella and Grande booed at Meltyâs merciless words. Yeah, I can make an ogre-sized maid outfit in no time, but itâs a little difficult to make one that Grande can wear right away. The wings and tail, plus the big claws on her hands and feet⌠Itâs fine for the skirt underneath, but not the jacket.
And so, as I was looking at Sylphy and the others, who were being so congenialâyes, generally congenialâthere was a knock at the door of the room. When I answered, the door was opened, and a visitor entered the room.
âGood day, everyone.â
âMother.â
Seraphita-san and Driada-san, and even Iphrita and Aquawill-san have come into the room. The Sylphy family was all there. Behind them, Leviera also entered.
âOh, is that the new maidâs outfit?â
âYes. I thought Iâd wear it and play with Kosuke-san.â
âAra ara ara, that sounds like fun.â
With a smile on her face, Seraphita-san approached the table where various sizes of maidâs uniforms were spread out and started looking for a maidâs uniform in the size that fits her best.
âUm, Mother?â
âWhat is it?â
âWhat do you want to do?â
âIâm just trying to get Kosuke-san to play with me, too?â
What are you asking me? Sylphy held her head before Seraphita-san, who said so with a smile on her face.
âMother, you have to understand your positionâŚâ
âSylphiel. Putting it aside for an official occasion, you should not be concerned about such things in a private setting. Besides, you are the current queen, arenât you? Compared to you, I am just an ordinary woman without a title and crown, right? Whatâs wrong with wearing a maidâs outfit and having fun with Kosuke-san?â
âKuhâŚâ
Sylphy kept her mouth shut in the face of Seraphita-sanâs fair argument. It is true that Seraphita-san does not have any position or status in the current newborn Merinard Kingdom. She is the mother of Sylphy, the queen, so it is not that she has no authority at all, and she has her own personal connections and experience of being a queen, so she is a kind of advisor to Sylphy and Melty.
ââŚ..â
Aquawill-san, with a pouty face, sat roughly on the seat to my right that was vacated by Sylphyâs departure. I know she sat down as roughly as she could, but she was so small that I didnât feel like she did.
âWhat is it?â
âItâs nothing.â
I looked at her, and she glared at me, so I said so and looked away. Then, Iphrita sat down on the left side of the seat where Melty had been sitting just a few minutes before.
âItâs hard for you, too, isnât it? Donât you have time to relax?â
âI donât think so, but if everyone is happy, thatâs all that matters to me.â
âOh, I see. Well, thatâs a good thing, then.â
âWill Iphrita join, too?â
âIâll think about it. It is never boring with this guy, isnât it?â
To Islaâs words, Iphrita replied and waved her hand in the air. If she says sheâll think about it, does that mean Iphrita might join us sooner or later? Are you serious? When I looked at Iphrita, she slapped me on the cheek as if to tell me not to look at her. Ugh.
âI wonât join you.â
âOh, yes.â
When I turned my head to face the other way after Iphritaâs smacking, Aquawill-san, who was sitting on the other side of me, gave me an absolute zero-degree stare. Letâs face the front.
âIf you insist that much, letâs see who can serve Kosuke better! Mother!â
âFufu, do you think you can beat your mother?â
I donât know when or how it happened, but Sylphy had declared war on Seraphita-san. Wait a minute, what happened while I was taking my eyes off her? And youâre going to start changing your clothes here?
âOuch!â
âWhat are you looking at, you scumbag?â
âAt least close your eyes, close your eyes.â
While I was looking at Sylphy and Seraphita-san, who had started to take off their clothes, hands reached out from both sides and blocked my view. Yeah, the hand reaching out from the left is fine, but the one reaching out from the right is more of an eye-blinder than a blocker. What the hell was I supposed to doâŚ!?