"Luke, what do you think about the two leaders of this city?" I asked while leaning against the edge of the fountain.
I felt that both of them shared the same kind attitude and genuinely cared about their own citizens.
Then, if they truly had such behavior, why were they still hostile toward each other even now?
With attitudes like that, they should have been able to understand one another and make this city whole again like it used to be in the past.
"Honestly, I feel like neither of them openly intends to harm their people," Luke said.
"They both care about their citizens, so they shouldn't be hating each other anymore."
"Well, maybe they each have their own problems that can only be resolved by following their own hearts," he continued.
"That's true. I pretty much agree with you. Still, aren't they just wasting their time? Being hostile toward their own family," I said.
Because I was an only child, I didn't know what it felt like to have a little sibling whom I could always dote on.
Or an older sibling mature enough to pat my head like someone who wanted to protect me.
I… don't hate my family at all. In fact, I'm already grateful that my mother gave birth to me into this world.
Even though I died after that and ended up being thrown into this world.
But if you ask whether I want a little sister… I think I do want one.
"That's exactly it. You're an only child, right? It's normal for you to think like that. Well, it's not that different from me, though," Luke said.
Ah right, he could use his skill to see my identity. So it wasn't strange that he knew things like that.
If I remember correctly, Luke once said that he was raised by Charles-san. That means he doesn't know who his real parents are, right?
That means he doesn't know his biological family and only knows the affection he received from Charles-san, who had taken care of him for over nine years.
"But I don't really care about that anymore. I don't want an older sibling or a younger one—having companions I can rely on is enough for me," he said while smiling at me.
"In that case, we're different. I still hope to have a little sister whom I can spoil as much as I want," I said.
"Well then, I hope that impossible dream of yours comes true," he said.
"It's impossible, yeah, that's true—but I won't give up on becoming an older brother to a young girl," I said while smiling back at him.
"If you go too far, people might think you're a sexual offender targeting children," Luke said in a teasing tone.
"If that ever happens, I might drag you into the case with me," I replied.
Without realizing it, the two of us burst out laughing after hearing each other's opinions.
Having a male companion like this was really enjoyable—especially since Luke and I shared several similarities that not everyone had.
——
(Hime side)
Honestly, I didn't know where or whom I should ask for information, so I chose to follow Yuu-chan.
She said she wanted to look for delicious food, but I had no idea how she was finding it. Could it be that she could find every place in this city because she was a status screen?
"Hm, Yuu-chan? Why did you stop?" I asked.
She suddenly stopped and slightly bent down to look at what was in front of her.
Yuu-chan stopped at a roadside stall that sold single flowers as well as bouquets.
There were also accessories like bracelets and rings displayed at the stall.
I didn't know why Yuu-chan suddenly approached this stall when she said she was looking for food.
"I just feel like this bracelet is quite pretty," she said while staring at one of the bracelets.
Yeah, I think it looks pretty nice too. It's not very flashy, but it's still beautiful.
"Oh, are you two interested in that bracelet?" asked a woman who was tending the stall.
I turned toward her and felt that she was still young, judging by her face.
"You…" the woman said while staring at me.
"Is… something wrong?" I asked, starting to feel confused by her behavior.
"You two, come inside my shop," she said.
We had no reason to refuse and entered the small stall.
Inside, there was only a large cloth spread on the ground as a mat, and several boxes containing flowers and accessories that weren't on display.
"Just call me Ria. Ah, you must be confused by my behavior just now, right? To be honest, I want to ask you two for some help," Ria-san said.
"What kind of help?" Yuu-chan asked.
"It won't be troublesome for you. I'll give you a reward later," she said.
"Then, may I ask you something?" I asked.
I felt this was a good opportunity for Yuu-chan and me to obtain some useful information from Ria-san.
"As long as it's something I can answer, that's fine," Ria-san replied with a smile.
Suddenly, Yuu-chan moved closer and whispered something into my ear.
"Hime, I think we'll be able to get some information from Ria-san," she said.
"Yeah, I was thinking the same thing," I replied.
—
"This one looks good!" "Try this one!"
"One more, one more." "You too, wear this!"
I thought Ria-san was going to ask us to help sell her goods or something like that.
But instead, she just wanted to put bracelets and rings on Yuu-chan and me to see whether those accessories suited us.
She said that she needed help from two pretty girls like us to use as a reference for whether her accessories would suit people.
Because Ria-san called us pretty, of course I had no intention of refusing her request at all.
Yuu-chan and I didn't feel troubled by it either—in fact, we enjoyed trying on the accessories and holding bouquets of flowers.
After feeling satisfied, the three of us sat down on the cloth spread on the ground. Then she asked what Yuu-chan and I actually wanted to ask her.
"So, what do you want to ask about?" Ria-san asked.
"We just want to know about the leaders of the two cities. We only just arrived here, so we don't really know much about these things," I said.
"Oh, that topic. That's fine—I know quite a bit about the leaders of this city," she replied.
——
What Ria told Hime and Yuu-chan wasn't very different from what Yukito had heard.
Both explanations covered the background and names of the two leaders of the cities.
However, what Hime and Yuu-chan heard included a small additional detail from Ria about the leader of Vannis, Marcen Ced Vannis.
——
"One more thing—I've only heard this story once, but apparently the two of them are hostile because of a girl," Ria-san said.
"Huh?" I replied, my mind filling with questions I wanted to ask.
"It sounds stupid and doesn't make sense, right? But unfortunately, it might really be what's been happening all this time," she said.
"Marcen-sama has an acquaintance who's a girl two years younger than him, and she often accompanies Marcen-sama when he visits the city," she continued.
"So people indirectly assume that she's the girl he likes?" Yuu-chan asked.
Yuu-chan must be referring to Marcen here. Wait—how should I address him? Marcen-sama, or Marcen-san?
"That's right. If I'm not mistaken, her name is Anggie. As for the leader of the other city, I don't really know," she said.
—
Soon, Yuu-chan and I had to return and gather near the fountain with Yukito-san and Luke.
Before saying goodbye to Ria, I bought a ring and put it into my Alter Box.
I didn't have any particular reason for buying it—I just felt that it would be useful someday.
"Thank you very much! Come again next time~" Ria-san said while waving her hand at us as we walked far away from her stall.