"Shogun..."
"Mm?"
Hearing Ei softly call to her from beside her, she turned over in confusion and responded with a pleasant hum.
"That cup of yours... are you still drinking it?"
Ei was staring innocently at the half-finished milk tea in her hand with pitiful eyes as she cautiously asked. The desire to drink it was practically written all over her face.
"Pfft, here you go~"
Unable to hold back her laughter, she pushed the cup over, her tone filled with helpless indulgence.
"!"
Ei's heart warmed at once, and a smile appeared on her face. She gently reached out and took it, not caring in the slightest that the Shogun had already used the straw. She simply parted her lips, took the straw into her mouth, and drank with her eyes narrowed cutely in enjoyment.
Truthfully, she could simply have bought another cup, but out of a little selfishness, she had chosen to trouble the Shogun like this. It could be considered a small act of spoiled affection from a mother toward her child.
And every time she showed this particular bit of dependence toward the Shogun, the other would always accept it, leaving her heart warm. Perhaps the Shogun understood as well. No, she definitely did.
"Haa... How nice..."
Seeing their interaction, Miko sighed enviously. How many people in this world could make Ei act spoiled? Two, perhaps? One was the Shogun, and the other was Makoto. No, perhaps even Makoto had never been able to make Ei act spoiled.
As for her, she did not even rank...
Every time the pink-haired shrine maiden thought about that, she felt a little miserable.
"...What's wrong?"
Hearing the sigh beside her, the Shogun looked over in confusion and found Miko drinking her milk tea with a dejected expression.
"Unrequited affection truly is painful, isn't it... Shogun?"
Miko shrugged as she said this to her.
"..."
The Shogun was not stupid. She immediately understood what Miko meant. She discreetly glanced toward Ei, who was still drinking milk tea. Ei had not noticed Miko's expression at all. What a blockhead... Then again, it was somewhat understandable. After thinking about it, this blockhead only ever seemed to care about her.
Remembering the heartfelt things Ei had told her last night, she felt somewhat guilty. She should have understood long ago.
"...?"
Sure enough, Ei noticed her gaze at that moment. She tilted her head toward her, then held out the nearly finished milk tea.
"Do you want some? Here... there's still a little left. I haven't finished it. I deliberately saved some for you."
Ei spoke to her gently.
"..."
Looking at the woman offering her the milk tea, the Shogun inexplicably felt her nose sting at such an ordinary little gesture. But she immediately suppressed the emotions in her heart, smiled at Ei, and shook her head.
"I don't want any~ Hurry and finish it."
She lightly raised a hand and pushed Ei's hand back toward her as she instructed.
"..."
Seeing this, Ei did not insist and simply drank the last few mouthfuls.
"Haa..."
Miko sighed again, seemingly falling into her own thoughts.
"..."
The corner of the Shogun's mouth twitched. She glanced at the pink-haired woman on her left and finally sighed inwardly before taking the initiative to stand and tug at Ei's sleeve.
"What's wrong, Shogun?"
Ei looked up at her in confusion.
"Switch seats with me. I want to sleep for a while at the edge."
She said this to Ei.
"...?"
Ei looked puzzled, but she still straightened her legs, rose from the chair, and exchanged her original seat with the Shogun. Ei now sat in the Shogun's previous place in the middle, while the Shogun moved to the end. When she sat down, she could still feel the warmth left behind where the other had been sitting.
"...!"
The moment Miko saw what she was doing, she immediately understood the Shogun's intention. After sitting down, the Shogun glanced at Miko and gave her a meaningful look, then simply lay down on the counter, closed her eyes, and prepared to sleep for a while. Beneath the table, her white-stockinged legs stretched out in a cute pigeon-toed posture.
Seeing this, Miko immediately shifted herself slightly closer to Ei beside her, and the other woman's familiar fragrance drifted toward her.
Meanwhile, when Ei saw the Shogun lie down to sleep, she instinctively raised a hand and affectionately stroked the girl's head.
"..."
That sight left Miko completely speechless. So your eyes really are only ever on the Shogun, huh?!
"Ei..."
After suppressing the complaint in her heart, she called softly to the woman beside her, her voice carrying a hint of sweetness and allure.
"...?"
Ei shifted her gaze away from the Shogun and looked toward the beautiful pink-haired woman on her left.
"How about... we have a little drink?"
Glancing toward the sleeping Shogun, Miko made the suggestion in a quiet voice.
"..."
Ei paused. A rare trace of hesitation appeared on her beautiful face as she glanced toward the Shogun again. She was clearly indecisive, since her daughter never allowed her to drink.
"It's fine. The Shogun is already asleep. There's nothing wrong with drinking a little, right? Just the two of us having a bit together. How about it?"
Miko suggested.
"Haa... All right. Just a little, then."
In the end, Ei failed to resist the temptation. She gave a slightly awkward cough, feeling a small pang of guilt.
After all, she had not drunk alcohol in years. She really had been craving it.
"Hehe, owner~ Bring us two bottles of good sake."
Miko smiled and called out to Okazaki.
"Coming right up~"
Okazaki happily agreed, then brought over two bottles of fragrant sake and placed them on the counter.
"Shogun-sama, this is one of our house specialties. Please enjoy~!"
Okazaki introduced it to Ei.
"Mm. Thank you for the trouble."
Ei gave him a polite smile and replied.
The shamisen melody in the background continued, warm and faintly soporific.
"..."
At the end of the counter, the Shogun was already fast asleep with her head resting on her arms. Her beautiful face was as alluring as that of a sleeping beauty, her lovely lips gently closed and occasionally pressing together.
Looking at the sleeping Shogun, Ei truly did feel a little guilty. Besides, once she finished drinking, the Shogun would definitely smell the alcohol on her when she woke up. What would she do if the girl became upset afterward?
Haa... Forget it. I'll coax her when the time comes. The Shogun is softhearted anyway and won't truly get angry with me. I'll comfort her a little when we go to sleep tonight, and she'll let it go.
"..."
Why do I feel like I'm becoming rather terrible for thinking this way...? Since when did I become like this?
At that moment, she began doubting herself inwardly.
"What's wrong, Ei?"
Noticing how distracted she seemed, Miko asked with gentle concern.
"...? Nothing... I was just lost in thought."
Ei returned to herself and shook her head at the old friend beside her, indicating that she was fine.
"Hmm—it's actually rather rare for the two of us to drink together like this. Don't you think?"
Miko asked.
"Indeed. Ever since the last time everyone gathered for a meal at the pavilion—"
"No, that's not what I mean. I'm talking about just the two of us~"
Miko corrected her.
"...That's true. It's been almost five hundred years, hasn't it?"
That was indeed the case. Ever since then, Ei had rarely gone outside. She had sealed herself away inside the Plane of Euthymia and, aside from the Shogun... refused to see anyone.
"So you do know. Haa... You really do make me worry, and that hasn't changed at all."
Miko sounded slightly aggrieved.
"...I'm sorry. Sometimes I wonder whether I always end up causing trouble for the people around me."
Ei looked at her apologetically.
"See? You're doing it again. It's fine. I'm used to it... and I'm willing to worry about you, so you don't need to care about things like that."
Seeing Ei sink into self-reproach again, Miko immediately changed her tone and refuted her.
"Miko..."
Ei looked at the woman beside her, and her expression softened, even becoming somewhat warm.
"Ahem///... Don't look at me like that. It's embarrassing."
Unable to endure that sort of gaze from the woman beside her, Miko turned her eyes away in embarrassment. Her previous teasing demeanor vanished completely.
"Looking at you now, you really have grown up."
Ei sighed with emotion.
"That's right... Any thoughts, Ei?"
Miko asked expectantly.
"Thoughts? You've gotten much bigger."
Obviously!!!
Miko screamed inwardly. This woman really is...
"And... more mature."
Ei naturally did not hear her inner complaints and continued.
".../// R-Really? In what way have I become more mature?"
Miko instinctively smoothed her hair, as though deliberately showing off every bit of her beautiful face to the woman beside her, then asked with an expectant expression.
"...Your face looks more mature."
Ei thought for quite a while before giving that answer.
Pfft—!!!!
She nearly spat blood...
Forget it, forget it. She was used to this. Used to it!!
She kept warning—or hypnotizing—herself inwardly.
Shouldn't you be saying something like how much prettier my face has become, or how much better my figure looks? Or at least sigh a little and use a few flattering words to describe my beauty.
Come to think of it, does the Shogun spend every day interacting with this blockhead like this?
Although the Shogun could be somewhat dense at times too, she was still far more emotionally perceptive than this woman. Perhaps this really was hereditary. Maybe the Shogun inherited the perceptive part from Makoto? And the blockheaded part came from Ei. Equal inheritance from both sides, was that it?!