--On a holiday.

　At the supermarket, basket in hand, I asked the silver-haired girl walking next to me, "What do you want for dinner tonight, Leffi?

"What do you want for dinner tonight, Leffy?

"Behemoth Top Fin

"Oh, stop naming names that are obviously fancy food

　I'm sure you'll be able to find the right one for you.

　And behemoths are the awful monsters that live in your world, right?
　Can you eat it?

What a waste of time! Can a man not prepare for that?

I'd rather feed it to the neighbor's cat than show you how worthy it is.

　Then, when Leffy lost her temper and tried to shove me, he said, "Whoa, if you storm out now, you'll lose your dessert tonight.　As I was checking to make sure that we don't forget who's holding the wallet, I heard a voice calling our names from nearby.

"Hey, man. Hi there. Are you shopping for dinner?

"Oh, Nell,

"Mm, Nell.

　The one who showed up was a girl from my class, holding a shopping cart in one hand, just like me - Nelle.

　Before, Nell used to call Reffi "Reffi-chan" and Reffi called Nell "daughter", but unbeknownst to me, they seemed to have become friends and before I knew it, they had started calling each other by their names.
　Nell came over to my house a few times to play games with me and so on, so maybe that's how we got along.

Hey, are you shopping for dinner too?　Lil' outside ......?

　It's a good idea to have a good time with them.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea to go into the store. So for now, I'll have them wait for you in front of the store.

　I found him sitting outside the supermarket, gathered by his parents and a group of children who had apparently come to the supermarket, and he was looking rather annoyed.

　...... He's a wolf, but his expression is so easy to recognize.
　It's not just a matter of time before you get to the point where you'll be able to get your hands on a new one.

...... Hey, Nell. "Hey, Nell, can I buy Lil a snack to eat later?

"Huh?　That's fine with me, but I'd rather ...... be a big brother?

Yeah, that's totally fine. I'm just trying to be nice to him." ......

"......?　Yeah?　

　Nell tilts her head in wonderment, and next to her, Reffi opens her mouth, looking a little huffy.

It's a good idea to give that wolf a piece of candy, but isn't there someone else you should be concerned about first?

All right, all right, I'll buy you some. I'll get you some chocolate.

Well, I'm a generous person, so I forgive you.

　Watching our exchange, Nell smiles bitterly.

You guys really get along: ......

"Hm--Yes, Nell. You are alone when you return, aren't you?　Come eat at our house like this.

"What, are you sure?

　A girl from the same class has a happy face at Leffy's invitation.

I don't mind. No, Yuki.

"Hmm, okay. Okay, let's have dinner over at my place, Nell. And Refi, don't get in the middle of the action and buy more candy. It's just chocolate.

"Tsk. ......

　Leffy clicked one tongue and put back the pastry she was about to put in her shopping cart, and Nell giggled happily at the sight of it.


　　　* * * *


　Then, I came back with Nell and Lil at our apartment.

　In the end, we decided to have sukiyaki for dinner, as Nell is there too, so we decided to have something that we can all eat together.

　As I cook the ingredients in a pot, I ask Nell, who is washing up the dishes and utensils next to me.

Can you eat anything, Lil?

Yes, she's dog-like, but she's not from this world, so her eating habits are very different. She can eat the same things we do. ...... Well, she's not a dog either.

　Yeah, you're a wolf.
　I almost treat him like a dog too.

　By the way, as you can see, Lil' "Hands! "Get down! It's a good idea to be able to have a good time with them.
　I'm sure our messenger is far older than Lil': ...... It's hard to know which one is the elder.

Okay, I'm done.

Wow, that smells great. You're a good cook.

Well, if you do it every day, that's something.

　The other is that I occasionally cook for the little girl who lives next door, and I've been practicing a bit, hoping to give her something good to eat.

　Lefi?　I'm sure he'd be happy to feed her in a simple way.

Here, Refi, at least help him prepare.

"Mm, okay.

　Leffy, who had been stroking Lil's body, came over and started preparing the dishes.



　I used to not try to help out with the chores at all, but ...... hmmm, this growth rate makes me happy.
　I wonder if this is what it feels like to be a parent raising a child.

What's that, Yuki. You're looking at me with such warm eyes.

No, no, nothing?　Let's eat!

"...... something is puzzling to me.

"Hurry up and eat, or it will get cold.

　And then the three of us and one of them sat around the table.



　　　* * * *


　--On the throne I wake up.

　And soon I notice the weight on my body and the beautiful silver hair and horns in front of me.

　It seems that Leffi was asleep on my lap.

　...... I was lounging on the throne with Reffi.
　Did both of you just doze off. 　

　The fact that I woke up and jerked around seems to have woken her up as well.
　It's a good idea to be able to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a good idea to be able to have a look at your own personal computer.

　After calling me 'Yuki' in a slightly different way than usual, Reffi calls me the same way she usually does.

I've been having some ...... strange dreams. It's a dream where you and I eat sukiyaki in an unknown world. Nell and Lil, too.

"Haha, to tell you the truth, so do I. I dreamt that you and I went to the grocery store, met Nell, and we all ate sukiyaki together.

"Supa ...... is a store that sells groceries. That's a curious thing. It's called "Paruruard" as you told me sometime ago. The other world (・・・・・・) is very close to our world.

I'm sure there are several worlds, since I'm from another world, and there must be similar worlds nearby. Maybe we on the other side are having the same kind of dream, right?

...... When you think about it, this world is a funny thing. --I'm not sure if I'll ever be with you in another world.

I guess so.

...... I'm sure they're having a hard time with me, too.

What do you say. That's my line.

　Leffi and I looked at each other and laughed at each other.