On the other side of the door stood Rebeka and Bertha. And Natalia, who had gone to call them, was standing there.
Initially, she had planned to call them at the same time as Donis, but she had deliberately moved the time to avoid having to deal with them all at once.

After all, Rebekah must be facing today with a special feeling.

'Your eyes are bright red.
'Well, it's only natural for you to have red eyes since you're a rabbit man!

He turns his back to me and rubs his eyes.
They get even redder.

They're the eyes of a complete lack of sleep.
Maybe he's crying a little.
Well, it's been six years. He's probably nervous.

'Estella.
'Hmm?Oh, I see. Yes, yes.'

I pointed to Rebeka with my chin, and Estella could tell just by that.

'Rebeka-san. Do you have a minute?
'Yes, what is it?
'We haven't seen each other in a while, so let's make it pretty.'
'Mm,...... Mm.'

She crouched down in front of Rebeka and Estella combed her hair.
I'm a lord, even if I am a rotten lord. It seems that she always carries with her tools for grooming herself.
She comes out with a small comb and a few make-up tools. But it's only a lipstick and a blush for her cheeks.

I wonder if Estella is using these things.

...... Ji.

'Oh!What?Why are you looking into my face?'
'No. I was just wondering if you're wearing any makeup today.'
'No, not that much.
'Then you're wearing a little.'
'Oh, shut up!I don't mind. It's just a taste.'

She pushes me roughly away and puts blush on Rebekah's cheek.
Estella's cheeks were a similar shade of red.

'...... Magda is pretty enough without makeup.'
'Oh, yes, she is. Magda needs to grow up a bit.'
'...... Mmm. Magda is an adult. At least, more than that little one there.'
'What are you talking about, little one?I'm more than mature enough!

No, little one. ...... You're smaller than me.

'Yes, it's ready.
'M......mm. Thank you.

After finishing her make-up, Rebekah turned to me, looking embarrassed.

'What do you think, my knight? ...... Isn't that ...... pretty?



I'm not sure what to say. You look different.
'Mmmmm!Of course.

This level of flattery would not be called a lie.

'...... Estella. I think it's important for the vendors at the banquet to be clean.'
'Why the rivalry, Magda? ......'
'...... now, I can outrun Loretta.'
'Pfft!...... That's it. Yeah, yeah. I'm sure Loretta will have an interesting response.

Estella is holding her stomach and trying to hold back a laugh.
Well, it's easy to imagine Loretta's reaction. And Loretta is the one who never disappoints.

'All right. Then come here for a minute.'
'...... Hmm. Don't look at ............ Yashiro yet.'
'Hey, hey.'

He forced me to turn my body around.
After being told not to look at me, I try not to look at him and call out to Rebeka.

'Are you nervous?


'U......m...... well, some of it.'

I thought he was that happy.
I thought he was that happy, but ...... apparently not.

'......I don't want you to hate me,......' he said.

The time she spent coming to see him, but not seeing him, was more than long enough to instill such thoughts in Rebekah.
They don't like me. She must have thought that she was being avoided.
'That's not true,' I tried to tell her, but ......

'Oh ......!

Rebekah's ears twitched.
Her ears flicked up and pointed towards the church.

Oh, yeah. You heard me.

She probably heard Rebeka's voice and let it out.
'That's not true.'
That's what Sophie would say.

'Did you hear me correctly?
'Mm, ............, I missed that voice, it was .............'

Rebekah's tear glands slackened.
But she seemed to be doing her best to hold back her tears. She didn't burst into tears.

I see.
Sophie hadn't even made a sound. With Rebekah as her partner, any whisper would be heard.

'Then go ask her as much as you can after this.
'I don't want it to go bad. I'm only good for making koji.

I'll pat your ear.
Protect the koji factory. It's the only thing she could do.
The only thing she could do to keep her family together.

'Yes, it is. Without your ears, you can't hear the Whispering Prince.'
'Huh?What are you talking about, my knight?I don't... I don't... I don't...

Don't lose your nerve. Don't lose your nerve.
I hope this cheered you up a little.

Master Yashiro.

'Mr. Yashiro,' says Bertha in a quiet voice, who has been watching over him quietly all this time.

'I've missed you .......'
'Couldn't you have said something more decent?

It's cold in the daytime, today.

'I've prepared exactly what you asked for, sir.

Behind Bertha, there was a keg of sake that looked like it would be used for Kagamibiraki.
What I asked Bertha for. Amazake.
He had made it for me.

'Thank you, Bertha. Let me taste it later.
'Hey, it's daytime here at .............'
'Not you!It's the sweet sake!
'Taste it, please. ......'

He raises his rebeka in front of Bertha, who pokes her lips out.
It's a libeka barrier!

'Noaaa!I'm scared!That's terrible, Bertha!Your face is so intense!You'll see it in your dreams!

Thanks to the Rebekah barrier, Bertha comes to her senses.
...... Scary.
Let's make the party a success and get back to District 42 as soon as possible. Let's do that.

'Here, Magda. It's done.'

Estella stood up and looked down at Magda with a satisfied look on her face.
Magda's face is obscured by Estella's wall.
From behind the wall (Estella), Magda peeks her head out.

'............ How's it going?

Her cheeks are more brightly colored than usual, with a hint of red.
Her eyes also seem to be slightly moistened.
This is a surprise. I never expected such a change.

'You're one of the cutest girls in Magda's history.

That's what I honestly thought.

'............ Mmm. ......So.'

She twisted her body ticklishly and quickly hid herself behind Estella (the wall).
You seem to be embarrassed, thank you.



'You're good at makeup, Estella (wall).'
'I'm very curious about that (wall)?'
'Don't worry about it, Wall.'
'The name's gone!

I thought I was praising Estella for her accomplishment as the wall, but she didn't seem to like it.
She must be at a difficult age, I guess.

'So, are you ready?

I asked the nervous Rebekah.
She gulped down her spit and nodded slowly.

'Please go ahead. I'll take this cask with me.

Bertha bows her head beside the cask.
No, I mean, can you carry it?

'Don't worry. I'm also a rabbit man.
'Is that so?
'Yes. My animal features only appear in places that cannot be shown to ...... people. ......'

Then, I think it's okay to say that it doesn't appear. Or rather, I wish you would have said 'not shown'. Deep down.

'If you're a ...... special person, we can show you ...... ............ chila'.
'Well, I guess we'll go on. Magda, I'm sorry, but you're going to have to help Bertha.
'...... if you promise not to show me your animal features.'

That's the clearest denial I've ever heard.
Even Magda is having a hard time.

That's why Estella and I took Rebekah into the woods.

...... I wonder why. I'm starting to get nervous too.
I looked next to me and saw that Estella was also walking with a very nervous look on her face.

Without saying a word, we walked through the woods, going as fast as we could.
And then--

'............ sis'.
'Rebecca......'

--The sisters meet each other.

Through the woods, Sophie was standing there.
I can't wait to see her. But I'm afraid to see her.
Sophie was standing in a halfway place, reminiscent of such a conflict.
In the end, she seemed to be unprepared, and had a complicated look on her face, as if she was about to cry, but more than that, as if she was filled with guilt.

As for Rebekah, she was stiffening when she saw Sophie standing in front of her.
She is so tense that even her breathing is in danger, and she doesn't move even a little, like a still image.

The people in the churchyard are watching them from afar.

It's as if time has stopped.
I'll break it.

'Here. Go see him.'

He pushes Riveka's back.
With just that small amount of power, the world begins to flow again.
Briskly. All at once.

'Hey, Lisa!
'Riveka!

Riveka starts running, and Sophie runs to greet her.
They meet in the middle, and hug each other as hard as they can.

'...... Ugh!

You can hear Rebekah sobbing.
She buries her made-up face in Sophie's chest and rubs it.
She clings to Sophie with her whole body, as if checking for warmth, texture, and smell.

'I'm sorry ...... I'm sorry, Rebekah.'

I'm not sure what to say.
I'm not sure what to do, but I'm going to try.

'I know I gave you a hard time.

Shaking her head.

'Do you have a ...... grudge against my sister?

Deny with all your might.
Shake your head, shaking your hair.

'Did you miss her?'

And a full affirmation.

'I missed you too, ............ for a long time!

I tighten my arms around her and pull her to me as hard as I can.
As if to show with her body that she would never let go again.
She also stretched out her small arms and clung to Sophie with all her strength.
She then calls out to her sister in a voice that emanates from her soul.

'Sis, aaah!
'Rebeka......!

From that point on, there were no words.
They just held each other's skin as if to check each other's warmth, and occasionally rubbed each other's ears.

Some of the people outside are crying.


Loretta's eyes were red, Ginette was holding the corners of her eyes, and Umaro was sobbing like an idiot.

'I'll let you two be alone for a while.
'Right.'

Estella's hand claps me on the shoulder.
I take a short detour out into the garden so as not to disturb them.
We meet up with the others, exchange glances, and laugh a little.

I'm sorry to interrupt your excitement, but I've got to start getting ready here. There's no time to be sad.
Now, just as I'm thinking how to get rid of this gloomy atmosphere.

'What?What's with that fashionable makeup with a bit of a high-society vibe?

Loretta's outrageous voice rang out.

'...... Well, what can I say? As a professional in the hospitality industry, ...... you have a taste for it?
'Oh, dear!It's not fair!It's not fair!Me too!I want to wear fashionable makeup too!
'...... Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be fine.
'This is a statement full of confidence!I'm not sure what to make of that.

Well, as expected, I thought Loretta would react that way, but I didn't think she would do it at this ...... time.

I'm not sure what to say.I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's worth it.It's too bright to see.

Oh, there was another noisy one.

'...... Today's Magda is a special one.
'I've been shot through!My heart was shot out of my chest!

Then why don't you just let it rot away?

'...... giggle'
'...... pfft'
''Hahahahaha!''

Sophie and Rebekah laugh together .

'giggle......Already, they're really fun people......'
'They're idiots, they're all idiots.'

Hugging each other, foreheads pressed together, sisters laughing together.
Looks like the six years are up.
You can make up the rest slowly. There's plenty of time.

'Hmm~~!O-nee-chan!
''Ribekaa~~~!
''Mmmmmmmmmmm~!

...... No, it's a little scary. Can't you be a little more normal, sisters?
Come on, let's rub our heads and giggle!
You can't do acrobatic pampering like an overly excited indoor dog!

'～～～～B～～～～............Kuck!

And then you're thrown high into the air with a pop.
You threw it as hard as you could, Sophie!I'm not sure what to make of it.I'm not sure what to do.

I'm not sure what to do.

And the falling Rebeka.
Sophie, great catch!
Is it a zogeki-dan?

'So they're good friends, huh?

Ginette looks at her smilingly.
No, one wrong move and it's domestic violence. It's domestic violence, now.

'Miss Riveka. How do you do?
'Ah!Sister's old lady!She's in a good mood!
'Hey, Rebekah. You're being rude to Sister Barbara. Say hello properly.'
'M....... I'm an adult. Greet her properly.

Rebekah's ears perked up when Sophie scolded her.
It must have been a long time since she had been scolded by her sister. Apparently she listens to her sister.

'Thank you for having me, old sister.

Hey, you still haven't fixed the 'old lady', Rebekah!

'Yes. Very well.'



You're not ready, Sophie!

No. ...... She's too soft on her sister. I think it's better to let Bertha do the teaching.

'It's good to see you, Sister Barbara.
'Oh. Miss Bertha. You look well too.'

Bertha and Barbara exchange greetings.
They're both in charge of Whitehead's daughter. They seem to be on the same page.

'Do your knees ever get sore on cold mornings?
'Oh, yes. This morning, too.'
'Where do you two get off, you old hags?

Well, they're close in age, so I'm sure they'll talk to each other.

'Mr. Yashiro.
''Mr. Yashiro.
''It's rude to call me an old lady.
''Don't both of you take the 'I'm not but' stance!

Both of you are hags!You're both hags!Without fail!

'That's right. I brought you a small gift today.'
'Well, thank you for your concern. Thank you very much.

Bertha, the organizer of the koji factory and servant of Rebekah, and Barbara, a sister of the church.
Both of them use honorific language, but the atmosphere of their words is different from each other.
Bertha, who gives the impression of being strict in her manners, and Barbara, who gives the impression of being meek to the core.

'At the request of Mr. Yashiro, I made sweet sake for the first time in a long time.
'Wow, this brings back memories, amazake!I used to love it. I used to get it at a store on the main street when I first came here.
'Is that the store with the red roof past the middle alley?
'Yes, yes!That's right! The sweet sake shop 'Ama Ama'.
'I miss 'Ama Ama'... Look at that store, the apron of the saleswoman.
Yes, it's so cute!
'Do you remember the flower shop next door?
'Oh, yes, you do. That used to be a flower shop.
'That's so nostalgic!
'Yeah...'

With ......, these old ladies are starting to look like the same creature.
They seem to be in full bloom talking about how things used to be. They've lost their honorifics and are talking in the tone of voice they used back then.

'Oh, that's right, Mr. Yashiro.

Hearing the old lady's talk, Sophie came up to me.
She has a rebeka hanging around her neck. A ...... pochette.

'I've prepared the one you asked for, too.
'Oh, that thing?Where is it?Let me see.
'Well, I'll take it to the kitchen, please.
'All right!Ginette, follow me.'
'What?Yes, sir!

In the event that you've got any questions regarding where and how to use the internet, you can call us at the web site.
What the hell is ...... that?

I'm not sure what you're doing here.Don't tell us.'
I'm not hiding it from you. ......
'...... It would be foolish not to take Magda, who is at her cutest.'
'No, you're going to cook in the kitchen with makeup on?I'm sure you'll get a lot of people to look at you there.
'I'm curious too!I'm coming!
'You should get Estella to do your makeup.
'If you're going to take your sister somewhere, play with me, my knight!
'You've got two desires mixed up and you're not making any sense.

You're confusing two desires: not to take Sophie and to play with her.
But why do you care so much?
I don't think it's something anyone but Jeannette could handle.

'What's new, Mr. Yashiro?

d*mn it. Assunto's biting too.
Well, whatever.
There's really no need to hide it. Let's just get this out of the way.



''Sophie made me some tofu.''
'''Tofu?'''
''Ah, you were saying that, I remember.''

Ginette and the other members of the Sunlit Pavilion tilted their heads.
Estella and Assunto looked satisfied, as if they remembered the exchange at the koji factory.

In the midst of all this, only Rebeka's cheeks puffed up.

'My knight!I once told you that you could not use extra soybeans!I warned you that rules are rules!And you took advantage of my innocent, big-boobed sister to get them for you!What a bad boy!What kind of boob lover are you?
'Who's a bad boy!
'Yeah. You can't deny you're a titty lover, can you?

Estella, don't you need to expand on such unimportant points?
Instead of that, why don't you calm down Rebekah who's in a rage. That's your domain, Estella-chan.

'Rebeka. I've heard that it's not against the BU rules to make soybeans in the church.
'Mm............, that may be true,......, but ......'.

I'm not sure I'm ready for this.
It seems that the raised fist has lost its place.
What the hell.

'This tofu is what Sophie learned from Bertha.
'Bertha?
'Oh. She said that Sophie should learn how to make something other than koji so that she can stay in the koji factory and be needed.'
'So, ......, is that right?'

When Rebekah looked at Bertha, Bertha nodded, folding the creases in her neck like a bellows.

'Sophie-sama is an important person, too. To me.
'Bertha......'

Sophie's voice trailed off.
You taught me so much, and yet I left the koji factory. She still says that I'm important to her. She must be overflowing with gratitude to Bertha.

'Don't cry, Sophie.
'Yashiro-san...... yes, you're right. It's ...... strange to cry when you're happy, isn't it?'
'No. If you show water to Bertha, who is depleted of water in her body, she will suck it up. Look at it, it's so crispy, isn't it?
'Yashiro. Will you make an effort to close your mouth in good situations?

Baka, Estella. I'm afraid for Sophie's safety.
To be precise, I was advising her because I was worried that Sophie's rather large breasts might lose moisture and become cracked and pudgy.

'Mmm ...... if that's the case, ...... forgive me,' he said.

Sophie and Bertha.
Tofu is a very important link between two people. You can't tell Rebekah now that she can't have it.

'So, Yashiro-san. What kind of tofu is that?'
'It's a white food. It's delicious.'
'It's a bit vague, but if it's ...... good, I'm looking forward to it.'

Behind Ginette, the sister who looks even more excited than Ginette can't be seen, but I'll do my best to ignore her for now.

'I'm going to make Mapo Tofu, using tofu instead of eggplant.'
'Ma-po tofu, huh?Is that good?'

With a certain foreboding in her heart, Jeannette dares to ask me for my answer.
I'm sure she already knows what I'm going to say. You want to hear it from me, don't you?
All right, I'll say it. I'll tell you what you want to hear.

'The taste of Mapo Tofu is better than ...... Mapo Aubergine.
That's great, isn't it?

--but it depends on your taste.

'So, let's start preparing the Mapo Tofu.'
'Yes!
'...... understood.'
'I'll leave it to you!

Oh, you guys are coming too.

'So, shall we start preparing the other meals?
'Sure.'

After having a lot of fun with bamboo dragonflies and cotton candy in hand, it was time to go.
All the members of the Sundaari-tei, plus all the helpers, started to finish the preparations for the party.

'Well then, I'd better get going.

Estella and Natalia's expressions were crisp.
They are going to call Donis and Firman.


I've sent out a letter like 'I'm so busy that I might not be able to serve you...' but it won't matter as long as the shortage is covered.

While Estella and the others are picking up Donnis and the others, I'll complete the preparations.

And after a few minutes had passed...

'...... Mmmmm!

Suddenly, Rebeka was struck by lightning. Her body trembled as if .......
Her ears perked up!
Her mouth, heckling.

Oh, is this what I think it is?

'Riveka. Did you hear that?'
'U...... um............ that tickling, soft voice in your ear is ...... ...... There's no doubt about it.

Perhaps embarrassed, Rebekah covered her face with her hands.
It seems that at last the prince whisperer, the prince of whispers, Philman, who is Rebekah's lover, has arrived.

And next to him should be.
Lord of the 24th district. Donis Donnerty. Our main target this time.

The main target this time is......... What's with this reaction from Rebekah ......, it's very unpleasant.

What?
I'm not sure what to make of that.
It's like the way a young boy sits in front of a convenience store.

'I don't know who you are, but I'll send you back to .............'
'Please don't. They're the main guests.'
'Ms. Barbara, permission to use the Morning Star.'
'I said stop!

Oh, man, this guy's a f*cking sissy. The whites of her eyes are all black, now. Red eyes in black. ...... Are you a demon?
I'm sure the six year blank makes you look very pretty.

'Oh, sister ......'.
'What is it, Rebekah?
'Oh, um, ............ I'm a little scared, so ...... I want you to stay with me, ...... Bye.'
'Kyun!

Wow,......, I see that symptom rather often.
Why didn't you see him before? You should've seen her more often before it was too late.

'Don't worry, Rebekah. I'll always be here for you.'

Hey, six years.

'I'll get rid of the scary ones.'

You're scaring me with your smile!
And that's not what Rebekah wants!

And that's not what Rebekah wants! With more than a hint of anxiety, we face the moment.
I hear the high-pitched clang of metal against metal.
It's the door knocker.

Here they come at last! The lords and their party.



The feast is about to begin.