I woke up, and I was in a state of confusion.

　The last dim memory I had was in the carriage.
　As I recall, we were on our way to the Iowa nursery.
　Why was that - why was Cecily's sleeping face in front of me now?

　And I'm under the covers.

'Soooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo...'

　Cecily and I are sleeping in bed........

　Cecily-san's face, breathing quietly in her sleep.
　It is right in front of me.
　There is no shade of her beauty even in sleep.
　Her sleeping form was also beautiful, to the point that I thought she was awake.
　Just the smell and warmth of Cecily caged inside this comforter made my heart beat faster, for some reason...there was a strange magic to it that made me want to stay like this forever if it could come true.
　Or maybe this is a tremendously fortunate situation........

　I mean - no way, I........have I made a mistake?
　I don't remember any of it.
　Nothing.

　A man and a woman greeting the morning in the same bed....................is that what it means?
　But what is it about the lack of memory?
　Is it a side effect of the curse?
　No, if that's the case, I have a feeling that the forbidden king will tell me something.

''Ummmm........mmmmmmmmm.......yi, it's okay......?
!

　Wake up?

My husband, my husband he's a little guy's boy...........................
Hey, you talk in your sleep.

　Would it be wrong to wake him up here?
　No, but I still think it's better to ask for an explanation of the situation--

Blackbeard?

　Currier's voice.
　I quietly raise my body so as not to wake Cecily-san.

　I mean, how can you be in the same room with Currier and the others...

　Currier pats his chest.

'Good, you're back.
Is she back?　........hmm?

　There was something strange about it from earlier.

'Huh, my clothes are all over the kitsch...'

　Mr. Currier chuckles.

'I'll explain that and more. I don't want to wake Cecily up, so after I finish getting dressed I'll talk to you over there.

　I changed my clothes and went out on the balcony.
　Then he explained to me what had happened between yesterday and today.
　There were parts that seemed to have been blurred on purpose, but I didn't dare to pursue that part because it seemed hard to say it out loud.
　........Of course I was curious about what happened in that blurred part.

''I see. I'm sorry that I seem to have caused you trouble.

　Hmm, it's because of Shana's medication.

Don't worry about it. Don't worry about it, you're not bad looking as a kid, either.
..........

　The little me, huh?
　

'What's wrong?　Did I bring back any bad memories?
No I wondered what I was like back then.
The old me, huh? I don't remember much of what happened a long time ago... I have rather vivid memories of my time in the sixth house.

　Hmph, Currier-san's mouth falls open.

'At any rate, it's good to be back.
I'm going to have to be very careful with Shana's medication in the future...
But you don't seem to be as tired now as you were before you came here, do you?　Including mental fatigue, I suppose. So it must have had a lightening effect on my mind. That--

　Mr. Currier cleared his cheeks and coughed.

'Acting on instinct without care, well, maybe it's a good rest for the spirit.
'What really happened while I was small?'
Don't worry about it.
Ha, ha.
'What?　Do you, um do you really want to humiliate me and Cecily so badly?
'Humiliate?　No, no!　I didn't mean to--
"Hmm.

　Pop-pop, he patted my head.

I know.
''H~~~''

　Currier-san is in trouble because she does this kind of surprise attack without feeling like she's aiming for it.......




''Se-Cecily-san!　Please wait!
I don't know!

　Cecily Arkwright walks quickly down the stone corridor with a prurient aura of discontent.

''What?　What is the matter with you?
Hm!　I don't know about the people who left me alone and made out with me outside the room anymore!　Poof!
Pfft...

　This time, I wondered if Cecily's spirit had become infantilized.

'I mean, we're not making out!
I was!　And the currier is a currier, too!　Why didn't you wake me up!
Hmm?　No, you were sleeping very happily.
Well, I appreciate the concern, but....................
And you know what, Cecily?　
"Ugh--
I admit, that was a little depressing.
Well that's it.
Are we even now?
Yes, I'm sorry.

　Oh, Cecily-san is being held by Currier-san with the reins........
　Or rather, I chose Cecily-san as the person to sleep with........
　Incidentally, I--Sagara Kurohiko--was supposed to have arrived in Iowa earlier this morning.

But when I woke up, Kurohiko was next to me, and I couldn't find him in the room either.......at that time, I felt as if I had been cast into a prison cell. ....I felt the blood drain out of me and I almost fell over... and then I looked out the window of my room and saw Kurohiko and Currier, who had returned to normal, and they were very happy and flirting... I've been wondering what the hell my concern is right now... no... I know I was wrong to be so hasty... I know that... ...but I'm a bit of a wreck... so, um... sorry...

　Cecily's shoulders slumped as she trudged along, and Currier put his hand on Cecily's back and said, "You were worried because you thought little Kurohiko had left the room without permission, weren't you?　Mm...............................You're a sweet guy," he said softly.
　I'm sorry that I made you worry, even if it was only for a moment.......

''And yet--''

　I throw a glance at the beach I see from the long covered corridor.
　There is no sign of life on the beach right now.
　The sea is calm, but a thin stream of rain falls uninterruptedly on the surface of the sea.
　The sky is cloudy.

"It's a beautiful day, but I didn't expect the weather to be so bad...

　I wanted it to be as sunny as it was for the sea event.
　Even Cecily, who was in a depressed state, seemed to feel this weather was a bit of a mouthful.

''Ugh, it would really be too sad if the weather continues to worsen and the waterwalking suit goes to waste...''
The weather is out of our control, though. It's a shame that you might not be able to use your swimsuit, but that's not an option.
''You seem happy for saying you're disappointed, Currier?
Ugh ... is that so?
Well I'm hoping it will clear up by early afternoon.

　So now we were heading to the training facility in the Iowa Nourishing Area, hoping that it would clear up in the afternoon.
　Cecily has the Sacred Martial Arts Festival coming up, and I have to practice the Twin Dragons.
　Even though it's a fun trip, I can't neglect my training right now.



''Then... let's get started.

　Currier-san, dressed in athletic clothes, holds up a training sword.

'Yes,'

　I, too, raise my sword.

...........
..........
I don't like this, Blackie.
Yeah, me too.
You two, keep up the good work!

　Cecily's cheers fly in from the couches set up inside the training grounds.
　Her cheers are flying in, well, it's fine - but

Oh, looks like the boy over there will be next.
''Hmm, the silver-haired girl over there is probably Miss Cecily's swordsmith, judging from her earlier skills. But ... is he the squire of Cecily Arkwright?　Something awfully familiar, though.
Hmm, so he's learning swords from his master. Ha, that's quite good. Young people should have the desire to rise.
''But... I may feel a little sorry for saying this, but that... after witnessing Cecily Arkwright's superb sword handling, that... ...I guess I'm somewhat inferior to them.
Doesn't that sound good? After all, I got to see the Jewel of Renowthred with my own eyes.
''That's true. But that silver-haired master not only has great swordsmanship, but he's also an accomplished woman. How do you like it?　Do you want to invite those two to join us after this?
''Hmm. Then let's show our swordsmanship to Miss Cecily and her master later on. Even with this, I've actually defeated a former holy warrior with a sword.
Oh, that's wonderful. But I once fought with a member of the Holy King's Kingsguard, didn't I?　I'm somewhat confident in my sword skills.
Then perhaps we'll be the ones to teach those two men the sword.
'When you're the one who trained that Cecily Arkwright, that's a great deal to be proud of.

　The training facility at Iowa is made up of a series of small training grounds.
　The training grounds are separated from each other by a wall similar to a fence, so the other training grounds are visible to the public.
　From the moment they stepped into this facility, Currier and Cecily were the center of attention.
　Cecily in particular, perhaps because of her beauty, even her identity was immediately revealed.
　And since their training began, a crowd of people had gathered in all directions around the training ground we were using, the black mountain.

　Cecily-san, who was used to being the center of attention while crossing swords, seemed to have no problem with it, but Currier-san wasn't able to show her usual strength.

　Furthermore, the two of them wore the athletic clothes they use at the school, so the synergy of the cuteness of their clothes was a terrible thing.
　I'm used to seeing them on a regular basis, but for those of us who don't usually see them in their sports clothes, the effect was outstanding.
　The men, in particular, seem to be terribly attracted to it.
　And I have a feeling I know what that feeling is.
　I heard a rumor recently that Cecily's mother may or may not have been involved in the changeover to the current sportswear...it's just a rumor.

　The sight of these two beautiful girls dancing and dancing with their swords gloriously while letting their sweat fly must have been reflected like a butoh dance.
　There was even a round of applause when the exchange of blows ended.

　Then it was Currier and I's turn.

Well, even when we fought the noise, there were crowds of people.
It's a different kind of gaze than the one that's flying at you right now.
But ... I'm sure you won't mind it when we get started. So--I'm going to go!

　Yes - once it started, things should return to their usual form.

　As a result, my prediction was correct.
　Once they cross swords, they have little time to devote to anything else.
　That's the kind of training she and I usually do.
　While striking my sword, I weave in the "twin dragons" in between, albeit imperfectly.
　But due to the imperfection, or perhaps due to Currier Versteen's high level of response, it ended up being a dud.

''-- Looks like you're trying out some interesting sword skills, Kurohiko.
Yes, it's a move that I'm anticipating a showdown with Hibigami.

　When the conversation ended, the brawl intensified.
　The crowd of people on all sides of the room grew noisier.

What is that?　That's not a simple squire, that man!　Not only are they inferior........but if they're not good, they're more than just Cecily Arkwright......?

Who the hell do you think they are...?

　One of the men on the other side of the wall noticed something.

'Ah!　Could it be........
What's going on?
No, it's just a rumor, but have you ever heard of a forbidding spellcaster in King's Landing?
Oh, yeah I can at least hear the rumors.
You heard about the Four Deadly Sins attacking King's Landing last time, right?
Oh.
There's a rumor that the one who defeated the Four Deadly Plagues wasn't actually the Holy Tree Knights, but that forbidding curse user.
'What?　But I didn't know it was just from that swordplay...
He lost his left eye when he was fighting the Four Deadly Plagues...
I think his name is--

　I could see the crowd's eyes focused on my eye patch.

'You've made a name for yourself, Kurohiko.

　One spectator reacted to that word from Currier.

'Yes!　His name, I believe, is Sagara Kurohiko!　Hey, that's a real one!　He's the forbidding wizard rumored to have defeated the Four Deadly Plagues!
Wow!　So I'm watching the man who defeated the Four Deadly Plagues with his swordplay!
Well, if you look closely it's kind of cool.
'Well, you look surprisingly dependable...'


　........Half of the Four Deadly Disasters were defeated by Currier-san and Hibigami, though.
　Moreover, this treatment is somewhat embarrassing.

''Hmm........Is the day finally coming for 【Renowthred's Jewel】 to be surpassed in name recognition by the forbidden curse users of the Holy Tree Country?

　Cecily chuckled as she said this jokingly.




　It was just after we had finished our training and left the facility.
　Cecily's face lit up with a flash of light.

“Yay, it’s sunny!　It's sunny, Currier!

　Cecily took Currier-san's hand and jumped up and down like a jumping rabbit.


You mustn't lie, Curie, huh?

　With a grin.

'Ki, I was just imagining things... maybe...

　It was Cecily's fearful smile.

　No one can resist that smile.
　Curie-san smiled at him.

But it's a bit too cold for water sports, isn't it? So I'm going to go relax on the beach and rest my body...
Let's go change into our swimsuits, shall we, Currier?
Where the hell are you hiding this power-- Whoa!　Let go!　No!

　Jittery, jittery.

'Well, then, Kurohiko, we'll go to our room and change.
Yeah. I'll change in the facility's locker room.

　I held up the bathing suit I had brought with me.

"Then I'll meet you on the beach.
Yes, sir.
Hmm, looking forward to it, aren't you?
'Wow!　Help me, help me, Blackhawk!　Please, with the power of the Ninth Forbidden Curse, stop Cecily!
..........

　Kyu, Currier-san's character.........
　
　The jittery Currier-san was pulled by Cecily-san and disappeared towards the accommodations.

　According to Cecily-san, the two of them went all the way back to their rooms.

'A shared changing room would probably draw too many eyes around you, even if you're of the same s*x, because it would definitely make the currier feel like a hassle.

　It seems that's why.
　So I turned to the men's locker room--

Hmm?　Is that...?

　From the gate into Iowa, I saw a pair of men walking towards the gate.

'Ah, it's Kurohiko!

　One of them noticed us and waved to us.

"Hey, Kurohiko!　They're here!　I'm sorry I got sick all of a sudden yesterday!
Mr. Ira!
Here it comes, Blackhawk.
Senior Ray!

　I waved my hand back, and Rei-senpai waved it back too.
　Or rather, if I looked closely, I could see another girl in a gothic dress behind the two walking side by side.
　The three of them, approaching.

''Here they come.''

　The girl in the short-sleeved gothic loli dress - Makina-san snapped one eye shut and said, with a grin.

''You've kept me waiting, Kurohiko.