On the outskirts of Pindos, off the main road, where the bamboo forest was thick.
　When I got there, I stopped to hear a faint sound coming from inside the forest.

　It was the sound of a koto.

　The sound of a koto, carried by the wind.
　I stopped and listened outside in the woods.

　Then I heard a woman singing to the sound of the koto.

'A whore.'

　Having known Ortiz for a long time, I knew right away that this was the type of song the prostitutes were good at.
　Although the melody is gentle, the lyrics are sensational and the singing is lustrous.

　In a word, it's a song to "lure" a man.
　If this is playing, does that mean that in the bamboo forest where I'm going, a prostitute is taking customers?　No. Isn't that crazy?

　Because it's supposed to be Hestia in here.

　Hestia, a prostitute of the Ear Chiefs (elves).
　She has taken herself under her wing and moved to the outskirts of Pindos, and she came to visit after hearing from Ortia.
　I thought it was strange that this Hestia was taking a client - but I soon found out why.

'Then the man won't move,'

　I could hear Hestia's voice.
　The voice is quieter than the sound of bamboo grass blowing in the wind, a voice I wouldn't normally hear, but I can hear it properly as I listen closely.

　The voice is different from the coloration.
　It's serious and even dignified.

'Take off the pants of your heart. Reveal your heart. Just as your lordship can't help but push you down while playing.
"Yes, sir!

　I heard another young woman's voice.

　I vaguely guessed.
　Hestia seemed to be teaching her to play.

　It's like she's teaching a junior colleague the essential skills of a prostitute.

　Then let's get out of the way. Why don't we wait in here?

　I'm good at waiting.
　I'm good at it, and I don't get a weird raise in my estimation waiting around like this.

　At best, it's long-winded, but that's about it.

　I'm stuck.
　The wind blew and the bamboo grass fell.
　I somehow caught it and played with it, spinning it around in a circle.

　For a moment, I thought I should drain the water from the bamboo and let it die - a prankster's mind reared its head, but I decided not to do that because it might raise my reputation in some way by mistake.

　As I was killing time by walking around in a circle of bamboo leaves as usual, a carriage came out of the bamboo forest after the performance was over.

　The carriage is piloted by an old man, and inside is a young woman's breath for one person.

　It looks like the class is over and we're leaving.

　Well, now it's my turn.

　I walked into the bamboo forest.
　I followed the path and found an elegant hermitage in the bamboo grove.
　It's like an elegant poet's hiding place.

　It's a small hut, so I immediately saw Hestia on the porch.

'Yo.'

　I raise my hand in a shtick and smile at him.
　When Hestia saw me, she was surprised.

'Hey, what are you doing here?'

　Eventually he asked, blushing and sullenly.

'Yeah?　A quick hello. I heard from Ortizia that you were over here.
Yeah, yeah.

　For some reason, Hestia is still in a daze.
　What is it?　You don't react any differently than before, do you?

　It's kind of ... distant, no, they don't like you?

　That's fine then, but why?

Oh, we could have just said hello.
Yeah, that's it.
Anything else?
What else?　No, but...
''Hmph. You're a lord and that's all you need to do?　What can you do to further develop the territory without anything?　Isn't it your job to think about the
'That's true, but...'

　What is it?　I knew there was something wrong with Hestia.
　I couldn't think about it, so I decided to ask her in person.

'You don't like me coming?'
Yeah.

　Surprise, then confusion, then hesitation.
　After a variety of emotions came and went on Hestia's face.

　She turned her face away, red.

'I'm not a whore anymore, and I don't want you to visit me!
Oh, I see.

　I guess that's what I've been told.
　I'm not a whore anymore, which means I'm not a customer either.
　So I don't have to put on a good face.

　Yeah, I see.

　Well that's the thing.

What's more to the story?
No.

　I'm still curious about Hestia's "this".

　　　　　Stars

　I eventually said goodbye to Hestia, who was the last Tunkendon, and returned to the mansion in the city.
　I was walking down the corridor of the mansion while craning my neck at Hestia's condition.

''Oh, what's wrong Hermes?''

　I ran into my sister.

'You look like a boy whose mother put an erotic book out on his desk.
'I don't know what he looks like, but he's definitely not.

　I looked at her as I plowed into my sister.
　I wondered if she would know why.
　I'm still curious, so I decided to ask her.

　I told my sister all about my visit to Hestia and her strange behavior.
　I also told her that she was reasonably sensitive to me when I helped her before.

　She listened to the end of the story in silence.

'I see, so that's what happened.'
'What?　Do you understand?
'Yes. Well did Hermes ever deliberately attach a caterpillar to a girl when he was a child?
What's the game?
Or, you know, scaring girls by sticking your dick on a tree branch.
Please don't say "sister's pussy.
I had to make it easy to understand.

　

'I've never healed.'
Then I can't blame you for not knowing.
I mean, I've got a caterpillar attached to me and a poop on my face.
For the same reason.
....

　It's the same reason.

　You're a smart girl.
　There are two kinds of cleverness.

　There are two kinds of cleverness: intelligence and wisdom.

　The former is the culmination of your academic career, while the latter follows the path of the wise.

　Your sister's cleverness is the latter.
　I think she's extremely intelligent and sees right through things.

　If the sister says "the reason is the same", then it's true.
　But then, what's the "reason"?

　I don't understand what's going on, and I was thinking to myself.

"My Lord.

　The maid called out from behind me.

'Hmm, what's up?'
Our hostess has a visitor. Mr. Hestia, as he calls himself.
Hestia?　Why are you here?

　I wondered, but decided to meet her anyway.
　I thanked my sister briefly, had my maid show me around, and came back to the front door.

　Hestia was there.

　Even from a distance, I could tell.
　She's a woman with an elegant appearance with a straight spine and a single core.
　I believe her when she is called royalty - or rather, a princess or queen.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for.

It's a good thing that you're here.

　I started to freak out and say something incomprehensible.

"What do you mean, this is my house and I'm here because of Hestia?
'Yeah, that too. Soooo...ha....

　For some reason, Hestia started to take a deep breath.
　I guess she calmed down after doing that, and now she looked at me with eyes that seemed to challenge me with a 'snap'.

''This,''
Yeah?　Is that a bamboo leaf?
Lost and found.
Lost and found?　...Oh, that one I had.

　I did have it.
　It's the bamboo leaf that I've been fiddling with while I was waiting for Hestia's class to finish.
　And then you dropped it at Hestia's place.

No, it's not a lost item, it's just a--
Yeah!
Geez!

　I suddenly felt a tremendous shock in my back.

　I turned around, rubbing the sore spot on my back, and there was my sister after she threw with her dynamic form.

　You will find your sister's high heels lying on the floor.

"Hey sis, why are you--
Come here, Hermes.

　My sister came in slowly and grabbed me and took a distance from Hestia and got into a whispering posture of talking.

'So that's the person you were talking about earlier?
That's true. But more importantly, sister--
I see, I'm sure you do.
Sister?
....
Hey, come back here, sister.
Well Hermes, I'll tell you one secret.
"Secret?
Yes, anything. I'll give you one of those 'just for you' ones.
Why would you do that?
You have to do it.

　She said that, and then, boom!　He pushed me back and thrust me in front of Hestia.

'What?'
Well, no, I mean...

　I'm supposed to tell you a secret.
　What should I tell him?

　Suddenly, I saw the bamboo leaf I had just received.
　A bamboo leaf that I've been pranked into thinking about withering away while I'm waiting.

　And Hestia.
　I remembered her former occupation and her colleague Ortia.

　I thought about it for a minute, and I knew it could work.

　I stifled my voice, partly because of the secrecy.

"Look at this, Hestia.
What?
The leaves on this bamboo branch are.........

　He pressed the bamboo leaf with both hands.
　He placed the bamboo leaf in a worshipful gesture and put his strength into it.

　Wither - a little further on.
　Apply pressure and heat to the bamboo leaves.
　It's hard to add or subtract because it's the first time I've done it, but I should be able to do it with roughly 10% of my full strength.

　I do that for a while and open my hand.
　And there--.

Is this...a diamond?
Yeah, diamonds.

　In the palm of my hand was a diamond in the shape of a bamboo leaf intact.

''What is this?''
Don't tell anyone, okay?　I can make a diamond out of wood or cloth or some other material, I can make a diamond out of some kind of material. If you apply heat and pressure as much as you can.

　Hestia took the diamond leaf and looked at it intently.

'It's beautiful...'
If you like it, you can have it.
What?
Instead, this is our secret, our secret.

　I'm going to change some of the words my sister used to say to me.

　I'll tell you a secret between us, just you and me.

　The words, which would be essentially the same, are put to Hestia.

"...yes.

　Then Hestia's cheeks blushed and she slumped down, holding the diamond leaf carefully.

　Oh, as expected of my sister, the really weird Hestia is gone.

　.........Huh?
　The weird Hestia is gone now, though.

　Could it be that this blush on Hestia's face...

Did you get it, sister?
I don't know what you're talking about. I've already solved the problem.

　That's true, but.....
　From the way my sister shrugged it off, I was convinced that I had been set up.