Chapter 2: The Name of That Emotion is "Jealousy"

Sarona-san and the others introduced me to everyone in the elf village. When they were told that I was the one who rescued Siena, I received an enthusiastic welcome. Siena’s mother bowed her head to me over and over, though she seemed surprised when Siena suddenly declared, “I’m going to be one of Wazu-onii-chan’s brides in the future!” But then she became extremely eager, saying, “My, my, oh my! You’ve already found a husband? As expected of my daughter!”

Excuse me, could we decide this after she’s grown up a little more? No, it’s not that I’m against it. It’s just that I think it’s a tiny bit too early for that, yes.

Saying so, I bowed repeatedly and politely declined, but I really hope it was just my imagination that the eyes of both the mother and daughter seemed locked onto me.

After that, once I had received a round of thanks from the elves in the village, I was led inside by the twins, Yuyuna and Ruruna. Inside the elf village, everything I saw was new, and my eyes darted everywhere. In particular, the center of the village was a wide, empty clearing surrounded by massive trees, but I didn’t see any houses or buildings anywhere. When I asked the twins, “Where exactly do you live?” they pointed upwards. Following their fingers, I saw houses resembling log cabins strung together high up in the trees. However, there were no ladders, stairs, or any other means to get up there.

When I asked the twins about it, Yuyuna showed me an example of how they get to their houses. It was nothing complicated. Elves have a high affinity for wind magic. Using wind magic, he floated his own body and ascended to the height where the houses were. Oh my goodness. What a wonderful method, I thought, but unfortunately for me, I have zero magical power and can’t use magic at all. This wonderful method was impossible for me. Well, I could probably just jump up there, though…

Anyway, when I told them I couldn’t use magic, Yuyuna looked surprised and asked, “Seriously?” Then, with a slight chuckle, he carried me and transported me to the top. …It was a little embarrassing. I think I’ll just jump from now on.

Carried by Yuyuna just like that, I was taken to a place with a larger structure than the other houses, which was said to be the village’s gathering hall. The village elves had already assembled, and a celebratory banquet was held to welcome me and celebrate Siena’s safety. I was also a little surprised by the food served. According to the twins, who constantly positioned themselves beside me, elves apparently don’t eat much meat. Instead, they obtain an abundance of various spices from the many plants growing in the forest, which enriches their diet. I had just been eating fruits as they were, but it seemed they also made jams and dried them for long-term storage. They even brewed fruit wine and offered it to me several times, but I politely declined and quenched my thirst with water and juice instead. I certainly didn’t have resistance or immunity to alcohol, and while I was old enough to drink, I didn’t know what would happen, so I refrained from drinking at a celebratory banquet like this.

The elves frequently expressed their gratitude, and heaps of food and drinks were constantly added. I really can’t eat this much. However, seeing Meal eating and drinking with such relish warmed my heart.

Also, one of the central figures of this banquet, little Siena, claimed the spot on my lap halfway through. She had fun feeding Meal, humming, and pressing her small back snugly against me. …Making gestures that toy with men at this age… this child’s future is terrifying.

Mother, yes! Right there! Do it! Just one more push! —Please stop guiding her like that.

Eventually, as it grew late and the banquet was about to end, Siena was getting sleepy, so her mother took her home. Wondering where I should sleep, I placed the already-snoring Meal on top of my head. The twins, Yuyuna and Ruruna, invited me over, so I ended up staying the night at their house.

The next morning, when I woke up, I placed the Meal I had been hugging on top of my head. Being careful not to wake the still-snoring twins, I exited the house, stretched with an “Mmm,” and headed toward the village entrance. There were already two elf guards at the entrance, and I exchanged a light greeting with one of them.

“Good morning.” “Good morning, Wazu-dono. What brings you out so early? Surely you aren’t leaving already? I believe Siena would be quite sad if you did…” Why is everyone trying to pair me up with Siena?

“No, that’s not it. I just thought I’d take my habitual morning bath… So, is there a river around here? If there is, I’d like to ask where it is.” “Ah, is that so? In that case, there’s one just a short ways southwest from here.” “Thanks, I’ll go check it out.”

I thanked the elf who told me, gave a light nod to the other elf as well, and headed in the indicated direction. After walking a bit, I found the river. I laid Meal down on the soft grass, took off my clothes, and waded into the water.

“Kuuu…” Ever since my stats became abnormal, I stopped feeling extreme heat or cold entirely, but I can still feel warmth and coolness slightly. I suppose it’s to the extent that it doesn’t harm my body. And right now, the coolness of the river felt incredibly pleasant. I could feel my brain, which was still a bit groggy from waking up, snapping to attention. The river was wide and fairly deep, so I slowly closed my eyes and sank my body into the water…

Just when I started to feel the illusion that my body was a part of the river… …I guess it’s about time.

Losing track of time, I had been submerged while feeling the river’s current across my entire body, but it was getting a bit hard to hold my breath. I surfaced to take a breath. “Pah! Ahh~, that felt great!”

Surfacing, I pushed my wet hair back to clear my vision. And there, reflected in my eyes, was the figure of a woman without a single thread of clothing. The woman’s wet silver hair bathed in the morning sun, shining with such a bewitching allure that it threatened to shatter my reason.

My eyes met the woman’s.

“S-Sarona-san…” “W-Wazu-san…”

Due to the suddenness of the situation, both of our thoughts ground to a halt. However, upon seeing each other and instantly remembering what state we were currently in, Sarona-san’s face turned beet red, and she thrust one hand toward me.

“M-May my enemies hear the timbre of the wind that calls for death!”

Sarona-san’s wind magic activated, aimed right at me. Perhaps because she cast it while flustered, or perhaps because she reflexively held back the output so as not to hurt me, it wasn’t a sharp blade of wind like the one I saw before and had absolutely no lethal force. However, a gust strong enough to easily blow a person away blasted toward me. I took the wind head-on, but I stood there completely unfazed.

Staring at me standing there in a daze, unable to move, Sarona-san’s face turned even redder. Trembling, she glared at me, then eventually covered her important parts with her hands and retreated toward where her clothes were likely placed, making loud splashing sounds as she went. I was frozen in place, unable to move, but I slowly looked up at the sky and muttered.

“…I messed up.” But I don’t regret it. So that I would absolutely never forget the sight I just witnessed for the rest of my life, I carved it deeply, deeply into my memories…

“I AM TRULY, DEEPLY SORRY~!”

After getting out of the river, drying off, and finishing changing my clothes, I planned to return to the village. But when I spotted a fully-clothed Sarona-san approaching me for some reason, I immediately dropped into a dogeza (prostrating on the ground) and apologized. Meal was still sleeping peacefully on the grass.

My little sister taught me this method of apologizing. You rub your head against the ground and just beg for forgiveness. Even if it’s an accident, in situations like this, it’s always the man’s fault. My sister taught me that, too. I just kept apologizing over and over.

Then, Sarona-san spoke up. “…Sigh, I’m not really angry, so could you please raise your head? Seeing you like that makes me feel… well, extremely uncomfortable.” “Will you forgive me?” “Forgive you, or rather… considering the situation, you were the one in the river first, weren’t you, Wazu-san? I was the one who entered the river without noticing that. In that case, I should be the one apologizing. I’m sorry for entering the river without noticing you were there. I showed you something unsightly.” “No, it was a tremendous reward!” “…Hoh?”

Oh craaaaaap! I accidentally let my true feelings slip! Feeling a freezing, absolute-zero glare from Sarona-san, I broke out in a cold sweat.

“Fufu… Seriously, raise your head. Like I said before, it’s just making me restless.” I slowly, cautiously raised my head and checked Sarona-san’s face. The absolute-zero glare was gone, and instead, she was smiling faintly, looking somewhat amused.

“You finally raised your head. Weren’t you taught to look at the other person’s eyes when speaking to them?” “…I didn’t think this was that kind of situation.” “Well, it’s true we were both a little panicked earlier, but I’ve calmed down now. Even so, I certainly didn’t expect you to suddenly apologize like that.” “…I was taught how to handle these kinds of situations.” “Just what in the world have you been taught…”

Sarona-san shot me a somewhat exasperated look. Yes, I was taught many things by my little sister. Where did my sister even get that kind of knowledge from… Women really are mysterious.

“Come on, how about you stand up already?” Saying so, Sarona-san reached her hand out toward me. I took her hand and stood up. Man, that saved me. My legs were starting to get pins and needles. I wonder if this is included in status ailments? Since it was tingling, it’s probably not included… If it was, I could do a dogeza anytime, anywhere… No, I guess those situations are pretty rare…

While I was thinking about that, our hands remained intertwined. Huh? Why isn’t she letting go? Thinking it was strange, I looked at Sarona-san, and she was staring intently at me.

“Now then, Wazu-san. It is true that I am not angry. That’s a fact. But, that said, if we are to just pretend this never happened, I believe there’s one more thing you must do.” “…What might that be?” I felt like a little pressure was applied to the hand connected with Sarona-san’s.

“You must forget what you saw.” Eeeh~ Forget it~…? That’s a little~… “…That look of disgust on your face… Should I take it that you have no intention of forgetting?”

It must have shown on my face, and I probably had an incredibly disappointed expression… “Then I have no choice. I’ll just have to tell everyone in the village about this—” “Yes, I will forget! I’ll forget immediately! I am forgetting right this second!”

Ahh~ my reward… but it can’t be helped. If a story like this got spread around, I’d end up acquiring the title of ‘Peeping Tom’. I hung my head in utter defeat.

“Was it really enough to make you that depressed? Fufu, seeing you like that makes me feel somewhat honored.” The smile Sarona-san gave as she said that was, true to her words, somewhat proud. Seeing that smile up close, I felt my heart give a small skip.