"Nnrng....waaahhh....Christopher....it...it really is you..." Roselina took a strong look at Christopher, checking each and every detail of his face to ensure that it really was her elder brother. And to her utter shock, it really was him. Her arms latched around his body, and she embraced him with all his might. Christopher returned it with his single remaining arm. Pressing his face into the nape of her neck, tears welled in his eyes.
"Roselina....Roselina....I...I finally found you..." He muttered in a tear filled voice, "...I've been searching for so, so long...so many things happened while we were separated..." Next, he stared at her face, his expression filled with concern for the girl, "...Are...are you alright? Did any of my attacks hurt you?"
"N-No I...I'm fine..." She replied sweetly. "...What about you?"
"No damage here...You've gotten really strong...I barely even dodged those slashes...hahaha." Christopher said to her. Roselina let out a half-hearted chuckle, then smirked. She was pleased to hear what Christopher had to say. Proudly, she puffed out her chest, then continued speaking.
"Well, what did you expect?" With a slight glare, she lightly growled at him, "You've gotten stronger to. So strong that you burned my crossbow to a crisp..."
"Ahaha...sorry about that. I was trying out a new spell my familiar taught me..."
"Th-That's fine..." She mouthed. Both of them locked eyes, and twinkled at each other.
Roselina... Christopher thought to himself. ...She really hasn't changed at all. She definitely has a few bruises here and there, but that's expected given the kind of world we're in... Christopher was relieved to have found his sister in one piece. Though he couldn't believe what he heard from the goblins before he came to the Underworld-that Roselina killed the Goblin Lord. She was always a quiet girl whom he thought could never get into any kind of trouble. But going over his battle with her, could she have really done it? He wasn't sure in the slightest.
Before he had the chance of bringing it up, Roselina suddenly gasped.
"Huh?" Looking over, her eyes were fixated on Christopher left side-where his left arm used to be.
"Ch-Christopher?! W-W-W-W-What happened?! Y-You're missing your left arm! W-What the hell happened to you?!" She was in total panic after viewing his wound. Christopher tried calming her down with an uncomfortable chuckle, but her eyes clearly told him that wouldn't work.
"W-Well uhh...My familiar, Azure, and I sorta got into a fight with seven or so Dark Elves when we came into the Underworld who were keeping some kids from a monster village we were at hostage and well...I got careless during the battle and...my left arm got sliced clean off." He ended up saying to her.
"W-What..?" The remark caused even more tears to form in the poor girl's eyes. "Ch-Christopher..."
"B-but don't worry! Th-The Dark Elves were all killed and I-I got my revenge on the one that tricked me!"
"..." Roselina was not happy at all. In fact, right after he spoke, she raised her right hand, and slapped him hard on his left cheek. Stunned, he was about to say something, though immediately, he was cut off.
"STUPID CHRISTOPHER!!! STUPID, STUPID, STUPID!!! DON'T YOU KNOW DARK ELVES ARE NOT TO BE INVOLVED WITH?!?! DON'T TELL ME AZURE DIDN'T WARN YOU ABOUT THEM!!?!" She was furious-she peered at Christopher's missing arm, then back at his face, eagerly awaiting an answer.
"W-Well she did warn me about them-multiple times actually, but I...didn't actually believe her because of how nice the Dark Elf that tricked me was being...I was too trusting...I'm sorry..."
"Mmmmm!!! Christopherrrr!! You jerk!! Don't ever do that again, okay?! Y-You could've died, you know! A-And if you died I...*sniffle* I wouldn't know what to do anymore...waaaahhhh!!"
"R-Roselina!" Roselina burst into tears. Christopher swiftly hugged her even tighter, and she returned the embrace, quietly weeping into his neck.
"..." It wasn't long before she at last calmed down, though after that, she refused to let him go.
"No...you're staying here..." She muttered. "...I'm not letting you go."
"Aww..." Christopher didn't mind it at all. He melted into Roselina's arms, and let out a long sigh. "...I missed you, sis." There was a pause before she replied, whispering into his ear,
"Stupid...I missed you too..."
"Aaaaaaaaand we're backkk!! Heehee, welcome to my room, Christopher!" At last, after a long night, the two of them returned to the inn in which they stayed. Roselina welcomed Christopher into her room, and to his surprise, no one else was there.
"Do you like it? Sorry it's so untidy, I've been staying here for a while." Roselina said. Roselina's room consisted of a large wooden wardrobe with a large mirror. Inside it were about three different outfits, all different sizes. Her room had a large double bed, which was covered in a cloth, blue bedsheet. The floor was carpeted red, and Christopher felt a slight nostalgic feeling from inside.
"Wowww, THIS is your room Roselina?! God, you must be rich! How'd you even manage to afford it?! Azure and I have a much smaller one!"
"Well, despite how it looks, it's not actually that expensive..." Roselina replied, "...it's only one gold coin a month."
"One gold coin a month..?" I-I can't afford that! J-Just how rich is this girl..? Christopher found himself speechless at what Roselina told him. "J-Just how rich are you, Roselina?! A-Azure and I can't afford that!"
"Huh? But you're an adventurer, Christopher!" Roselina chuckled at him, then went close to his face, "Well, I guess I could understand why you don't have enough cash...but-"
"Masterrr~?"
"Ch-Ch-Christopher..?"
"Huh? Who could..." Interrupting her mid-sentence, two familiar voices erupted from in front of Roselina's door. Christopher knew exactly who they were as the door creaked open.
"Oh! There you are master!! I thought I heard you in here!" Out came Azure and Hana. The moment Hana saw the boy, she ran to him, and glued herself onto his left leg, holding him tighter than ever.
"Mm!"
"W-Whoa, h-hello to you too, Hana..!" Hana didn't move her face at all after hugging him, Christopher lifted her in his arm, then looked at Roselina. Azure hovered beside him.
"E-Ehhh? Ch-Christopher? W-Who's that girl and why is she clinging onto you so much?"
"O-Oh, sorry, sis. Th-This is Hana, she's one of the kidnapped kids I rescued. Turns out, her home wasn't at the monster village I was at, but actually somewhere in this kingdom." Christopher explained to Roselina. One way or the other, she understood.
"Ahhh I see. And I suppose this is your familiar?" She pointed her index finger toward Azure, who gave her a cheerful nod.
"Mhm! Nice to meet ya Roselina!" Azure exclaimed to her, "Master's been really really worried about you lately so it's a relief to see that you're well."
"O-oh, you have Christopher?"
"U-Uh, w-well, y-yeah...I...I have..." Christopher's face turned a little pink at Roselina's remark, and she shared the blush. "...You and I HAVE been apart for a long time, you know..."
"Christopher..."
Roselina smiled sweetly, and lovingly at her elder brother. Without hesitating, she neared him, and planted a soft kiss on his right cheek, bringing even more of a blush to his small, round face.
"...Thanks. It means a lot."
"Roselina..." For a second time, he was thunderstruck. Upon instinct, he, making sure not to hurt Hana, went close to her, then pressed his face into her cheek, "...I love you." Roselina paused for a moment, then let out a short groan.
"I love you too, Christopher."
Further, the four of them sat upon Roselina's double bed, Roselina beside Christopher, Hana on his lap. Azure laid down, and yawned.
"Ahhhhh...mmm masterrrr, now we can finally return to the Overworld..."
"Yeah..." Christopher agreed with her, "...But first we've gotta find Hana's parents, which is much easier said than done..." He looked at the little girl, "...You hungry, Hana?"
"Nuh-uh...I'm fine." Hana responded, "A-Are you hungry Christopher?"
"Not right now." Christopher said. Smiling, he gently rubbed her stomach.
"Hey, if anyone wants something to eat, I've got some snacks on the way." Roselina suddenly spoke up, which caught Christopher's attention.
"Oh, the inn's meals?" He asked. Roselina shook her head.
"Nah, I hateee the meals here, they taste like trash."
"Wait, trash?!" That seriously shocked Christopher-how could the food there taste so bad when the other inns' food was great?
"Yeah." Roselina nodded, her gorgeous white face obtained a silly grin, "Bleh. I've got Azare and my roommate picking something up, they should be back any second now." She replied. She wasn't kidding, she truly hated the food there.
"Who's your roommate sis?" Christopher was more interested in her roommate than the food. Could it be Deva, whom I met earlier?
"Oh, it's a half-angel I met. Her name's Deva."
"A half-angel?" Instantly, one thought came into Christopher's head. The girl he met earlier really was Roselina's roommate. He was definitely excited to see Deva again-she had the prettiest, most stunning appearance he had ever witnessed. Unknowingly, he started grinning.
"Hey, what's with that grin on your face, Christopher?" Roselina was the first to notice, then Azure followed.
"O-N-nothing! Just...thinking about that time I found you...ahaha..." He came up with an excuse quicker than he imagined. But unfortunately for him, it gave Roselina the wrong idea.
"W-What? W-well, I'm glad we found each other when we did, but you don't have to be a pervert about it!" She barked at him. "Hmph! You were only laying down on me cause you pinned me there, stupid!"
"E-Ehhhhh?" Azure's eyes shot open, "Masterrrr!!! But you already have a-"
"We're backkkkkkkkkkkkkkk!!!"
Out of the blue, the door to Roselina's room was literally kicked open, startling everyone there other than the two individuals entering.
"W-Whoa, D-Deva?!" Roselina shouted. The two who entered were Roselina's partners, Azare and Deva.
"We have returned, master." Azare, expressionless, replied. She scanned the room, and didn't react to the guests. "I see you've brought guests."
"Oh? I didn't know you brought guests!! And one of them is Christopher!!!" Deva looked around, and promptly recognized Christopher, whom in turn, shot to his feet. Hana nearly fell over, but got onto the bed just in time.
"Wait, YOU'RE Roselina's roommate to Deva?!" He yelled out, "I knew it!!! I just knew it!!!"
"A-AHH!! N-No!! Not againnn!! A-At least don't-AARRRGHH!!"
"Ahh! Thanks sooo much for helping me find Roselina, Devaaaaaaaaaaa!!!" Instantaneously after catching view of the half-angel, Christopher sprinted toward, and caught her in another spine-breaking embrace, repeatedly thanking her for what she'd done.
"I-I get it!! Ch-Christopherrrrr!! Don't hug me so hard!!! R-Roselinaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!!!?!"
"Hahahahahahahaha!" After seeing Deva's reaction to Christopher's all-of-a-sudden embrace, Roselina burst into laughter. "Come on, Deva, it's only a hug!" She exclaimed, "Hahahahaahaahaahaha!"
"O-ow! Ahh-Christopher, y-you're squeezing me, I-I can't breathe!"
"Woops!! Sorry Devaaa!" Swiftly, he let her go. Scratching the back of his head awkwardly, he chuckled. "Ahaha..."
"Gosh...do you always hug like this?"
"Err...w-well...n-no..? Anyway..."
Next, he gaped over at the others, then back at Deva. His eyes scanned the room until they fell upon an unfamiliar face.
"Hey, is that your familiar, Roselina?" Christopher approached the familiar Azare, and closely watched her. She returned the gaze, a little irritated.
"Oh, mhm." Roselina replied. She walked up to him from behind, then grinned. "Christopher, meet my familiar, Azare. She's the one whose been helping me all this time."
"Ohhhh. Wow, she looks quite different from my familiar..." Azare's body size was different from Azure's, as well as her height. She was about up to Christopher's chest in height, and had the body size of a petite twelve year old. Her open, long hair was a silvery blonde, with unnaturally white skin, and cold, deep, fiery red eyes. She wore a greyish-black kimono with the middle of it being pure black in colour. Azare emitted a mature, soft-spoken aura, which initially caught Christopher off guard since Azure's send off a much more playful, clumsy feeling.
"She's much taller...and her body looks...mature..." Christopher leaned in closely to Azare's face, and studied her...until she retaliated.
"Did you expect me to look like that clumsy oaf you call your familiar, Christopher? I thought you were smarter, by what my master Roselina has spoken to me about you."
"W-Whoa, sh-she's got a sharp tongue to!" He was taken aback by Azare's way of speech. Definitely, Azare and Azure were two different persons entirely.
"Hmph." Azare turned to her master, her plain, uninterested expression not wavering, "Master, Deva and I have brought the food. Is it to your liking?"
"Yes. Thanks Azare, it's perfect." Roselina answered her, gently patting the girl's head.
"As I've said before, there is no need to thank me, master. But you're welcome."
"Aww..." Roselina continued stroking Azare's hair for a bit before finally stopping. She turned over to Deva, and gave her a grin. "...Deva."
"Mhmmmmmm?" At that moment, Deva, Azure and Hana were munching on the snacks when she acknowledged her.
"Did you have any trouble while I was gone?" Roselina asked.
"Oh, nope!" Deva responded, "Though Christopher nearly broke my spine with a hug before Azare and I left the inn..."
"Great." Christopher's sister was delighted to hear that pretty much no trouble befell the two. "U-E-Err, g-glad to know that you and my brother are getting along so well though! Ahaha..." She felt uncomfortable at Christopher's sudden hugs toward Deva, but she thought nothing of it. Suddenly, Azure noticed the other familiar in the room, her eyes lit up the moment she saw her.
"Wait, Azare is Roselina's familiar?!" She shouted, hovering right over to her.
"You know her, Azure?" Christopher wasn't expecting that, but welcomed it.
"Yeah!!" Azure excitedly blurted out, "She was a friend of mine back in Heaven before we were assigned to you two."
"Ohhh..." So even familiars know each other before they're brought down here... Christopher took note of that. Azare pretended not to notice Azure, though as soon as she started talking, she scowled.
"Tch...do you have to be so obnoxious, Azure?" She asked. "It was so quiet in here before you and your partners came in here."
"Hahahahahaha! Come on, Azare, lighten up! You don't have to be so strict all the time!" Azure responded to Azare. Azare rolled her eyes, then folded her arms.
"Grr..." She growled at his familiar, then let out a sigh, "...Whatever you say, Azure."
"..." Christopher and Roselina exchanged looks, they both were thinking the same thing after the interaction their familiars had. Are...are they really friends, I wonder...
About just over an hour of catching up later, Christopher remembered something.
"Oh!" He swiftly called out to Azure, who was with Azare. "Azure, come here!"
"Yes, master." She arrived, and awaited his next statement.
"Remember that meal we had at the monster village? The one that had these eyeballs in it?"
"Mhm." Azure nodded, then it dawned on her. "Oh yeahhh!! You saved the eye, right?"
"Yep." Christopher replied. He went into his back pack, and took out the eyeball he had been saving. "Time to give it to Roselina." He spoke. Azure nearly burst out in laughter at the thought.
Christopher neared his younger sister, who was with Deva. When he was close enough, he tapped her shoulder.
"Roselinaa." He remarked.
"Oh, yes Christopher?" Roselina and Deva both turned to him.
"Hi Christopher!!" Deva mouthed to him.
"Heh...Soooo remember how when I told you about the monster village?"
"Yeahhhhhhh..." Roselina was a bit uncomfortable talking about it. "...That was when you lost your left arm, right?"
"W-Well, sorta...but I just remembered, I've actually been saving something from there for you."
"Huh?" That caught Roselina off guard, even Deva was curious. "Oh!! What is it?!" She was giddy at the thought of a present from Christopher. There, without any delay, Christopher proudly revealed the eyeball from the soup he and Azure previously ate at the village, shouting, "Tadaaaaa!!!" for all to hear.
"Here it is! The eyeball from that disgusting-looking-but-really-tasty-soup Azure and I ate at the village!"
"An...eyeball..?" Roselina was stunned, and speechless. She didn't know what to say to him. "You're...giving me the eyeball from your meal at the monster village?"
"Yeah!" Azure swiftly bobbed her head. "Master and I couldn't eat the eyeball cause it's gross soooo master thought he'd give it to you when he finds you!"
"Hahaha, here ya go sis!" He held Roselina's hand with his right, and rolled the eye into it's palm. Roselina remained silent throughout the process. Deva gawked at it with both a completely flabbergasted-yet amused expression.
"Uhh...th-thanks!" Roselina finally exclaimed, "Erm..." with a slightly sympathetic gaze, she stated, "...Sorry to burst your bubble Christopher...but these actually taste good."
"W-What?" The duo was caught by surprise.
"Yeah. They really do, Christopher!!" Deva announced to him, "They may look gross, but they're actually super-duper tasty! Roselina and I ate some earlier today at a restaurant...though she didn't really eat the entire meal since she couldn't stand the sight of the liquid..." Deva placed a finger on her chin, and averted her gaze a little.
"..." They couldn't believe it. Back and forth, the duo looked at each other, then at Roselina, until the girl raised the eye, and sank her teeth into it.
"E-Ehhhh?? Y-You're actually eating the eyeball Roselina?!"
"*Munch* Of course! These things are delicious!!" Roselina exclaimed in glee. Upon eating half of the snack, she handed Deva the other half. "Here, it's okay if Deva has some to, right?"
"Y-Yeah..."
"Yayy~ Thanks Christopher!" Deva munched down upon it. "Mmmm..."
"..." Just watching them devour the eye completely disgusted the two. Roselina and Deva knew for sure that their reactions weren't in the slightest what Christopher wanted, and they took pride in it. Before they went to sleep, Christopher puked outside of the inn, Azure was with him.