"Alright girls, it's time for lunch!" Enne stepped out of the tall patch of grass she had been hiding in as she heard a familiar voice call out to her. "Hey Enne. Where's everyone else?"
One of the doors that had been standing around in the courtyard all by itself had opened. Enne expected to, naturally, see more courtyard on the other side. But instead, the mysterious door displayed the room that everyone lived in. Out from it stepped a man who shared Enne's hair colour, the master she adored with all her heart, the person whose side she wanted to remain by forever.
"We're playing hide and seek," she said.
"I guess that explains why everyone's missing," he said. "How far were you guys allowed to go? Just the courtyard?"
"Mhm."
Though the sword's master had referred to it as one would a smaller area, the courtyard was by no means tiny. He had put a lot of work into it and it even seemed like it might be a little too big for the purposes of hide and seek. But because the girls were practically bursting with energy, they didn't find it to be a problem.
The rules of this particular game session were constructed to be as fair as possible. The wraith girls had possessed the dolls that Enne's master had given them so that they wouldn't be able to hide in trees or walls. And the reason they had chosen the courtyard in particular was because Enne was unable to get more than a hundred meters away from her true form, which had been placed on a nearby bench in order to maximize her range of motion. Enne herself hadn't really minded, but the other kids had fussed over her needs and adjusted the location to cater to them.
"That sure sounds fun," said her master with a smile.
Warmth filled Enne's chest the moment she saw it.
"So whaddya say? Think you can be friends with everyone?" he asked.
"Mhm." Enne nodded. "Everyone is really nice."
Enne was quiet. She still wasn't all that great of a talker. And yet, all the other girls had immediately accepted her and included her in their activities. She was a bit embarrassed by the way the others were fussing over her, but she was happy nonetheless.
"That's good to hear," said her master.
He seemed happy that she was getting along with the others, as he promptly began to pat her on the head with his big, warm, rugged hands. So comfortable was the sensation that, without realizing it, Enne had extended her own hands and placed them on top of his. She had even tried to hold his hand against her head to ensure that he would keep rubbing it.
But then she realized what she was doing. She immediately began to panic and question her own actions as she let go. She was confused. At a loss. Bewildered. She just didn't know what to do. She thought that her actions might have been disrespectful and that they might have made her master unhappy. Enne was still unused to this new form of hers. She didn't know how she was supposed to best express her affection.
Yuki, however, didn't mind. In fact, he almost seemed to find the relatively expressionless girl's panic entertaining, as he chuckled before continuing to affectionately stroke her hair. The smile on his face led Enne to judge that he hadn't been annoyed by her actions. Realizing this, she recovered from her state of agitation and lowered the arms that she had been waving around while at a loss. She simply went meek and continued to allow herself to be pet in much the same manner as a housecat.
She knew that her face had turned red, but she continued to silently enjoy the sensation of her master's touch, which could only be described as anything but unpleasant. Before long, she heard a voice coming from behind her.
"There you are Enne! I finally found you!" declared Illuna triumphantly. "Oh, hi Yuki!"
She was accompanied by Shii and all three of the wraith-possessed dolls, which meant that Enne had been the last of the group to be found. All three wraiths happily floated towards their master and encircled him the moment they saw him.
"You girls sure are full of energy," he laughed.
He then took his hand off of Enne's head in order to play with the three hovering around him.
"Oh…" A sad sound leaked from the sword's mouth. She hadn't realized that she was going to make it, so she hadn't managed to stop herself in time. Enne raised her hands and used them to cover her mouth immediately, but it was too late. The sudden noise had already caused her master and the three wraiths hovering around him to suddenly turn to face her.
Rei, Rui, and Lowe looked at each other and nodded in tacit understanding. They then suddenly floated behind Enne and started to use the dolls they were possessing in order to push her towards her master.
She tried to say something, but the only noises that came out of her mouth were incoherent panicked stammers.
Her master grinned as he watched her approach against her will. Once she was close enough, he wrapped an arm around her thighs and lifted her up.
"Master…"
Only after a bunch of panicking did she finally manage to stammer out a word, but he seemed to ignore it.
"Alright kids, it's time for lunch. You can play all you want after you're done," he said. "Rei, Rui, Lowe, you three might as well come with us. I know you can't eat and all that, but I'm sure you'll have more fun hanging around us while we do, right?"
All three dolls nodded in agreement. Likewise, Illuna and Shii happily vocalized their intention to engage in their midday meal.
With her girl form still in his arms, Yuki grabbed Enne's real body with his other hand and headed towards the door leading to the true throne room.
"Good for you Enne!" Illuna, who was walking right by her master's side, looked up at Enne, giggled, and flashed a big smile.
"Mhm…"
The sword girl didn't exactly understand why, but she felt as if being seen as she was now was extremely embarrassing, so she nodded in order to respond to Illuna's words before burying her face into her master's shoulder.