Night.
Just finished eating, nothing to do.
"Phew, I'm out of the bath! Those two are still in there."
Illuna came out of the bath and called out to the others. Nell and Lyuu, who seemed to be about to take a bath, responded.
"Shii and Enne are taking another long bath?"
The three young girls in our family often go in together, but when they come out, they leave separately.
Especially Shi, who loved to take baths.
Nell and Shii were the representatives of long baths in our house, and they often stayed in the bath for an hour or so.
Enne also enjoyed a long bath, but not as much as the two of them, I suppose.
"Well, Shii is always lounging around like usual, and Enne-chan has some kind of magic she wants to try in the bath. Muuu, I'm going to be so soggy after so much time in the bath!" (Illuna)
"Haha, you're right. You're right, I'd probably get a little dizzy, too. –And look, Illuna, if you don't dry your hair properly, it will get damaged." (Yuki)
"Mmmm…do my hair, big brother…" (Illuna)
I replied with a smile, "…It can't be helped."
She smiled happily and brought a hair dryer from the washroom located in the true throne room.
She then handed it to me and sat down in front of me.
I turned on the hair dryer, touched her beautiful blonde hair, and started drying it.
"…by the way, Illuna, it seems you have grown up again."
"Eh? What, why do you think so?"
Illuna asked, seemingly in a good mood.
"Well… I just thought that the position of your head was different from before."
Looking at her like this again, I could see it clearly.
She had grown taller.
She might still be a child, but her body was definitely growing bigger than it had been in the past.
Illuna, who was only a little girl, had gradually grown into a young lady.
Although she had been pampered a lot, recently she did not hug me as much as she used to…but I guess she was growing mentally as well as physically.
"Hehehe, I'm going to be a big sister now that Onii-chan and the others might have children, you know! So I can't keep being spoiled!"
"Is now okay to be pampered?"
"If it's only sometimes, it's okay!"
I smiled at Illuna as she said this.
"When my wife and I have kids, you'll be their big sister, right, Illuna?"
"Yes! I have so many books I want to read to them, so many games I want to play with them. Shii and Enne are also excited about it! I'm going to teach them a lot of fun and happy things."
With a smiling face, Illuna talked about the things she wanted to do and teach them.
Hide-and-seek, tag, make-believe, and exploration.
Letters, drawing, and a little bit of difficult learning.
Barbecues, cherry blossom viewing, moon viewing.
Then there were the seasonal games and the seasonal delicacies.
"So, I hope they are born healthy, Onii-chan!"
"…Oh, of course."
I could only reply, and pat Illuna.
"Well, I'm done."
"Yeah, thanks, Onii-chan!"
With that, she trudged off to put away the hair dryer.
I was now left alone, sitting on my throne.
–I was the one who should say, "Thank you".
It was her who made me a parent, albeit a pathetic one.
Thanks to her, I had more or less gained confidence in myself.
With Lefi and the others, I was able to go one step further.
"…"
"–What's wrong, Yuki?"
Then Lefi called out to me.
"Well… I was just checking again what I have acquired."
"…Hmm."
Lefi hopped up my throne and sat on my lap.
Then she leaned her back against me.
"Yuki."
"Oh."
"We'll hold on to everything you have right now."
Even though I didn't say anything, Lefi understood what I was feeling inside my heart when I said so.
"Ah."
That's right, this place was…