"There are only two days left now."
Originally, the plan was to stay a week at each person's house before moving on to the next, so it was almost time for me to leave Yuri's house and go to Annie's. Because of this, Yuri let out a complaint filled with regret. The once cheerful Yuri, who had been smiling when I first arrived at her house, had been grumbling more and more as time passed.
"Can't you just not go?"
"I've already made plans with the others. It's too late to change the schedule now."
Plop
I flopped onto Yuri's now-familiar bed and reminded her of the week's schedule.
"But I'm going to miss you. Oh, Elys! You shouldn't lie down right after eating. It's not good for you."
"La~ La~ La~, I can't hear you! I can't hear you!"
I covered my ears and rolled around on the bed, deliberately ignoring Yuri's words. Since we had trained all morning, I figured I deserved a little indulgence. So, I allowed myself to relax fully—just for now.
"Why are you acting like a child again? Sometimes you have these childish moments Elys."
Sure, soldiers and knights might need to attend afternoon training, but Yuri and I didn't have to, so I saw no harm in a little laziness.
However, that might've been just my opinion, as Yuri eventually grabbed my hand and pulled me upright. She sat down beside me on the bed.
Yuri seemed deep in thought, touching her lower lip with her index finger as she pondered something. Then, as if she had a sudden realization, she clapped her hands and jumped up.
"Right! I'll just go with you, Elys!"
* * * *
"No."
The response that greeted Yuri, who had taken me straight to Craig the moment she made her decision, was a sharp rejection. Having just finished morning training, Craig seemed to have just started his work, as papers were piling up on his desk.
"...Why not?"
Yuri, unable to argue aggressively, asked quietly. Craig's busy hands halted, and he looked up at her.
"You've already been away at the academy for several months. We've only just been able to spend time togeth-, hm... train together. There's no time to waste."
?
Did he just change what he was about to say? Craig didn't show any signs of it, and Yuri, who was pouting, didn't seem to notice. But as an observer, I definitely caught it. He almost said, 'spend time together'. It was so natural that I thought I might have imagined it for a second, but remembering the past few days, I was sure. My suspicion had turned into certainty.
Craig clung to Yuri during training, instructing her the entire time. Since Yuri's skill level was lower, it made sense to focus on her. But his words didn't match the slight upward curl of his lips when he said she wasn't improving fast enough.
Then there were the times he patted her on the shoulder, supposedly to praise her when she swung her sword decently. Of course, you can't always use a stick; sometimes, you need a carrot. But his hand would hover near her head before awkwardly settling on her shoulder.
And every evening, after dinner, he would come and join Yuri and me during our tea time, sometimes listening to Yuri, sometimes to me. Of course, it's natural for a father to want to know how his daughter spent her time at the academy and what kind of friends she made. But he always ignored my stories and only sipped the tea Yuri poured for him.
This man… Could it be that the real reason he opposed Yuri learning the sword wasn't because of her lack of talent, but for some other reason? It seemed entirely plausible.
"If you have nothing more to say, you may leave. I'm busy with my work."
Once I became certain, everything started looking different. Craig's claim about being busy sounded like an excuse, as if he had neglected his work because he spent too much time with Yuri.
Yuri, half disappointed and half resigned, turned and left the room. I bowed slightly to Craig and followed her out.
* * * *
"I really wanted to go…"
Back in the room, Yuri hugged her pillow and grumbled. By the way, that pillow looked just like the one she used in her dorm at the academy. She probably didn't bring the exact same pillow with her, so she must have bought it from the same place.
"Hey… Yuri?"
"Hm?"
Yuri, her face still buried in the pillow, answered with just her head peeking out.
"I have an idea… Do you want to hear it?"
* * * *
After dinner, like usual, Yuri was setting three teacups when there was a knock on the door. Since Yuri was busy pouring the tea, I went to open the door, and in walked Craig with his usual casual steps.
Just like the previous nights, we chatted and drank tea together. After a while, the conversation died down, and the room grew quiet. Yuri shot me a sidelong glance, clearly checking for my signal. Her expression seemed to ask:
'Is it really okay to do this?'
I subtly nodded toward Craig, encouraging her to go ahead. This plan was foolproof. As someone who had fallen victim to it, I could guarantee its effectiveness.
Yuri seemed to gather her resolve and suddenly stood up.
"Father!"
"Hm?"
Craig, startled by her sudden outburst, put down his teacup and looked at Yuri. Then, with her eyes tightly shut, Yuri ran over to him.
Wham
Yuri threw her arms around Craig, burying her face in his chest. She looked up at him and spoke.
"Can I really not go with Elys?"
Yuri's face was bright red, probably because she had never acted so childish before. Craig, too, seemed at a loss, frozen in place.
However, Craig's mouth was twitching more than I had ever seen before.
Having experienced the power of Yuri's pout a few times, I knew its strength well. Anyone who was close to Yuri wouldn't be able to resist this move.
As expected, the words of permission started to leave Craig's mouth.
"Of…"
They should've left, right?
"course…"
Craig's previously stern face began to crumble, and his eyes trembled. How was he holding on?
"No!!"
Ah! I realized my mistake. Yuri's request involved leaving home to stay at a friend's house for a few weeks. In other words, granting her request would mean less time for Craig to spend alone with Yuri. This created a slight opening in Yuri's attack, and Craig managed to withstand it.
Even so, if it had been me, I wouldn't have been able to refuse Yuri's request. But Craig, with the will of a swordmaster, held his ground. Indeed, there are only eight swordmasters on the continent, and I respected him once again.
* * * *
"See you after the break."
"Hing…"
I waved to Yuri, who was seeing me off. I also bowed to Craig, who stood beside her, and thanked him.
"Thank you for your hospitality. I wish you peace."
"Of course. Feel free to stop by anytime as if it were your own home. Safe travels."
Since Yuri's bout of childishness, Craig's voice had softened considerably. Although Yuri may have been a bit disappointed, things had turned out well enough.
"Thank you, Sir Lupin. I've learned a lot."
I also thanked Lupin, who was standing behind us. Even though it had only been a week, the sparring with Lupin had given me insights I hadn't gained during training with Sellen.
"It was a pleasure to be of help. Next time we meet, I hope to see the ninth swordmaster of the continent."
"Haha…"
One of Annie's servants came over to take my luggage. I arrived at Yuri's house with only one bag, but now I had an extra one full of clothes Yuri had given me.
As the carriage started moving, I looked out the window to see Yuri still waving. I opened the window, leaned out halfway, and waved back. Even as the distance grew, Yuri's hand continued waving. I didn't stop waving until Yuri's hand was out of sight. A few months ago, I never would've imagined myself doing something so embarrassing. I guess I've changed a lot, too.