It’s currently a relax-ed time after breakfast.

  Today, everyone except Eleonora-neesan is spending our time in the living room in our own way.

  「What’s the most interesting in Kagura’s book?」


  「Hmーm, though the story and the characteristics are interesting, I guess it’s still the history of their Water God?」


  Sylvio-niisan and Nord-tousan seem like they’re talking about Kagura’s books.

  Which part of the books that I brought that they find interesting. And which part is different, they are currently intellectually discussing with one another.

  Then, there’s me and Elna-kaasan,

  「Do you think that it’s also nice to place the cushion and use it to sit at such times?」


  「No, Elna-kaasan. At such times, I think it’s better to put it in the space between the sofa and lower back.」


  「Ara, you’re right. There’s also this kind of method」


  Each of us has a slime cushion and we’re intellectually discussing how to spend our time comfortably in what posture.

  「Aah, this posture is nice. Though it looks a little slovenly, I think it would be better if we can stretch our legs」


  「Yeah. This sofa is a medium size but I feel that it’s a little small」


  「But, we can make something even bigger from now onー. Though it will take more time to complete」


  Elna-kaasan holds her hand on her cheek as if she found the situation upsetting.

  It’s Elna-kaasan’s good point for her gestures to still look suit her so naturally.

  Incidentally, Elna-kaasan and I love to idle around on the sofa, so we’re paying special attention to it more than anyone else in the family.

  Getting a custom-ordered one is a matter of course, I don’t care about the price. This is all to make my favorite time to be more comfortable to pass. I won’t compromise on this.

  However, if we choose them now and they start to make them, mostly according to our order, it would take around half a year. There’s no way I can wait for such a long time, so we can’t afford to change this sofa.

  「It’s fine if we’re not too hung up on the existing sofa, right? If they only made the seat without the back part of the chair, we can use it when we wanted to relax」


  When I calmly suggest it to her, Elna-kaasan looks toward me with her mouth wide open.

  「……that was a blind spot. Certainly, if we do that, then we can only use it if we want to unwind, but it will increase the variations in postures when we use them. And besides, we can just move it to the edge of the room if it were in the way, Al is really a genius!」


  Elna-kaasan patted me on the head while smiling cheerfully.

  I’m truly happy for being praised but, I want you to praise me in a somewhat different situation.

  「Furthermore, it will be more comfortable for us if we put the cushion on the elbow rest and put our feet on it just like how Elna-kaasan always does, right」


  「Right――no, I didn’t do something improper like that」


  I was just trying to tell her about a good posture where you place the cushion just like how Elna-kaasan always did with good intentions but, I was scolded instead.

  This mother of mine, how long is she going to keep insisting that she didn’t do that.

  Does Nord-tousan know about Elna-kaasan’s languid appearance? I’m a bit curious about it and I want to ask but, let’s just stop it since Elna-kaasan has been silently pressuring me.

  Overcoming my curiosity, I place the slime cushion under my head and turn sideways as I lie down.

  Ahー, maybe because we don’t have a cushion before that I felt my head unstable, but now it feels so stable thanks to the slime cushion.

  Just when I was about to close my eyes due to this very comfortable place, Nord-tousan - who had been talking with Sylvio-niisan - stand up and call out to me.

  「Come now, Al. It’s time to practice」


  「Ehー, it’s a practice day now?」


  「Right」


  Nord-tousan firmly nodded to my question.

  I wanted it to be a mistake or a lie.

  It’s two days until Eleonora-neesan return. Even though there is only two days' worth of my precious time, I don’t want to be occupied with such a tiresome activity as sword practice though.

  And above all, it’s currently summer. Even though it’s hot enough that you will sweat just by walking alone, what would happen if you were to run and swing around your sword then? It will definitely be going to be tiresome and sweaty. And if we were to be imprudent, I could collapse.

  「We’re going to practice in such hot weatherー?」


  「It’s precisely because it’s going to be hot that we’re going to practice early in the morning. Come on, don’t complain and quickly get ready」


  I whined about it, I was left utterly helpless against Nord-tousan.

  After stating that, Nord-tousan gallantly left the living room.

  Haaa, do I really have to swing a sword around outside despite it being so hot?

  「Hey, get up. The sun will rise and the day will turn hot if you don’t do it quickly」


  「……that’s right」


  I finally get up after Elna-kaasan - who is beside me - admonishes me while lightly hitting my butt.

  Anyhow, the practice won’t be canceled. It’s like what Elna-kaasan said, it will be a smart choice to quickly proceed with the preparation so that the practice will end in the cool morning.

  「Let’s go get changed Al」


  「You’re right, Sylvio-niisan」


  I left the living room while my back is being pushed by Sylvio-niisan.

  「……ah, I forgot my slime cushion」


  「Me too」


  And just like that, Sylvio-niisan and I do an about-face and return to the living room from the hallway.

  There, Elna-kaasan is lying down gracefully with her head on the sofa’s elbow rest, with the slime cushion under her head and legs.

  She had already and completely used our slime cushion and the big sofa so boldly.

  「……Elna-kaasan, that, our――」


  Just when I tried to call her about our slime cushion, Sylvio-niisan covered my mouth with his hand.

  「Al, let’s go practice」


  「……you’re right」


  Elna-kaasan probably wanted to use the slime pillow to get into a relaxed position as soon as possible. I understand her feelings somewhat, so I just pretend to not see her and went upstairs.

  ◆


  After changing my clothes into practice clothes in my room, Sylvio-niisan and I gather in the courtyard with our wooden swords in our hands.

  And since the courtyard is located outside, there is no roof above us. Due to that, the midsummer sun is directly pouring down, displaying its fury on us.

  Even the maids - Sara and Mina - who normally wait on us in the courtyard, are now standing by under the roof of the mansion.

  That can’t help but makes me extremely envious.

  When I stare intently at them, those two suddenly turned their gazes away.

  As a maid who works for their master, they should be closed after all, right?

  I want to call them here even though I have no task for them, but those girls are responsible for providing us with water and chilled towel. There’s no use in harassing them.

  「……it’s hot」


  I stick out my tongue and groaned.

  Despite it being less than five minutes since we went out of the mansion, I already sweated and my head feels hot.

  「Yeah, it’s hot, isn’t it」


  Sylvio-niisan said as he’s in agreement with me but when I look at his face, he doesn’t look like he’s feeling the heat. Not even a strand of his hair is disheveled, and he’s also not sweating.

  I wonder if you really think it’s hot?

  Oh well, Sylvio-niisan’s constitution is originally one that hardly sweatsー.

  When I was thinking about that kind of thing, a wind gently blows through the mansion’s courtyard.

  The sounds of trees leave rustling through the place, the feeling as if the wind is taking away the heat from our flushed body as it passed.

  It was just a moment, but it feels so pleasant.

  「Great. It seems like there’s going to be wind today」


  「I wanted the wind to keep blowing」


  「Come now, let’s get started then」


  Nord-tousan came after changing into the same practice clothes as us just while I was talking with Sylvio-niisan.

  He’s also not sweating like Sylvio-niisan.

  It appears that the only one sweating and with disheveled hair is me.

  「First, let’s run to let our body have a light exercise」


  「Eehh! You’re joking right!? We’ll die if we run in such hot weather you know!?」


  「It’s all right. I’ll keep an eye on Al so that won’t happen」


  Probably, if I were to be supervised by Nord-tousan in our practice today, I will probably finish today’s practice without being able to collapse, even if it’s in the middle of summer.

  He will make sure that I won’t collapse until the last minute. Nord-tousan is worse than Eleonora-neesan since he can completely determine my limit.

  「Come on, You’ve been getting fat recently, so it’s just right if we do this, don’t you think. Now go run, return to the starting point, and do it again」


  「Guh!」


  I know that I’m fat, but when you said that to my face like that, it feels like my chest is being pricked.

  I’ve certainly gained weight these days. Shall I do my best in today’s practice and burn the fat then. Since I will be treated just like Asmo if I continue to be fat.

  「Come on, start running」


  「Yeーs」


  And so, I started to run vigorously in the courtyard after finding a goal.