I'm Back from Fooling Around!

“...Sis. I can explain.”

“You've been recovered for less than half a day. You should be lying in bed, not standing on the floor with a—”

Yuzuki placed the water cup on the nightstand, the water inside sloshing slightly. “Give me the bow.”

“...No,” Kizuna said, releasing the bowstring.

The moment it left the string, the arrow of light dissolved into tiny specks of light that drifted into the air. The bow itself turned back into a ball of faint light and shrank back into her palm.

She hid her hand behind her back.

Without the support of her weapon, her body swayed slightly. She took half a step back, but Yuzuki caught her by the shoulders.

“My physical recovery and mana control are much faster than normal people's.”

Kizuna used her sister's support to steady herself, looking up at her. “Sis, I've had enough of lying down. This is my own choice. I want to go back with you, fight with you, and stand on stage with you.”

Yuzuki remained silent for a long time, so long that Kizuna thought she would say no, or scold her with a stern, sisterly refusal.

Kizuna was already prepared to act spoiled; no matter what Yuzuki said, she was going to stand by her sister's side.

But Yuzuki merely moved her hands from Kizuna's shoulders to the back of her head, gently pressing her face into the crook of her shoulder. Pressing her lips against the crown of Kizuna's head, her voice trembled slightly.

“...Don't you ever push me away again. If you do, I'm confiscating this bow.”

Yuzuki felt the fabric on her shoulder being rubbed twice; it was her sister nodding.

She did not let go, only hugging her sister even tighter.

Star-trail watched this touching scene of sisterly love.

Their reactions were just as it had expected—first worry, then heartache, and finally compromise.

It watched the sisters holding each other tightly in the afternoon sunlight of the ward.

They probably still had a lot to talk about, especially right now.

Having done what it needed to do, it was time to give them some space.

Star-trail hopped down from the nightstand, landed on the ward floor, and walked toward the door.

Kizuna lifted her face from her sister's shoulder, her eyes still a little red, and called out softly to its retreating figure, “Star-trail—where are you going?”

Star-trail paused at the doorway and glanced back at her.

“Your sister has a lot to say to you, and those words don't need an audience.”

Kizuna looked at the starlight glowing once more on its tail and seemed to understand. She did not ask any further.

She simply lifted her hand from her sister's back and gave it a gentle wave.

The door clicked shut behind it, sealing the sisters' whispers on the other side.

The sunlight in the corridor was just right. It walked along the corner of the wall toward the fire escape, the starlight on its tail trailing silver lines in the air.

Yuki's contract had been a necessity; she would have died without it. Now that she had signed it, she was not only alive, but she also lived with a brilliance she had never possessed before.

Kizuna's contract was the same—she would have died without it too, but she had ended up twisting it in reverse into a formal link.

Neither of these had been part of its active plans, yet both had truly fallen into its lap.

It didn't feel the same protective instinct toward Kizuna as it did toward Yuki, at least not yet.

Seeing a magic circuit on the verge of collapse was like seeing a piece of equipment that hadn't been properly shut down; it felt entirely uncomfortable unless it was fixed.

But when she opened her eyes and gripped the riser of the bow with hands that still lacked strength, its heart did stir slightly.

She was also trying her best to prove herself, just like Yuki Kurokawa, to prove that she could stand beside her sister.

With one more contractor, the distribution ratio of the mana supply needed to be recalculated. For now, Kizuna would receive a little less.

Once her stamina recovered enough to complete a full battle, it would slowly increase the supply.

When the time came, it would also need to find some low-intensity combat opportunities for her, allowing her to familiarize herself with the bow's range and the arrow's mana consumption from a safe distance.

These were things her sister could help her with as well.

Right now, it was just a tired little creature that only wanted to go back... to Yuki's cozy bed.

It had to be said, Yuki's bed was indeed comfortable. As expected of a young lady.

When Star-trail passed through the window, it intentionally sprinkled a few extra starlight particles so the person in the room would sense its return in advance.

Yuki Kurokawa was sitting at her desk. Today's English notes were spread out in front of her, but the hand holding her pen had been hovering over the paper for quite a while. The ink on the latest line of writing had already dried.

Hearing the soft rattle of the window frame, she turned her head. She set the pen down and pushed her chair back half a step.

“Star-trail.” She stood up from her desk, her movements swift yet turning gentle as she approached the windowsill, reaching out to scoop Star-trail up.

Star-trail felt lighter in her palm than usual.

She carried Star-trail over to the desk, letting the warm light of the desk lamp replenish the starlight on its body.

She didn't speak, her fingers extremely gently parting a small clump of tangled fluff behind Star-trail's ear.

It was left behind from brushing against something outside. She then checked the tip of its tail for any new nicks.

After confirming there were no wounds, she gently placed her fingers on Star-trail's back. The fur beneath her fingertips felt cool, its temperature much lower than when it usually lay by her pillow.

“...You've been gone since yesterday.”

Her hand remained on Star-trail's back, her fingertips unconsciously stroking along its spine, as if trying to warm away the chill with her own body heat.

Star-trail buried its face in Yuki's palm, gently nuzzling the inside of her wrist with its nose.

At times like this, acting cute and spoiled was all it took.

In order to play the part of a contracted beast well, Qiluo had watched plenty of cute pet videos.

It heard her sigh, her long-suspended heart finally settling.

“...I ran into a bit of trouble,” Star-trail's voice came from her palm, sounding softer than usual.

It didn't explain in detail, merely wrapping its tail gently around her wrist and rubbing the remaining starlight particles onto her cuff.

“It's already resolved, don't worry.” It rolled over between her fingers, exposing its belly and hugging her fingers with its two front paws.

According to animal videos, showing the belly was the ultimate sign of trust.

Sure enough, Yuki's fingers immediately covered the fur on its belly. The temperature beneath her fingertips was warmer than on its back, and the beating of its heart transmitted through the thin skin.

She lifted it to her cheek, leaning down to touch her nose to its ear.

Yuki looked down at Star-trail, curled up completely in her palm. Its tail was wrapped around her wrist, refusing to let go, and its ears were flat against its head.

Looking at Star-trail, she gently scooped it up and placed it in the crook of her shoulder, letting it rest against her neck as usual, her chin extremely lightly brushing the top of its head.

“...Tell me before you go out next time.” She picked up her pen again and opened her notebook, though the tips of her ears were still slightly red.

Yuki did not press it on where it had gone.