Short Story - New Year 

The end of the year.

What can I say about it?

A celebration where we say goodbye to a bad year (in my case, a very horrible one remembering all the shit that happened in these past few months) and welcome a better year than this one.

I, Rudel van Bradford, am celebrating the last remaining hour of this year at my parents' house; to be more specific, Bradford territory.

And to expand it further, in the territory's village.

I really liked the Eastern celebration I looked at solo months ago. Now I am trying to replicate it in the village, it was very difficult to pass one culture to another, but the result is rewarding.

Everyone; be it adults, elders, children and even nobles.

Yes. There is no greater pain for me than having foreign nobles celebrating in my family's territory.

I did it only because my instructor was curious what the Eastern culture was like.

Of course, I told him to come, he asked me if other teachers and students could go to observe the foreign culture.

I would never refuse a request from him.

...

Maybe, I should have said no since the commoners at the food stalls are a little scared.

Just maybe, I should think a little more about what I accept ....

"Rudel-san! We're ready now."

"Certainly, sorry for the delay."

I turned at the lovely voices of two girls calling out to me. They were my friends, Airi and Alisa, in that order they spoke to me as well.

After turning around, I looked at their traditional oriental clothes.

Airi was wearing a blue kimono with white flowers in different places. She had her hair pulled back in a small swirl.

Alisa was also wearing a kimono, it was red with white flowers on her arms, legs and abdomen.

Her hair was also tied back, but it was in a Victorian style forming a big bun at the back of her head that looked like it was tied in a braid.

They both looked so beautiful that it made my heart pound just to see them.

I was waiting for them outside my house as they wanted to change there instead of my ship.

"Now that we are ready. Let's enjoy the festival."

◇

"The view is spectacular."

I was saying to my friends as we strolled through town.

The sight was weird, nobles in commoner stalls, commoners in yukatas and the weirdest thing was that none of them were killing each other.

Obviously, not in that way of killing. But rather... they would figuratively kill each other thanks to the problem that happened in this month.

I'd better not remember it because even I want to forget it.

"Rudel-san, look! A crepe stand!"

"Rudel, that stall sells yakisoba, let's go get one too."

"Got it."

My ami-girls are for some reason a little smug.

We went everywhere they wanted.

At one of the stalls was my instructor practicing shooting.

I tried to go over to greet him, but the girls grabbed my ears and pulled me away from greeting the one person I respect.

◇

Now we were fishing for some goldfish in a kiddie stand.

The mastermind behind this was Alisa.

I watched as they both got red eyes as when they caught a fish the hand net made of paper would break and fall into the pond.

It gave me a good laugh as Airi struggled to catch one, while Alisa seemed to calculate the right moment to throw her hand to catch it.

In the end they both lost all their money and ended up grumpy without a fish.

Now, I paid for two tries and landed two fish.

Obviously, Ixion secretly helped me.

"Here."

The girls turned as they were called and their shocked faces were the best.

They were so happy that they jumped, getting q their splendid breasts to bounce with joy as well.

As I watched them continue to jump I heard a voice.

"This is so hard..."

I turned at that familiar voice.

It was a dark brown haired boy trying to pull out a fish.

I'm surprised he's here. Once again I told Ixion I helped myself, but him and not me.

We left after seeing him screaming with joy at getting a simple fish.

◇

I was seeing a pitiful picture.

"Why are you so selfish?"

"Me selfish? Look who's talking!"

It was my older brothers. Lyle, the firstborn, and Bram, Lyle's spare.

They were fighting over a girl who smiled at both of them.

My family was here.

My dad was having a beer while my mom looked like she was lamenting giving birth to both of them.

My sweet angel who is my little sister was terrified thinking something serious was going on. She was very charming despite the pitiful scene in front of me.

"You are the heir and you can have any girl so disappear for now!!!"

"Hah, I need one too since I haven't gotten one and it's very annoying now thanks to women thinking about Rudel and not me!!!"

It was definitely a very pitiful scene.

The girls came back from the bathroom so I took their hands and we walked away from this pitiful scene.

◇

It was just a short time before the countdown and we were strolling along while eating cotton candy.

It was at a gift stand where I noticed another very pitiful image to the point of darkening my gaze.

"Erselica-san, I'll win this prize for you!"

"The best strategy to win is to hit the weakest Pillar."

"Muscles are more important, as they can collapse everything!!!"

"Please, no more..."

The little pest that caused me so much trouble was together with three idiot colors.

The red color was trying to use his hands in a game that requires you to throw a small ball with a sherbet powered by magic power. Is this guy an idiot or what?

In contrast, green was trying to use a gun, but the owner was trying to stop him.

To the side of them were a platinum color who was giving a giant pink bear to a small orange-haired girl who was covering her eyes because she had several giant stuffed animals around her.

I was about to say something to them, but I tried to say to the girls and their look surprised me more.

They were both making the same expression of looking the most pathetic and pitiful thing in the world.

In fact, their eyes were dull giving a cold look at the scene we were watching.

Immediately, I took their hands and we walked away as they continued to look like terrifying dolls.

"Please stop it already you're embarrassing me!!!" Shouted the pitiful little voice.

◇

The countdown came.

People were getting into position to set off the fireworks.

I was sitting on some boxes stacked around due to there being no chairs or benches available.

The girls also sat on the boxes.

The surface is hard and also dirty.

They didn't mind, they wanted to sit anyway so I ordered Ixion to clean it as if they were out of the factory.

There were already twenty seconds left until the new year.

It was an entertaining festival with some very unfortunate things.

It was there that I felt something that startled me out of surprise.

Airi was slowly intertwining her fingers with my left hand.

Alisa moved her fingers closer to my other hand to slowly cover them.

In five seconds that passed, her hands were tightly gripping mine.

I can't be a coward again here.

In response to her movements I squeezed my hands tightly so that the three of us were tightly clasped.

Both of their heads were bent down because their cheeks were red.

Mine too.

Slowly, they both turned at the same time to look at me.

Their beautiful faces were very embarrassed.

The red covered almost their entire face and their eyes were moist and they looked impatient for something.

Alisa spoke to me and Airi finished what she was saying.

"Rudel... tell us..."

"What is your answer..."

There were less than ten seconds left.

My heart was beating like crazy thanks to these girls and everything we went through.

Airi's face looked like she was about to cry, while Alisa's looked desperate.

They asked me something important once and I couldn't tell them.

It's a very good move to do it now.

All right, let's get this over with.

"I..."

No sooner had I uttered a word, a stampede happened.

"Wahh!!! Rudel, help me!!!"

"Rudel, your big brother wants to know what's this about the shipyard not being in my name."

"Viscount, these cookies are very tasty. I would like to take the recipe back to my country if I can."

Three pitiful people came running toward me.

A troublesome little brown color.

My stupid big brother Lyle, who was beat up.

And the most pitiful, a crying little girl who had three annoying colors behind her.

"Don't fuck with me!!!"

I ran out of there due to the fact that I don't want any trouble.

◇

Ixion watched the image of Rudel running away.

It was a very pitiful image to his eye.

He turned his body and observed two girls making a gloomy look which emanated a lot of bloodlust.

In fact, his magic power manifested a black aura covering his body.

Ixion once again looked at Rudel as he fled.

Fireworks were launched and people were celebrating all over the world.

Before going after Rudel and saving him, Ixion said some strange words.

"Happy New Year to the master and everyone. I hope this year I can destroy the new humanity."

A floating spherical body went after its owner who gave the impression of having had fun.