#31 Return

After our little fight with Taeko was over, we decided to finally go get some rest.

...

We were currently in our room in the inn and all of us were sleeping, at least should be sleeping...

"A-Akashi? Are you awake?" Kurome asked me while standing next to my bed with a scared expression.

"Yeah, my sleep is pretty light so the moment you got up from your bed was the moment I woke up. Do you have nightmares again?" I replied with a lazy tone and then asked her with a puzzled expression.

"...No, but it feels too cold to be there...all alone." She said while tightly gripping her shirt and looking sideways.

"? What about Ichika?" I understood what she wanted so I asked if she hadn't tried to talk to Ichika yet.

"Well...I tried to but-" She said with an awkward expression and pointed at Ichika's bed.

I looked towards Ichika's bed and saw Ichika sleeping without her blanket only in her underwear with a wide grin while rubbing her belly.

"..." Although I didn't say anything, my expression darkened when I saw how careless she is. Not to mention sleeping with only her underwear on.

"Take your own blanket and come in. You can sleep closer to the wall, I will sleep on the side with my back to you. You can take it as being protected, that should be enough for you, right?" I said with a helpless smile.

"Mm!" She instantly nodded her head with an extremely grateful expression and went to get her own blanket before joining me in my bed.

...

"I am sorry, Akashi. For dragging both of you down and constantly annoying you. I promise that I will become stronger." I heard Kurome's sad voice behind me.

"You still haven't received any training so of course you can't do much with us expect for following us. It's good that you are determined to grow stronger but don't misunderstand what strength is. If you think that you are weak just because you want to be close to someone you can rely on or trust then you are wrong. There are numerous people who wouldn't be able to live on without their closest friends or family yet they are incredibly strong and even ruthless. You don't need to become strong to stop doing these things or vice versa...You are only ashamed of them because you are aware that you aren't strong enough. Grow stronger so you can stop feeling that shame from wanting to rely on someone." I explained with a tired voice.

"I-I see. So once that shame disappears also means that I am strong enough?" She asked with a confused tone.

"...It depends, you perhaps wouldn't feel shame for wanting to sleep together with your sister, right? Trust me, you will realize it when that time comes. For now...just get some rest." I said with a calm tone and closed my eyes.

"T-thank yo-" Kurome's voice was becoming faint until she has finally fallen asleep once again.

I must be careful about how I am going to train her.

...

The next morning...

"Thank you for your hospitality even though you didn't have to do anything for us." I thanked Babara and Taeko who went together with us to the village's gate.

"Not at all, I am happy that I was able to meet someone as talented as you, son. Plus it seems that Taeko also had a lot of fun during the sparring." Babara said with a small smile.

"Those materials...you can deliver them to the Capital and if you will have difficulty to enter, I can take it from you outside of the Capital. As for the condition of me owing you a favor..." I said with furrowed brows.

"I know kid, I won't ask for anything that would go against your morals and I won't be forcing anything on you either. But from what I have observed...you aren't on any side, just like us or am I wrong?" She immediately denied what I was fearing while throwing a quick glance at Taeko who didn't notice anything suspicious and only had an absent-minded expression.

"...That's right, I don't care about this stupid civil war but I will still most likely appear on many battlefields on the Empire's side. Therefore...if you will want me to help you with something in the future, you better find some good disguise for me." I said with a nod.

"Alright, we can contact each other in the future if we will need anything from you or if you will be interested in those Danger beasts. Taeko, you can say your goodbyes, I will go ahead." Babara said and left towards the inn's direction while waving at us with the back of her hand.

"It was nice meeting you girls, especially you Akashi. I will strive to improve my techniques and strength and once I am confident...let's have another competition at that time!" Taeko said with a determined tone and genuine happy smile while she extended her hand toward me.

Seeing this, I couldn't help but smile a little. I firmly took hold of her hand with a grin on my face.

"Yeah, let's hope we won't have that competition on the real battlefield but since I owe your clan, I will go easy on you at that time, hehe." I said with a provoking smile and when Taeko saw my smile she immediately tightened her grip on my hand.

"Don't you dare to go easy on me if it will be a fight to the death! It would be only humiliating so if you are really my friend, you will use everything in that fight." Taeko brought her face closer to mine and said with a serious expression and narrowed eyes.

"Hm...then let's really hope that our next meeting won't be like that. By the way, I hope you will be able to escape from your leader's radar, of course, if you aren't the same as her..." I said seriously and then changed the atmosphere by jokingly mentioning her leader.

Taeko immediately denied that she is the same as her leader and said her goodbye to girls before leaving after Babara.

...

"Taeko is really nice girl, it's almost unbelievable how strong she is when all I see from the outside is a nice innocent girl." Ichika muttered when we were on our way back to the Capital.

"She really is but I have a feeling that fate won't be so nice to her." I commented with a poker face.

"Is something bad going to happen to Taeko?" Kurome asked with a confused expression, ever since the last night, she was keeping close to me and no longer had any problem with talking to me.

"I am not sure, it's just a feeling...Not to mention that she is infamous Oarburgh, they are pretty hated here because they don't side with anyone and have their own beliefs. They don't care whether they have to kill a "good" person or "evil" person, the death will come for both." I said my opinion and picked up the pace.

...

When we finally arrived at the Capital.

"*sigh* Finally, next time, we better take horses." Ichika sighed in relief when we finally arrived and stretched her arms.

"..." Kurome's jaw dropped while she was looking around the streets.

"We don't have enough time to walk around, we need to first meet my parents and then we can walk around, Kurome." I reminded her when I saw her curious expression.

"Akashi's parents...?" She muttered and started to fidget with a nervous expression.

"Don't worry about anything, my mother will definitely accept you as for my father...he will accept my decision even if he will have some problems." I said with a confident smile while patting her head.

Now that I think about it...there is still that noble family with Blue Dragon as insignia leading some kind of bandit group inside this city. I wanted to take care of it once I return but...maybe I will leave them to train Kurome later.

...

"Here we are." I muttered with my half-open eyes to inform Kurome when we arrived in front of the gate leading to the enormous mansion.

"Whoa, the garden is so big...there is even a fountain" Kurome muttered with a surprised expression but her expression didn't change the entire time since we arrived at the Capital.

"Oh?! Young lord, welcome back! I hope your trip was fruitful." One of the guards immediately noticed me and welcomed me with a smile while occasionally glancing at Kurome with a curious look.

"Thanks, can you...?" I replied with a polite smile.

"Oh! I am sorry, excuse me!" He apologized and quickly went to open the gate for us.

...

When we entered the mansion, my parents were already sitting and waiting for us in the main hall.

"Sweetie!! You don't even know how I was worried that something happened when you didn't return last night." My mother immediately got up and run up to me and tightly hugged me.

On the other hand, my father was only sitting with his eyes closed and serious expression.

"Oh? And who is this little cutie?" When my mother let me go, she immediately noticed Kurome and crouched down to have a better look at her.

"Umm...Kurome" She answered with a weak voice while fidgeting under my mother's gaze.

"Where have you been?" My father finally spoke out with narrowed eyes and a serious tone.

"We had to make a little stop at one of the villages. Kurome was too tired from the exam." I explained with a stoic face while facing my father's narrowed eyes.

"...She isn't even strong enough to undertake a little journey?" Father directed his glare at Kurome while asking me with a suspicious tone.

"She didn't have any rest after that exam. Cut her some slack, will ya?" I narrowed my eyes and raised my voice a little.

"?! Akashi! Jun!" My mother immediately shouted at both of us.

"...hahaha, to think that you would stand up for that girl only after spending 1 day with her...Good, Kurome was your name, right?" My father laughed after a moment of silence and stood up to approach Kurome who was shaking while standing before my father.

"Y-yes!" Kurome raised her head with a determined expression and answered.

"I will be frank with you. I don't see much potential in you and I doubt that you were the strongest one from all kids out there but since my son chose you, I will trust his judgment. I hope you will not disappoint him." My father said with a serious expression before a small smile appeared on his face and patted Kurome's shoulder a few times before leaving for his office.

"*sigh* He is always like that...Little Kurome, don't be afraid of him, he won't do anything to you and if he will try, I will teach him a lesson!" My mother said while clenching her fist which made Kurome smile a little.

I proceed to introduce Kurome to everyone in the mansion and when I showed her own room, she immediately pled me if she can't sleep in my room with me so I compromised that if she will give her 100% into training, she will be allowed to sleep in my room which she immediately accepted by furiously nodding her head, making her twintails fly around.

I ordered Aiko who also enthusiastically welcomed me to tell someone to bring additional bed to my room which immediately shocked her. She started questioning me while she was cleaning my room who it is for and other things so I simply introduced her Kurome and she immediately nodded in understanding with a relieved expression.

I let Kurome wander around the mansion for the rest of the day and told her to go sleep earlier today because her training will begin the next day. Although I told her that she is free to wander around, she didn't want to leave my side in the unknown environment so I started to wander on my own so she could see everything for herself and by her guilty expression, I judged that she was aware of why I was doing it.