The next morning.
"……"
"……"
Only the clinking of dishes echoed through the room.
Up until yesterday, we had been eating delicious meals while chatting about all sorts of things…
But today, silence.
Nothing but silence.
And the cause of that… was us.
"…Hmph."
"…Hmph."
My eyes met Sofia’s, and immediately we looked away.
She did the same.
Snorting unhappily, she ignored me.
What kind of attitude is that?
Isn’t that a bit much?
"Uh, um…"
Caught between our quarrel, Claudia-san flustered nervously…
"Uu…"
"Whine…"
Aisha and Snow had no energy.
Seeing the two of them looking like that made my heart ache.
I wanted them to smile again right away.
I wanted that, but…
"…Hmph."
"…Hmph."
Make up with Sofia?
When it was her stubborn way of thinking that caused all this?
Should we take Aisha and Snow with us to the capital?
Or should we have them sheltered in the Beastman village?
Neither choice is exactly wrong, and either way could be the right answer.
But Sofia believed only her own opinion was correct, never doubted it, and tried to force it through.
How could I ever forgive such selfishness?
There’s no way I’ll be the one to apologize. Absolutely not.
"…Good grief."
As the silent meal dragged on, Licorice’s exasperated sigh echoed through the room.
――――――――――
After that, the quarrel continued…
"…Hmph."
"…Hmph."
Whenever our eyes met, we each quickly looked away.
"…Hmph."
"…Hmph."
Even during other meals, silence persisted.
"…Hmph."
"…Hmph."
The time we spent together disappeared, and the amount of time alone increased.
――――――――――
…Three days after the quarrel with Sofia.
"Haa… I shouldn’t be wasting time like this."
Lying on the bed in the room we’d been assigned, I stared blankly at the ceiling.
I needed to get to the capital as soon as possible and do something about the Dawn Alliance.
But even though I had to, I couldn’t move from here.
The quarrel with Sofia wouldn’t end.
"Sofia is so stubborn… she could bend her opinion just a little."
"And you’re saying that, Fate?"
"Licorice?"
Before I knew it, Licorice was there.
She lifted her body up.
"What’s wrong?"
"You say Sofia is stubborn, but what about you, Fate? You don’t even try to listen to her or acknowledge her opinion."
"Th-That’s…"
She hit a sore spot, and I couldn’t find the words.
"Maybe that’s true, but… this isn’t the time for a quarrel. We need to go to the capital immediately and do something about the Dawn Alliance…"
"Isn’t that a secondary matter?"
"Eh?"
If we leave the Dawn Alliance alone, what kind of disaster could strike…?
Licorice should understand that, so why would she say something like this?
"Right now, there’s something far more important you need to care about."
"…You mean Sofia?"
"No. Haa… really, moments like this just show how little life experience you have. Honestly, you’d be lost without me."
"…What exactly do I lack?"
Her way of speaking made it sound like my opinion was completely wrong, and I couldn’t help but frown.
But Licorice’s attitude didn’t change.
If anything, she gave me a more exasperated, sidelong look.
"There are other things you should be thinking about, things that need to take priority."
"Th-That’s because…"
"The most important thing you should be thinking about is Aisha and Snow, isn’t it?"
"!?"
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