3 bar menu

Chapter 54

「So, who are you exactly… and what have you done?」

「…Huh? What do you mean?」

Liz said this with a wandering gaze.
It seemed like she was trying to play dumb, but I wasn’t buying it.

「If you look like an elf with animal ears, anyone would naturally think something’s up.」

Liz fell silent for a moment, her long eyelashes casting a shadow.

「I’m sorry. I can’t tell you.」

「Then again, why?」

「If you know the secret, you’ll definitely be in danger… The situation surrounding me is probably more troublesome than Lute-san thinks.」

「Alright, I understand. However, I can’t just leave you like this. So, from today, we’ll be together for a while.」

My words left Liz looking bewildered.

「Huh…? You won’t ask anything more…?」

「No, I won’t. You don’t want to say it, right? Then you can tell me when you feel like it.」

With a grin, I pointed at Lilith.

「It seems you’ve become her favorite, in a way. And if I abandon you, she might bite back later.」

「…Or I might just bite you.」

In hindsight, that conversation could be interpreted in a suggestive way, but young Liz probably didn’t perceive it that way.

Well, for now, if it’s been a week, Liz will probably tell us what’s going on.
After all, the environment around Liz is likely to be a hassle for us but not a real threat.

「What do you mean…?」

「Well, I’m going to act as your protector for about a week until you explain things.」

However, expecting Liz to realize our abilities within a week might be a bit exaggerated.
At the very least, we’ll try to keep a low profile, so it doesn’t really matter.

If necessary, we can spend two weeks together.
In any case, with the jobs we can get here at the Adventurer’s Guild, having Liz as a bit of a burden won’t be a problem for us.

「Can I really be with you? I might not only be a nuisance but also put you in danger even if you don’t know my secret.」

「Well, we’re already on this ship.」

At this point, Lilith chimed in.

「…However, there are three conditions.」

「Conditions…?」

Lilith nodded.

「…You must call me ‘Lilith-onee-chan’. And we must sleep together at night.」

I was taken aback by that, and Liz just blinked her eyes as if she didn’t understand what was being said.

「…And the last condition.」

「The last condition…?」

「…You have to call Lute ‘Onii-chan.’」

「Wait, hold on, you…」

I gave a light smack on Lilith’s head.

「Why do I have to come into this?」

「…If I’m her big sister, then Lute will naturally become Liz’s older brother.」

「I have no idea what you’re talking about.」

「Specifically, if Liz is my little sister, then Lute would naturally become Liz’s stepbrother.」

「You’re being noisy!」

I smacked Lilith’s head once again.

Silence fell, and Lilith’s cheeks blushed slightly.
She let out a sultry sigh.

Fuu.

Fuu.

Fuu.

Her breathing gradually became rougher, and her sighs grew hotter.

Come to think of it, she turns into a pure masochist when dealing with me, right?
I’ll stop with the smacks, as any more would just be a reward.

「So, um… is it okay if I say it like that?」

Then, timidly, Liz looked up at me and said,

「Um… well… It’s embarrassing… um, Lute…onii-chan?」

An upturned glance from a golden-haired, blue-eyed little girl, as if she had stepped out of a Western painting.

No, this had quite an impact.
Honestly, it’s not bad at all.

Well, maybe that’s just the way things are in the world of living creatures.
Cute things are cute.

And with that, we spent some time working together with Liz at the Adventurer’s Guild.