Chapter 227 - Hot Spring, Part 7
After lunch, the snow outside had gotten even heavier.
The mountain forest was a vast expanse of white.
Snow in the inn's courtyard had piled up deep enough to swallow the children's calves.
So the children went completely wild.
"Hahahaha! Lucy, take this!"
Lara struck first.
She conjured a snow castle with magic and hurled snowballs from the top.
SMACK!
The snowball hit Lucy square in the face.
"Sister Lara!"
"Lucy, you need to grow up~"
"What's that supposed to mean!"
Lucy immediately retaliated.
Christina, on the other hand, ignored all factions entirely.
She threw at everyone.
Windsor had been standing off to the side watching.
Then at some point, Edward came running over with a wooden sword.
"Sister Windsor! Let's defend the castle together!"
"Defend the castle?"
"Yeah! I already had people pile up the snow walls!"
Windsor's eyes visibly brightened.
"That sounds fun. But I'd rather be the one sieging."
She looked toward Lara's castle as she said it.
Lara caught Windsor's gaze and the corner of her mouth twitched.
"Sister Windsor, wait! Lucy is still attacking me!"
Windsor ignored her and joined the fight.
With physical ability far beyond her peers, she shattered Lara's castle in a few sword strikes.
All the children went quiet.
Edward was full of awe.
"As expected of Sister Windsor..."
Lara crawled out of the snow and spat it from her mouth. She stared at Windsor for a long moment.
Then walked over to Lucy and whispered something in her ear. Even Tina got called over.
The three sisters huddled together. Finally, Lara and Lucy cast magic together and raised a castle much larger than the first.
They looked down at Windsor from the high walls. Lara shouted.
"Sister Windsor! War has begun!"
"Hm?"
"This is a war between mages and swordsmen!"
"Is that so? Lucy, Tina — do you also intend to stand against me?"
Tina put her hands on her hips, completely unafraid.
"Sister Lara said if we win, we don't have to listen to Sister Windsor anymore! So I'm helping Sister Lara!"
Lucy averted her gaze.
"I am a mage too..."
Windsor nodded.
"Very well. If that is my little sisters' choice..."
Lara burst out laughing.
"Hahahahaha! Sister Windsor, surrender now and we'll still let you be the fourth sister. But if you keep this up~ Hmph! You'll get what's coming to you!"
Tina immediately chimed in.
"Sister Windsor will get what's coming to her!"
Lucy lowered her head, looking mortified.
"...Sister Windsor will get what's coming to her..."
Windsor looked at her three younger sisters standing atop the castle walls. She raised her wooden sword.
"Then let me witness my little sisters' growth! Edward, charge with me!"
"Yes, Sister Windsor!"
The war began.
-----------
On the other side, Julie and Elinalise were playing with Clape.
"Sister Julie, help me roll a snowball."
"Sure."
Julie earnestly crouched down and got to work.
The snowball she produced turned out bigger than Clape himself.
"...Sister Julie, I can't push this..."
"Then I'll make a new one."
"Thank you, Sister Julie. And Mom, stop spacing out, help me build the snowman's body."
"Alrighty~"
Meanwhile, Zanoba was sculpting a snow statue.
In just 30 minutes.
A snow statue of Orsted was already standing.
"Master! Please take a look!"
Zanoba's face was bright with excitement.
I looked at the giant Orsted snow sculpture.
Silence for 2 seconds.
"Hmm... you've improved."
-------
Inside the main hall, the mood was something else entirely.
Nanahoshi walked over carrying a wooden box.
THUD!
She set it on the table.
A faint, subtle smugness on her face.
"Since we're idle anyway, how about we play something interesting?"
Nanahoshi opened the box.
Inside, neatly arranged in rows: white rectangular tiles.
Mahjong.
"You actually made these..."
"It took quite a bit of time, you know."
She started pulling them out as she spoke.
"The materials, the engraving, sorting out the rules, I even had to recall how to play bit by bit from memory."
Ariel was clearly intrigued. She sat down elegantly beside the table.
"Oh my? This looks quite interesting."
Cliff furrowed his brow.
"Is this some kind of word game?"
Orsted observed the tiles in silence.
I murmured.
"How nostalgic..."
"Don't make that middle-aged-man-reminiscing-about-his-youth face."
"Technically, thirty already counts as middle-aged, right?"
"Heh~"
She sat down without ceremony and started shuffling.
CLATTER,
The sound of tiles colliding filled the hall.
I'm not sure why.
But hearing that sound.
I actually felt it, a genuine pang of nostalgia.
New Year's in my past life. The television blaring. Cold winter air drifting in through the window. The clatter of relatives playing mahjong in the next room.
...And now here I was, hearing that same sound in an otherworldly hot spring inn.
Strange how things turn out.
"Anyway, the rules are simple..."
Nanahoshi began explaining how to play.
Ariel had already produced paper and a pen.
I frowned slightly.
"Is note-taking really necessary? We're just playing casually."
"No — I think this game would be excellent for noble social gatherings."
"Fair enough."
On the other side of the table, my wives had all gathered around.
Aisha leaned directly against my shoulder.
"Big brother~ Is this fun?"
"It's addictive."
"Addictive?"
"Yeah."
Roxy immediately latched onto that word.
"Gambling?"
"You can play without betting, but betting makes it more exciting."
"Oh, no gambling. Rudeus, your sense of money has gotten completely out of hand lately."
"Has it?"
"Yes. Whenever you send the maids out to buy something, you just hand them gold coins. Do you know how long one gold coin lasts an adventurer?"
"Three days?"
"If they're not out drinking and spending, a week. Maybe a whole month."
"...Alright."
"Anyway. Our family isn't short on money, but we are not gambling."
"Understood. I'll listen to Roxy."
Sylphiette stared seriously at the tiles.
"These numbers look a bit complicated..."
"Once you get used to them, it's easy."
As for Eris, she stared at the tiles for a long time too.
Then spoke up.
"My eyes are going a bit blurry..."
"Eris, you weren't listening to the rules at all just now, were you."
"I'll probably figure it out once we start playing. I'm the type who learns by doing!"
"That's the most dangerous type..."
I could already picture what Eris would look like in a casino.
She'd bring whatever money she had and lose every last coin.
--------
Before long, the table was set.
Orsted, me, Nanahoshi, Cliff.
Four of us around the table.
My wives settled in beside me to watch and learn.
Ariel sat down next to Nanahoshi.
As Nanahoshi dealt the tiles, she said, "Fair warning, this thing is easy to get hooked on."
Cliff looked skeptical.
"It's just tiles, right?"
10 minutes later,
"Pung!"
Cliff looked up.
"Wait, why can she claim that?"
"Because the tile you just discarded is what she needed."
"I see..."
Cliff was already sweating, furiously trying to piece together the rules.
Roxy, on the other hand, picked it up fast.
"I see... the core is combinations and discarding?"
"As expected of Teacher Roxy. You catch on quick."
"Hehe~"
Sylphiette was slowly working it out too.
"So Rudeus was feeding tiles on purpose just now?"
"Yeah, think of it as a teaching game."
Aisha smiled brightly.
"So Big Brother knows how to play this kind of game~"
"...Nanahoshi taught me."
Eris still hadn't quite gotten it.
But while the wives were talking through the rules, Orsted suddenly laid his tiles face-up on the table.
"Win."
The entire hall went silent for 2 seconds.
Nanahoshi looked down.
"...Thirteen Orphans? Wait — Orsted, this is your first time playing, right?"
"Yes."
"Then how did you win with that?!"
"I don't know."
"..."
As expected of Orsted.
Absurdly strong, even at mahjong.
Nanahoshi muttered under her breath.
"How does someone win with Thirteen Orphans their very first time playing..."
A small, clear voice piped up.
"Because he's Uncle Orsted?"
I turned. It was Tina, who had slipped back inside at some point to get a drink of water, staring with complete seriousness.
"What kind of reason is that..."
Tina said nothing more. She finished her water and ran back out.
Nanahoshi pressed a hand to her forehead and sighed.
Aisha laughed.
"Miss Nanahoshi looks really frustrated."
"Shut up."
"Sore loser?"
"I'm just annoyed! Again!"
The hall kept getting louder.
Outside, the children's voices carried in from the snow. Inside, the clatter of tiles and bursts of laughter mixed together.
Even Ariel had started studying the rules in earnest.
"I see... the game is quite strategic."
"Right?"
Nanahoshi looked just a little smug.
After a few more rounds, everyone had a decent grasp of the game. The basics, at least, were no longer a problem.
And so,
Nanahoshi stopped shuffling.
She propped her chin on her hand, a slightly wicked smile creeping onto her face.
"But..."
"Hm?"
"Isn't just playing a little boring?"
"What are you planning?"
Nanahoshi pulled several wooden tokens from her sleeve and set them on the table one by one.
CLACK, CLACK.
"Let's add some stakes."
"Oh?"
Ariel looked intrigued.
Cliff looked nervous.
Roxy frowned.
"Stakes?"
"Relax, Roxy. No money involved."
Roxy nodded and took a calm sip of tea.
Nanahoshi spun a wooden token lightly between her fingers.
"The loser has to grant the winner one request."
One beat of silence.
Aisha's eyes lit up instantly.
Sylphiette spoke.
"That sounds dangerous."
"Nothing too excessive."
Nanahoshi shrugged.
"Things like running an errand, serving afternoon tea, or banning someone from flirting with their husband. That sort of thing."
"Mm?"
Aisha went alert immediately.
"Miss Nanahoshi?"
"What?"
"I'm not playing, so you can't demand anything of me, right?"
"Then I'll just make your husband not get flirted with by you. Same thing~"
The corner of Aisha's mouth twitched.
Sylphiette couldn't help but laugh.
Eris, meanwhile, looked thrilled.
"Interesting!"
Cliff hesitated.
"Is this really okay?"
Ariel smiled gracefully.
"Playing a small game every now and then isn't so bad, is it?"
Orsted nodded.
"Acceptable."
...Even Orsted agreed.
Very quickly, the rule was made official.
Chips each round. The loser fulfills one reasonable request from the winner.
Nanahoshi smiled as she started shuffling again.
CLATTER,
"Then~ Round two, begin!"
The mood in the hall shifted the moment round two started.
Adding requests to the game had changed something.
Everyone's eyes sharpened as they looked at their tiles.
Especially Nanahoshi.
She was already squinting, watching everyone's faces.
I smirked a little.
"You suddenly look like a casino card shark."
"Mahjong is partly psychological warfare."
"That's not what you said 2 minutes ago."
"It is now."
She slapped a tile down.
Cliff was visibly tense. After discarding a nine-man, he looked at me.
"Wait... is it safe to discard that right now?"
"Why are you asking me?"
"Because I can't read what's happening between you all!"
I kept sorting my tiles as I answered.
"Simply put — right now, no one is just playing a game anymore."
"Then what are they doing?"
"Scheming."
"..."
Ariel, beside us, looked more engaged by the minute. She had started cataloguing everyone's habits.
"When Miss Nanahoshi draws a good tile, she taps the table without realizing it."
One beat of silence.
Nanahoshi's hands froze.
She slowly turned her head.
"...Your observation skills might be a bit too sharp."
Ariel smiled gracefully.
"Thank you for the compliment."
"I'm never playing mahjong with royalty again."
"We'll hide it very well."
Aisha beside me had fully gotten into it.
"Big brother, big brother!"
"Hm?"
"I think you should discard this one!"
"No coaching from the sidelines."
"Ehe~"
Roxy lightly pressed a hand to her forehead.
"Aisha, that counts as cheating."
"Ah? Even if I only looked at Big Brother's tiles?"
"Hmm... maybe not?"
Sylphiette laughed.
Eris still hadn't fully sorted out the rules, but she was buzzing with energy regardless.
"Come on, Rudeus, win already!"
"Why are you more worked up than I am... I can't win right now."
"Then should you discard this tile?"
Eris pointed at the nine of circles.
I nodded and discarded it.
The next second,
Orsted calmly laid his tiles flat.
"Win."
Silence again.
Nanahoshi looked down.
Then slowly closed her eyes.
"...You again."
Orsted said nothing. He collected his chips in silence.
The stack of wooden tokens in front of him was nearly a mountain.
Cliff frowned.
"Wait... at this rate, aren't we all going to be buried in requests? And the only one winning is Orsted."
Nanahoshi smiled serenely.
"Relax. Orsted probably can't come up with anything excessive."
"Why does that somehow make it worse?"
Orsted was quiet for 2 seconds.
Then spoke.
"That's accurate. I won't."
"See?"
Nanahoshi shrugged.
The next moment, Orsted looked at Cliff.
"Cliff. This afternoon, accompany Zanoba in discussing dolls for 3 hours."
Cliff's brow furrowed.
"Wait... isn't that a bit much?"
Laughter filled the hall.
Even Julie, standing in the doorway, let out a quiet laugh.
They had come back at some point without anyone noticing.
The children, tired out from playing, were all huddled by the door holding hot drinks, watching the mahjong game.
Windsor held her warm milk and watched the table with serious eyes.
Lara was already circling the table, sneaking peeks at everyone's tiles.
Lucy was diligently trying to work out the rules.
And Christina,
She had fallen asleep.
Curled up in Eris's arms, out cold.
Edward sat very upright with the look of someone working hard to study.
Though most of the time, he was sneaking glances at Windsor.
...Kid...
And just then,
"Tsumo."
Nanahoshi suddenly laid her tiles down.
She'd finally won one.
"Ohh —!"
Aisha cheered immediately.
"Miss Nanahoshi finally won!"
"You make it sound like I'd been losing the whole time."
"You had been, though."
"Shut up."
She glared at Aisha.
Then began slowly spinning a chip between her fingers. A mischievous smile spread across her face.
"Rudeus."
"Hm?"
"For the entire rest of this afternoon."
Nanahoshi said it unhurriedly.
"You are not allowed to let your wife Aisha flirt with you."
One beat of silence.
"Ehhhh —?"
Aisha let out a cry and flopped into my arms.
"That's too much!"
"Not too much at all, is it?"
Nanahoshi propped her cheek on her hand.
"You've been glued to Rudeus since this morning."
"He's my husband — who else am I supposed to cling to!"
"Aisha~"
"...What? Did Miss Nanahoshi change her mind?"
Nanahoshi shook her head.
Her voice took on a low, deliberate tone.
"The only thing you did wrong was act this brazenly right in front of me. Hmph, hahahahaha!"
"How is that fair..."
Aisha looked up at me with big, wounded eyes.
I smiled and gently pushed her upright.
"Sorry, Aisha. Rules are rules."
"Big brother...!"
"Don't worry. I'll win it back. Once I do, I'll redeem you. Wait for me."
"I'll be waiting for Big Brother!"
After that little scene, Nanahoshi's mood had clearly improved. She even started humming some odd little tune under her breath.
I smiled over at her.
"How did I never notice before that you can be a little petty?"
"You found out? Better late than never."
She didn't even try to deny it.
The rounds that followed were brutal.
Orsted won almost continuously.
Nanahoshi managed to steal one every now and then.
Cliff had lost so many times he was starting to question whether he was actually intelligent.
I hadn't won a single round either, for that matter.
Cliff stared at his tiles and muttered.
"Why is this game so hard..."
"Because you're overthinking it."
I answered with a smile.
"In mahjong, momentum matters too."
"Momentum?"
"Like this."
I slapped a tile down with flair.
"Riichi!"
Cliff immediately tensed up.
Nanahoshi looked at me like I'd said something embarrassing.
"Why are you suddenly acting like a pro?"
The next second.
Orsted spoke calmly.
"Win."
"..."
Nanahoshi burst out laughing.
"Hahahaha! Serves you right!"
"There has to be something wrong with Orsted..."
"No, I think you're just bad."
A few more rounds passed.
Nanahoshi won again.
SMACK!
She laid her tiles down quietly.
A satisfied look finally settled on her face.
"That's a little better."
"Miss Nanahoshi's second win today!"
Aisha started applauding. The penalty hadn't touched her mood at all.
Cliff was slumped completely over the table.
"Why is this game so exhausting..."
"Because you consider every possible outcome every single time."
Roxy laughed softly.
"Mr. Cliff is too serious."
Cliff looked like a candle at the end of its wick.
Nanahoshi collected her chips at a leisurely pace.
Then looked up at Roxy and Aisha.
"Roxy, Aisha — do you both have a handle on the rules?"
My 2 wives nodded.
Nanahoshi nodded back.
"Then take over for me and Rudeus. Rudeus."
"Hm?"
"Come outside with me for a bit."
One beat of silence in the hall.
Aisha narrowed her eyes instantly.
"Ohh,?"
Sylphiette and Roxy both looked over with curiosity.
Ariel rested her chin lightly on her hand, looking like someone settling in for a show.
Nanahoshi remained perfectly calm.
"Don't give me that look. It's just the winner's request."
"A walk?" I asked.
"Yes."
She nodded like it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"Problem?"
"...No, not really."
I stood up and pulled on my coat.
Nanahoshi leisurely wound her scarf around herself.
Aisha, draped over the table, called after me in a low, drawn-out voice.
"Big brother..."
"Hm?"
"Come back soon..."
"Why that tone?"
"Ehh~ Big brother didn't win even once. I'm so disappointed."
"Sorry..."
Right. A bit like a useless husband.
,
We stepped outside.
Cold air hit immediately.
Snow was still falling, lighter than the morning, but steady.
The mountains were quiet. Only the faint sound of wind moving through the trees.
The wooden veranda outside the inn was hung with warm yellow lanterns. Their light pooled softly on the snow below.
Nanahoshi walked forward with her hands tucked into her sleeves, moving at an unhurried pace.
I walked beside her.
Neither of us rushed to say anything. We just walked.
In the distance, the children's voices still drifted through the cold.
Relentless. They'd barely rested before going back out.
"Sister Windsor, wait for me!"
"Lara, you're cheating!"
"Edward, come help!"
Nanahoshi laughed quietly at the sound.
"How lively."
"There are a lot of kids."
"Your life has completely become the big family route, hasn't it."
"I never expected it to go this way."
"It suits you, though."
She said it offhandedly.
Then stopped at the edge of the veranda and looked out at the snow-covered mountains.
White as far as the eye could see. Still as a painting.
I stood beside her.
Exhaled a slow breath, white mist in the cold air.
"Cold?"
"Not really."
Nanahoshi shook her head slightly. Her black hair shifted with the motion.
"This kind of weather is actually comfortable."
"You used to hate the cold. I still remember carrying you home on my back those winters."
She smiled.
"After becoming a Dragonfolk, it doesn't bother me much anymore."
After that, we fell quiet again.
We didn't talk about anything important. Didn't discuss the Teleportation Magic Circle. Didn't talk about the future.
Just the occasional ordinary word.
How the snow had gotten heavier.
How loud the children were.
How mahjong really was something else.
How funny Aisha's face had been when she lost.
Just things like that.
But somehow.
That quiet walk.
Was the most relaxing part of the whole day.
Nanahoshi exhaled softly, a faint curl of white breath in the cold air.
Then she turned and looked at me.
"Rudeus."
"Hm?"
"When we go back, let's play a few more rounds."
"Already hooked?"
"Yes."
She nodded without hesitation.
Then the corner of her mouth lifted slightly.
"I finally found something in this world worth passing the time with."
"Just mahjong?"
"Other things too. But most importantly, watching the face you make when you lose."
"How mean."
"Hm?"
The snow kept falling, quiet and unhurried.
We walked side by side along the veranda of the mountain inn.
Two ordinary friends, taking a slow walk.
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➤ Next: Hot Spring, Night