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“Oh, pretty!”

Fortunately, Older Sister Yu-ri didn’t seem to have any major doubts.

“Even if you say Europe, it’s incredibly vast. I haven’t really stayed for long either. I’ve only been to places like Paris and London, so I should have gone a bit farther while I had the chance.”

Most of the photos we showed were of villages or castles. When taking village photos, I made sure to capture just me and my older sister as much as possible.

Of course, there were also quite a few pictures taken with companions, and some were taken inside the Royal Palace or in Elf regions. Particularly, the Elves and Mages were very curious about the camera and smartphones we had brought, which is why we had many photos taken at the Magic Tower or Elf regions.

Moreover, Dana was still holding her smartphone until we arrived there. Although the service got cut off while we were in Irrelaysia, we could still receive files separately. After all, there are plenty of ways like Bluetooth.

But I couldn’t show Yu-ri any photo that blatantly revealed, “this is definitely not from this world.” It would surely be too difficult to explain.

“By the way, where is this?”

As Yu-ri asked us while looking at the pictures, I shook my head.

“To be honest, the photos are such a jumbled mess that I think we’ll need to organize them to know.”

“Ah~ I see. It’s definitely easy to get confused after traveling around so many countries for a long time.”

Older Sister Yu-ri returned the smartphone to us, saying, “Well, let me know all at once when you’ve organized them. You just got here yesterday, so it’s a bit sudden for me.”

“No, it’s okay. We started working right away anyway.”

“I’ll show you the pictures from our trip to Hawaii later. That place was nice too. I think it’d be great for your honeymoon if you guys get married.”

At that remark, both my older sister and I smiled.

Hmm, but it was indeed something worth considering seriously.

When we were in the kingdom, we did get to the sea, but there wasn’t any beach like we had in mind. Beaches, in the first place, require management. If there were sharp trash mixed in the sand, that needed to be cleaned up quickly, plus there should be safety personnel watching over to prevent people from drowning.

Moreover, it was right after the war ended. To be precise, it was about six months since it had ended, so just living comfortably there was quite difficult for various reasons.

It wasn’t just that place. Especially among the local cities in the kingdom, there were many areas with severe damage, so we couldn’t have an environment suitable for “going on a trip.” The facilities were one thing, and, above all, with everyone working hard on recovery, we couldn’t just go sightseeing nearby either.

I thought about offering to help, but we couldn’t do that because of the Princess and the King’s fears.

So, um, my thoughts took a strange turn all of a sudden, but anyway, Hawaii also sounded good.

I could probably see my sister in a swimsuit too.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Oh.”

As my sister answered with a smile, Yu-ri gasped in admiration.

“What? Have you set the wedding date?”

“No, nothing like that…”

“Oh, speaking of which, you two are wearing rings!”

Yu-ri exclaimed, grabbing my sister’s hand.

“Good for you both!”

At that bright smile from Yu-ri, we couldn’t find the words to respond.

Hmm, I’m considering taking Yu-ri with us when we go to the Elf region to register our marriage, but I’m not sure how to make her believe it.

No, more importantly, I can’t bring up my near-death experience to someone who’s pregnant. It wouldn’t be a pleasant memory. Plus, it’s overall risky to bring it up at any point.

Dana had given me something to use in such a case, but I couldn’t just whip it out without understanding what it was.

“But—ah.”

Yu-ri, who had been happily chatting, suddenly paused and reacted.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“Hmm? Ah, no.”

Yu-ri waved her hand, smiling, at my sister, who looked worried.

“Is it moving again?”

Mr. Hyunseung, who was sitting next to us, said.

“Ah.”

Only then did my sister, I, and Yu-ri start to guess the reason Yu-ri had abruptly stopped speaking.

Yu-ri was in her final months of pregnancy. They say that from around six months in, babies can start to move in the womb, kicking or rolling around.

Yu-ri was affectionately rubbing her slightly protruding belly with a smile on her face.

It was a mother’s smile.

“…”

I see.

Older Sister Yu-ri is about to become a mom.

To be honest, that realization didn’t hit me quite as strongly. In front of me, Yu-ri had always been an energetic person. Her personality wouldn’t suddenly change just because she was becoming a mom, but it’s also true that her attitude and demeanor would likely shift gradually.

Bit by bit, as the baby grows, she will slowly become a real mom.

Just like our mom.

It felt odd seeing that kind of aspect already showing a bit on Yu-ri’s face.

*

“Well then, I’ll be going. I just dropped by on my way.”

“Did you bring the car?”

“There’s a public parking lot nearby, so I parked there. Don’t worry too much.”

Yu-ri waved her hand with a smile. To my sister and me.

My sister and I waved goodbye to Yu-ri together.

Yu-ri was walking slightly leaned against Mr. Hyunseung.

The sight of those two looked like a painting.

“…sigh.”

At my sister’s small sigh, I slightly turned to look at her.

She was staring off into the distance, watching the two figures walk away.

“We’ll be able to do that someday too.”

“Hmm?”

My sister turned her wide eyes to me in surprise, as if she hadn’t expected to hear such a thing.

So I felt a bit flustered. Both of us had agreed about having a child…

“Oh, no, I’m not worrying about that.”

Whether she understood what I meant, my sister smiled and said, “More than that… no matter how magical the pregnancy is, it’ll still be ten months, right?”

My sister looked at me and said.

“But if both of us ended up pregnant simultaneously, wouldn’t that make things uncomfortable in various ways?”

“Ah, I see.”

My sister’s point was, indeed, a valid one.

No matter how strong my body might be, I couldn’t just move carelessly with a baby in me. The reason pregnant women need to take care of themselves is often because the health of their babies has a major impact on the mothers too. Miscarriages don’t just mean the baby dies; they can also affect the mother’s health significantly. Not just physically, but mentally as well.

So being extremely cautious is important, but if both of us ended up pregnant without measures…

Both of us would have a hard time managing household chores. Plus, things like morning sickness would also be a factor.

“…Yeah, it would indeed be difficult for both to get pregnant at the same time.”

As I nodded seriously, my sister wrapped her arms around my waist and said.

“I don’t mind getting pregnant. It’s always been my dream. My body may get tired, but… I’ve always wanted to have my child. Since I was young.”

My sister, clinging to me like that, looked straight into my eyes.

“Ah, uh… yeah…”

“Have you ever imagined having a child with me?”

By now, I could tell my sister was saying that to tease me.

But still, when my sister said that, I just couldn’t let it slide.

Because I indeed had those kind of thoughts.

I had imagined being with my older sister… doing various things. I thought about wanting to have a child. Some people even claim to have picked out their grandchildren’s names, but while I didn’t go as far as choosing a name for a grandchild, I had thought about names for children up to a point. In the end, I never settled on anything properly.

“…”

Still, for some reason, every time it comes to this, I worry about wanting it less.

So I wrapped my arms around my sister’s shoulders and spoke as we entered the shop.

“Yeah. I’ve thought about it.”

“Uh….”

As I answered too confidently, my sister’s face flushed bright red.

“In that sense, your wish has come true, huh? How about you?”

“…I also…”

At my question, my sister murmured softly.

There was something incredibly cute about her.

Yeah, I’m happy.

Even though I’ve parted ways with my comrades, and even though I can’t return to those days when we were all together.

When I think about it, we still have a long way to go.

And I’m walking that road not alone but with someone I’ve always imagined being with.

For a lifetime.

When one relationship ends, it’s just a matter of starting a new one with that same person again.

Later on, when we have children.

Then I’ll have to go back to Irrelaysia and roam around again.

And I’ll make sure to brag about my kids to my comrades.