It's All a Misunderstanding
"Ughhh... my head..."
The moment I opened my eyes, a vicious hangover made my skull feel like it was splitting open.
Was that excuse I threw out yesterday about being drunk from Edelrin's praise actually true after all?
I'm never drinking again... no, at least not with this body. Never. Clutching my throbbing temples, I tried to sit up in bed, but something warm and heavy pressed against my solar plexus under the covers, pinning me down.
...Huh?
Was the blanket just feeling extra heavy because of the hangover? I cautiously lifted it up to peek.
And there, I froze like a statue.
"Wha—?"
Luna was draped over me, hugging me tight, her face the picture of blissful sleep.
One second, two seconds, three... Silence stretched on until my brain finally caught up, and then—
"GYAAAAH!!"
My scream tore through the room. Luna rubbed her eyes, stretched like a cat, and wriggled sleepily.
Then, with the serene expression of someone waking up in her own bed, she looked up at me and yawned.
"Yaaawn... Lia, sleep well? You've got some pipes on you this morning~."
"L-L-Luna?! Why are you in my bed?! Why are you lying here—hugging me?!"
I recoiled in horror, but Luna tightened her arms around me with a sly little smile.
"Eh~? You don't remember? I'm kinda hurt now~."
Still straddling me, Luna blushed faintly and trailed off shyly.
"...Eek?!"
Fragments of last night's memories swirled like a storm.
Wine, compliments, my face heating up... and then?
No further memories surfaced. Ominous possibilities flashed through my mind, cold sweat pouring like rain, my heart pounding like it might burst.
Watching my face drain of color until it was ghostly pale, Luna suddenly burst into giggles.
"Haha, kidding~ Lia, your reactions are hilarious~."
"...What?"
"The sun's high in the sky, and you weren't coming out of your room, so I came to check. You wouldn't wake up no matter what I tried, so I waited... and thought I'd mess with you a bit. You looked out cold enough that you wouldn't notice if someone carried you off~."
The hangover dizziness was bad enough, but the mix of embarrassment and relief from being tricked made my head spin even more.
"Hoo... A prank? A prank?!"
I yelled, shoving at Luna to get her off.
"What kind of prank is this?! I nearly had a heart attack!"
"Sorry, sorry~. Didn't think you'd fall for it so easily. Lia, you've got a surprisingly innocent side, huh?"
Luna apologized while chuckling, gripping me tighter and showing no sign of getting off as she teased me playfully.
"Get off already! You're heavy!"
Right then, as I flushed red and struggled to push her off the bed—
—Bang!
"Master?! I heard a scream—what happened—huh?!"
Edelrin burst in, panting. Her eyes locked onto the bed.
Me, lying there beet-red, and Luna on top, hugging me like she was pouncing (?).
Edelrin's pupils shook violently, like an earthquake.
"S-S-Sorryyy!!!"
"No, Edelrin! It's a misunderstanding—!"
Before I could finish, Edelrin bolted out, slamming the door hard enough to shatter it.
—Slam!
As frantic footsteps faded down the hall, Luna propped her chin casually and muttered.
"Hmm... looks like we got misunderstood?"
"Luna!!"
I screamed again, loud enough to shake the mansion.
⋯
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After a long, desperate round of explanations...
In the middle of the living room, Luna knelt against the wall, hands raised high.
The empire's strongest archmage doing corner time was a bizarre sight, but even then, Luna pouted and grumbled.
"Making a grand mage suffer like this... too harsh, Lia~."
"Harsh? I'm the embarrassed one here! Didn't you see Edelrin's face?!"
I shouted, still burning with mortification.
Edelrin, fidgeting red-faced beside me, hesitantly chimed in.
"S-So... it was all my misunderstanding? Nothing happened between you two...?"
"Yeah... Luna's just too much of a prankster..."
I sighed deeply in exasperation.
Only then did Edelrin pat her chest in relief, looking more relieved than I was as she caught her breath.
Her expression was so earnest it sparked a question. I eyed her curiously.
"But Edelrin, I fell for it, fine—but why'd you jump to conclusions like that? Logically, two girls wouldn't be in bed like that first thing in the morning."
Edelrin's face turned tomato-red again at my question.
"W-Well... I'd been with Luna all morning, but she said she had to step out for a bit and went to your room. Then I heard your scream and rushed over... and saw you two in that position..."
"It could've just been a prank. I mean, Luna pulling something like that out of nowhere doesn't seem that unlikely..."
I shot a glare at Luna, still in timeout, and continued.
But Edelrin hung her head, mumbling in a tiny voice.
"Among elves... it happens sometimes... y'know, that kind of thing..."
"...Come again?"
"Sorry! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have assumed...!"
Seeing me gape in shock, Edelrin bowed even deeper, apologizing frantically like she wanted to die.
Swallowing my rising bewilderment, I turned back to Luna.
"...Luna, you knew this would happen, didn't you? You timed the prank so Edelrin would walk in."
At my sharp tone, Luna started to scratch her head but caught herself and raised her hands again.
"Didn't expect both of you to buy it so quick~."
Luna couldn't hold back her giggles.
Oh, my neck.
The hangover was long gone, but now my head throbbed for a different reason. I rubbed my forehead.
"No more pranks from now on, okay? Forgive me~? Lia~?"
Luna gazed up with big, pitiful kitten eyes, pleading in a cutesy voice.
I took a deep breath and reluctantly nodded.
"This is your last warning. Penalty time's over—put your hands down."
"Hehe... you're not mad anymore, right~?"
Luna hopped up, brushed off her clothes, and peeked at my face.
I straightened my outfit with a stern expression.
"Who said I was mad? No time to waste—let's go meet Garvan already. We need that synthesizer case."
Shaking off the awkwardness, I strode ahead. Edelrin trotted after me, asking curiously.
"Master, who's this Garvan guy?"
"The empire's top craftsman. Guy's got insane handiwork skills."
As I answered, fantasy novel tropes flashed through my mind.
Wait—aren't elves and dwarves sworn enemies?
Tree-loving elves vs. earth-digging, metal-banging dwarves—the ultimate rivals...
But worrying now wouldn't change anything, so I shook it off and hurried on.
Soon, we reached the workshop, hammer blows echoing from within. I knocked lightly on the familiar heavy iron door.
"Garvan? You in?"
The thick door creaked open moments later, and Garvan poked his head out.
"Who is it? Messin' with business in broad daylight... oh, brat! What now? That guitar thing didn't break already, did it?"
Garvan guffawed, welcoming me—then Edelrin, behind me, gawked wide-eyed.
"Whoa! The craftsman's a dwarf?"
Garvan spotted her pointed ears and twitched his brow.
"Huh? An elf in the capital? Now that's a rare sight. Yours, brat?"
The air wasn't tense like I'd feared—just casual curiosity, like spotting a neighbor. I ventured carefully.
"Um... Garvan, aren't dwarves and elves on bad terms? Like, they fight on sight or something...?"
Garvan snorted at my question.
"Brat, you read too many fairy tales. Sure, some folks don't get along personality-wise, but as races? What's there to hate? We need different stuff, that's all."
Edelrin nodded beside me like it was obvious.
"Garvan's right. Elves and dwarves never really warred much—our homes are worlds apart, we rarely cross paths, and trade benefits us both hugely."
"...Ah, gotcha."
I heard the crash of my fixed ideas crumbling in my head.
I smiled wryly to myself.
My isekai common sense...