Sairin's Hesitant Request
Sairin’s request. “It’s just… your delicate yet caring side. Ah, perhaps even I…” Her words trailed off as she lowered her head. A flush spread across her face. Earlier, only her cheeks had been tinged pink, but now the color had crept all the way to her earlobes and neck. It was an unusual sight for a Water Dragon who suited blue so well—like a crimson sunset slowly bleeding across the horizon.
“Um, Miss? What exactly do you mean by that…?” I asked when she remained silent, but she offered no reply. Sairin simply kept her head bowed, clinging to silence. She couldn’t bring herself to finish what she had started. Judging by the way her eyelashes trembled, she might have looked composed on the outside, but inside she was probably screaming.
“…Ahem! M-my throat is so dry I can hardly speak.” After a long pause, Sairin let out a cough. She glanced around as if searching for water, blaming everything on her parched throat.
“Ah, then I’ll fetch some water—”
“No, it’s all right. I’ll do it myself.”
She tried to change the subject with another cough and, for some reason, refused my help. With a light flick of her wrist, she gestured toward an empty glass.
—Swish, swish…!
It reminded me of the way Derke summoned her wraiths. She extended a slender index finger and waved it through the air a few times.
—Gurgle, gurgle…!
“Huh? The water’s filling up on its own…?”
Water appeared inside the glass, rising from the bottom as if by magic. A single casual gesture had filled the cup without her ever touching it. She must have used her Water Dragon powers, just like she had with Yugo earlier—extracting moisture from the air itself. A very Water Dragon way of dispensing drinks.
‘That would be incredibly useful in a place without water. I never thought it could be used like this.’
—Gulp, gulp…!
“Haa…! I feel much better now.”
Sairin drained the glass in one go. Perhaps the cool water helped; her face looked noticeably calmer. The flush had faded considerably.
“Are you all right, Miss?”
“Yes. I haven’t felt my emotions this stirred since the Shaolin incident. I wonder if Raylin felt the same way when she first met you…?”
“Shaolin? You mean the one called ‘Whitey’…?”
“Yes. Raylin must have told you about him.”
Sairin shrugged, looking mildly surprised by my answer.
“I heard about the incident in the past as well. It sounded quite heartbreaking, so it stayed with me.”
Shaolin, affectionately called Whitey, had been Raylin’s beloved younger brother. But during an attack by magical beasts in their childhood, she had lost him before she could do anything. That loss left her with a deep attachment, regret, and lingering attachment that remained to this day.
“Is that so? Then why did you accept Raylin’s Dragon Heart, Servant?”
“Pardon?”
“Ufufu, I know everything, you see?”
“I-I haven’t told you that I accepted Lady Raylin’s heart yet—”
“Don’t bother trying to deny it. Raylin may look completely different on the outside, but she is still my twin sister. I can sense it too, through our shared blood.”
“……?!”
Those words sent a chill down my spine. It felt as if she had caught me red-handed from that dawn. Everything suddenly seemed laid bare.
“I’m not just guessing. At first I didn’t notice, but the more I look at you, the more I sense a familiar aura.”
Tsk. To be found out in just a single day. How pointless. There was no longer any excuse I could offer. Who would have thought that members of the same bloodline could detect each other’s auras like this?
“I’ll ask again. Why did you accept Raylin’s Dragon Heart, Servant?”
“T-that’s…”
“She sees you not as her servant, but as Shaolin. Even so, why did you form a pact with her? Are you planning to play the role of a little brother and ride on the back of a dragon?”
“Ah? Miss? I think there’s a misunderstanding. Lady Raylin no longer sees me as her younger brother.”
“Hmm? Even though she still calls you Whitey?”
“Well… It’s a bit difficult to explain in detail, but she won’t do that anymore. It would have been uncomfortable for me too if she kept seeing me as someone else.”
That was true. Last night, I had held Raylin in my arms not as Whitey, but as her man. Of course, she might still call me Whitey in public, but throughout the night we had confirmed our feelings for each other as man and woman.
“Hooo? Your eyes tell me you’re not lying… Is that really true? That clumsy girl actually…?”
“Yes. You can ask her yourself later. She’ll probably give you the same answer I just did.”
“Mmm… Raylin, when did she move so fast—”
“By the way, Lady Sairin?”
“Hm? What is it?”
“What were you trying to say to me earlier?”
“Hmm? Me?”
“Yes. You stopped mid-sentence and drank water instead.”
I seized the opening and steered the conversation back on track. If things continued like this, I would be the only one in trouble. I wanted to escape this awkward exchange—and I was genuinely curious about what she had been about to say.
—Gulp, gulp…!
“T-that’s, well…”
She took another sip and let her words trail off again.
“Didn’t you have something you wanted to tell me?”
“Ahem, no. I think I just got carried away after tasting your cooking and said something unnecessary.”
At those words, Sairin’s face flushed once more, just like before. She avoided my gaze and fanned herself with her hand. It was clearly a lie as red as her cheeks. Perhaps the effect of the Tangsuyuk’s special ability had suddenly raised her favorability so much that she had almost confessed?
‘Come to think of it, the Conditioned Rapport quest appeared earlier too.’
Yugo’s interruption had made me forget something important. It had said to check the conditions directly, but how was I supposed to bring it up in this awkward atmosphere?
—Stare…
I mulled over various thoughts while watching her. Sairin was currently avoiding my eyes. What should I do in this situation? How could I naturally bring it up? Asking her outright if she had a favor to ask would be strange.
“…W-what are you staring at so intently? Do you think I’ll tell you just because you look at me like that?!”
“Ah, that wasn’t my intention…”
“If you really want to hear what’s on my mind… Fine. You said you needed help at the Rest Lounge starting tomorrow, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Then make arrangements so that Raylin and I can be the first ones to help out there.”
“Excuse me?”
“After closing tomorrow, cook something for me. Then I’ll tell you.”
Huh? Wait a second, is this…?
Would you like to accept Conditioned Rapport?
I hadn’t expected it to appear like this. Still, there was no reason to hesitate now that we had come this far. Besides, the condition was to treat her to a meal? This was actually perfect for me.
“Ufufu, of course. As expected, I can communicate well with you, Servant.”
Conditioned Rapport Target
Sairin (Lv.500 / Water) — Blind Faith Relationship
Success Condition: Move the restless Sairin’s emotions with a taste that brings tears to her eyes.
Time Limit: By evening, 1 day later
A message appeared alongside Sairin’s smile. It was quite similar to the one with Raylin. Moving a dragon’s heart through food… As expected of twins, even their quests resembled each other. Moreover, the success condition didn’t seem particularly difficult. With my S-rank Gourmet Feeding skill, this was even more advantageous. I was confident I could satisfy Sairin again, just like I had with the Tangsuyuk today.
“Um, Miss? Is there anything in particular you’d like to eat, or any preferences I should know about?”
“Hmm? Shouldn’t you prepare something with sincerity on your own? Tomorrow is a special day, after all.”
“Pardon? A special day?”
As expected of a quest, it didn’t offer any easy hints.
“Since tomorrow is what it is, rather than something sweet, I think I’d prefer a dish filled with your heart… something hearty and substantial.”
“A hearty dish, you say?”
“Yes. Anyway, I should be going now.”
—Screech…!
With those words, Sairin rose from the table.
“Are you heading back to class?”
“No. Because of yesterday’s incident at the guard post, Professor Benetric’s classes have all been canceled. I have plenty of free time this afternoon.”
“Ah? Is that so? Then why are you leaving already…?”
“Why? If I stay here any longer, I’ll only make you uncomfortable, Servant.”
How considerate of her. But I couldn’t let her go just yet. Since we had met like this, I wanted to gather a bit more information.
“Lady Sairin? May I ask you one more thing before you go?”
“Hm? What is it? If it’s another difficult question like before, I’ll just leave.”
“It’s not that.”
“Then what?”
“It’s nothing much, but could you tell me a little about Lady Raili?”
“W-what did you say…?!”
In an instant, Sairin’s eyes widened. The question must have been completely unexpected; her pupils even peeked out slightly from between her narrow eyelids.
‘What? Just who is this person that she’s this surprised?’