Baby Yui's First Love Inquisition
Jane Prozenheart.
The first wife of the Snow Tiger Emperor and mother of Noah Frozenheart.
Was it because she held the belief that boredom and tedium were true torture? It wasn't a joke—Jane's keen senses had truly evolved toward sniffing out anything interesting.
"Mm-hmm~?"
Releasing Noah from her embrace, Jane turned toward Eungae Nose, whose face couldn't hide its flush of red.
Until now, even stories like this had never gotten a reaction from her, so Jane couldn't ignore this tantalizing situation.
"Yui."
"Y-Yes...?"
"Be my drinking buddy while I have some liquor, would you?"
"..."
Eungae Nose couldn't easily open her mouth.
She had data from experience.
Whenever Jane Prozenheart wore that playful expression, she always ended up in a tricky spot.
She couldn't rein her in like Noah could, or push her away telling her to stop. She was squarely in the position of having to endure it.
"As expected, you don't like noisy types like Auntie, huh, Yui?"
Jane blinked like a rain-soaked kitten and clasped Ichinose Yui's hand, pleading.
Of course, Ichinose knew. She knew all too well that Jane's act was just that—an act.
But with all the genuine debts and favors from the past, refusing wasn't an option for a girl named Ichinose Yui.
She truly respected Jane, too.
"N-No, that's not it... I'll pour you a drink...!"
As soon as Ichinose accepted, Jane straightened her expression and flashed a grin.
That smile was exactly like Noah's. Ichinose nearly let out a sigh.
"Great! Let's chat with my girls and have a drink for old times' sake!"
Jane laughed heartily, grabbing both girls' hands and seating them at the modest drinking table.
Just as the Ichinose Yui Inquisition was about to begin...
Momo took the hand of Ichinose Jun, who stood beside her, drawing his gaze.
"Dear."
"Hm?"
"I want some of that fruit. Could you get some? Yui and Noah should be here by now, and they'll probably be hungry."
Momo had a hunch.
The conversation from here on would unsettle her husband if he heard it.
Even knowing about his daughter's first love, hearing the vivid details would surely leave Ichinose Jun feeling melancholic.
And hadn't some time passed?
What if there had been shocking developments in the meantime that would shock a loving father?
It seemed best for Momo to hear it first and relay it, so she asked Ichinose Jun to run the errand.
"Sorry it's so late."
"Not at all."
"You know you can't drive after drinking, right? Take it slow and walk."
"Mm."
At this hour, buying food meant heading to the bustling district.
The driver had already dropped their daughter off from Academy City to the Samhwa Nation and gone home.
Momo knew Ichinose Jun wasn't the type to call back a driver who'd clocked out for something like this.
As Ichinose Jun grabbed his sword and left, Momo took her seat at the table too.
With Yui and Noah flanking her, Jane asked in a voice brimming with affection.
"So, my girls, how's the academy?"
"It's fun!"
"...I'm learning a lot under good instructors."
Answers that revealed their personalities.
It was a shame for Ichinose, but Jane's warm-up ended there.
She went straight for the instinctive question.
"Found any boys you like?"
"I just made some guy friends."
"..."
Noah gave her simple reply and picked up Jane's chopsticks to eat some sashimi from the side dish.
Eungae Nose chewed her lip and bowed her head.
Momo smiled silently behind her sleeve, pleased by her daughter's change.
Jane's tail wagged furiously with excitement.
"Ahaha!!! Look at that?"
"..."
Until just before academy, her vibe had been that nothing mattered but the sword—no life partner or anything. What had happened in a few months?
This was already fun. Delicious reactions.
Jane was convinced coming to the Samhwa Nation was the right call.
"What kind of guy stole our Yui's heart? Hm?"
Eungae Nose swallowed hard under Jane's predatory gaze.
'Wh-What do I do...'
No point denying it now that Noah had noticed.
Jane's senses were sharper than Noah's, and her unique persistence was impossible to handle.
Dodging with vague answers would just mean she'd dig until everything was uncovered.
Ichinose glanced up slightly at Momo across from her.
From sending her father out to that gentle gaze saying she knew everything.
Realizing and feeling it all now, Eungae Nose let out a long breath.
'Mom knew too... So Dad probably...'
Others might find it ridiculous, but she'd thought she hadn't let it show. How had it come to this? Utter confusion.
Still, no time to collect herself. She had to answer Jane.
With stiff lips, she spoke the short truth.
"A-A boy in my class..."
"Oho, so Noah knows who too."
"Yep!"
"What's Noah's impression of this cadet?"
"Great personality, and he's good at fighting!"
For an Orion Academy cadet, that was the highest praise.
And Noah rarely acknowledged peers her age, so Jane's smile deepened.
Her excitement amplified the alcohol buzz, twisting her speech oddly.
"Our girl might still be rough around the edges, but she can hold her own. Think he could beat her?"
"Dunno! Probably tough?"
"Ahaha!!! A guy like that exists?"
Jane's interest in Rohan deepened.
Ichinose, listening to the mother-daughter exchange while catching her breath, couldn't shake her anxiety.
"Yui. What's this cadet's name?"
"Rohan..."
"Hmm? Never heard of him. If he can clash with my girls, his name would've reached my ears."
Jane's eyebrows twitched as she pressed on.
"Where's Rohan from?"
Here, Ichinose hesitated for a moment.
But Jane never crossed lines out of mere curiosity or playfulness. Ichinose trusted that.
And it was info she'd uncover in a snap if she wanted.
"From the South... Solarea..."
"I see."
Jane's playfulness faded briefly upon hearing the answer.
She nodded as if understanding.
"So, are you dating?"
"N-No...!"
"Any progress then?"
"We're going to the beach together during break..."
"Youth!"
Slamming the table with her palm, Jane pulled out her wallet.
She handed over bills excitedly—checks, no cash. Amounts that would horrify Rohan, but no one here batted an eye at such sums.
Momo, watching quietly, mediated.
"Oh, I was going to prepare it, so no need to worry."
"Really? I wanted to do something for our Yui... Ah! Right!"
Jane snapped her fingers with a ding! as if struck by inspiration.
She yanked Ichinose close, rubbing their cheeks together.
"Yui. Your cheeks are so warm. That embarrassed?"
"Y-Yes..."
"Hahaha!!! Forgive Auntie if she's too mischievous. You won't regret spilling the truth to Jane Prozenheart today."
As Jane said something cryptic...
Ichinose listened carefully.
"Auntie here sees everything. A guy from southern Solarea—that's a polygamous country like Tigrova, right?"
"Y-Yes, it is..."
"For our Yui, rooted in the Samhwa Nation, that's a pretty big deal."
Eungae Nose nodded faintly.
She had friends who'd resolved it already, but yes, it was important.
"Look at me, Jane Prozenheart. I claimed first place in Tigrova's fiercest polygamy competition. A guy with polygamous values? Already in my hands!"
"!!!"
Ichinose's closed eyes snapped open.
Jane might be the perfect person to give her the right answer now.
"Here, pour me a drink."
"Yes...!"
Eungae Nose lifted the bottle and filled the empty glass—glug glug.
Jane downed it immediately, letting out a satisfied kah! The liquor infused with the girl's love and anticipation was exquisite.
"Our girl, stop eating and listen up. This'll help you in the future."
"Eh?! Me too?"
Pulling Noah—who'd nearly finished the sashimi—into her arms, Jane launched into her tales with glee.
"My husband was so capable, tons of women were after him. Yet I became first. Know the secret?"
"Looks... maybe...?"
"Boobs?"
"My girls are right—I'm stunningly beautiful with a killer figure—but looks were just basic for all the rivals."
Finishing, Jane gazed at the ceiling, reminiscing.
Her voice floated dreamily as she continued.
"First, I was honest and pure. My girls haven't been with a man yet, right? That's what most guys want."
Noah yawned, disinterested.
Ichinose affirmed her purity with a deeply reddening face.
"I told my husband: Once marriage is set, I'll grant you the right to tread a pristine, untouched snowy fortress no man's footprint has marked."
"Th-That's too much for me..."
The method was too bold.
Impossible for Ichinose's personality.
"Hear me out. That shyness of yours is even more charming now. Plenty qualified to drive a man mad."
"..."
"Second, I tossed all pride and did cosplay—"
After that, Jane shared experiences, picking ones Yui could handle.
Only Noah nodded along with "I see~." Every one was impossible for Eungae Nose.
Imagining them with Rohan just made her head spin with heat.
When examples ended.
To Jane's question about swimsuits, Ichinose said rash guard—and got her butt smacked for "that'll do?"
"Alright. Now, where'd you fall for him?"
Jane smiled like it was just starting.
The chit-chat ended when Ichinose Jun returned, wrapped up by Momo.
That night, Eungae Nose's dawn stretched endlessly long.