I let out a long sigh as I stared out at the passing scenery from inside the carriage. Although it was called a carriage, its wheels moved on their own. A magical formula had been cast on them, allowing the wheels to operate almost indefinitely.
The horses were little more than backup.
Perhaps one day in the near future, carriages that needed no horses at all would become commonplace.
With that thought, summer vacation had finally entered its final stage. I had spent every day of it thoroughly enjoying myself with everyone. The happiness I felt was greater than anything I could have imagined in my previous life.
It made me truly glad to be living a normal student’s life.
The scars from that war still remained with me. In fact, they would probably stay forever. Even so, I could keep moving forward while carrying them on my back—together with my irreplaceable friends.
But it wasn’t just friends anymore. I now had a family as well.
They were the people I had met three years ago, and they had become every bit as precious to me.
“All right. Time to walk.”
I stepped down from the carriage and started down the country road.
The Arnold Kingdom was one of the largest countries in the world. While it certainly had its bustling urban centers, those were mostly concentrated around the Central District and its surroundings. In other words, the eastern regions were relatively rural. My family home lay at the farthest edge of that east.
It stood at the easternmost point of the entire Kingdom.
Thick forests and mountains surrounded the area, making travel difficult. Yet the natural scenery here ranked among the finest in the Kingdom. I had always loved my family home.
A house nestled in the woods, embraced by nature, and filled with the people I held dear. Returning to it filled me with excitement I could barely contain.
“…Whew. It’s hot.”
Sweat trickled down my skin.
With a backpack slung over my shoulders, I continued along the path. The scenery had long since become nothing but nature. Sunflower fields stretched out on both sides, and I followed the narrow animal trail running between them.
A clear blue sky stretched overhead, and the sun blazed down. On either side, vibrant sunflowers reached toward the heavens in a sea of brilliant color.
The sight was breathtaking.
City life was certainly convenient and comfortable. Yet for some reason, nothing calmed me quite like being surrounded by nature like this.
As I walked along in silence, it finally came into view.
In the distance stood a large two-story mansion, primarily white in color.
──How nostalgic.
The thought brought a smile to my face as I resumed walking, but at that moment, part of the sunflower field beside the path rustled loudly.
“No way…?”
A figure emerged from within.
It was someone I knew very well.
“Dooon!!”
With that energetic cry, the person who leaped forward and threw her arms around me was my little sister, Stella.
“Onii-chan! Welcome home!”
“Yeah, I’m back, Stella.”
“Ehehe~. It’s Onii-chan’s smell~.”
Stella rubbed her head against my chest. I gently stroked her hair in return. It was a familiar gesture I had performed countless times, yet it felt incredibly nostalgic.
Stella White had her beautiful chestnut-brown hair tied up in a ponytail. Her face was lit up with a bright, joyful smile that showed just how happy she was.
She was my younger sister by one year.
Although we were only related by adoption, I now treated her exactly like a real sister.
Three years ago, I had been taken into the White family—Master’s older sister’s household—and began living there as an adopted son.
Back then, the wounds I carried from the Far East Campaign had been painful both physically and mentally, but this family had supported me through it all.
Of course Master and the others had come to visit, but the ones who cared for me the most were this family.
Among them, Stella had always called me “Onii-chan” and adored me from the very beginning.
I hadn’t known how to interact with her at first, but now we were the closest of siblings.
“Hey, hey, Onii-chan.”
“What is it?”
“Is school fun?”
“Yeah. I’ve made a lot of friends.”
“Wow! Onii-chan really is amazing!”
“Fufu. It’s not that big a deal.”
“Kukuku, I’ll be charging in next year too! Kukuku… You’d better wash your neck and wait for me, Onii-chan!”
“Fufu, yeah. I’ll be waiting for you at the Academy, Stella.”
“Mm! I really, really love Onii-chan the most~!”
We continued chatting as we walked side by side.
Stella was planning to enroll at Arnold Magic Academy next year as well. Naturally, she would need to pass the entrance exam, but my sister was bright and her magic skills were quite impressive.
I wasn’t just saying that out of familial bias.
Well… I could admit there was perhaps a tiny bit of bias, but even so, I was confident Stella would do just fine.
When we reached the house, Stella threw the door open and rushed inside with noisy footsteps.
“Mommy! Daddy! Onii-chan’s back～!!”
“Is that true!?”
“Honey, let’s hurry!”
“Yeah!”
I set my backpack down in the entryway and took a breath. Soon, Father and Mother appeared. Of course, neither of them was related to me by blood. We had only known each other for about three years.
Even so, they had welcomed me as a true member of their family.
I felt nothing but sincere gratitude.
“Ray! Welcome home!”
Mother was the first to embrace me, overcome with emotion. As Master’s older sister, she had the same golden hair and blue eyes. Father had brown hair and was slightly shorter than I was.
Once Mother let go, I exchanged a warm hug with Father as well.
“Ray, have you been well?”
“Father… Yes, a lot happened, but I’ve been doing fine.”
“I see… That’s good to hear.”
After reuniting with my family for the first time in nearly six months, I headed up to my room on the second floor.
It wasn’t a large room, but I had always loved it. Inside were only the bare essentials: a desk, a chair, a bed, and a bookshelf.
The room looked exactly as it had when I left. It felt deeply nostalgic. In reality, not that much time had passed, yet for some reason the feeling was strong.
As I set my backpack down, Stella’s voice called from the doorway.
“Onii-chan! You’re all sweaty, right? Let’s take a bath together!”
“Yeah. It’s been a while, so let’s do that.”
“Mm!”
Taking baths together with Stella wasn’t unusual. Father and Mother always smiled and said how close we were.
The one exception was the time Master had caught us. Her reaction was still fresh in my memory.
“Ha!? You’re taking a bath with Stella!?”
“Yes. We’re siblings.”
“B-But you’re only adopted! That’s cutting it too close!”
“…? Is that a pun?”
“That’s not what I meant, you dummy! Well… if you’re not conscious of it, then I suppose it’s fine…”
“?”
She had said a lot of confusing things that day.
I still didn’t really understand what Master had been trying to say. Taking a bath with your sister seemed perfectly normal to me. We were family, after all. That kind of open, honest interaction was important.
“Onii-chan, I’ll go in first~”
“Yeah.”
Stella quickly stripped off her clothes and disappeared into the bathroom. I followed shortly after, removing my own clothes and stepping in behind her. The bathroom was quite large—more than enough space for the two of us.
“Onii-chan! I’ll wash your back!”
“Ooh. That’d be a big help.”
I let Stella wash my back first.
She lathered a towel with soap and scrubbed vigorously.
This had been part of our daily routine before I left home. Being able to do it again after so long filled me with genuine happiness.
“Okay! Now it’s Onii-chan’s turn!”
“Leave it to me. I’ll polish your back with complete sincerity.”
“Yay!”
After we finished washing each other, we both slipped into the bathtub. Stella sat on my lap as we soaked in the nearly scalding water and let out a shared sigh of contentment.
““Fuu~””
Our voices overlapped perfectly.
The journey had been long. This small, peaceful moment felt incredibly healing. Stella turned her face slightly toward me and spoke in her usual cheerful tone.
“Onii-chan.”
“Hm? What is it?”
“Do you think I’ve gotten bigger?”
“Yeah, I do. You look completely different from half a year ago.”
“Really!?”
“I think you’ve become a proper young lady. You’ve really grown, Stella.”
“Yay! So I really am a lady now!”
We spent the time exchanging light, carefree conversation like this.
Having returned to my family home, I simply enjoyed these modest, precious moments.