Sieg-san finished her instructions—or rather, her lecture—to the Rainbow Dragon. I had my doubts about how much a newborn could truly understand, but given that she had obeyed the command to produce a Rainbow Diamond during Alice’s inspection and had nodded at all the right times during Sieg-san’s talk, she was likely quite bright.
Still, a baby was a baby. Once the talk was over and Sieg-san had returned to her chair, the little dragon must have grown tired; she climbed onto Sieg-san’s lap, curled into a ball, and fell fast asleep.
Watching that adorable display warmed my heart, and it was only then that I noticed Lilia-san and Luna-san had vanished. They must have slipped away to give Sieg-san and me some privacy.
"Sieg-san, are you feeling alright? I’m sorry things turned into such a commotion."
"No, please don't apologize. It’s thanks to you, Kaito-san, that I was able to meet this little one. I can never thank you enough."
Sieg-san spoke with her usual gentle expression before adding a wry smile. "Though I was certainly shocked by the platinum coins."
I couldn't help but smile back. I handed her the fruit I’d brought as a souvenir, then took a seat beside her on the sofa at her invitation.
It was quiet. Thanks to Lilia-san’s thoughtfulness, there were no servants in the lounge. It was just the two of us. Perhaps that was why sitting beside her felt a bit bashful, yet strangely peaceful—the kind of feeling that puts you right at ease.
"Come to think of it, have you decided on a name for her yet?"
"No... actually, I have a favor to ask of you, Kaito-san."
"A favor?"
"Yes. Kaito-san... would you please name this child?"
"Huh? Me?"
That was entirely unexpected. Since this was the pet Sieg-san had been longing for, I assumed she’d want to name her herself. I never imagined she would nominate me.
How was my naming sense, anyway? Bell was named by Alice, and Rin by Mary-san. I had never actually named a pet myself. To be perfectly honest, I didn't have a shred of confidence in my naming abilities.
Could I somehow turn her down gracefully?
"I only met this child because of you, Kaito-san. I know it might be... a nuisance, but I think of her as being like 'our child.' That’s why I want you to give her a name."
"..."
"Is that... no good?"
"No! Just... wait a moment. Let me think."
There was no way I could refuse. Not when she was asking me while blushing, looking down with an expression that was lethally adorable. My beautiful girlfriend was asking me out of pure affection; if I didn't step up now, I wouldn't be much of a man.
Think. Squeeze the ideas out. All the knowledge stored in my head—stand by me just this once.
"Wait, before that... is the little one a boy or a girl?"
"She's a female... a girl."
"Right, understood. Leave it to me."
A name, a name... a girl's name. This was hard. I needed something that wouldn't let Sieg-san down. Spark an idea, brain!
She was a Rainbow Dragon. Rainbow... Rain? No, that was too simple.
To me, even if her wings were rainbow-colored, her overall appearance reminded me more of an aurora. She had a black body like the night sky and a mane like an emerald. Let's work with that.
Aurora... Aurora... I felt like I’d seen something about this on TV. What was it? The origin of the word? There had been a special about what different countries called auroras. Remember... dig deep!
"How about... Selas? We could call her Sera for short."
"Selas... that’s a very lovely name. Does it have a special meaning?"
"Well, in a language from my world, it means 'dawn.'"
"Dawn?"
"Yes. Do auroras exist in this world?"
"Auroras? Yes. I’ve never seen one myself, but I believe they appear in the Land of Death."
It seemed the phenomenon existed here as well. It was likely named by a past Hero-role. Regardless, that made it easier to explain.
"In my world, an aurora is a natural phenomenon where deep green light appears in the night sky, much like this child’s body and mane. The word aurora itself comes from a Goddess of Dawn, so I tried to give her a name inspired by that."
"I see."
"W-What do you think?"
I felt like the name I’d pulled from my shallow pool of trivia was actually pretty good. It sounded feminine, and the nickname was easy to say.
"It’s a wonderful, truly beautiful name. Kaito-san, thank you."
"Don't mention it."
What a relief. She liked it.
I let out a sigh of satisfaction, and right as I did, Sieg-san leaned her head gently against my shoulder.
"Sieg-san?"
"Kaito-san... may I stay like this for a little while?"
"Of course."
"Thank you. Spending time with you like this makes me happier than anything else. I'm so glad I met you."
"Me too. I feel the same way."
I could feel a gentle warmth spreading through me from where our bodies touched. It was a strange sensation, as if our hearts were truly in sync. It felt as though we were sharing the exact same happiness, and it was impossibly comfortable.
"Kaito-san... I’m going to cherish Selas and raise her well."
"I'll help you. After all... she's the child of the two of us."
"Yes."
I wrapped my arm around her shoulder and savored the blissful moment.
Dear Mother, Father—The Rainbow Dragon’s name has been decided: Selas. Spending time with my beloved is warm and brings peace to my heart. They say that happiness and joy are doubled when shared, and being with Sieg-san proves it. I truly felt as if my happiness was growing.