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The underground ruins seemed to have once been used as a plaza—it was a larger space than I had expected.

Sunlight filtered in through holes pierced by trees over many long years, illuminating the moss-covered bricks. It had an oddly mystical, even enchanting atmosphere.

There were no visible signs of daily life in the plaza itself, so their actual living space was probably deeper down one of the connecting passageways.

“So, what can you two do, nya?”

Noche, who had gone in ahead of us, was now sitting cross-legged on a step-like stage, waiting with arms crossed and a sharp stare.

“N-Noche…”
“Shut it, nya. We’re not exactly living in luxury either. If you can’t do anything, we can’t afford to keep you around.”
“……”

Sufi stiffened under Noche’s openly hostile gaze. I felt her body tense and her grip on my hand tighten. I gently squeezed back, trying to calm her down.

Honestly, Noche wasn’t wrong. From her perspective, her demand wasn’t even unreasonable. It’s only natural to expect newcomers to pull their weight.

Even Sufi knew that. But when someone older starts glaring at you with that much hostility right off the bat, it’s hard not to react.

“…We can do a lot.”
“A loooot…?”

Noche snorted mockingly at Sufi’s blunt answer, clearly unconvinced. The atmosphere grew colder with each passing second. Even Filia, who had led us here, started looking flustered.

“That’s the kind of vague excuse people who can’t do anything always use, nya.”
“It’s not an excuse!”

I could feel Sufi’s mood plummet beside me, and her grip on my hand tightened painfully.

…Sufi actually can do a lot. She’s a natural-born genius—there are very few things she can’t do.

She sleeps soundly at night like a proper kid, but during the day her energy puts even adults to shame. Housework, foraging, tending the sick—she can handle all of it.

If anything, I’m the problem.

“Oh yeah? Then what about her…?”
“She’s my little sister, Alice.”
“What can your little sister do, nya?”

Having been sparring with Sufi up until now, Noche suddenly turned her sharp gaze on me.

After a moment’s thought, I decided… to be honest. Trying to bluff your way through would just make things worse later. That was one of Captain’s favorite sayings in my past life.

“Right now, nothing.”
“…Haaah?”

Her irritated voice cut through the air—but I really couldn’t help it. I wasn’t capable of anything right now.

“You’re really just completely useless, huh…”
“Alice has a weak body!”
“I just said we can’t afford to keep people who can’t do anything, nya!”
“I’ll work extra hard to make up for Alice!”

The argument was escalating, and I had no idea how to step in. Then Noche suddenly slapped her knee and stood up with a loud smack. Her long tail swished aggressively behind her.

Sufi leaned forward, arms slightly out, tail extended and lowered—ready to spring. She was completely in combat mode. I couldn’t say what Noche was thinking, but her tail didn’t look friendly either.

One more provocation and this would turn into a full-on fight. And I wasn’t strong enough to stop them.

After several tense seconds of glaring, Noche turned away from the fight and shot a sharp look at Filia, who was fidgeting nearby.

“…Tch. Fine! Filia! What’d you bring back today!?”
“A-ah, I’m sorry, Noche… I was focused on helping these girls, so I only managed to, um, gather a little…”

Filia held out what little she had collected—some sparse wild herbs.

…Come to think of it, we had totally interrupted her foraging trip. I laid my ears flat in guilt.

Noche turned her full glare on us, anger practically radiating off her.

“Because of you two, this is all we have for dinner tonight! What do you plan to do about that, nya!?”
“I’ll go forage! That’s all you want, right!?”
“Obviously, nya!”

Their stare-down intensified. I didn’t dare interrupt.

“Sufi, I should—”
“Alice, stay here and rest! I’ll go!”
“…Okay.”

I tried to offer help, but Sufi shut me down immediately and firmly. And honestly, she was right.

I’d almost blurted it out without thinking, but I’d only slow her down. If anything happened, she’d be stuck protecting me.

So yeah… it was the right call.

“Alice! Wait here for me!”
“…Okay.”

Sufi raised her tail high, wagging it with determination as she stomped off into the ruins.

Which left me… alone with Noche.

“…Must be nice, huh?”
“N-Noche, please…”

I had nothing to say. After a moment of glaring, she clicked her tongue and disappeared through one of the holes on the side of the plaza.

I guess she just didn’t want to be around me. And honestly, her leaving helped me relax. All the tension drained from my body.

“I-I’m sorry, Alice…”
“No, I’m the one who should be sorry for barging in like this…”

Filia looked so apologetic, but she hadn’t done anything wrong. We were the ones causing all the trouble.

“Um, Noche, you see… she’s just a little on edge, that’s all. She’s really a good girl…”
“It’s okay. I’ll stay here and wait for Sufi.”
“R-right… I’ll go try and calm her down…”

Maybe because I tried to be considerate, they hadn’t kicked us out yet—even after all that. I could tell Noche wasn’t bad, at least. She didn’t give off the kind of malice or sliminess that the villagers did.

I kept it short and simple. Filia looked relieved and headed after Noche.

Once I saw her off, I flopped back onto the floor with a dull thud.

I wasn’t about to complain about dirt. I was just so… tired. Mentally and physically, I was already at my limit.

■■■

I stirred as I heard Sufi’s footsteps approaching.

…The sunlight streaming through the ceiling had dimmed a little. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I think I’d been asleep longer than I realized. Someone had draped a cloth over me. It was dusty and smelled strange, so I couldn’t tell who it came from—probably Filia.

It wasn’t cold today, so I’d been lucky. But if I wasn’t careful, I could catch a cold from sleeping like that. The rubble beneath my hand felt oddly cold… Maybe I was already too late.

I looked away from that depressing thought and got to my feet just as Sufi arrived.

“I’m back!”

She stomped into the plaza and shouted, her tail flicking with intensity.

Judging from the rough tone—she’s still cranky, I see.

“You’re back… sooner than I thought—”

I didn’t know exactly how long I’d been out, but it couldn’t have been that long. Noche appeared from the back, drawn by the sound of Sufi’s voice—and was left speechless.

Sufi had crafted a simple bag from large leaves and vine-like stems. It was stuffed full with wild herbs and mushrooms. She tossed it to the ground proudly with a smug expression.

Dragging my slightly feverish body, I made my way over to her, one slow step at a time.