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Morning sunlight is a mysterious thing. Even though the air is cold, I feel a sense of reassurance as warmth rains down from above.
The fact that even a vampire’s body can feel this and still walk around is because I made sure to acquire the proper resistance when I was reincarnated. I really have to thank Loli Grampa.
I breathe in the chilly air, letting it blend with my body heat as I walk through the grounds of Sakura Bath Garden.
Normally, this would be a time when I’d rather be sleeping, but today is the day we leave. If I’m going to sleep, I’ll do it in the carriage. I just hope it doesn’t shake too much.

…I’ve been able to take it easy until today, haven’t I?

After resolving the hot spring issue, we spent a few days relaxing at Sakura Bath Garden.
Though when I say “relaxing,” Kuzuha-chan and the others kept dragging me around, so it wasn’t like I was sleeping all day every day.

As for the hot spring running dry, it seems Satsuki-san reported it as “Elsie’s whim.”
The fact that explanation was accepted suggests that this vampire named Elsie must be causing quite a bit of trouble everywhere she goes.

The matter involving Apehead-san and his kin was kept under wraps. The reasoning was that they were victims too, and since the hot spring wouldn’t have reached the foot of the mountain even if they hadn’t stopped the flow, there was no need to bring it up.
Apehead-san and the others are grateful to us for resolving the issues with the pack’s injuries and the hot spring.

On top of that, even from the store’s perspective, we’re their saviors. After all, we brought back a valuable tourist attraction. Calling their treatment for us was good would be an understatement—we were actually being hosted for free.
I even thought it might be okay to just laze around here for a while longer, but of course, that wasn’t really an option.

The reason the store treats us with such respect is purely out of gratitude, and that gratitude stems from nothing more than “resolving the issue a few days early.”
Given the importance of the hot spring, it’s obvious what was originally scheduled to be resolved. Satsuki-san also said it would have been resolved in three days even if we’d left it alone.
In other words, what we did was just a little meddling. Once we’ve repaid the debt for those three days we sped up the resolution, our obligation will be fulfilled. This isn’t a place where we can keep taking advantage of their kindness forever. I really wish I had a place like that of my own.

“Good morning, Behaki.”

Inside the grounds of Sakura Bath Garden, I made my way to the covered area set up for tying up horses.
I greeted Behaki, who was clearly being treated better than the other horses and fed superior feed.
Since I come to talk to him every day, Behaki didn’t look surprised. He straightened up from his curled-up position and said,

“Arje, you’re early today.”
“Yeah. I usually sleep in longer.”
“……What’s with that outfit?”
“It’s a new outfit.”

What I’m wearing right now is a vibrant red furisode. It’s a handmade piece that Kuzuha-chan made for me during my stay. Although the color is red, the purple obi ties the whole look together, so it doesn’t look too flashy.
Since many people in the Republic wear traditional Japanese clothing, I decided to wear this because it looks more natural than a maid uniform.
It might sound boastful coming from me, but I’m so beautiful that I could be called a peerless beauty, so even this attracts quite a bit of attention—though it’s probably better than a maid uniform.

I stroked the black fur right in front of me. The rough texture, the firmness of the muscles, and the body heat. Feeling all of that, I offered him my appreciation.

“Thank you for your hard work, Behaki. Thank you.”
“Mm… What’s with the sudden formality?”
“No, it’s just that you brought me this far. Just as we promised, all the way past the border of the kingdom.”
“Oh, is that all? Don’t worry about it. That’s exactly what we promised, after all.”
“Yes. Thank you very much. Take care.”
“……I don’t quite follow.”

Behaki looked confused. Since he’s a horse, the way he expresses his emotions is quite different from a human’s, but since we can understand each other’s words, I can somehow sense his feelings even without the blood contract.

Maybe I didn’t explain myself clearly enough. Thinking that, I decided to clarify what I meant.

“Originally, the agreement was that you’d take me as far as the kingdom’s border, so Behaki, you’re free now.”

Technically, we could have parted ways as soon as we crossed the border, but he’d brought me all the way here. As a token of my gratitude, I’d asked him to make sure Behaki was given good-quality feed.
If I untied the rope holding him, he’d be a free man.

If he’s untethered, he’s no different from a wild horse. He’d be able to cross the border easily without arousing anyone’s suspicion. They probably wouldn’t even care if an animal crossed the border.

“I’ll walk you to the edge of town.”

Since there’s a chance people might think he’s a runaway horse, I should make sure to take him all the way out of town. With that in mind, I urged him on, and Behaki came over to me and—

“Chomp.”
“Eek!?”

He bit me. He took a quick bite out of my hair.
To be precise, it felt more like being pinched by his lips than actually bitten. Since Behaki had never done anything like that before, I was so startled that I jumped back.
Left behind as I let out a scream, Behaki shook his head and snorted.
Even though he’s a horse, I can’t help but make that girly-sounding noise, and it’s embarrassing when people hear it. Feeling a bit awkward, I sent him a word of protest.

“What are you suddenly doing, Behaki?”
“No, you’re the one to blame, no?”
“Me…?”

I’m confused because I don’t understand what he means. He says I’m the one to blame, but what exactly did I do wrong?
When I look closely at Behaki’s face again, he seems a little angry. Apparently, he’s not joking.

“Um… did you want a better carrot?”
“No!”

This time, I was scolded—and not just a little, but clearly. To an ordinary human, it probably just sounded like a “hee-hee-hee,” but to my ears, it came across as a clear denial.
His angry whinny cut through the morning air, waking the other horses who were still asleep.
They shot him annoyed glances, but Behaki didn’t care. Ignoring his surroundings, he fixed his gaze firmly on me alone.
Just a few seconds. After staring at me for that brief moment, Behaki let out a loud snort.

“Arje… You really don’t get it, do you?”

Words that sounded like a mix of exasperation and resignation.
Behaki stamped his hooves on the ground and walked toward me—slowly, as if to bring his lustrous, round eyes closer to mine.
Closing the distance I’d backed away, he spoke to me once more.

“Arje… am I a bother to you?”
“Not at all. You’ve been a big help.”
“Then keep taking me with you from now on.”
“Wait, but the promise was…”
“Yes, I know what you’re trying to say. So here’s a new promise. Keep me with you until you figure out why I got angry just now. Got it?”

A new promise. In that case, it’s a separate matter from the one we made in the past.
I have no reason to refuse. As I just said, it really is a help to have Behaki with me. I’ve already felt the gratitude of having him carry me more than enough on my way here.

I don’t understand Behaki’s intentions. He knows that, and yet he’s telling me to take him with me until I figure out what I don’t understand right now.

…Doesn’t that mean forever?

It’s not that I’m giving up on thinking, but if I can’t find the answer, he’ll end up following me forever.
It’s a condition where I stand to gain nothing but benefits, while Behaki stands to gain nothing but disadvantages. Is that really okay?

“Well then, Arje. Where are we going next?”
“Ah… um, we’ll take the carriage that Satsuki-san and the others prepared and head toward the capital.”
“I see. Well then, I suppose I’ll join in pulling the carriage too.”

That’s a surprisingly straightforward thing to say. When we first met, he used to say things like, “I won’t let anyone slower than me ride with me.” I wonder if he’s had a change of heart.

“Well then, um… Behaki. I look forward to working with you from now on.”
“Indeed. Leave it to me. I’ll take you wherever you need to go.”

Behaki said that with a somewhat cheerful tone. He was supposed to have been angry just a moment ago—what a strange person… no, horse. Does being with me really bring him that much joy? I don’t know.
Sakura petals dancing in the breeze passed us by and rose up into the sky. The morning air was gradually warming up, and in less than an hour, it would probably feel warm.

Perhaps because I was looking at that familiar sakura color, I found myself reminiscing just a little about the past. I smoothed my tousled silver hair with my fingers and caught a single petal.
When I brought it close to my face, I recognized the familiar scent. It was enough nostalgia to make me forget such a trivial question as why there were sakura in another world.

Apparently, the capital of the Republic is called Sakuranomiya.
I wonder if sakura petals dance there even more than they do in this town.
The petal I let go of floated around my finger for a moment, as if playing, before it too drifted away. I simply watched it go, then started walking.
I hope there’s someone at my destination who will take care of me.