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—How did it come to this?

“Daah, aah—”

In my arms, a tiny baby was smiling happily.
…Ah, how cute. No, no. That’s not it. The problem was that, for some reason, I was surrounded by a large group of local mothers, waiting their turn to have me hold the babies they were each carrying in their arms. Babies are light, but being continuously passed one after another was starting to tire my arms out.

“Thank you so much! Thanks to you, this child is sure to grow up healthy!”
“Uh, um… You’re welcome…?”

My forced smile felt really stiff. Is this what it’s like for idols or popular, respectable politicians visiting rural areas?

“Blessed be, blessed be…”

In addition to the long line, housewives who’d finished preparing lunch and were left with nothing to do, as well as elderly people, had gathered around. Among them, quite a few were even clasping their hands together in prayer.

“Ah, ahaha…”
“Da—”

The baby’s hand tapped my shoulder gently, as if to comfort me.

……Seriously, how did it come to this?

.

――Three days had passed since that night of fierce battle.

We took a whole day off after that… mostly because Rage-san, who was the most exhausted, couldn’t even get out of bed.
At that time, I was made to wear all sorts of things and take care of him. I mean, I’m always more than happy to take care of him as a thank-you for everything, and it was fun to be in the opposite role for a change, but having to, uh, cosplay? That was a little embarrassing, so I really wish they’d let me pass on it.
……Well, let’s just bury that memory deep in the back of my mind. After resting, the very next day, we went to that hideout and I healed the Wound that, as we suspected, had opened there. When we reported to the mayor that I’d found the bodies—if you could even call them that—of the townspeople who’d gone missing, which had been severely mutilated and damaged, he said he’d send people within a few days to collect their belongings and hold funerals. By the way, it was decided that the building would be burned down—not because it was unusable, but because no one felt like using it anymore.

And so, by confirming with my own eyes that the matter involving that nightmarish place that had held me captive had finally been completely resolved, I felt that the incident had truly become a thing of the past for me. The risk of flashbacks has diminished significantly, and now, as long as I am surrounded by people of the same gender—women—I can manage to show my face like this without any trouble.

Also, since our gear took a severe beating in that battle, we’d left all the damaged items with the mayor, and we couldn’t set out on a journey or train until they were returned. We were wondering what to do as we waited for the repairs—and that’s why we offered to help with the reconstruction efforts in the town’s damaged areas this morning.

By the way, Rage-san and Sol-niisama were still helping with the reconstruction efforts. Since both of them possessed physical abilities that set them apart from everyone else, they seemed to be relied upon heavily. As for Milly-san, ever since that dreadful cosplay day—after she took my body measurements—she hadn’t left the room she was assigned. I’m worried; I wonder if she’s even eating properly.

As for me, of course I headed to the site full of enthusiasm… Sorry, I lied. I went there trembling with fear, and everyone around me politely turned down my offer to help. Well, I couldn’t even lift a small piece of rubble… No, wait—I did manage to lift it just a little, even though I had to muster all my strength and my arms were shaking like crazy. I just couldn’t stand up again. The lukewarm stares from everyone around me really stung.
Thinking it would be presumptuous to ask for help—and that I’d feel terrible if I hurt anyone’s hands—I retreated to a corner before I knew it… or rather, I was moved out of the way so I wouldn’t be a nuisance. Then I was grabbed by a housewife who happened to be passing by. And before I knew it, I was led here, in front of the church, by a group of local mothers. That said, maybe because it was a small town, the church didn’t look much different from a regular house; it had the feel of a community center or something like that.

By the way, as a side note, here in the Northern Continent, the worship of Airein, the goddess of wisdom and purification, is very widespread. It’s said that my current race, the Lightwing, are apostles sent by her in the distant age of the gods. Incidentally, the Eastern Archipelago Federation centers on spirit worship—what would be called animism in my original world—and it’s said that further south, the worship of Ahres, the god of war, becomes more prevalent.

……In other words, if my race were to be discovered here on the Northern Continent, there’s a high chance I’d actually end up being worshipped as a deity myself……?

Yeah, I’d really like to avoid that at all costs……

Anyway, at that church, a group of local mothers with kids were having a chat. And thanks to the mothers’ earnest pleas—they wanted to take advantage of this rare opportunity to receive divine blessings—this prayer gathering was currently being held here.

The reason was probably that incident the other day. According to the mayor, the light I emitted back then apparently healed the wounds of everyone who witnessed it from afar, and since the rumor that I was a healer had already spread, they figured, by process of elimination, that it must have been my doing, which was how this all came about.
The mayor had imposed a gag order, saying that we, as the benefactors of the town, didn’t seem to want this information spread around, but he laughed at the sight of this mess just a moment ago and left, saying, “Well, I guess you can cut me some slack on this one.”

……Honestly, being worshipped like this is just too much to bear—I’d really appreciate it if they’d cut me some slack instead. I was originally just an ordinary citizen, so this situation is really getting to me. I want to run away right now. But as long as I’m holding someone else’s child in my arms, I can’t exactly do that. Ugh……

“Still, I’d heard about it, but you really are a beautiful young lady. Girl—would you like to marry my younger brother?”
“Stop it. A girl this beautiful doesn’t belong with a country bumpkin like him!”

“That’s for sure,” came the laughter from the crowd around us. When complete strangers tell me I’m so pretty or cute like this, well, it makes me blush. My face, already flushed, started to feel even hotter.

“Besides, look at the two guys she’s with—they’re both elites, cream of the crop. I bet the guys in this town don’t even register on your radar, right?”
“Oh, I think so too! A cool, handsome boy and a wild, handsome young man. Both are strong and cool—that’s so awesome, right? Hey, hey, which one are you dating!?”
“Hwehh!?”

Oh no—I’d been spacing out, and when the conversation suddenly turned to me, I let out a little gasp I didn’t mean to.

“Even if you ask me which one…”
“““Mm, mm…!”””

The pressure from everyone around me surged all at once. Their intense curiosity was making me back off a little.

…First off, Sol-niisama is… out of the question, right? We’re siblings. Oh, but I wonder what our blood relationship is, now that we’re in our respective bodies. I’d like to look into that if I get the chance.

So, as for Rage-san…
Let me imagine it. I fall in love with Rage-san, confess my feelings, and he says yes. We go on dates here and there, make love, and get married. Before I know it, a new life takes root inside me, and as I stroke my growing belly, I say “Welcome home” to Rage-san when he comes back from work…

…………Hmm?

“…………I just can’t quite picture that.”

After thinking it over for a long time, I replied with a wry smile, and everyone around me let out a collective, massive sigh. Why am I being met with such disbelief? Ugh, I’m kind of disappointed.

“That poor guy…”
“Well, seeing that she’s not old enough to understand, there might still be a chance…”

People are whispering about something around me. Seriously, what’s going on?

“By the way, if you were going to date one of them, which one would you choose?”
“Oh, I’d pick Sol-sama—I’d love to be smiled at by that handsome face and spoken to gently!”
“I get it. Right now, he only shows that smile to this girl, after all. But his usual cool expression is hard to resist, too.”
“I think I’d go for Rage-sama. Even though he’s usually brusque, I bet he’d be really sweet once we became a couple.”

The conversation has turned to romance. With the conversation flowing at breakneck speed, I found myself left behind, all alone, in the blink of an eye.

“…Your mom and her friends sure are lively, huh?”

Completely ignored and with nothing to do, I went back to just staring blankly at the surroundings, which had suddenly become engulfed in commotion. By the way, I wonder if Sol-niisama is slightly more popular?

“Dah!”

The baby I was holding was patting my modestly rounded chest. Hey now, even if you tap there, I’m not going to produce any milk, you know.

“She’ll probably get bored and go home, so when she does, eat properly, okay?”

He was starting to fuss a little—I wonder if he’s hungry. His mom seemed engrossed in her conversation, so I picked him up and soothed him with a “There, there.” Come to think of it, I read somewhere that even if nothing comes out, just having the baby nibble on it would calm them down.

……No, I’m not going to do that, okay?

.

“““Hot springs?””

It was still early in the afternoon, with the sun high in the sky and the day bright, when Mayor Rudolf—who had just returned with Rage-san and Nii-sama—suddenly asked, “Do you like hot springs?” Without thinking, we all voiced our surprise in unison.

“There’s a hot spring nearby. The facilities are decent for the countryside, and while townspeople usually go there occasionally for therapeutic baths, I suppose everyone’s too busy for that right now. I’ll make sure you have the place all to yourselves until evening—what do you say?”

Apparently, the proposal came as a way to thank us for our hard work over the past few days. It was a very generous offer, to say the least.

“Well then, Rage-san and Sol-niisama, why don’t you two go? Today’s work was physical labor, after all, so you must be exhausted. Don’t worry about me—go ahead.”

With a perfect princess smile, I turned on my heel gracefully and headed back to the inn. I’ll just slip away gracefully like this.

“Okay, just wait a second, Iris.”

A hand slipped under my arm, and in an instant, I found myself snugly cradled in Nii-sama’s embrace. A chorus of squeals rose from the women around us… Huh?

“Excuse me, Nii-sama. Even though we’re siblings, isn’t this a bit unbecoming of a gentleman in public?”

I voiced my complaint, my face twitching with discomfort.

“But isn’t it a bit odd for a young girl to be so afraid of taking a bath that she runs away?”
“……Ugh.”

My throat tightened at the words whispered so softly that those around us couldn’t hear.

“……I use magic to sterilize and purify away waste products, so I’m not dirty, you know.”
“That’s a different matter. It’s about time you actually learned how to take a proper bath… don’t you think?”
“Eek!?”

Ah, crud—this is the “super-angry” mode Nii-sama always has during a girls’ lesson, something I haven’t seen in a while. Even if I try to escape, there’s no way I can match his physical strength; he effortlessly picked me up in a princess carry… or so it seemed—but in reality, he rendered my resistance moot by holding me extremely close. He’s even using a restraining spell on the sly while others aren’t looking—this brother of mine is a total monster!!
“Besides, you said you’d do anything back then, didn’t you?”
“Oh, Onii-sama, didn’t I mention before that I absolutely hate that whole sequence of events?”
“Hmm, what are you talking about?”

Ugh, there’s no way to get around this. Just how badly do you want me to take a bath, Sol-niisama? At this point, I might as well look for help from Rage-san…

“Ah… well, in that case, I’ll take you up on your offer…”

I couldn’t ask him. Glancing sideways at Rage-san’s slightly exasperated expression, I screamed inwardly as I was dragged away like a calf in *Dona, Dona*.