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“Eh, where’s Rene, Leone?”
“Hm? Oh…? She’s not here. Did she go somewhere?”
“I-, I don’t know. I don’t see her…”
“Ah, there she is.”

Inglis pointed behind them. Rene, who had somehow slipped out from Leone’s chest, was sneaking toward the shadows of a nearby shack.

“Rene…! Where are you going?”

Just as Rafinha called out—

“Uwawawah…?! W-, what’s this…?!”

A startled voice echoed from the direction Rene headed.

“…?! Is someone there…?!”

Curious, Inglis and the others approached the source of the sound and found a young boy with a stigmata on his forehead.

“…a Highlander boy…?”

It was as Rafinha said.

He appeared to be about ten years old, making him look older than the current Inglis. He was a boy with chestnut-colored hair and an intelligent expression.

“H-, hello…”

He greeted them without any hostility, though he was a bit wary.

Rafinha, ever friendly, couldn’t resist offering a warm welcome, “Hello! I’m Rafinha! Want some?”

She extended a fish skewer towards him with a big smile.

“…Rani, there’s hardly any meat left on these bones.”
“Oh!? Darn it…! Um, then how about these…!”
“But those are just bones too…? Actually, they’re all just bones?”

And hadn’t she just requested Leone catch more fish?

“Ugh, darn it…! Just wait a moment, um… What’s your name?”
“I-, I’m Mais…”

Mais, slightly overwhelmed, responded with a tentative smile to Rafinha’s enthusiastic approach.

And then, after a while—

“It’s delicious…!”

His face brightened as he held another fish skewer that Leone had just prepared.

“Yeah, it’s so delicious, isn’t it~𝅘𝅥𝅮? Freshly caught fish is the best!”
“And fish really have such beautiful shapes, don’t they? I only knew them from pictures and books…”
“Huh? You’ve never eaten fish before?”

Rafinha was surprised by Mais’ remark.

“I have eaten them before, but here in Highland, we usually only see them after they’ve been cooked…”
“Now that you mention it, we’ve had fish a few times, but they were all fileted, weren’t they? The bones were removed too.”

Inglis thought back to their meals in Highland.

“Yeah, that’s right…! So, purely knowledge-wise, I knew fish should look like this, but I was actually a bit skeptical, thinking maybe the filets were swimming in the sea… But it turns out, the real thing is so beautiful and delicious!”

Encouraged by the casual atmosphere and the tasty food, Mais’ smile grew wider.

“Yup, that’s right! Eat a lot and grow big, Mais!”
“Here you go, Mais, have some more?”

As they conversed, Inglis and Rafinha continued to efficiently strip fish from bones, eating at a pace several times faster than Mais could manage.

“Hahaha… It’s impossible for me to keep up with these two… I had no idea people on the surface ate so much…”

Receiving another skewer from Inglis, Mais chuckled, albeit a bit forced.

“No, it’s just these two who are extraordinary!”
“Y-, yes…! Please don’t think we’re all like this…!”
“I-, I see. It’s my first time meeting people from the surface, so I thought this was normal…”
“…Good thing we cleared that up.”
“Yes, it could have led to a misunderstanding…”

While Leone and Liselotte breathed sighs of relief, Mais seemed a bit disappointed.

“I thought it was a new discovery since it wasn’t mentioned anywhere in the books or in school.”
“Buh why whay, whaiff bayr yay hiv, Mais? (But by the way, why are you here, Mais?)”

With her mouth full, Rafinha asked Mais. That was a bit impolite. She should have known better.

“U-, uhh…?
“Rani is asking, why were you here, Mais?”
“Amazing…! People on the surface can still talk even with their mouths full…!”
“No, that’s also a misunderstanding…! It’s just these two who can do that!”
“Be on your best behavior, both of you…! You’re setting a bad example for Mais!”

Lieselotte scolded them.

“Eek…! Mlem…gulp. Sorry, sorry, it’s just so delicious.”
“…I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Inglis defended herself as she too got reprimanded.

“Now, now, we always share everything together, don’t we, Glis?”

Inglis was quickly pacified by a pat on the head.

“Yeah, that’s right. Rani.”

Inglis considered herself partly responsible for Rafinha’s behavior, being as much her guardian as her companion. She would readily accept responsibility for anything related to Rafinha’s actions.