Bonus Short Stories

Just a Little Lonely

This story takes place the day after one of the episodes in this book.

◇Houghtow City—Flio’s House◇

Wyne’s room was on the second story of Flio’s house. But not long ago, the family had brought in a desk and dresser and other furniture for the twins Elinàsze and Garyl, converting her room into a shared room for all the children.

Wyne was not Flio and Rys’s child by birth, but she called Flio “dada” and Rys “mama” and admired them like they were her birth parents. Flio and Rys, too, doted on her every bit as much as on their biological children. And as you might expect, Wyne treated Elinàsze and Garyl as her precious younger siblings.

That day, all three children were fast asleep together as always in the same bed. They had a triple level bunk bed in their room, but they left the top two bunks empty to cuddle up together on the bottom, Elinàsze to Wyne’s right and Garyl to her left. They were mumbling, half-asleep, happy smiles on their faces.

“Zzz... Love you, Eli-Eli... Love you, Gare-Gare,” said Wyne.

“I love you too, Big Sis Wyne...” said Garyl.

“Me too...” said Elinàsze.

◇Downstairs, in the Living Room◇

Because there were so many people living in Flio’s house, the dining table on the first floor had to be absolutely enormous to accommodate them all. And by one end of the giant table, there was a large hutch. Inside, Sybe was sleeping soundly.

Sybe wasn’t in its usual unicorn rabbit form, but its original form as a psychobear, and was staring up at the hutch’s ceiling. It let out a lonely little “hrwuf.”

Before Elinàsze and Garyl were born, Wyne would often burst into Sybe’s hutch, crying “Sy-Sy! Let’s cuddle each other to sleep again!” But now, Wyne had stopped coming.

“Harruf.” Sybe sighed again.

Suddenly, Blossom stepped inside the hutch. “Heya.”

“Gwrf?” Sybe cocked its neck, looking puzzled at its guest.

“Hey now, don’t be like that,” Blossom said. “We used to sleep together all the time before Wyne showed up!” She crawled on top of Sybe’s fluffy belly and wrapped her arms around it, closing her eyes. “I’ve been just a little lonely, what with Wyne keeping you to herself like that! So I thought maybe I should start barging in on you again.”

It was very comfortable on top of Sybe, and before long, Blossom was fast asleep. Sybe looked up at the girl on top of it. “Gwor!” it cried happily, holding her close to itself and closing its eyes. As the two slept, they filled the room with snores.

Life at the Fli-o’-Rys General Store

Shion was a young man who spent his time working at a shop in Houghtow City and attending classes at the Houghtow College of Magic. Right now, he was in the Fli-o’-Rys General Store, working as a trial employee. The shop he had worked at recently shut its doors, and he had been looking for a new job. If he performed well, he would be hired as a regular member of the store’s staff. There were five other trial employees working in the Fli-o’-Rys General Store alongside Shion.

“We’ve got room to hire four of mew.” Uliminas, the chief accountant, stood in front of the six of them, smiling. “So let’s see how mew purrform today!”

“Yes, ma’am!” Shion and the other trial employees said, bowing.

I need money to pay the college’s tuition... Shion thought. I have to get this job no matter what! But I wonder why this place pays so well. It hasn’t been around that long...

Shion did as Uliminas instructed and went to the back of the shop. He was supposed to help Greanyl with her work managing the wagon teams. “But first I need to find Miss Greanyl...” He poked his head out the back door and looked all around. Behind the shop was a wagon-staging area, where Greanyl, the head of the supply team, was running around between the wagons, holding some kind of paper in her hand.

“E-Excuse me!” Shion said. “Are you Miss Greanyl?” But Greanyl was too fast. By the time he had spoken, she was already somewhere else. Shion stood still with a bewildered expression on his face, unsure how to get her attention. She didn’t stay in one place long enough for him to speak to her. “U-Um... E-Excuse— Huh?” he said. “Wait, no... There she is! No...here!”

Shion and a few others who had been sent here looked everywhere for Greanyl, but she was simply too fast. None of them were able to pin her down.

And then, suddenly, Greanyl came to a stop in front of the group. “Who are you? Do you have business with me?” she asked.

“A-Ah!” Shion exclaimed, just a little panicked. “M-Miss Greanyl! Miss Uliminas asked us to come help you...”

“Help?” Greanyl asked, looking behind her. The wagons had already left, on their way to their destinations per Greanyl’s instructions.

Belatedly, Shion realized what had happened. “Huh? Don’t tell me we’re late...”

“It looks that way,” said one of the others. “Ha ha...”

“I guess we should apologize...”

The trial employees bowed apologetically, strained smiles on their faces.

◇ ◇ ◇

“We’re finished here,” Greanyl had said. “Go help clean the storeroom.”

Following her instructions, Shion and the others ran downstairs to the storeroom in the basement. “Hopefully this time we can actually help...” Shion said.

“Yeah...”

“No kidding.”

They dashed down the stairs as fast as they could and opened the door to the storeroom. “E-Excuse me!” Shion said. “Miss Greanyl told us to come here to help with... Huh?” His eyes went wide. The crates and barrels were flying around the storeroom, seemingly by magic. In the middle of the room there was a person—feminine, slender, and wearing a cloth wrapped around their body for clothes. Behind their head shone a halo. It was Hiya.

“Oh?” Hiya said, perfectly unperturbed. “You would be the ones who came here looking for work, if I’m not mistaken?” They smiled sweetly. “I, Hiya, servant of the Exalted One, am more than capable of handling this on my own. Perhaps you can find someone else who needs assistance?” They kept on rearranging the contents of the storeroom as they spoke, deftly wielding their magic.

“O-Okay...” was all Shion could say.

◇ ◇ ◇

Shion and the rest hurried back upstairs to the shop floor. There they saw Ghozal, carrying a veritable mountain of merchandise—at least ten wooden crates—as if they were weightless.

Shion stared agape. “It feels like they don’t even need part-time help,” he muttered. The other trial employees nodded in agreement.

The Stables

This story takes place the day after one of the episodes in this book.

◇Houghtow City—The Stables◇

In front of Flio’s house was a vast pasture where Byleri tended to the horse-type magic beasts Flio and company brought back for her. Greanyl and the rest of the Fli-o’-Rys General Store supply team would borrow horses from here when they set out on a journey.

The horse beasts who had lived here since the stables were first set up were gathered around a corner. Each one of them was a fearsome magic beast with a splendid physique, dashing and strong. When Byleri brought them food, they would crowd around her, licking at her from all sides. Sometimes she would protest, saying, “N-No! Like, stop! Don’t be naughty!” Her face would tinge red with indignation, but internally Byleri would be giggling at the attention.

But on this occasion, the horses were huddled together in a corner, bodies pressed close, when Byleri stepped inside the building, grinning broadly. “Hi hi!” she said. “Like, here’s your breakfast!”

“You lot!” Dalc Horst bellowed. He was in his horse form as he led the former elite guard of the Infernal Sleip—all horses—to rank up in front of Byleri. “Attention! It’s time for the morning ceremony! Let’s pay the boss our respects!”

Dalc Horst looked around to make sure everyone was at attention, and saw the prior residents of the stables huddled together in their corners. “You over there!” he snapped. “The boss has come to bring us our food! Fall into rank!” In a great hurry, they rushed to join the others in front of Dalc Horst. Now satisfied that everyone was in place, Dalc Horst began the morning greetings. “Boss! Good morning!”

“Good morning!” the others echoed, all horses bowing their heads—the prior residents as well.

Since Sleip had quit the Dark Army and come to live at Flio’s house, his loyal elite guard of twenty-one, led by Dalc Horst, had come to live at the stable as well. They had a great admiration for Sleip’s new romantic partner Byleri as well, and had taken to calling her “boss.”

If the prior resident horses ever dared to tease Byleri, Sleip’s guard would appear behind them, menace in their eyes, saying, “Scoundrels! What are you doing to our boss?!” The old horses were all-powerful magic beasts, but the new ones were the elite of the elite, handpicked by the former Infernal Sleip himself. They were no match for them.

The prior residents ate the food Byleri had brought them, whispering to each other as they ate.

“I hope I can leave work soon...” one said.

“I know... I don’t feel comfortable here anymore...”

Byleri was doing her best, but it would be a while before the prior residents and Dalc Horst’s new gang came to get along well with each other.