Carla and Shita

"Then, Shaina. While we're off on the magic-ash sweep, please coach everyone."

"Yeah, only within what I can notice, but…

"I'll do my best."

So Shaina assured me.

Well, Shaina had a really good combat sense. Getting pointers from a perspective different from mine would be good stimulus for everyone too.

We had her try once as a test.

"… Yeah, what you just did, why not try putting in a bit more feint?"

"A feint… is it?"

Shaina was coaching Luna.

"Right, right. Doing an action that seems unrelated, you can throw off the opponent's timing.

"Like, when you move, the opponent's watching to react, right? So they end up reacting precisely."

"Yes."

"But before the action you actually need, deliberately one wasted motion. A pose."

"…! A, a pose!?"

"Right, right, your opponent gets caught off guard."

"… W-will it really work that well…"

"Hau… actually, that's how I made a mistake…"

Colette backed up Shaina's view.

"So, Shaina-san, the relatively wasted motions you make have that kind of calculation behind them."

Maika cut in surprisingly cleanly.

"Don't call them wasted!"

Ahaha…!

"Actually, I think there's a point to it. Putting in wasted motion willy-nilly isn't right, but…

"Just now, Luna's attack got guarded, right?

"Making the precise judgment that continuing to slash won't work, and incorporating a feinting move, is fine, I think."

Haru interpreted Shaina's opinion and explained.

"… It's hard, but… I'll try it."

"Mm! Thanks, Haru-cchi!"

"Ahaha… mm."

… Hmm, it looked like they were having fun. With this, even while I was absent, things should be all right.

I left things to Shaina for a bit and turned to my own thinking.

The magic-ash sweep, huh…

Maybe nothing would happen. Or even if a Great Magical Beast came out, I might not need to go — Ursula might be able to handle it solo.

… But with stories like the Titans in history class…

I'd never even seen a Great Magical Beast, so I couldn't really judge.

I might be overworrying, but I planned to stand by with Ursula right up until the tournament started.

… Well, ideally a Great Magical Beast would come out early and we'd subjugate it quickly.

That way Ursula could be in the tournament too.

A dungeon would be fine too. Dungeons don't need to be dealt with urgently, and they don't run away.

We could pull back once, and after the tournament ended, go in for proper clearing.

The next best was nothing happening. In that case Ursula had to stay glued there, but if safe, nothing better.

After the tournament ended, we'd work hard on the sweep, or wait up to one year max for a Great Magical Beast or dungeon to appear, judging as we went.

Worst case: a Great Magical Beast appearing after I'd returned to the tournament…

If Ursula and the others got hurt, that'd truly be the worst.

Before that happened, even if Melvis-san got mad, I wanted them to flee…

Well, no use thinking now where the chips would fall. A bridge to cross when reached.

… Well, my luck was strangely good, so maybe out of nowhere a Great Magical Beast would surprise us by appearing, or a dungeon would form — that was the expectation I was holding out for.

… Though whether a Great Magical Beast suddenly appearing was "good luck," I wasn't sure.

"… What're you thinking about?"

When I'd been thinking, Shita and Carla had come over to talk.

… The two of them, with Shaina taken up by my companions, must have been at loose ends.

Come to think of it, I didn't have many chances to talk with just these two without Shaina in the mix.

I was about to be away for a while, so I figured I'd have a proper talk for once.

… That said, I felt I'd talked with Carla a fair amount. She'd been warily checking whether I was some weird man approaching Shaina, so she'd come to talk.

As a result we'd gotten close enough to talk… but with Shita, I felt I actually hadn't talked that much.

"Come to think of it, I haven't talked with Shita much yet.

"To properly do so, may I?"

"Was that so? Fufu, sure. Ask whatever you like."

Shita said gently, kindly, with a lovable smile.

Her lovable silver hair was straight and smooth, not all that long, with a bit of a bob-like feel.

She gave off somewhat of an Egyptian-ish image, but also somewhat of a Japanese-doll vibe.

This girl too was an exotic-feeling beautiful girl. Her skin wasn't pure white either, more of a slightly wheaten tone.

A healthy feel.

… At first glance, she was a beautiful girl with an energetic, lovable feel.

But when you actually talked, she was calm and quiet. That gap was a bit startling.

"Questions for Shita, huh… well, how to put it — Shita herself is very calm and kind, a good girl, that I know…

"But in reality, she's playing two great futanari beautiful girls — Shaina and Carla — like a fiddle and running a reverse harem.

"From the outside, that gap is a bit interesting…

"Shita, what do you think of Shaina and Carla?"

"… Y-you ask the hard-to-ask things straight, don't you…"

Shita had a hard time speaking.

"… Huh, was it something I shouldn't ask?"

"No, nothing like that.

"… Fufu, of course, I love Shaina and Carla. I love them."

She answered briskly. I could see she was answering from the heart.

"In our school days… Shaina and Carla would fight in front of me over various things, over which was better…

"Mainly Shaina making a fuss, Carla resignedly going along, with me laughing as I watched them…"

I could picture the three of them.

"… I loved the time we three spent like that.

"… Carla, and of course Shaina, I'm sure feel the same… no, by now, I know."

"… Mm, that's right."

Carla nodded, looking a little embarrassed.

"So, because all three of us feel the same… it didn't take long for us to come to love each other, I think.

"… Actually it took years, but during that time we were having fun all along.

"… Even now after graduating, every day is so much fun…

"As long as I could be together with Shaina and Carla, I was satisfied with that."

Shita said with a slightly distant gaze.

"… But, Shaina is… also a guy after all.

"Wanting to get stronger, to be the strongest in the world.

"That feeling, she has as strongly as anyone…

"And making that wish come true with just me wasn't enough somehow…

"I was feeling frustrated.

"… But Naoto-san…

"Easily brought all the things Shaina thought she needed, gave them all without holding back…"

So she said, gazing straight at me with her large eyes.

"… From the bottom of my heart, I'm grateful.

"But a little, I'm jealous.

"That I… was the one who really wanted to make Shaina happy that way."

She conveyed that state of heart to me.

"… E-uh… I-I see. I'm at a loss, what should I say…"

Saying "sorry for taking liberties…" wasn't right, was it.

To apologize… didn't feel right. Saying "sorry I did what you couldn't" was sarcasm beyond belief.

But if I'd made Shita feel uncomfortable in the slightest, I was sorry.

"… Really, what a nice person you are.

"… I'm really glad you became Shaina's best friend.

"I'm really happy… that gratitude alone is enough that I'd happily be held by you, from the heart."

"A-ah, thank you… I'm glad."

… With Shita and Carla, there'd been a feel of having held them because Shaina said so, and I'd been bothered by that…

If Shita was satisfied, that was good.

"Then, um, so… toward me, is it more like… I'm Shaina's important best friend, so you'll cherish me as such, kind of?"

Not that I had any complaint about it…

For my part, could I really say I loved Shita from the bottom of my heart, separately from Shaina?

Of course she was a very attractive, beautiful girl, and I did want to have sex.

I did think I loved her.

But before that had deepened into true love, the fact remained Shaina had asked me to.

… In that respect, I'd been very rude, I felt.

To embrace such a cute and attractive girl, even if at Shaina's urging, just because someone said to…

"… I'm sorry, Shita."

"W-what's wrong?"

Shita, who'd been thinking about me with some emotion or other, was surprised by my sudden apology.

"Ah, no, um… earlier, um… when I held you.

"No, I did genuinely think you were attractive, did from the bottom of my heart want to have sex…

"And so I held you, no mistake about it.

"… But still… I didn't know you deeply, as much as Shaina or my companions.

"Without thinking about what Shita was thinking, what feelings she was being held by me with…

"Just because Shaina said so, just because I wanted to, I held you…

"It was thoughtless of me. Sorry."

"Naoto-san… you were thinking that? You're a strange person."

… I got dismissed bluntly.

"I've been courted by both Shaina and Carla, you know. I have plenty of confidence that I'm an attractive Garumon.

"… And confidence that if I, being such a one, courted Naoto-san, you'd be pleased.

"How is it? Is this confidence of mine mistaken?"

"N-no, not mistaken at all. Shita is super attractive. I'm thrilled."

"… Then it's no problem, is it.

"… I wanted to make Naoto-san happy. Maybe at first because you make Shaina smile. But because I love Naoto-san… I wanted to make you happy.

"… Naoto-san, holding me felt good, didn't it."

"That goes without saying!"

"… I too felt good being held by Naoto-san. I was very happy."

"… Then, good."

"Good for me too.

"… I love Shaina and I love her. I love Carla and I love her.

"And Naoto-san too… without question, I love. And that love…

"It's growing larger and larger. Is that okay?"

"… It's okay.

"I too… talking with you now, I've come to really like Shita.

"My love too… is growing larger and larger."

"… Fufufu, then we're the same."

"That's true."

Shita and I smiled at each other.

"… Ah, sorry, Carla. For leaving you out."

"No, no problem. Shita usually doesn't talk much and is reserved, so she often gets misunderstood.

"Seeing her talk properly makes me happy.

"… For Shita to talk this enjoyably is rare. As expected of Naoto."

So Carla said.

"… Carla, you were wary of me, that I might do some harm to Shaina, weren't you."

"… You noticed? Despite that, you were carefree, grinning along…"

Carla looked surprised the other way.

"No, if I was being watched, then I could only let you see things as they were, so I just stayed natural without any front… And as a result of that, I was wondering what you thought."

"… What do you mean? Isn't it obvious by now? Would I let someone I can't trust hold not just me, but my dearly loved Shaina and Shita?"

Carla had that "good grief" look.

"You're right. If you can think you can trust me, I'm really glad."

I said that and smiled.

"Carla, you do have a bit of a guy-like side. So, what you think of me, being a guy, has been on my mind…"

While we were at it, I asked.

"… The guy-likeness isn't anything special, that's just my personality.

"I'm also both man and woman, futanari.

"… I like being held by Shaina, and like holding too.

"I have both feelings."

"Mm."

"… So um, my woman part is… genuinely, from the heart, happy to be held by Naoto.

"… Is this okay? It's embarrassing, don't make me say it anymore."

So she said, and even Carla's black skin showed her blushing clearly.

Aah, geez, both of them, so cute!

I pulled Shita and Carla into a tight hug.

"… Shaina of course, but Shita, Carla.

"… Going forward, let's get along a lot, with me, and with my companions.

"From now on always together, sometimes fighting together, sometimes laughing together… spending lots of time together would be nice."

I said that, from the heart.

"… Yes, I too… hope it can be that way."

"… Aah, I too… think so."

Both Shita and Carla agreed.

… Alright, just like this, let's have more sex—

"Aah, Shita and Carla, hogging Naoto and being lovey-dovey, no fair! Me too!"

Watching Shita and Carla getting close with me while she'd been left out, Shaina came running over.

… Surprisingly, she got lonely easily.

"Of course I wouldn't leave Shaina out.

"But when Shaina is around, I just talk with Shaina the whole time, so…

"Thanks to that I got to talk with Carla and Shita about all kinds of things."

"Uh, what were you talking about?"

Shaina pursed her lips. So cute.

"No, again, that we want to get along a lot, that's all."

"Mm, that's right."

"Fufu, exactly as Naoto-san says."

Carla and Shita agreed.

"If that's so… I feel the same way! Let's get along a lot!"

Shaina too smiled and…

The four of us got lovey-dovey again.

Time to leave for the magic-ash sweep soon. When we got back, time to get lovey-dovey again.

… Even saying that, the tournament would start right away, so it'd be on hold until then, huh.

The match with Eclair and Julian was something I'd wished for, but…

I'd come to want some quiet time to spend with Shaina and the others, with whom I'd finally gotten close.