72. The Sibling Situation in the Kikunoi Territory
At this point, I’m convinced that the disastrous relationships in the Kikunoi household—parent-child, husband-wife, and even mother-in-law and daughter-in-law—must be part of our family tradition or just bad genetics.
Just thinking about our tangled family drama completely drained me, and Romanov-sensei ended the lesson early.
The rest of the day passed with a mix of hobby and productivity: doing crafts and teaching Regulus and Kanade reading, writing, and arithmetic.
The next day, the three elves went out for a bit, leaving me, Regulus, and Kanade to take inventory of materials we’d use for products to sell.
We counted the goods and updated the ledger. Regulus could count bundles of yarn—ten skeins per box—and Kanade, now able to write, labeled each box and jotted down in a notebook what it contained, where it was stored, and how it was arranged.
Kanade has improved so much that Genzo proudly said he could now teach basic literacy and math to the local kids, a skill he could barely manage when he first started studying with Regulus.
Apparently, just the other day, Kanade caught a traveling merchant trying to scam an adventurer in town—just by reading the price tags.
The situation led to a minor disturbance, prompting Roland-san to intervene. While Kanade got a mild scolding for picking a fight with an adult, Roland mostly praised him and said, “Next time, call me before you confront someone.”
Kanade had pouted a bit when recounting that part, but thanks to this, people in town seemed more open to the idea that literacy and numeracy are valuable skills.
Kanade had once asked if there was anything he could do to help. Turns out he’s already spreading awareness of how useful studying can be. He’s a reliable friend.
Start small and build from there.
Back in my previous life, there was a comedian-turned-politician who used that phrase as his campaign slogan. It applies just as well to politics as it does to any social reform.
Small changes, gradually, can become great waves. That’s the goal.
“Young Master, I’m done sorting the yarn!”
“Ree-mo too!”
“Great! Can I take a look at your notes?”
“Here! I put the stuff we use a lot at the front and the rest at the back. I drew pictures on the cabinet doors to help when you need something.”
“Wow, that’s amazing! This helps a lot!”
“Right? Josef and Grandpa said that’s how you should organize things, so I tried it out!”
Kanade scratched his nose with a proud grin. Regulus bounced up and down beside him, chirping, “Ree-mo helped too!”
They’re just too wholesome. What a peaceful, heartwarming scene.
Now that we’ve sorted the yarn, next up is the fabric. But before we get into that, Utsunomiya-san arrived with tea, so we took a short break.
Since it was just before lunch, she brought a small plate of cookies.
As we watched Regulus munch politely on a cookie, Kanade shrugged and said,
“I know he’s still small and all, but I can't eat cookies as neatly as he does—like you or Hiyo-sama.”
“You mean you tend to make a mess?”
“Yeah. It’s not just crumbs—it’s like, overall… I just don’t look graceful doing it.”
“Ree-mo can eat neatly!”
Regulus raised his little hands like autumn leaves and answered proudly. I gave his fluffy hair a pat, and he flared his nose in a little “hmph!” of pride. Adorable.
“You’re doing exceptionally well now, Regulus. You’ve been working hard on your manners.”
“Wait, now? You mean he wasn’t always neat?”
“Of course not. He’s tiny! Even holding a spoon or chopsticks is a struggle when you’re that small. His hands and mouth are still learning how to coordinate properly.”
“So it’s normal not to be good at it yet...”
Kanade bit into his cookie and went quiet for a moment, glancing between his hands and Regulus with a thoughtful look.
Regulus and I exchanged glances. Then Regulus asked,
“Kana, aren’t you gonna teach your little brother? You taught Ree-mo (*Ree-too) how to use chopsticks!”
“Well... I’m not particularly good at using chopsticks myself, so I can’t really teach Tsumugu.”
“Wait, really?”
Kanade and Genzo usually bring their own lunches to the estate. Occasionally we all eat together with bento boxes. I don’t remember Kanade being bad with chopsticks, though...
I tilted my head, and Kanade explained:
“Actually, I use a fork during lunch. And when we practice table manners, Rottenmeier-san secretly fixes my chopstick grip.”
“No way!? I never noticed!”
“Kana’s bad at chopsticks too!?”
“Yeah, but Grandpa says I’ve gotten better just by copying the Young Master!”
Whoa, I had no idea.
I’d heard that Kanade had some tension with Tsumugu before, but from what I can tell now, that seems to have faded. He even helps care for him at home now, so I guess things have improved with his parents too.
Curious, I asked about it—only for Kanade to shake his head.
“Mom and Dad still complain, but not at Tsumugu. They gripe at me instead. But I’ve decided—I’m gonna act like a grown-up about it.”
“Like… grown-up grown-up?”
“Yeah. They’re busy, right? And I’m the big brother. I can forgive Tsumugu’s pranks. I mean, someday I’m gonna be the Young Master’s right-hand man!”
He puffed up his chest and gave a proud snort.
Where did this cool little guy come from?
Despite the unreliability of my blood relatives, I find this dependable boy—just a friend—to be far more trustworthy.
I was feeling all emotional when Utsunomiya-san quietly leaned in.
“Excuse me, Young Master—Rottenmeier-san asked me to find out what time would be best to invite Kanade to the party…”
“Oh! Right. Got it.”
I took a sip of tea.
I’d heard Utsunomiya-san couldn’t brew a decent cup of tea when she first came here. Rottenmeier-san had apparently whipped her into shape.
“Hey, Kanade—do you think you’ll be able to make it to the party?”
“I can come!? I’ll spend the morning with my family, but after that, I’m free!”
“I asked Romanov-sensei too. He and the other teachers said they’d be at the castle in the morning but would be free in the evening.”
“If it’s in the evening, I can come with Grandpa. That should be fine!”
“Of course Genzo-san’s invited too.”
“Then I’m in! Let’s finish up before it gets dark!”
Kanade flashed a bright smile, showing off his white teeth.
And just like that, with the New Year drawing closer, the day continued, and we got back to work.
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