Yuri thought to herself:
How... how on earth did I end up with these two lunatics?
Just a single year ago, she was walking the streets of Valorii completely alone, looking for any opportunity, a job, or even just a decent meal... right up until she violently collided with the back of a tall individual wearing a very peculiar coat.
Yuri had clutched her nose, her voice dripping with irritation. "Are you blind?!"
Rin had offered a completely forced, mechanical smile. "Ah, my bad. Didn't see you there. Quite small, aren't you?"
Rio, peeking out from right behind Rin's shoulder, gasped, "Oh! A girl! Are you a thief? You're a thief, aren't you?! Your eyes are totally screaming it!"
Yuri snapped back in pure fury, "What?! Which eyes?! Are you talking to your own hair?!"
After a lengthy, loud argument in the dead center of the market that drew a massive crowd, the Royal Police moved in to break them up. The three ended up fleeing together to escape a chaotic "misunderstanding."
Hours later, they were sitting in a small, quiet park, munching on meat pies.
"Why were you two even arguing with the fishmonger anyway?" Yuri asked between bites.
Rio replied with absolute, unearned confidence, "The guy was selling fish that looked incredibly fishy."
Rin blinked. "Fishy? It's fish. That is literally its default description."
Rio countered, "Oi, Rin, we are human beings. We aren't animals that just eat anything, even if it's completely rotten."
Rin tilted his head in genuine confusion. "Huh? What does that matter? Does the quality of food actually count for something? The only thing that matters is that it's sustenance."
Rio sighed, completely losing hope. "Yeah, sure. Quality doesn't matter. Whatever you say."
Yuri had burst into a genuine laugh—her first one in months.
That very night, they asked her to accompany them on their journey.
"Why should I even join you guys?" Yuri asked skeptically.
Rio and Rin exchanged a sly, knowing grin before shouting together with childish enthusiasm:
"Because we are the absolute best!!"
And just like that, on that fateful night, a brand new member entered the family.
In the Present Day...
Yuri sat comfortably on a plush sofa, sipping her tea like a proper noble lady, the arrogance still lingering securely in her heart. Rin was fast asleep right beside her, while Rio's dramatic voice echoed frantically from the kitchen.
"Yuri! How do you even brew tea like this?! There are herbs in here that look like dried lawn clippings and literal mold!! Is this a tea recipe or a ritual to summon restless spirits?!"
Yuri replied with absolute serenity, "Those are medicinal herbs to aid focus and tranquility. Something you desperately lack."
"I need something that helps me escape this bizarre aftertaste!" Rio fired back.
Rin tossed and turned in his sleep, mumbling groggily, "No... don't take the meat pies... they were the last thing I had left..."
Yuri smiled subtly. "Is he always like this?"
"It's actually pretty weird," Rio noted, leaning out of the kitchen. "Usually he dreams about dying in some horrific training simulation."
Yuri scoffed sarcastically, "Oho, I see. Now I completely understand why he hates training so much."
A Little Later... At the Local Market
The trio strolled through the bustling market square. Rin was busy browsing through bizarre, cryptic books, Yuri was dragging a cart overflowing with assorted spices, and Rio was treating every single food sample stall as a personal buffet.
"This is delicious!" Rio mumbled, chewing on a pastry sample.
Yuri snapped, "That is a free sample, Rio! Do not eat five of them!"
"You're not my mom!" Rio protested, his mouth completely stuffed.
"I can certainly start acting like her if you don't stop behaving like a toddler," Yuri threatened.
Rin chimed in from behind them, holding up two volumes. "Am I allowed to purchase How to Lose Friends over a Cat: A Practical Guide to Social Failure, and The Art of Procrastinating Everything, Including Your Dreams?"
Rio and Yuri turned in unison, shouting, "Huh?? Rin, is there a literal glitch in your brain?!"
That Evening, on the Inn's Rooftop
The three sat closely together, looking up at the night sky as the stars twinkled peacefully above them.
"Why did you two actually ask me to join you back then?" Yuri asked softly.
Rin smiled gently. "You're strong... and smart... but most importantly, you actually laughed at Rio's terrible joke."
Rio looked at her with heavily forced solemnity. "That feat alone proved you possess a remarkably resilient heart worthy of our utmost respect."
Yuri chuckled softly, shaking her head. "You guys are completely insane."
"But we're a family," Rin murmured.
Yuri fell silent for a long moment, before replying quietly, "That is the best thing I've heard in a really long time."
A Few Minutes Later, When Everyone Was Settled...
Rio suddenly bolted upright in the dark, whispering cautiously:
"...Yuri, are you awake?"
Yuri replied with a deeply groggy, irritated groan, "What do you want?"
"You totally hid a meat pie under your pillow, didn't you?" Rio hissed.
Yuri whispered back into the dark, "...Go to sleep before I permanently freeze both of your lungs."
Rio slowly and silently backed away into his blankets.
To be continued...