"Nghh~ bliss…"
After putting his things away in the guest room, Lev quickly popped into the bathroom.
The young man was relaxing, almost melting, in the bathtub in total ecstasy.
"How long have I been here, anyway…?"
Lev searched for his smartphone in the cabinet next to the bathtub for a few seconds; when he picked it up, he checked the time.
"What a drag, it's almost dinnertime… well, nothing to be done about it, I guess."
He got out of the tub, grabbed a towel, and began drying off.
"Phew~ all set. No, wait… hmmm…"
He put on a simple black tank top and some lightweight pants, but stood in front of the mirror, deep in thought.
"Hmmm… ah, whatever. I'll just tie it up in a bun; I don't feel like wasting time fixing my hair."
(I'm going to sleep soon anyway.)
After deciding what to do with the rest of his appearance, he left the bathroom and slowly made his way down the stairs.
Halfway down, he could already hear a chorus of cheerful voices downstairs
"Looks like they're back."
With a shrug, the young man made his way to the living room.
In the center of the room, in the armchair where Apollonia had been sitting earlier, a burly man with a bear-like build was the first to notice him.
"OOOOH! IT'S BEEN SO LONG, LEV! HOW HAVE YOU BEEN, MY BOY?!"
"Whoa… your voice is still as loud as ever, Uncle Lan. I'm great, and you?"
The man rose from the armchair, wrapping his arms around Lev in a hug as massive as his build.
"Gah! M-my bones, Uncle…"
"OH?! SORRY, SORRY!"
The man released Lev to the floor, rubbing the back of his head slightly awkwardly.
Lancaster Friseal, Apollonia's husband and Lev's uncle, commonly called just Lan by friends and family alike.
Despite his intimidating appearance, he is a very kind and welcoming person.
"AGAIN, I'M SO SORRY! I WAS SO HAPPY TO HEAR YOU'D BE LIVING WITH US FOR A WHILE THAT I JUST COULDN'T HELP MYSELF!"
"Cof! Cof! It's fine, don't worry about it."
Lev waved his hand as if to brush away the slightly awkward part of Lan's affectionate hug.
Right after that, from behind the man—one on each side—two heads peeked out.
"Daddy, it's not fair that you keep Lev all to yourself!"
"Not fair at all!"
"UH? HAHAHA! SORRY, GIRLS."
The man returned to his seat, fiddling—almost comically—with the small smartphone in his hands.
"Well, should I be afraid that you'll finish his work?"
Rolling his right shoulder, Lev smiled at the two girls in front of him.
"It depends, if you want us to start the hug~"
"Maybe we can break a rib or two that Daddy weakened~"
Both of them replied with mischievous smiles on their faces, to which Lev responded by extending his arms.
"not going to push my luck."
And he wrapped them in a hug.
"How have you been, Caroline? Nicola?"
The two of them, in almost perfect unison, returned the hug.
"Great! I won the regional girls' volleyball tournament, did you know?!"
The first to respond to Lev was the girl with long hair that fell to her waist, her bangs covering her right eye.
"How boring, Nicola~ Hey hey, Lev! I got first place on this entrance exams for a super elite college!"
And right behind her came the girl with short hair, whose bangs covered her left eye.
Both had orange hair, something that obviously came from Lan, but each had a strand highlighted in their own color.
Nicola, the one with long hair, had a purple streak; Caroline, the one with short hair, had a green streak.
"For real? you two are still as amazing as ever."
Instinctively, Lev placed each of his hands on their heads, starting to mess up their hair.
"Still, you're even more beautiful than the last time I saw you. Could it be Uncle Lan's genes?"
"Hey, brat. I'm right here, you know?"
While complimenting his cousins, Lev didn't miss the opportunity for a light banter with his aunt, who was sitting next to Lan.
"Hey, is it true that you're going to be living with us for a while?!"
"Is it true?!"
The two stared intently at Lev, who, with an awkward laugh due to their pressure, nodded.
"At least until I join the knight academy, i guess. The old man gave you guys the lowdown on the situation, right?"
The two nodded frantically at Lev.
"I THINK IT'S AMAZING, LEV. BEING A KNIGHT IS SUCH A NOBLE VOCATION!"
"Well, he's an idiot; the line between nobility and idiocy is pretty thin for him."
While Lan laughed delightedly, Apollonia stood up and went to another room in the house.
"Anyway, let's go. It's time for dinner."
Lan followed right behind his wife, while Nicola and Caroline dragged Lev along, clinging to his arms.
On the table was a feast worthy of celebration.
Lev sat across from Lan; Apollonia placed the plates on the table and sat down next to her husband.
Caroline and Nicola each sat on either side of Lev.
After a brief prayer, they began to eat.
"How are things with my dear little brother, Lev?"
"The old man's back is still acting up."
Apollonia and Lev exchanged a few words, while at the same time—
"Here, say 'aaaa'!"
Nicola tried to feed a strawberry meringue straight into Lev's mouth.
"AND LITTLE LUNA?"
"Quiet as always, but that's her unique charm."
"HAHAHA, YOU COULDN'T HAVE SAID IT BETTER!"
Next, it was Lan who struck up a conversation, while at the same time—
"That's not fair, Nicola! I wanted to give him the first bite!"
Caroline was trying to feed Lev a piece of chocolate cake, just like her sister had done.
"Aren't you two invading my personal space a little too much?"
Lev hadn't even finished his main course yet, but the two of them were eagerly trying to feed him sweets.
"What's the big deal? It's just a little bonding between cousins~"
"Yeah, yeah. Between cousins who get along really well~"
(Can this really be considered bonding if it's bordering on flirting?)
Lev let out a sigh, accepting the meringue Nicola offered him.
"Ah! That's not fair, Lev. You should have tried mine first!"
"Sorry, Caroline. You know I have a weakness for anything with strawberries."
Lev gave Caroline a thumbs-up with an expression of ecstasy as he ate the meringue.
"Hehe, you should've done your homework on Lev tastes along with your studies for the entrance exam, dear sister ~"
"I admit defeat…!"
Apollonia let out an awkward sigh at the situation, but with a smile on her face.
"Well, since tomorrow is Sunday, how about the three of you go for a walk around town?"
She immediately proposed a plan for the three of them.
"OH! THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, HONEY! I'LL GIVE YOU SOME MONEY SO YOU CAN ENJOY YOURSELVES TOO!"
And Lan was completely on board with the idea.
Meanwhile, Nicola and Caroline seemed to be in a daze after hearing their mother's suggestion.
"Sounds fun. Is there still that ice cream shop up by the square?"
"OH, NO. IT CLOSED LAST MONTH."
"Damn."
And Lev, almost immediately, was already losing enthusiasm for the idea.
"I really liked the strawberry milkshake there."
"But there's a new one near the new square!"
However, Caroline quickly stepped in to save tomorrow's plans for her and her sister.
"Yes, yes! And they make all their ice cream from scratch! It's out of this world, according to everyone who's tried it!"
And Nicola chimed in to support her sister.
"Well, if the strawberry flavor is good, I'm in."
Both of them stood up from their chairs, clapping their hands together.
"Date with Lev set!"
Lev rested his head in his hand and continued eating, with a subtle look on his face that suggested he was enjoying the situation too.
(Well, that's fine. If they're happy, it's no problem.)
— Chapter 11: Part II, End.