「Ah～」
Coming home and practicing dance… it really feels like homework, and it’s been ages since I last did something like this.
But isn’t practicing dance alone without a partner just going to look ridiculous from the outside? Well, yeah, but still～.
On the bed, Noie sits hugging her knees and staring at me.
I swear I can feel an aura of displeasure radiating from her.
「Noie?」
「……」
Her ahoge sways in clear irritation.
Why though? Did I do something wrong today?
「Can Noie dance?」
「……Yes.」
「I see.」
I have no idea where she learned it, but being able to dance is seriously enviable.
「Ah～. Right, that’s it. I’ll just ask Frea-san to teach me again tomorrow.」
「……」
「Let’s just sleep already. Tomorrow’s tomorrow.」
There’s no one to teach me right now, so practicing alone won’t help me understand anything anyway.
I give up quickly and climb onto the bed.
Noie turns her face away with a huff, then flops sideways and closes her eyes.
Hm? No 「good night」? That’s kind of lonely…
-0-
「N～. Ngh?」
A heavy pressure on my chest wakes me up… and there’s Noie straddling me.
But her colors are different. Vermilion hair and golden eyes.
「……Who might you be?」
「Ahaha. Why so formal when your wife is riding you like this～?」
I flinch at the sudden laugh, but it’s not Fashi.
The hair color is different, and the way she laughs is different too.
Fashi’s laugh is a darker 『ahaha…↓』, while this one is bright and upward 『ahaha～↑』.
And true to that brighter vibe, Noie’s expression is… a genuine smile!
「Hey, hubby? What’s this… getting all hot and hard over me?」
「Sorry. Noie’s smile is just way too charming.」
「Ahaha. Noie’s always had that serious face since forever～. She’s really cute, though.」
Even though I hugged her with all my strength, she lightly shakes her body and slips right out of my arms.
She escapes so cleanly and gracefully.
Once she steps down from the bed and stands on the floor, she looks over her own limbs as if checking her body.
「That tiny Noie has really become a woman now. Her chest… wait? It’s bigger than mine?」
「Um～. Could you please not squeeze and fondle them right there in front of me?」
「Oh? Getting excited watching your wife’s indecent behavior? Ahaha. Hubby’s such a pervert～. Making your wife wear pajamas like this.」
「That’s our maid’s hobby.」
「But you never stop her, so you like it too, right?」
I can’t deny it. Yeah, I really do.
With her lighthearted energy, she suddenly spins in place with a twirl… then for some reason reaches her hand out toward me.
「Ahaha. No good, hubby. When a lady invites you, you’re supposed to take her hand gently and respond.」
「Yes?」
「Haven’t you learned even this basic etiquette?」
「What etiquette exactly?」
「Dance etiquette. Dance.」
She grabs my hand firmly and pulls me along.
As I step down from the bed and stand on the floor, Noie gently floats into my arms in a soft embrace.
「Listen carefully? Dancing strictly by the rules is exactly what makes it boring.」
「……」
「If your partner is good, just let them lead.」
「How?」
「That’s exactly why I came out, so be grateful. I’ll collect my thanks later, though.」
Her giggling expression is～! That smile is～!
「Hubby? If you keep clinging like that, we can’t dance, you know?」
「Sorry. That smile is totally unfair.」
「Ahaha. You really are hopelessly smitten with Noie, aren’t you?」
Don’t say it out loud. Yeah, I’m head over heels.
「Okay, okay. Then we’d better practice properly so your wife doesn’t embarrass herself.」
「Noie embarrassing herself?」
「Of course? At a ball, the person you dance with at the very end is usually the one closest to you, or the one you have feelings for. If you danced with anyone other than Noie… Glodia would kill you tomorrow night, you know?」
「……」
I had no idea there was such a rule.
「Ahaha. Well, the reason I came out is actually because Glodia ordered me to.」
「Pardon?」
「『Noie looks like she might embarrass herself, so go out there and turn her into at least half-decent』… It wasn’t a request. It was a threat.」
「Sorry about that.」
「Ahaha. Thanks to that, I got to come out… It’s been about two years, I think? Since I last appeared on the surface.」
I follow the shift of her center of gravity as she clings to me, moving my feet accordingly.
Somehow, it actually starts to feel a little like we’re dancing?
「Unlike Glodia and the others, we don’t have much magic power, so it’s hard for us to come out.」
「Really?」
「Yes. The ones who can come out relatively easily are probably Glodia and Fashi. Shushu comes out fairly often too, but she gets bored right away since there’s nothing to do and goes back in. If Noie falls asleep in some weird place, the culprit is usually her.」
「Huh～.」
「There are probably a few others who could come out if they wanted, but they always complain things like 『It’s too much hassle』 or 『There’s nothing to do』 or 『What am I supposed to do in a woman’s body?』 and never show up. Ah～ What a waste.」
Did something incredibly heavy just get casually mixed in there?
「Are there any 『men』 among them?」
「Yep～. A few. But the ones who are lovers inside usually spend their time together… so they probably won’t come out like this. Maybe they show up during discussions, at most.」
「Discussions?」
「Mm～. Secret. Ahaha… I’ve probably said way too much already. I might be in danger when I go back.」
「You okay?」
「We～ll. I’ll probably get half-killed by Islerose or something? She’s way too serious, so it’s dangerous～.」
While we slowly move in what could generously be called a dance, I listen closely to her words.
Maybe right now… I’m experiencing an unbelievably happy moment.
Dancing with a smiling Noie, I never even imagined it would happen.
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