The modest home where Tinno lived was now filled with ugly insults being hurled back and forth.
Its owner, Tinno, could do nothing about it. She shrank into a corner and watched the situation unfold.
Hunters fundamentally grew physically stronger the more they conquered Treasure Halls. Not only did their basic abilities improve, but they also accumulated experience, making it extremely difficult to defeat a higher-ranking Hunter.
Tinno prided herself on having reached a mid-level rank as a Hunter, but her two older sisters were truly in a different league.
"Don't you go luring away our Tee without permission! Liliz is the one who borrowed Tee from Klye! Klye said she could use her however she wanted and left her in our care!"
Her master, Liliz, veins bulging on her forehead, screamed in a shrill voice.
The energy radiating from her was immense — befitting an upper-rank Hunter.
"That's only because you threw a tantrum, isn't it! I was supposed to get her first — if I'd been the one looking after her, Tee might have become an unprecedented super-Hunter by now who could fly through the sky and shoot beams from her eyes!"
The other sister answered in a somewhat lower voice.
She was more composed compared to the former, but the power surging from her was in no way inferior to her master's.
When individuals of similar talent formed the same Party and gained similar experiences, their Mana Material absorption ended up being about the same. Their roles were vastly different, but from Tinno's perspective, they were both about the same.
Her two older sisters were objects of both respect and terror.
Though Tinno normally ventured into Treasure Halls on deadly Solo runs, when faced with these two, all she could do was tremble and wait for things to calm down.
"Besides, Tee would prefer a rich master who easily gives her power over a master who disciplines her in weird ways, right?"
"Huh?! There's no meaning in power that's just handed to you! Besides, Citry, you don't just add — you subtract!"
"You choose your targets! With Tee, you don't even need to take away her free will, and she's small enough to carry around easily — she's the perfect fit!"
"Hey, you brats! Don't start fighting all of a sudden — the young lady's terrified!"
Marchis, who had been watching with a strained expression, stepped in between the two as they bared their fighting spirit at each other.
But there was no sign of the two losing momentum.
"That Treasure Weapon was something Tee and I found! Don't stick your nose in!"
"It wasn't you — Tee found it! And Tee says she's giving it to me, so the rights should belong to me!"
She hadn't said that... Sister Citry.
Tinno tried to protest, but their gazes landed on her at just the right moment, and she couldn't say a word.
Ownership of the bracelet-type Treasure Weapon "Dancing Light and Shadow" had completely slipped beyond Tinno's control.
While the knives and dresses were nice, if they were going to be received so gratefully, she would have preferred to deliver them herself. But asking for them back now would be pointless.
"Anyway, stop always butting in at the perfect moment! You thieving cat! Stay cooped up in your lab!"
"It's your fault for always causing trouble! No matter how hard I work to cover things up —"
"Excuse me?! Luke was involved in that too, and I never asked you to cover anything up!"
"In Luke's case, the other party ends up unable to speak, so there's no problem! It's only you, sis!"
Finally, Liliz started hurling treasure chests that had fallen to the floor at Citry.
Citry, displaying reflexes unbefitting an Alchemist, deflected the mercilessly thrown chest using a serving tray from the table as a shield.
The deflected treasure chest smashed through a cupboard and embedded itself in the wall. Windows shattered, and a tremendous noise echoed through the house.
Tinno summoned her last ounce of courage and raised a feeble voice.
"Please stop, sisters! The one who'll get in trouble with the neighbors — is me!"
She caught teacups and kettles hurtling with kinetic energy in both hands, instinctively identifying only the fragile items from the flying furniture, catching them and setting them aside. She was desperate.
It was a relief it wasn't mealtime. The pots and cups were one thing, but if forks and knives came flying, someone could get seriously hurt.
At the very least, she tried to protect Marchis by swatting away the incoming projectiles.
Marchis was horrified by the sisters' quarrel that had escalated in the blink of an eye. Even as objects flew through the air, the two showed no sign of stopping their verbal barrage.
"Wh-whatever, it's all the same no matter who ends up with her..."
"Ah, a compromise... like me taking her in..."
Tinno's words no longer reached either of their ears.
They were at least still only throwing nearby objects, but if left unchecked, they'd start throwing knives and potions, and Tinno's house would be half-destroyed. She'd then have to live in the wrecked shell while spending her meager savings to repair it.
There was no way she could step in and mediate. Neither her master nor Sister Citry would stop just because Tinno got between them.
The only ones who could stop this were fellow Party members, or someone like Eva who had deep ties with the master and possessed a sensible head on their shoulders. And such people rarely visited Tinno's house.
While flustered, desperately swatting away stray projectiles and trying to figure out the best way to minimize damage, Tinno suddenly heard the sound of someone knocking on the front door.
§ § § "Mastaa! I missed you so much!"
What on earth was going on? With a box of cake in one hand, I stared wide-eyed.
Looking down at Tinno, who had thrown herself at me with an uncharacteristically high-pitched voice the moment she saw my face, I had no idea what was happening.
I had been planning to show off a slightly more hard-boiled, competent Master, but I never expected such an enthusiastic welcome.
Tinno's house, which I hadn't visited in a while, was in a terrible state.
Open treasure chests scattered haphazardly across the floor, shattered window glass, an overturned cupboard — it was like a slightly tidy ruin.
Were they in the middle of something?
Standing in the middle of the living room were the familiar Smart sisters.
They looked my way with indescribable smiles on their faces.
Liliz waved her right hand — which was inexplicably holding a knife — while Citry hid a brilliantly glowing potion bottle behind her back and puffed out her cheeks.
"Ah... Good morning, Klye."
"See, sis? Because you threw a fit, Klye came! — Hello, Klye."
"Y-you brat, you're late! Hurry up and get in here!"
It wasn't unusual for Citry and Liliz to be at Tinno's house, but for some reason, Marchis was here too today.
And for some reason, their face was flushed bright red while glaring at me. I just brought cake — why was it like this...
I rested my hand on Tinno's head at just the right height and tilted my head while running my fingers through her hair.
I had no idea what was going on, but — "For now... sit seiza."
§ "It's not what it looks like, Klye. There's been a misunderstanding..."
"So, to put it simply, Citry and Tee tried to take credit for my achievement. Right? I'm not the one at fault here, am I?"
Citry and Liliz sat side by side in seiza on the carpet, making excuses.
I sank into a chair and let out a deep sigh. Beside me, Tinno — now finally calm — was looking at me with eyes that seemed oddly full of respect.
"Unacceptable. Truly unacceptable."
I didn't fully understand the situation, but an apology wasn't supposed to look like this.
From my perspective as an apology master, they were bordering on failing grades.
Citry and Liliz took my criticism and fell silent with tears in their eyes. Seeing them side by side like this, it was clear they were sisters.
Citry and Liliz had been fighting constantly for as long as I could remember. From verbal arguments to physical brawls, it was a familiar sight to me — but the fact that they still fought with the same intensity even after gaining their powers must have been unbearable for everyone around them.
"Wh-why is Klye here...? No, we weren't really fighting seriously..."
"Exactly! This was just like a warm-up! Tee's used to it too, so there was no need for Klye to come and..."
Their way of apologizing was tinged with guilt. Unlike me, they probably rarely had occasions to apologize, so it seemed very uncomfortable for them.
I just came to deliver cake, you know.
Marchis said with exasperation, looking at the two who had gone as quiet as cats on a stranger's lap.
"...As expected, the brat is your weakness after all..."
"That's what comes from a long association."
"No, that's not the issue here —"
Liliz must have been the one to start things this time too. She was always quick to act on impulse...
But she wasn't just a troublemaker, either. If you talked to her properly, she would quiet down. It was just that there were... far too many times when she wouldn't listen.
"As expected of you, Mastaa... Thank you, truly, truly. You're the only one who can stop my sisters' fighting."
Tinno's eyes welled with tears, and she spoke with a look closer to worship than respect.
Sorry. I'm truly sorry.
"Tee... You'll pay for this later."
"I was just thinking about what would benefit both parties..."
Liliz clenched her fist tight and glared at Tinno, while Citry looked up at me with pleading eyes, as if begging for mercy. Neither of them seemed remotely remorseful.
I wasn't telling them to stop fighting altogether. After all, they say the more you fight, the closer you are...
But it was a bit funny scolding them without even knowing the cause of the fight.
As I watched the whole thing unfold with complete detachment, Citry seemed to sense something about my silence and, still in seiza, skillfully scooted over to me. When she reached my feet, she hugged my leg and spoke in a high-pitched voice.
Citry had a better figure than Liliz or Tinno. To be specific, she had a large chest.
Being hugged like that, I could feel the soft sensation pressing against me, which was extremely uncomfortable.
"I'm sorry, Klye. I didn't mean to cause any trouble. If we'd had just a little more time, it would have been settled peacefully!"
I was really weak when it came to having someone press their chest against me... no, was there any man who wasn't?
But after seeing that scene, a peaceful resolution with just a little more time seemed impossible. What kind of magic had she been planning to use?
"Klye, I didn't mean to cause you any trouble either, you know? If Tee and Citry had just been a little more patient..."
Liliz stood up as if competing and latched onto my knee with vigor. In terms of sheer presence, she was royalty.
Without thinking, I nodded solemnly and snapped my fingers.
"Mm-hmm, that's right... For now, you two — clean up."
Citry and Liliz stood up in unison. It was proof that they would follow orders regardless of the situation.
"I love cleaning! I'll do my best!"
"Citry, go get some glass arranged. I'll clean up here. ...Next time, we should use sturdier glass, or this is going to be a pain."
"Sis, we already used the sturdiest glass — n-no, it's nothing."
Citry hurried out, while Liliz picked up the dishes scattered on the floor and started tidying the overturned shelf. This wasn't her first time doing this, so she was quite practiced at it.
The room should return to normal before long.
The only new thing I learned today was that Liliz and Citry's apologies were completely worthless. ...Though I do think having them press their chests against me was rather nice.
Seeing me staring off into the distance, Tinno — now somewhat recovered — timidly asked.
"Come to think of it, Mastaa. What brings you here today?"
"Oh. I brought a new cake. As thanks, you know."
Since Liliz and Citry were always causing trouble...
I was about to continue, but then I noticed Tinno was on the verge of tears.
"*sniffle* ...Th-thank... you... Mastaa. I will... follow you... for the rest of my life."
"Y-yeah. Well, that's a bit much... Come on, don't cry..."
...Tinno's reactions were really over the top today.
All I did was bring one cake... Maybe I should be a little kinder to her on a regular basis.
Tinno sniffled and rubbed her teary eyes as she opened the cake box. She was momentarily surprised to see two slices of cake inside, but then nodded in understanding.
"As expected of Mastaa. The other slice is for Marchis, right?"
??????
It's mine? The other slice is mine? I didn't even know Marchis was here.
"Hmph. Unnecessary concern... If you have time to worry about that, hurry up and help the young lady."
I wasn't being considerate. I had no intention of giving it away, so if they didn't want it, that was fine with me.
As I froze at the unexpected words, the capable junior that Tinno was immediately jumped in to support.
"Mastaa is a person of strong obligation. Please don't say that — Mastaa's cake is exquisite."
"...Tch. When you put it like that, I can't exactly refuse. ...Guess I'll take it home and give it to my granddaughter."
"...Yeah, yeah, that's right."
What on earth had I come here for?