"Yes, Miss. Where would you like to dine?"
The loyal Head Maid asked.
"In the pavilion in the back garden. It's just right for two people. Don't forget to bring the wine from the ice bucket. The snow hasn't completely melted yet, and such scenery on an evening in the Month of Rain Prayer isn't something you see often."
After giving those instructions, she asked Shade:
"You don't mind eating outside with me, do you?"
"Of course not."
The two stood up. The cat seemed afraid Shade would leave it behind, pawing at his hand until he picked it up.
"Come to think of it, besides meeting the Guardian of the Earth today, what else did you do? Now that the Battle of Green Lake is over and the Space Chosen One's story has come to an end, can't you just stay home and let Leisha and me come find you?"
As they walked toward the door and let the maids clear the dining table behind them, Miss Galina asked again.
Shade blinked and hesitated before answering in a low voice:
"What I did today... played with butterflies."
Since there were new members in his home, he would not hide it from the other ladies. He would first see how Miss Galina reacted, so that later he could find a less awkward way to tell Luvia, Leisha, and Dorothy.
"Butterflies? You're such a grown man. How can you still be like children and cats?"
The witch said it casually, but then realized there was something strange about Shade's tone. She studied his face closely, froze as though she had thought of something, and then asked in astonishment:
"Wait, oh my god. Shade, when you say 'playing with butterflies,' you don't mean what I think you mean, do you?"
Though Shade