The Grey Feather Inn is located in a small and inconspicuous corner of the city, not close to the main road or connected to the city gate, which does not have many customers.

There is a gray oversized feather pattern of unknown bird feathers painted at the door, and after asking the boss, you learned that this is the feather of a shark that inhabits the sea and grows feathers.

You also delve into what kind of myth this is. Because it has nothing to do with me. Speaking of which, Crossbell also has a legend of the divine wolf, which he read when he read the story to Qiya.

This inn is no different from other inns, a boxy hall with a few tables at random, and in the corner corresponding to the door there is a staircase leading to the second floor, and the first and second floors add up to about twenty rooms, which is not very big for an inn.

On the dining table on the first floor, a white-skinned woman wearing a long black cheongsam with long black mopping hair was eating. I saw that she was quite temperamental and operated the chopsticks that she was not familiar with, tremblingly trying to clamp the peanuts on the plate in front of her.

Hey, give up. This is a very difficult one for beginners......

It can be seen that she has worked hard, her body is good, her temperament is good, and now she has the taste of a deep boudoir, but forcing herself to use chopsticks seems to be a failure. Why, is the character of the eldest lady who can handle anything perfectly this time?

That's enough...... Changing tricks day by day, this guy is so idle, are all the guys in the association so idle!?

"If you don't get used to it, you can use a spoon."

"Whew, whew! Miss Ben is ......."

"Hey, hey—I see. Where is the room? ”

"The first and third rooms on the second floor."

Yue said and handed over the key to You.

Although the current month is actively launching an inexplicable offensive, once it comes to business, it will still resume the seriousness of discussing business. This is also one of the things that You admires about her. If she was the kind of guy who couldn't tell the occasion, I'm afraid she would have parted ways with You a long time ago.

Yu looked at the key that said 203...... After thinking for about a minute, he said, "Give me the other one." ”

"Huh? No, that...... Any one of them is fine, right? ”

Sweat gradually appeared on Yue's expressionless face, and her voice became nervous. Hearing this, You confirmed that his guess was correct.

"No, since you can take any of them, then give me 201."

“……”

The two were in a stalemate for a while, but in the end, Yue compromised and obediently exchanged keys. You came to room 201, and sure enough, Rui was sitting at the head of the bed, not knowing what she was thinking.

Sure enough, with this kind of thought, instead of men and women resting in separate rooms, they are thinking about separating me from Rui.

You shrugged his shoulders and said that the moon would not be so generous.

"Rui, I'm back."

Yu said hello and sat down on the edge of the bed. The architectural layout of the hotel is the same as I guessed, simple, monotonous, although there are guiding facilities, but it is well hidden. For example, the guiding lamp was disguised as a candlestick.

Although this kind of feeling has brought inconvenience to living, if you think about it carefully, this is not a house that people live in all year round, and those who come here are either scholars who can endure hardships or tourists who come to try new things. Luxury hotels can be found everywhere, but this kind of medieval style house is almost "one-of-a-kind".

Strangely, even though You took the initiative to greet her, Rui was still not very interested. That said, it was before. When she first came to the empire, Rui was also sullen all the time, except for asking her important questions, she was basically silent.

What's going on?

At first, You thought she was in a bad mood by accident, after all, she had just suffered so much mental trauma in the Joachim incident. Later, she felt that it might be because she didn't have true knowledge, and she reverted to the usual person who was afraid of life - one more thing to mention here, I don't know why, people who have taken true knowledge have now lost the power of true knowledge. The only one who still retains this power is Yu Chensi himself. Rui's words have been silent, and I don't know if her true knowledge has disappeared.

However, if we lose our true knowledge and change back, then the current situation cannot be explained. Because on weekdays, although Rui doesn't dare to talk to other people, he can communicate with You normally......

"Rui? Is something wrong? ”

“……”

Silent.

"That...... Miss Rui? (Lean over)"

“…… (Dodge in the corner)"

Ay? Is it me?! So, it turns out that you just don't want to talk to me?!

You felt strange in her heart.

I really can't understand what happened. You decided to reminisce about it, but no matter how you thought about it, she never remembered that she had done anything that would be so hostile to Rui.

"What the hell is going on?"

Yu decided to keep her distance and avoid irritating her.

I saw Rui a little hysterical, waving his hands greatly, crossing into an X in front of him, pouting angrily, raising his big eyes, looking at You menacingly, looking at You with a look of "I don't talk to you".

How so?

You've been feeling it since a long time ago, Rui's angry behavior is not so much anger, but in the eyes of outsiders, it's more like deliberately selling cuteness...... No matter what she does, she will become very cute because of her temperament......

That's a talent, right? If I am chosen as a mascot by the city......

Feed! What was I thinking! Hurry up and get back to business!

"Really, what's going on? If you're angry, at least let me know what you're angry about. Otherwise, I'm confused, isn't your anger meaningless? ”

“！”

I saw Rui's eyes widened, with a surprised expression, and muttered "yes" in a low voice. Did you just react?!

You already felt that he didn't know what to say in all aspects.

"That...... You Chen is a stupid, not frank, tsundere! ”

"Hey, it seems that I was unceremoniously accused as soon as I came up. So, why are you angry? ”

"Hmph-"

Rui snorted unceremoniously and turned her head sideways. But not long after opening on the side, she was worried about whether she would make her master angry, and while trembling, she secretly used her spare eyes to look at You's expression.

But as soon as he saw his inexplicable smile, Rui was furious again, and continued to turn his head ruthlessly.

It's so cute. Awkward little hamsters. You grinned and watched her series of movements. Although it is very immoral, I have to say that it is a real pleasure to watch her distressed.

I began to understand why so many people like to play tricks on their pets, not because they hate pets, but because they like them too much! So I want to see her different expressions! Depressed expression, angry expression, awkward expression, hey? None of these emotions seem right?!

"Alright, Rui. Our bonds are not something that will crumble because of a few words. Remember what happened to Estelle and Joshua? People are destined. When fate deepens, it will become a bond. And once a bond is formed, it will never be broken......"

Lobbying, he approached Rui's back and gently hugged her from behind. Her skin was a little cold, and when she was hugged, she was very cute and shivered.

"It's Mr. Cassius's words."

Rui thought about it, and finally answered. Although I swore in my heart that I wouldn't talk to him more, I still couldn't keep my oath in the end. The people of Saiyalu value commitment and vows, but on top of that, the relationship between master and slave is more important.

This sentence is the words of Cassius before he enlightened Joshua. At that time, Estelle was a guerrilla, and Joshua returned to the darkness in order to fight against the association, and the two who should no longer have crossed paths were finally able to meet because of Estelle's stubbornness. As for the ending, now that is known, right?

Istelle? Brett. Joshua?" Bright".

Perfect ending.

Hearing You cite the example of these two people, Rui's angry expression finally collapsed and became a little sad.

"Originally, I swore that I wouldn't talk to You Chen more than necessary things."

"I see. The apathy I've been feeling all this time is really aimed at me. ”

"Rui is a bad slave...... Although I thought that as long as the owner was happy, it didn't matter, but I still hoped in my heart that I was the only one who could be by the master's side. ”

"It's not that I can't understand this feeling."

You responded seriously.

Occasionally, he would wonder if Noelle didn't have Lloyd by his side, Eliti Orlandi, no garrison, no Sonya, and only himself. Of course, this is not to hate those people, but simply to be with the people she likes more and become her unique support.

This kind of exclusivity, everyone will have it to a greater or lesser extent.

So, after being rejected by You Chen, Rui thought, just leave it like this, don't pay much attention to the master, like this...... Then the owner may come back...... Like before, there is only Rui around, and he is only willing to show tenderness to Rui alone, he will gently enlighten Rui, and then gently comfort Rui......"

Rui's voice was a little choked. She was talking about the days when You had just bought her.

During that time, was it because of boredom? Or do you find it interesting? Or maybe two slaves licking each other's wounds? In short, You is very active in trying to contact Rui, and then trying to open her heart, which is why the two of them will form such a deep bond.

…… No, I can't understand Rui's feelings.

However, understanding is understanding......

If you want to give up Noelle, he can't do it. Even if it's just a comforting deception, you can't do it.

Rui knew that this was not going to work...... However, Rui did it anyway...... Forcing the host to admit his fate and hoping for one more bride to stand by your side. However, it caused trouble for the master. It's obviously causing trouble, but I still want to be cheeky and continue to make trouble for my master...... I want to ruin my master's current life...... Rui, what a bad slave. ”

"Ah, yes. Very bad. ”

You said. I could feel Rui's body trembling again.

"I will be jealous of the hostess, I will add fists and kicks to the master, and I will force the master compulsively. You're disqualified as a slave. ”

"Hmm."

Rui's depressed response. Probably because I felt that You was going to drive her away.

"But...... As a human being, that's the best thing ever. The so-called human beings are like this, when they are in pain, they will show their pain, when they are sad, they will show their sadness, they will be angry or happy because of things for no reason, and they will be angry or happy because of other people's things. Rui, except that you don't like to talk very much, you're not a slave anymore. ”

“！ No, Rui, Rui still! ”

"No, you're not."

You shook his head. Rui's fierce opposition is proof that she is no longer a slave. Otherwise, as a slave, she should not rebel against her master's decision.

She objected so vigorously, and the reason You knew it. Probably because I feel that once I lose my status as a slave, I will lose a heavy bond with myself. It seems to have betrayed the time when the two of them were masters and servants.

That's why You will use such a tough attitude.

"Rui. As I said before, the bonds between people and people will not be easily broken. Even if you are not my slave, the bond between us will not change. ”

“！ Even though...... Even if Rui did that kind of thing? ”

"Yes. Those things, as slaves, are unforgivable. However, as a human being, it is normal. Moreover, you can only be my equals if you become a human being. Rui, I like Noelle because she is completely different from my world and actively tries to pull me into hers. And now, I'm with her precisely because the two of us are in the same world. And the reason for your pain is precisely because you and I are not in the same world, but you desperately want to stay in my world. ”

The lobbying was very esoteric, but in fact he couldn't find a better excuse himself.

He himself is also ignorant of feelings, after all, he only went from slave to human a year or two before Rui.

But only one thing he understood.

That is, slaves are miserable. Slavery was backward and harmful. Therefore, Rui cannot be allowed to continue to be a slave.

"Rui, don't worry. You are no longer my slave because...... We're family. ”

You hugged her arms and increased the strength. Try to make her feel tangible. Rui didn't say anything, just sobbed. The two of them kept moving and let the time pass.

I don't know how long it took, in the quiet space, Rui asked in a low voice: "You Chen...... Are we family? ”

"Hmm. It's family. After living together for so long, you are already part of my family. No one can snatch it, and no one can deny it. You are one of the most important people I am. ”

"Hmm. If it were family, Rui would have preceded Miss Noelle, right? ”

"Huh?"

It feels like I'm getting into a strange topic......

"No, that ......"

"That is, the relationship between Family No. 1 and Family No. 2, right?"

"No...... I always feel like you've made a subtle mistake......"

"That's right! I first became Youchen's family, and then Noelle is not a family member now, right? ”

Rui suddenly regained her anger, and now she was a little too "angry......

"Uh...... If you have to say that, that's what it is......"

"So, Rui isn't a lover? What is Noelle? ”

“………… Should I have a good conversation with you, or should I give up on this topic? ”

"You Chen just needs to admit it."

"What?! Is it actually based on recognition?! ”

"Hmm!"

Rui smiled, though there were still tears in the corners of her eyes.

Thank you so much for buying me.

Thank you very much for being so gentle with me.

Thank you for finally freeing me from my slave status.

Now, Rui will try to live as a human being.

As a human ...... As a family...... It's okay to be willful, right?

Because...... Our bonds won't be cut so easily, will they?

Swim.

Thinking of this, Rui looked at You Chensi, who was frowning, showing a tangled expression like an idiot father who was worried about how to explain to his adolescent daughter that there is a difference between men and women, and showed the best smile. Brilliant, dazzling, like the smile of a phoenix's nirvana.

"You, please give me more advice in the future."

"No, no, no, what the hell do you want me to instruct! We really have to make this question clear! Otherwise, it's a matter of zero-distance launch of the full bomb! ”

So, it looks like it's going to be a sleepless night. Whether it's for me, for You, or for Miss Yue who stares at me with a resentful face outside the window.

Rui thought so in her heart, and showed a sweet smile again. (To be continued.) )