Since I don't have practice today, I read a book in my room with my brother Silvio.

　Lately, I've been outside quite a bit, practicing with Elinora's sister and playing with Thor and Asmo. It's refreshing to spend time in my room like this.

　It's August and the height of summer right now, but my ice magic keeps the room at the right temperature. My brother Silvio and I were immersed in the world of books, a comforting experience that had nothing to do with summer.

　The only sound in the room is the faint breath of my brother Silvio and I. It's very quiet, with only the occasional sound of each other's pages being heard. That's very good.

　However, one sign that breaks such a quiet space is approaching from the corridor.

''Hah, this is the coolest place after all.''

　The owner of that sign broke into the room with a look of ecstasy on his face without knocking, as he should have.

　It was me and brother Silvio's sister, sister Elinora.

　She was wearing a gray, almost black, jimbei today as well, perhaps because she liked the jimbei I gave her as a gift because it was cool.

　She still doesn't knock on my door, even though it's not her own room.

　I've been asking her to knock for years now, but I've never had my Elinora sister knock for me.

'It's cool.'

　Sister Elinora is enjoying the cold air in this room, and she makes a comfortable noise in front of the entrance.

　She moves the collar of her jinbei and pats it on the ground, and tries to get the cold air underneath her clothes by shaking the hem of it with a buzzing motion.

　Sister Elinora's girl power has been greatly diminished lately. We should give her a gulp of attention here, including the knocking thing.

''........What's with your eyes?''

　I'm not sure if she noticed my gaze or not, but Elinora sister is staring at me.

　It's a good idea to have a look on your face as if you wanted to complain. A swift color has seeped into Elinora's eyes.

　Do you have something to complain about?　That's what his gaze told me.

　I had that kind of gaze.

''Sister Elinora, close the door quickly so the cold air can escape.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know.

　He didn't even warn me about knocking or shirking, he just asked me to close the door. Because I was afraid of something.

　When I ask, Elinora replies lazily and closes the door dexterously on her hind legs.

　Then she tech-walked over and laid down on the bed proudly, as if it was her place.

　It would be useless for me to pay any more attention to him as far as knocking and doing things.

　Even if a pig were asked to fly, it would be impossible for him to do so. I'm resigned to the idea.

　I try to immerse myself in the world of letters with a sense of resignation, but I can't concentrate because my sister Elinora on the bed is very restless, rolling around, moving pillows, and touching the nearby Jenga.

'Hey, what's this?'

　And he doesn't hesitate to call out to me, even though he says he's reading a book.

'It's Jenga,'

　Brother Silvio replies to Sister Elinora's question by closing the book.

　Brother Silvio is smiling without seeming particularly uncomfortable.

　It's as if he's giving a restless younger child a moment's attention. I can't tell which is the older sister and which is the younger brother.

''Hmm, it's a toy, right?　How do you play it?

　He asks me curiously as he picks at the Jenga blocks in the pile.

'It's a game where you have to pull the blocks out of the tower and stack them up. If the tower collapses when you pull it out or pile it up, that person loses.

'Wow, that sounds interesting!　Let's do a little bit of that!

Okay.

　I could have read that this was going to happen when sister Elinora entered the room and started touching Jenga.

　Me and brother Silvio gave up reading and nodded to each of us.

　I put the book I was reading on the table and picked it up to Jenga, who was placed on the table instead.

'Ah, Sister Elinora, you took Jenga's enclosure. And the tower is at an angle because you touched it, too.

　The tower, which had been in a vertical position, was wonderfully displaced because Sister Elinora had played with it to pass the time.

　It wouldn't be possible to play properly if it was still at an angle.

''Haha, I'll have to get ready again.

It could be a little slanted.

　So if the tower collapses, sister Elinora is going to complain, right?

　It's not bad to dare to play with an unbalanced state of mind, but it would be a bit of a burden for sister Elinora, who is a beginner.

　For now, I put Jenga on the floor in order to stand up straight.

　My brother Silvio and I sit around it, and Elinora's sister starts to imitate us.

'You've done this before Silvio?'

I've played with Al a few times, you know.

... hmmm.

　Hearing brother Silvio's words, sister Elinora muttered in a boring manner.

　She seems to be very unhappy that she wasn't invited.

''The time we played with you was when Sister Elinora was returning from King's Landing and you weren't there.

　If you were in the mansion, you would have properly invited them to stay?　I excused myself to include those nuances.

'Oh, speaking of the way home, there's something that's been bothering me.

　As I use the enclosure to assemble the Jenga, Sister Elinora murmurs to me as if she suddenly remembers.

　With those words alone, I understand what kind of topic Elinora Sis is going to talk about.

'Hey, Al,'

What?

Didn't you come to the Kicker a couple days before I came home?

　My heart jumps at sister Elinora's words, but I don't even bother to let it out.

　Calm down, Alfried. I didn't get found by Elinora's sister in Kicker.

　It's true that I was out looking for slime that day, but I had a proper breakfast at the mansion and returned in the evening.

　My alibi for my existence has been established, and it's impossible for me to return from Kikka to the village of Koliat in less than half a day.

　Even if Sister Elinora had seen me in Kicker, she would not be suspected. It would be disposed of as a mistake of sighting.

　Having sufficiently confirmed my innocence, I regained my composure and said in a matter-of-fact manner.

'I just got back from a trip and there's no way I'm in Kikka. I was in the forest with Thor and Asmo then, looking for slime.

Yeah. You were out there making slime cushions. And when we got home we did some Jenga with me.

　Brother Silvio says as if to prove my alibi.

　Elinora sister looks at me and Silvio brother in turn with a suspicious look on her face.

　For some reason, I'd like to think it's my imagination that she's spending far more time staring at me.

　Elinora looks at me alone with a licking look, then lightly checks Silvio's brother.

　Brother Silvio, who has no idea why anyone would suspect him, tilts his head genuinely.

　Sister Elinora looks at us in turn and lets out a groan, ".......funny.

''Why did you say that all of a sudden?''

　I know this because I have an idea, but it's a natural question from brother Silvio, who doesn't know anything about it.

'I felt Al's presence in the city of Kicker when I stopped on my way home.

Did you feel Al's presence in Kicker?

Yes?

　Even though brother Silvio is wondering, I'll give him a response like that too.

''.............It's not like you saw someone who looks like Al or anything?''

Yeah, no. I'm sure it was a real sign.

Huh, huh...

　Brother Silvio is puzzled by sister Elinora's outlandish words.

　If I were to listen to her from the side, I would laugh and worry about what sister Elinora is saying, but as the person involved, it's no laughing matter to me.

''I couldn't actually confirm it, but my gut tells me that Al was definitely there!

But me and Al were in the mansion like normal that day, right?

Yes.

So it's weird.

Elinora is the one who's crazy. She said she just had a presence that looked like me. Instead of thinking about that, why don't we play Jenga?

...Yeah, that too.

　I urged her to do so, but Elinora sister seemed somewhat unreasonable.

　Why am I experiencing the tension before I do Jenga........