After the blindfold game, the young dragon girls moved on to playing other games.

Most of them involved some form of physical interaction.

Though Muen usually appeared aloof and was often seen as the mascot of Silver Dragon Castle, she showed a rare streak of cleverness this time to successfully “guard the tower.”

For nearly half the morning, Muen stayed comfortably nestled in Noa’s arms.

At one point, Noa even considered whether they should all just sit down, with her holding Muen, Helena holding Aurora, and simply chatting away.

In the end, though, she decided to humor Muen and played various small games with her.

After lunch, fatigue from the early rise and the morning’s activities began to set in. Though Muen tried to resist, she eventually succumbed.

She was coaxed into returning to her room by Leon’s gentle reassurance and soon settled in for a nap.

Seeing that it was shaping up to be a rather uneventful noon, Aurora decided to head to her mother’s private library to pass the time.

Meanwhile, Noa and Helena, who didn’t need rest, made their way back to the temple’s rear garden. There, they lay on the grass, basking in the warm and soothing sunlight of the noon hour.

“Noa.”

“Hmm?”

“Your little sisters seem to really adore you,” Helena said, gazing at the clear, cloudless sky.

Her pupils mirrored the sky’s color—both were a deep, tranquil blue.

“Hmm, especially Muen. She’s been clingy to me ever since she was little,” Noa replied. After a brief pause, she added, “But I’ve noticed that she’s been unusually attached to me these past few days. Normally, yes, she’s affectionate, but not to this extent.”

Helena smiled faintly. Closing her eyes, she remarked leisurely, “And yet you gladly accept it all.”

Noa curved her lips into a smile. “Of course, she’s my sister, after all.”

“You’ve told me before that you work so hard and put in so much effort because you want to protect and take care of your sisters, and also not to let Uncle Leon or Aunt Roswitha down. Isn’t that so?”

Noa nodded.

“Judging by how things are now, you’re doing an excellent job.”

Helena continued, “Your sisters rely on you, and I can sense the pride in your parents' eyes when they look at you. Noa, you’re really amazing.”

After a slight pause, Helena turned her head to glance at the girl beside her and then asked, with a subtle shift in tone, “But… don’t you ever feel tired?”

Noa froze for a moment, then turned her head toward Helena, puzzled. “What?”

“I mean, doesn’t living your life always for others, never for yourself, ever make you feel exhausted?”

Noa’s pupils trembled slightly. After a brief silence, she averted her gaze and once again directed her eyes toward the sky.

“Haven’t we talked about this before, Helena?”

“That was a long time ago,” Helena responded. “I’d like to hear what you think about it now.”

Noa pursed her lips, deliberating for a moment before answering,

“If you’re asking now… my answer hasn’t changed: no, I don’t feel tired.”

“Because my sisters need me, and I never want to see my mom’s sad face again, nor do I want to lose my dad.”

“Helena, when you say that everything I do is for others, that’s not entirely true.”

“What I do is both for them and for myself.”

Looking at that youthful yet resolute side profile, Helena smiled.

She turned her gaze back and stretched lazily while lying on the grass.

“That’s why I’m envious of you.”

“Envious that I have two younger sisters?”

“Not just that.”

Helena chuckled, looking at Noa. “Now I’m also envious of your sense of obligation and responsibility. If it were me, I don’t think I could reach your level.”

Noa’s expression grew serious. “No worries, Helena. By the time you’re my age, it’ll come to you just as naturally.”

The childlike elder sister, who was actually three years younger than her friend, spoke in earnest.

Helena burst out laughing and lightly swiped at Noa’s shoulders with her tail. “What are you talking about? I’m clearly older than you!”

After a few more casual exchanges, the topic shifted to Leon and Roswitha.

“I remember how astonished I was when I saw Uncle Leon and Aunt Roswitha during the parent-child sports day at school last time,” Helena said. “They must be very affectionate with each other, right?”

“Hmm… probably?”

“Probably?”

Noa nodded.

“You really don’t know how they interact in private?” Helena asked.

Slightly embarrassed, Noa explained, “What’s there to understand about a couple who blush just by holding hands?”

“…Oh, so they’re that type of reserved but respectful couple, huh?”

“Hahaha, not exactly. It’s more like they seem completely incompetent at romance, yet they evidently care deeply about each other.”

Noa folded her hands behind her head, her thoughts drifting to memories of her parents’ frequent bantering. “They bicker all the time and blush over simple things like holding hands, but I think… deep down, they’re really in love. Otherwise, there wouldn’t be an Aurora.”

(Aurora: Big sis, would you believe it if I said I was an accident?)

“Hmm… that makes sense. Couples who aren’t close wouldn’t even consider having a second child,” Helena surmised with a sigh. “Ah, your family is so lively. Coming from a cocoon-like household, I’m genuinely envious of you.”

Noa turned onto her side, propping her chin on one hand as she regarded her blue-haired friend.

“Does Aunt Claudia really decide not to have another child?”

Helena shook her head. “Mom says having me is enough. Besides, you know how peculiar things are with our tribe. Among the people from my clan attending the academy, I’m the only one.”

“The Sea Dragon Clan… what could they have gone through to become so reclusive?” Noa wondered.

“I honestly don’t know. Mom has never spoken to me about it in detail.”

Standing up, Helena brushed the grass off her skirt and said, “Alright, let’s not talk about this anymore.”

Noa stood up as well. After some thought, she pointed toward the back of the Silver Dragon Castle. “Come on, I’ll take you to the mountains behind the castle. There’s a grove of cherry blossoms there.”

“Oh, sounds fun! Let’s go!”

…

Thanks to Muen’s “tower-guarding efforts” and Aurora’s covert assistance, the weekend passed pleasantly.

On Monday morning, the family gathered in the temple’s front courtyard to see Noa and her friend off as they awaited Leviathan’s arrival.

Aurora clung to Leon’s embrace, sneaking glances at her second sister.

Her second sister was currently shaking her eldest sister’s tail, begging for her to take a couple of days off to stay home with her.

Aurora couldn’t help but mentally roll her eyes. Asking the “Involuted Queen” for time off? You might as well just kill her!

Of course, Muen herself knew very well that her big sister wouldn’t actually take leave just to stay home with her.

She was just indulging in some playful pouting for the sake of it.

It had been so long since she’d acted spoiled—it was still surprisingly enjoyable!

A moment later, the enormous Leviathan hovered steadily over the temple, casting down a beam of transportation light.

Noa pinched her younger sister’s cheek gently. “Muen, be a good girl. I’ll come back next weekend to spend time with you, okay?”

“Okay~”

Muen wasn’t unruly by nature.

After pressing her cheek to her sister’s one last time, she returned to Roswitha’s side and grasped her mother’s hand.

“Take care, Noa,” Roswitha instructed.

“I will, Mom.”

“Look after yourself,” Leon added.

“Yes, Dad.”

Then Noa turned to her youngest sister in Leon’s arms, smiling. “Will you miss me, Aurora?”

“Of course, I’ll miss you—enough to dream about you too,” Aurora replied.

Noa chuckled and waved goodbye to them all.

“Uncle Leon, Aunt Roswitha, see you later!”

Helena also bid farewell politely, “Goodbye, little Muen! Goodbye, Aurora!”

“Bye-bye, Sister Helena!” Aurora replied, bursting with energy.

Though she felt pity about losing her weekend entertainment, Aurora was quite content with how the past couple of days had turned out.

Muen, gripping her mother’s hand and fiddling nervously with her skirt, hesitated for a moment before saying politely, “Goodbye, Sister Helena.”

Over the past two days, Muen had come to see that Helena was genuinely a good person—gracious, sincere, and kind.

Roswitha knew her daughter’s personality better than anyone; when she had claimed that Muen rarely bore hostility toward others, it was true.

It wasn’t that Muen disliked or rejected Helena—it was that she worried that Noa’s affection and attention for her might gradually fade because of Helena’s presence.

This was why she had worked so hard these past couple of days to ensure her presence was felt—afraid that her sister might forget about her.

As she watched Noa and Helena jog toward Leviathan’s transportation light, Muen’s expression turned complex.

The massive dragon silhouette lifted higher and higher, then slowly disappeared into the distance.

Gazing at the receding figure, Muen suddenly came up with a bold idea:

“If I went to the academy too… then I could see Big Sis every day!”