Editing Seirei Tsukai no Blade Dance:Volume7 Chapter6 (section)

===Part 3===

After dinner, Kamito was helping Rinslet wash the utensils and cutlery at the riverside.

Claire and Ellis had gone off for patrols while Est was playing with Scarlet.

"Since you're injured, Kamito-san, you can go take a break, it's fine."

"It's just dish washing so it won't be a problem at all. As for you, Rinslet, wouldn't a classy lady like you get your beautiful hands wrinkled if you keep washing dishes like this?"

"Fufu, don't worry. My skin won't be wrinkling. Do know that I am Rinslet the Ice Demon, the one with great relations with water spirits."

So that was what was going on. The wooden bucket where she immersed her hands was filled with purified light while an elastic gel-like spirit was washing the utensils thoroughly.

"How's Fianna's condition?"

"Just now, Claire went to pick some herbs which are very effective for eliminating fatigue."

"That girl seems to become inexplicably hardworking whenever someone gets sick or injured."

Claire was clearly ordering Kamito around like a slave all the time, but whenever he got hurt in school matches or anything like that, she always visited him and brought canned peaches.

"Hmm, she's actually good at taking care of others in certain ways. Back in the Academy, she often took care of stray cats in the neighborhood. It probably stemmed from her childhood when she had to frequently take care of Rubia-sama who was always chronically sick in bed."

"I see..."

...Oh well, that was not surprising.

Kamito also knew that Claire was a benevolent child at heart despite her lack of forthright honesty.

"...By the way, aren't you childhood friends with Claire, Rinslet?"

"Well, even though we often played together when we were young... H-However, we simply share inseparable fates that intersected a long time ago."

"Did you two quarrel a lot when you were small?"

"No... Back then, she was a shy crybaby."

Kamito pressed his finger against his temple.

"...I can't picture it at all."

"She began to change after Rubia-sama's incident."

Rinslet explained as she directed her gaze towards the bucket.

"Rubia Elstein."

The Calamity Queen who betrayed the Fire Elemental Lord and disappeared without trace.

Claire hoped to realize through the Blade Dance festival her Wish to find out the truth of what happened four years ago.

Also, there was the question of where her elder sister had vanished to--

"That girl is actually suffering from many things..."

Kamito muttered to himself as he looked down at the moon's reflection in the river.

"...Uwah!"

In the middle of doing the dishes, Rinslet suddenly released a cute sounding scream.

"What happened!?"

"Yah... Ah... Th-The water spirit, it went into my clothes...!"

"What!?"

Kamito's eyes widened with surprise.

The rubbery elastic water spirit was crawling over Rinslet's arm, squirming into her uniform.

"Yah, so ticklish, ah..."

Inside the wet uniform, the water spirit was twisting around randomly.

It looked like it meant no harm but was simply trying to act friendly with Rinslet.

"It seems to like you."

"E-Enough of this, Kamito-san, stop staring and help me instead... Uwah!"

Rinslet pleaded to Kamito with tears in her eyes.

"G-Got it!"

(...Oh well, in this kind of situation it must be tough for her to attempt to control the spirit.)

Kamito frantically reached out and tried to grab the squirming spirit.

Boing boing. Boing.

"O-Okay, I caught it!"

"Mmm, uwah!"

Just as Kamito felt something soft against his fingertips, Rinslet made a sweet sounding scream.

The water spirit wriggled in Kamito's hand, going boing boing.

"Seriously, stop moving randomly!"

Boing boing.

"Fuah... K-Kamito-san, not that!"

Instantly, the water spirit jumped out from Rinslet's chest.

...Then bouncing on the ground, it fled towards the river.

"Sigh, what a naughty spirit..."

Kamito shrugged wryly--

Then he immediately noticed a serious problem.

(...Hmm? Then what am I currently grabbing in my hand?)

Boing boing.

"...Mmm, ah!"

"S-Sorry!"

...Kamito finally realized what he was grabbing and frantically withdrew his hand.

"I-I didn't do it on purpose, really -- uwah!"

Something icy cold flew past Kamito's neck.

...An arrow of ice.

Woosh...!

Freezing wind was blowing at Kamito who felt like his skin was about to be frozen.

"Fu, fufu, fu... Kamito-san, have you prepared yourself?"

Smiling, Rinslet aimed her magic bow of ice towards the dead center of Kamito's brow.