Chapter 21: Meeting the Parents...
Hina and Emily entered the apartment slowly, looking around- for it was an apartment, and a rather nice one in the same breath. The walls, the floor, the ceiling... everything seemed to be hewn from a uniform, smooth wood, even the shelves and cupboards. Perhaps to make up for this uniformity, the walls were splattered with what must have been every form of decor possible; posters, wall scrolls, splotches of paint, actual paintings, runes and inscriptions, more. Without holding anything back, Hina would say that it looked exactly like the chaotic mess she'd expect of whatever this magical tree was.
"Ah, Lily, you brought her! Who's this with her," a woman added as she came out of what seemed to be the kitchen. She was a short woman, rather plain but with a pleasant, cozy sort of atmosphere about her, should that make any sense to you. She didn't sound displeased or upset- rather, quite the opposite. "Ah, not that it matters, we have more food than we know what to do with!"
"Hello, ma'am," Hina spoke warmly, smiling toward the mother. "I'm Hina, and this is Emily, my wife." There was silence, for a moment, but Lily's mother's smile never faltered.
"I see! Well, I suppose a hero like you probably has a whole harem of wives, huh~? I'll tell you now, this family is anything but homophobic, we don't believe in that garbage about hiding your children from the possible sexualities, all it does is create bigots; and don't you think there's enough of those in the adult world already?" She giggled innocently and turned, headed toward the kitchen. "Wilhelm, Hina's here, and she brought her wife!"
"Ah! Tell them that the food is just about done!"
"The food is just about done," spoke the mother as she turned toward them. "By the way, my name is Eliza."
~~~
"Hey, guess what, Hina!" Lily grinned brightly, speaking after she'd swallowed a mouthful of potato. "My mom is a really good summoner, and my dad has been experimenting, trying to make new spells since I was little. Both of them got accepted to work at the castle for the Queens!"
"Ha, yes, we did," The man called Wilhelm spoke. "The positions come with rather handsome salaries, and I must admit, it's more money than we really know what to do with at the moment. We also get all sorts of benefits because of Lily training to be a royal agent, so life is good... though I'm worried, with her going into such a position. Even if part of me wants to lock her in her room, though, I've sworn to support her life's choices!" He smiled, but there was worry in his eyes nonetheless. "So, Hina... you're a Summoned Hero, yes? What was your life like before?"
"Actually, we haven't talked about this much with all that was going on," Emily stated that she was curious as well without saying so.
"I've been wondering too, ever since you saved me Hina-nii!"
"Well..." Hina swallowed a bite and began to speak, not thinking too much about what she said before she let it leave her mouth. "I was a man before, in my last year of childhood schooling... I was eighteen, I had a pretty girlfriend and my marks in class were good. All in all... I was just a normal kid, not the kind of person who should have been summoned to another world.
"Since I landed on my face in the forest, because something went wrong with my summoning, I've just been on a roller coaster... well, you asked about my life before reincarnation, but there isn't much to tell, it was perfectly ordinary." Except, of course, for the kind of mother that Hina had... but that wasn't a story to tell strangers, Hina told herself firmly. It was just good to see that Lily didn't have anything like that going on.
"I see. Well, I for one am gladder than a drunkard with a bag of gold and nothing to lose that you were reincarnated, even if I don't agree with the summoning of Heroes. I mean... Eliza, why don't you explain it?"
"He's agreeing with me," Lily's mother took the baton as she was asked to. "We effectively murder young people, ripping them out of their lives, and then we cast something like a magical opium on them, numbing their senses and stopping them from giving a damn... then we try to force them to do our work when in reality we should be fighting our own damn wars, using children, inexperienced people, and even sometimes elderly to mop up the messes we make?" She didn't sound angry, but this woman did seem sad and regretful for the practices of this world.
"Those are all good points..." Hina herself hadn't even thought of half of them, but it all made sense; who the ever-loving hell did Starria think they were? From the sounds of it, she should be starting a list and adding Mir to it as well. As an afterthought, it explained why it was that she'd been able to accept this new life so easily.
"Anyway," Eliza spoke gently. "How's the roast Hina, Emily?"
"It's great, thank you."
"Really, it's like a gourmet's," Emily agreed, taking a slow breath. She seemed full, content, satisfied... seeing her happy made Hina happy, and she smiled dumbly.
~~~
"Well Hina-nii, it's always going to be good to see you! I'll be here, so why don't you try and come visit me, once in a while?" Lily, Emily and Hina were walking out of the fairy district now, well on their way to returning to the castle.
"Definitely, we'll visit you from time to time," Hina promised, smiling. Suddenly, Lily waved for them to stop, smiling awkwardly toward Badger Girl.
"Hina, let me be honest..." Lily was blushing, and looked away as she continued. "I have a crush on you. I know I'm basically still a child, and that this is probably just a stupid hero crush, but I need to tell you so I can move on and stop letting it fester. So please don't think anything of it, I know I'm too young, and you probably aren't searching. Again, I just needed to spill," she spoke. "Keep thinking of me as an obnoxious niece, will you? It shouldn't be long before I genuinely share the feeling." Her smile was bittersweet as she turned and trotted off, leaving a stunned Emily and Hina standing still in the light of sunset. For a long moment, nothing was said... briefly, Hina wished she hadn't run off, but it was probably for the best.
"How do I react to that...?" Part of Hina wanted to laugh, but now wasn't really the situation for that, was it. That was... an oddly mature way to handle a crush, in every way that a crush can be handled.
"I'd say you do as she asks, and don't make her regret her honesty," Emily replied with a smile, reaching out to take Hina's hand. "Now come on, let's get back to the castle. We've got people who are probably angry at how fast we took off without warning~"
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Rebuilt_Kitsunii
Rebuilt_Kitsunii Sorry for a shorter one! I've had writer's block, and a certain transphobe has been making life extra difficult today. Luckily I've got good friends (one of whom I have hopelessly fallen for, damn it)who support me and make me feel better, so I'll make it. I hope you enjoy, and thanks to everyone who's made it this far!
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone