Family Matters

"So, Shiro… this Maryele…" Naotsugu began in a carefully bland voice. His expression was a bit more obvious as he was biting his lip to keep from grinning widely. While Akatsuki didn't say anything, the way that she had tilted her head made Shiroe guess that she was just as curious.

"She's the leader of a guild called the Crescent Moon Alliance," Shiroe explained, eyeing his friend. "We've known each other for a long time."

"Oh, is that so? You never mentioned her before…" Naotsugu paused before finally he let the smirk spread across his face. "Ah, hold it, I get it. She must be your secret girlfriend then!"

"What? No!" Shiroe shook his head vigorously. "It's nothing like that."

"I believe you," the Guardian assured him in an insincere tone. "Really, I do."

He just groaned and hoped that Naotsugu would forget that direction of thought before they got to the Guild Hall. If Maryele got started on that again…

They were staring at the very – very – cute decor of the guild master's room when the bane of his youth spoke up from behind them.

"Shiro-bou!" came the gleeful exclamation. He only had a chance to stutter Maryele's name before she threw her full weight against him in an entirely too familiar hug. Unfortunately, his new height meant that he wasn't able to properly correct for it. Instead of just swaying under her assault, he lost his balance and they went crashing to the ground. Not that that stopped Maryele. "You're not hurt are you? Ah, you must be hungry! Shiro-bou should eat something, even if it has no taste!" The lilt in her voice and the familiar fussing caused Shiroe to relax a bit. He shouldn't have worried, he told himself. Even if they were no longer on Earth, of course Maryele would still be Maryele.

"Mary-nee – Mary-nee, please calm down," he pleaded, but as usual it had no effect. Typhoon Maryele just stood and pulled him to his feet, talking all the while.

"It's been so long since I saw you last," she chirped. "Shiro-bou isn't so little anymore! And who's this? Did you finally get a girlfriend, Shiro-bou?" The brief respite of Maryele's attention moving on to Akatsuki ended just as quickly as it began.

"That is completely wrong!" he snapped, face heating, and then groaned when she ignored him, just like she always did. He pressed a hand over his eyes and wondered just how badly embarrassed he'd be by the time she was done.

"Shiro, where have you been hiding this hot chick? And – you know her in real life, right? Is she just as hot there?" Naotsugu asked, stars in his eyes.

Shiroe groaned again. "I haven't been hiding her…" he lied – because he had been hiding the fact he knew her. He really, really had. For a very good reason.

…And for the sake of his brain, he was going to ignore the rest of Naotsugu's question.

"Ah, who's this?" Shiroe quickly backed away while Naotsugu and Maryele were focused on each other, only relaxing when he was out of glomp range. Akatsuki apparently had experience with Maryele's type. When she edged towards him she kept a careful distance and a wary eye on the currently occupied Cleric.

"My lord, is she always like this?" Akatsuki muttered the question. She was trying to keep her voice low enough she wouldn't attract Maryele's attention again, he guessed.

"Unfortunately…" Shiroe mumbled in reply. He felt only the slightest twinge of guilt as he ignored Naotsugu's pleas for help. He'd spent enough time in Maryele's clutches to know that the Guardian would come to no harm.

No physical harm, anyway.

"Maryele, stop it," Henrietta ordered as she entered the room.

For a moment Shiroe thought that they were finally going to get to the point of the meeting… and then Maryele's friend showed that she was just as excitable in her own way.

"Marie," Shiroe finally ground out, irritation lacing his voice. "Why don't you act your age for once?"

"How rude!" Maryele exclaimed. She immediately stopped her chase of Naotsugu and turned to face Shiroe completely, hands on her hips. Akatsuki managed to dodge around her, but Henrietta ended up crashing into Maryele. When they managed to catch their balance, she continued in an incensed tone, "Shiro-bou, you're too rude. Umeko, isn't he rude?"

"Don't call me that! And you should know that I would be the first to agree with him, Marie!"

"Can we please just share information now…?" he sighed, trying to ignore the beginning of a headache.

"So… how'd you meet Shiro anyway? He didn't say," Naotsugu asked after they'd pooled what knowledge they had. Shiroe – who had been intending to make a quick retreat so that such a question had no chance to be asked – groaned and dropped back into his seat. "You know each other in real life, don't you?"

"Of course we do!" She glanced at Shiroe, and he nodded reluctantly. It really wasn't something they had to hide… "I've known him since he was born. Shiro-bou is my adorable little cousin, after all!" Maryele continued with a bright grin. "Why, my first memory of him is watching him getting his diaper changed. For his age he was remarkably—"

"Marie!" Shiroe interrupted, his face feeling like it was about to burst into flames. "Do I really have to tell everyone what I saw that one time we visited when you were fourteen?"

Maryele turned red herself. "You're no fun, Kei-bou!"

Inspired by a story on Pixiv (過去からの刺客 by Tarou). That one took place during or shortly after the Libra Festival, which didn't make much sense to me in terms of timing for the relationship reveal. This is not a translation, it is a story written using the same concept. There was a diaper changing story in that story too, but then again – what relative old enough to remember someone in diapers doesn't have a diaper changing story?

I'm marking this as complete, but who knows – there may be more slice of life adventures in this in the future!