Vol. 3 - Chapter 117 - Katariona Makes Friends with An Exchange Student from Hinoshima Country
Vol. 3 - Chapter 117 - Katariona Makes Friends with An Exchange Student from Hinoshima Country
Author-san: It might sound like Momoka has a Kansai dialect, but she does not.
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In a blink of an eye, the day arrived for us to study abroad.
For the past month, I've been preparing for my study abroad while discussing with Chris what to bring along.
Eventually, we ended up in some questionable discussions about how many snacks we should bring and whether bananas were considered a snack.......
At the Arasuta trading port, south of the royal capital, the ship docked.
"Uwaah. It is huge!"
The Hinoshima nation's ship is an enormous steamboat with three masts. From below, you can barely see the main deck. Seeing such a massive ship for my first time was rather overwhelming.
Inscribed on the side of the ship was "Kaikoumaru". That must be the name of this ship.
When I thought about how I was going to get on this ship and go to Hinoshima, I felt both excited and anxious.
Our classmates, Tria and Angel came to see Chris and me off.
"Have a safe trip, Chris. Rio."
"We'll miss you two during this year, but we're looking forward to hearing all about your stories there and the souvenirs you'll bring back.
"Yes. I will return with souvenirs for everyone, so please look forward to it."
While we were saying goodbye to everyone with handkerchiefs in hand, I heard a cheerful voice from the ship.
"Brother Shiro! Long time no see!"
A dark-haired girl called out, waving at us. The language is that of Hinoshima, but her intonations are rather distinctive.
"That is...... Momoka? That girl came here as a foreign student?"
That girl seems to be an acquaintance of Tojurou-san. And Brother Shiro? Cause he's Hikoshiro?
The girl named Momoka came running down from the boat, her side-pony tail swaying and hugged Tojurou-san.
"You've grown a lot, kid. When I left the country, you were just a little snot-nosed girl."
"Of course, I'm not, brother. I became an adult last year!"
Her face kind of resembles Tojurou's. Could she be his younger sister?
"Momoka, stop messing around."
A young girl walked up behind Momoka and bowed to Tojurou-san and Kikuno-sama.
"It's been a while, Hikoshiro-sama, and Kikuno-sama."
"Fujino has grown up, too, huh?"
Hey? Fujino-san looks similar to Kikuno-sama. Her elegant appearance and beautiful face are just like hers. Is this her younger sister too?
"Momoka-sama, Fujino. These are students from the Kingdom of Findalia who will be studying in the Kingdom of Hinoshima. Say hello to them."
Momoka-san and Fujino-san pinched the hems of their hakama and did the Kingdom of Findalia-style curtesy.
"It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Momoka Kirijuin, an exchange student from Hinoshima. Thank you for taking care of my brother."
"My name is Fujino Kujo Kasumi, also an exchange student from Hinoshima. Thank you for taking care of my sister."
They spoke fluent Findalian. And they were both their younger sisters, as expected.
"Hello, a pleasure to meet you. I'm Christina Elaine Vin Findalia. Welcome to our country."
Chris was the first to introduce herself.
"Fujino, she's a real princess! She has beautiful blond hair and blue eyes. Isn't she beautiful?"
"Momoka, don't be rude."
Momoka-san and Fujino-san were conversing in hushed voices, but I heard them quite clearly.
"It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Katariona Yurie Grandeur."
"Your dearest relative, Yuri-chan! You truly are a beautiful silver-haired girl! A real feast for the eyes."
I was about to welcome her, but she interrupted me. Momoka-san's eyes were sparkling. And dearest relative, Yuri-chan? How did Tojurou-san describe me to you? I'm curious. I will ask him later.
''Momoka! Enough already!"
''Fufufu.''
Listening to their exchange just now, I started to laugh.
"Ahahahaha! You guys are so funny."
Chris laughed as well, clutching her stomach.
"What? I thought I spoke in Hinoshima. How come?"
"I already told you! We said that those who were chosen as exchange students would understand the language of Hinoshima! Yet, you!"
"Don't be angry, Fujino-san. Momoka-san's intonations are amusing."
Tojuro-san put his hand on Momoka-san's head.
"Allow me to rephrase that. She's also a daughter of the Lord of the Land. My father has a soft spot for her as the youngest."
"My Grandmother was from the West, that's why I transferred!"
Fujino-san fumbled and waved her hands, bowing her head.
'I'm really sorry about Momoka! I shall be sure to properly apologize to you later, so please pardon our insolence!"
"Raise your head. You're probably around the same age as us, right? No need to be so formal."
She raised her head, her long eyelashes downcast apologetically.
"...... Momoka and I are both thirteen years old."
"We're both the same age. I wonder if you'll be in our second-year class then. The people over there are my classmates and friends. Maybe you will be in the same class."
Chris proceeded to introduce Tria, Angel, and the rest of our classmates to Fujino-san.
I didn't miss Fujino-san muttering, "Princess, how honorable ......."
Then I felt a gaze on me and saw Momoka staring at me.
"Uh, Momoka-san?"
"Just Momoka is fine. Can I call you Yurie, too?"
"Sure."
"Yurie, you're so beautiful. You look like a doll. I've been wanting to meet you ever since my Brother Shiro told me about you."
It was embarrassing to be told that directly to my face.
"Hey, hey, will you be my friend?"
"I'd love to. I was thinking the same thing."
I've made a friend...... who is the same age as me and from Hinoshima.
"Fujino! I've made a Findalian friend!"
Momoka gestured a thumbs up, towards Fujino-san.
"I've got a friend too! See? So many!"
Fujino-san opened her arms. In the background were Chris and some other friends from the Magic Academy who had come to see us off.
I'm glad to see that they quickly became friends.
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TL Note: Just a little note~ Shiro means white, so she’s saying “Brother White!” And a hakama is a traditional Japanese outfit:
03301cdc-59a3-4dd6-b216-6761aefe35a7.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakama
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TL: Thank you for reading this far (???) Hope you enjoyed and happy reading~! Also, to my dear patrons, so sorry for posting this one really late. >.<