Two months had passed since Dama and Nini's visit to Tsubasa's shrine. The talisman Tsubasa had entrusted him with hung prominently on the wall above his bed, its presence a quiet reminder of her concern and care.

  This morning, as the sunlight filtered through the wooden shutters of the cabin, Dama sat cross-legged on one side of the bed, facing Giona. She sat against the bedhead, her legs tucked to one side, holding Tales of the Cataclysm.

  “R-Recon… Recon-sile?” Giona’s soft voice wavered as she read aloud, her brow furrowed in concentration. “No... Re-con-sile. Right...?”

  Dama, resting his head on his fist, nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, that’s right. Keep going.”

  But his mind was elsewhere, his eyes unfocused as Giona continued. Her exaggerated pronunciations and determined attempts to get the words right filled the cabin, but Dama’s thoughts drifted to two persistent worries that lingered in the back of his mind.

  The first was the floating orb above the lake. It had been two months since he last saw it, despite his repeated prayers to the Goddess Helia statue. No matter how many times he begged for guidance or tried to will himself into that place again, the serene, otherworldly lake remained out of reach.

  The second was the absence of that overwhelming, suffocating negative presence. Not once in the past two months had he felt the creeping dread that had once chilled his spine, despite him and his stuffed companions always being on the alert for it.

  Coincidentally, Giona hasn't had a single nightmare since then either. Though, Dama mainly attributed that to how tight she clings onto him when they sleep together like he was some comfort stuffed animal.

  His gaze shifted to the talisman above the bed, its simple design a stark contrast to the weight it carried. Was it truly keeping "Curse" at bay? Or had "Curse" simply chosen not to return?

  He sighed softly, his lips pressed into a thin line. The uncertainty gnawed at him, even as he reminded himself of Tsubasa’s reassurances.

  “Dama?” Giona’s voice snapped him out of his reverie.

  “Huh?” He blinked, realizing she had paused, staring at him with a puzzled expression.

  “You... You not...listen.” She said, gesturing towards her ears, her tone holding a hint of disappointment.

  Dama straightened up, forcing a small smile. “Oh! Sorry, Giona. I was just thinking about something. You’re doing great! Let’s try that last line again.”

  Giona hesitated, then nodded, her focus returning to the book. As she resumed reading, Dama’s gaze flickered back to the talisman. For now, he could only hope Tsubasa’s charm would be enough to keep whatever that unseen force was at bay.

  Just then, there was a knock at the door. It broke the calm of the morning, pulling both Dama and Giona's attention away from their reading practice. Dama furrowed his brow as he got up and walked over, opening the door to reveal Tsubasa standing there with her usual warm smile.

  To his surprise, she was carrying a bundle of colorful clothes and dresses draped over her arms.

  “Granny?” Dama asked, blinking. “What’s all this for—?” He paused mid-sentence as realization dawned on him. “Wait, are these for Giona?”

  Tsubasa chuckled and nodded. “That’s right~!”

  She stepped inside, excited to see Giona's reaction, her sharp eyes immediately noticing Mumu and Nini resting on the floor. Mumu was lying on his side, one hand propping up his head and the other casually resting on his hip. Nini was curled up like a fox, nestled against Mumu’s stomach for warmth.

  Tsubasa greeted them warmly. “Good morning, you two!” She said with a smile and wave.

  Mumu opened one eye and gave her a lazy wave, while Nini twitched her ears in acknowledgment, her tail wagging like a wave.

  Meanwhile, Giona’s face lit up like the morning sun. She excitedly shouted Tsubasa’s name, "Chewbasa!" though her pronunciation wasn’t perfect, her enthusiasm more than made up for it.

  Tsubasa laughed, the sound full of affection, like a mother delighted by her own child’s excitement. “Good morning, dear. Hope this morning finds you well.” She replied, walking over to her.

  Unable to contain herself, Giona swung her legs over the edge of the bed and attempted to stand. She wobbled, her trembling legs barely supporting her weight, but she started walking toward Tsubasa, her joy overriding her physical limitations.

  Dama, however, immediately grew alarmed. “Giona! You still can’t—!”

  Before he could finish, Giona’s legs gave out, and she tripped forward. Dama rushed to her side, catching her in his arms just before she hit the ground. “Are you okay?” Dama asked, his voice filled with concern.

  Giona looked up at him, her expression both grateful and apologetic. “Dama… I—I am...sorry...” she said softly, her words forming a full sentence.

  Tsubasa’s eyes widened as she observed. Giona’s progress in speaking, though slow, was becoming evident, and it filled her with pride.

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  “You need to stay in bed.” Dama told her as he propped her up straight, his tone firm but kind. “Your body and muscles are still recovering.”

  Giona’s excitement dimmed as she glanced down, guilt evident on her face. “Sorry…” she murmured again.

  “There’s nothing to apologize for,” Dama reassured her with a small smile, “you were just excited to see Tsubasa. That’s okay, I'm always excited to see her too!”

  Carefully, he helped her back onto the bed, tucking her in. Tsubasa watched the interaction, her heart warm at the care and patience Dama showed toward Giona. "That's my boy~" She thought it herself, cocking her head to the side with a smile before making her way to the bed.

  Once Giona was settled, Tsubasa placed the bundle of clothes on Dama's desk before turning her attention to Dama and grabbing his arm, pulling him close as she whispered, "Has anything happened yet?"

  Dama quickly whispered back, immediately realizing that Tsubasa wanted to keep the convo on the low. "No ma'am. Ever since that incident two months ago and the last check up a week ago, nothing strange has happened—not even a single nightmare." He shrugged. "Though, I have heard her mumble some weird stuff in her sleep from time to time..."

  "Oh?" Tsubasa responded, showing her intrigue via a raised eyebrow. "Pray tell, what does she say?"

  "She just keeps on saying 'yes or 'no' as if talking to someone. She also giggles a lot in between." Dama said before leaning in closer. "But the weirdest thing is the fact that whenever I ask her the morning after, she always looks at me with a confused look, no matter how much I try to explain what I'm asking."

  Tsubasa grasped at her chin. "I see. Though, that could easily be explained by the fact most people can't immediately remember their dreams, even when waking up from said dream a second earlier."

  "Fair enough." Dama replied, scratching his own chin in thought.

  Tsubasa glanced at Giona for a brief moment. "However, that isn't a guarantee. How often does this happen?"

  "Around four nights a week," Dama confirmed, "and not only that, but both Mumu and Nini have signaled to me that she sometimes talks in her sleep while I'm away during the day. Other than that though, they also haven't experienced anything strange either."

  "Four nights a week? Could be a lot of factors—or she could just be a natural sleep-talker." Tsubasa said before sighing. "At least so far nothing seems to be out of the ordinary. Maybe that talisman works after all, eh?"

  Patting Dama on the back with a warm laugh, Tsubasa then turned her attention to Giona, her face still beaming. “Alright dear! Let’s try out some of these clothes, shall we?” She said brightly, wanting to lift the mood again.

  Giona’s eyes sparkled with excitement, and even Dama seemed curious about what Tsubasa had brought. Tsubasa sat on the bed with Giona. “Could raise your arms like this, Giona?” She asked, spreading her own arms out to the sides in a cross-like motion.

  Giona tilted her head in confusion but smiled nonetheless, mimicking Tsubasa’s movements and holding her arms up in the same way.

  “Perfect!” Tsubasa said cheerfully. She took one of the dresses from the bundle, a green one with a lace aesthetic, and held it against Giona, tilting her head as she evaluated how it would look.

  As Tsubasa worked, Dama stood to the side as he asked, “Did Ms. Alexandra make all of these?”

  “Most of them, yes,” Tsubasa replied with a smile, “but a few are hand-me-downs from some of the village girls. They’ve outgrown their old clothes because most of the kids in Enohay are hitting their growth spurts now—especially the girls. Puberty’s in full swing for them you could say.”

  She glanced at Dama, a playful glint in her eye. “Speaking of which, have you been experiencing any changes yourself, boy?”

  Dama froze, his face turning a shade pinker. He stammered for a moment before shaking his head. “N-No! Nothing like that…” His voice trailed off, and he glanced away, his thoughts betraying him.

  While he hadn’t noticed any physical changes, he couldn’t deny that lately, he’d become much more conscious of girls. The thought made his face heat up even more, and he quickly dismissed it, deciding it was too embarrassing to share with Tsubasa.

  Tsubasa, however, wasn’t fooled. She glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, a knowing smile tugging at her lips. "That answers my question plenty, can't hide anything from me, Dama." She thought, amused by his reaction.

  Returning her focus to Giona, Tsubasa draped the dress she had chosen over Giona’s shoulders, stepping back to get a better look. “Hmm...this one’s nice, but let’s try another!” Moving on to the next option.

  As Tsubasa held another dress up against Giona, this time a blue sunskirt, she turned to Dama. "By the way, what are you planning to wear to the Enohay Spirit Festival?"

  Dama leaned back against his desk and shrugged. "Ms. Alder told me not to worry about that. She said she has an outfit ready for me since we're doing an event together during the festival."

  Tsubasa nodded, her ears perking up slightly. "Ah yes, I remember Liam mentioning something about that while helping with the preparations. I’d ask what the event is, but I guess I’ll just have to wait and see when I get there."

  She adjusted the dress on Giona and glanced back at Dama. "Speaking of which, shouldn’t you be heading out soon? It might be a good idea to meet with Kina early to do some last-minute practice and prep."

  Dama considered her suggestion, then hesitated. "Are you sure you want me to just leave you here with Giona?"

  Tsubasa chuckled softly. "Oh, we’ll be fine. If you’re worried about me making it down the mountain, don’t be. Have you forgotten who you’re talking to? I’m a beastman, boy, scaling a measly mountain is a piece of rice cake for me!" She smiled warmly at Giona, who was watching the exchange curiously. "Besides, I’d love to spend some more time with Giona before coming down, some girl time. I’m sure I'll show up a little after the festival has already started."

  Dama thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Alright, if you’re sure." He turned toward the door and called out. "Mumu! Nini!"

  Both of them perked up from their resting spots, alert and ready. Mumu stretched, while Nini uncurled from her spot, her stitched smile as bright as ever.

  Dama opened the front door and gestured outside. "Granny Tsu’s right. We should get going to meet Ms. Alder!"

  Mumu and Nini exchanged glances, nodding with smiles, before trotting out the door. Dama paused for a moment and looked back at Tsubasa and Giona. "Bye for now! Have fun with Granny Tsu, okay, Giona? I’ll be back before you know it!"

  Giona gave him a small wave and a soft, "Okay, Dama..."

  Tsubasa waved too. "Don’t keep Kina waiting, and good luck with your event!"

  With that, Dama stepped out, closing the door behind him.

  Tsubasa then turned to Giona with a playful grin. "Alright, my dear. Now, let’s see which of these dresses makes you shine the brightest, and which ones you like the most." She announced before squealing a bit, relishing in the fact she never got to do something like this before. "Ooooooooh, this is going to be so much fun!"

  -

  Next: (Extra Chapter 23) Dama and Owain