Lydia and Pete learned even more about the world their daughters had been living in now, and they were starting to warm up to the idea. They especially liked how idyllic, slow, and easygoing it seemed to be. Naturally, it still wasn't a decision that could be made lightly, so the two still weren't sure what to do.

"Look at this, Sari!" While the parents had their chat, Sophia and the others were still showing the baby around in her domain. Inside the log cabin of Chloe and Fen's holiday retreat, the blonde, with her littlest sister strapped against her chest, walked over to the massive window in the living room that showed the outside environment in all its glory. There, she pointed at the impressive northern lights-like illumination in the sky.

"Gu~!" Sari stretched her hand towards the window, almost as if trying to grab the pretty lights while her light-blue eyes were sparkling.

"Pretty, isn't it?"

"Ho~!" The little girl happily jumped around in her carrier. She seemed to like the view a lot.

"It really is breathtaking." Maya stood beside them and took in their surroundings with great interest. "Magic is amazing!"

"While this was made with magic, it's actually a recreation of a natural phenomenon." The blonde smiled at her.

"Magic is a natural phenomenon, though?" The cat-girl couldn't follow her.

"Hah." Sophia had no idea how to respond to that. "Based on a different kind of natural thingy, but you do have a point."

"Also, magnetic fields play a part in northern lights, and magnets are basically magic anyway, so it's fine~," Steph added her own bit to it.

"True." The tiger nodded. "Anyway, let's enjoy it a little longer." Saying so, she gently patted Sari's head, who was completely absorbed in the pretty lights.

"Uo!" She seemingly enjoyed being pet.

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They stayed in the cabin for around ten more minutes before they felt like showing Sari something else because there was still lots to see. Chloe also joined the sisters and Maya, but Fen wasn't feeling it, so he got comfortable in his new favorite napping spot in front of the fireplace again.

"Haa!" The girls went to Sophia's cherry blossom forest again because Sari had been asleep when visiting it earlier. Also, they didn't go to the floating islands but inside the forest itself. There, the baby's excitement rose even more when she was surrounded by nothing but pink. She grabbed a branch of a weeping cherry right in front of her and intently studied it with great interest.

"Pretty, isn't it?" The tiger smiled at her little sister, cradled against her chest.

"Go~!" Sari excitedly shook the branch she was holding, which caused countless cherry petals to fall from the tree and showered the duo in them. "He~!" She started giggling after being covered in pink.

"You're so adorable!" Sophia had difficulties staying sane over the cuteness of her little sister.

"Someone's having a great time, huh?" Maya just watched them with warm eyes.

"Yes." Chloe nodded. "Sari seems to be enjoying herself, too." The fox-girl let out a small chuckle.

"Good one." Steph smiled at her.

"That's not something to eat, you know?" Ignoring them, the tiger noticed that Sari brought the branch she was holding closer to her mouth and tried to nibble on it.

"Naa!" She didn't like that and refused to let go of the twig.

"She's definitely their sister." Chloe could only come to one conclusion while watching them.

"Yup." Maya reacted with a big nod.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The older sisters didn't like that.

"Ka!" Sari also had to complain. She was so upset that she even let go of the twig.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

"…" The fox and cat duo tried their best to hold back a chuckle.

"Well, I guess that works." Sophia wasn't happy about the how, but she was glad her little sister let go of it.

"You know, I'm surprised she hasn't gotten overstimulated yet." Chloe stared at the little girl for a moment. Sari had gotten a little pouty-looking from having lost her toy, but it was clear that she was having a great time nonetheless. "Aren't babies supposed to be much more, uhh… high maintenance?"

"As expected of our little sister." Steph's expression turned smug.

"Exactly." The fox-girl nodded. "That is precisely why she should be more high-maintenance."

"Hah." The dog-girl scratched her cheek. "I hadn't thought this through." There was nothing she could defend herself with.

"I'm so happy I wasn't the one who said that." Sophia was self-aware enough to know that it would've ended exactly like that for her, too. "Anyway, not all babies are the same." The blonde smiled at Chloe. "Some need a lot of attention while others are low maintenance as long as they're happy. Steph actually had a point, too. Mom told me that both of us were very easy babies and only became complicated when we grew up."

"I guess that's a good point." The fox could follow her logic.

"Hah." This time, Maya was the one who looked slightly awkward. "My mom always complained how my brother and I were cheeky brats since the day we were born."

"Not surprised." Chloe and the older sisters had the same reaction.

"Hey!" The cat-girl raised her voice. "Fair, though." She couldn't blame them, either. "I hope ours, once that future happens, will take more after your side of the family during those early years." Maya then glanced at Sophia.

"Ehehe~." The tiger liked that. For various reasons.

"Things will become sooo lively if there's ever a little version of you two around us." Chloe's expression turned gentle.

"It would be even more lively with more little versions of us~." Sophia's eyes wandered between the fox-girl and Steph.

"A-Ah." Chloe's cheeks turned red. "I did that to myself, huh?" She noticed her mistake too late.

"We're not at that point yet." Steph lightly shook her head. "It's not something I usually say, or more like ever, but it's too early."

"Wow." Maya was impressed by those very Steph-unlike words.

"Well, it's not like we're going to announce a pregnancy tomorrow or anything like that, you know? We're also going to wait for longer, as mentioned many times before."

"It's a good thing that it's a conscious decision that isn't affected by accidents." Maya scratched her cheek.

"Yeah, we'd be done for if accidents were a cause for concern between two girls."

"Same." Steph and Chloe agreed.

"Ahaha~." Everyone let out another chuckle.

"…" Afterward, all turned silent all of a sudden.

"We didn't just raise a flag, didn't we?" Steph's eyes grew wide.

"N-Nah…" The tiger gingerly shook her head. "Even Canir told us that blessing magic can't be used without the explicit will and consent of both parties involved."

"G-Good!" The dog-girl let out a relieved sigh. "Different topic?"

"Different topic!" The other three agreed with her suggestion.

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The girls stayed in the cherry blossom forest for a little while longer, but as Sari kept trying to grab and nibble on all the branches around them, they decided it was time to continue with the tour.

"She'd make for an excellent bunny, squirrel, or maybe even deer-girl." While leaving the place, Maya stifled a laugh as she watched the baby still trying to grab every twig around them. "They also like to nibble on plants and branches, after all."

"I mean, I wouldn't be against it. They all sound adorable, but the more likely explanation is that she is a baby." Sophia smiled at her. "The number one thing babies have going on for them is putting things in their mouths that they aren't supposed to."

"Fair."

"Oh, Aura, Ari, and Anna just moved to the new pine forest!" She instantly knew that the group had changed positions thanks to her connection to the domain. "Let's show Sari one of the best-smelling places in existence~." Saying so, the group took another portal to meet up with them.

"How long was I asleep?!" The moment Aura saw Sophia and the baby cradled against her chest, she started panicking. "I took a nap before Ari and Anna wanted to go to the rainforest with me, but I thought it was just a few hours?! Did I accidentally hibernate again?! I hate it when that happens!"

"Okay, someone really has to teach me how to hibernate already!" The tiger raised her voice.

"No, they don't!" Maya glared at her.

"Anyway, congratulations!" The wolf looked at the bickering duo. "I knew it only was a matter of time~."

"It's not our kid." Sophia lightly rolled her eyes while remembering a similar exchange with a certain other wolf earlier. "It's my little sister. I'm babysitting while my parents meet Maya's."

"Ohh!" Aura sounded relieved. "That makes so much more sense! It also explains why I can feel no magic power, while my head most definitely would've exploded while trying to measure the power of your cub."

"You and Fenny really are made for each other." The blonde let out a small sigh.

"I know!" The wolf sounded smug for a moment. "Wait, why?"

"He said the exact same thing as you did just now when he saw me and Sari together. Basically word for word."

"Ehehe~." She liked the fact that they had the same reaction. "Are you showing her around and seeing how she likes it? To make sure your parents move here?"

"Not my exact words, but not too far from the plan, either." Sophia nodded. "If Sari enjoys being here, they can't use her as an excuse~."

"We do be a little crafty~." Steph nodded a few times.

"Alright! Let's show the little one the aromatic powers of pine!" Aura had no intentions of telling them off.

Having agreed on the plan, the wolf decided to give everyone a tour of her new and improved pine forest. However, before that, the sisters gave Anna and Ari a quick update on the situation. After all, they missed the chance to speak up and ask questions when Aura had such a strong first reaction.

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