Shomin no Aji - Chapter 513.2 (Patreon)

Gotta give them plenty of love!
When I returned to the special dormitory and headed for the lounge, I found Kaguya curled up asleep on the sofa.

“Oh my, now that’s unusual. How come Kaguya came out of the room?”

When I approached her, she jumped up and looked alarmed, but when she realized it was me, she relaxed and sat down.

(Ah sheesh, you startled me. I felt that bird’s presence, so I thought she was out to get me again.)

Kaguya observed my face as she replied to me via telepathy.

“That bird… you mean Suzaku-sama?”
(Yeah. It’s faint, but there’s presence of that fella on you… rather than that, you. The presence of the doggy’s group has faded off you. How could they allow that?)

It seems that Suzaku-sama's feather was effective.

“We went to see some monsters today on a tour of Monsterology, so Suzaku-sama lent me this.”

When I showed her the feather I had tucked away in my pocket, Kaguya's face contorted in an exasperated gape.

(You are carrying something like this on you? Oh, that’s why they have been sulking all afternoon.)

Kaguya seemed convinced.

“Sulking, you say… Mashiro and Kurogane?”
(Yeah, them. I was so uncomfortable that I snuck out of the room only to be grabbed by that bird. I just got out of her grasp.)
“I see…”

Both of them were really controlling themselves for my sake, haven’t they? I also did bad by Kaguya.

“Umm… Cristea-san? Just what are you…”

Ah, not good. Kaguya was talking to me with telepathy, so Mariel-chan didn't know what the conversation was about. She can talk normally with a specific person, in this case me, the contract owner, by telepathy, but other people won't be able to hear her. If Kaguya extended the range of her telepathy around her, it would be possible for her to talk with everyone, but she doesn't want to talk with other people via telepathy. She even literally catcalls Miria, whom she begs for food.
I don't know if Miria would be surprised if she knew Kaguya's bad character, or if she would scold her, saying, "A girl should not use such language!” I guess it would be one or the other.

“Umm…?”

Oops, I left Mariel-chan hanging.

“You see, for the Monsterology observation visit, Suzaku-sama gave us a trick to keep the monsters from getting scared, but Mashiro and Kurogane are apparently sulking because of it…”
“Oh… we certainly did something unfair to the two.”

Sei seemed to understand my explanation.

“Unfair?”
“You know that when you sign a Sacred Beast contract, the Sacred Beasts become extremely possessive of your master, don't you? That's why they always mark me with their presence strongly, so they can claim me as their master to other monsters. Today, I received a help from Suzaku-sama as a countermeasure to prevent me from scaring the monsters, but…”

Saying this, I took out the feather of Suzaku-sama from my pocket and showed it to her.

“I see! In short, they got jealous because of Suzaku-sama’s presence on your body!”
“That’s right. Umm… Mariel-san. Would it be alright to hear you out while brushing everyone?”

I really wanted to satisfy my desire for fluff, too, so it's perfect.

“Of course. It would be for the best to better the two’s mood as soon as possible."

Having obtained Mariel-chan's approval, I immediately called them over and consulted with Mariel-chan about her course selection, while everyone, including Kaguya included, were thoroughly fluffed… and brushed.

Next chapter: Shomin no Aji - Chapter 514.1