The ice cellar was a fantastic success.
…..I mean, it was the result of Mint’s full effort.
The basement, located at the bottom of the stairs, was about three meters wide and three meters long, with a height of two meters, perfectly proportioned. The floors, walls, and ceiling were covered in smooth, evenly cut stone, giving it the appearance of being solidly cemented.
If we layer the ice that mother made in here and add a door to the entrance, it would serve as a large-capacity refrigerator. It might even be useful in the summer, not just the winter.
After praising Mint for her incredible work, we spent the rest of the evening playing together. She really did a fantastic job—she’s just so adorable and impressive.
「Mint, peach and banana, love! Shocola love too?」
「Bark!」
In the evening, we had tea with the fairies. Since Karen, mother, and I had dinner to prepare, we just had light refreshments, but we let Mint eat as much fruit as she wanted.
…Well, it was a generous offering from the ‘Fairy Realm of Tir na Nog’. It’s amazing how we can always get various fruits regardless of the season.
-0-
Anyway, another enjoyable day came to an end as the sun set, and night fell.
With Mint curling up in her outdoor nest, it became a moment of leisure before bed, each of us settling into our own nighttime activities.
In the living room were Chocola, mother, and me.
Karen was engrossed in a book in her room. It seemed she had been gradually reading the Japanese isekai books that father brought in. Because it is written for modern readers, there were many parts she didn’t understand, but she said it was a good learning experience. —She was probably trying to share knowledge with me.
「Are you still not feeling sleepy?」
「Bark!」
「You’re full of energy… It’s dark outside, so you can’t play, but don’t let Pochi feel too lonely, okay?」
「Kwu……」
Today, perhaps because he hadn’t moved much, Chocola was bustling about in the living room. He sniffed around, rested his head on my knee, grew bored within five seconds, and began wandering again. He was so restless.
「Should we exercise a lot tomorrow?」
「Bark!」
「Yes, here you go, Sui-kun.」
Just then, mother brought me some tea. I thanked her as I accepted it. The sweet aroma of apple wafted from the black tea.
「It’s apple tea. They drink it like this here too.」
「I learned it from father a long time ago.」
「Is that so? What about Karen’s?」
「I brought it to her just now. She was absorbed reading architecture book.」
「Maybe it’s because we talked about remodeling Pochi’s shed earlier?」
Mother sat beside me and smiled gently. For a while, we enjoyed our tea together.
As soon as mother returned, Chocola stopped his wandering, as if trying to ingratiate himself by curling up at her feet.
She must see mother as the highest authority in our home.
Areh? Then am I higher or lower than Chocola….
「…Hey, Sui-kun?」
As I pondered this, nother, still smiling warmly, asked me.
「Are you okay with Schnei and Tomoe-san?」
「Yeah… well, I’m not sure how much my meddling will actually help. But I think they’ll manage just fine on their own. Honestly, it’s not really a matter for a kid like me to interfere in.」
「Oh, Sui-kun, you’re not a child. You’re already connecting with Karen, right? You just chose not to walk that path.」
I appreciate the encouragement, but it feels uncomfortable to have my romantic affairs evaluated so directly by my own mother.
I gave a vague response of ‘Yeah’. Mother chuckled at that—casually, yet unexpectedly.
「I understand feelings of anxiety about the future. Adventurers never know what might happen. There’s always the chance of losing someone to death.」
She cut in there.
「……」
「Sui-kun, I think you’re ready to have this conversation now, but please tell me if it’s too hard for you.」
「And how about you, mother? Are you okay?」
「I’m fine. Right now, I’m genuinely happy.」
As she said this, she caressed the ring on her left hand, her wedding band, a precious gift from father.
「I’m not sure how things were where you lived, but here, it’s not uncommon for couples to be separated by death. Of course, there are those who stay together until the end of their days… but especially for adventurers, you never know when your time might come.」
Indeed, Schnei-san had once come close to death.
He had been surrounded by a horde led by the mutated bicorn. If I hadn’t been there, they would have surely perished. It’s just my family that is strange; mutants are just passer bys, and this forest is a place where you could encounter such beings at any moment.
Yet, my concern right now isn’t for Schnei-san.
It’s for the person right in front of me. The one mother is speaking about—herself.
These are the words and feelings of someone who has truly lost her husband.
「The desire to spend your life with the one you love is something everyone shares. If possible, we want to be together until we grow old and become grandparents… Marriage is built on such feelings, isn’t it?」
「…Yeah.」
My response felt heavy.
Because mother was unable to fulfill that wish.
And the reason her and father’s feelings went unfulfilled was because of me.
But then—when I looked into her eyes, I realized.
This person was speaking with full awareness of everything.
She knew that I was the one who caused the boundary erosion phenomenon thirteen years ago.
And she also knew that I was aware of that truth.
‘I think you’re ready to have this conversation now ‘—those words from Mother meant exactly that.
「But you don’t regret it, do you? Marrying father?」
「Of course not.」
That’s why I could ask such a question.
Mother smiled and nodded firmly in response.
「Of course… I can think of a million ‘I should have done this’ or ‘I could have done that’ moments. That’s natural; everyone feels that way. Not just your father and me, but you and Karen too, right?」
「…Yeah.」
Before I knew it, mother had pulled me close, resting her head against mine as she whispered softly.
「Still, if I could go back to the past, knowing what I know now about the future, I would still choose to marry Kazu-kun. I would adopt Karen and give birth to you. Kazu-kun… your father would surely say the same.」
Marriage.
It is a wish to stay together until old age and death, but it’s also about choosing each other as the one and only partner in one’s heart.
「I have no regrets. If I hadn’t married him, I would have regretted it far more. So if… Schnei and Tomoe-san feel the same way, if they hold the same hopes we did back then, they’ll be just fine.」
With that, mother kissed the top of my head and smiled brightly.
I couldn’t help but smile back—nodding in agreement.
「Yeah, they’ll be okay. Thank you; I feel relieved. Instead of worrying about helping or meddling, I’ll approach it with a celebratory spirit.」
「Yeah, do that. Of course, you’ll let me and Karen have some of that cake you’re making, right?」
She joked, but the glint of genuine appetite in her eyes was unmistakable.
It seems I’ll need to make sure to teach both mother and Karen a lesson.
After all, the treat I’m planning to make is seriously high in calories!
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