As expected or better than expected?
Mint’s mastery of the sled came shockingly fast.
「Whee! Ahahaha, zoom!」
「Bark!」
It took her just thirty minutes to reach mother without losing balance. In an hour, she could stay on the sled even when Chocola sped up, and in about two hours, even when Chocola dashed wildly in all directions, Mint didn’t budge.
Thus, in less than four hours, Mint earned the title of dog-sledding master.
「Whoa, Mint, you’re amazing!」
「Even Chocola… has so much energy…」
Ji-Ness, half-laughing, and Mine-Orc, somewhat overwhelmed, said.
Both of them had been flying alongside the sled earlier, but now they had given up on keeping up and were just watching from the sidelines.
By the way, Chocola was powered up with physical enhancement magic, so…
「Ahahaha! Go, go! Yeehaw!」
「I-I can’t anymore…!」
Bonfire, who was perched on Chocola’s head, was shouting like a cowboy riding a wild horse, while Hanaikada, clinging to Mint, lost her grip and had to retreat.
She flew unsteadily toward me and plopped onto my head, spreading her body flat.
「So tired…」
「Are you okay? You’re not dizzy, are you?」
「I’m fine, thanks, Sui! It’s just so fun! It’s fast and feels amazing. I’ll join in again after a little rest.」
「Don’t Mint and Chocola ever get tired…?」
I muttered under my breath.
I glanced over at Karen, who stood at the edge of the field. She caught my eye and shrugged lightly. ‘They still seem full of energy.’ she said.
Just then, Chocola and Mint, still racing across the snow, noticed me.
「Suiiiiiii!」
Mint waved energetically as Chocola swerved toward me, kicking up snow as she ran.
He barreled toward me with thunderous steps, his paws pounding the snow.
「Bark!」
Chocola skidded to a halt, but inertia sent the sled spinning in a clockwork drift, and Mint was flung from it.
She tumbled into the snow, rolled a few times, and then sprang up, launching herself at me in a rocket-like dive.
「Whoomph!」
「Oof!」
「Sui! Thanks! Fun… so much fun!」
She exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear as she clung to my waist.
I patted her head as she nuzzled against me.
「You’re cold. Are you okay?」
「I’m fine!」
「Alright… yeah, you seem fine.」
I said, checking her temperature. She was cold on the surface, but warm underneath, her body radiating heat from all the excitement. Mint’s engine was running at full throttle.
「You’re full of energy, huh? Had fun?」
「Bark! Bark!」
「Come here for a second.」
I said, setting Mint down and beckoning Chocola over. I checked the sled harness to make sure everything was intact. Thankfully, the joints weren’t bent, and the straps hadn’t stretched. Even though the harness had the ‘indestructible’ attribute, the amount of running they’d done had still made me a bit nervous.
「Mint, do you want to take a break?」
Karen, who had been standing watch with me, walked over. Seeing her, mother and grandma emerged from the kamakura where they had been quietly enjoying tea.
「You’ve all been playing for a while. Sui, isn’t it about time to eat?」
I glanced up at the sky. The sun had climbed high—perfect timing for lunch.
「Yeah, I think so. Then…」
I said, scanning the group.
Mint and Chocola were already pretty dirty, and the young dragons and fairies were just as covered in snow.
「Why don’t we eat outside today?」
I suggested.
Even though it was winter and the snow was thick, we could turn this into a picnic.
※※※
When it comes to a picnic, the first thing that comes to mind is onigiri.
This would be the first time making onigiri since coming back to this world. I hadn’t thought about it until now, but once I decided, an unexpected excitement welled up inside me.
There’s something that speaks to the soul about onigiri.
「So, Karen, you’re going to help me!」
「Hmm, leave it to me!」
Even though she had no idea what she’d be doing, Karen confidently clenched her fist. Together, we stepped into the kitchen. I wasn’t entirely sure how this would go… but I figured we’d manage.
The fillings I prepared were green onion miso, kelp simmered in soy sauce, kinpira (seasoned burdock), and minced meat. Some of these were leftovers or quick-to-make ingredients since I didn’t want to keep everyone waiting too long. I also decided to make plain salt onigiri, even if no one wanted them—mainly because I did.
「First, just watch. It may look simple, but it requires a bit of technique.」
Using pre-cooked rice, I grabbed a pack containing 200 grams. I divided it in half, making two onigiri of even size. This method ensured consistency, which was handy.
「First, sprinkle a little salt on your palms and rub it in. Then take half of the rice. Thanks to physical enhancements and the barrier magic, you shouldn’t get burned, but the rice is hot, so be careful.」
After that, I grabbed a small amount of filling from the bowl.
「Take about this much and wrap the rice around it. Ideally, you form it into a triangle with your hands, but if that’s too hard, round is fine.」
I quickly shaped the rice ball.
「The key is not to make it too loose or too tight. There’s a bit of finesse involved, but since the amount of rice is fixed, just try to match the size of mine. See? Like this.」
「Hmm, okay. Easy.」
「Is it, though? Well, give it a try.」
Karen, brimming with confidence as usual, picked up half of the rice. She placed a pinch of filling inside, and then cupped her hands around it—
「… ….. …..」
She froze for a solid five seconds.
「Kare…?」
「Shh.」
「Yes, ma’am.」
Karen silenced me and then, holding the rice as though in prayer, began some kind of strange ritual. Wait, why are her shoulders moving? You only need your wrists to mold the rice!
「Karen…」
「Shh!」
「Okay…」
After another ten seconds or so, she finally placed her creation on the Tupperware. It was shaped… well, it was shaped.
「It looks like a rugby ball…」
「This is… harder than I thought.」
Her shoulders slumped, and I couldn’t help but chuckle.
「It’s fine. The filling didn’t spill out, so you did well.」
「But yours is a perfect triangle…」
「It doesn’t have to be a triangle.」
「I thought this would be easy…」
「You’ll get the hang of it, just like with Mint’s sled.」
With both our hands occupied by rice, I leaned in gently and nudged her.
「Come on, try again. We’ve still got plenty to make.」
「Hmm… I’ll do my best.」
Karen, embarrassed but also a bit determined, nodded, her long ears blushing slightly.
「Maybe you’re putting too much force into your arms, especially your shoulders. Try relaxing and only moving your wrists.」
「Like… this?」
「Exactly. Don’t worry about making a triangle this time, just focus on making a round shape. Once you’ve got that, you can move on to triangles.」
「…Like this?」
「Yes, perfect! That’s great!」
「Hmm… done.」
Karen beamed, placing the round rice ball into the container.
Then she pressed herself proudly against my shoulder, looking pleased with herself.
「I’m going to make a lot more. Next time, I’ll try a triangle. I want you to eat the ones I make, Sui.」
「I’m looking forward to it.」
Together, we continued shaping onigiri, chatting and laughing as we worked.
I noticed mother peeking into the living room but quickly turning back when she saw us. I pretended not to notice.
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