Volume 11 – Gentle Days Go By
Chapter 60 – The Scenery We Take for Granted
It’s fully spring now.
As the season that begins the cycle of the year, it feels like a fresh start.
With Sidera’s “Snowmelt” festival behind us, there’s a sense of closure, and the sunny weather has become more noticeable. It’s officially April. Winter is already a fond memory, and it might even be time to start considering the rainy season on the horizon.
「…That said, right now, I just want to relax in this warm sunlight.」
「Kwaa… bark-sniff.」
Stretching my legs out on the pasture, I gaze up at the sky.
Beside me, Chocola curls up and lets out a big yawn.
In the distance, I see Pochi lazily grazing on grass. Mint is sprawled across his back, lying face-down in a hug as she soaks up the sunlight.
Over at the gazebo, Mother and Karen seem to be enjoying tea. I’m not sure if Color-san and the others are visiting today. If they are, they’re probably relaxing quietly, as usual.
A spring afternoon, with each family member spending their time as they please.
Because everyone is absorbed in their own thing, there’s no conversation. But that’s precisely why it feels so calm and pleasant. Even without words, just being here together, even without knowing exactly what everyone is doing, there’s a shared sense of presence.
That alone made me happy.
「Maybe I’ll take a nap.」
「Fshun.」
I ruffle Chocola’s back as he snuffles softly. He’s feeling drowsy too, it seems. Instead of playing, he simply shifts a little, glances at me, then curls up tighter and rests his chin on his neatly folded front paws.
April—around this time a year ago, I think, was when I reunited with Mother. Life in this world was beginning to settle down, and we started talking about visiting Sidera. Then Ji Liz came to our house.
Back then, I wasn’t paying attention to the seasons at all. I only realized it was spring because someone mentioned it. I remember thinking, “So this world has seasons too.”
Warm sunlight and a refreshing breeze.
The murmurs from beyond the forest—the rustling of leaves, the swaying of trees, and the faint stirrings of animals.
As peaceful as it seems, this is still the Void Forest. Outside the boundaries of our home, where we can’t see, there are likely constant struggles for survival, creatures preying and being preyed upon. Yet, unlike a year ago, no beasts venture near our home now. The only occasional visitors are birds or flying creatures like wyverns passing overhead.
「Come to think of it, a wyvern once stole my ball, didn’t it…」
I wonder if that one’s still alive. Did it feel disappointed when it realized the thing it snatched wasn’t food? As my thoughts drifted along these lines, my consciousness slowly sank, like descending into the depths of a quiet lake—
※※※
「…Hey, Sui. Wake up, time?」
「Mm…? Oh, Mint.」
—How much time had passed, I wondered.
When Mint shook me awake, I opened my eyes to find the sun had dipped low, painting the western sky a deep red. Stretching my arms, I sat up. Sleeping on the ground had left me feeling a bit stiff.
「Sui, sleep like log! So Karen said you rest, we played there!」
「I see, you both were being considerate. Mint, you’re so thoughtful.」
When I patted her head, she puffed out her chest proudly with a little “Mufuu.”
「But Mother said you wake up! Ano ne, Sui, sleep long day, won’t sleep night!」
「You’re absolutely right. Thanks for waking me up, Mint.」
I gave her another pat, and she beamed even more, her chest puffed out in satisfaction.
「Where’s Chocola, by the way?」
「Over there! Chocola, come!」
「Bark!」
Chocola, who had been sniffing around near Pochi, perked up and came running toward us. Mint braced herself and caught his leaping form with ease. Even though she was just a child, her enhanced strength made catching a large dog no problem at all.
「…Wait a second, Mint. Did you grow taller?」
「Huh…?」
「Come over here for a moment.」
Something about her size compared to Chocola seemed different from what I remembered. Curious, I lifted Mint into my arms. Ah, I knew it—when I held her before, her eye level wasn’t quite this high.
「Maybe I should start keeping track of your height.」
「Keeping track?」
「Yeah, Mint’s growing little by little, becoming an adult.」
I had no idea how Alraune matured. She might grow to appear our age within a few years, or perhaps she’d take decades to grow slowly. With her earth-element magic allowing her to alter her body, predicting her development was even harder.
But—if her height was already changing, it meant she wouldn’t stay a child forever.
「Even the food you can eat has been expanding, hasn’t it? When you were just born, you couldn’t handle anything salty, but now you’re fine with not just salty stuff but even spicy food.」
「Spicy? Curry? Like!」
「Alright then, maybe we’ll have curry for dinner.」
As we chatted, I lifted Mint and shifted her onto my shoulders for a piggyback ride.
「Wow, so high!」
「I need to get dinner ready. Will you help me, Mint?」
「Helping? Mint do it!」
Someday, Mint will grow even bigger.
Shoulder rides might become impractical, and at most, I’ll only be able to carry her on my back. Eventually, she might even find being carried embarrassing altogether.
Thinking about that made me a little sad, but at the same time, I couldn’t help but look forward to watching her grow.
「I didn’t do much of anything today.」
「? Sui, took nap, right?」
「Yeah, that’s true. I did nap. What did you do, Mint?」
「Mint? Mint hugged Pochi, warm and cozy! Pochi’s hard, but warm, you know? Feels so nice!」
「I see. Maybe I’ll try it sometime.」
Even if I spent my day aimlessly, Mint absorbs everything around her, stacking each experience and growing steadily.
This spring, then the rainy season, summer, autumn, and another winter—
Hearing the laughter of the child perched on my shoulders, I found myself imagining the future. At the same time, I was getting excited about deciding what to put in tonight’s curry.
——————————————————
And so begins Volume 11.
It’ll probably be a volume where nothing much happens…
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