It had been a few days since Chris’s eyes were fully healed and since we told the others about the holy elixir.
Thinking it would be rude to impose on Hayato’s mansion any longer, I mentioned I would find an inn, but,
『Please don’t worry about that. Honestly, seeing you walking around the place like you own it feels more like the real Itsuki-san.』
—Hayato said, and with those words of praise, I ended up continuing to stay at his mansion.
It made me a little happy to realize we’d become close enough to exchange jokes like that.
「Haa… This tea’s really good…」
Well, it’s not green tea but black tea, though.
Come to think of it, weren’t black tea and green tea made from the same leaves?
Something about fermentation and drying made the difference, if I recall correctly… but it’s all vague in my memory now.
Thinking back, the modern world sure was convenient with instant search tools…
「Onii-san, have some sweets too.」
「Ah, thanks, Chris.」
「Chris’s sweets are delicious, so please eat as much as you like!」
Right now, I was enjoying some tea and sweets with Hayato and Chris.
We were sitting at a stylish table and chairs surrounded by the beautiful flower garden of Hayato’s mansion.
Chris sat close to Hayato, and whenever someone’s cup got low, she’d get up and refill it.
It honestly made me feel like some kind of noble.
As for why we were having our tea time outside in the garden instead of indoors,
「Haaaaah!」
「Tzzeeei!」
—those shouts of effort and the sound of metal clashing told the story.
……
Yeah, no.
I’m not saying it ruins the elegant mood or anything, since we came out here specifically to watch.
Still, it’s really impressive.
Even if they’re using dulled training weapons, swinging them that hard could easily kill someone if they hit in the wrong place.
Just goes to show the caliber of these seasoned adventurers.
「They’re really fired up.」
「Yeah. Hayato, you’re not joining them?」
「Ahaha, I just want to relax for now…」
Now that I think about it, he was out early yesterday and didn’t get back until late.
As both a brave and a count, he probably gets pulled into all sorts of things while in the capital…
And knowing his personality, he likely can’t bring himself to turn them down…
「Besides, Mii’s joined them today.」
Oh, that’s right.
The ones currently training are four people: Aina, Sorte, Renge, and Mii, four vanguards.
So we decided to sip tea while watching their training session.
「Still, it’s really something…」
All four of them had been moving nonstop since earlier.
What impressed me the most was Renge.
Amid weapons flying all around, she was fighting barehanded.
Even though she was wearing gauntlets, she parried, slipped inside her opponent’s guard, dodged, and deflected attacks, moves I couldn’t even imagine attempting.
Her opponent, Aina, was using a solid two-handed sword style, minimizing any openings after each strike.
When people hear “solid”, they might think of textbook movements that are predictable and overly defensive, lacking a decisive edge.
But in truth, this style is the result of long-standing research and is considered ideal for survival.
It has few weaknesses, and in Aina’s case, her extensive combat experience means she can adapt even to attacks that exploit the gaps in the standard manuals.
The back-and-forth of attacks and counters almost felt like watching a choreographed dance.
But Renge’s equipment was the real deal, what she always used, and I was all too familiar with how painful those fists could be.
Sorte held her spear, carefully managing the distance.
She used her speed to keep her opponents from getting close.
Normally, speed and spears don’t always pair well, if you’re not careful, the reach can work against you, but Sorte had the skill to control that space and prevent anyone from closing in.
Still, Mii was in a class of her own, unsurprising for someone who’d travels with Hayato.
Her weapon wasn’t an ordinary dagger, but a kukri, a large, inwardly curved blade.
Even so, the difference in reach was considerable.
Yet she managed to slip inside Sorte’s guard multiple times, putting Sorte in some dangerous positions.
「You’d never see anything like this in our world…」
「Says the guy who’s way beyond that level…」
This man, he was strong enough to spar with all four of them, the Red Line and Mii.
And what’s more, I could tell he wasn’t even going all out.
Normally, a sword like the Light Holy Sword (Excalibur), practically the size of a greatsword, would require two hands.
But thanks to his high stats, he wielded it effortlessly with one hand.
That left his other hand free to hold a sturdy shield.
Honestly, he was the ultimate in both offense and defense.
The first time I saw him fight, I thought I was watching someone battle a fortress, impossible to breach, easy to defend.
Even when it was four against one, he guarded with perfect composure.
And when he swung his sword, it was so fast that even from a distance, I could clearly see how sharp it was.
On top of that, all his stats were high, including speed.
Even a complete novice could see he was overwhelmingly powerful.
「…So, Shiro, you’re not joining in?」
「Tch… How did you know I was here?」
Well, I mean, when someone tries to sneak up on me from behind, I tend to notice.
Though that’s not quite true,
I had set the Level 4 Space Magic skill “Area Pointing” to track “hostility”.
Most likely, it picked up on her mischievous intent to surprise me.
Thanks to that, I was able to sense Shiro approaching.
Of course, just because I sensed her didn’t mean I could actually dodge her charges…
「Toh!」
Just as expected, Shiro leapt over and landed directly on my lap.
If she had slipped even slightly, she could’ve knocked over the table with a crash, but of course, Shiro would never make a mistake like that.
I caught her in a gentle hug, settling her securely on my lap.
The impact was considerable, but I’d gotten used to it by now.
As for Shiro, she immediately reached for one of the sweets in front of her and took a bite, her eyes lighting up.
「Mogu mogu… What were you talking about?」
「Just that those four are amazing out there.」
「Shiro-san, would you like to join them or stay here?」
「Hmm, here.」
「Then I’ll prepare another cup.」
Chris started to rise from her seat to fetch one.
「No need. I’ll share with lord.」
「Yeah, that’s fine.」
No need to go all the way back to the mansion just for that.
Besides, Chris looked so happy sitting beside Hayato, I didn’t want to interrupt that.
「But if Shiro’s joining us, we might be short on sweets. Guess it’s time to bring out yesterday’s new creation.」
「Ah, the white one I helped with yesterday!」
「Yep. Since Hayato wasn’t around, we held off on eating it. I did taste it, but figured we might as well enjoy it together.」
「I’m sorry I missed it… So, what did you make?」
「You’ll see. Shiro, you’re eating too, right?」
「Of course.」
Figured as much.
I’d planned to serve enough for everyone from the start anyway.
-0-
Now then, time for the big reveal.
「Ta-dah! It’s shortcake!」
Is “ta-dah” too old-fashioned?
Well, whatever. With fresh whipped cream finally available, it was the obvious choice.
I wasn’t confident in making sponge cake myself, but when I asked Chris for advice, she worked through it with me until we nailed it.
「Ooooh! Amazing! It’s real strawberry shortcake!」
「It’s a simple ‘Strongberry’ strawberry shortcake, but just seeing it like this is moving, huh!」
「Totally! Whoa… it really brings back memories…」
I get it, Hayato. I really do!
When I finished it, I almost cried too!
I held back the urge to dig in right away just so I could share this emotional moment with you!
Maybe I should aim to become a patissier in this world.
Baking this cake was genuinely fun.
Seeing Hayato so happy made it all worth it.
And Chris, watching Hayato’s pure joy, was beaming with a soft smile too.
Though for some reason, my cooking skill still hasn’t leveled up!
「Lord, can I eat now?」
「Hold on. On occasions like this, Hayato goes first.」
「Me!? I get to go first!?」
「Yeah. I made this shortcake while wearing a heart-print apron, eat it with pride!」
「Now it’s hard to eat!!」
「Hey, you’re the one who lent me that apron when I asked.」
「I thought Freed would bring out a normal one…」
…Hey, Freed.
You were the one who brought that heart apron yesterday, weren’t you!?
What kind of thinking was that!?
You figured, “He’s Hayato, he’ll be fine with this,” didn’t you!?
Well, yeah, I wore it because it worked just fine, but still!
Chris was holding back laughter the entire time!
「Hayato, eat already」
「Ah, yes. Sorry. Then, I’ll begin」
Using a silver fork, he sliced off a bite-sized piece with whipped cream, sponge, and strawberry all together, and popped it into his mouth.
「Mmmph!」
Then he closed his eyes, looked up at the sky as if overwhelmed with emotion, and trembled slightly.
「It’s delicious! So incredibly delicious!」
「Glad to hear it! Really, that’s great」
「Lord, can I eat now?」
「Yeah, go ahead. Sorry to keep you waiting」
「It’s okay」
Shiro stabbed the topmost strawberry with her fork and took a bite.
So she’s the type who eats the strawberry first.
For me, I usually eat it midway through to switch up the flavor.
Chris was happily cutting into her own slice as well, so I figured it was time for me to dig in, too.
「Sweet! So good!」
「Yeah. The tartness of the strongberries blends with the rich sweetness and whipped cream, making it dense yet refreshing」
「It’s really delicious. Ah, Hayato-sama, you’ve got cream on your cheek」
「Huh? Which side?」
「Right here」
Chris scooped the cream from his cheek with her finger and popped it into her mouth.
Then, realizing what she’d just done under everyone’s gaze, she turned bright red along with Hayato.
Ahh, how innocent and sweet!
「Muu… Not bad」
Fired up with competitive spirit, Shiro scooped a generous amount of cream onto her finger and reached out toward me.
「Aaahn?」
「…Wrong」
Huh, wrong? I thought,
She veered toward my cheek instead.
I hurriedly grabbed her wrist to stop her, but as small as she is, Shiro’s strength is ridiculous!
「Shiro? No. You don’t smear it on my cheek with your finger!」
「Lord, accept your fate!」
「Accept what!? Fine, if you want to do it, I’ll do it myself! Just don’t use that much!」
「Okay. Got it」
With that, Shiro licked the cream off her finger herself, and I reluctantly dabbed a tiny bit onto my own cheek.
Hayato, stop holding back your laughter.
You might as well just laugh openly at this ridiculous situation.
「Okay, hurry up and finish it, Shiro…」
「Hmm」
Slurp.
…
I expected her to scoop it with her finger.
But the moment she shifted her position on my lap, I should’ve realized something was off…
I half-joked to myself, “She might actually go that far,” but,
She really did.
Slurp, slurp.
…She’s licking my cheek.
But… I’ll give her points for closing her eyes while doing it.
「Lick lick lord」
「You’re saying it out loud!?」
This is the first time I’ve seen someone say it in words instead of sound effects!
Girls shouldn’t go around saying “lick lick”!
「Uh… Shiro?」
「Hmm?」
「How long do you plan to keep licking…?」
「Until I get bored」
「I see…」
It tickles…
And as expected of Shiro, being a catkin.
Her tongue isn’t as rough as a real cat’s, but it’s still textured!
She’s got a cat’s tongue and mannerisms, it all fits.
「U-um… Shiro-san? How about stopping now? You’ve already got it all, right?」
「Just a bit more」
「I see…」
Well, considering the two people blushing furiously in front of me, it’s probably about time to end this.
「Shiro, this is bad」
「What? Did you get aroused?」
「No, not really」
「…Then I’ll keep going」
No, wait. I won’t say it’s impossible to be aroused by this, but not now.
There’s still another sweet treat waiting.
So,
「Shiro, at this rate, I won’t be able to serve the next dessert」
「Okay. I’ll stop」
Whoosh!
She snapped back into her usual position in the blink of an eye!
Too fast, I didn’t even see her move!
「There’s more?」
「Yes! This one looked really delicious too!」
「Master, hurry. The sweets are escaping」
「They’re not…」
Alright then, time to bring out the second treat.
Although, it’s kind of similar to the shortcake.
Leave a Reply