Rice Ball

,Kids grow up so fast, they say, but who knew my little brother would turn into such a handsome man in just two months.”

At Roel’s voice, filled with admiration and pride, I reflexively furrowed my brow.

Hyung-nim really only saw me as a young sibling.

In other words, I wasn’t even a competitor.

,Hyung-nim seems to have changed a lot too.”

It wasn’t just a polite platitude. Roel seemed to have gained a certain density.

Even without doing anything, I could feel a heavy presence.

Is this what it means to be a Transcender?

,Well, I can’t let my little brother, who’s being praised as the best ever, outshine me. I’ve been training hard too.”

A feeling, whether curiosity or competitiveness, welled up inside me.

Could I beat Roel if I used the Formless Breath?

As I was thinking that, Illia silently stood beside Roel.

When our eyes met, she nodded slightly, as usual.

I reflexively bowed my head in response.

,Haven’t you eaten yet? Shall we grab a bite and chat?”

,My girlfriend is waiting. Let’s eat next time.”

I didn’t particularly want to eat with Roel, so I made up an excuse.

Roel nodded, looking disappointed, and said,

,Alright. Oh, and our parents are coming to watch the triathlon. Just so you know.”

I resisted the urge to sigh at those words and nodded silently.

How should I treat Ross’s parents?

Even if I asked him, I had a feeling I wouldn’t get a good answer.

,And you were really impressive today. No one will treat you like some rookie freshman anymore.”

Roel added with a refreshing smile.

,Alright, see you at practice then.”

,Yeah.”

Tuk-tuk- Roel casually patted my shoulder and walked past me.

Illia silently followed behind him, and….

For some reason, Ellie stopped in front of me and stared at me intently.

I couldn’t help but be taken aback by that action.

Weren’t we supposed to pretend we didn’t know each other?

A cool breeze, as if blown from somewhere on the plains, swept between us.

,So you can even manifest the wind. Magic is so amazing. I wonder if they’ll create fake worlds in the future?”

Ellie nonchalantly tucked her hair behind her ear with a seductive gesture, as if there were no problems between us.

I knew I should say something normal like, ,Long time no see, how have you been?’ but before I could open my mouth, Ellie asked first.

,I forgot I was on a team with you for the triathlon.”

I felt a strange sense of camaraderie at Ellie’s awkward smile.

,Me too. I didn’t think about it at all.”

When our eyes met, we laughed without either of us initiating.

I guess she approached me first because she realized we couldn’t just pretend we didn’t know each other when we had to be on the same team.

In that case, it’s only polite to be kind to Ellie, no matter what I think of her.

,Long time no see, Ellie.”

,Yeah, it’s been a while.”

Ellie nodded slightly, her voice filled with a strange emotion.

Then she stared at me for a moment and smiled.

,Ross, did you get taller?”

,Yeah. About 3cm.”

According to Luna, I seemed to have grown about 3cm during the vacation.

Unfortunately, Luna drank milk diligently, but she still fits perfectly in my arms.

Ellie said with a bright smile.

,You’ve become more handsome. It was fun seeing a new side of you. Thanks to you, I wasn’t bored for the first time in a while.”

,That’s a relief.”

I might have been happy to hear Ellie’s words in the past.

But now, I’m just worried about Roel, who’s probably waiting for Ellie at the door.

There was no need to talk for long.

,See you next time then.”

At those words, Ellie nodded without any regret.

I turned around and walked towards the exit with her.

No, it would be more accurate to say that Ellie followed behind me because our paces were different.

***

When I returned to the club room, I saw Aria sprawled on the bed like a corpse.

I glanced at her, but Aria was just staring blankly at the ceiling.

I turned my gaze away, thinking she would get annoyed if I spoke to her.

,Ross, welcome back?”

Luna, who had been reading a book, got up from her seat and approached me.

Looking at Luna’s bright smile, I had the useless thought that she might have been a puppy in her past life.

,Yeah. We decided to meet for practice one day on the weekend. I’ll have to spend the other day with Luna.”

Luna, who had been smiling happily, seemed to remember something belatedly and asked, hugging me.

,You haven’t had dinner yet, have you?”

,Not really thinking about it.”

I had eaten snacks, and Edward had even given me cookies separately, as promised.

This is enough-

,Shall I make you dinner…? I can make something simple like rice balls.”

,I’ll gladly eat them.”

If it’s food made by Luna, that’s a different story. Luna smiled at my immediate answer and told me to sit and wait.

I sat on a chair where I could see Luna well, as ordered, but immediately got up again. I tied the apron strings behind Luna’s back into a ribbon and gently kissed her cheek.

,Ro, Ross too…!”

Her embarrassed expression is cute. I went back to my chair.

As I watched Luna tie her hair up and take out the ingredients.

A strange emotion stirred in my heart.

There’s something I want to ask Luna.

It’s a question that hasn’t left my mind during the vacation.

But I couldn’t bring myself to ask it when I actually met Luna.

Luna would always seriously consider my words, and I was afraid that her answer would become my future.

But as I quietly watched Luna like this, I couldn’t help but ask in my heart.

If, if, just hypothetically.

If I disappeared without any explanation, what would happen to you? What kind of life would you live?

Would you be hurt and struggle, eventually forget about me, and remember me as your first love from time to time?

Or would you long for me, who wouldn’t return, and wait indefinitely?

Whatever it was, the fact that it would be a huge wound for Luna remained unchanged.

Knowing that risk from the beginning, I selfishly loved Luna.

Knowing that the person I loved could be hurt, I was greedy.

I hated myself, but I could never give up on Luna.

I hide the ugly greed disguised as love.

I deny the possibility, saying it won’t happen.

And so, I bury the guilt back in my heart.

Luna is diligently making rice balls.

She repeats the process of holding the rice ball with her awkward left hand and shaping it nicely with her right hand.

As I watched her from behind, my heart, which had been cold and frozen with fear, now began to race, fueled by happiness.

,Shall I help you?”

,I’ve always eaten what Ross made for me. I’ll do it myself this time. Just wait a little longer.”

If she says that, I can’t interfere.

I quietly waited, smelling the sauce, soy sauce, and fragrant sesame oil.

I had never experienced watching someone cook for me before.

So I couldn’t express what I was feeling right now.

As Luna placed the last rice ball on the plate, I heard a sound like a dog sniffing from behind.

,Sniff sniff-! It smells delicious…!”

Aria, who had been slumped over like a corpse, lit up her eyes.

She turned her head from side to side, and when she discovered the rice balls, she grinned, so I quickly raised my hand to stop her.

,Didn’t you eat dinner?”

,Hehe, I always leave a little room so I can eat something delicious whenever I want.”

That’s a strange ability. If Aria takes a seat at the table like this, the number of rice balls Luna made for the first time will decrease. I quickly racked my brain.

,Really? That’s a relief. I happen to have some really delicious cookies. I brought them for you.”

When I took out the cookies I received from Edward from the space warehouse, Aria, who had been eyeing the rice balls, quickly turned her head.

,Co, Cookies…?!”

,And they’re high-end cookies mixed with chocolate and almonds.”

From the moment the word ,chocolate-‘ came out of my mouth, Aria, who had gotten up from the bed, stood in front of me with her hands neatly gathered, looking at me like a puppy waiting for a treat.

Correction. Aria is more suited to being a puppy in her past life.

It looks like she’s about to drool at any moment.

As I thought that for a moment, Aria suddenly knelt down.

,Will you give them to me if I kneel like this!”

,Ah, sorry.”

As I placed the cookies on her upturned palms, Aria, as if she had been waiting for it, took the cookies and ran back to the bed. I was dumbfounded. Is she a stray cat?

Luna, who saw that, smiled and approached me.

,I’m done. I don’t know if they’ll be delicious, but… I worked hard, so please enjoy them.”

There were five small, beautifully shaped rice balls on the plate. She also handed me a cup of cool barley tea.

This place has good service. And the owner is pretty too.

Looking at Luna, who said that with an insecure expression, I said, ,I’ll eat well,’ and immediately put one of the rice balls in my mouth.

I was surprised. It was just a simple rice ball, but it tasted the best I had ever eaten.

,It’s delicious.”

,Re, Really?”

It wasn’t that she doubted my words, but she seemed to want to hear them again.

,Yeah. The seasoning is perfect, and you made them really well? It’s really delicious. It’s the best I’ve ever eaten.”

,That’s a relief.”

Luna smiled softly. It seems she thought the last part was a joke.

I don’t know what kind of magic she used, but I ate a rice ball that was so delicious that it would remain in my memory for a long time.

Luna, who had been watching me eat as if observing me, smiled happily.

,Thank you for enjoying it.”

,I’m enjoying it because it’s delicious.”

Saying that, I put the last remaining rice ball in my mouth.

It was delicious as expected.