Ch.156Chapter 156

It had been a while since I’d visited the Gardener’s garden, and it felt quite nostalgic.

The reason I came here was because of the Cook and Bell’s reactions.

Aphta, Zmiya, Fiore, Nutriche, and even Oko who hadn’t even shown herself yet.

I knew all their names and called them that way.

The fact that I still wasn’t calling the divine beings I met early on with Fiore by their names would likely be quite hurtful to them, which is why I came here.

One might ask why I couldn’t just use the horn to summon them and call them by name, but that wasn’t the issue.

Wasn’t there something strange about this situation?

Calling two people and saying, “You’re Pau, and you’re… um, what’s your name?” seemed rather odd to me.

So I needed to meet them in order, have conversations, and call them by name, but who decides that order?

Calling the Cook first felt a bit awkward, and calling Bell first seemed strange too.

Wait, is it really okay to keep causing situations like this?

Grandfather’s words about not creating discontent around me came to mind, but how am I supposed to handle the aftermath once everything is resolved?

Hey, past me.

Did you do all these crazy things believing that future me would somehow take care of it?

You fearlessly did things that current me would never do.

Sadly, whether it was my intention or not, I have to take responsibility.

I guess there’s no choice.

Since it’s come to this, I’ll have to leave it to my future self as well.

First, I blew the horn.

Two luminous phenomena appeared.

One transformed into an elongated shape, the other into a form with dog ears standing tall.

As their forms became more detailed, my heart felt like it would burst.

What face should I make when meeting them?

What should I say?

And so on.

While I was lost in meaningless worries, I heard the sound of two figures gently landing on the ground.

The Cook and Bell had finally manifested.

Silence descended.

Even my mind, which would normally be chattering away, was quiet.

It felt as if my thoughts had frozen, almost as if the giant of the snowy mountains had frozen the atmosphere itself.

Just as I was about to force an awkward smile, the Cook smiled brightly and said:

“Shall we have a meal first?”

I was grateful that she broke the awkward atmosphere first.

But the fact that her smile didn’t look genuinely happy at all felt like a needle piercing my heart.

#

It reminds me of the old days.

When I gathered here with the divine beings to strengthen our friendship, I called the Cook first, and ate the food she prepared.

Back then, I sat there with a warm heart, but now there was only an extremely tense atmosphere with Bell’s panting sounds.

I glanced sideways at Bell hoping for some rescue, but despite her audible breathing, I could see her tail was completely drooped.

Of course, she didn’t have the chilly aura that emanated from the Cook, but she looked somehow deflated, as if she carried all the world’s unhappiness.

Sigh.

I avoided doing this because I was worried about causing trouble for the knights.

If I had known it would be like this, I could have at least brought out Bell whenever I needed to clear something up.

What’s the point of regretting it now?

It’s already too late.

I could hear the sounds of cooking in progress.

The sound of knife hitting the cutting board seemed more skilled than before.

She must have practiced a lot on her own.

The Cook was still smiling.

Looking at that smile made me feel increasingly chained down.

“Um…”

I tried to speak first, finding it unbearable to just sit quietly, but…

“Wait.”

The Cook firmly cut me off.

“Let’s talk after the food is ready.”

She turned her head toward me and said:

“I want to put only affection into the food.”

Ahem.

Since the Cook said so, I, having no right to speak, had no choice but to obediently listen.

How long had I been breathing in the stale scent of uncomfortable silence?

Two dishes were placed before Bell and me.

Despite being made with such a bitter heart…

The dish placed before me was nothing short of perfect.

It was a uniquely shaped rice ball wrapped in blanched cabbage leaves that had been softened with water.

“Please try a bite.”

Following the Cook’s instruction, I picked up my spoon with a gloomy feeling and put it in my mouth.

It was delicious.

“…I’ve been researching for a long time what kind of food you might like. I’ve been studying what ingredients and seasonings you seem satisfied with. This food is one of those.”

The Cook finally began to speak.

The scene I had just witnessed was enough to prove how hard she had been working.

“…Was I too greedy? I simply wanted to cook for you modestly and see you smile. Perhaps I even hoped that there might be some special feelings mixed in as well.”

“…Um.”

“No, don’t force yourself. I don’t want my jealousy, which came out without me realizing, to become a burden to you. I don’t want to push my selfish desires while watching you struggle.”

Had she already sorted out all her thoughts in that brief moment?

The Cook was saying this with a sad smile.

She looked like she might burst into tears at any moment.

I glanced at Bell.

Contrary to the Cook’s words, Bell had an anxious expression, stealing glances at me as if checking my reaction.

It felt like she was afraid that the situation she was worried about might actually happen.

What the hell was this about my future self taking care of things?

Did I come all this way to treat her with such an irresponsible attitude?

“No. That’s not it.”

While inwardly reproaching myself, I stopped the Cook’s words.

Was it my imagination?

That strange sense of relief rising over the Cook’s face.

“…I’ve always been grateful for your feelings, I always feel thankful toward you, and I don’t dislike you.”

“No, Tanthyn. Don’t force yourself…”

I stood up from my seat.

Because I rose so hastily, the chair fell backward with a loud noise.

Bell crouched down and trembled at the sound.

“Fine, I’ll be honest now.”

“…What?”

“I have feelings similar to what all of you feel toward me, toward those who help me.”

In my frustration, I blurted out the feelings I had been deliberately ignoring.

The Cook stared at me blankly, as if in a daze, then her face reddened and her shoulders rose slightly.

“W-what do you mean…?”

“But I may have been avoiding it because I thought you were all too good for me.”

I sighed with a sad heart.

“Thank you for cooking for me. The fact that you made this food thinking of me makes me too happy for words. And it really suits my taste perfectly.”

As I conveyed my feelings, as the emotions the Cook had been suppressing showed on her face, Bell also began to look increasingly happy.

Perhaps Bell had been sad because the Cook looked sad.

She was always sensitive to others’ emotions.

She really did have all the characteristics of a dog.

The Cook came running from where she had been cooking to where I was.

I couldn’t tell what her expression meant.

Whoosh.

But the Cook said nothing and simply embraced me.

I quietly accepted what the Cook was doing.

I deliberately didn’t mention the slight sobbing sounds I heard.

Had her emotions calmed down?

The Cook carefully pulled away from me and looked up.

“…Did you mean what you said?”

“…Yes.”

“…Hehe, I’m glad. Then all the dishes I’ve been researching haven’t been meaningless.”

Seeing the Cook smiling with tears at the corners of her eyes reminded me of when Fiore expressed her feelings to me, and it made me feel quite uncomfortable.

At the same time, I was just grateful that my insignificant words could resolve the knot in her heart.

The Cook then blushed slightly.

“T-then…”

What was she so embarrassed about?

She even bit her lip slightly before making what seemed like a determined expression.

“…W-would you do it for me?”

She didn’t specify exactly what she wanted me to do.

But considering why the Cook had been sad, it would be strange not to know.

I placed my hands on the Cook’s shoulders.

Perhaps startled by the sudden contact, she trembled, looked at my hands once, then back at me.

Seeing her still looking at me with that surprised expression, I couldn’t imagine how much this timid divine being had been suffering inside.

So, with the best smile I could manage, I uttered that word.

“Pau.”

And.

The moment Pau heard her name, her eyes widened, and she finally couldn’t hold back her tears.

But the smile that followed looked so happy that…

“…Yes, Raedan.”

Even though I didn’t know what would happen later, I felt relieved for now.