Ch.196196. Daily Life, Once Again.

When I saw her holding a cucumber, I told her to put it in the shopping basket. But Blanc just quietly removed it.

Hmm…

When I asked her why she had picked up the cucumber in the first place, she just smiled.

Maybe she wants to eat it?

Or what else…

Surely she didn’t pick it up for *that* kind of reason.

I mean, I’ve heard of people using it for *that* purpose.

But she wouldn’t actually do that to me with it.

At the very least, that would be disrespectful to food.

And Blanc would know that well.

Besides that, honestly, we don’t have that much food.

All the side dishes I had prepared are running out.

Things essential to Korean cuisine like kimchi and such.

And if Arin wants to properly do something with me, she needs to grow up.

Things like milk and such.

No matter how much I love Arin…

It’s her character that I love, not her body.

Personally, I’d prefer if she grew up a bit more and showed some maturity.

But well…

That’s not why I like Arin.

Personally, if Arin… hmm.

Even if she had a body like Hela’s, I could still love her if she was Arin inside.

“Vine, what are you thinking about so deeply?”

“Nothing… just considering what nutritious side dishes to make.”

“Hmm… Arin would probably want meatballs.”

“Arin. You can’t grow if you only eat things like that.”

“Yes, yes…?”

“Although I’m not with you because of your body, you should still grow up quickly… you should be aiming for a few years from now.”

“B-but… that green vegetable you’re holding…”

“It’s spinach.”

“I-I don’t want it…”

“Good children eat their spinach too, Arin.”

“B-but…”

“Let’s start as family first, Arin and I.”

“Y-yes…?”

“Of course, our relationship as lovers won’t change. But let’s start as family first. I won’t stop you from coming to me. But what I do… will be after I judge that you’ve grown enough.”

“H-how is that fair…”

“Instead, you can experience the taste of being family first.”

“W-what…?”

“If we’re family, simple kisses are normal between family members, right?”

“Ah…”

“It’s good to have at least one point of difference from others, Arin. Well… it’s quite funny for me to say this from my position. But at least I’ve given you one option. The choice is yours.”

“A-ah… Yes! Vine! I understand! Thank you for explaining properly!”

“Good. So you’ll eat your spinach too, right?”

“T-that…!”

Arin’s flustered look is quite cute.

Yes, I won’t reject someone who comes to me. But I shouldn’t take the initiative to touch Arin.

And I should make nutritious food for a child.

“Good magical girls eat their spinach too.”

“That can’t be true…!”

“It is. Before building magical power, you should build physical strength first. And having long arms and legs gives you better reach, making attacks easier.”

“Y-yes…?”

“Well, it was a bit troublesome when Blanc was in her growth spurt. Like when yesterday’s calculated distance wouldn’t match today’s.”

“C-come on. Does height really change that much during growth spurts…?”

It actually was difficult when Blanc was in her growth period.

I didn’t grow, but in Blanc’s case, during her growing period.

Despite my accurate sense of distance, her blade would graze me.

“Ah… so that’s why it was because of your growth spurt?”

“Did you think I was somehow regressing?”

“No… I did notice you were growing from things like knee pain. It’s not like you get used to someone’s height changing so quickly.”

“You and I… we’ve had many battles decided by the thickness of a piece of paper.”

“Ah…”

“I got injured because I couldn’t respond to your increased reach. It’s only natural.”

“I did wonder why you were being more defensive than usual.”

“Of course… You didn’t think I would just give in pathetically, did you?”

“Well, there might have been times when I thought something like that…”

Sigh.

Really…

She seems to be trying to smooth it over with a smile.

“If you think that way, some of your victories might have been achieved through such unfairness.”

“N-no…! For example, during my growth spurt, I had trouble balancing because of these growing, right? Thinking about that, we’re even!”

“…Fine. I’ll let it go. How could a weak villain like me possibly stand against the great magical girl… ack.”

Unable to find words, Blanc pinched my cheek, cutting off my speech.

“Now, now. Don’t talk like that.”

“Ughh.”

“I’ll let go if you promise not to talk like that. Promise?”

“…What pinky promise. Ouch.”

Blanc forces me to link pinkies and even press thumbprints before finally letting go.

“…Unnie.”

“Y-yes? Arin?”

“Please don’t quietly add spinach and carrots…! And what are these bell peppers, seaweed stems, and bracken fern…!”

“A magical girl who only eats meat can’t become strong. You have training scheduled with me. You need to adjust your diet for that.”

“B-but…! They don’t taste good!”

“Seaweed stems and spinach can be delicious if prepared well. Ah, Blanc. Could you bring some bean sprouts?”

“Are you making bean sprout soup too?”

“I’ll season them… and soup, if you want.”

“Hmm… can you make it spicy with green chili peppers? Of course, Arin’s portion would be separate… Ah. That would be troublesome.”

“Not at all. Since I add them at the end of cooking, I can just set aside Arin’s portion first.”

“B-bean sprout soup?! N-no…!”

“You need to eat these things too.”

“I-I don’t want to…”

Arin’s desperate head-shaking was cute, but the amount of vegetables in the shopping basket kept increasing.

Well, in exchange, I had to buy an equal amount of snacks.

Since she needs to eat a lot to grow, snacks…

It was a good opportunity to learn Arin’s snack preferences.

And Blanc also picked a few sweet snacks.

…Our tastes overlap quite a bit.

* * *

“Eek! W-what is this, Vine…?”

“It’s nothing special. Actually, cooking was my only hobby in Eden.”

“N-no… the number of dishes… and the time it took…”

Yuri, sitting with Ellie, is the first to be surprised.

I suppose this is the time of day when Yuri’s mind works fastest.

Anyway, the drowsy Yuri who just woke up is next to Ellie.

And I’m sitting between Blanc and Arin.

“But… if those two try something with me. How would you arrange us then?”

When I asked Blanc.

“I’ll let them have you if they want. But they need to prove it.”

“Prove what?”

“That they love you more than I do.”

“W-what kind of…”

“If they can’t prove it, I can’t let you go.”

Blanc says, looking at the two of them.

“I’m prepared, unnie.”

“…”

Hyewon just looks at me while Seohyun objects.

“I don’t particularly mind either way…”

“In these situations, the first one should manage the traffic.”

“I-I said I would be first!”

“Sorry. Arin, could you come back when you’re a bit older?”

“Yunseul unnie!”

But no one can say anything.

Such a strange and uncomfortable atmosphere.

“…Let’s just eat.”

“Vine.”

When I urge Blanc, everyone finally starts eating.

“Blanc, please don’t be so… like that.”

“But traffic management is necessary.”

“Blanc.”

“Alright.”

Starting like this from the first day.

I didn’t have much to say.

But I didn’t want such a quiet meal either.

“Ellie.”

“Yes? What?”

“Eat your carrots too.”

“Uh, what do you mean?”

“I know you’re secretly eating only meat. And the same goes for you, Arin.”

“U-unnie…?”

“You should eat everything like Blanc. The potatoes are quite delicious.”

“Y-yes…”

The children eat carrots and potatoes while holding back tears.

“And I’d like to sleep alone tonight, Blanc.”

“Huh…?”

“If you were thinking that I’d be with Arin at the association and with you here, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I need to organize my thoughts and have some things to think about alone.”

“…I understand.”

“Don’t act like we’re about to fight.”

“Okay…”

Really.

Why is Blanc acting like a child when she wasn’t like this before?

“Instead, tomorrow… yes. I’ll allow it.”

“Really…?”

“Yes. What would be the point of lying about something like this?”

“Phew. That’s a relief…”

“Why? Did you think I’d fallen out of love with you because of our little argument just now?”

“…Yes.”

“That’s impossible. We’ve fought plenty before, haven’t we?”

“That’s true…?”

“So, well… I’m used to it.”

“Thank you, Vine.”

“Don’t mention it.”

Nothing much happened after that.

Seeing that not a single piece of spinach entered Arin’s mouth…

I took special measures like feeding her directly with my chopsticks.

It was amusing to see Arin conflicted between her dislike of the food and the fact that I was feeding her directly.

I also saw Ellie deboning ribs for Yuri.

I found myself smiling slightly, knowing these were scenes I’d naturally see more of as we lived together.

After finishing the meal.

Doing the dishes.

Preparing oranges as a simple dessert and snack.

Sitting down to do something.

Watching TV, looking at smartphones.

Or simple conversations floating around—that kind of ordinary evening time had arrived.

That’s what I thought.

That’s what I expected.

“Let’s go take a bath.”

“What…?”

“You need to bathe, Vine.”

“Blanc. Wouldn’t it be better if you bathed alone…?”

“What’s the problem?”

“…Our bathroom isn’t a large public bath.”

“I know. But it can fit seven people. And not everyone will go in. Come on. I’ll wash your hair.”

“W-wait a minute…?!”

Yes.

Having lost all of my earlier mature composure, I ended up being dragged to the bathroom like a child.