Ch.261261. The Girl and the Winter Rain (4)

The tears that flowed as if receiving compensation for all the hardship wouldn’t stop, and their bodies warmed each other as they embraced under a single sleeping bag.

Around the time the magic circle engraved as a safety mechanism on the sleeping bag began to regain its effectiveness, the number of droplets from the dark clouds slowly decreased, and before long, it signaled the end of the winter rain.

But even though they knew the rain had stopped, their bodies remained together under the single sleeping bag.

In a pose not much different from when they had fallen asleep.

‘…I wonder if she’ll suggest we get up?’

Since the rain had stopped, it wouldn’t be strange for Junon to suggest they get up soon. Renias didn’t say anything either since there was no sign of that happening, but she was also mentally strategizing how not to separate even a little.

However, seeing the pickaxe and handle over her shoulder, she ended up speaking first.

“We should get up soon, senior. We have things to do, right?”

Their body temperatures had risen sufficiently by now, and she had cried her eyes out, so staying still would be a waste of time. They had come all this way because they had something to do in the first place.

As much as she wanted to stay close a little longer, she didn’t want to interfere with his plans.

“Hmm… that’s true.”

Even after saying that, Junon made a sound like “Nng…” as if troubled by something. After furrowing his brow in contemplation, he said something completely out of the blue.

“By any chance… have you ever been here before… anything like that?”

“What? Um… I don’t think I have…”

“Then have you ever recalled a self you didn’t know, or anything like that?”

“…Pardon?”

Was this just random talk, or should she say she had no idea what he meant?

Renias thought this wasn’t like Junon at all.

He had a plan before, and to avoid interfering with it, she had fought against her own desires and chosen the former, but what came out of his mouth sounded like nothing more than superstition.

‘Senior isn’t the type to believe in superstitions.’

Since she had been looking at the pickaxe and handle, she thought he might have noticed and would talk about his plan, but he was saying something completely unexpected, making her tilt her head in confusion.

Perhaps realizing how strange he sounded, he tried to brush it off.

“…I guess not, right? Just pretend you didn’t hear that.”

“What was that about?”

“Well… I was just wondering if I might have met you before.”

“Here?”

“It’s just my speculation. It’s probably a stretch, so don’t worry about it too much. Okay?”

“Y-yes. I… will.”

Though he said it was mere speculation, the words kept circling in Renias’s mind.

If she were to consider whether she really had any connection to this place…

‘I first met senior last year… no, it’s been another year now, so two years ago? And this place seems completely new to me…’

She would have pointed out how wrong it all sounded.

But.

-Grumble.

“Ah?”

As the sound of her stomach clock resonated loudly in the cave, any thought of questioning him disappeared completely.

“That wasn’t my stomach! I, I…!”

-Grumble rumble.

“…”

“Oh, um… right. You’re right. It was my stomach… I’m hungry. Oh, I’m starving. I should go get something to eat! Ahaha, haha!”

Junon carefully watched the owner of the loud stomach clock as he grabbed his clothes and slipped out of the cave. His pretending not to notice was as good as a confirmation shot, making Renias’s face turn as red as the flames burning in the firewood.

“Heeeeng…”

Burying her face in her knees from embarrassment, she once again entered her silver rabbit mode.

***

“Wow… can we eat all of this?”

“Well, yes. Though some must be cooked and others eaten raw.”

Renias clapped her hands at the sight of the pile of food.

Finding food had been easy. There was a time when they had to procure ingredients from the wild, and since this area was the last place they had stayed, it was more accurate to say they had become familiar with it.

To prevent another loud sound like before, he handed Renias some sea squirts and a couple of fruits. She rolled up her sleeves and stepped forward.

“Just eat. Don’t try to help and end up burning things.”

“Hey! Senior, I’ll have you know I can cook just fine.”

“Huh?”

“Aren’t you being too prejudiced about noble ladies? I learned everything I needed to growing up. Let me try.”

With that, she naturally disassembled the cooking mess kit that was provided to academy students in case they ever went camping.

While assembling the mess kit was no different from putting together a toy, her knife-handling posture was remarkable from the start.

“Hehe. Watch this.”

Chop chop chop.

‘Huh…?’

It wasn’t like he hadn’t cooked with ingredients he gathered himself countless times. He was confident he could surpass any decent person living alone.

“…You really are good.”

It wasn’t just flattery; she was genuinely skilled.

The vegetables were cut into uniform pieces with no noticeable difference in size. And her cutting speed was surprisingly fast.

The comparison was wrong from the start. Perhaps he should be comparing her not to himself but to the restaurant aunties he often saw…?

“My mother always said that cooking is a woman’s pride. That’s why I learned.”

“Why is it a matter of pride?”

Isn’t cooking something anyone can learn?

Renias chuckled at that.

“You see, my father was such a good cook that my mother had nothing to show for herself comparatively. So she felt somewhat frustrated and insisted that I must learn to cook well. That’s why I studied it so diligently.”

Ah. Somehow that made sense.

One might ask why that would be frustrating, but considering she called it a matter of pride, wasn’t it something like this?

For most cooking, the husband returns from work around dinner time, and the wife prepares a delicious home-cooked meal as part of their daily routine. But if the husband’s cooking skills are exceptionally good, the wife might feel like she has nothing to do.

“I see. So your mother’s pride was hurt because your father was too competent?”

“Yes. Mom used to argue with Dad, saying he took away her role.”

“I see.”

I don’t know about anything else, but Renias’s parents must have had an incredibly good relationship.

As they continued their conversation, the cooking preparations were soon complete.

Renias demonstrated a dazzling wok technique as if to clearly establish that she was today’s chef! She occasionally glanced at him, but not a single thing fell out of place.

‘She really did learn diligently.’

All he could do was help peel ingredients for other dishes. He thought it best to let her do as she wished.

“Oh, right! Senior!”

“Yes?”

“Just to let you know in advance, the dishes are my responsibility too, okay?”

…After making a face like she was about to say something important, that’s what she came up with.

“I won’t steal them. I won’t steal them, so stop glaring at me like that…”

Only then did Renias narrow her eyes and smile with a satisfied expression.

Shortly after, the food was beautifully plated. It looked delicious just by looking at it.

But…

‘…She’s giving me that face that says “hurry up and eat it and tell me what you think.”‘

It was burdensome how Renias was watching him with sparkling eyes. But… was this also a matter of pride? The person whose stomach had been growling so loudly wasn’t even eating right away.

Still, after taking a bite…

“It’s delicious. Really.”

It was a taste that made his thumb go up automatically.

Satisfied with his review, she also began to eat with a happy smile.

‘This is strange. A meal prepared by someone else.’

Except for food made by restaurant aunties or ordered from eateries, he had always cooked for himself to save money, and when he didn’t know how to cook at all, he had cut himself countless times.

“Senior, why aren’t you eating? Don’t tell me… it doesn’t taste good…!”

“That’s not it. Your cooking is plenty delicious.”

“Then why did you stop eating… your hand has been still for a while now.”

Still… it doesn’t seem too bad.

“I’m not used to it. This is the first time I’m eating a meal with someone else.”

“What? Then I should cook for you more often in the future!”

It feels different not eating alone.

***

After the unique mealtime ended, Renias insisted on doing the dishes herself, just as she had with the cooking, not letting him help at all.

Though their clothes had dried and they could leave the cave right away, it wouldn’t be right to go down such a dark mountain path without any light.

Of course, they had one flashlight, but that wouldn’t be enough.

Since Sirah was so sparsely populated, few people knew the way.

Moreover, despite being a mountain path, it was quite complex, and there had been stranded travelers a few years back, as well as several people who had injured their legs on steep paths while forcing their way down. There were also many nocturnal animals.

So naturally, their destination was back to the sleeping bag. Though the safety mechanism had returned to normal,

“In this winter weather that’s gotten even colder due to the rain, does it make sense to endure the night with bare skin?”

That’s how Renias had pulled his arm.

As he provided an arm pillow and gazed outside the cave, the stars in the night sky seemed especially bright today.

With the sound of crickets chirping, taking in this night view made him feel like he was on a trip. No, was it a trip? There was someone right beside him who seemed excited as if on an outing.

“The stars are so pretty. Aren’t they?”

“They are.”

Well, let’s just call it a trip.

Though he was concerned about not hearing any news about the front line, one day like this should be fine. Actually, a few days should be fine.

Perhaps because they had hurried, the Mirpark blockade battle had progressed much earlier, and they were attacking Mirpark’s central city even before Feltiburugos appeared. The other two people’s magic armor would soon be completed as well.

Though Tembris’s forces weren’t much different from before, the timing had been sufficiently advanced, so he thought it would be okay to stay with Renias for a few days.

So, today, he could just watch the night sky and fall asleep. Without any worries.

“By the way, senior. Why did you drop out of the academy?”

“…How did you know?”

“How I knew isn’t the important part, is it?”

…Just when he thought he could pass without any worries. When he didn’t immediately respond, Renias’s brow furrowed.

The troubling thing was, he couldn’t explain this to Renias. He didn’t even know where to begin.

With no good excuse coming to mind, his eyes suddenly fell on the pickaxe.

“To mine Badlight and Elcherium.”

“Huh?”

“You look like you don’t believe me, but it’s true. I don’t have a mining qualification certificate.”

“Hmmmm…?”

Of course it would sound strange. To choose to drop out for something like that.

Just as he was about to tell the truth as it was, Renias graciously let it slide.

“Alright. I’m sure you have your own secrets, senior. I won’t interfere that far.”

“…Thank you. For believing me even though you know it’s a lie.”

Instead.

“But I’m not planning to just let it go, you know? Hehe.”

He saw that look in her eyes.

That mischievous look that always caught him off guard.

It had been a while since he’d seen it… but it was also frightening. Because he didn’t know what kind of prank she was planning.

Renias burst into a broad smile.

“Ahaha! Senior, why are you so tense?”

“Well, because you’ve done things every time you show that face.”

“Even so. It’s not like I’m going to eat you up or something.”

I guess that’s true. Such a sweet girl wouldn’t eat me up. How could a rabbit eat a person in the first place?

“I think I need to change how I address you. Please allow me that.”

“Address?”

“Well… since you dropped out.”

Since he had dropped out, they were no longer senior and junior, so she wanted to change how she addressed him. So she wouldn’t call him “senior” anymore.

What would she call him then? he wondered.

“Can I call you… oppa?”

The fact that my form of address would change from “senior” to “oppa” made my heart race without me even realizing it.