Chapter 210: The Braid
“What is this, a crayfish tail?” Dinoss said, tugging at my hair.
It was evening, and I had visited the Dinoss Family as promised. It seemed he noticed my hair as soon as I took my seat.
“Ash braided it.”
Having been here for almost two years now, my hair had grown about ten centimeters. I usually tied it back.
It wasn’t particularly coarse, but for some reason, the short braid Ash had made was sticking up and bouncing at the back of my head.
“Are you just going to leave it like that?”
“I’ll undo it when I wash my hair.” He mentioned that he washes it every day because of the heat. Honestly, washing it is a hassle, and I want to cut it shorter.
“You’ve got a nice face, so you should take a little more care of yourself.”
“If I could, I’d cut it off, but the women and the butler are against it…” He said he didn’t want to make his wife an enemy, and Retze wouldn’t cut it for me either. I also didn’t have the courage to go against the women.
While I was talking with Dinoss, the twins came around behind me and started playing with my braid. It seemed to be a hit with the two boys.
Tina had initially disapproved, but it looked like she grew fond of it as she joined in with the twins. The two adults still seemed indifferent, though.
“Gene, are you still putting flowers in your hair?”
“Yeah. There’s a return gift for Tina on this cake, so I’ll have Mom cut it later.”
“What is it? I can’t wait! I’ll go help!”
Tina carefully carried the cake box and scampered off to the kitchen.
I heard a call for someone to bring it over, and the twins dashed to the kitchen as well.
Chanterelles were laid out on a flat sieve on the shelf. They must have been dried in the courtyard during the day. These mushrooms smell better when dried than when fresh.
The furniture and knick-knacks were different from my previous home, but the atmosphere remained the same, which made me a bit happy.
“Thank you for waiting. Enjoy your meal!”
Shiva came in with the dishes, smiling and accompanied by the children.
A mushroom salad. I still wasn’t used to eating mushrooms raw, so I hesitated a bit before putting it in my mouth, but it was crunchy and delicious.
Sautéed Puru, grilled and chilled. It seemed to be half butter and half olive oil? It wasn’t too rich, just right.
The hot dish was a creamy stew with small pasta that curled when I pressed it with my fingers. It probably had chanterelles and bergamot in it.
“Delicious!”
The aroma from the mushrooms infused the sauce, and the sauce clung well to the mushrooms. The small pasta had a nice chewy texture.
The mushrooms absorbed the sauce, so they were packed with flavor. If you simmer them in a broth with too much moisture, the taste gets diluted, though.
“This time, there were a lot of chanterelles.”
Dinoss said while eating. There was meat and bread on the table, but the mushrooms were the stars of the meal.
“Mushrooms are so good!”
“We picked a lot!”
“We gathered so many!”
The children were all smiles, and seeing that made Shiva smile too.
The pantry was convenient, but living here had made me look forward to seasonal foods more. I could eat anytime, but seasonal items felt special.
“For dessert, we have the cake Gene brought. Tina, please bring it over.”
“Okay!”
The cake that had gone to the kitchen in its box returned to the dining table. The box was wooden, shaped like a square version of a traditional food carrier. It would be collected later, but usually, something would be returned inside it.
“Gene, since you’re here, could you cut it for us?”
“Sure, sure.”
I took the cake out at Shiva’s request.
It had a mechanism where the side slid up, allowing the board with the cake to be pulled out.
“Wow! There are flowers!”
Tina squealed with delight.
I warmed the knife by the fireplace and cut the cake into pieces for everyone’s plates. The warm blade sliced through cleanly. Normally, you’d soak it in hot water.
“I’m glad you liked it.”
I handed Tina the piece with the prettiest whipped cream flower.
“You’re quite skilled.”
Dinoss said, sounding a bit exasperated.
“Please teach me how to make it later.”
It’s easy if you just prepare the piping tip for roses, so I planned to gift Shiva a complete set later.
“Oh, this is delicious. I thought it would be too sweet, but it’s not.”
“It’s blackberry flavored.”
Sweet and sour.
We chatted happily, laughter occasionally breaking out, as a peaceful atmosphere enveloped us. It felt nice.
I had thought they were just farmers, but they were Gold Rank Adventurers, and En had a [Storage] skill that made them a target—this family was full of secrets.
After returning home, I petted Rishu. Even after changing the water, he looked up at me with a puzzled expression. Ah, the crayfish.
Damn it, Dinoss’s teasing had made the crayfish nickname stick.
“I’m heading to the bath now, so I’ll fix it.”
I spoke to him as I made my way to the bath.
—A crayfish that won’t come undone!? What kind of braiding did Ash do? As I struggled in front of the mirror, Rishu intruded and plopped down, looking up at me.
What is he thinking? His eyes seemed to ask.