Peaceful Hydrangea ④ – Shiro’s Teatime.
The “Cidre Tavern,” as its name suggests, is a tavern whose signature product is cidre.
But nobody orders the cidre; they order ale and the like instead.
Perhaps because the owner is a former Seeker Dwarf, Seekers often frequent the place.
Although it’s a tavern, it has a rich variety of snacks and dishes, and many people, like me, come just for the food.
And the Cidre Tavern has a second floor.
The second floor consists of private rooms, constructed in such a way that each room is separate from the others.
Therefore, no two rooms are adjacent. If I recall correctly, there are six rooms in total.
Not just anyone can use the second floor.
First, the usage fee is high. Second, it’s by introduction only. Lastly, a certain degree of status and honor is required.
And this is the most important rule: you must be accompanied by a woman.
Despite lacking all of those qualifications, I can use it easily if I just ask the owner.
The owner, Burns-san, helped me out a lot when I first came to Hydrangea.
At that time, I gave him some advice on a few dishes based on memories from my past life.
It wasn’t a big deal. But it seems it was different for Burns-san.
As thanks, he gave me the right to use the second-floor VIP Room for free whenever it’s vacant.
That doesn’t mean I use it frequently, though.
I haven’t used it at all recently. And I probably won’t in the future either.
Or so I thought.
“What an interesting room.”
The beautiful girl, white from head to toe, looked around the room surrounded by red wallpaper.
Unusually, the white tea table was folded and placed in the corner of the room.
“…Um, Shiro-san. What would you like to eat?”
“Let’s see. Do you have any white food?”
She asked while looking at me with her pure white eyes.
They weren’t silver. They had strange, white irises.
My heart skipped a beat.
Shiro = White = Vy… anyway, the girl with the long name is a Tier I Seeker.
Her appearance is that of a stunningly beautiful girl in her late teens, white from head to toe, as if frozen.
If it weren’t for the tea table strapped to her back, anyone would be captivated by her graceful appearance.
But her appearance probably doesn’t equal her age. Is her race the same as mine, Common Human?
Either way, she’s older than me.
Right now, she’s sitting elegantly opposite me on the black sofa, her legs crossed.
This sofa. It’s the same as the one in the Witch’s House.
“White food, you say?”
“Also, I don’t like meat.”
“In that case, pasta with white sauce or cream stew, perhaps.”
“That will be fine.”
“…No, wait, there was that one thing. Milk Cheese Rice.”
“That sounds interesting.”
“Alright, let’s go with that then.”
I’ll have Butter Rice and orange juice.
Shiro-san will have white liqueur. Alcohol, huh? Well, it’s a tavern, so that’s natural.
I opened the soundproof box installed next to the room’s door and spoke the order into the small crystal.
This crystal is a communication Legendary connected to a large crystal in the kitchen.
It’s a treasure that the owner, Burns-san, obtained in a Dungeon when he was young.
However, it was damaged, and there’s a story about how he had the Witch repair it.
There are small crystals and a large crystal; there are many small crystals, but only one large one.
All the small crystals are connected to the large crystal, enabling two-way communication, I think.
Now, why am I in the second-floor VIP Room with Shiro-san?
There’s no particularly deep reason.
Just a few dozen minutes ago.
I went to the Cidre Tavern because I was hungry, only to find it more crowded than ever before.
The reason was obvious. Mr. Agaro was here.
At the same time Hydrangea was decided as the location for the “Great O’Browns,” the newly promoted First Class Seekers were also announced.
In that instant, Mr. Agaro became the star of Hydrangea.
The man who, despite his skill, got banned from numerous taverns due to his drinking habits and challenges, is now a hero?
“Hmm. Looks like we can’t get in.”
“This is troubling.”
“Huh?”
“Oh?”
We turned around at the same time. It was Shiro-san.
A fair-skinned beauty. Her entire body was an astonishing, unbelievable white.
“Shiro-san.”
“You. You’re the Witch’s apprentice… Woff-kun, aren’t you?”
“Yes. Are you also heading to the Cidre Tavern, Shiro-san?”
“Yes, that was the plan, but it seems impossible like this.”
Shiro-san sighed.
I was about to give up too, but that was because I was alone.
And also because I was a guy.
“…It’s not like there’s no way.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“Yes.”
And that’s how we ended up here.
I talked with Shiro-san until the food arrived.
Contrary to her cool appearance, Shiro-san was quite talkative.
“Still, this is a VIP Room, isn’t it? To think you could use it so easily… you don’t look the type.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“The rule about needing a woman to enter… its meaning. If you don’t know, I can teach you.”
I thought I saw a bewitching glint in Shiro-san’s white eyes.
“I’ll pass.”
Shiro-san joked, “Oh, what a shame.”
“By the way, how much do you know about the Witch?”
“Even as her apprentice, there’s a lot I don’t know. Are you the Witch’s friend, Shiro-san?”
“Friend… Has she told you nothing about Shiro?”
“No. The Witch doesn’t really talk about that sort of thing.”
“You said friend, didn’t you?”
“Yes. Is that wrong?”
“Wrong. That Witch doesn’t have any friends.”
She said it so definitively that I was taken aback.
“Eh?”
“It’s a connection we can’t seem to sever. Simply that. Nothing more.”
“…”
“I always thought that Witch would live her entire life alone. Because she’s the kind of woman who could… To think she actually got a man.”
“I’m her apprentice, though.”
“You. You’re a man, aren’t you?”
“I am a man. But an apprentice isn’t a lover.”
“In that case, hey. Don’t you like the Witch, Woff-kun?”
“I do like her.”
“Then it’s not wrong to say she got a man, is it?”
“No, I’m her apprentice.”
I wish she wouldn’t mix those things up.
Shiro-san muttered, “Stubborn, aren’t you,” then her expression shifted as if she’d realized something.
“You like the Witch?”
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Really? Of course… She’s so kind, she worries about me, thinks about me, helps me, teaches me, guides me… Sure, some of it might be because I’m her apprentice, but she’s done so much for me. How could I not like someone like that?”
Shiro-san stared at me, looking utterly dumbfounded.
Her mouth was hanging open as if she couldn’t close it.
“Kind…? That’s not the Witch Shiro knows.”
“Is that so?”
“So she really did get a man… Women change when they get a man.”
“Fine, think whatever you want… Could it be, Shiro-san? Are you worried about the Witch?”
Then, the atmosphere froze. No, it changed. It turned cold.
Shiro-san kept staring at me, unblinking, not looking away.
I couldn’t look away either.
Being stared at head-on by someone with such exquisite beauty, reflecting both cuteness and a certain bewitching charm.
This must be a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
Still, just how completely white is this person?
It’s like her beauty isn’t even of this world.
Her white-painted lips moved smoothly.
“…………Woff-kun. Saying such unexpected things. You’re just like the Witch.”
After she finished speaking, Shiro-san averted her gaze from me.
“I’m flattered…”
Well, I just frankly said what I felt, so I guess it can’t be helped if she thinks that.
And just at that moment, the food arrived.
The Milk Cheese Rice was placed in front of Shiro-san.
Wait a minute. That’s basically risotto, isn’t it?
Shiro-san immediately took a bite with her spoon and murmured softly.
“A gentle flavor. I didn’t know such a gentle taste existed.”
Her words and voice were gentle too. She seemed to like it very much.
After that, we chatted amiably while eating and had an enjoyable meal.
We finished eating, satisfied, left the Cidre Tavern, and were about to say our goodbyes.
“I’ve decided.”
“Eh?”
“Shiro has decided on you.”
“Decided what?”
“Well then, until next time. Woff-kun.”
Shiro-san didn’t answer and walked away from me.
It would be some time later before I understood the meaning of her words.