Chapter 19: The Stairs of Quiet Days (Part 2)
Calm days passed by peacefully. Then one day, Sena requested a sweet treat. She was quite insistent about it.
After thinking for a moment, I realized that if I skillfully used Absolute Freeze, I could make sorbet, gelato, or ice cream. So, I asked her, “Would you like some frozen sweets?”
However, she closed her eyes solemnly and crossed her arms, shaking her head as if to say that wouldn’t suffice. I then suggested, “How about one of my signature dishes, a pie?”
At that, Sena finally nodded, resembling a high-ranking official from some grand organization.
Following Sena’s command, I quickly left to start cooking—
“Wait.”
She called out to stop me.
“That’s not enough… something is missing.”
An abstract request. The most troublesome kind. I hesitated and waited for her further input, which felt like an eternity.
“Well…”
Finally, she opened her mouth with great effort.
“How about making the pie not with apple filling, but with fresh fruits and nuts gathered from the forest?”
Though she phrased it as a suggestion, it was essentially a directive. I responded with a cheerful, “Aye aye, Captain!” and together we headed into the forest to gather pie ingredients. Wait, we’re starting from there?!
I was the one who suggested splitting up for efficiency.
“Got it.”
Sena readily agreed. We didn’t set a meeting point, but she would come to fetch me in about an hour.
Though we separated, my plan was naive.
I had no idea whether the things I found were edible. As I gathered, I couldn’t tell what was poison or not… so why did I think I could manage alone? It was sheer foolishness. After all, the first time I visited Hidden Mountain, I nearly died from eating a poisonous berry.
Realizing the fatal truth early in my gathering, I found that Sena was already gone… and I was in trouble. I had no choice but to think hard.
“This one is inedible.”
I said as Sena placed one of the berries I had picked into the right basket.
“See, it’s called a patch test?”
“This one is poison.”
Sena took another berry and placed it into the right basket, which had a label reading “Poison.”
“To check if it’s poison, you rub it on your skin before putting it in your mouth, right? To see if it causes a rash…”
“This one is poison too.”
My excuses fell on deaf ears as the “Poison” basket quickly filled up.
“Since my skin didn’t break out, I thought it would be safe to eat…”
“This one is poison.”
“Haha, I didn’t know you had to rub the insides of cut fruit on your skin to check! But, you know, what can I say? I was hoping for growth, maybe?”
“This one is poison.”
“Thinking about it differently, maybe there’s only room for improvement?”
“This one is poison.”
The trend was clear. Thanks to Sena’s sorting, it turned out that nearly all the fruits I gathered were poisonous.
“Ichiro, are you going to make a poison pie?”
“Oof.”
“Do you like poison?”
“Why would you say something like that?”
Yamada cried!!
“Hehe.”
Sena smiled softly.
“We have time. Next time, let’s go together.”
If I could continue to share such peaceful days… I thought I might be able to forget everything.
The pie crust was already prepared and resting, so cooking didn’t take much time. I quickly made sorbet using the sour fruits Sena had gathered.
I placed a plate in front of Sena, who was eagerly posing to eat. The pie was generously filled with a jam made from multiple berries and a lot of sugar, served alongside the sorbet. Sena’s eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together and quickly tossed a bite into her mouth.
“Mmmmmm!!”
With a spoon and fork in hand, Sena savored the pie, her face lighting up with joy.
“I have seconds!”
“Seconds!”
Sena offered her empty plate.
“Isn’t that too fast?!”
Yet, nothing could surpass the happiness of seeing her enjoy the food.
Sena and I were satisfied. We chatted about random topics, and as our fullness began to fade, we decided to engage in some combat training together. Romance had died on the beach.
After a heated sparring session, we returned to the cabin, feeling a solid fatigue.
“How about we go stargazing again soon?”
The sun set, and the night curtain fell. We made our way back to the starry sky we had seen that day. Sitting side by side, we leaned back against the ground. As night fell, darkness enveloped the surroundings. There were no streetlights. But that was more than enough. The moonlight and stars illuminated us.
“Sena, let me teach you the names of the stars.”
“The names of the stars?”
“Yeah. Make sure you’re looking at me.”
“Got it.”
Confirming that Sena nodded, I pointed at the night sky.
“‘Arega’.”
“…”
“Hey, don’t just stay silent, repeat after me.”
“Okay.”
“‘Arega’, ‘Deneb’, ‘Altair’, ‘Vega’.”
“‘Arega’, ‘Deneb’, ‘Altair’, ‘Vega’.”
Sena followed along with my passionate star lecture. However, she seemed a bit unsettled, leaning against me and murmuring.
“Ichiro, what is ‘Arega’? I’ve heard of it, but… I can’t recall.”
“Ah, ‘Arega’ is a decoration. But it’s something essential.”
The stars in this world’s sky were vastly different from those in my original world. The constellations were tied to mythology. The history was different, and so were the legends. Even if the stars in this world were the same as those on Earth, the constellations passed down here were undoubtedly entirely different. No matter how similar they might seem, this world and Earth would never intersect.
“Ichiro, you are—”
I sensed Sena hesitating with her words. It was rare for her to appear at a loss for words.
“Me?”
“You are troubled.”
Now it was my turn to be at a loss for words.
“Since we returned to the mountain, you sometimes wear a pained expression.”
If it’s worries… I have them. I tried to act as if I wasn’t troubled this time, but it seemed I failed.
“When you’re in pain, I feel pain too.”
I didn’t want her to say such things.
“Sena, I’m sorry. There are still things I can’t sort out in my mind. But I promise I’ll tell you about it soon.”
I was indeed overwhelmed, feeling pulled in every direction. Yet, that was merely an excuse.
“I just need you to wait a little longer.”
“I understand. Just knowing that is enough for me. So please don’t push yourself. I know best that Ichiro is always doing his best.”
Sena was indeed sweet to me. But I couldn’t allow myself to keep relying on her kindness. I knew the time for a decision was drawing near.
“My beloved Sena! My dear son-in-law! I’m back home!”
The noisy voice of Sensei echoed as she returned the next day. Sena and I exchanged glances and laughed.
About ten days passed since then. During dinner, Sena and Sensei reacted sharply.
“Ichiro, it seems like two people have come to the base of the mountain. This feeling is—”