Chapter 1: The Inquiry
Anon finished his story.
I felt an unusual dryness in my mouth. I had been so engrossed in the tales of the Holy Knights and the Hero Party that I completely forgot to touch the tea he had prepared for me.
The steaming cup had long since turned cold. I downed it in one go.
With the conversation winding down and the time well past noon, I decided it was time to inform him that I would be heading home.
At that moment, Anon said, “Since we’ve finally met, why don’t we head out to the town together?” His tone was almost flirtatious, as he invited Milan, Anon, and me to join him.
However, I politely declined his invitation, citing that I was waiting for someone (Sena).
While I used the excuse of waiting for someone to turn down his offer, it wasn’t the fundamental reason for my refusal.
I simply wasn’t in the mood to have fun.
───I wonder how you will move from here on out.
I couldn’t provide a clear answer to Anon’s question.
Yet, his inquiry lingered in my mind, refusing to fade away. I just couldn’t figure out what I truly wanted.
As I was leaving Anon’s home, he prepared a small gift for me.
“Since you said it looked delicious,” he said, wrapping some biscuits in a stylish cloth.
Receiving the package, I reflected on our interactions.
When I had taken my seat, he had eagerly brought out tea and his homemade biscuits, saying, “This might take a while.”
The biscuits on the table were shaped like various animals.
“Is this a pig?”
“It’s a cat.”
“Then is this a cow?”
“It’s a dog.”
“How about this one? A bird?”
“…It’s a sheep.”
“Hey, wait! Why are you cleaning up?!”
“It’s fine, you don’t have to force yourself to eat them…”
Anon murmured in a voice that evoked a sense of melancholy. Feeling a bit guilty, I started to shower him with compliments like, “They look delicious!” “I’m starving!” “They smell great!” Eventually, he relented and laid the biscuits back on the table.
He then wrapped up the remaining biscuits for me.
Despite their odd shapes, the biscuits tasted good, so I gratefully accepted them and left his home.
“Thanks for everything.”
I thanked him as he saw me off outside.
Anon waved his hand dismissively, saying, “Don’t mention it,” and chuckled softly.
“No, no, thank you! I really enjoyed talking with you.”
As I turned to leave, I heard Anon’s voice call out,
“Row! If you’re going to act on this matter, let me know! I’ll lend you my strength!”
I waved back, saying, “I’ll count on you then!”
Now, it was a race against time.
I had to get home as quickly as possible.
Everyone knew the reason for my urgency.
Breakfast time had ended, and lunch was over too.
In fact, snack time was about to pass as well.
Feeling a sense of crisis, I sprinted through the town like never before, racing down the streets and over the hills.
In my mind, I was completely like Melos.
In my head, a figure resembling Sena was shouting, “Ichiro, hurry up!”
Breathless, I finally arrived home, but the two of them were nowhere to be seen.
“Hey, I’m back!” I called out, and a pile of blankets rustled in response.
There was no smiling face of a welcoming Serinuntius.
Only two mounds of blankets remained.
What were Sena and Sensei doing…?
“Hey!”
No response.
“I’m home!”
The blankets stirred again.
“I had cheese and honey all ready!”
Rustle!
“I’m thinking of baking a Cheese and Honey Pizza!”
Rustle! Thump!
“Oh, and I have yogurt too!”
Thump! Thump!
“If you drizzle honey on the yogurt, it tastes amazing!”
Rustle! Crash!
From the blanket mountain, both of them poked their heads out, looking cozy.
“Ichiro, you’re late. Do you have something to say?”
Sena said.
She was right.
“I’m sorry. I must have worried you. Please forgive me.”
I bowed my head in apology.
I had promised to return before breakfast, yet here I was, far past the promised morning, returning home at lunchtime.
By any standard, Sena might be considered overprotective.
But she knew how broken I had been when I first arrived here.
That’s why she genuinely worried about me.
“Come on, get out of the blankets already.”
“Sena, your husband is saying this, so why not let it go?”
Sensei unexpectedly chimed in from the blanket beside Sena.
Sensei, today’s dessert is going to have extra honey, right?
I knew without being told that Sensei loved honey.
“Ugh.”
“See, your husband is going to make you a delicious pizza.”
Sena closed her eyes for a moment, hesitating at Sensei’s persuasion. Eventually, she opened one eye slightly to glance at me and sighed.
Finally, she said, “Alright, Ichiro. Let’s make up,” and slowly emerged from the blankets, extending her hand.
It pained me to disappoint them, but I explained that making the pizza would take too long for today.
Unable to withstand their pleading gazes, which seemed to say, “That’s cruel,” I ended up promising to make it for them next time.
In the meantime, I quickly prepared a simple dish: toasted hard bread cut in half, topped with melted cheese and drizzled generously with honey.
“I want you to listen to me while you eat.”
I wanted them to know what was happening and that I couldn’t clearly answer Anon’s question.