“Is it morning already?”
I jerked upright in surprise. Jepeto, who’d been sitting on the ground nearby, went wide-eyed.
“It’s fine! It’s still morning.”
“Oh... good morning.”
When I greeted him hesitantly, he grinned.
Whew. Thank God. I pressed a hand to my chest.
The sky was still bluish. Dawn, then. The second I realized that, the air against my skin suddenly felt even colder, and I shivered.
“Hoooh.”
When I breathed out, it came out white. It was getting colder and colder.
Ugh, I’m gonna get a runny nose. I brushed at it with my sleeve and looked around, but my brother was nowhere in sight.
Where’d he go?
I even twisted all the way around to look behind me, but he wasn’t there.
He wasn’t there. My brother wasn’t there.
“Brother! Where... where’s my brother? And Luman?”
So he went with Luman.
Only after I said it did I realize Luman was gone too.
Luman wouldn’t just leave without saying anything. Probably. Right? So that means my brother’s coming back with him too. Yeah.
I barely managed to calm myself down. My back was slick with cold sweat.
“They said they had something to discuss for a moment.”
Jepeto answered like it was no big deal.
“What kind of discussion?”
“Umm.”
Jepeto knit his brows as if trying to remember what he’d overheard.
“I think they said something like, ‘The ones we dealt with were all of them.’”
“Ah.”
“Do you have any idea what that means? Ah! You don’t have to tell me. I’m not really that curious, actually.”
His face looked kind of pale when he said that.
“I won’t tell you.”
It’s probably about Dell Belkerman’s people.
I should’ve asked more while we were at the castle. I have no idea what’s going to happen to Coco after this. But if they took care of the stragglers too, then she should be okay, right?
Ah! I need to take my medicine.
“Where are you going?”
“...Nowhere. Why?”
“You shouldn’t go too far.”
“I’m just going to the carriage!”
He’s not actually going to follow me, is he?
I walked off briskly, ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) then looked back over my shoulder.
Jepeto was still watching me.
I told you not to stare at me!! When you were saying all that nice stuff yesterday, where was this? Why do you have to make people uncomfortable by staring at them?
See? I was right. Hearts are uncomfortable!
Pointlessly huffing to myself, I climbed into the carriage.
I pulled the herbs out of the bundle Coco had tied up so neatly for me and hurriedly dumped them into my mouth.
Ughhh, bitter.
It was drinkable as tea, but raw? It was way too bitter.
My mouth felt so astringent I wanted to scrape my tongue clean.
Huuuh. Honestly, when I was actually feeling sick, I didn’t notice, but taking this when I’m in normal condition is fucking awful.
So that’s why Luman complained that this tea sucked?
Though for that, he’d actually reacted pretty mildly.
Could Luman be sick somewhere too... no way, right?
Should I ask the old apothecary when I get the chance?
“Ren.”
“Gah!”
“Why are you so startled?”
“M-make some noise when you walk around! Why do you keep sneaking around without a sound?!”
I snapped at him irritably for no reason.
The fact I managed not to scream should be praised, actually!
Luckily, I’d already tidied up the bundle.
“What were you doing? Now I’m curious.”
Luman smiled with his eyes half-curved.
Ugh. Annoying how handsome he is.
“I was just looking at my flowerpot, okay?”
“Ahh. You came to check how it was growing.”
Luman smiled softly, his eyes narrowing again. His gaze moved to the flowerpot sitting on the carriage seat. The fresh little sprout was glowing a vivid green. My tiny pot had somehow survived the wrecked carriage, and Lady Coco’s knights had brought it back to me. They’d thrown out only the shattered pot and moved it into a nice new one.
Coco’s knights are weirdly delicate.
Then again. Since Coco isn’t delicate, I guess at least her knights have to be!
“What’s its name?”
“My flowerpot’s name?”
“Yeah.”
Luman leaned his upper body into the carriage and asked like he was dead serious.
When he lowered his head, his fine hair slid along the side of his face.
It looked like his eyes were inspecting every last stem in the pot. The green plant filled those golden eyes of his.
Why the hell are you looking at it that carefully? Anyone would think you were staring at a lover or something.
“Who names a flowerpot?”
For a second I got mean and snorted.
“It doesn’t have one? Really?”
His eyes lifted from the pot to me.
“It doesn’t. Who the hell names a flowerpot? Do you do that, Luman? That’s seriously weird!”
God. What is wrong with me?
But the words were already out, and I couldn’t take them back now.
It wasn’t even that I’d been trying to joke around. My mood had just twisted up for a second, and I’d thrown it at him. That only made it more embarrassing.
I thought Luman would say something back, but instead he suddenly sighed and rubbed my head a few times.
“W-what is it...?”
“Want to name it together?”
“......”
“We probably can’t come up with one right this second, so let’s think about it. We’ll have one by tomorrow morning. How’s that?”
Luman smiled like he was deliberately putting that handsome face of his to work.
“...Okay.”
“All right, then. Time to eat breakfast.”
“You don’t usually bother with meals like this.”
I blinked at him.
“How could I not? We’ve got our Ren here. I have to feed you.”
“......”
What the hell is with him acting all sweet?
Out of nowhere, I remembered the day he’d shown up at the shack with that rotten letter.
And how he’d twisted my arm.
It was mostly my fault for tearing up the letter first, but still...
I’d thought we were just going to part as strangers, so was it really a good thing that we were doing things together like this now? The thought crossed my mind.
No. It was fine. Luman and I would be parting soon too.
If that was the case, then giving him one gift should be okay, right? We weren’t going to see each other again anyway.
Maybe naming this thing together could be a nice gift too... idiot Ren.
That’d only be a good thing for me.
I hadn’t known this was what it felt like to slowly pile up small, ordinary memories.
My chest felt full... and sad. Why did something that made me happy make my heart hurt too? Nobody had ever taught me about things like this.
“Ren, hurry up. You can look at the flowerpot again later.”
Luman held out a hand.
I hesitated, then walked right past it.
Luman lowered the hand I’d left hanging as if it didn’t bother him at all, then fell into step beside me.
Why does Luman keep indulging me? Times like this, he could scold me. The fact that he acted like it was nothing just made me feel worse instead.
“Ren.”
“Brother! Where’d you go?”
“Went to talk for a bit. Why were you at the carriage?”
“Huh? Oh, I was checking on my flowerpot.”
“The one from the shack?”
“Yeah. The flowerpot from home...”
“Sit.”
“...Okay.”
I sat down on a log. My brother served the meat he’d been grilling to Jepeto first, then gave some to me.
“Thank you.”
“Thank you.”
Sneaking a look at Jepeto, I hurriedly tore into the meat.
It was rough and not very good, but it was way better than the soup Dell Belkerman had given us!
Is this how picky eaters get fixed? Though honestly, it’s not like I’m that picky.
I need to eat well and keep up with the schedule. I can’t fall behind.
I attacked the meat like I was at war with it, stuffing it down fast. But as I kept eating, it actually tasted good. Was I hungry?
I usually hate getting things on my hands, but right now I didn’t even care.
“He eats well.”
At Luman’s comment, my brother only nodded.
“He should usually eat a little mor—”
“Ren.”
“Huh?”
My brother cut Luman off and called my name.
The line of his eyes was serious. He hadn’t touched his own meat at all. He was just looking at me.
“Brother, what?”
“Don’t get it everywhere. And don’t wolf it down. That’s not proper table manners.”
“Oh... sorry.”
“Temar.”
Luman frowned.
“Luman, stay out of it. This is home training.”
“As if that’s something to say... Why are you saying that to a kid who’s eating well?”
“N-no, it’s okay. Brother. Sorry. I’ll eat properly.”
I brushed the crumbs of meat off my mouth.
I was so embarrassed. Did I look greedy? Was the way I was eating ugly to look at? I wanted to ask. But if I asked something like that, he’d get annoyed, wouldn’t he?
“W-well, kids are supposed to eat wildly when they’re young so they can... ahem.”
Jepeto muttered timidly, then cleared his throat.
If you defend me like that... it just makes me more embarrassed.... I was in the wrong, so why is everyone acting like this? What if Luman and Jepeto piling on makes my brother more upset? What if his mood’s already gone bad?
Watching my brother carefully, I started tearing off only tiny little bites of meat.
Ah. My stomach felt heavy.
But if I stopped eating now, it’d make it look like it was because of my brother. I can’t let him get the wrong idea like that! Come on. I have to finish my portion.
But the amount of meat my brother had given me was too much.
Could I even finish it all?
Should I leave some?
If I left food, would he get mad and say I didn’t know the value of a meal?
But if I ate it all, I’d look like a pig...
“Ren. Sorry, but I’m still hungry. Can I have some of yours?”
“Huh? What are you—”
Before I could even answer, Luman snatched the meat out of my hand.
Just like that.
I stared at him in shock, and he bit into the piece I’d been picking at little by little and swallowed it in one go.
Before I knew it, there was nothing left in Luman’s hand but the bone.
“If you’re hungry later, I’ll get you a snack. Sorry.”
“No... it’s okay.”
Luman’s lips were shining with grease.
Mm. I’m actually grateful... but he didn’t do that for my sake!
When our eyes met, Luman gave me a wicked grin.
He only did that to tease me because I was eating so earnestly! You bastard!
But what am I supposed to do, Luman? I couldn’t eat that meat anyway! I wanted to lean over and whisper that right in his ear, but my brother was right there, so I held it in. My brother only glared at Luman once with a stiff face, then let it go.
“Shall we head to the carriage? Ren? Sir Luman, you should come too. I’ll change your bandages.”
“What about my brother? Doesn’t he need his changed too?”
“Nope. Ren, your brother is insanely strong, so... he’s probably all healed already.”
Luman’s voice was joking, but it didn’t sound like a joke.
“Brother, really?”
When I looked at Brother Temar, he got to his feet without saying a word.
Then he started cleaning up around the campfire.
You don’t have to grind your teeth over it, brother...
I thought once we left the village, we’d be able to get along a little more sweetly, but why... why does it feel like my brother’s gotten colder instead? What if I’m really doing something wrong? What if me thinking I’m doing okay is just me fooling myself?
“Ren! Let’s go!”
Jepeto held out a hand.
Huh?
“Come on. My bandages feel damp and gross too.”
“Yes! Let’s go!”
I followed the two of them.
Jepeto tried to take my arm, but Luman cut in between us. Right now Jepeto was walking while holding on to Luman’s arm.
For no reason, I looked back at my brother.
He was quietly cleaning up the campsite.
“Ugh!”
“Watch where you’re going.”
I’d been walking while looking back at my brother, and I tripped over a rock.
My nose slammed into Luman’s back, and it was harder than smashing into a damn boulder!
When I clutched my nose, he carefully caught my arm and lowered it, saying, “Let me see.”
“Pfft.”
“...Did you look just so you could laugh at me?”
I couldn’t really get mad because thanks to him, I hadn’t fallen, so I only grumbled. Luman shook his head and said that wasn’t it.
“It’s red, but you’re fine.”
Luman leaned in and stared straight at my nose, then broke into a grin.
