38. A girl with my bag

It’s the day for the Date.

I want to go to the bathroom, so I leave the room. Outside my room, I see a set of my clothes in front of the door. 

Layla probably washed it for me. But just one day? Ah, it might be possible if she Magic.

After returning from the bathroom, I change into my usual clothes and go out into the hallway.

YAWN… “Haaaah”

I put my hand on the fence and look under the stairs.

There, Layla is preparing the ingredients for breakfast.

――Shit!

I hurriedly go down the stairs and grab Layla’s shoulder right before she pulled out the knife.

“Hyaa!? Seal-kun, what’s wrong? “

“La, Layla! As a thank-you for letting me stay in your place and the meal yesterday, I’ll make the breakfast! “

“It’s okay you know…”

“I love cooking! So, Please leave it to me!”

“Well, okay then? I’ll leave it to you. I also want to eat your cooking, Seal-kun.”

I somehow managed to stop her.

Anyway, I check the ingredients she has prepared.

The trunk of “Sweets Wood”.

“Rainbow cabbage”, a cabbage that changes color depending on the layer. The taste also different depending on the color.

Vinegar made from “shadow berries”, a fruit that grows underground.

“Milk oil” squeezed from “olive cow” that produces milk with a high oil concentration.

Round red fruits.

Cherry leaves.

Plain bread.

“Short-grain rice”.

“Wild boar chicken” ‘s meats.

A fish bone that I have never seen.

“What were you going to make?”

“It’s omelet rice.”

…….

Where’s the egg…

—————————————-

I boil sweets wood trunks, fruits and cherry leaves to make jam. Cut off the ears of the bread and sandwich the jam to make it sweet. And, fry the ears of bread in milk oil.

I fry the wild boar chicken meat together with the rainbow cabbage and season it with shadow berry vinegar. 

I cook the rice normally.

The fish bones? Nope. I don’t know what I can use it for…

So, three dishes, is it a little too much for breakfast? Well…

“It’s done.”

I carry the plate to the table, where Layla is waiting.

Layla holds a fork, stabs the meat stir fry and brings it to her mouth.

I gulp as to ready myself that perhaps Layla may say, “It’s bad”.

I tasted it properly and it tasted good for me. I’m quite confidence with my tongue But…

――She’s so proud when she served me that devastating dishes, it’s not strange if it’s just her having a peculiar taste.

“Yeah, it’s delicious! Vinegar made from shadow berries has a refreshing taste, it goes well with the meat of wild boar chicken, which tends to get stuffy. The taste of rainbow cabbage changes depending on the color, and you prepared all with different seasonings! Salt on the red leaves, sugar on the blue, and sesame oil on the green. “

“All of it is correct …”

If she has such an accurate tongue. Why her cooking tasted like that…?

After finishing the meal and getting ready to go out, we leave the house.

Layla is wearing white clothes with more exposure. The shoulders are out and the chest part is open. Her skirt is short. The feminine part is properly put out, yet it looks elegant.

The morning in <Mother Punk> is a little dark, probably it because the leaves of the cherry blossoms tree are blocking the sunlight.

“Where should we go first～. Yeah, as expected, to the hot air balloon!”

“Are we goona ride it and looking down at the cherry blossoms from above?”

“Ding Dong! Correct! It’s at the bottom, let’s go! “

“Ah! Oi――-!”

Layla pulls my arm, and together we head down the stairs.

After paying the fee, we get on the hot air balloon. A dog-beastman, who is a Magician, uses magic to set fire and control the balloon.

From far above, I can see the huge cherry tree.

I couldn’t help but to let out, “Woah―”.

It’s pink. Something yellow scattered from the pink leaves like a snow――a mystical landscape. Above it is a sea of ​​clouds.

Looking north from <Mother Punk>, there’s a valley. There are forests around it, and in the center of it, there’s a tower that is tall enough to penetrate the clouds.

“What is it!?”

I lean out from the balloon and look up at the tower while feeling the gentle breeze.

“That valley, it doesn’t have a name, but everyone calls it, “Dragon Castle.”.  They said that sometimes a dragon comes out from there.”

“Dragon…”

Gun Emperor, the younger brother of the Old Man I met on <Seadust Island>.

He was riding a black dragon… I don’t want to think that level of monster is wandering around there.

“The tower in the center is called, “Volketurm”. It seems that a hermit lives at the top!”

“Hermit?”

“That’s right. There lives a hermit called “Monster Eater”. I’ve never seen it. The name is, Ado―― I forgot. ―― Anyway, that hermit lives by eating dragons and slime.”

“…Rather than a hermit, isn’t it <MAJIN>? I don’t think human can live in that place.”

“Hmmm～, Seriously, you really have no dreams huh, Seal-kun. “

“Well, but I wanna try to climbing it once… I’m sure the view from that top must be amazing. “

“… Seriously? It’s higher than the clouds, you know? “

“Yeah. It’s going to be a good way to kill time.”

Looking east from the valley, there’s a volcano. A city can be seen faintly in the back.

“A volcano and a valley, what a mess up place.”

“That volcano is called “Mt. Grueri” and you can get a lot of ore there. And what you can see faintly in the back is the Imperial City, <Avalantia>… “

The Imperial City huh…

“What route should I use to get to the Imperial City?”

“Usually, people use the road between the volcano and the valley.”

I want to go to the Imperial City someday.

Since it’s the place with a lot of people, his granddaughter may be there. Well, I need to gather a lot of information first.

Wait… If I ask that knight, Pearl, I may know where the Old Man’s house is and the whereabout of his granddaughter.

“After this, let’s eat cherry blossom ice cream! Thenー, Ah! As expected, we can’t miss the cherry blossom viewing…  before that, we need to buy a lunch box somewhere―― “

Layla grabs the hem of my shirt.

I wonder what is this feeling… It’s as if I’m with my girlfriend? No. my daughter? No, it’s still a little different. Perhaps, my granddaughter?

I feel like she sees me not as the opposite sex.

We get off the hot air balloon and go to the ice cream shop. I don’t any money so, I ask Layla to buy me the ice cream. It’s a pink-colored ice cream.

I also have Layla paid for the balloon fee… I’m feel sorry as a man… I have to return this somehow in the future.

We go around the town, while licking the ice cream.

“Let’s go there, Seal-kun! Come! It’s here!”

It’s so much fun… I’m really happy.

I feel like I’ve forgotten a lot of stuff, but for now, let’s enjoy this.

“Seal, where do you want to go next?”

I bring the ice cone into my mouth and clap my hands a few times to remove the leftover.

“Hmm… right. Would you like to sit on the bench somewhere? Let’s take a break”

As we’re walking along the main road,

―― “Oops!”

Something hit my stomach.

It feels like a human head. 

Looking down, a little brown-haired girl is burying her face in my belly.

“I’m sorry. Are you okay? “

I grab the girl’s shoulder and separate her from my stomach.

“……”

” ―― Ah…”

The brown-haired girl has a face that I’ve seen somewhere.

She is carrying two bags, one of which look exactly like my drawstring bag.

The girl squeezes the string bag and frowns at me and Layla alternately.