Chapter 257: Drowsy Afternoon

Drowsy Afternoon

* * *

Under the early summer-like blue sky, a pleasant breeze blew through the lush green grassland, swaying my hair.

I quickly hold down my wide-brimmed hat with my left hand to prevent it from flying away.

Inhaling, I smell the blue and faintly sweet scent of grass.

“Shall we have tea?”

The woman who invited me, claiming to be my new mother, slowly sips her black tea, enjoying its bitterness and aroma.

Even then, her gaze is fixed on me, not letting go.

Smiling beautifully, she stares at me tirelessly.

…I am currently sitting in a gazebo in the garden of Lairine’s mansion.

Extra-sama, shut up.

I hate it when you act like a know-it-all and use foreign words, it gets up my nose.

If Extra-sama had a physical form, I would have immediately knocked you out.

You’re lucky!

Well, I said “garden” earlier, but despite the luxuriousness of the building itself, Lairine’s mansion doesn’t have an elaborate garden to match.

It’s just neatly mowed underbrush with occasional modest flowers I’ve never seen planted here and there.

There are no grand garden trees, and of course, no sculptures either.

There’s nothing.

However, even so, the grassland surrounding this mansion is so full of radiant vitality that it’s beautiful, making you feel there’s no problem.

Ah, that’s right, it’s not entirely nothing.

There are no garden trees or sculptures, but there is a gazebo.

Sitting on a chair in that gazebo, I am having tea with the woman who claims to be my mother.

We are both wearing wide-brimmed hats and white dresses.

Matching outfits.

In addition, I have a pitch-black scarf wrapped around my neck.

To be precise, it’s my 【Black Arms】 transformed into a scarf-like shape.

I’m trying my best to make it feel as cloth-like as possible for transformation practice, but it’s still quite spiky and stiff.

Whoosh.

The wind blew again.

“…………”

Listening to the rustling sound of swaying grass, we are silent.

It’s been about 10 days since I woke up in this mansion.

We have already run out of topics to talk about.

In the first place, I am a person of few words.

* * *

But at first, we were chatting.

Because Lairine appeared next to me, who had just woken up, breaking through the wall.

Even so, I just gave appropriate responses.

The main one talking was Lairine.

She smiled and objectively summarized the key points of her 300 years of life.

It wasn’t particularly interesting, so I don’t remember the contents well.

When I got bored halfway through and fell asleep, Lairine waited until I woke up and started continuing the story the moment I opened my eyes.

This kind of chatting continued for about 3 days.

“…And so, I finally met Emi-chan and became family! Okay, that concludes Mommy’s self-introduction! Hey, Emi-chan, did you get to know Mommy?”

Remembering at that time that this was supposed to be a self-introduction, I nodded once for the time being.

Because I understood well the fact that this person is crazy.

“I’m Emi.”

“Yes!”

When Lairine smiles and prompts me to “go ahead”, it’s my turn to introduce myself.

“A girl.”

“Yes!”

“Um… 9 years old.”

“Yes!”

“…That’s all.”

It’s fine!

I’m a beautiful girl who expresses what she wants to say with her fists!

“I see! Emi-chan, you’re so cute!”

But Lairine seemed satisfied with that short self-introduction, and at a speed too fast to see, she moved behind me, hugged me with one arm, and pinched my cheeks with the other.

The bones in the part being hugged started creaking and screaming again.

I desperately kept punching Lairine’s face to pry her off and somehow avoided a third whole-body fracture.

* * *n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Rustle rustle rustle.

The grass sways.

A streak of light runs across the green carpet.

The pleasant breeze caresses my skin, which is slightly flushed from the strong sunlight.

In the warm air, I was absent-mindedly drifting off, but I woke up with a single caress of that breeze.

Looking straight ahead, Lairine is sitting there in the same posture as before.

Staring at me intently, smiling.

Only the completely empty transparent teapot asserts the passage of time.

* * *

This Lairine is a woman I don’t understand well.

She seems to love me.

I think that’s probably true.

She never tries to leave my side, whether it’s mealtime, bath time, or bedtime.

In other words, that means she loves me, right?

When I asked if it was okay to leave her work unattended, she said it was fine because her subordinates were excellent.

Although she serves as the Supreme Commander of the Adventurer’s Guild, she laughed and said that position was just for show.

Rather, she even muttered that she wanted to quit soon.

Well then, why does this woman love me?

It’s apparently because I am the “same” as her.

“The same?”

I tilt my head, not understanding what she means.

“…For now, it means you won’t die even if I hug you!”

Then Lairine once again strongly embraced me.

My bones creak and groan!

I shake off that embrace with a desperate high-speed continuous headbutt and kick Lairine’s face to put some distance between us.

Since we were indoors during this conversation, I jump a few meters and take refuge near the wall.

“Geez! Emi-chan, you’re such a handful!”

Yet in the blink of an eye, Lairine has moved next to me, kneeling and hugging my shoulders while kissing my forehead and cheeks multiple times.

* * *

Extra-sama dislikes Lairine.

That’s why she repeatedly makes such suggestions quite frequently.

But even if you say run away…

By the way, this is a recollection I had while suddenly waking up in the middle of the night and blankly lying on the bed.

I move only my eyes and glance to the side.

Lying there is Lairine, sleeping in the same bed as me.

According to Lairine, a mother and daughter should basically sleep under the same covers.

So unless I’m bedridden with broken bones, I sleep with this woman.

Lairine is breathing steadily in her sleep.

She’s definitely asleep.

I try to secretly slip out of the bed as a test.

I moved my body carefully and cautiously, even using magic conversion to muffle the sound, intending not to make a noise.

“…Did you wake up?”

But when I exhaled and looked forward, Lairine was already standing there.

Illuminated by starlight, she was smiling beautifully.

“Then let’s go out on the balcony and feel the night breeze for a bit. The stars are beautiful!”

Saying that, Lairine took my hand and started walking.

…This is how it is.

What’s with this woman?

She has no openings at all.

I understand well that she is dangerous.

I mean, she has broken my bones many times.

But realistically, I can’t think of a way to run away.

What’s with that complete trust!?

What do you think I am, Extra-sama!

“Look, we’re here!”

Sitting on a chair on the balcony Lairine brought me to, I look up at the night sky.

Countless stars are twinkling beautifully.

Even in my sleepwear, it’s not cold.

A warm breeze is blowing.

I am gazing at the starry sky absentmindedly.

Lairine is staring at me like that.

On that day, we stayed still like that until the sky began to lighten faintly.

* * *

I suddenly realize.

I seem to have dozed off again.

I am currently sitting in a gazebo installed in the garden.

The sun, which was above my head until a while ago, has now completely moved to the side.

The blue sky, white clouds, and green grassland are completely painted orange, and our shadows are stretching long and far.

Lairine is still staring at me.

“…Ufufu, you’re sleepy today, Emi-chan.”

Without reprimanding my lazy state, Lairine smiled beautifully and said.

“Well, it’s about time you get hungry, right? Look, 3, 2, 1…”

Guuuuuuu…

As if in sync with Lairine’s countdown, my stomach rumbles.

“Then, let’s have dinner. Shall we move to the dining room?”

Nodding at those words, I start walking with Lairine holding my hand.

Walking while holding hands.

At first, when I came to this mansion, it felt strange and I didn’t like it.

But I’ve already gotten used to it.

That this is how it should be.

Before I knew it, I had begun to unconsciously recognize it that way.