A Wish
I wonder what her reaction is.
Whether it's holding hands, meeting eyes and occasionally smiling, or especially the expression when she pulls her hand away.
Her face, which had been smiling brightly, suddenly freezing up struck my heart like a bell.
I thought maybe, but her face actually helped dispel that thought.
She has beautiful, sharp eyes, like a flower blooming on a cliff.
And her long, soft, fluffy ears kept reminding me of the memory of when she was wearing a hood...
It's really troublesome.
Even just looking at her direction, the surrounding people and background naturally blur, leaving only her.
When I see her bright smile, my face flushes, and I don't want to show embarrassment, so I lower my head.
Before I knew it, after leaving the empty plate behind, I walked slowly out of the restaurant.
"Excuse me!"
As I was about to open the door and leave the shop, a waitress's urgent voice called from behind.
When I turned around... what kind of beastkin is this?
Anyway, a woman in plain clothes was holding Ely's hand.
"...Ale?"
"Ely! Ely, right! I heard the news. Are you okay? You weren't hurt, were you?"
The moment she saw Ely, her eyes widened, and then she grabbed her hand.
"Ye... ah, I..."
For a moment while receiving the greeting, Ely turned her body and looked at me.
"Would it be okay to talk for a moment?"
"Move aside - "
"No, it's fine if you stay close."
She grabbed my arm tightly.
The arm brushed against something soft and rustling fabric, and then I felt warm warmth.
My arm said 'I was grabbed' to my brain, but my eyes didn't believe it.
My brain neither.
Logically, it couldn't be.
Why would such a beautiful person grab my arm out of pity?
"...Um, Mr. Marcus?"
A hand touched my shoulder.
"Are you okay?"
"Ah, ah? Um... I was meeting a friend, is it okay if I have you here?"
Avoiding her gentle gaze, I barely managed to speak with a flushed face.
Stumbling... stuttering... words cutting off. I breathed in too much air.
Damn, am I trembling too much?
"...Aha ha ha, haha!"
Suddenly, a burst of laughter from the front.
It was Ale, the waitress, covering her mouth and holding her stomach while laughing.
"Ah, sorry. I was rude. Sorry. I guess I worried for nothing."
After laughing for a while, she wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and bowed deeply to me.
"Nice to meet you. I'm Ale Hall, a waitress at Lilbrie. I know Ely Michel."
"M-Marcus Ahn. Um... I'm accompanying Ely Michel..."
What to do. Um... companion? It's a bit... not appropriate to say 'master' right away.
"It's my master, Ale."
Before I could finish speaking, Ely smiled at Ale and completed my words.
"Ah, yes, yes. Um... yes. Master... But, is it okay to say it like this?"
"Of course, we promised to call each other by name between us, but outside, you need to firmly say 'master', Mr. Marcus."
Heh, nodding while looking away, suddenly I felt something strange and turned my eyes to Ale.
"Ee - what? You two, are you like that?"
The long, sharp ears stood up sharply with her face, and I reflexively shrank back, but
"No!"
It seems my voice came out too loud.
The eyes of the restaurant guests momentarily focused on us, then quickly returned to their food or companions.
But I couldn't stop feeling embarrassed.
"...I think I should move to another seat."
She leaned towards me and approached the door lightly, as if saying goodbye.
"We probably have to go. Ale, aren't you busy too?"
"Ee, yeah. I should move on. Nice meeting you again, Ely."
"Me too. Bye."
"...Ah, yes. Excuse me!"
I waved my hand slightly and opened the door to leave the restaurant.
"Then, where should we go now?"
"To the room, I'll tell you more there, Mr. Marcus."
"Okay, then."
Hot steam rose from the cup in front of me.
Then, white hot milk mixed with the brown tea.
"Would you like me to add a little sugar?"
"...Um, I've never had tea like this, so I don't know what to do."
I didn't expect milk tea to exist here.
She raised her shoulders slightly, smiling as she picked up a sugar cube with tongs.
"Then, should I add it according to the amount? If it's not enough, add more sugar, if too much, add more milk and tea."
"Please do."
Clink, the sugar cube went into the cup, and the white color slowly changed.
"...Is sugar hard to get here?"
The background here is medieval fantasy. Advanced crafting technology or such wasn't visible.
Magic items and devices were seen occasionally, but seeing warm tea and milk, and sugar cubes received for free from the inn, it was natural to wonder.
"No. Sugar is a common spice that appears in dungeons. Tea leaves and milk come from farms and fields, but sugar and syrup can be harvested from plant-type monsters."
"From which layer?"
"I think it's commonly seen in layers 3-4. It's commonly dropped as loot, and once dropped, it's put into a leather pouch and a bunch falls."
"Ah ha."
It comes in.
"And tea and milk are provided free in the inn basically in the evening. Of course, it's one serving, and if you want more, you have to pay extra."
She pushed the cup slightly towards me.
"Drink it."
I picked up the cup, blew on it, and took a sip.
The slightly sweet aroma of the tea lingering in my nose was surprisingly pleasant. And this subtle sweetness.
Perhaps it makes you want to drink more.
After silently drinking two sips, I could finally put down the cup.
"...It's delicious!"
"I'm glad it suits your taste."
Squeak, she pulled the chair and sat down, taking a sip of tea.
"...Thank you for giving me such a leisurely life."
Suddenly, she opened her mouth while staring silently out the window.
"I've been living weighed down by work and a sense of duty, you know. I told you, right?"
"...I did."
"My wish is for my family to live happily, abundantly, and without pain. Every day, crying in worry and anxiety... not hoping for no incidents the next day, but living a life where I can imagine what I can do tomorrow."
A surprisingly modest wish, but a form of life that no one can easily have.
A worry-free life is never easy. Right now, I'm worrying about what to do tomorrow, how to make myself happy.
"In short - you want to have fun worries. What to eat with family tomorrow, where to go on a trip... But when I face a life for several years where I can't do that, I felt like something was breaking, right?
The one who helped me escape from such a life is none other than Mr. Marcus. I'm extremely grateful for that. You might have treated me more harshly, or ignored my stories. You might have been annoyed by my words now and let them go in one ear, or shown disgust...
Hehe, when you look at me with such serious eyes, it makes me quite embarrassed."
Had I been staring so intently?
"No, I'm not saying to look away elsewhere. It was quite... lonely. It was the first time I felt such pure kindness and goodwill from someone other than family. I wanted you to do a little more."
Clink, the cup is placed.
Squeak, the chair is pushed back.
"...Although we haven't known each other long, could I ask for one favor?"
She walked slowly and knelt carefully in front of me.
"With that warm hand, could you stroke me?"
"Ah, ah?"
I wanted to believe my ears were playing tricks. But her red eyes sparkled as she looked straight at me.
"...Is this a rude request?"
Honestly, I missed the touch of her ears.
She is now allowing me to touch them as much as I want.
But is it really okay?
"...It might be because I haven't met my family for too long. We haven't even been together for a week yet. Like this - "
"Even a week isn't necessary. I'm receiving enough goodwill. And, above all, if Mr. Marcus was truly a bad person, he could be said to be an excellent actor?"
The ears tilted, and she sat softly on my arm.
"So, please. Could you stroke me?"