Picnic Day (4)
“Well, that was delicious.”
“It was delicious, huh?”
After snapping a few photos, I stuffed the prepared bento box back into my bag.
Normally Sion and Bail would each pack their own single portion and we’d share everything, but I couldn’t hand Cecil one of her home-cooked meals no matter what. So we’d brought two portions of kimbap instead.
It looked like there was just a bit too much for her.
Not that she was hungry. More like her mouth was dry?
“Then let’s head to the vendor street in front of the academy.”
The vendor street right in front of the academy had that macaron shop and other dessert spots Cecil had mentioned.
I’d often walk along it and buy a couple of things I saw, but back then money had been tight so I only ever managed to grab one and split it with her.
Now I had some decent earnings from my part-time job, and it was a rare chance, so…
I didn’t think it was a bad idea to buy every sweet thing I felt like.
“Really?”
Luckily Cecil broke into a big smile and stepped out first.
“Why do you like sweets so much?”
Then curiosity struck me and I asked.
“Well… maybe I had a grudge because I never got to eat them when I was little.”
“Ah.”
I’d stepped on a landmine.
If it had been anyone else I probably would’ve brushed it off with, “That’s just the way it is.” But I hadn’t grown up without ever eating the things I wanted. I’d skipped a few meals, but that had been my own doing.
Still, something about the way Cecil said it felt different.
Her usual playful expression had faded into something almost somber.
“Eh.”
I reached out and gently ruffled her white hair, stroking it a few times.
“Eh? Ah. Eh… um… it’s, it’s fine… I mean, sorry? Ah. Th-thank you…”
I’d probably stroked her hair a dozen times by now, but every single time Cecil would freeze up.
Her reaction was so cute it made me smile despite myself.
“I’m really fine, you know…”
“Then I’ll stop?”
“No, wait… it’s not that…”
Gently petting a girl I liked was embarrassing enough on its own. I didn’t want her to catch on, though, so I kept going.
Did she notice? That my face was probably just as red as hers.
***
“Want this?”
“Again?”
“Yeah…”
“Ugh. O-okay, let’s eat.”
The vendor street.
We’d come here specifically because Cecil loved desserts, but I was forced to tough out an unusually bitter taste.
Unlike before when we split things fairly, I didn’t feel like eating any sweets so I handed everything straight to her.
“Try this one too. It’s lemon. You like sour things, right?”
“I don’t like it. I ate a lot of lime the last time and it was way too sweet.”
“Maybe this one will be different.”
“Well…”
For some reason the sour lemon and lime and pineapple stuff didn’t satisfy her, so she just bought anything that even smelled a little tart and forced it into my mouth.
The first pineapple had tasted like grilled pineapple, and the lime right before that had been nothing but a macaron with lime scent.
At least if I pinched my nose and chewed fast I might have been able to swallow it without tasting anything.
“Now!”
“Ugh.”
“How is it?”
“…Ugh. It’s sweet.”
“R-really?”
You can’t force someone to eat something just because they’re making a face like that.
Well, at least the sweets themselves were sweet.
In the end I gave up on finding something that actually suited my taste and we settled on dropping by the café before heading back.
“What do you want to eat?”
“Choco frappuccino with Java chips and whipped cream.”
“Choco frappuccino with Java chips and whipped cream, one, and a lemonade, one please.”
“I also want a cheese cake.”
“A cheese cake… well, you can just say so.”
“Hehe.”
I sat down in the seat that looked comfortable, as if I was collapsing after the walk.
Me and Cecil had both been pretty worn out from all the walking.
Maybe I just hadn’t been using my mana lately, or maybe I’d been slacking on training.
I could clearly feel my stamina had dropped.
While we were chatting, the drinks arrived.
The lemonade was just a regular lemonade.
A nice blend of tart lemon and bubbles.
It stood out even more because we’d already stuffed ourselves with desserts.
And Cecil’s frappuccino…
“Well, it’s pretty flashy, isn’t it?”
“Not as flashy as how good it tastes.”
On top of a deep red chocolate drink sat three layers of whipped cream, plenty of chocolate chips, and a couple of swirls of chocolate syrup.
It was… quite girly.
The description was awkward, but I really couldn’t find the words.
After taking a couple of sips of lemonade with the straw, half of it was already gone, so I took the chance to catch my breath and watch Cecil.
“Um um.”
A tiny little mouth furiously chewing on something.
It reminded me of the time I’d overheard a group of boys talking about the animal-type girls in the girls’ group.
I hadn’t understood back then, but now it made a lot more sense.
Her pitch-black eyes sparkling, tiny mouth working away.
Even though she chewed hard and swallowed fast, the amount disappearing didn’t match the puffed cheeks at all.
“…? Want a bite?”
“No.”
“Why are you staring like that?”
“Because it’s cute.” I almost said it, but my mouth wouldn’t open.
“Because it’s fun.”
“…? Well… yeah.”
That was my answer.
Ever since that day it had been the same.
I really couldn’t bring myself to say anything like that.
In my head I wanted to say it more often, but…
…This was all Cecil’s fault.
A country bumpkin who’d never even held a girl’s hand had been hugged by her, and on top of that I’d gotten a back hug for good measure. My senses were completely fried.
Because of that I’d turned into the kind of guy who sneaks looks at someone eating cake.
‘Hm?’
…But if your senses are broken, shouldn’t they become more open instead?
I don’t know. Anyway, it’s all Cecil’s fault.
And how much time had passed?
Because of her disproportionately large appetite, it took a long time before Cecil finally set her fork down.
She leaned back against the chair and patted her belly.
She never showed her tummy like that in public, but this cheese cake must’ve been really good for her.
I’d better remember that.
Just as we were about to leave the café.
“Oh? The club has that kind of perk?”
“Yep. If you don’t take it you’ll lose out.”
The voice belonged to someone who sounded like a scammer, but I’d heard it many times before.
“Club…?”
“Yeah? What did you say?”
“Nothing.”
I’d better remember that too.
Father… Luke had said it, hadn’t he.
To enjoy your youth.
I’d only ever seen clubs through media, but…
“How was the lemonade?”
“It was just lemonade. Nothing special.”
“Really? I also thought drinks were just drinks. But that cake…”
With this girl chattering on in her excited, barely understandable way, the club seemed like it would be pretty fun.
That feeling hit me.
***
“Hohoho. You did wonderfully well.”
“R-really? Then we can go?”
“Of course. Please pass my regards to your friend.”
“U-um! Of course! But why suddenly the club? What is this…?”
“Is that important?”
“Ah, no! No way! I’m going!”
The alley where the boy with the innocent face had vanished.
A woman’s voice rang from the ear of the man in the black mask.
—Clear. This sector, Magical Fail. Extermination of the proliferating disaster complete.
“This side is also taken care of. I assume you’re not worried about Heretic Hans?”
***
Several weeks had passed since the picnic.
It had gone by without any special incidents, as far as I could summarize it.
Sometimes I’d doze off or think about other things during lectures.
I’d walk, work part-time, or head to dessert shops outside the academy.
Ah, right.
It hadn’t been completely uneventful.
We’d spent more time in the laboratory than anywhere else.
To practice the things we’d learned in class, of course.
If I wanted to improve my swordsmanship I’d swing my blade, and if I wanted to hone my magic I’d fire off spells.
To grow my artifact-making skills I just tinkered in the lab.
Of course, as a first-year I wasn’t allowed to use dangerous or expensive materials, and I had to cover all the costs myself, but…
Still, carving circuits into materials and making them function as artifacts was itself an intriguing task.
Plus I’d found the wallet Luke had given me on the first day of school, so the worry about material costs was greatly reduced.
Turns out I hadn’t known the bag had a double compartment. When I’d transformed into a squirrel once before, I’d seen something like that—
Cecil’s words had let me discover it. If something was wrong…
Because Luke had put that… contraceptive thing in there with it, I’d had to explain a lot more than expected.
Luckily Cecil had just let it slide, but I was pretty troubled.
It wasn’t like I could avoid it.
Well, it wasn’t important, so I’d let it go.
The artifact I’d submitted for the midterms was the one I’d been working on in the lab.
From living with it I’d realized it was the kind that got hot easily.
When it sweated it smelled bad, so it was hesitant, but I couldn’t just buy a hot artifact, so I’d been putting up with it.
I wanted a little more cold air to circulate through my whole body.
Instead of wrapping my body in cold air, I wanted it to lower my own temperature.
But while it sounded simple to say, controlling mana and the wind cycle wasn’t easy.
I had to adjust the mana flow, make the wind weak yet spread it wide, then press it tightly against the skin. For that I needed the surface to follow the flow…
It might have been better to make one more.
Well, at least it was almost done now.
The measuring part was nearly finished. The switch could stay for now, or I could add a decorative piece to make it look nicer, but since the production department had a weak sense of aesthetics, it might actually be better this way.
“Cecil.”
“What?”
“Something like, do you like animals or that kind of thing?”
I asked her directly.
It would be nice if the person I’d be using it for liked it.
“Why?”
“Just asking.”
“Um…”
Cecil thought for a moment.
“Cats.”
“…Huh?”
“I like cats. They’re cute.”
“Um… well, yeah.”
I’d almost thought she’d say squirrel, but since she actually said cat, it was fine.
For simple decorative ornamentation it would be easy.
I might not master magic as a magician because I had little mana, but my mana manipulation ability was top-notch.
I’d hold a material that handled cold well, and shape it with mana however I wanted.
Done.
A strangely fierce black cat head emerged.
That guy’s eyes were really sharp.
Now all I had to do was attach this to the switch…
“…”
Hm.
It would be finished if I attached it.
A little greed stirred in me.
I stirred mana and dyed the whiskers white, revealing the nose and the boundary of the face.
I drew outlines on the ears too and lightly overpainted them with a pale black color.
…And lastly I painted the cat’s eyes gold.
A sharp golden color like mine.
There was no special reason. Black and gold just matched well.
Just like white and black.
That was it.
***
“This is you, isn’t it?”
“…What?”
“Why are you acting like it’s not? Black fur, golden eyes. It’s clearly you.”
“Even if it’s black fur and golden eyes, it’s not the only one.”
“Fuh~?”
As expected, she’d noticed.
