Chapter 27
Chapter 27
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 27
Chapter Title: Dragon's First Cooking (4)
Slightly, my brows furrowed.
The woman smiled brightly once more.
And then,
with the tip of her tongue, ever so gently,
she slowly licked her finger while gazing at me.
'...She's doing it again.'
It was a bad habit.
I'd decided to let it go,
but the moment curiosity arose, I found myself rummaging through memories without thinking.
I'd resolved not to judge,
yet my mind reacted first on its own.
Was the me in this timeline the same?
Deep in thought, I slowly lowered my gaze.
"...Is that the hint?"
"Yeah."
"I have no idea what it means."
The woman smiled with her eyes, lifting the corners of her mouth higher.
Without a word, she brought her finger to my lips,
then slowly, with a bit of pressure, parted my mouth naturally.
And then,
the woman leaned in.
Close enough that her breath touched me. So close.
"What are you doing."
"...Ugh."
In that instant—
my vision blurred,
and it felt like something tugged at my sleeve.
A small, cautious force.
As if clinging to me,
urging me to return here.
My blurring vision sharpened,
and a familiar warmth brought me back to reality.
It was the girl.
"Ah..."
"...!"
The lock of time clicked fully shut.
Before my eyes,
there was the girl looking up at me, her eyes damp with tears.
Her small hand gripped my sleeve tightly.
Her eyes trembled with anxiety,
and though her mouth uttered no words,
her expression conveyed her heart fully.
"...Sorry."
I raised my hand and stroked the girl's head.
Slowly,
gently.
"I was... lost in thought for a bit."
I added nothing more.
There was no need.
It was the truth.
The girl just looked up at me quietly.
Her small hand clutched my hem even tighter.
Everything was reflected in her eyes.
Worry,
anxiety,
and...
relief at having me back.
"I'm okay now."
"......"
The girl nodded ever so slightly.
The anxious light in her eyes settled,
and a short, slow breath reached my ear.
Only then could I feel the sensations of reality again,
the ones I'd forgotten.
The heat from the brazier,
the acrid smoke,
the burnt smell rising from the stew.
"...Wait."
"?"
Thanks to her, my mind fully cleared.
I lifted the pot lid,
and instead of steam, acrid smoke billowed out.
I waved my hand to clear it, revealing the completely burnt pot.
The vegetables were stuck to the bottom,
and the broth had boiled away without a trace, charred black.
"...It's all burnt."
"......"
"This is really inedible."
The burnt smell filled the kitchen.
The thick smoke worsened after opening the pot.
The acrid odor made the girl cough repeatedly.
"Rewind."
Time rewound.
The stuck vegetables revived,
and the blackened broth returned to its vivid color.
The burnt smell,
the acrid smoke,
even the girl's cough.
All vanished as if they'd never existed.
"...Ugh."
Was it because my memories had been stirred up moments ago?
I felt no resistance at all,
just my mind sinking into deep water.
When I revived my dulled senses and opened my eyes again—
I saw my old companion.
He had changed his appearance to avoid human detection,
but after spending so much time together, there was no way I wouldn't recognize his presence.
"...Rakiss."
"You..."
He stood speechless for a moment, then furrowed his brows.
Confusion,
bewilderment,
doubt.
Yet somehow, a reaction of surprise.
As he said nothing for a while,
I calmed my throbbing head and quietly surveyed our surroundings.
The familiar thicket,
the cabin where we lived now.
The season...
A thin layer of snow covered the firewood stacked by the cabin, so it seemed early winter.
'Is this the future, or...'
In that brief moment of contemplation,
Rakiss, hand on his forehead, pointed at me accusingly.
"Row."
"Yeah?"
"...What's that in your arms."
I tilted my head and looked down.
Tucked in my bosom,
the girl was fidgeting and looking up at me.
"Ah."
Only then did I realize.
Why my companion was startled.
I glanced at the girl.
She was exactly as I knew her.
Her height,
her face,
her body... seemed a bit plumper.
'Looks good.'
The moment that brief admiration crossed my mind,
my vision began to blur again.
"Ugh..."
An unpleasant sensation like my mind tangling swept through quickly.
"...?"
"Ah..."
The girl looked at me in bewilderment.
This time,
I'd returned faster than before.
I smiled and stepped closer,
lowering my head to her eye level.
"Sorry. I have good news."
"?"
"Looks like my old companion will visit soon."
"???"
It was about one of my possibilities, but.
Still,
after examining various things, that memory had a high chance of being my future.
The cabin was the same,
the girl was the same.
And,
the current season was late autumn.
The season in the memory was early winter.
That meant,
the events in the memory would soon become reality.
"You sure have free time, Rakiss."
"?"
"Nothing. I think I'll learn more about you soon."
I stroked the head of the girl, who kept tilting hers in confusion, with a smile.
Not understanding what I meant,
her eyes sparkled as she nodded slightly.
I smelled it.
The familiar aroma of stew.
Butter, garlic, the fresh scent of vegetables.
Beside me, the girl cautiously sniffed too.
"We're back to the beginning for the first time."
"......"
"This time..., I'll watch carefully."
"?"
"...Hmm, it'll be dinnertime, is that okay?"
The girl stared up at me intently, then nodded.
Her small hand gently grabbed my sleeve.
Cautiously,
but as if saying it was fine.
"Thanks for waiting."
"......"
Without a word, clutching my hem tightly,
the girl rubbed her cheek against my arm and buried her face there.
Why was that?
The scene I'd just seen,
I'd subconsciously thought it was from another possibility's memory...
Yeah.
It was definitely completely different.
The eyes,
the personality,
the timid actions.
So very,
like a different person...
So why did the thought that it might be my future suddenly arise?
"...Probably not, right?"
"?"
"It won't be."
"???"
"You can't speak or walk yet."
I tried to brush off the absurd thought,
but some nagging sensation made me stop in my tracks.
Something I'd taken for granted.
But once aware, it felt strange.
I looked at the girl still holding my sleeve.
"Why can't you speak or walk?"
"...?"
The words slipped out ahead of my thoughts.
Less suspicion,
more like something slowly accumulated and overflowing.
"Mr. Hubert said you're about seven. At that age, kids talk and run around. ...It was in the childcare book."
"......"
"...What?"
The girl didn't answer.
Of course.
She never had.
But this time, her silence felt unusually heavy.
"...Hmm."
"......"
"Well, it's fine. Nothing wrong with it."
The girl's eyes widened slightly.
Then slowly,
very slowly, she nodded.
I smiled gently and wrapped her hand in mine.
"It's okay to stay like that. But..."
"...?"
"If you ever want to walk or speak... let me know anytime."
The girl still said nothing.
But—
our clasped hands trembled a little.
As if desperately holding something back.
That tremor soon turned into a small,
but clear nod.
"Yeah. I'll help when that time comes."
"......"
"Just in case, I should ask Mr. Hubert or Rakiss. That's okay?"
The girl nodded again.
For some reason, it felt like she was holding my hand tightly.
A small but definite warmth was transmitted.
"No need to rush."
"......"
"I have plenty of time."
Yeah.
I have plenty of time.
So—
Someday,
when you want it yourself.
I'll be there for your firsts.
Your first voice,
your first steps.
"For now... let's do what we have to."
"?"
"I'll finish the stew, and you eat it."
I returned to the pot and picked up the ladle.
The stew was just starting to boil.
'Time... better not touch it.'
Slowly,
carefully.
Minding the bottom so it wouldn't stick, I stirred.
As the broth's color seeped into the vegetables,
and the broth thickened,
a delicious aroma filled the air, unlike before.
A small gaze from in front.
I glanced up,
and the girl mimicked my movements cutely.
That made me chuckle softly.
"This is pretty tough."
"!"
"No, it's manageable."
Did I make five of these?
Suddenly, I recalled proudly holding up the ladle,
presenting the dish I'd made.
'...Polished it to make for me, huh. Interesting.'
Lost in thought while stirring,
the stew had soon taken on an appetizing color.
I rolled my slightly stiff shoulders and tasted it with a spoon.
"...Mm."
It was hot, but the flavor inside was solid.
Sweet onions,
softly spreading potatoes,
and tomatoes with a slight tang.
"Yeah. This turned out good."
"!"
I ladled some into a small ceramic bowl.
Handing it over carefully,
the girl alternated looks between the stew and me.
"Sorry for making you wait so long."
"......"
The girl shook her head as if it was fine.
'Ah, right.'
Mr. Hubert had said.
Make something to eat together the first time.
That way, the memory lasts long.
It was meaningless to me.
Dragons don't forget.
'But...'
I scooped a very small portion into my own bowl.
My memories might get messier,
but since I'd prepared such a late meal, this seemed right.
Looks like my thinking was correct.
As I sat across with our stew bowls,
the corner of the girl's mouth lifted ever so slightly as she looked at me.
"Try it. Tasted good to me."
"......"
The girl nodded slightly.
Then carefully scooped a spoonful and put it in her mouth.
"......"
In that moment,
her small shoulders twitched lightly.
Too hot? But then—
She pursed her lips and chewed thoroughly,
and her eyes sparkled wide.
Then, looking at me, she smiled radiantly.
"...!"
"Tasty?"
The girl nodded vigorously.
I chuckled in relief.
"...Good."
"!"
Muttering softly, I took a bite of my own stew.
'...Yeah, delicious.'
The stew
was much better than expected.
"......"
"Hm?"
I snapped my head up at the sudden sniffling sound.
The girl
was shedding tears while eating the stew.
Her small shoulders shook.
Though she stuffed her mouth with stew,
the sobs mixed in made it hard to swallow.
A bit flustered, I hurriedly stood from my seat.
"...Why, why are you crying?"
"......"
The girl still said nothing.
Instead, head bowed deeply,
she continued eating the stew with difficulty.
I slowly reached out and stroked her head.
"...Sorry. You must be really hungry."
"......"
"Next time, I'll make it faster."
The girl's head shook firmly.
As if no,
absolutely not that.
The girl set down her spoon.
Then,
holding my stroking hand with both of hers—
she smiled radiantly through tear-filled eyes.