I Want to Grow Taller Too
Year-end had finally arrived. Gulp. I swallowed hard as I watched Seria stand in front of the wall. It was the pillar at the end of the first-floor corridor in the Lord's Castle, the very spot where we measured and recorded our heights every year.
"Alright, Seria. Stand up straight. Heels together, chin tucked." The Head Maid held a ruler level above Seria's head. She drew a line on the pillar with a pencil, then measured it with a tape.
"Oh my! Our Seria grew three whole centimeters since last year! You're really starting to look like a young lady now!"
"Thank you, ma'am." Seria stepped down from the pillar with a proud smile. She tilted her chin up at me, giving a relaxed, smug look.
"Next up is Young Master. I can't wait to see how much you've grown in the past year."
"Hmph, don't be shocked. I've been having leg aches every night lately—couldn't even sleep. It's my growth spurt storm."
I strode confidently to the pillar, puffing out my chest and pressing my heels against the wall. The Head Maid placed the ruler on my head and drew the line.
"Well, Young Master... you're..." She checked the tape and gave a slightly ambiguous smile. "1.5 centimeters taller than last year! You're growing nicely!"
"...What?" I couldn't believe my ears. 1.5 centimeters? That's it? What were all those growth pains I suffered through every night?!
I whipped around to check the line on the pillar. The mark labeled [Seria, 14] sat about two centimeters higher than the one labeled [Kalian, 12].
"...No way."
"It's not a lie, Young Master. Face reality." Seria stood next to me and waved her hand through the air above my head. "I'm still breathing the upper air. You're firmly below me."
"Hey! Two centimeters is basically the same! That's a difference you could flip with shoe heels!"
"We measured barefoot. No excuses." Seria grinned annoyingly and patted my shoulder.
My pride crumbled. Just a few months ago, I thought I'd almost caught up, but this girl had grown even more in the meantime. At this rate, I might never look down at the top of her head.
"Ugh, and I trained so hard too!!"
Seria crossed her arms and said seriously, "It's definitely your eating habits. You're way too picky, Young Master. Especially with milk."
"..."
It was true I didn't like milk much, but it wasn't like I hated it to death. You know how some people freak out just from the smell of cucumbers? It was like that—some genetic aversion to that fishy scent or whatever. Anyway, that kind of dislike.
But this wasn't the pasteurized, clean milk from my past life. Freshly squeezed milk in this world wasn't refined well, so it reeked of beast and fishiness like crazy. How was anyone supposed to chug that every day?
"Milk's too fishy. No thanks."
"That's why you're not growing. Bones need calcium to grow—the doctor said so."
"I can get calcium from anchovies!"
"You won't eat them because you can't look them in the eye."
"Th-that's..."
Fact violence shut me up. Seria sighed and marched toward the kitchen. Moments later, she returned with a huge mug sloshing with white milk.
"Here, down it in one go."
"No way! It stinks!"
"If you don't, I'll double your stamina training starting today."
"Blackmail?!"
"Yes, blackmail. For my lord's growth, I'll gladly play the villain. Ahh~"
Seria shoved the mug to my lips. The fishy cow-milk stench assaulted my nose. I pinched my nostrils and jerked my head away.
"I really hate it! I'd rather take bitter medicine!"
"Hey now. Drink up."
"No! I'll grow my own height my own way!"
I bolted to my room without looking back. I heard Seria yell, "Young Master! Stop right there!" from behind, but I slammed the door and locked it.
"Haa... haa..." I leaned against the door, panting.
But I couldn't give up like this. Honestly, I was happy Seria was growing. A man's pride, though...
I gotta drink milk somehow... How could I mask that fishy smell and make it tasty? I sat at my desk and racked my brain.
Past-life memories. Milks I'd had occasionally.
Chocolate milk! Strawberry milk!
Yes! Cover the fishiness with sweetness!
I sneaked into the kitchen, swiped premium cocoa powder, sugar, and dried strawberries, then hurried back.
"Alright, magic cooking time."
I poured milk into cups, dumped in heaps of cocoa and sugar. But powder doesn't dissolve in cold milk easily.
Heat & Mix.
I applied faint heat from my fingertip and swirled the milk with mana. The powder melted instantly, yielding rich brown chocolate milk. I did the same for strawberry, extracting juice from the dried berries with mana.
"Kuh, perfect!"
One cup chocolate, one strawberry. I sniffed. No fishiness—just sweet aroma.
I sipped the chocolate cautiously.
"...Insane."
My eyes flew open. Thicker and more luxurious than store-bought! I could down a liter a day easy.
"Kuhahaha! Seria! Soon you'll be staring at my scalp!"
As I raised my victory toast—
Bang!
"Young Master! Locking the door and doing who kn—huh?"
Seria picked the lock and froze, seeing me with two colorful milk cups.
"What's that? Poison?"
"Poison?! Behold, chocolate milk and strawberry milk!"
"Choco... milk?"
Seria sniffed. Her red eyes wavered at the sweet scent filling the room. She was a total sugar fiend.
"This is seriously good? No fishy smell, super sweet. I'll grow like crazy on this—get ready."
I slurped obnoxiously, and Seria gulped.
"Um, Young Master."
"What."
"Don't you need a taste tester for that...?"
"Nah, no need. I made it."
"B-but mana side effects could be dangerous! Let me try first!"
Seria crept closer, eyeing the strawberry cup. That desperate gaze. Here we go again.
"No. This is for my growth."
"Just one sip. Please? I just wanna taste..."
"Sigh, fine. One sip only."
I handed over the strawberry cup like I was helpless. Seria cradled it carefully and took a tiny sip.
"...!"
Her eyes bulged. Forgetting her "one sip" promise, she chugged it down.
"Hey! One sip! That's my calcium!"
"Puha..."
Seria one-shot the strawberry, pink foam on her lips, face in bliss.
"Young Master... this is amazing."
"Right? Even I admit—hey, why're you eyeing my chocolate now."
Her gaze shifted to my other hand.
"Young Master, the chocolate needs a tester too."
"You brat! This one's mine!"
"Hand it over!"
"No! Get lost!"
We spun around the room in a milk tug-of-war. I'd made it to grow taller, but it was all heading to Seria's mouth.
"Seria! If this keeps up, I won't grow!"
"Then I'll carry you forever! Gimme the chocolate!"
"You talk a big game!"
In the end, my chocolate fell half-victim to Seria's brute strength.
"Pyaha... ah."
Seria alternated glances between the empty cup, the chocolate, and me.
"Whatever. Drink it all."
"R-really?"
"Yeah, I can make more anyway."
"Yay!"
Gulp. Gulp.
Still, next year I'll be looking up at her.
But seeing her grin with chocolate mustache, I figured losing some milk wasn't so bad. Tomorrow, I'd steal more cocoa and make a ton.
—
Winters in the north are long and boring. Snow's romantic at first, but staring at it pile up day after day freezes even your sensibilities.
"Ugh, so bored. Nothing fun to do?"
I breathed on the window, doodling in the fog, and muttered. Seria approached from behind with warm cocoa.
"Bored? Wanna clear snow from the training ground? Builds stamina—two birds, one stone."
"Shoveling in this weather? I could magic it away in one go."
"And collapse from mana exhaustion like last time? Then you'd eat my special nourishing porridge."
"...I'll just sit here."
Under Seria's scary threat, I meekly took the cocoa.
Then, a sight outside caught my eye. A huge lake on the castle outskirts, usually rippling clear—now frozen solid into a giant white mirror by the brutal cold.
"Oh."
Frozen lake. Winter. Obviously!
"Seria! Let's go fishing!"
"Fishing? In midwinter? The lake's frozen solid—where are the fish?"
"Pfft, fish live fine under ice. We break through for ice fishing. There's these tiny fish called smelts that only come in winter? Fried up, they're art."
"...Fried?"
Seria's eyes sparkled. Food talk always revved her engine.
"And not just fishing. I'll make you magic shoes for the ice too."
"Magic shoes?"
"Yup. Called skates. Let's have a blast today! C'mon!"
I excitedly grabbed my coat. Seria, feigning reluctance, picked up her wooden sword and followed.