A Perfectly Ordinary Day
"It's been three weeks since we arrived in the kingdom, but this is the first time I've gotten to stroll around the streets like this!"
Sion gazed around in wonder from the wheelchair Serin was pushing. She could have used her usual pressure wheelchair, but the self-propelled one was too conspicuous, so at Sion's request to move around comfortably, Serin had agreed to accompany her on this outing.
"Is there anywhere you want to go? You suddenly said you wanted to go out and play."
"Not really? I don't even know what's around here to begin with."
She'd burst out of the hospital room full of energy, but now what? Where should they go, and what should they do? This was the capital of a medieval-style kingdom. Sure, it was a big city, but by my standards, there weren't any real attractions worth enjoying. Part of it was that I'd been working every holiday, but mostly because there just wasn't anything I particularly wanted to do.
"Then, is there something you want to do... or something you want to eat?"
"Hmm? But you're always asking me."
"You were the one who wanted to come out, Sion."
"Yeah, but... You're the local here, Mr. Hope. Shouldn't you show some flair and guide me around properly?"
"I've never really played around much."
"Oh..."
I lived in this town. But towns and cities are just administrative divisions. If you strictly mapped out my actual living area, it was my house, the center, and the nearby daily necessities shop. Anything beyond that was technically in the same city, but it wasn't really my turf.
"Serin, do you have any ideas?"
I was stumped, not knowing what to do. Could this all-purpose caregiver from the empire possibly have an answer even for this?
"I know the must-eat gourmet tour course that everyone should try at least once in their life, and the gladiator match schedule..."
She did have something. A must-eat gourmet tour? And... gladiators?
"So the kingdom has something like a colosseum?"
"You didn't know?"
"No. I had no idea."
"Even if you haven't played around much, that's shocking. Duels where fighters compete fairly according to the rules are a sport in every country in the world. That's basic common knowledge."
"I see."
Yeah, when you think of medieval entertainment, the first thing that comes to mind isn't... wait, isn't it? Colosseums and gladiators were from ancient times, right? Well, this is a fantasy world, so maybe there's extra yearning for strength to account for it.
"You knew about it, didn't you, Sion?"
"Of course."
"Do you like it? Gladiators."
"No, not really... I don't want to watch people fight each other."
Sion hung her head with a glum expression. Not wanting to see people fighting each other... That was so very Sion.
"Then how about the gourmet tour?"
"A gourmet tour... I like that it's so ordinary!"
"Ordinary is good, huh."
"That's what I wanted. To play ordinarily."
Even as she spoke, Sion twisted her head this way and that from her wheelchair, peering at people, buildings, and shops with a delighted face. Was this what Sion had always wanted—to live ordinarily? It was a bit clichéd for someone special to crave the ordinary.
After I'd practically scolded her that she could ask for anything, Sion had started voicing her own desires more freely. It still felt a little like she was doing it because I'd told her to, but her bright smile was undeniably genuine. If she was doing what she truly wanted and enjoying it, then for now, that was fine.
"But we're not doing a full gourmet tour today—just one spot."
"Just one?"
"A gourmet tour course is for travelers passing through for a few days, right?"
"True."
"But we're people who live here. It'd be a waste to eat all the good stuff and do all the fun things in one day."
It made sense when I thought about it, but...
"So you mean we'll do this together more often from now on."
"Hehe, caught me?"
She finished with a playful grin, looking up at me. Maybe because we'd talked about ordinary things, she looked just like any ordinary twenty-one-year-old girl.
"So today it's not a full tour, just some dessert scouting. One food item..."
"Your turn to pick this time, Mr. Hope."
"Me? My turn?"
"Yep. To keep it fair."
"Why?"
"Serin picked what to do, I picked how many to eat, so you pick what to eat. That balances it out, right?"
Was this the hero's idea of fairness? It felt like she'd left me with the easiest part. Did we really have to take turns deciding everything equally?
"Hmm..."
I pondered while looking at Sion, and she gazed back up at me with a happy smile. Yeah, she just wanted to watch me agonize over it. Still, I should pick something. It was true I hadn't suggested anything yet.
She'd said ordinary was good earlier. What would an ordinary girl want...?
"It's too early for lunch, so how about a sweet snack? What do you think, Sion?"
"Perfectly ordinary—love it!"
"I figured you'd like something ordinary."
"You really are smart, Mr. Hope."
"Smart? Is that a compliment?"
"Of course. Like, 'as expected of a doctor!'"
Hmm, so what to eat? What do ordinary girls eat? Right... that. The super trendy sweet snack that girls loved.
"Serin. Do you know if they have..."
"Yes, go ahead."
"Tan—"
I nearly said the name, but my mind flashed, and I barely stopped. Was I about to ask if they sold tanghulu in a fantasy world?
"I mean... a place that sells desserts where fruit is dipped in hardened sugar?"
"You're talking about confiserie, then."
"Huh? Oh, yeah! That's it!"
What did Serin just say? Confiserie? I'd never heard the word. Sounded French? I vaguely recalled confit as a French duck dish...
"Going to a confiserie on a day off—totally like an ordinary girl!"
"An excellent choice, sir."
Sion seemed to know what a confiserie was too, of course. And they were 'going' to one? So confiserie wasn't the food, but the place? They were praising me for picking something I didn't even know about. My head was getting more confused.
Come to think of it, my question was 'is there a place that sells that kind of dessert?' So Serin answered with the name of such a place.
"Anyway, Serin. So confiserie is on the city's gourmet list?"
"Yes. Shall I guide you?"
She said it so naturally, without batting an eye, so yeah, confiserie must be a place.
"Yes, let's go."
"Yay!"
Serin knew the way, so she led, and I followed. Sion was in the wheelchair Serin pushed, so she was ahead and out of sight, but her head bobbed side to side over Serin's body, peeking in and out like she was excitedly humming a tune.
"We're here."
This was the confiserie... True to Serin's intel network, it was a bustling large shop full of people. The classic square wooden sign read Confiserie et Chocolat, and the building had transparent windows and outdoor display racks like any bakery or dessert shop. And atop them, just as I'd asked for, were piles of fruit-based desserts.
"I had no idea a place like this was in the city."
The capital where I lived could have something like this, no problem, but it was pretty far from my house and the center, so I'd never known. And this shop... it sold way more varied sugar+fruit combos than I'd imagined. There were peeled grapes coated in sugar like tanghulu, oranges dipped in chocolate and sliced, fancy pyramid-shaped chocolate balls like from a high-end confectionery, jellies, and even... ice cream? More like a comprehensive dessert shop, or perhaps a candy store was the precise term.
Sion's eyes went wide too. Mouth agape, she stared sparkling-eyed at the sweets on the shelves until the sweet, tangy scents of chocolate, sugar, and fruit nearly made her drool—then she snapped her mouth shut with a snap!.
"Qu-quick, pick something, Mr. Hope!!"
"How about taking your time to choose?"
"Why?"
"Because that's ordinary."
"Is it? Even though I wanna eat fast?"
I was pretty bad at playing around too, but Sion took the cake. The fun of buying something isn't when you use it—it's even more fun before that, when...
"Browsing is fun too."
"Ah...!"
Times when you lose yourself in the vibrant array of desserts, imagining how they'll taste, basking in happiness. And the bitterness of only being able to pick a few. That agonizing deliberation was the real thrill, but Sion didn't seem to know it yet.
"Serin! Over there!"
"Yes!"
Thankfully, something seemed to click for her, and Serin bustled over to where Sion pointed. An ordinary day fitting for an ordinary girl. I hoped today, through that very ordinariness, would become something special for Sion.