Not Gentle in the Slightest, Mr. Blow
On an afternoon deep in exam season, the library of Capall Municipal Magic School was packed to the walls with students.
Herbena had several books spread across a desk open on every side, and she was working her way down through them, page after page. Across from her, Skadi—long past her own quota—lay face-down, stealing a nap.
Herbena's brow drew tight as her concentration finally snapped, and the nib of her pen broke with a sharp crack.
…Why did I even do that yesterday.
After the meal with Cunsai, Herbena had returned to school and set off for the student council building with Skadi, meaning to run the errand Blow had asked of them. They were to pass his words along to Yulia, and to deliver the donuts Cunsai had given them.
"…It was fun."
"The trip you just got back from?"
"Yeah."
From the moment they'd been flung off to Roten without warning—the hot springs, the offer Yulia had made Blow, and then Cunsai on top of it all—every last thing that happened beside her young master was interesting. Stay at his side, and things simply kept happening.
Of course, the notion of hauling their business all the way to someone else's festival didn't sit entirely well with her. Even so, that was precisely the sort of thing her master, Blow Deblique, would do.
And then, without warning, the memory of the garden rose up in her mind. Cold moonlight. A garden tree still holding its leaves, spilling green beneath them. Blow's arms around her had been so warm.
…I've actually lost my mind.
Her face had gone red before she noticed. Skadi, who had been watching her in silence, tipped her head and asked, "Hey. What are you thinking about?"
"I wasn't thinking about anything."
"Yeah, right. You and Blow, back then, outside—"
Herbena shot a glare at her—uncanny, how her instincts only sharpened at moments like this—and shook her head, face twisted. "Would you shut up? Please."
"Knew it. You're telling me later, got it?"
"…No."
Skadi's mouth curved in a thin smile. She turned her face forward and murmured, as if to herself, "Oh? Then I suppose I'll have to keep it a secret that Yulia picked Blow as her future husband."
"What!?"
"Hey. It's the hall. Quiet."
Herbena's glare snapped toward her, but Skadi ignored it with airy ease and shoved the doors of the hall open.
It was the weekend, and the building was dim. Only two departments still had their lights on: the Finance Department under Cindy, and Yulia's Public Relations Department. Leaving Herbena to glare holes in her back, Skadi went straight to the PR door and threw it open.
"Excuse me."
The moment the door opened, the PR members came into view, strewn about the room like quilts that had soaked up too much water. They looked as if a magical bombardment had hit them. Skadi and Herbena had to pick their way through with care.
"Why's the mood like this?"
They slipped past the members, who couldn't even manage a proper greeting, and approached Maxim, sitting blankly in the deputy head's seat.
"Maxim?"
"Huh…? Oh! Herbena, Skadi? What's going on?"
"We came to see Senior Yulia. Is she in the department head's office on the second floor?"
"Ah, the chief? Right now… she should be in the conference room over there."
"Thanks."
His face made it plain this was no time for small talk, so the two of them went straight to the conference room, knocked, and stepped inside.
A long conference table filled the room, and spread along it from end to end were articles about Redfrin—red backgrounds, black print, packed tight. Yulia stood with her back to the door they'd come through, arms folded, scanning them one after another. Skadi hesitated, then approached carefully and called to her.
"Senior?"
"Ah! You startled me. Skadi? Herbena? What brings you?"
Yulia hastily smoothed the face that had been set like stone and managed a smile. Herbena answered with a businesslike one of her own.
"We've come to deliver a message from Young Master Blow."
"Oh, is that so? Shall I pour some tea…"
"No. It doesn't seem like the moment for that."
"I appreciate the consideration. As you can see, while I was away, Redfrin was generous enough to leave me all these gifts."
"…"
"I was just agonizing over what to do with them. Haha…"
Skadi and Herbena met each other's eyes in silence, then spoke as one.
"…You've got your hands full."
"Haha, not at all. What did Young Master Blow ask you to tell me?"
"He said he'd treat you to a meal around Tuesday."
"A meal? Hmm? That's right before exams, so it's a little…"
"Which is why he said he'd bring the food to the Public Relations Department."
"He will? Hah… by any chance?"
"He'll be bringing corn cheese, too."
The power of food was truly something to behold. Yulia's face, whose smile until a moment ago hadn't been a smile at all, flooded with unclouded joy.
"He's packing us snacks? Haha. That young master of yours, honestly…"
"He also said there's something he'd like to discuss while he's at it."
"Tell him to come around evening, Herbena."
"Yes, I will. Oh, and…"
Herbena flicked a look at Skadi, and Skadi held out something wrapped in paper.
"What's this?"
"Blow said to bring it along since we were coming. I tried one too. It's good."
"Really? What is it?"
Humming, Yulia opened the sealed paper. Inside were three of the donuts they had eaten. Color rose in her face, and she cried out brightly, "Donuts!"
"Yes."
"I'll enjoy them. Please tell the young master as much."
Yulia moved to wrap them again, and Herbena, who had been hesitating, hurried to speak.
"Um… well…"
"Yes, Herbena? Was there something you wanted to say?"
"The young master said I should make sure you actually ate one…"
"Oh? Did he? Hmm… all right. I was getting a little hungry, as it happens."
Yulia unwrapped them at once and popped a donut into her mouth. The eyes that had been half-lidded flew open, and she exclaimed in a bright voice, "It's really sweet! That's why it's so, so good!"
"…It was, wasn't it."
She savored the donut for a good while, then smiled at them and said, "Young Master Blow, you know… he really is such a gentle, warm person."
"What?"
Startled, the two of them checked each other's faces. Meanwhile Yulia picked up another donut.
"He packed extra, didn't he. In case I wore myself out."
"……"
Yulia looked utterly happy, and her cheeks seemed, ever so slightly, to have colored. Herbena's face had gone completely stiff. Watching her, Skadi fiddled with a lock of hair and thought, …Mm. This isn't it.
The reason Blow had told Herbena to watch Yulia eat the donut was to see how she judged the taste—and whether she paid any mind to the dark brown sugar dusted over them. But Yulia had dismissed the donut with a single it's good, and now it was gentle this and warm that, nothing but talk of Blow.
Then again… Blow is kind of warm, isn't he?
The thought startled Skadi so badly she pinched her own thigh, hard, and looked at Yulia, who was beaming as she bit into the donut.
"Herbena, you must be glad. Getting to be the right hand of someone like Young Master Blow."
"……"
"He treats that servant of his well, too. Hans, was it? I saw as much at the last staff dinner."
"……"
And the more Herbena heard, the more something sour seemed to rise in her. There had been that faintly irritating remark back in the hotel training room, and only moments ago Skadi had told her Yulia had marked her young master as a future husband. Something was boiling up inside her, and she had no idea what to do with it. Her palms felt damp, so she scrubbed them hard against her skirt.
Then Yulia added, smiling with perfect innocence, "Young Master Blow is awfully good to Jane, too."
"No, he isn't."
At Herbena's sudden words, Yulia's chewing mouth stopped. Skadi's brow narrowed as she stared at her.
"He's not."
"Sorry?"
"Th-the Young Master isn't gentle at all!"
Herbena said it with her eyes squeezed shut. Yulia and Skadi both looked startled enough to glance at each other.
"Hmm? Herbena? What do you…?"
"Out of nowhere?"
Even Skadi looked thrown, and Herbena's face, caught too late, went as red as a beet.
"N-no! I'll be going!"
"Hey! Why are you leaving alone?"
Skadi's voice trailed after her as Herbena fled the conference room, and then it fell away behind her. Herbena burst outside and hastily cast a spell to lay a chill across her face.
Honestly. What was she even doing.
Herbena let out a long sigh.
Skadi, awake again at some point Herbena hadn't noticed, wore a red mark across her forehead and a wicked little smile. Irritated by the look, Herbena stood a book up and hid her face behind it.
While Herbena was busy being ashamed of her own imagination, Blow and the inn crew had just stepped into the restaurant.
"Whoa."
Melo's face lit up at the sight of a kitchen easily twice the size of the inn's. Unlike the Nynix days, when the place stayed gloomy no matter how much afternoon sun came in, the interior had been done in white, with lighting installed so she could check both ingredients and cleanliness at a glance. The kitchen felt crisp and bright to anyone who walked in.
There were ovens the inn had never had, and several hearths where a fire could actually be used. Dishwashing and cooking had been given separate spaces, so that as little as possible would get in Melo's way while she worked.
"Young Master!!"
After one full circuit of the kitchen, Melo's eyes went glassy and she threw herself into his arms. Blow held her and stroked her hair. Jane came up beside them and asked, lightly, "Are the oak casks going in the space between the hall and the kitchen?"
"Yeah. I want people to be able to watch the beer being poured."
"Like at the inn? I thought you only did that because there wasn't room…"
"Thinking it over, this seemed better. And if there's a cold spell on the casks, it'll be something to look at."
"I hadn't thought of that."
In truth, Blow had seen pubs set up that way all the time in the other world, and he also saw no reason to make anyone trek into the kitchen just for beer.
Melo darted here and there, opening drawers and peering into the oven. Her delight was so plain that Blow's own mood lifted, and he smiled at her.
"Do you like it, Melo?"
"Yes!! I love it so much."
"There's a storeroom underground and another behind the kitchen, separate from each other, so you won't have to leave things standing outside anymore."
"That's great! Young Master!!"
Hans, who handled the inventory, brightened right along with her.
"Don't forget to keep a record of what's in there."
"Yes, sir! Understood!!"
Blow left them to their eager tour of the kitchen and took a slow turn through the hall. It had been staged in a completely different mood—a tavern under soft, low light. The floor was black tile, the walls finished to feel like brick. He had modeled it on the pubs he'd seen at Byeol Star in his Han Ji-hoo days, a look that was hard to find anywhere in Caipol.
Jane, standing at his side, smiled. "You could even exercise in here. Running, for instance."
"It's built in a straight line. Wouldn't bowling be better?"
They were still trading that idle nonsense when Ornn, who had been watching them with a slightly tense face, rubbed his hands and came over.
"How is it, Young Master?"
"Better than I expected. The finer points of the interior still need some thought."
"Shall I drive in some nails ahead of time, so you can hang pictures and the like?"
"No, leave it. Let me think. Simple might be better."
Next they went up to the second floor, which would be their living quarters. At the top of the stairs that connected to the outside, Megan was already waiting, standing ramrod straight at the entrance and receiving them as if she were the lady of the house.
"Megan, you could've just gone in ahead."
"I couldn't. Even cold water has a top and a bottom."
"Fair enough. Let's go in."
The door opened on their new home, and warmth met them at once. Megan, who remembered the floor plan he had shown her, hurried into the bathroom. Clean gray tile throughout, a large mirror, and—just as Blow had said—a bathtub, unmistakably there. With a trembling hand she turned the water on.
Hot water, exactly as he had promised, poured into the tub in a rush. Megan broke into a wide smile, came up to Blow Deblique, and clenched her fist.
"Young Master!"
"What?"
"The bathroom is clean. I like that. And the tub—I like it very, very much!"
"You seemed to care about that a lot, so I specially asked Ornn to use an expensive one."
After she had checked the rooms, Megan came running back and gave him a Serdian salute.
"Young Master!!"
"Hm?"
"Loyalty! If I could take this loyal heart out and show it to you, I would."
The fervor caught Blow a little off guard, but her reaction was only natural. She had gone from a cramped room on a dusty landing to one with a great window and a bed big enough for three. If even she, who barely showed emotion, was like this, Jane and Hans needed no mention.
"Young Master, where are you going?"
"Me? I'm going to take a look at the attic."
"Ah… you're really going to use that as your room?"
"If I can. If it's truly awful, nothing to be done."
Standing in the attic, Blow decided his judgment had been right. A wide, snug space opened before his eyes. Through a small window cut into the low ceiling, a clear sky showed itself. At night, that little patch of sky would probably hold a great many stars. The window was a frame, then, for a sky that changed from moment to moment.
Yeah. This is better.
He smiled at the thoroughly satisfying view, and before he knew it he had fallen asleep.
Jane came up quietly, looked him over, and went back down.
"Jane, the Young Master?"
"Mm, Melo. I think he has something he needs to look at for a bit."
"I wanna see too."
"Let's go look together later."
"Okay."
Jane gave a small nod to Ornn and Hans, who were standing nearby. Catching her meaning, they agreed to let Blow rest his eyes for a while.
Some time later, Blow woke and talked it over with everyone, and they decided that from today on they would sleep in the new nest. Megan would handle the cleaning, and the Barbarians, kindly enough, offered to help move the luggage from the inn.
"Until we open, we only need the first floor of the inn."
"Right. Unless we're just going up to rest for a bit."
"Yeah, let's do it that way. They're all so happy about it."
While Blow and Jane were talking, Ornn came over quietly and asked, "Young Master, when are you thinking of opening?"
"Next Friday? I want to promote hard at another school's festival first."
"That does seem wiser. You'll need the potion shop set up as well."
"Will the potion shop be finished within the week, too?"
"Yes. The second and third floors are done. The first floor only needs the finishing touches."
"Shall we go look now?"
"Whenever you like."
"Good."
While the two of them talked, Hans had Blow's clothes slung over his shoulder and was wobbling under them.
"Mm… Hans. I think I have a few too many clothes. Sorry."
"It's all right! Young Master—there's a guest here to see you."
"A guest?"
From behind Hans, a slender woman in glasses came toward him at a quick, short step.
"Blow Deblique, hello. I'm Christina, teaching assistant to Professor Mnevoir."
"Yes, hello, Assistant."
"Professor Mnevoir asked to see you."
So it's come.
Blow nodded to her.
"All right."
"Are you free tomorrow?"
"Yes. Late evening tomorrow should be fine."
"Then… shall I tell her around nine?"
"Yes. I'd appreciate that."
Christina bowed to him once more and turned her steps toward the school. As her back receded, Blow let out a breath and put on a deliberately easy expression.
"Shall we head in."
"Let's."
They were about to go when Jane, who had been behind him, spoke up carefully.
"Young Master, tomorrow—"
"Tomorrow? What about it."
"When you go to see Professor Mnevoir, may I come with you?"
She was looking at him steadily, and she even managed a difficult smile. Remembering what Herbena had said, Blow shook his head.
"No. I think it'll be fine. We'll have to get ready for business the next morning, too."
"……"
"I'll tell you what happened after I get back tomorrow."
"Understood."
"Let's go in."
Blow headed for the potion shop with Ornn. Jane watched his back, and worry settled over her face. Melo, reading it, grew anxious and caught her hand tight. Jane said nothing, only stroked her hair, and then let out a deep sigh.