The Witch Wants Something Sweet
The sun is setting. My shoulders are sinking lower with it. They're completely numb now. Just how long does Serina plan on staying like this? Is she asleep? I turn my head to check. Her eyes are closed. Looks like she's dozing off. I debate whether I should wake her. Maybe I'll wait just a little longer.
...It feels like my shoulder has gone completely dead. It must have been over thirty minutes, but Serina hasn't moved an inch.
"Serina..."
"What."
"You weren't sleeping?"
"Nope."
"My shoulder's killing me. Can you lift your head now?"
"..."
"Serina?"
"..."
"Serinaaa...!"
"Ugh. So annoying. You ruined everything."
"What did I ruin this time..."
"Who cares if that stupid shoulder can't be used?"
"It feels like it's about to snap in half, that's why."
"Is it me? Or the shoulder?"
Fuck. I seriously want to slap that cheek of hers.
When I finally lower my shoulder, the witch gives me a dumbfounded look. Then her face flushes red and she storms down the mountain path by herself. Where the hell is she going, leaving me alone in the middle of the night like this? I chase after her in a panic.
The cold wind blowing off the reservoir makes everything feel even more eerie. As soon as we get down, Serina starts nitpicking like something's been bothering her the whole time.
"Allen. Did you clean the house?"
"Not yet..."
"Didn't I tell you to organize the bedding?"
"Sorry... You were lying on it earlier."
"That's different."
How am I supposed to clean when you're sprawled all over it, you idiot? Use your brain for once.
"Do you even have a brain?"
Serina yells at me with complete double standards.
"Look who's talking."
"What? Look who's talking?"
"Ah... No, no. Sorry. It just slipped out."
"Aha~ Then maybe I should cut that tongue out so it stops slipping."
"Sorry. I'll do it right now."
"Do it immediately."
What a spoiled little brat. Her plan to get married is written all over her face. Is this how she intends to make a slave contract? I'm an idiot for getting excited when we held hands earlier. Now that I think about it, it's infuriating. I want revenge. I want to keep her under my foot and make her call me Master. But that's probably just a fantasy...
"Allen."
"Yeah?"
"What happened with the fruit jelly?"
"Oh right. I forgot to ask Lucas about it."
"You have other things you could forget. Can't you pull yourself together?"
"Sorry. We're heading to the village tomorrow anyway, so I'll ask him then."
"Why are you going to the village tomorrow?"
"I need to buy supplies and get another goat. Thanks to you, we've actually got money now."
"Then I'm coming too."
"Together?"
"Why, you don't like that?"
"No. Just asking."
"I need to eat pudding at least. My mood isn't getting any better."
"Fine. We've got plenty of money, so eat whatever you want."
Serina said it with a dead-serious face. The pudding must have really hit the spot. She went for pudding before wild boar or seasoned fried chicken. I straightened out the witch's bedding and came downstairs. Since Serina claimed she had no appetite, I skipped making dinner. Even as I turned off the lights and crawled into bed, I couldn't shake the feeling that the witch had been acting really strange all day.
"Allen. Are you asleep?"
"Hm?"
"If you're scared, or cold, or maybe you want to sleep with me, or if there are bugs or something... you don't have any thoughts about coming up here, do you?"
"Ah... I'm good. The floor is comfortable."
No way in hell am I getting up there. I don't want to be used as an arm pillow again and wake up in agony. The moment I refuse, the witch seems to fall asleep right away. It's quiet. For about ten seconds.
"Allen. Are you still awake?"
Serina asks again.
"Ugh, what now..."
"Were you annoyed with me just now?"
"...I was just answering. Why?"
"No, just in case. The bed feels weird, so maybe you could come up and inspect it? Or dust it off or something?"
"What's weird about the bed? And why would I dust it? Stop saying strange things and go to sleep already."
"....I was trying to sleep. Don't talk to me."
The witch spoke in a thoroughly irritated voice. After that, she didn't say another word. It was the kind of day where even as I drifted off, I kept thinking about how strangely the witch was acting.
The next day. On the road to the village. Thanks to Lucas's arrangements, Serina passed through the checkpoint without any inspection. She was wearing the red wrinkled dress I'd bought her along with a red fedora. Serina had said red was her favorite color by far.
"Whenever I see red, it makes me feel good. It's like something's burning inside me."
"Really? It does look good on you."
"Right?"
Today there was no trace of yesterday's witch. If yesterday had been gloomy storm clouds, today was a perfectly clear sky without a single cloud. The moment we entered the market, Serina pointed at something.
"Allen. What's that?"
What she was pointing at was a chateaubriand restaurant with its own garden. It was the largest establishment in the area. The place served chateaubriand during the day and turned into a tavern at night.
"Ah. That's a restaurant that specializes in beef tenderloin dishes called chateaubriand. They pour sauce over it and it tastes incredible."
"I want to eat there too. Buy me some."
"Sure. But the portions might be a bit small for you. Is that okay?"
"Then we'll just order a lot."
"Ordering a lot gets expensive."
"Hmph. Not my problem."
"Then you might not be able to eat as much pudding as you want?"
"Hmm... Then I'll eat a lot of pudding instead."
"Let's just taste the chateaubriand there, then."
"Okay!"
For once, Serina was listening well today. She wasn't throwing tantrums and demanding her way like last time. If the witch could stay like this every day, I wouldn't have any wishes left. From the entrance, Serina couldn't take her eyes off the place. The exterior was an Art Nouveau building covered in gorgeous patterns that gave it a grand, imposing feel. When we opened the door, the wooden floor creaked under our feet. The sound was muted but strangely peaceful, the kind you could listen to over and over.
Lace-trimmed tablecloths covered the wooden tables, and decorative glasses were set on top, catching the eye. Serina seemed fascinated by everything. Instead of sitting down, she wandered around looking at it all.
The waiter approached. "May I take your order?"
"Yes. Five chateaubriands and two cups of honey mead, please."
After ordering, Serina finally sat down.
"Did you order?"
"Yeah. I got five chateaubriands so you could eat plenty."
"Good job."
"Oh, and I ordered honey mead. Is that okay?"
"What's mead?"
"Um... It's alcohol made with honey. You enjoyed the grape wine last time, so I thought I'd try this."
"I like grape wine. But it makes me dizzy."
"This doesn't have as much alcohol as grape wine, so it should be fine."
"Alcohol?"
"Yeah. The stuff that makes you dizzy."
"Why do humans drink something that makes them dizzy?"
"Well... It does make you dizzy, but it also makes you feel good."
"I like feeling good. I'll drink a lot."
"Nooo. You shouldn't drink too much of the dizzy stuff during the day."
"Is that how it works?"
"Yeah. Just have one glass. We'll buy some to take home later."
"Okay."
When the honey mead arrived first, Serina couldn't hold back and gulped it down. The moment she finished one glass, her face turned a rosy pink. I wasn't sure if it was Serina who was weak to alcohol or if it was the witch.
"This is delicious."
She must have really liked it, because she ordered another glass.
"Stop drinking. You're going to get drunk."
"Just one more. It's so sweet."
Who was I to stop her? Two glasses should be fine.
The chateaubriand arrived along with the extra mead Serina had ordered. She demolished four of them in the blink of an eye. I still hadn't finished my first one.
"You already ate all of them?"
"Yeah. It was delicious."
"You don't want any more?"
"Nope. I'm good."
Serina's eyes looked a little unfocused. I popped a piece of chateaubriand into my mouth, savoring it while watching her. Where was she looking? Her gaze was fixed on a table diagonally across from us where a couple was being affectionate. They were holding hands tightly and sharing light kisses. As the couple playfully pressed their lips together, Serina stuck her tongue out. Why is she sticking her tongue out... The couple continued their public display without caring about the people around them. The man reached behind his chair and started kneading the woman's backside. At that, Serina pulled her own chair back to get a better view.
A little later, the woman at the other table said something to the man.
"Honey. I got some sauce here."
The man immediately reached out and wiped it off for her. Seeing that, Serina let out a heavy sigh.
"Serina, why are you sighing?"
"It's nothing."
She looked completely deflated. Then suddenly she smeared sauce on her own mouth.
"Allen."
"Yeah?"
"Is there anything weird about me?"
"Weird? I don't see anything. Though you're usually weird anyway."
"...Is there really nothing weird?"
"Yeah. You've got sauce on you. Hurry up and eat it."
"...."
Serina glares at me for no reason. She huffs angrily, then licks the sauce off with her tongue.
"Hey, aren't you going to eat faster? I'm waiting here."
"You ate quickly... Wait, I'm done now."
"Forget it. I'm leaving."
Here comes another tantrum. I hurriedly stuffed the rest of my chateaubriand into my mouth and followed her out. Once outside, Serina was walking with a slight stagger.
"Are you really dizzy?"
"I'm not dizzy. The ground is just bumpy."
"It's completely flat. What are you talking about?"
"If I say it's bumpy, then it's bumpy. Don't talk back."
"...Fine."
To cheer up the sulking Serina, I headed straight for the pudding shop.
Sylvia's Pudding Shop
Ding.
"Hello, Sylvia!"
When I opened the door, the familiar sweet aroma filled the air.
"Oh? Allen."
There was an unexpected person inside. It was Lucas.
"Oh? Lady Serina is here too?!"
Lucas brushed right past me and headed straight for Serina.
"You bastard. What are you doing here?"
"Ah... I came to see Sylvia."
"Did Amon's method work?"
"Lady Serina. I'm seriously considering building a temple for Lord Amon. The effect was dead-on."
Lucas and Serina were whispering about something. While they did, I greeted Sylvia.
"Have you been well, Sylvia?"
"Yes! How about you, Allen?! I heard from Lucas. You two reconciled."
"You heard already~"
"I was so surprised. Lucas came by and even lifted all the import bans!"
"That's right. We made a promise. I told him to lift them."
"It's all thanks to you, Allen!"
"What... It was my friend who did it! By the way, when will we be able to eat the fruit jelly?"
"It should be possible by tomorrow!"
"Oh! Great. So you reconciled with Lucas?"
"Hehe... It turned out that way. I think I misunderstood a lot about him. He seems to have changed somehow."
"That's good. So the effect really worked."
"Effect?"
"Ah, never mind."
I trailed off awkwardly. I almost let slip everything that happened with Amon.
"Allen, are you busy tonight?"
"Tonight? Not really, why?"
"I'd like to treat you to dinner. What do you think?"
"Well... I don't mind at all..."
"Then let's meet for dinner! Bring your friend too!"
"Ah, yes, that sounds good. Though my friend eats quite a lot..."
"Oh my! That's perfectly fine! Shall we meet in front of our shop this evening?"
"Yes. We'll be there."
Sylvia suggested dinner, saying she could start making and selling fruit jelly again. Since there was no reason to refuse, I accepted right away. Of course I didn't bother asking the witch's opinion. I figured since Serina went crazy for anything edible, it wouldn't matter to her.
