IWAL Ch 22 – An Elaborate Dinner For A Change

Tonight was finally the luminescent moss festival. Couge was probably feeling nervous right now.

I wondered if he was able to finish the necklace. He told me he would be closing the restaurant today and tomorrow, so right now he should be simulating how he was going to propose tonight.

I knew all along that Couge was preparing to propose, so when Norn came to me last week to invite me to watch the luminescent moss with them, I really panicked.

Norn had probably been worried about me since he knew that I lived alone and didn’t have any family to spend the festival with.

I refused and made the same excuse about being afraid to walk home alone in the dark, but Norn didn’t back down and offered for him and Couge to send me home after.

Perhaps he still felt guilty and responsible about the matter with my inability to return to my home world.

He shouldn’t though. I’d already sorted out my feelings about it, and resolved to continue to live my whole life here.

In the first place, the gate disappearing wasn’t any of Norn’s fault.

But still, I was happy that he cared so much about me. I was happy, but I definitely couldn’t agree to go with them this time.

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Feeling like Couge’s plans might go to waste if I didn’t make Norn accept my refusal, I hurriedly tried to give an acceptable excuse. Unfortunately, what came out of my mouth was a really childish “I feel sleepy really early in the night.”

Though he’d looked disappointed, this time, Norn easily acquiesced. I had just felt relieved when he followed up with, “Let’s go together once you get bigger then,” with a fully affectionate expression on his face. This time I was the one who couldn’t accept things.

It seemed Norn would sometimes forget that by this world’s standards, I was an adult.

“I hope the proposal goes well.”

I was certain that it wouldn’t fail, but I still couldn’t help but pray for success.

Norn and Couge were my important friends, so I wanted them to be happy.

Just as I was getting my thoughts about their upcoming happiness tonight ahead of me, I heard something that had lately become a daily occurrence: the sound of a horse galloping.

I took a rest from watering my plants to aim my gaze towards the road. Even from far away, I could see a cloud of dust rapidly approaching. When my eyes landed on that shining armor, I grinned.

Since that day, Krish-san still came by every day in the midst of his errands and always asked how I was doing.

Last time I was at Nott’s house and wasn’t able to meet him, I’d made him really worry, so afterwards, I made it a point to let him know if I was going to be out of the house the next day.

Krish-san was a really busy man, so I’d told him I was fine and he didn’t have to keep worrying about me, but he said it was a part of his duties to confirm the well-being of every citizen. And so he’d kept on checking on me every day.

“Krish-san, good afternoon!”

“Yeah. Today the same as usual?”

Under the bright sun, Krish-san looked, as ever, like he was shining in his armor. So cool…

“Yep, same as usual,” I answered.

Pochi had long gotten used to him too, and didn’t make a fuss when Krish-san entered my property. Not only that, but he would even sit obediently and gaze at Krish-san with sparkling eyes.

Did Pochi see Krish-san as someone heroic as well?

“There’s been a lot of trouble lately, so if something happens let me know as soon as possible.”

“It’s okay, I have Pochi. Right, Pochi?”

Sitting beside me, Pochi replied, “Arf!”

I patted Pochi’s head. He really barked at the right moments.

I’d never met any trouble ever since I came to this world, but I was confident in Pochi. After all, even Japan’s security firms paled in the face of his protectiveness.

“You’re not heading out tonight?” Krish-san asked.

“To the luminescent moss festival? Nope, I’m not going. Going home alone in the dark is too scary for me. And even though Nott and Norn both invited me, I don’t want to get in the way of their families spending time together. Plus, Couge is gonna propose tonight. I can’t be a third wheel, right?”

I said the last part in a quiet voice, as if sharing something secret. There wasn’t actually any point to it, since there were only the two of us here. But I just felt that I had to.

“I see. So you’ll be alone tonight?”

“Yup. If someday I feel that it’s not scary to walk alone in the dark, maybe I’ll go take a look.”

But I was probably going to be alone then too.

Nott said that he would ask me to go with him once he grew up, but by then he’d probably have a girlfriend.

Besides, I’d noticed something back when I first met Nott’s mother. Even the women of this world were so much taller than me.

Would there be a woman who’d be willing to date and even marry someone like me who looked like a ten-year old? I didn’t think so.

Well, there might be a curious person who’d agree, but finding them would be next to impossible.

So I was already a little prepared to spend my life as a bachelor.

After all, I was already at this age. Of course, I wanted to try doing things even just once with a cute girl too, but well. That was only if I found a partner.

It was fine. There was a saying back in my original world that once you passed thirty as a virgin, you became a wizard. If you added magic to my cheat ability with plants, wouldn’t that be amazing?

Oh wait. Didn’t you need to memorize long spell chants to be able to use magic? I definitely couldn’t do that. What a waste, then.

Krish-san glanced up at the sun. This world didn’t have any clocks, so people estimated the time by determining the sun’s position.

“It’s almost time.”

“Wah, already? Thanks for coming today too. Take care on your way back.”

Krish-san smoothly jumped on his horse’s back and left towards town.

I couldn’t help but find the sight mysterious whenever I saw it. How could he easily jump so high when he was wearing such heavy-looking armor?

Ah, no. Instead of saying he ‘jumped on’, it was more like he floated.

More importantly, he immediately headed back into town. Didn’t he have an errand? Or perhaps, he’d already finished it and came out of his way purposely to check on me?

I felt a bit bad that he went out of his way, but I also felt happy.

I’d gotten used to this daily exchange of greetings, but once Krish-san leaves with Firks-sama on his trip, we wouldn’t be able to do this anymore.

The thought of that had me cherishing these short moments, and I strived to hang on to every single word he said.

“After Krish-san leaves, I wonder how long it’ll take before we see each other again.”

Apparently every trip before had taken two years before they came back.

If the same thing happened this time, the next we’d meet would be when I became 21 years old.

Even though they hadn’t left on their trip yet, I was already getting depressed.

When evening arrived, a lot of people went to the luminescent moss field on their mooc- and horse-pulled wagons. The always empty road was now so full of traffic that it resembled a city’s national highway.

I felt a little jealous as I watched couples and families looking happy and exuberant.

But I had my own family too.

Though we didn’t speak the same language, Pochi, Hanako, Brian and the others were my precious family.

I couldn’t go and watch the luminescent moss this year, but to keep to the spirit of celebration, I made some more elaborate dishes for dinner.

I made meatball soup with lots of vegetables, and something that resembled pizza by making dough from flour and adding tomatoes and eggplants as toppings.

I didn’t have any cheese, so instead I put some mayonnaise on it. Once I’d baked it in the oven, it looked like real pizza.

To make things more extravagant, I used three candles to perfectly light up the house. I figured it was good to enjoy a dinner like this every once in a while.

Usually, since I ate alone, I tended to care more about being able to eat as soon as possible and having an easy cleanup rather than the taste.

But if I had someone else here, it would’ve been better. Then I’d be able to feel that the food was that much more delicious.

When I tried to imagine someone else eating with me, for some reason Krish-san came to mind. In my imagination, Krish-san sat at the dining table still in his full armor and armed with a knife and fork. It was a little funny.

I’d never seen Krish-san’s real face before. Of course I was curious about it, but I couldn’t exactly ask him to show it to me.

It would be great if he showed it to me someday, but I didn’t think we’d become close enough for that before he’d have to leave for his trip.

I hoped that sometime in the future after he came back, I’d be close enough friends with Krish-san to have a meal with him without him wearing his armor.

This chapter was brought to you by perpetualdaydreams.com

After I was full, I brewed some of the tea that Nott’s mother shared with me. Just as I was enjoying a cup, I heard a familiar, earthquake-like thundering noise.

I was surprised. Who was galloping on a horse at this time of the night? Maybe they were in a hurry to see the luminescent moss.

It was already pitch dark outside, almost time for the moss to release their spores. Maybe this person was anxious about being late meeting up with someone. That was what I thought, so I inwardly cheered for them.

Which was why I was startled by the knock on the door.

“Yes, who is it?”

I’d never had someone visit me at this time. Norn and the others should be at the festival now, so I couldn’t think of anyone who it might be. Feeling a little vigilant, I opened the door a tiny bit.

“Shinobu, it’s me.”

The voice was so familiar, there was no need to wonder who it was.

Surprised, I blurted out, “Krish-san, what’s the matter?!”

Standing there was Krish-san, wearing the same armor he had on earlier in the day.

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