11-3 Part 2
The Country Girl from Corin Village
Comes to the Imperial Capital
- Reunion and Tomato Stew -
Translator : PolterGlast
I closed the book and brought the chicken stewed in tomato
to my mouth. It contained fat-free cheese, which paired well with the tomato
and had a deep flavor. Plus, it warmed me up.
「I'll have this pie-crust stew.」
「Okaaaay! Even so, you sure eat a
lot, customer.」
Is she the shop's daughter? When I placed the order with the
young waitress, she smiled back innocently. Looking closely, she might be about
the same age as Kachua.
「My appetite is strong to make up for
my weak material desires. ...Does Kachua eat and drink here too?」
「Ah! Could you possibly be that Shinza?!
Heeh... Heheeh♪ Wow~~ well well~, ufufu...♪」
「What is it...?」
「Take good care of her, okay. Kachua
is a super good girl, so you have to treat her kindly, Shinza.」
「Kindly...? Understood. But you two sure
are close.」
「Wow... you really are a blockhead...
Rare these days?」
She declared it straight to my face. A blockhead, huh. I get
told that a lot, but this is a compliment.
「Because Kachua and I are
friends. Oh right, this beef stewed in wine is delicious too, you know?」
「Really? Then I'll order that too.」
「Thank you for your order. I think Kachua
will be back soon. She'll definitely be happy, so please wait for her! You
can't go home!」
「Understood. If she doesn't come
back, I'll stay the night.」
「Then you should wait in Kachua's
room.」
「............Just hurry up and let me
eat the pie-crust stew.」
Watching the waitress's retreating back, I felt relieved
that Kachua had made a friend. It would be sad if Kachua, who
came from the countryside, was battered by the rough waves of the city and
became ruined.
The pie-crust stew had a crispy dough, and the white stew
was also rich. The wine stew was so soft you could eat it even without teeth,
making me want to thank the Empire's rich food culture and the shop's kitchen.
◇ ◆ ◇
As the night deepened, the overnight guests retreated to
their rooms, and when only dead-drunk patrons remained, Kachua from Corin
Village finally returned from work. However. Even I couldn't recognize that
it was Kachua at first.
「Kachua, is it...?」
「Eh...」
The waitress had already finished her shift. So I called out
to the retreating back that was trying to go up to the inn on the
second floor.
「Sh-Shinza?!」
「Sorry. I didn't recognize you, um, I
was wondering who it was...」
That unglamorous country girl was wearing light makeup. Like
an archer who prefers light equipment, she wore a protector guarding her
vitals, and incredibly, that Kachua was wearing a skirt.
「You came?! D-Did I (Atashi)
change that much...」
「...I (Atashi)?」
「Ugh... because the older girls in
the village told me to stop using 'Ore'
in the city...」
「Ah... I see. You'd certainly stand
out.」
She's pretty. Lipstick was applied to her young lips, and
she was wearing an amber hair ornament. It's brittle so it's not suited for
ornaments, but it has the feel of someone from Corin Village.
I can't say it out loud, but an 'Ore' tomboy suddenly starting to say 'Atashi' doesn't suit her and feels out of place...
「Is it weird... is 'Ore' better in front of you, Shinza...?」
「It's not weird. No one else here
knows the true face of Kachua from Corin Village besides me,
after all. Since it's like this, you should just become who you want to be.」
「Yeah... then I'll try using 'Atashi'... Nice to meet you again, Shinza!
I'm so relieved we finally met, geez!」
「Have you eat? I still have a little left.」
「Is it okay?!」
「If you don't mind half-eaten food,
you can have it all. I've eaten about 6 or 7 times this amount, after all.」
「That's eating too much! But thank
goodness, it was past the last order, so I was thinking of gnawing on dried
meat in my room!」
When she sat at the dining table, Kachua returned to
the Kachua I knew. She's become more mature since she started wearing
makeup, but inside she's still a child with a strong appetite.
「Is Mr. Lucky doing well?」
「Ngu?! Cough cough... Y-Yeah, I think
he's doing well?」
「I see. I was worried you might have
drifted here because the village was destroyed.」
「Of course it's totally fine! Because
you took out the Hobgoblin Leader, Shinza, it's completely peaceful! We
also have that moat you made, Shinza.」
「Being flattered that
straightforwardly doesn't feel bad.」
「I'm not flattering you! I'm grateful
to you, Shinza, you really are a messenger of God!」
While eating, the young girl stared at my face and talked
eagerly, mixing in smiles. She has adapted to the Imperial Capital much
better than I imagined.
After that, Kachua became talkative, engrossed in
reminiscing about Corin Village.
「Right. Shinza, won't you stay
over today...? I'm small, so the bed is too big... and it's already late...?」
「Ah... I forgot about the problem of
my bed for today. It's fine, I'll rent a separate room.」
「I intended to repay my debt to you
this time when we reunited...」
「If you mean a reward, I've already
received it. No need for thanks.」
「You have your chaotic sides, Shinza,
but you're surprisingly refined...」
「You think so? If anything, I often
get scolded for lacking manners.」
However, the conversation trailed off there. As if something
was bothering her, Kachua seemed engrossed in sudden thought.
「Hey, Shinza, actually... come
to my room... please...」
「Please, huh.」
「Yeah... Because my—I mean, the only
person I (Atashi) know in the Imperial Capital is you, Shinza...」
「The waitress at this tavern said you
were her friend.」
「No way...」
「There's no rule that says you can't
be friends unless you vow to 'become friends'. And, well, understood, I'll stay
here for the night.」
I understand the feeling of loneliness well. On days when Jii
and my wet nurse were busy, the young me was also all alone in that dark tower.
「Yay! Thank you, Shinza! If
you weren't in the Imperial Capital, I would have died of loneliness...!」
「You're exaggerating.」
And so, it somehow turned into that kind of situation. Once
we stuffed everything on the table into our stomachs, we retreated to the room
and resumed our stories of the past in Corin Village.
「Come over here too, Shinza!」
「That I will have to refuse. If I
sleep in the bed, I will turn to ash and die.」
「As if! Please, um... I'm lonely, so
sleep with me...」
「That way of phrasing it is foul
play.」
Partway through, I moved from the sofa to the bed. Talking
with Kachua about Corin Village, perhaps because the memories of
that day were so vivid, was enjoyable after all.
However, the more I shared memories with Kachua, a certain emotion swelled within me. That is desire. Because I couldn't help but be worried sick about this country bumpkin, a strong desire to watch over her swelled within me.
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