Chapter 32. A talk at night.

After a short while, Mana soon came back bringing some steaming hot plate that contained one large honey garlic steak that radiated a delicious aroma that even Flora couldn’t ignore. Along with the steak were some a dish similar to the sizzling hot sisig from the Philippines back on my world.

“Mwama! I want to eat!” Flora shouted as she sat on the couch, looked at Mana with puppy eyes as I chuckled. What a glutton she is; one moment, she could be playing and another moment, she could be eating food.

“You can eat after I finish preparing everything… or if you want, you can help me,” Mana said while placing the plates on the table as Flora looked at her contemplating before leaving the couch as she stood before Mana with a decision already in mind.

“Good girl,” Mana patted her head as Flora sniffed at the steak, resisting to take the entire steak and eat it up herself before the two of them went back to the kitchen as I relaxed on the sofa, staring at the outfit or armor that was given to me.

It was an odd armor, to say the least, I could wear it anywhere and not have that much issue since it wasn’t too stylish considering that people tend to wear odd clothing here, like for example, there used to be a boy in the city that always wore thick armor… yes, literal thick armor.

Some people wore black hoodies and some with eyepatch like chuunis. It was like the world of edgy people, to be honest, not to mention, people still have this weird hairstyle like mohawks and all those other kinds of stuff.

“I wonder if it can get dirty…” I looked at the outfit, and picked it up, staring at it before Mana and Flora came back with Flora bringing the plates and spoons and fork while Mana carried the plastic container filled with apple juice which was both mine and Flora’s favorite… not Mana’s though since hers are strawberries as her last name implies.

After they started organizing the plates and all those other stuffs, I stood up and moved the couch a bit closer to the table as we prefer to eat in the living room rather than somewhere for some odd reason that I forgot.

“Is that perhaps the reason why the headmaster called for us?” Mana looked at the outfit on my shoulder after arranging everything.

“Yep, there was also yours apparently, but I forgot to grab it. Want to pick it up tomorrow before we take our next quest?” I suggested before she nodded.

“It looks quite amazing, to be exact, everything was well-stitched; the materials used also seems to be exquisite, and there seem to be enhancements and magic stones embedded onto it. Are they preparing us for war?” she asked shocked.

“Nope, it’s just a tournament against the other kingdoms. The two of us were apparently selected to participate but I kind of objected against having you participate since you know… Flora,” I said while looking at Flora as Mana nodded.

We still haven’t tried peeling her off us once, she always clung to either one of us every second since the two of us are both afraid of the outcome if ever she were to suddenly separate from us. The older people warned us against it but then again, it would be hard not to let her roam around freely.

After answering, the three of us soon sat on the couch before Mana sniffed out my dress as shivers ran on my spine as she looked at me and asked, “Did you perhaps come into contact with another girl that isn’t someone I know…?”

“Hmm, I did come into contact with the Witch of Isle. She gave us tickets to the Band of Dragons’ concert though I don’t really know whether to head there today or not since it’s quite populated there after all they are a popular band,” I said before she nodded.

“I guess that much is fine…” she mumbled before taking some delicious white rice from a pot, placing them onto our respective plates before taking a silver knife and slicing the steak into several slices as she placed some onto Flora’s plate and mine before hers.

“Well then, how about we eat first?” she suggested with a smile as the three of us took our plates and started eating; Flora used wooden utensils while Mana and I used metallic ones since it seems like Flora prefers wooden utensils more which was normal if you think about it considering she was a Forest Spirit.

Taking the metallic fork, I stabbed a piece of steak and took a bite on it as I soon followed it with rice before the delicious taste of meat dipped in soy sauce with honey and a tiny bit of garlic engulfed my mouth. It felt juicy, the perfect cook.

“It’s delicious as always…” I complimented as Mana smiled before stabbing another slice with her fork and placing it before my mouth as I took a bite on it as she squinted her eyes. This was a normal day between the two of us these days.

“Mwama! Meeee!” Flora shouted at the two of us as Mana chuckled, stabbing another piece of her steak, and placing it before Flora.

“Here you go~!” she said before Flora bit on the piece before trembling as a smile blossomed on her face before time passed as the three of us continued on with our time, eating until deep into the night as we rested on our bed with Flora sleeping between us.

Our room was ordinary, it didn’t have many things other than our clothing and some toys that Flora loves to play with along with some fairy tale books that cost me around a gold coin to collect since paper was quite scarce.

“Hey… do you still remember the time we met?” Mana looked at me and asked out of the blue as I looked at her eyes that were filled with nostalgia.

“Yeah, I do… it was when I was still new here, why?” I questioned before she looked up and reached her hand out towards the ceiling that was of wood.

“Nothing… it just felt like a long time had passed since then, it’s only been a month and a few weeks, right?” she asked as I nodded.

“It does feel like more time has passed, like a year,” I said before she chuckled.

“Do you miss your world?” she asked while looking at me as if she had some kind of fear. It was like the fear of me suddenly leaving this place, her eyes looked far away.

“No, not a single bit. I was not happy there; I prefer living in this world more now that I have two people who I love the most…” I said before she smiled as she hugged me including the sleeping Flora tightly as she looked at me.

“You know, I really want to keep you for myself. But I know it would not be possible since you will become someone incredible, but even then, I would really love to be the one you look at the most…” she whispered in a soft voice before pausing as she laughed out of the blue, “To think that I am saying this to the same person who I hated in the past… hahaha!”

“You don’t have to worry about that… I will only look at you and Flora,” I said before she smiled as she kissed my cheeks before squinting her eyes with a smile that was painted along with the light of the moon. A wonderful smile that I want to see every day.

“The moon is beautiful as always…” I said before she nodded as the two of us looked at one another before closing our eyes as we fell asleep with a snoring Flora between us.

Mihou

It's a bit of a bittersweet chapter to say the least. I hope you can forgive me a bit for it; Mana, after all, has been the closest person to Ayumi since she transmigrated, she is the only person who knows her secrets and her most trusted person. While for Mana, Ayumi has been the person who interacted with her the most when no one bothered, the person who brightened her world which is why she loves her in the first place but she knows that with how much charm Ayumi has garnered, it would be unlikely that she would be able to hold her for herself which is why she only wishes for Ayumi to look at her the most. A selfish yet humble girl.