Chapter 42: Secretly, Before and After Dinner

Chapter 42: Secretly, Before and After Dinner

Translator: LynneSuzuran

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When I came to, the inside of my room has gotten dark. I fell asleep on the bed, and to my side is… ah, Oriza-san is there.

After drinking the warm soup, my consciousness straightly disappeared. I see, perhaps since I felt relieved, I fell asleep.

When I lightly moved my body, Oriza-san quickly noticed that I was awake.

“Seiren-sama, good morning-. Are you feeling well?”

“Ah, morning. Yup, somehow… aah, the soup was delicious. Thank you.”

“Don’t mention it-. When I was told about your request of something warm and relieving, I was thinking between cocoa or soup. But I’m glad that it suited your taste-.”

Oriza-san’s smiling face slightly felt childish, but I think that’s what gives me a peace of mind. No, it wasn’t only limited to Oriza-san, but rather, the maids who have been accompanying me, Kuon-sensei, and Saryuu’s smiles can make me feel relieved.

Although I also like cocoa, I think I’m glad that I had soup today. Now that I think about it, the last thing I drank at the other world, it was cocoa.

Ah, the soup that Oriza-san made and brought to me contained smashed vegetables similar to pumpkins with goat milk diluted evenly in it. It tasted sweet, and once I gulped it, it gave me feeling of relief. I don’t know how everyone here calls crouton, but it would be delicious to put bread’s crust inside. But the crusts shouldn’t be fried or baked. Well, it’s fine.

“…Uh-m.”

Suddenly, Oriza-san hesitantly opened her mouth as if she was trying to utter something hard to say. As I recognized her serious expression, there’s no doubt that it’s something important. That’s why I’m waiting for her next words patiently.

“I have heard this from Kuon-sensei and Minoa, it’s about the person who’s raised Seiren-sama…”

“Ah, so you have heard about it.”

“Yes.”

I see, so she has heard about it.

That’s right, why am I fumbling down? I have talked about it with Saryuu, Minoa-san, and Kuon-sensei, but Oriza-san was absent at that time because she was making a soup for me. However, I think she has the right to know about that circumstances of mine. But the person who brought that topic up was Oriza-san right after she entered my room.

“Uhm, that. About it, everyone is quite confused about whether or not we should discuss it with the Master and Madam.”

“With Father and Mother?”

“Yes. Uhm, with how they share the same name and appearance, we can’t help but think that there might be something else-“

Oriza-san subtly mumbled. Somehow, I could understand her point.

Shikino Touya is a feudal lord and Saryuu’s biological father.

That person shares the same name, face, and even voice with the person who raised me in the other world as my substitute parent.

Really, you can’t help but think that there is something going on about this.

Though we call it the other world, but I have crossed the barrier between the two worlds twice. In other words, uhm, you-know-what, yup.

The orphanage director that I know too, it won’t be strange to say that there is a likelihood in which he crossed that barrier as well, or any other possibilities.

In the first place, the person who gave the name Seiren to me in the other world was the orphanage director. Though it is more likely because there’s an embroidery of my name in the clothes I wore. The set of alphabets used here is quite similar to the set of alphabets used in the other world.

However, I get the feeling that it’s not something we can end just by saying that it’s just a coincidence.

“Seiren-sama, what do you want to do?”

Oriza-san slightly tilted her head, inquiring my opinion.

It is no doubt my main problem. That’s why I think it’s justified for her to ask for what I want to do.

That’s why, I honestly spoke my own honest opinion.

“…To be honest, I don’t want to involve my parents too much. In addition, if I were to tell this to my father and the others, wouldn’t the problem get more serious?”

“Eh-. The problem will surely escalate, but…”

Isn’t that so? If worse comes to worst, it could end up in a dispute between the Shiiya and the Shikino. Nah, I can’t really explain why, but that’s my hunch.

If a dispute between fellow feudal lords arises, perhaps it won’t just remain a simple matter. As expected, I want to prevent this problem from getting into a serious matter. Especially since it’s a problem between the house in which Saryuu was born into and the house in which he’s living in right now.

Nevertheless, I don’t intend to leave the problem as it is, though.

“That’s why, for the time being, let’s not discuss it with my father and the others, but why don’t we discuss it with Jigen-san?”

“With Jigen-sensei?”

Oriza-san was surprised as her originally round eyes turned even rounder. Haha, since he is nowhere in the vicinity right now, so she didn’t consider him, I guess. However, when I thought of that problem, the first person to appear in my mind was none other than him.

In any case, perhaps the one who understands what’s happening to me the most is Jigen-san.

“Yes. Since the person who brought me home to the Shiiya household was Jigen-san, so he would surely understand the circumstances better.”

“So that’s why, I understand. Then, I will tell Kuon-sensei and Minoa about this.”

“Yes, could you please do that? Ah, and later on, could you also tell Saryuu about this?”

“I understand-. After all, Saryuu is the one most concerned about Seiren-sama-.”

As she clenched her fists and assumed a triumphant pose, I thought to myself that the people in this world also did that pose, eh. Although I’m quite sure that the way they’re called is different, but I forgot what. As expected, since it’s a gesture done by putting your power in it, the way they are done is quite similar.

Because Minoa-san came and asked me about what I would like to do about dinner, I decided to eat. Ah well, I certainly suffered from mental damage, but my stomach was also empty. In any case, while I was thinking about what I should do, my stomach rumbled. First of all, I washed my face, hands, and feet, then got changed. I wore a comfortable salmon pink one piece, which is my favorite, to be honest, due to its comfortable fabric. I myself think that I’ve become accustomed to some weird things.

“Seiren-sama. Is your condition all right now?”

Once I showed up in the dining room, Godou-san rushed over to me in a panic. Aah yes, for a frail daughter to spend all her time in bed right after she went home, of course he would be worried. Sorry.

“Ah, yeah. I feel considerably better after I slept. Sorry for making you worried.”

“No, no. Please don’t overdo yourself.”

When I lightly bowed my head, Godou-san also bowed his head. As I felt like it would go on forever like this if I were to continue, I quickly took a seat because to be frank, I feel really hungry. Nah, it’s the truth.

All the family members aside from me have gathered at the dining table, so I can easily see how their gazes are now focused on me. For the time being, I could only bow my head down to them.

“Tou-san, Kaa-san, Saryuu. Sorry for making you all worried.”

“Y, yeah.”

“For you to come here to eat dinner, does that mean you’re already fine?”

“Yes. I have told Godou-san before, but I feel considerably better after I slept.”

“I see, that’s good. Right, dear?”

“…Ah, yeah, that’s good.”

“Tou-sama was worried and didn’t calm down until he heard that you’ve calmed down after drinking Oriza-san’s soup.”

“Sa, Saryuu. Don’t say anything unnecessary.”

Saryuu’s remark caused Tou-san’s face to turn red up until his ears. Kaa-san also giggled, and the atmosphere suddenly changed.

Aah, well. It’s no doubt that I feel bad for making them all worried over me, but I wonder if it’s alright, especially about father?

I wonder if a father who has a daughter around my age is supposed to act like this? As I don’t know any other example, I can’t help but be a little bit worried.

Well, anyhow, since the whole family members have gathered, we begin to eat. We’re having a salad with chicken meat and roasted beef… Yes, even over here, the beef still tastes like a normal beef. In addition, we also have cream soup and vegetable stew. Yup, I’m relieved that they have tender taste.

So, in the middle of eating, Tou-san asked me and Saryuu.

“Seiren, Saryuu. Tomorrow we will go visit the grave, what do you think of it? If you like, you can also rest here.”

From his line of sight, I know that he’s mainly asking that to me. That’s natural, since my physical condition was disturbed after I returned from going out to play.

But well, I think that it won’t turn out to be like what occured today. More or less it was because I just learned that Touya-san is exactly like the orphanage director.

That’s why, I nodded and said, “I’m fine.”

“Is that so. Saryuu, what about you?”

“Eh, ah, yes. Since Ane-sama is fine, then I will also go.”

No, my health and your coming to the grave are not connected at all. Or is he that worried about me?

Ah well, because everyone is here, I’ll be fine. Probably.

“I see. Seiren, please don’t push yourself.”

“Yes. I will properly tell you if I’m feeling unwell.”

I quickly turned towards my mother who looks seriously worried and properly answered.

To be honest, I was totally saved because there were my maids during when I met Touya-san.

There is a saying about how “a honest man is the best”, and I guess that’s true. It’s better for you to properly say that you’re tired when you feel tired.

After dinner, Kuon-sensei came into my room. It seems like she’s been making the necessary preparations in secret immediately after she heard the story from Oriza-san.

“I have dispatched a delivery snake to my grandfather, so I think that he would have received it by today.”

“Thank you very much… wait, snake?”

So people over here are using delivery snakes? In the other world, we’re using doves to deliver messages.

Or rather, snakes are creatures that slitheringly crawl on the ground, right? By today, it means that it would be delivered in the middle of the night, right?

Hmm, I wonder if everything will be alright?

“Yes, a snake. It is of a rare type that has wings growing on its back. With those wings, it can fly around the ground.”

“…It can fly…”

…I see, so it can fly. With a distant look, I began to wonder which one would be faster, that snake or a dove?

Horses and snakes here can fly. Ah well, that’s the way this world works, yup.

By the way, I just realized. If they could deliver the information that fast, I wonder why haven’t their population spread more?

Up until now, I haven’t seen any flying snake at all. No, it’s odd how I haven’t seen it at all despite it should fly around the ground.

“Eh? But it isn’t being used that much, is it?”

“Because they only get attached to magicians. Also, I don’t know how it works in Seiren-sama’s former world, but it’s slightly feared because it can only be used by magicians.”

“Ah, I see.”

I nodded at her explanation. That’s well, it’s still a snake regardless.

Besides, from the book that I read before, I know that there are poisonous snakes even in this world. Also, because we can collect honey, it means that there are also bees here, so the basic ecosystem here isn’t really that different from the other world’s.

Well, if you put it that way, of course those snakes would be feared.

Still, Kuon-sensei uses such a snake.

“…In other words, Kuon-sensei has the qualities of a magician, right?”

“It’s because my grandfather is that grandfather, so I think I should possess it a bit. I haven’t really studied it properly though, and honestly I don’t really have an interest in it.”

Ah-, as expected that kind of quality is affected by blood.

In addition, there are snakes that can only be used by magicians, huh. It feels kinda like how the witches from the other world’s fairy-tales are typically using cats or frogs.