I came back to the dining room from Rico's maternity room. Loni and Doki are sitting side by side in front of me in the chair. And next to me was Chi-wan, whose eyes were red and bloodshot, as if he had been up all night for the past few days.
I thought it would be a good idea to have Chi-wan, the head of Posehay, sit with me before I listened to what they had to say. So I sent a reminder to Chi-wan, and he immediately replied that he would be there. Soon after, he was transferred to my residence.
"Chi-wan, are you okay? Don't you sleep ......?"
No problem, I just haven't slept in about four days. I just haven't slept in about four days. No problem.
"No, let's sleep. ......"
"More importantly, a compatriot who was missing has been found. I couldn't be happier. ...... Doki, it's been a long time."
"Yes, ...... it's been a long time."
As soon as they take their seats, Chi-wan opens his mouth. Dawki looks embarrassed in front of Chi-wan, as if he has something to be guilty about.
By the way, what are you doing now?
"......"
"He said he runs a pastry shop."
Roni replies with a resentful look. Chiwan hears this, sighs and continues.
"I see. It's good to know you're alive. I was actually worried about you. No matter how many times I called out to him with my thoughts, he never answered. So I couldn't confirm his safety. Still, I'm glad to hear that he's really alive."
"...... sorry. I had sealed off all my magic."
"No, don't apologize. No need to apologize. But why did you seal off all magic? If you don't mind my asking, could you please tell me?"
"...... I was trying to be on my own."
"A man?"
"I have no talent for ...... medicine. I hate the sight of human blood. I'm too nosy to handle medicine. That's why I decided to make a career out of it.
"It's true that you couldn't stop sneezing when you handled even the slightest stimulant medicine. Yeah, I can see that. So why are you in the pastry shop?
"At first I tried to become a cook. Since I was a child, I liked to help my mother cook, and I also liked to make things myself. That's why I joined the kitchen of a hotel and trained there. ....... I stayed there for a while, and then one day my brother decided to open a restaurant in his country and asked me to come and work with him.
"Well, then, you must have done your best. But you don't have to seal up your magic.
"No. Posehay's ability can be used for medical purposes, but it can also be used to deceive people. We wanted to hide it as much as possible. I wanted to hide it as much as possible, because ...... Posehay's reputation was not very good. I wanted to hide my Posehay identity as much as possible until I became a full-fledged Posehay, and I wanted to do it on my own without using magic power."
"I see."
"So I was traveling to the land of the Brethren, but I got lost on the way. ....... I wandered desperately in the mountains and found myself in the land of the Mideast."
"Mideast?"
It is a country on the continent of Leroux. From here it takes about 10 days by ...... boat and on foot. It is a small country surrounded by high mountains.
"The continent of Loulouie?"
"You forget, Mr. Linos? It is the continent where the countries of Hladime and Sandanj are located. And you, Doki, why do you work in a pastry shop there?
The people of Miedai are very nice, and they treated me very well. However, in that country, they only produce root vegetables such as radishes and carrots. ....... To be honest, they were not very tasty. So I cooked them for him in return, and he was very pleased. ....... So I stayed there and started my own restaurant."
"What's a pastry shop have to do with it?"
"Yes. I started out as a cook, but after doing some research, I found out that a radish-like crop called yurt can be boiled down to make a sugar-like powder. In the Mideast, there were not many sweet snacks, so I decided to try making one, and that's how I started making sweets. Through trial and error, I found that we could get surprisingly tasty rice, and I added yurt to it to make kachin......, or rice cakes, as they call them here. I made it. People were very happy when I did that. ....... So I decided to leave the cooking of root vegetables to others and try my hand at a pastry shop ...... and here I am."
Yes. It is ....... Now that I have a house, I'm on my own. So, Roni and ......."
Dawki glanced at Roni as he said this. But she turned away with a huff.
"Come to think of it, you two were good friends when you were kids. This is a good opportunity for you, Roni. Marry her."
Chi-wan opens his mouth with a straight face. Loni's eyes lift up at the sound of this.
"Yes, yes. I was five years old when we started talking about marriage. Isn't it strange that you remember that story for more than 20 years? Isn't it funny, Mr. Linos?"
Roni is staring at me. I cough and open my mouth.
"Well, you know what? Men and women think very differently, Roni.
"What do you mean?"
"There's a difference between Save Overwrite and Save As."
"Huh? Uwagaki ......?"
"In short, it is said that a woman's memories are overwritten. They don't pay much attention to their previous relationships and concentrate on the person they are dating now. Men, however, are different. They keep old memories in a corner of their memory forever. Even if he has a wife. Sometimes I remember them and wonder how the girl is doing ...... she said she liked ......."
"...... is so creepy."
"...... Don't call me creepy. It makes me sad. Men are like that."
Chi-wan is nodding deeply next to me. I know. You know what I mean, don't you, Zhuang?
"So I don't see why Doki would bring up the five year old promise. It might be creepy from a girl's point of view, but if you ask me, he's a pure guy at heart, you know? Roni, is there anyone you like at the moment?"
"No, I don't."
"Then why don't you go out with him?"
"Uh huh."
"No, I'm not asking you to marry her, but can't you go on a couple of dates with her?"
"Master Linos, with all due respect, I have the right to choose."
"Hmmm. No."
I groan as I look at the ceiling. Dorky seems like a nice guy. No, this is a man's intuition... I want to make his first love, a five year old, probably his first love, ...... come true. Yeah, sure, girls might think he's creepy. I'm serious too. I'm not saying that I don't feel like it, but I want to burn the meddling .......
"Well, as chief, Roni, I'm not forcing you to get married. But I don't want you to be a bachelor forever. ......Well, that's fine. By the way, Dawki, let me see where you live. And you should visit our village at least once a month."
"Yes, ...... that's ......."
What's up?
I can't leave the store much.
"What do you mean?"
The emperor will be disappointed if I'm not here. ......
By "Mikado-sama," do you mean the king? MasakoI didn't expect to hear the king's name mentioned here. Could it be that Doki is the emperor's cook?