Volume Seven, Epilogue
“…Wow, that was incredibly fast.”
“Faster than I’d expected too.”
As I murmur while stirring the huge pot of soup hanging over the stove, Mr. Ville beside me nods, eyes fixed and brow furrowed.
After we came down from the mountain yesterday, the reply to Ms. Sharie’s letter to Osmond arrived at an alarmingly fast pace—first thing this morning. I won’t bother writing out the exact wording, since it just makes me mad, but let’s just say it was thoroughly obnoxious, dripping with condescension!
The content, by the way, is an invitation to meet at Osmond’s second residence the night after tomorrow—the night when the twin moons reach full. Infuriating how someone so shameless can still put on airs of elegance! Still, having until the day after tomorrow means I have more time and a wider range of dishes I can experiment with!
“For now, I’ll try making every dish that comes to mind today, narrow down the choices… Then tomorrow, we can go shopping and make the final adjustments for the day after tomorrow!”
“Hmm… when it comes to cooking, there’s not much I… no, I and the rest of us can actually contribute… sorry about that…”
“What are you talking about?! You’ve been handling the shopping, planning strategy, and so much more! I can’t leave the kitchen, so I really appreciate it!”
I pat Mr. Ville’s back gently, his shoulders drooping in apparent disappointment. Usually I’m the one being comforted like this, so it feels oddly refreshing being on the other side. He’s probably worried, thinking all the burden’s falling on me alone. Honestly, such a considerate person.
From my perspective, having them go shopping is helpful, of course, but they’ve also been discussing what we’ll do after we make our move—something I can’t quite wrap my head around on my own. Everyone’s handling things I can’t do, and that helps me tremendously!
Isn’t this exactly what "the right person for the right job" means?
“…Since it’s come up now, I’ll admit—when Ms. Layla’s fortune-telling said ‘trouble is coming,’ I did feel a little ‘ugh, here we go’ about it.”
“Rin…”
Given the role I’ve been placed in, I don’t object to interfering with the saint’s events. But when one thing after another keeps happening like this… I can’t help feeling like I just want to take a little break.
But then, seeing Ms. Aria, ready to put herself on the line for Ms. Sharie’s sake, and Mr. Ed, throwing his full support behind her, and Mr. Xenon, racking his brain to keep both of them out of harm’s way… and Mr. Ville, always looking out for me too…
“And at the same time, it made me realize all over again just how blessed I am with companions, compared to the saint’s group I met before.”
If I’d had a party as untrustworthy and undependable as theirs, even the simplest request would’ve felt terrifying to see through, and traveling together, no matter how briefly, would’ve been unbearable.
But right now, standing beside me are the Gourmands—people I trust and believe in from the bottom of my heart, a genuinely reassuring bunch.
So… that’s why…
“So right now, I feel like as long as I’m with everyone in the Gourmands, we can get through absolutely anything!”
“…Is that so? That’s an honor to hear…!”
Come to think of it, that’s how it has always been. Whenever I’m together with everyone, there hasn’t been a problem we couldn’t solve. So this time will be no different! We’ll expose the enemy’s wicked schemes, find out where Mr. Almas has gone, and grab ourselves a happy ending, no question!!!
“Let’s do this, Mr. Ville! With everyone together, there’s nothing to be afraid of!”
“Yeah! With your cooking, Rin, I’m sure things will work out this time too!”
With a huge smile, I clench my fist with determination. Mr. Ville flashes me a broad grin of his own and holds out his fist. As our fists bump together with a light tap, I somehow find myself unable to picture any future but a successful one.
No comments:
Post a Comment