Chapter 63

Iris didn't get scolded.

Seeing how well the family got along, I felt somewhat relieved.

The prince also seemed to be relieved by the scene.

After that, the prince was called by Rail and left somewhere.

It seemed he had skipped out on a job he was supposed to do for the sports festival.

He should get scolded, he should get scolded!

As for me, I don't have any specific duties, so I'm actually quite free until my event starts.

For that reason, I'm currently with Iris's younger brother, Mikal.

Somehow, I've become a bit of a favorite, and Iris and Kururi have gone off to enjoy the sports festival with the other girls, saying they can leave us in charge.

"Red-haired big brother, this school is so big."

"Yeah, it is. Do you have any favorite foods, Mikal?"

In that way, the two of us ended up at the area with the stalls.

We're not at the age where we hold hands, so we walk side by side, but Mikal, who has a face that appeals to women, gets a lot of attention.

Just like his sister Iris, Mikal seems to be leading a life where he's very popular.

"Maybe the mochi my sister makes in winter."

That kind of thing isn't sold here.

It seems he doesn't understand the intent behind my question.

If you want to eat something, just say it! This generous big brother will treat you!

That's what I meant.

"Does the red-haired big brother have any favorite foods?"

"Hmm, raw lamb, maybe."

Mikal made a face like "Ugh."

Of course, it's a joke, but it's fun, so I'll leave it at that.

"Let's just get something to eat. Since there are so many stalls."

We went into a shop run by upperclassmen.

There was no air of "How can we, the nobles, do such things!" Instead, everyone seemed to be enjoying it with a "Let's just do it!" attitude. It was a very bright and cheerful place.

"Those look like delicious sweets. Can I have two?"

"Sure, two Ponce! Since you both have such cute faces, I'll give you two more for free!"

She even winked and wrapped up the sweets called Ponce.

It's good to have a cute face.

"Thanks to Mikal's good looks, we got a good deal."

"No, the red-haired big brother is also very handsome. The handsomest I've ever seen."

You're a good kid, I'll buy you anything.

Ponce is apparently a popular sweet among the girls in the capital, and it was quite expensive. In other words, it was small and didn't really satisfy the appetite.

Since it was cookie-sized, it went straight into my mouth and down to my stomach without much satisfaction.

"How is it? Is it delicious?"

"Hmm, it seems that nobles eat strange things. I didn't even realize I had finished eating."

Yeah, exactly the same feeling.

Not everyone in the noble class can understand such refined tastes. Unfortunately.

Mikal said he likes mochi, so we also stopped at a shop selling mochi sweets.

Here too, we got a freebie because we were cute. Really, it's great to be cute!

I thought this might suit his taste, but Mikal's expression wasn't good.

He looked unsatisfied.

"Does it not suit your taste?"

"This mochi has too much cream and not enough mochi. It doesn't feel like I'm eating mochi."

I get it! You want more of the mochi texture. The cream is luxurious, but that's not it.

So, we didn't find anything that matched the mochi his sister makes in winter.

After passing through the flashy stall area, we entered a rather dull area.

This area had fewer noble-like stalls, and more people with personal hobbies.

The food being sold here looked suspicious, so we weren't tempted to try it.

In this area, we ran into an acquaintance.

"Hey, what are you doing, Toto?"

"Can't you see? I'm selling my masterpieces."

He looked gloomy, sitting in a chair and watching over his products.

Most of the stalls at the sports festival are for the students' enjoyment.

But this guy was seriously trying to make a business out of it.

Because he's selling dried plants labeled as "aphrodisiacs"! He's targeting the noble fathers who are getting a bit bored with their lives! His level of seriousness is different!

"Hey, if you're not buying, can you step aside?"

"Sorry."

A customer seemed to be coming.

"These... how effective are they?"

"...You'll be surprised."

The rich-looking uncle bought a bundle of the aphrodisiac plants, looking satisfied.

"They sell well, these suspicious things."

"That's rude. Regular users can tell the quality by experience. I think they immediately recognized my masterpieces."

It's a world I don't know. I don't want to tell Mikal about it.

"Who's that guy behind you?"

Toto is intimidating Mikal, so it seems his antisocial personality hasn't changed. He doesn't like dogs either, it's really tough for him.

"He's Mikal, Iris's younger brother."

"Hmm? Iris's brother, nice to meet you."

Surprisingly, Toto extended his hand.

Mikal also extended his hand, and they shook.

"You've adapted quickly."

"If he's Iris's brother, he must be a good guy."

I might be seeing him in a bright mood for the first time.

"By the way, what event are you participating in, Toto?"

"I'm in the 200-meter dash. I don't need anyone's help, and it's the shortest event."

"Same as me. If I win, there's also a semi-final and final."

It seems he didn't know.

Well, he probably doesn't intend to run seriously.

His eyes are focused on selling the aphrodisiacs.

After parting ways with Toto, Mikal said something about him.

"I have a good feeling about that guy."

"Really? He didn't seem like an easy person to get along with."

"He spoke well of your sister, so he must be a good person."

I thought he was a good kid, so I patted his head, and he looked embarrassed.

"My sister often comes here, but I'm not a kid anymore."

"Even if you're not a kid, it's fine to be patted."

There are people in the world who want to be patted but can't be.

Like my tall friend in another country.

"Is the red-haired big brother my sister's boyfriend?"

What? Suddenly, he's saying strange things.

I was so taken aback that I couldn't respond.

"I've always wondered. But I didn't know when to bring it up. But it's okay, if the red-haired big brother is my sister's boyfriend... I think it's fine..."

"It's not, don't worry."

I reassured the boy who didn't want to lose his sister yet, and we resumed our food tour.

I'll pretend I didn't notice that Mikal looked a bit happy.

Mikal said he smelled something good, so the two of us wandered to a place away from the crowd.

It was an area where no one usually goes, and it seemed unlikely to have any stalls.

Still, Mikal, who seems confident in his nose, led us there.

We arrived at a spot where a mysterious person was having a bonfire under a large tree.

I could see that they had beautiful hair, but their face was hidden by a mask and tinted glasses, so it was hard to tell. It was definitely a woman, but she seemed familiar in some way.

"Red-haired big brother, I brought you here, but isn't it suspicious?"

"It's too suspicious."

"Oh, there's nothing suspicious. I'm glad you found me. Did you solve the hidden code to come here?"

"No, I followed the smell."

"Oh, I see..."

It seemed they were doing something elaborate, but I'm sorry.

Still, the voice, muffled by the mask, was familiar.

I don't know any women who would have a bonfire in such a suspicious place... No, there isn't such a weird person.

"What are you doing here? It smells really good."

Scared, but I asked, and she answered happily.

"I'm roasting sweet potatoes. They're soft and sweet, and very nutritious. A special variety that I carefully cultivated for a year. I hid messages for sweet potato lovers all over the school, but no one seems to have noticed yet."

Well, in such a large school, it's hard to notice.

It seems there are only 10 limited sweet potatoes, and they are being given away to those who come early.

The woman, who seemed experienced, took the sweet potatoes out of the fire and offered them to us.

Mikal happily unwrapped the paper and bit into the sweet potato, chewing and swallowing while letting out the heat from his mouth.

"Delicious!"

The mysterious woman, who seemed to have complaints about the eating method, was satisfied by those words.

With the greatest joy of the day, Mikal continued to eat the sweet potato.

I decided to eat after letting it cool a bit.

I unwrapped the paper and was about to peel the skin when the woman grabbed my wrist.

"Hehehe, please eat it without peeling the skin, it's against the sweet potato rules, Miss Kururi."

I remember Mikal also ate it without peeling the skin.

It's not allowed, according to the sweet potato rules. What are the sweet potato rules?

I tried eating it without peeling the skin. As Mikal shouted, there was indeed a deep sweetness in the sweet potato.

The skin melted in my mouth and didn't bother me at all. It's an amazing sweet potato.

"Delicious. What a delicious sweet potato."

"You got it! I'm glad you understood!"

The woman seemed very satisfied and gave us more sweet potatoes to take home when we left.

It's not because we have cute faces. It's because the sweet potatoes are cute, and that's the reward for handling them.

Mikal was happy, but I wasn't in a particularly good mood as we left.

"What's wrong, red-haired big brother?"

"Nothing, it's fine."

It's not nothing... But I can't really talk about it.

"I like that woman. Even though she's a noble, she treats sweet potatoes with care. She'll make a good wife!"

...You're a sharp kid, Mikal.

That woman was probably Eliza.

I'm relieved she wasn't doing anything bad, but she was doing that...

I have to pretend I didn't notice... If I talk about it, I might break the sweet potato rules.