Chapter 12

The day after I was officially recognized as a participant in the Great Five Holy Festival, it was the founding anniversary of Senrin Academy, and we had a full day off.

Although it was the founding anniversary, all the facilities of the academy were open.

Therefore, many students would likely crowd the training grounds and practice fields today.

It was 7:00 in the morning.

After eating a simple breakfast with Rea, I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and started getting ready for the day.

During this time, she sat at the vanity and tied her long, beautiful blonde hair into her usual twin tails with a refined wine-red ribbon.

As I was changing from my pajamas to my uniform in the changing room, I could hear Rea humming a tune. It seemed she was in a good mood today.

I glanced out the window and saw the warm sunlight shining brightly on the ground.

(…What a nice day. It’s perfect for training.)

It felt like it had been a while since I could practice in peace without any interruptions.

Recently, I had been busy with duels with Rea and mock battles with the trio, and unfortunately, it had been one real battle after another.

Because of this, I had little time to practice on my own, which had been causing me some stress.

(Hmm, maybe I’ll just focus on practicing from morning till night today?)

Just as I was feeling upbeat and sheathed my sword, I realized I had forgotten the water bottle in the refrigerator.

(Oh, that was close.)

I picked up the water bottle that I had chilled for today from last night,

"Hey, Allen. Are you free today?"

Rea asked with a happy, beaming smile.

(…To be honest, I find it very difficult to answer such a question.)

That’s because whether I’m free or not depends on what she’s about to invite me to do.

Ideally, I would prefer if she told me what she wants to do first before asking if I’m free.

(How should I answer this…?)

From her cheerful demeanor, it was clear that this was some kind of invitation. Whether it was to the training grounds or for shopping in the city, I wasn’t sure.

(…How should I respond?)

As I was racking my brain,

"…S-Sorry, were you busy?"

She looked dejected and apologized.

(Training is indeed important, but… time with Rea—time with my friends is also important.)

With a sword, I can practice anytime and anywhere.

But spending time with Rea is not something I can do anytime.

(She is a princess, after all… and she might return to her homeland, Vestaria, at any time.)

After considering various things, I decided to reassure her with a gentle response.

"---I’m free. I have the whole day open."

Upon hearing my answer, she clapped her hands together.

"Yay! Then let’s go eat Lamzak today!"

"…Lamzak?"

That name sounded familiar…

"Have you forgotten? You know, the one I mentioned before. It’s a traditional dish from my homeland—Vestaria!"

Ah… I remember now.

I think I recall her mentioning it a few days ago.

"There’s a really delicious Lamzak place nearby, so let’s go there for lunch!"

"Sure, no problem."

Thus, our lunch plans were settled.

After lunch, we would probably go shopping somewhere.

Unfortunately, it seemed I wouldn’t be able to train today.

(But… it’s good to have a day like this once in a while.)

I glanced at Rea, who looked very happy.

So, we spent the morning until lunchtime relaxing in the room together.

■

About three hours later.

It was 12:00 noon.

We set out for the city to eat Lamzak, both of us wearing our Senrin Academy uniforms.

This wasn’t because we were too lazy to change into casual clothes, but because students of the Five Academies are generally recommended to wear their uniforms when going out.

It’s to remind them that they are part of the Five Academies and to show the world that they are fine swordsmen.

As expected of the Five Academies, which value tradition and prestige, it’s quite a formal affair.

(Well, this is a recommendation, not an obligation.)

So, we could have worn casual clothes, but…

"Allen, let’s both wear our uniforms today!"

Due to Rea’s strong request, we both ended up wearing our uniforms.

She said, "You don’t get many chances to wear your uniform and walk around without worrying."

That’s a valid point, I suppose.

As we walked down the main street,

"It’s such a nice day, isn’t it?"

Rea said with a smile, shielding her eyes from the sun with her right hand.

"Yeah, it’s a perfect day for… going out."

For a moment, my ‘training desire’ overflowed, so I quickly corrected myself.

However,

"…Did you just say ‘training’?"

Rea, who didn’t miss my slip of the tongue, stared straight into my eyes.

I met her gaze without flinching.

"It’s just your imagination. Even I, Allen, don’t think about swordsmanship when I’m out with Rea."

That’s not a lie.

I really wasn’t thinking about ‘swordsmanship’ at all.

It was just the action of swinging a sword that flashed through my mind for a moment.

After swinging a sword mindlessly for billions of years, I can’t help but think about practicing wherever I am and whatever I’m doing.

It might be a kind of illness by now…

We stared at each other for four, five seconds.

Then,

"S-Sorry… I shouldn’t have doubted you."

She blushed and quickly looked away.

It seemed she believed me.

"Yeah, don’t worry about it. By the way, are we going the right way?"

"Y-Yeah, I’ve been here many times, so it’s fine!"

"Good, that’s a relief."

After that, we chatted as we headed to the place where we could eat Lamzak.

"…Ah!"

We unexpectedly ran into Rose, who was also in her uniform.

"Allen and Rea…?"

"Good morning, Rose. What a coincidence to meet you here."

As I raised my right hand to greet her,

"…Why are you two together?"

She didn’t seem to be in a good mood today and looked at us alternately with a glare.

"Well, um… We’re planning to go eat Lamzak, a dish, together."

"…Lamzak?"

Rose tilted her head in confusion.

It seemed she didn’t know the dish either.

"Lamzak is a traditional dish from Rea’s homeland, Vestaria. ---Why don’t you join us, Rose?"

"Eh…?"

Rea, who seemed surprised, hesitated for a moment.

"I’ll go."

Rose answered immediately and stood next to me.

"…This way. Follow me."

For some reason, Rea, who seemed a bit upset, started walking quickly.

■

After following Rea’s lead and turning right and left, we stopped in front of a certain shop.

"Here we are. This is my favorite place—Vesland."

It was a brick building with a large chimney on top, giving it a somewhat retro feel.

"Wow, this place looks great!"

"I like this kind of place."

"Hehe, let’s go in."

With Rea, who seemed to be in a better mood, leading the way, we entered the shop.

"Welcome. Will it be three people?"

A waiter wearing a white chef’s hat immediately attended to us.

Rea nodded on behalf of the three of us.

"Understood. Please follow me."

Fortunately, there was an available table, and we were quickly seated at a four-person table.

Rea sat next to me, and Rose sat across from us.

The waiter quickly placed three glasses of water on the table,

"Please let us know when you’re ready to order."

After bowing politely, he returned to the kitchen.

I glanced around the shop.

Since it was lunchtime, there were many families, creating a pleasant buzz.

(The service is good, and the clientele is nice… This is a good place…)

As I was thinking this,

"Look, look! This is Lamzak!"

Rea pointed excitedly at the picture of Lamzak in the menu.

"Wow, it does look delicious!"

"Yeah, it’s not bad."

From the picture, it seemed that Lamzak was a triangular pastry filled with a hearty beef stew.

The combination of the pastry and the beef stew didn’t seem to have any negative aspects.

This looked promising.

"There are various side dishes, but… since it’s our first time here, let’s just order Lamzak, okay?"

"Sure, let’s do that."

"Agreed."

After confirming that both Rose and I nodded, Rea raised her hand to call the waiter.

"Excuse me!"

The waiter, who heard her, quickly came from the kitchen.

"---Are you ready to order?"

"Yes. Um, we’d like to order the Lamzak platter."

"Understood."

The waiter bowed politely and quickly returned to the kitchen.

"By the way, the Lamzak platter here is really huge! It’s enough for three adults to barely finish it!"

"Really? That’s a lot for one serving, isn’t it?"

"Yeah! The first time I ordered it, it was really close to finishing it!"

…Did she finish it alone? Or did she have friends to help her finish it?

I was quite curious, but I figured I would find out eventually, so I didn’t ask.

After waiting for ten minutes,

"Here is your Lamzak platter."

The waiter placed a large plate piled high with Lamzak on the table.

"Th-This is…!?"

"Can we finish it…!?"

There were easily over thirty pieces of Lamzak, each larger than a fist.

Even if we divided it equally, each person would have at least ten pieces.

(They’re even bigger than in the picture…!?)

Usually, the actual item is a bit smaller than the promotional photo…

Honestly, I wasn’t confident I could finish ten of these.

"Hehe, isn’t it amazing?"

While Rose and I were stunned, Rea’s eyes sparkled.

"Despite the large quantity… it does look delicious."

"Yeah, it smells great. …It’s a lot, though."

"Right? Let’s dig in while it’s hot!"

Then, the three of us put our hands together and said,

"Let’s eat!"

We all took a bite at the same time.

"Mmm… This is it!"

"Wow… This is delicious!"

"Mmm… It’s good."

The right texture and the sweet beef.

The hot, rich beef stew.

The crispy pastry that added a pleasant crunch.

Lamzak was as delicious as it looked, with a satisfying volume.

"Right, right! It’s a very popular dish in my country too!"

Rea, whose traditional dish was being praised, happily continued to eat one after another.

Ten minutes later.

(Gah… This much…!?)

I was facing a formidable opponent and was about to lose consciousness.

My brave companion… had already fallen.

In the midst of this,

"Mmm… It’s nostalgic!"

Rea, who was eating Lamzak like it was a drink, looked like a legendary hero.

(…Yeah, this is impossible.)

There are things humans can do and things they can’t.

(I’ll leave the rest to her…)

I honestly gave up on finishing the Lamzak.

This wasn’t a retreat from the enemy but a strategic withdrawal.

As I gave up on finishing and drank the water, I met Rose’s eyes, who had just stood up.

"…"

"…"

We stared at each other in silence, which was a bit uncomfortable.

As I was trying to think of a topic, she unexpectedly spoke first.

"Hey… Why do you use polite language only with me?"

"…