Chapter 44 - A Peaceful Breakfast
The serialization of 'The Slow Life of an A-Rank Adventurer' has been decided.
Having finished washing the bedsheets and hanging them outside to dry, I sat in a chair in the living room.
Before my eyes, Flora was humming cheerfully while making breakfast.
Flora's knife made a rhythmic tapping sound.
Perhaps she had found my apron hanging on the wall while I was washing the sheets, as Flora was wearing a slightly oversized blue apron.
Watching Flora cook in the kitchen of my own home felt quite fresh.
Usually, I was the one hosting, or Flora was helping me with the cooking.
"Are you sure you don't need help?"
"It's fine, Aldo-san. All that's left is the stir-fry, and it won't take much longer."
I made the suggestion for the second time today, but Flora gently declined.
I was very happy that Flora was cooking for me, but since I had been cooking alone for so long, it felt restless to just leave it to her and do nothing.
As I watched her somewhat fidgety, Flora smiled happily and said,
"I want to make this for you, Aldo-san."
"...I understand."
When told something like that with such a happy smile, I had no choice but to behave. I don't think there's a man alive who wouldn't be happy to hear that.
I completely gave up on helping with the cooking and watched Flora with a calm demeanor.
Flora arranged finely chopped leafy vegetables, mushrooms, and radishes harvested just this morning into slices on a wooden plate.
When that was done, she put a little oil into the heated frying pan and began stir-frying the remaining wild plants, vegetables, bacon, and radishes.
Flora moved around my kitchen with fluid motions.
She knew the location of the seasonings, the storage for ingredients, and the positions of all the plates and cutlery, so there was no hesitation in her movements.
It was likely because she had cooked at my house many times. It seemed a bit funny that while she still didn't seem used to entering the house, she was perfectly accustomed to cooking in the kitchen.
The sizzling sound of ingredients frying echoed, and a fragrant aroma spread through the living room.
After a while, once the vegetables were cooked through, Flora added the ingredients to the pot she had been heating next to them.
She simmered the vegetables thoroughly in a soup that smelled of herbs and spices.
My stomach was stimulated by that delicious scent and began to cry out as if complaining of hunger.
"Hehe, it'll be finished once the soup is simmered, so please wait just a little longer."
It seemed the sound of my stomach had reached Flora in the kitchen. Flora chuckled as she stirred the pot with a ladle.
"Aldo-san, it's ready!"
After enduring the hunger for a while longer, breakfast was complete.
"Geez, I'm starving. Let's eat together quickly."
"Yes, yes."
Flora placed the breakfast on a tray and came over.
The menu presented before me consisted of a colorful salad of radishes and leafy vegetables. Bread. A stir-fry using radishes, mushrooms, carrots, bacon, and wild plants.
And a herb soup containing radishes, potatoes, and onions.
Every dish contained the radishes harvested this morning, and I was very happy to see that everything from the roots to the stems and leaves was used without waste.
"Perhaps because of the bright red color, adding radishes makes the appearance very beautiful."
"You're right. It looks delicious just by looking at it."
The colorful salad, the stir-fry seasoned with salt and pepper, and the soup emitting the scent of herbs along with the steam were irresistible.
I wanted to eat quickly, but it felt wrong to eat before Flora had even taken her seat.
I kept waiting expectantly for Flora to set down her portion and sit.
Perhaps sensing my fidgeting, Flora gave a wry smile as she took off her apron, picked up her tray, and sat down.
"—!"
As Flora sat down after placing her tray, her expression twisted slightly.
"What's wrong? Are you okay?"
Noticing the change in Flora, I asked with concern.
She shouldn't have had any particular injuries yesterday... Was she actually putting on a brave face, or was it the kind of thing where symptoms show up the next day?
"I-I'm fine."
However, Flora spoke as if it were nothing.
Even if she said that, she had just been attacked by a Red Bear yesterday. Only bad thoughts crossed my mind, making me worried.
"By any chance, are you injured somewhere?"
"No, well, it's not that..."
I tilted my head at Flora, who was being somewhat evasive.
"Well, since last night was my first time, there's still a bit of a strange sensation..."
Flora said, blushing and rubbing her thighs together.
The cause was me. Between this and the matter with the sheets earlier, my ability to perceive things regarding women might be low.
I had never dated a woman before, so that kind of consideration is quite difficult.
"...Um, sorry. Does it hurt?"
"Y-Yes. It only hurts a little, so I think I'll be fine."
Perhaps because I remembered last night, my face grew hot. Flora must have remembered as well, as she looked down, her face turning red all the way to her ears.
An indescribable atmosphere drifted through the living room.
"S-So, can I eat?"
"Y-Yes, please eat!"
As I spoke brightly to shake off the embarrassing atmosphere, Flora also looked up and spoke in a loud voice.
I immediately picked up my fork and carried a chunk of radish from the soup to my mouth. The simmered radish had become slightly soft with a pleasant bite. Perhaps because it had thoroughly absorbed the sweetness of the well-cooked onions and the potatoes that had melted into the soup, delicious flavor poured out with every bite. Then, the unique spiciness of the radish followed faintly.
"Yeah, it's delicious, having absorbed the flavor of the soup."
"That's right. It has a texture like a daikon radish, so it's quite easy to use."
Indeed, radishes were similar to daikon. It's probably because they're relatives of the daikon.
After eating bread dipped in the soup, I reached my fork out to the stir-fry and salad one after another.
The stir-fry had the radish roots cut into thick pieces, making it very satisfying to eat.
The salad, which contained sliced radishes and leafy vegetables, was very easy to eat thanks to the sweet and sour sauce drizzled over it. It made a crisp sound when put in my mouth, and I could taste the flavor of the ingredients themselves.
"What's wrong? Aren't you eating?"
After taking a bite of each menu item, I noticed that Flora wasn't moving.
"No, I just enjoy watching you eat, Aldo-san. It was my dream to cook for the person I love."
When I asked, Flora said so with a softening expression.
Being told something so direct made me feel shy.
"Come to think of it, you were watching me the whole time when I first ate pot-au-feu at your house too, weren't you?"
"Ugh, you noticed after all?"
"When someone stares at you that much from right in front, yeah."
I replied with a wry smile to the embarrassed Flora.
"I-It couldn't be helped. The person I loved, whom I thought I'd never see again, suddenly showed up at my house."
Flora, her cheeks dyed red, carried a spoonful of radish to her mouth as if to hide her embarrassment.
Flora was so cute I almost laughed, but I endured it because she might get sulky if I did.
A breakfast that wasn't alone. In the chair opposite me was the person I loved.
Having a meal made for me and enjoying it together while having a fun conversation.
A scene completely different from usual. To think that even breakfast time could be this much fun just by being with the person I love...
"Are you laughing?"
My expression must have loosened without me realizing, as Flora glared up at my face.
"No, that's not it. I was just thinking that when I'm with you, Flora, even breakfast becomes such a fun time."
When I spoke the words I felt from my heart, Flora had a slightly blank expression for a moment, then smiled brightly.
"...Me too."
Please wait a little longer for label information, release dates, and so on.
Along with the book publication, I will be changing my pen name from Kagetarou to Alchemist King.
Yes, I'm the guy writing things like 'I Want to Live a Slow Life in the Countryside After Reincarnating' on Narou. This was the second announcement.
I look forward to your continued support.