Chapter 65 - Maternality
As we gazed at the flower field while conversing in the shade of the trees, I felt a pang of hunger.
"Shall we eat lunch soon? I've gotten hungry."
"Me too. Shall we have lunch then?"
Flora smiled brightly as she picked up the basket and began opening the lid.
Today's lunch was sandwiches.
Since I had made them together with Flora, I knew what ingredients were inside, but I still felt a sense of excitement.
Those ingredients we tucked in this morning are going to be delicious, I thought, waiting restlessly for the preparations when I saw children approaching from ahead.
"Ah! It's Aldo and Flora!"
"Oh! Isn't that a lunch box? Maybe they'll let us eat some!"
"Really!?"
"Hey, you two are too fast!"
Those were the village children who were often with Colette.
They were running through the flower field at high speed while pointing in our direction.
Judging by Chlor's words, they were fully intent on eating our lunch sandwiches. Whether it was a child's intuition or something else, they were spot on.
"It's Colette-chan, Chlor-kun, and Lukina-chan, isn't it?"
Flora opened the basket with a heartwarming expression on her face.
It would be childish to close the basket just because the children had arrived.
I gave a wry smile, thinking that a lively meal with children once in a while might be nice.
"Yay! I'm first!"
Colette reached us first and flopped down onto the cloth.
Perhaps because she had run so vigorously, some dirt kicked up onto the cloth. Fortunately, it didn't seem to reach the sandwiches in the basket.
A child's innocence can certainly be nerve-wracking.
"Guh... there's no way I could catch up to you when you started running first."
"If you're a boy, shouldn't you be able to run faster?"
Colette spoke with a composed smile to Chlor, who arrived late and was breathing heavily.
"N-Next time I won't lose!"
Well, given Chlor's personality, he wouldn't be able to complain if she put it that way.
I didn't know if she said it knowingly or if she was just being natural, but Colette looked like she would become quite a shrewd woman in the future.
"Haa... haa... you two are... fast."
And finally, the girl named Lukina arrived, looking unsteady on her feet.
Judging by her calm personality, she probably wasn't the type to take the lead in running around like Colette or Chlor. Well, the flower field was very vast, and it was normal for a child to end up like this after sprinting with all their might.
"Lukina, you've got no stamina—"
"...You two are the weird ones."
In response to Chlor's exasperated voice, Lukina muttered under her breath. She seemed to have all she could do just to breathe and lacked the energy to speak.
"It's even more painful if you stop suddenly after sprinting. It's easier if you catch your breath while walking a little."
"Heh, is that so?"
Nodding at Colette's voice, I put on my shoes, stood up, and gave Lukina's back a gentle push.
Lukina, who had been breathing roughly, began to walk obediently, perhaps having heard my words.
Ideally, it was better to slow down to a light jog and then walk to settle one's breathing, but it was hard to tell the exhausted Lukina to run, even slowly.
While we walked around a bit, Colette and Chlor were having their sweat wiped by Flora and were given water.
She looked like a mother devotedly taking care of her own children.
"...I'm okay now."
Once Lukina's breathing had settled, we returned under the tree.
When I suggested she sit on the cloth, Lukina took off her shoes and sat down as if collapsing.
Looking at Flora, she seemed hesitant about how to deal with the dirt Colette had kicked onto the cloth.
She could just brush it off with her hand, but we were about to eat sandwiches with our hands. Even with water available, she probably didn't want to get her hands dirty.
"You can brush it off with a towel. I have another spare, so it's fine."
"I understand!"
When I took a new towel out of my bag, Flora's expression turned to one of relief, and she began brushing off the dirt with the towel.
It might have been cooler to say she could use the towel I had used, but I had only used mine a little. It was better to give a fresh one to Flora, since she, Colette, and Chlor had all used the other one.
Well, Lukina would be using the new towel right away, though.
"Here, it's a new towel."
"I think it's better to give the new towel to Flora-san. Colette and Chlor will probably use it too, so Aldo-san's towel is fine for me."
"Hm? Is that so?"
For a child from a large family, sharing was probably second nature; was she being considerate of me?
Since Lukina was being modest, I handed the new towel to Flora and gave Lukina my towel, which was hanging on a tree branch.
Thanks to drying on the branch, the sweat seemed to have dried a bit, and it didn't have any strange smell... hopefully. It was a new towel Flora had brought, so I didn't think there would be a problem.
I watched Lukina wipe her sweat, worrying if it might smell bad.
"...It smells really good."
"Flora scents the towels for me."
Yes, all the clothes in my house were scented by the flowers Flora gathered. For women who couldn't take a bath every day, it seemed to be an essential item for grooming, and most of the village women used them.
The scent of the flowers used for fragrance apparently differed from person to person, and they changed them according to their own and others' preferences.
In fact, Flora seemed to have changed it many times, and since we met a few months ago, she had been changing the scent based on my reactions.
I had noticed the scent changing, but I hadn't thought she was changing it with me in mind.
Belatedly, a surge of happiness at Flora's devotion welled up within me.
"My house should be scenting things too, but why is there such a difference? Is it the difference in knowledge about flowers?"
"Flora and Fiona-san know about all sorts of flowers, after all."
They even formulated medicines themselves; I thought it wouldn't be an exaggeration to call them pharmacists.
Other factors were probably that we used towels made of good material and that Flora and I took baths almost every day.
"Wow, is this a sandwich!? It's totally different from the ones at my house!"
"Awesome, it looks delicious."
I had made some myself this morning, but hearing that made me curious, so I peeked into the basket.
There were sandwiches made with sliced bread, packed with various ingredients like grilled meat, vegetables, and eggs. The savory aroma of pepper and the smell of sweet and salty sauce wafting from the basket stimulated our stomachs.
Seeing the delicious-looking sandwiches, the children and I let out stomach growls in unison.
It was a bit embarrassing, as if I were a child too.
"Since we have them, let's all eat together."
"Yay!"
Having received permission from Flora, the children were overjoyed.
Wait, why didn't she ask me if I wanted to eat? I wondered, but since I had no dignity left after my stomach growled, I decided not to worry about it.
Flora listened to the children's requests and handed out the sandwiches one by one.
Naturally, children loved meat, so they picked up the sandwiches with grilled meat tossed in sweet and salty sauce.
When I naturally chose the same one, Flora gave a little chuckle.
It couldn't be helped. It looked so delicious.
While being laughed at by Flora, I bit into the sandwich.
The flavor of the wheat from the bread spread in my mouth, and it went exceptionally well with the chicken tossed in the sweet and salty sauce. The seasoning was a bit strong, but thanks to the crisp, succulent leafy vegetables and tomatoes that followed, it became just the right balance. The acidity of the tomatoes that came afterward made it very easy to swallow.
"Yeah, it's good!"
I had been certain it would be delicious since this morning, but it was even better than I imagined.
"Delicious!"
"This can't even be compared to Mom's sandwiches!"
"...This is totally different from ours too."
The honest impressions unique to children were very amusing.
The children seemed to be absorbed in the sandwiches we made, eating them greedily.
When they ate with such great smiles, it made me, as the maker, want to feed them more.
I wondered if Flora usually felt this way when she cooked for me.
I instinctively glanced at Flora beside me; she was munching on a sandwich with vegetables and cheese while watching over the children with a heartwarming gaze.
"Colette-chan, there's tomato juice on the corner of your mouth. Let me wipe it for you."
Saying so, Flora wiped Colette's mouth with a handkerchief.
"Mmm, thank you!"
"There's still plenty more, okay?"
Colette nodded at Flora's words and bit into the sandwich again.
Flora watched her happily.
I wondered if it would be like this if we had children of our own.
Watching the heartwarming scene, I thought of such things.
◆
After eating lunch, the children played tag and other games for a while, and then, perhaps having grown sleepy, they were now sleeping on the cloth.
Their innocent figures, breathing softly with their eyes closed, somehow stirred a protective instinct.
The sight of the three of them sleeping side by side made them look like siblings.
Flora was gently stroking their heads while looking at the now-quiet children with a gentle expression. My cheeks loosened at the sight, which was the polar opposite of a dangerous adventurer's life.
It was peaceful.
When I looked up at the sky, a breeze blew, and the trees overhead rustled their leaves, cooling our ears.
Every time the leaves swayed, sunlight filtering through the trees appeared and disappeared.
A leaf fluttered down and landed on Chlor's nose. Then, Chlor's nose twitched, and he let out a small sneeze.
At the adorable gesture, Flora and I laughed quietly.
When I tickled Chlor's nose with the fallen leaf, his nose twitched amusingly.
"Now, you mustn't do that."
Since it was funny, I stroked and poked him with the leaf, but Flora gently rebuked me, so I decided to stop. Flora's way of rebuking me was like a mother's.
As I was spacing out in the cool breeze, Flora murmured softly.
"...I wonder if it would be like this if we had children."
"I suppose so," I replied, stroking Chlor's head as if apologizing for the prank.
Then, Flora suddenly said something I hadn't expected.
"...They're cute. I want a child too."
"Wha!?"
"Eh? What's wrong?"
When I let out a surprised voice, Flora tilted her head curiously.
Wait, does she not realize the meaning of her words? Did she say that without intending it?
"No, I just thought Flora was very bold today. When we were leaving the bed, you said the night would be fine, and now you say you want a child..."
Flora listened to my faltering words with a blank look, but eventually, she seemed to understand what I meant, and her face turned rapidly red.
"Eh!? No, no, that's not it! That's not it! I mean, it's true I want a child, and I want you to do it at night too—but that's not what I meant! I-I-I-I didn't mean it in an inviting way like that! It was just my pure feelings coming out, or rather, um, um... huh?"
Flora was frantically denying it, but I felt like she was digging her own grave further and further.
As expected, when she put it that way, I could understand that her words just now were meant in a pure sense.
"Yes, yes, I understand, so you don't have to get so worked up."
"Uuu, okay."
Flora, looking down with a red face, was very cute. It made me want to hug her instinctively.
However, since we could take our time tonight, I decided to rest my body for now.
I shifted from my sitting position and lay down like the children.
Thanks to the fluffy grass and the cloth, it was easy to lie down, but I lacked a pillow. I had the adaptability cultivated during my adventurer days, so I could sleep in much worse places, but right now I wanted to pursue more comfort.
As I looked around, thinking of using the bag I brought as a pillow, something very soft caught my eye. It was far better than a bag.
I slowly sat up and crawled over to Flora's side.
Flora was blushing and whispering "...child" in a small voice. Apparently, she was still hung up on her words from earlier.
Giving a wry smile to such a Flora, I placed my head on her thighs and lay on my back. The sensation of soft skin touched the back of my head.
"Hya! ...A-Aldo-san. You startled me."
"Sorry, sorry. Can I have a lap pillow?"
I was already getting one, but I asked anyway.
Then, Flora gave a gentle smile and placed her hand on my head.
"Ufufu, of course."
Flora stroked my head with a serene smile.
Her small, soft hand gently stroked my head. It was a bit embarrassing, but the comfort far outweighed that.
I could feel an overwhelming maternity, as if she were enveloping me.
If I had a mother, would she have done this for me? Uncharacteristically, I found myself thinking of such things.
"...It's a bit embarrassing, but it's very comfortable and calming. I can see why Flora likes having her head stroked."
"Then, next time, Aldo-san, please give me a lap pillow and stroke my head, okay?"
"...Yeah, I will."
I made that promise with Flora and slowly closed my eyes.
I will insert Kurune's story soon.