The Defiance Of A Pair Of Lilies

14 «From Crush, to Big Brother»

So, they ate the food prepared happily. For Kazuki, it was his first meal with his friends. In this world that is. He had a feeling that this sort of thing had already happened in his past life. Though, there was something missing. He had no idea what it was though.

"...Hime-chan...please let me sleep...for now..."

The memory of his dream filled him with slight euphoria. Recently, memories from his past life had been returning to him pretty quickly. He wondered why, but didn't complain one bit. He was happy. Even if the thing he mainly found out was her nickname, it was enough for now.

"Thank you for the delicious food."

Kazuki was a quick eater. Any food would suffice for his appetite. Except bitter foods or drinks. There was NO way that he would eat or drink them. This was also why Kazuki never drank any sort of tea without milk and sugar mixed in. And unsurprisingly enough, Kazuki really liked sweet foods, especially pastries.

Hime-chan...does she cook...I wonder?...hahh...I want to remember already...

"I don't wanna feel stupid but..." Vel spoke after finishing his meal. "Why are you constantly wearing that one left gauntlet?"

Ah, he actually noticed...I gotta make an excuse...uhhhh

"It's...my motto to always be prepared for any trouble that may occur...?"

"...Do you take me for an idiot or something...?"

""You kinda are"" Amelia and Tia bluntly let out and giggled.

Vel's confidence was destroyed, with his body falling limp as he sat, looking down in defeat. Until Tia drew closer to his ear and whispered something inaudible. Strangely, Amelia's ears twitched. After that, Vel was alive and kicking. The only thing different was that he was surprisingly embarrassed and blushing like a lovestruck girl in a shoujo manga.

Luckily, right after this, no one questioned why Kazuki was constantly wearing the glove. Well, it was only a matter of time before someone else asks again. So, Kazuki had to prepare a valid reason until he could actually use [Illusion magic] to hide the marks.

After the girls had finished eating, the food that were still good enough to eat were stored in some sort of refrigerator. It was a bit surprising to Kazuki though. Originally, he had thought that this world was in an era where there were few conveniences such as preserving cooked food through cooling. Then, in curiosity, Kazuki asked Tia about it while she washed the dishes with Vel.

"Oh that? It's powered by a magic stone or gem. I don't know much about it but a lot of things nowadays are powered by them. Luckily, we don't need to go to the market to buy the stones. We just need to go to the dungeon to get them from demon beasts."

Ah right, I keep forgetting that the crystals from demon beasts were still called magic stones. The only difference was that usual magic stones were free from impurities that comes from the spirit that inhabited it...

"I've heard there were even forges powered by magic stones." Vel joined in on the conversation. "It must be so great to just let everything be instantly prepared for you to use when smithing~"

""You do you, weirdo.""

"Why is everyone bullying me today!?"

"No reason at all."

"So you admit that you're bullying me?! Also, Tia, you're the one that's been doing it the most!"

Tia turned her head away from Vel in order to hide her expression. But Kazuki was easily able to see what her face was like. She was blushing slightly as she said something under her breath. Kazuki was unable to hear it but he was able to work out what she had whispered.