The interior of the bus was quiet and still, in stark contrast to its lively and noisy departure.
Could it be that everyone had grown weary from the long journey?
A child had already fallen asleep, occasionally snoring softly, another was engaged in a quiet conversation, while yet another was anxiously glancing around, fidgeting restlessly.
And just as the bus came to a halt, that stillness was broken.
“Alright, we’re going to take a break for about 10 minutes, so if anyone needs to go to the bathroom, hurry up and come back.”
As soon as those words were spoken, the fidgety child shouted, “Finally!” and raced out faster than anyone else.
Perhaps caught up in that excitement, the bus erupted into a noisy buzz.
As the bus grew louder, the children who had been asleep began to stir one by one, and among them was Luke.
The weather was nice, it was quiet, and it was the perfect space for a nap.
Children naturally needed a lot of sleep, especially with cat-like traits ingrained in their bodies.
On top of that, there was no reason to resist the urge to sleep.
“Ugh, yawn…”
Luke raised his body from where he had been leaning against the window, stifling a yawn and wiping away a tear that might have escaped his eyes as he looked around.
However, there was nothing resembling an airplane in sight, prompting Luke to ask with a hint of curiosity, “It doesn’t seem like we’ve arrived yet, right? Is this a rest stop?”
“Yep, it’s a rest area.”
Shirud promptly answered.
“A rest area.”
Indeed, as nice as it would be to travel a long distance in one go, the horses pulling the carriage and the driver’s stamina were not infinite, as there had always been a couple of resting points in the past.
‘Then I might as well step outside to get some fresh air.’
Sitting in a closed space for an extended period was starting to feel a bit suffocating.
Besides, it was uncomfortable sitting for too long in a skirt without a tail hole.
“How long will we be stopping here?”
“The teacher said about 10 minutes.”
“Hmm, that seems quite short.”
It felt like a mere 10 minutes would be too little time for a proper break, but after all, the bus was not being drawn by horses.
Anyway, the moment Luke stepped off the bus, he felt his mood lift with the cool breeze welcoming him.
Stretching out his chest and taking a deep breath, he suddenly caught a whiff of a delightful aroma wafting from somewhere.
A sweet and nutty scent—following it was instinctive for Luke.
——-
The place Luke arrived at in pursuit of the sweet smell was a stall with a big sign that read “Walnut Cake.”
A thick batter was poured into a round hollow, filled with sweet red bean paste, and topped with shelled walnuts.
After covering it with a lid and heating it, the completed walnut cake took on a shape resembling a walnut, just as its name suggested.
Luke was entranced by the process of making the walnut cake.
It was rare to see such a display of how sweets were made anywhere else.
As he watched blankly, he found this a rather fascinating and enjoyable experience.
While he was lost in thought, a middle-aged woman, who had been paying attention to Luke, paused her walnut cake-making to ask, “Hey, did you come to buy a walnut cake?”
“No, not really. I’m just watching you cook. Sorry for being a bother, please continue your work.”
“Oh, is that so?”
Taken aback by the unusual phrasing of his words for a child, she went back to making the walnut cakes with slight embarrassment.
Watching her, Luke let out a small sigh, unnoticed.
It was a pity indeed.
Luke didn’t have much money in his wallet.
He had already exchanged funds for use in Beriton and rejected any additional allowance under the pretext of “buy something nice for Pyris.”
He never intended to overspend, and even if, by chance, he ended up short of money later, he thought he could find a way to earn it.
There weren’t many opportunities for a 10-year-old to earn money in this era, but he possessed musical talent honed by his spirit sensitivity.
Moreover, it was overwhelmingly exceptional talent.
In fact, just sitting down and playing the cello earned him money, hadn’t it?
He’d never had a day of failure busking; perhaps that had led to a bit of arrogance.
Truthfully, he had never played without Pyris enriching the depth of his performances, yet he was confident that he could move others’ emotions through his music.
“Ha ha, I never thought I would become such a splendid bard.”
As a mage, Luke actually had little musical talent.
How could a mage, who couldn’t easily empathize with others’ feelings, influence their emotions?
Yet, his spirit sensitivity enabled him to do just that.
And since that ability was something he had bestowed upon himself rather than a mere coincidence, it was purely his own.
Therefore, he had no reservations about using it.
However, right now, that spirit sensitivity held little value.
There were only about 6 minutes left at the rest area.
Before he could finish one performance, Luke would have to head back.
And unfortunately, what was worse was that, at this moment, he didn’t have his cello, which had become familiar to his hands through long practice.
“……”
Just as Luke was thinking, ‘I suppose I have no choice but to head back now…’
“What are you doing, country bumpkin? Just staring at that walnut cake.”
When Luke turned his head toward the voice, he saw a girl with light pink hair in twin tails and a bright-colored dress looking at him.
“Helena, I take it you just got back from the restroom?”
Luke deduced her whereabouts from the dampness on her hands that she hadn’t dried off completely.
He must be right.
However, Helena did not respond to Luke’s comment, crossing her arms as she approached slowly.
She tilted her chin up high, probably wanting to look down at Luke.
But since Luke was taller, she ended up just looking up at him.
Was she dissatisfied with her small height, or was it that she felt bitter about Luke being bigger despite being younger?
In a blunt tone that seemed to mock, Helena said, “If you want it, just buy it. It’s not that expensive.”
But Luke had little thought about Helena’s words.
He merely thought that perhaps she wanted to show off as a child.
So he replied gently, “Unfortunately, I’ve already exchanged all my spending money, so I don’t have anything to buy it with.”
“Are you stupid? You should have saved at least a few coins.”
‘Stupid.’
Although it was an insulting term, it was just cute when said to an 11-year-old.
Luke smiled and shook his head slightly, “Yeah, I guess I’m a bit stupid. I should have saved a little.”
“Uh…”
Helena, caught off guard by how easily Luke admitted it, slightly blushed.
Luke then redirected his gaze from Helena to the hands of the woman making walnut cakes.
If he observed closely, he might be able to recreate it at home later.
The sweet aroma was stimulating Luke’s salivary glands, making him unconsciously swallow, but he didn’t pay it any mind.
As he pondered how to replicate the dish, Helena stood beside him, watching the process of the walnut cakes being made.
They were both gazing at the creation of the walnut cakes.
——-
Suddenly standing still, watching the walnut cake being made, five minutes quickly passed, and it was almost time to head back.
Just as Luke turned to leave, feeling a bit regretful,
“I’ll have one, please.”
Helena seemed to have made up her mind and ordered a small size.
“Got it, this one?”
The woman, having taken Helena’s order, picked up a finished walnut cake and placed it into a small paper bag.
Watching the scene, Helena suddenly said in a pouty manner,
“Why? It’s just that I wanted to eat it.”
Luke was slightly taken aback by her reaction.
He hadn’t really planned to say anything.
Soon, as Helena took the walnut cake and popped one into her mouth, Luke asked, “How is it? Is it good?”
Helena glanced at Luke and replied somewhat curtly, “It’s too sweet; it’s not my taste.”
“Ah, that’s unfortunate. Maybe I should go ask if I can get a refund…”
“Forget it, just eat it all yourself.”
Helena, seeming annoyed, offered the remaining walnut cakes in the paper bag to Luke.
Surprised, he took it instinctively and asked, “Really?”
“Consider it a repayment for the bread you gave me last time.”
Thus, Helena handed over all the remaining walnut cakes to Luke.
As he watched her departing figure, Luke muttered, “A repayment…? ”
Though he hadn’t intended to impose any debt, since she called it a repayment, he couldn’t refuse.
Luke took one out of the bag and popped it into his mouth.
With one bite, the soft bread revealed a rich, sweet bean paste filling, and the slightly crunchy walnuts added a delightful texture.
The combination of sweetness from the red bean paste and the nuttiness from the walnuts was quite pleasant.
It suited his taste even better than he had anticipated.
However…
Luke tilted his head.
‘It’s not overwhelmingly sweet…’
Could it be that Helena disliked sweet flavors?
He had assumed all children liked sweet things, but perhaps that was a misconception.
The melon bread he had given her last time was probably much sweeter than this, so it had not been to her liking.
‘Oh dear, I’ve unwittingly made an unfortunate mistake.’
He felt sorry for handing her a bread that didn’t match her taste, and she had vanished afterward, leaving her in an awkward position.
For that reason, Luke wanted to make her something special next time.
He would cut down on the sugar a bit then.
——-
As he walked towards the bus that matched his class among the many parked, he found Mary standing in front of the bus entrance.
“Mary? What are you doing out here?”
“Luke, I have something to tell you for a moment…”
Mary’s face appeared slightly flushed for some reason.
Could she be running a fever?
“Mary, if you’re not feeling well, wouldn’t it be better to consult Emma?”
“No, not at all! I just have something to say to you!”
“Hmm…”
If she wasn’t feeling ill, that was a relief.
“Go ahead.”
“Well, we’re still children, right? So, um… It’s better not to do those things on the bus, right?”
“Those things?”
Mary couldn’t bring herself to answer the question.
Kissing or ‘touchy-feely’ things…
“……”
How could she say such things in embarrassment?
So, Mary spoke a bit indirectly, “Like, with Shirud!”
“Hmm?”
With Shirud?
The only thing they did together was play rhythm games.
So why was Mary reacting so sensitively?
Luke pondered for a moment.
“Oh.”
Now that he thought about it, he recalled something Yerna had often said before.
“Don’t use your phone in the car; it’s bad for your eyes.”
In fact, the operating principles of mobile phones and game consoles were quite similar.
There was just a difference in performance and optimization, but overall the circuitry and their interaction with the human body could be considered the same.
Looking at an IS panel in a moving car could indeed be bad for a child’s eyes; past searches had indicated as much.
Though he didn’t know if his eyesight would actually worsen, it was certainly something to worry about.
“Understood. I’ll refrain from doing that.”
“Okay…”
Mary sighed with relief that they had understood each other well.
As Luke looked at Mary, he pulled another walnut cake from his bag and paused, asking, “Oh, Mary. Would you like a walnut cake?”
“No, I’m fine…”
How could Luke be so calm about everything?
Indeed, it seemed love made one unembarrassed.
