“Ah, yes. Sister. Then I’ll go that way. Okay, see you later!”
– Thud.
As Sorbi hung up the phone, Kirke asked, “Was that Yerna? What was the call about?”
“Oh, it was that. Suddenly, Luke and Pyris said they wanted to come. They said they wanted to see our faces after a long time.”
“Really? That’s great. It would be nice to see Luke’s face after so long.”
Thinking back, it hadn’t been that long since she saw Luke in the forest, but it felt like quite a while. That only meant Luke’s presence was significant among the Forest Keepers.
Luke coming to work every day with Yerna, tending to the flower beds, sitting in a box set aside in the break room reading, or playing nicely with Pyris would often come to mind while working. During those moments, Sorbi would think about whether Luke was doing well, and this was a good opportunity to see him and catch up after a long time.
“So, today the restaurant is changing to a buffet.”
“Really? Well, it can’t be helped. I was looking forward to the meat and drinks that you were treating us to, but that’s a bit disappointing.”
At Sorbi’s words, Kirke nodded. After all, it wouldn’t be easy to cover Pyris’s meal expenses in a regular restaurant. Especially in a tavern where the meal prices were relatively high.
Moreover, they couldn’t drink with the kids alongside.
Just as Yerna started heading to the restaurant she mentioned again, Sorbi spoke up, “Oh, right. Kirke, you can look forward to it.”
“Huh? To what?”
Suddenly telling her to look forward to something, what could that mean?
Sorbi opened her mouth. “Luke bought new clothes for winter this time, and it seems he wants to show them off! But when I asked for a picture, he told me to come see it in person.”
“Hm, really? It seems the new clothes are quite pretty.”
“They must be! Aah, I can’t wait. How cute will he be? Hehe, I have to take pictures too.”
Just how pretty were the clothes he had bought?
Still, it certainly sparked her motivation to move forward.
—
Meanwhile, Yerna and Luke, along with Pyris, were sitting at the table waiting for Sorbi and Kirke.
Pyris, unable to contain herself, had filled her plate with food and was quickly devouring it, licking her dish clean in no time.
Watching that, Luke sighed and pressed his forehead with a look of exasperation.
“Really, I told you not to eat like this when we go out, I wonder if she even remembers the dining etiquette I’ve taught her.”
“Pyris, no one’s taking your food, so eat slowly.”
However, Pyris simply tilted her head in confusion.
“What are you talking about, sister? If I don’t eat, they’ll just take it away, right?”
Pyris pointed to the people who were taking food from the dishes that the chefs kept refilling regularly. In her mind, all the food laid out wasn’t just hers; everything there belonged to her.
Her way of thinking was quite different from Luke’s.
“…”
With that said, Luke found himself without words. It was indeed true that if you ate slowly, the food would be taken away by others.
Pyris, wanting to bring the whole food container and eat it all, thought about it but got scolded by both her sister and the staff for even considering it.
Ultimately, she found the rule that she could only eat what’s on her plate frustrating.
“No, no matter how it is, you should at least keep some moderation…”
If she kept this up and got kicked out of the restaurant, how unfair would it be for Yerna and him, who were waiting for Sorbi and Kirke, and couldn’t even have a proper meal?
At that, Yerna could only smile awkwardly.
“Ahaha… You must be very hungry.”
Pyris’s way of eating could only be described as comical; it was astonishing.
The way she lifted her piled-up food onto her plate and stuffed it in her mouth was one thing, but how on earth could she shove a whole fish into her mouth and neatly remove the bones?
If they ever held a competitive eating contest, she would surely win.
Just then, while Luke and Yerna were carefully taking in the staff’s eyes, the door of the shop opened, and two women entered.
“Oh my, it was chilly outside, but it’s warm in here. Isn’t the heating a bit too much?”
“I think it’s just warm enough. Ugh, it was too cold outside.”
“Then why didn’t you wear something thicker? You’re the one who wears the most in the forest.”
“Are you crazy? How could I wear what I wear in the forest in society?”
“Geez. Just who’s the crazy one here.”
Luke could tell just by hearing their bickering voices, whether it was good or bad, that it was Sorbi and Kirke.
It seemed Yerna also noticed, as her gaze was already directed towards the entrance of the restaurant where they entered.
However, Sorbi and Kirke didn’t seem to immediately find where Luke was.
“By the way, where are sister and Luke? Let’s look for them.”
“Huh, there are more people here today than I expected. But Luke should be noticeable.”
Seeing Sorbi and Kirke glance around as if searching for him, Luke raised his hand quietly as if to say, “Look over here.”
“Sorbi, Kirke. This way, this way.”
“Oh, there he is. Luke, hello!”
As soon as Kirke spotted Luke, she immediately started greeting him.
He had grown up so much during the time they hadn’t seen each other.
It was no wonder he was hard to recognize.
At that moment…
– Thump.
Suddenly, the sound of someone falling beside her startled Kirke, and she turned her gaze.
There, Sorbi was kneeling with her head bowed. The high-performance camera she had been holding a moment ago to take cute pictures of Luke was already dropped from her hands and rolling randomly on the floor.
Yet, she showed no signs of picking it back up, only tears streaming down her face.
Had she really gone crazy to suddenly sit down and start crying like that?
Kirke hesitated, debating whether to approach her, worried that standing next to her might seem strange, but eventually decided to help her up, saying, “Sorbi? Why are you suddenly like this? Did your legs give out? I told you to exercise more….”
However, Sorbi seemed to barely hear her, muttering to herself with trembling hands and voice.
“Unbelievable… Give him back…”
“…Give back what exactly?”
Kirke could only feel bewildered at that.
Did she get pickpocketed on the way here or something important?
What could have caused her to suddenly behave like this?
“Return my cute little kitten Luke, who was like an angel!”
Why did the moments of their children’s cuteness have to pass by so quickly?
It wasn’t that time had flowed that much; it was just that Luke’s growth had been so fast.
Was this how the parent from the tale of Skat Parkum felt when they returned home after a distant journey swept away by magic and unknowingly faced their oddly grown child?
When I read that story back then, I might have simply brushed it off, but now it struck painfully in my heart.
With how few pictures of his earlier self there were, if I’d known this would happen, I should have reluctantly taken more pictures.
If I’d known, I wouldn’t have postponed my visit to Luke’s house on a day off just because I wanted to be lazy.
If I’d known, I would have pinched his cheeks and flown him around more often or read to him more frequently.
But I can’t turn back the time that’s passed, so the feelings of regret have nowhere to go.
It was overwhelming.
Thus, Sorbi couldn’t help but burst out with her overwhelming feelings.
Was it really possible for a ten-year-old to have such a mature figure?
Of course, she looked pretty now.
But no, Luke shouldn’t grow up like this already.
“Ugh… How could a ten-year-old girl have bigger breasts than me…?”
She only missed the time when she could freely enjoy his cuteness.
Hearing her voice, which sounded like wailing, Kirke immediately let go of Sorbi’s arm and took a few steps back from her.
“…Oh my, crazy girl.”
She mentioned recently trying to consult about breast augmentation, saying things hadn’t gone well, and now she was acting like this again.
And now she was exploding with inferiority complex over the breast of a ten-year-old girl.
Honestly, she wasn’t in her right mind either.
