A Promise in the Herb Garden and the Footsteps of Summer
Since the incident where Sylvia treated Yume's injury, the once-isolated elf living deep within the forest had begun appearing more frequently around Akio and the others. That wasn’t to say she actively engaged with them—rather, she would observe Akio working in the fields or watch the children playing innocently, all from the shadows of the trees, with an expression that betrayed a faint, curious interest. Even so, every time the children spotted her, they would wave excitedly, exclaiming, "It's the forest lady!" Sylvia, though clearly flustered, no longer disappeared immediately as she had in the past.
One sunny day, while Akio was weeding the fields, he noticed Sylvia leaning casually against the trunk of a nearby tree, quietly observing the crops. In the past, she would have sensed his presence and vanished before he even spoke.
“Hello, Sylvia,” Akio called out.
Sylvia slowly turned toward him.
“… Humans really do love digging around in the dirt, don't they? It's not enough to carve away the forest, now you're tearing up the ground too,” she remarked, her usual sarcastic tone tinged with what Akio thought sounded almost playful.
Akio laughed. “Well, it's necessary for survival. Besides, there's nothing quite like eating food you've grown yourself.” He smiled warmly. “By the way, Sylvia… I wanted to ask your advice.”
“What is it?”
“I was thinking of making a small herb garden near the cabin. After what happened with Yume, I thought it'd be good to grow a few useful herbs nearby, just in case. I won’t do anything to damage your forest, I promise. It’ll be a tiny plot, that’s all.”
Sylvia stared silently at Akio for a while, then averted her gaze.
“… I don't care for soil tainted by humans. Herbs only draw their true power from the pure air of the forest.”
Akio’s shoulders slumped slightly, ready to give up, but at that moment, Miko and Yume, who had been playing nearby, called out innocently.
“Sylvia Oneechan, are you going to plant flowers too?”
“Yume want to help too~”
Sylvia's shoulders twitched ever so slightly. She glanced at the children, let out a small sigh, and turned back to Akio.
“… Well, I suppose I can at least check the soil. It’d be troublesome if you lot accidentally started cultivating poisonous plants and the forest animals got hurt.”
It was a significant concession, in her own way.
A few days later, Akio and the children began preparing the small plot of land behind the cabin, the spot Sylvia had recommended for its “good balance of sunlight and drainage.” Sylvia stood with her arms crossed a little distance away, observing them. But whenever Akio asked about the soil, she offered precise advice, and when it came time to plant the herb seedlings they had gathered, she even demonstrated the proper technique herself. Her movements were fluid, revealing a deep love and knowledge of plants.
“These roots are delicate. Cover them gently with soil, like this.”
“This one likes dry conditions, so don't overwater it.”
Her words were brief but packed with expertise, and both Akio and the children were deeply impressed.
At one point during the work, Kenta blurted out a question completely out of the blue.
“Hey, Sylvia-san, since you’re an elf, you must have lived for hundreds of years, right? Have you ever seen dinosaurs?”
Sylvia froze, clearly caught off guard, then answered seriously, though with visible confusion.
“… Elves live longer than humans, but we aren’t invincible. And I’ve never seen any so-called dinosaurs.”
Akio couldn’t help but chuckle at the exchange.
The days grew hotter, and the signs of summer were undeniable. Akio and the others cooled off by bathing in the nearby stream—the children, of course, were thrilled. In preparation for the summer months, they also experimented with different methods of food preservation, such as smoking, salting, and drying.
Sylvia, too, began showing more open interest in their lives. While checking on the herb garden, she would occasionally inspect the wooden bowls Akio crafted or comment on the nut bread Ayane had steadily improved at baking.
“Those bowls… they're well-designed. Light and easy to carry.”
“That dark-looking bread… the aroma isn't bad.”
She no longer disappeared immediately after speaking. Instead, she lingered quietly nearby, observing their work and daily routines.
One afternoon, after tending the herb garden, Sylvia happened to notice Ayane preparing lunch. The menu that day was a stew of freshly harvested vegetables and dried meat, accompanied by fragrant, roasted bread.
Ayane, clearly summoning her courage, turned toward Sylvia.
“Umm, Sylvia-san… if you’d like… would you join us for lunch? It’s nothing fancy, but…”
Sylvia's eyes widened in surprise, her entire body stiffening. A faint blush crept across her pale cheeks. For an elf who had lived isolated deep within the forest, receiving such an invitation from humans must have been wholly unexpected.
The cabin was filled with the mouthwatering scent of food, the lively voices of the children, and a tense yet hopeful atmosphere that hovered between host and guest, inviting and invited.
What do you think about this chapter?
