Bribe
The next morning, I woke up as usual before the sixth bell.
Leaving my room, I headed to the kitchen, just like always.
Maybe I should make a bento for Aunt and Uncle. They said they’d be leaving by the seventh bell without having breakfast, so I have time.
Since there's no rice, sandwiches might be best.
Egg sandwiches, BLT sandwiches… Oh, adding cinnamon to the ripple jam I made the other day might be nice too.
As I walked while thinking about this, I saw Brother Aran walking outside. It had been snowing since last night, making it even colder than usual.
Training in the morning regardless of the weather—how disciplined.
Once I make the sandwiches, maybe I should bring him a sports drink.
Click.
“Good morning.”
“Oh, Missy. As early as ever.”
“Young la… Little Jo—Joan. Good morning. I apologize for the trouble I caused.”
“Oh, Anny. Are you okay? How’s your cold? You’re not overdoing it, are you?”
“Yes, I’m fine now. Thank you for everything—the doctor, the sports drink, the meso soup. Thanks to you, I’m all better.”
“That’s great. From now on, don’t just assume you’ll get better by sleeping. Make sure to rely on someone, okay?”
“Uuuh, thank you so much…”
“Ah—geez, don’t cry. There, there.”
Once Anny finally stopped crying, I told them about the sandwiches.
“I bet Lady Julietta and the others will be happy.”
“I was thinking of making sandwiches for breakfast too. What do you think?”
“Oh, that sounds good. The bread and soup are already done, so we just need to prepare the fillings. By the way, what’s BLT?”
“It’s a sandwich with bacon, letashi, and tometo. If you spread mayonnaise on the bread first, it won’t get soggy from the vegetables.”
“Then I’ll make the egg sandwiches. It’s boiled eggs with mayonnaise, right?”
“Yep, please. I’ll do the ripple cinnamon one, and Mr. Abe, you handle the BLT. Oh, wasn’t Mr. Taiki leaving today too?”
“Yeah, he’s busy, so I think he said he’d leave before the seventh hour. Hm? You’re making one for him too?”
“Yep, sort of like a bribe? There’s something I want him to find.”
“Huh? What do you want?”
“Rice. In my past life, I ate it every day.”
“Is it that good?”
“It’s delicious!!”
“Haha, then we better hurry and make them. Anny, once you put the pot on the fire, go tell Taiki to wait.”
“Yes, understoo… Alright, I’ll be back.”
After a while, Anny returned with Mr. Taiki. He was already dressed like the burly merchant I first saw him as.
“Abe, Little Joan, mornin’. I heard y’all needed me? I finished getting ready, so I came over. So, what’s up?”
“Mr. Taiki, good morning. I heard you were leaving without breakfast, so we’re making sandwiches for your lunchbox. Just wait a little longer.”
“Huh!? A lunchbox? For me? Is that okay?”
“Of course. Thanks to you, I got seuyu, meso, and even dashi. Plus, I have something I want you to find, so let’s call it a bribe.”
“Missy, you just straight-up called it a bribe…”
Mr. Abe looked exasperated, but I didn’t mind.
“Hahaha, a bribe, huh? Well, fine. I’ll look for it. So, what do ya need?”
“Oh, before that, want to try the meso soup I made? It’s full of vegetables and shonga, so it’ll warm you up.”
“Oh, really? I’d love that. Didn’t expect to be drinking meso soup here, so I’m glad I brought my bowl just in case.”
I took out the meso soup from my storage.
“Careful, it’s hot.”
“Wait, huh!? Little Joan, your storage is S-rank!?”
“Yeah, it is. You know about S-rank storage?”
“Well, I’ve gathered a lotta information. Alright then, itadakimasu… Mmm! This is delicious! Shonga goes really well with meso soup! Didn’t know that.”
“Hey, Mr. Taiki, could it be… you’re a descendant of someone with past-life memories?”
“!! …How’d you know? I haven’t told anyone, not even my boss.”
“Ah—uh, it was your pre-meal gesture. Saying ‘Itadakimasu.’”
“Oh, right. I did say that. That’s what gave me away? Then, does that mean Little Joan too…?”
“Yeah. So, maybe I am from the same homeland as your ancestors. Your way of speaking feels nostalgic too.”
“You mean you can talk like me?”
“In my previous world, that way of speaking was a dialect. My past-life parents spoke it, so I know it… I can speak it, but it’s been a while, so it might sound off.”
“Whoa~ Little Joan, ya sure ya don’t wanna come to my place? You’d make a great spy.”
“Hmm, I’m still only five… I’ll think about it when I grow up. That okay?”
“Well, then, how about ya become my wife instead?”
“Haha, I don’t even know how old ya are, but there’s gotta be an age gap.”
“If it’s you, Little Joan, I wouldn’t care. I can wait till ya grow up.”
“If ya keep saying nonsense, I’ll smack ya.”
“Missy… It’s like you’re speaking a foreign language.”
“Yes… But Little Joan using Mr. Taiki’s way of talking is quite cute.”
“I guess so. But what’s really impressive is how she never stops working while chatting.”
“True…”
Even while talking, I finished making the sandwiches and handed them to Taiki.
“Alright, I’m counting on you to find the rice.”
“Got it. I’ll look for it before I come back.”
“Please do. Oh, and here… Have some candy. Eat it when you’re tired.”
I handed him some amber candy I had made for Vee and the others.
“Haha, you’re like a mom. Well then, see y’all later.”
With that, Mr. Taiki left the mansion.
What do you think about this chapter?
