Oran Knight is out (1/2 chapters for today)
Snow-Free Flower (2): Military
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A carpet of snow-free flowers spreads out in a pocket of open space on the mountainside of Mount Paro.
“It’s rare to see flowers blooming at this time of year.” (Sonia)
Sonia muttered in awe, and I felt exactly the same way.
“I’ve never seen a place with such a vast colony of flowers…” (Rick)
Rick said in surprise.
“It’d be a shame to pick too many…” (Lite)
Lite, who had been unusually quiet along the way, commented. He said something uncharacteristically gentle, and even the normally reserved Lev nodded in agreement.
“They bloom here every year, degozaru.” (Hana)
Hana said as she began picking flowers from the edge.
As if encouraged by Hana, we each started to pick a few of the snow-free flowers from the fringes, and put them into the jars we had brought with us. The flowers didn’t have a particularly strong scent, but as we placed them in the bottles, a unique, slightly mysterious fragrance wafted up, tickling our noses.
I wonder if Hana didn’t like this scent.
“Filling the bottle halfway should be plenty.” (Rick)
Rick-san said, and with his guidance, we continued picking flowers for a while.
After gathering enough, we all sat down on the slope for a break. We poured some tea from our thermoses, taking a moment to relax.
“Looking at it again, this is really something.” (Lux)
I remarked, gazing absentmindedly at the hillside, blanketed in white by the field of snow-free flowers. It was so peaceful.
“So, how’s Noris doing with her illness?” (Sonia)
Sonia asked as she sipped her tea beside me.
“Yeah. It seems she’s not experiencing any dizziness at all, and her recovery is going well. According to the doctor, she should be fully recovered in about a year,” I replied. (Lux)
“Oh, that’s good to hear.” (Sonia)
“Yeah, thanks. Let’s visit her again soon. I’m sure Noris would be happy to see you.” (Lux)
“Yeah, let’s do that.” (Sonia)
As we were having this light conversation, we suddenly heard a loud rumbling from a little distance away. Of course, it was Ratt-kun.
“Maybe we should head to the summit and have lunch.” (Rick)
Rick-san chuckled and suggested.
“How much further is it to the summit?” Ratt asked Hana. (Ratt)
“It won’t even take thirty minutes from here.” (Hana)
“Great, I can’t wait! Today, the dorm mother really went all out with our lunches!” (Ratt)
In truth, Ratt-kun had made a deal with the dorm mother, offering her the snow-free flowers we picked in exchange for a deluxe lunch. He had even convinced her to make enough for everyone who wasn’t staying in the dorm.
The dorm mother, who was from another town, knew of snow-free flowers but had trouble finding them in Rodon, so she was grateful to Ratt and sent him off with thanks. Because of that, each of our backpacks was packed with a large, two-tiered bento box. Even if we weren’t Ratt were looking forward to it.
As we started back along the path to the summit, Lite, who had been unusually quiet all day, stopped us.
“Hold up a minute.” (Raitz)
“Something feels off with you today. Are you okay?” (Lux)
I asked him.
“I wasn’t sure if I should say something, but I think there might be something up there at the summit,” he replied. (Lite)
Apparently, he had caught a glimpse of something shining near the summit of Mount Paro along the way and had been quietly keeping an eye on things as we walked.
During our last break, he had asked Hana if there was anything made of metal on the summit, and since she told him there wasn’t, he finally decided to tell us. Interestingly, Lite hadn’t said there was something there but rather that someone might be there.
“It’s just a hunch, but it felt like someone was watching us from that direction, and it gave me a bad feeling.” (Lite)
He added.
Those sorts of things are important, and I try to trust such feelings as well.
“What should we do? If Lite’s sense is right, it might not be wise to go on too recklessly,” Rick said with a serious expression. (Rick)
“Should we go ahead and check it out?”
Our scout pair, Sonia and Hana suggested, Rick stopped them.
“If there’s really someone dangerous up there, it’d be risky for you two to go alone. This isn’t a battlefield, so there’s no need to take that kind of risk.” (Rick)
As we were debating what to do, we suddenly heard a familiar voice calling out from further down the path.
“Hey, if it isn’t Lux! What are you guys doing out here?” (Lulu)
It was none other than Lulu.
—
The commander of the guerrilla unit, known as ‘Raging Bull Lulu’, Lulu-san was heading up the mountain with two soldiers.
“Huh? Did someone just call me Raging Bull?” (Lulu)
“Nope, nobody said that! I certainly didn’t think it, either!” (Lulu)
I responded quickly. This woman had an uncanny sense for things.
“Whatever. So, what are you guys doing here? And for that matter, you weren’t here when I passed through earlier, right?” she said. (Lulu)
From her words, it sounded like Lulu had come down from the summit and was heading back up. We explained that we had come to pick snow-free flowers.
“Ah, so that’s why I couldn’t find you. Our scouts reported someone was on the mountain out of season, so I came up here to check.” (Lulu)
“Does that mean there’s military personnel on the summit?” (Lux)
“Yeah. It’s related to the research institute, so I can’t go into details, but we’re here as escorts. So, sorry, but the summit’s off-limits. Once you’re done here, head back down.” (Lulu)
When Lulu said this, Ratt-kun let out a small, defeated groan.
“Oh no… our bento …” (Ratt)
Lulu raised an eyebrow at this, and Ratt took a few steps back.
I’m used to her by now since we’ve interacted quite a bit, but Lulu’s presence can be pretty intimidating.
“Did you say… bento?” she asked. (Lulu)
“Oh, uh, no, sorry! We’ll leave right away! Right now!” (Ratt)
As he attempted to move past Lulu, she reached out and grabbed his backpack, lifting the well-built Ratt effortlessly with one hand.
Ah, that’s Raging… I mean, nothing at all.
Seeing Ratt-kun’s feet flailing in mid-air, she demanded.
“Show me.” (Lulu)
“Wh-what are you doing!?” (Ratt)
Ratt-kun panicked.
“Obviously, I want to see the bento.” (Lulu)
Was she a bandit in a former life?
Anyway, I stepped in and asked Lulu to put Ratt down, showing her my own bento.
“Whoa, that’s very extravagant!” (Lulu)
“The dorm mother really went all out. It’s a thank-you gift in exchange for some snow-free flowers.” (Lux)
“That’s a lot of food.” (Lulu)
“Um… are you wanting some?” (Lux)
“Absolutely. Military rations are so bland. Alright, Lux, let’s make a deal.” (Lulu)
“A deal?” (Lux)
“If you share bento lunch with me, I’ll let you guys use the park at the summit. How about that?” (Lulu)
“Colonel Lulu!?” (??)
One of the soldiers behind her tried to interject, but she waved him off.
“They’re all just hanging around outside the park anyway, so there’s no problem.” (Lulu)
And so, thanks to Lulu’s… generosity, we were granted permission to use the park at the summit.
The park was well-kept, with an open view like standing atop the city walls. The thought of having lunch in such a beautiful place was exciting. Even Ratt-kun, who had looked so dejected earlier, was now humming as he prepared our meal.
One of Lulu’s soldiers watched us from a distance with a somewhat troubled expression, and I did feel a bit guilty. But we let that go and spread out our bentos, which immediately earned cheers from everyone. My favorite, omelet sandwiches, was even in there. I was a little concerned about making noise, but Lulu was the one having the most fun.
As we savored the dorm mother’s delicious meal, I casually asked.
“What kind of research are they doing up here?” (Lux)
With a sly grin, Lulu took a bite of the liver stew and a sandwich.
“If I tell you, I’ll have to detain you right here and now. Want to know?” (Lulu)
I politely declined.
—
After descending the mountain, we stopped by Rita-san’s house to give Noris some snow-free flowers. Just as we were about to leave, we ran into Holland, a traveling confectioner with a food cart, who thanked us. Apparently, several customers had come to his cart after reading our school newspaper during the school festival. As a token of appreciation, he gave us some sweets as a souvenir.
It felt strange yet rewarding that our article had brought in customers, but there was a warm sense of joy in my heart.
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