Volume 3 Chapter 19 The Salmon Stew Murder Case Again
Eir-Eir is sleeping soundly on my chest.
Next to the pillow, Dad Arjuna is curled up and sleeping peacefully.
Surrounded by some animals, I woke up despite the cold winter.
Eir-Eir and Dad are warm.
This winter──my first winter in Lobelia──seems cozy enough to get through.
"Mm..."
I grabbed the sleeping Eir-Eir with both hands and snuggled my face against her.
She feels soft and squishy, and it's nice.
As I enjoy this blissful moment with Eir-Eir, suddenly, she was flicked away from my hands.
"...Eiris-chan..."
Eir-Eir, flicked away, rolled softly on the bed.
I wondered who could do such a terrible thing──while rubbing my sleepy head, I looked around and saw a little cat on my chest.
"Hey, little cat..."
The cat is about the size of a kitten, but a bit heavier than Eir-Eir. It feels solid.
It has shiny, long golden fur that sparkles. It has 6 fluffy legs.
Even with 6 legs, it's still a cute little cat.
The cat is staring at me with its big red eyes.
"...Tart, Tatin."
The cat said this in a lazy, smooth voice and then turned its face away.
"Ms. Famine...!"
I picked up the little cat, Ms. Famine.
Ms. Famine turned her face away while swishing her tail.
"Eir-Eir, it's Ms. Famine! Eir-Eir!"
"Pumpkin...!"
Flicked away, Eir-Eir flapped her wings and came in front of Ms. Famine.
Ms. Famine swatted Eir-Eir with her tail.
"Pumpkin pudding...!"
"...Tarte Tatin."
Ms. Famine watched Eir-Eir roll away after being swatted, then jumped down from my hands, stretched on the bed, and curled up at my feet.
She looked so elegant that I wanted to worship her.
"Looks like you've made a friend, Lydia. ...Honestly, after doing something so cruel, to act like nothing happened and stay by your side."
Dad Arjuna woke up and shook his head in disbelief at the commotion.
It's true that both Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine did something bad.
But it's not entirely their fault.
"Dad, Eir-Eir learned bad things from humans, and Ms. Famine was exposed to human cruelty. ...In the end, it feels like it's our fault as humans."
"That doesn't mean it's okay to do bad things."
"...But, they're good now. Eir-Eir is a good girl. Ms. Famine is a cute little cat too."
"I'm cute too."
"You're a cute dog too, Dad."
I held Eir-Eir, who was teary-eyed from being flicked, close to my chest.
Eir-Eir sighed in relief and whispered "pumpkin."
Ms. Famine, watching from the side, swatted the bed with her tail.
Maybe Ms. Famine wants to snuggle too.
It might be a bit tricky to fit her in, size-wise.
"Ms. Famine, do you want to be held?"
"Tarte Tatin."
After turning her face away, Ms. Famine rubbed her forehead against my outstretched hand.
Then, she lightly climbed up my arm and settled on my shoulder.
It felt just right.
I reached out from my shoulder to gently pat Eir-Eir, who was happily swaying.
"Ms. Famine, please get along with Eir-Eir; you're sisters after all."
"Pumpkin!"
"Tarte Tatin..."
"Don't look unhappy, Ms. Famine."
"Lydia... Am I not the cutest?"
Ms. Famine looks a bit unhappy, but Dad Arjuna seems unhappy too.
When it comes to cuteness, everyone is cute. Eir-Eir has her own charm, Ms. Famine has hers, and Dad has his own goodness too.
"Father is cute, but your voice is deep..."
"Should I also try to make a cute voice and have a unique sound? For example, like tebasaki... sunagimo... hatsu, bonjiri, kashira... and so on."
"Do you want to eat yakitori, Father?"
"When I tried to drink sake, I was told no, so I held back, but I want yakitori and sake."
"You can't because you're a dog."
"I'm not a dog."
I had Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine clinging to me as I got out of bed.
Yesterday──I ate brandy cake, got drunk on alcohol, and fell asleep.
I wonder if everyone has already gone home.
I'm sorry for falling asleep halfway.
As I headed downstairs, a nice smell filled the air.
"Good morning, Lydia."
Mr. Lucian greeted me with a bright smile that made it hard to believe he stayed up late last night.
There were flowers in a vase on the counter, and a lot of bread was placed on a cute cloth.
On the stove, there was a pot simmering with vegetable soup.
In another pan on the stove, sausages and fried eggs were sizzling.
It smelled really good.
"Good morning, Mr. Lucian."
"It's a nice morning, Lydia. Did you sleep well?"
"Yes. Mr. Lucian, this is Ms. Famine."
I introduced the cat on my shoulder.
Mr. Lucian didn't seem surprised and said, "Since Eiris has gotten close to Lydia, Famine will probably do the same."
Then he gently patted my head.
Mr. Lucian had a younger sister. She couldn't be born, though.
So maybe he thinks of me like a little sister.
"It's a cat."
A cool voice came from behind me.
Sir Ciel lifted Ms. Famine off my shoulder and leaned in to check her out.
"Tarte Tatin..."
Ms. Famine squinted her eyes, looking very displeased.
She twisted away from Sir Ciel's hand and jumped onto the sunny windowsill, curling up and flicking her tail.
Arjuna, my father, went to Mr. Lucian's feet and said, "I smell meat."
Mr. Lucian easily picked up the little dog with one hand and showed him the sausage.
"Good morning, Sir Ciel."
"Good morning, Ms. Lydia. Famine has come to you as well."
"Pumpkin pudding."
"That's great, Ms. Eiris. Famine seemed lonely after disappearing."
"Pumpkin pudding."
Eir-Eir got a couple of gentle pats from Ms. Famine but looked happy.
Still, I wonder──did everyone drink sake until morning?
The sake bottles are neatly put away, though.
"Did Mr. Lucian and Sir Ciel not sleep?"
"I slept a little."
"I did sleep a bit, but it was just the right time for the market to open, so I went shopping. You won't be able to cook for a while, so I wanted to make sure you have what you need."
"Thank you, I'm sorry for making you worry..."
"I'm doing it because I like it, so you don't have to worry."
"I'm happy to be able to help you."
"What about Sir Stefan and the others...?"
When I tilted my head, Sir Ciel and Mr. Lucian exchanged glances.
Then they quietly looked over at the restaurant's table area.
On the floor between the tables and the counter, Sir Roxas and Sir Stefan were collapsed.
"...Are they dead...?"
"Yes. It seems the salmon stew murder case has happened. The culprit is Roxas."
Sir Rail said solemnly while elegantly sitting with his legs crossed at one of the tables, sipping coffee.
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