Volume 5 Chapter 1 Preparations For The Year-end And Parents' Visit
I've been busy since morning, thawing the crabs that my Elder Brother Chrisrain gave me.
Well, I'm just leaving them in the sink after washing them nicely.
Frozen crabs release a lot of water as they thaw, so if I don't put them in the right place, everything gets soaked.
The sink is perfect for that since it can get as wet as it wants.
The crabs from Elder Brother Chrisrain are almost gone after the crab fair at Lobelia Diner House we went to at the end of the year.
It looks like today will be the last day to eat them.
"Tomorrow is the New Year festival, so we need to prepare food for it too."
But Lobelia is closed for both the end of the year and the New Year.
At this time, all the shops are closed. The market is busy getting ready for the New Year festival, so it's open.
"Yesterday was a big cleaning day, and I really appreciated everyone's help. Today, I just have to prepare the meals."
While I was shoveling snow and cleaning in front of the shop yesterday, many people from Leonsroar and Saintwise came by.
Since the shop was closed, I was worried, but they came to help clean as part of a celebration.
Thanks to the mages from Saintwise, the sinks and stove were sparkling clean with their purification magic.
And thanks to the knights from Leonsroar, the snow shoveling, window cleaning, and floor cleaning were done quickly.
I only had to clean the bedroom, bathroom, and living room, which was a huge help.
Inside Lobelia, we took down the Christmas decorations and changed them for the New Year festival.
But compared to Christmas, there aren't many specific decorations for the New Year, so we just put up some flowers and the Eir-Eir mascot that Mr. Leavis gave us.
"Next year is the Year of the Snow White Rabbit, so I heard they made a lot of Eir-Eir mascots. I'm not sure if Eir-Eir is a bird or a rabbit, though."
While helping with the cleaning, Mr. Leavis said, "We also need to make mascots for Ms. Famine and your dad..." and then he stared at Ms. Famine and Dad for a while before leaving.
"Pumpkin pudding?"
Eir-Eir is munching on a cheese soufflé cake on the counter.
The Saintwise folks gave it to us as a gift yesterday.
Ms. Famine is also eating the cheese soufflé cake elegantly on a special golden plate for cats that Lady Emilia gave her.
Eir-Eir finished eating quickly and tried to grab some of Ms. Famine's, but she swatted her hand away.
"Listen up, kids. In this country, there's a lucky animal for each year. This year is the Year of the Tiger, and next year is the Year of the Snow White Rabbit."
"Pumpkin."
"Tarte Tatin..."
"Why, you ask? It seems that ancient astrologers decided it. Something about good luck or whatever."
Dad, sitting on one of the round stools in the kitchen, said this like he was teaching us.
"...Dad, can you understand what Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine are saying?"
"Not really? I just kind of chat with them, and it seems to work out. You can understand what the kids are saying too, right, Lydia?"
"Yeah. Kind of..."
Kind of, kind of.
Eir-Eir and Ms. Famine looked at each other and said "pumpkin" and "tart," flapping their hands and ears. They looked a bit happy.
As I was thawing the crabs and thinking about what to make for tomorrow's New Year festival meal, I heard someone calling me from outside the door.
"Lydia, are you there?"
"Lyd-Lyd, are you there?"
It sounded a bit familiar, a voice that used to scare me but now feels comforting.
"Father! Mother...!"
When I opened the door, there were my father Feldur and my mother Tiansa.
He was carrying a lot of bags in both hands.
He had so many bags that I could barely see his face.
Mother looked even younger than the last time I saw her. Even though she seems to be about my age because of a long period of suspended animation, she still feels like my mother.
"Lyd-Lyd, how have you been? I was worried I might be bothering you, but I came to see you anyway."
Mother hugged me tightly as she said this.
She's a little taller than me and has a chest about the same size as mine. I felt her soft body against mine.
I felt a mix of embarrassment and comfort, realizing that a big chest brings a sense of safety.
"It's not a bother at all. I'm sorry I didn't come to see you... I got really busy with the crab fair and had a lot of customers. Before I knew it, it was the end of the year."
"It's okay, Lyd-Lyd. Since you run a shop, it's normal to be busy."
"Lydia, is Ciel still around?"
"Yes, he has been coming by."
"Oh, I see... um, Lydia, about that..."
"Sir Fer, if you poke intoyour daughter's love life, she might not like it."
"Y-yeah, that's true... I just can't help but want to ask... I'll hold back..."
"Love..."
I tilted my head at Mother, who was scolding Father.
Love.
──Love.
────Love.
I thought it had nothing to do with me until now.
Mx. Margaret often said, "Lyd-Lyd, you should try finding a new love."
"...Lyd-Lyd, everyone is gathering today, right? Chrisrain went back to the country for a bit because he got scolded by brother for being away until the New Year, but he said he'd come back with souvenirs to see you."
"Elder Brother Chrisrain gave me a lot of crabs; he's a nice guy."
"He's a bit strange, but he's a good person."
Elder Brother Chrisrain went back to the Elgard Kingdom.
He was a mysterious person and asked me if I wanted to come to Elgard Kingdom.
I still haven't replied.
I've already made up my mind, so I plan to turn him down properly.
"Lydia, I brought ingredients for the New Year, like salmon, round rice cakes, vegetables, shrimp, chestnuts, and more. I also brought a magic stone heater, warm blankets, and a cute stuffed animal so you won't feel lonely."
I thought he had a lot of stuff, but he really brought a lot, Father is.
He said this and started organizing his luggage quickly.
He set up the magic stone heater in the kitchen, placed the blanket on a round chair, put the ingredients in the storage, and took the blanket to the bedroom.
"Lydia, is there anything you need? Is there anything bothering you? Just tell your Father. I can help way more than that dog over there."
Father handed me a big white rabbit stuffed animal.
"I'm cute just by existing, so I'm already helpful."
Dad said this confidently. The cute little ones cheered him on, saying, "Pumpkin pudding!" "Tarte Tatin!"
The white rabbit stuffed animal is about the size of a small child.
Mother clasped her hands in front of her chest and said, "Lyd-Lyd, it's so cute... I want to keep it as a painting..." and looked really happy.
"But I want to see Lyd-Lyd in a dress too... Hey, Lyd-Lyd, let's go to the spring dinner party? I want to see you in a dress. Of course, it's okay if you're not with me or your father."
"...The spring dinner party, huh..."
When Mother said that, I looked down and shook my head.
I've always been alone at dinner parties, so I don't have good memories of them.
"Of course, it's fine if you're not with us. If there's a nice guy there, you can go with him."
"I don't have anyone right now, though."
The word 'love' popped into my mind again.
I have friends, but no boyfriend.
I haven't really thought about it much.
So much has happened, and there's been too much to think about.
"Lyd-Lyd is still young, so there's no need to rush. I'm sorry, I just want my cute daughter to be happy, so I ended up saying too much. ...Lyd-Lyd, you can always come back to the Rest priest family. We'll always be waiting for you."
"Thank you, Mother."
"Lydia, if you need anything, just let me know anytime."
"Yes, Father. Thank you for the stuffed animal."
I looked up at my parents and smiled. Then, Father started crying a lot.
Mother pulled Father, and they went home.
Maybe I got my tearfulness from Father.
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