Kays Translations

[SS] Enjoying tea for the first time in a year.

One day, Ren was visiting the Imperial City.

His eyes were caught by the food stalls lined up around a square with a large fountain.

He was about to visit one offering warm drinks when he noticed Fiona and Edgar nearby.

They had just exited a large building by the fountain.

“Re-Ren-kun!?”

Fiona's white coat looked great against her shiny black hair. The beret on her head and the necklace on her chest swung slightly due to her surprise.

She approaches Ren's side with a short run.

“I'm sorry. I didn't expect to see you, so I was surprised.”

“Actually, it’s the same for me.”

“Fufu, really? You seem very calm, Ren-kun.”

"It's also something I'm desperately trying to hide."

Fiona smiled softly with an infatuated expression, as she didn't know if it was true or not.

“What are you doing here, Fiona-sama? I saw you and Edgar-san leaving the building over there.”

“I had some family business to take care of today. I went there on behalf of my father, because it is the building of an institution related to his work.”

She said.

Edgar, standing by her side, quietly bows and exchanges greetings with Ren.

“Is Ren-dono shopping?”

“Yes. I came to get reference books for the exam. I was just about to leave ----”

It was a coincidence that we met here.

If Fiona was going back to her dormitory, I would walk with her.

“If you don't want to take a carriage home, I can walk you back to your dormitory.”

“.....I'm really glad you said that, but actually, I still have some work to do......”

It seems that she just came to take a break and get some fresh air.

Hearing this, however, Edgar, who had been holding back, interjected.

“Fiona-sama has done all the work she needs to do, so she can go back to her dormitory.”

“But,"

“The rest is trivial and limited to what I was assigned by the Lord. Fiona-sama also has an examination to conclude her first year, so please give priority to that.”

(Well, is it that time of the year already?)

Fiona will be moving on to the next level soon, and she has one last exam to take.

If she has done the work she needs to do, she might as well go back to her dorm and start studying for it. Everyone would think so.

“If Ren-dono stays by your side, there will be no problem of escort.”

“I understand. Then, I will take you to the dormitory.”

Fiona didn’t hesitate unnecessarily and was honestly pleased.

The two of them are now alone in the building.

Now that they were alone, they attempted to make their way to the dormitory.

“......"

Fiona's eyes turned to the store offering the drink Ren had seen earlier.

Was she lured by the aroma of tea wafting from the store?

“You look tired, so why don't we have some tea?”

Ren suggested.

“Is that okay?”

Fiona looked at him with expectant eyes.

“They're not going to punish you if you enjoy a cup of tea after work. Just out of curiosity, what time did you start work today?”

"I got up before sunrise and spent two hours getting ready for work.”

“......let's at least have a cup of tea and go.”

I'm surprised that she was working that early.

"There's a park a little further down the road, so let's have a drink there and then go to the dorms.”

“Fufu....Ren-kun, you really know the Imperial Capital well, don't you?”

The two immediately went to the store they had just spotted and were greeted with a "hello" by the owner.

The two of them looked at the menu list on the simple counter.

(Let's try this one.)

The tea leaves and their places of origin are written there in detail. Without hesitation, Ren decided what to order. In fact, the tea could be ordered even in the time of the Seven Heroes, and it has the effect of slightly restoring one's strength.

I wondered what Fiona would order.

"Ren, which tea would you like?"

“I think I'll have this tea.”

“Then I'll have the same one!”

Ren, thinking that it would have been better if she had chosen slowly, didn’t say the words and ordered the tea she had chosen for the two of them.

Soon the tea they had ordered was handed to them.

“It's hot, so be careful.”

“Thank you very much. I'll put your money on the counter.”

“Here you go. Please come again.”

Ren paid for the tea.

Fiona was upset when she saw it because he was ahead of Fiona as a matter of course.

“Since you're taking care of me, I'll pay for it!"

“I just want to get it out, so don't worry about it.'”

She couldn't be any more tactless and bite back if he said it in his usual tone and with a smile on his face.

Fiona looked apologetic, but held the cup of tea that Ren had bought her in both hands.

“Thank you for the tea.......”

She looked up at Ren with a slight smirk and a dainty smile.

By the way, the cups they held in their hands were not pottery cups, wooden cups, or paper cups. It was a simple cup made from a piece of nut, split in half.

There is a variety of the common tree used to build houses that produces the fruit.

In Leomel's stall, the berries were often used as disposable containers.

The berries are hollow inside when dry, so shopkeepers need only break them in half. The oil content of the berries themselves repels water for a while, and because they are inexpensive, they seem to be very useful.

The only drawback is that the bottom of the berries are round, so they cannot be placed on the table unless they are shaved.

Thinking back to such tidbits of information, Ren walks with Fiona.

In less than ten minutes, they arrived at a small park in a back alley. The park had a covered terrace where they could sit in the winter without being covered by snow.

Right now, there were only two other small children playing in the snow.

“Oh.... this tea is delicious."

The cold of winter is mixed with the steam every time Fiona brings the cup in her hands to her mouth as she drinks, huffing and puffing, lightly cooling the surface.

Ren, who was sitting opposite her, followed her lead and sipped the warm tea.

(Oh ......)

I was talking about how it would help me feel the effects of physical recovery, and surprisingly, I understood that.

Because he had been going to the Lion's Holy Sanctuary whenever he had time after the new year, Ren has been suffering from muscle pain in some parts of his body. He felt a little relieved.

“You could have chosen your tea at your leisure.”

Fiona heard this and said.

“I just wanted to try the same thing.”

“Really?”

“Yes, it's true.”

Fiona replied in a good mood.

Fiona seemed to be satisfied with the taste of the tea, which was probably a good thing.

Ren didn’t think much more about it.

After a few dozen seconds had passed, Fiona suddenly remembered.

Then, with a cup of nuts in both hands, she looked up at Ren.

“......That."

He looked as if he was having trouble hearing.

“Yes? What is it?”

“Do you still remember what happened in the Baldor Mountains?”

“If you want to know, I even remember what happened on the mountain before I met Fiona-sama.”

Fiona coughed when she heard Ren's reply.

“You also remember the tea I brewed for you...?”

I remember when we were looking for a new way down the mountain after the suspension bridge collapsed. I recalled that Fiona had made tea for me while we were camping.

The tea tasted very astringent, he recalled.

“The tea was very fragrant. I can still remember it.”

“Then, what did it taste like?”

“It was absolutely delicious.”

"......Really? Wasn’t it particularly difficult to drink?”

“No, not at all.”

It was a forceful and nonchalant reply that clearly showed Ren's concern for her well being.

But Ren had no intention of lying to her. In fact, at the time he was drinking it, he thought it tasted good, and it was a bit astringent, but that was about it.

“I've practiced a lot since then. I hope one day I can do it again, and this time I can make a proper cup of tea."

Naturally, she was referring to Ren.

“I studied so that the tea wouldn’t be too astringent like before.”

“It was definitely astringent, but it wasn't necessarily tasteless or anything like that. ---- Ah“

“You were aware of it too! So it was like that after all!”

"No, it was delicious.”

"But it's true that you were reluctant to drink it.”

“...... I liked the taste."

Fiona couldn't have been unaware of his concern after digging his grave.

But the kind words were heartwarming, and the way Ren gently said them out of the corner of his eye was a little cute, and her cheeks naturally relaxed.

“Really.....Ren-kun you’re so kind.”

Fiona's cheeks turned a little red as she uttered that voice.

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