Kays Translations

Chapter 47: That Summer (3)

First, cut the cucumber into chunks—not too thick, not too thin, but just the right size.

Dice the tomatoes roughly. Mince the garlic and red chili peppers.

“…”

Put a frying pan on the stove, add water and salt, and bring to a boil.
Once the water boils, toss in the pasta.

The pasta is a medium-thick variety called “Guine,” resembling linguine in both name and shape.

“…”

While the pasta cooks, add the prepped tomatoes and cucumbers to the pan.

“…”
When the cucumbers are slightly charred, take the pan off the heat.
The tomatoes should be soft and mushy by then. Check the pasta’s firmness, drain the water, and toss everything together in the same pan to minimize dishes.

“…”

Season with black pepper and a splash of lemon juice, mixing it well with the pasta.

“…”

Carefully plate the dish on a wooden plate.
And there you have it: lemon-tossed pasta with tomatoes and cucumbers.

“Alright, it’s done. Pakila-san?”

“Fwah? Ah, uh, yes, I see.”

She awkwardly accepted the pasta and fork.
Pakila-san was sitting on my bed.

I had chairs, but she chose to sit on my bed.
Without saying a word, she’d watched me cook the whole time.

Not a single word since I’d invited her over.

“…I’m sorry.”

“Huh? What’s wrong?”

“Um, about inviting you over so forcefully… It must’ve been a bother, right?”

“…”

Why had I invited her?
Why had I brought her to my house? I didn’t even know myself.

On impulse, before I realized it, I’d naturally invited Pakila-san.
I couldn’t believe it myself, and inwardly, I was a mess of nerves.

Pakila-san must have been surprised too.
It wouldn’t be unreasonable if she disliked me for it.

“I’m truly so—”

“It’s delicious.”

“Eh?”

Pakila-san twirled some pasta and cucumber with her fork and took a bite.
Crunch, crunch. A pleasant sound came from her mouth.

“The texture is delightful. The lemon’s acidity is just right. This is a flavor I like.”

“It’s not too spicy, is it?”

In truth, I’d accidentally minced a bit too much chili because I was nervous.

“It’s perfect. The balance of the tomatoes is spot-on too. Here, Wof, eat before it gets cold.”

“Y-Yes.”

I grabbed my plate and turned to sit on a chair.
Wait, there was no chair.

“What are you doing?”

“Uh, I was just going to sit on the chair—”

“This is your bed, isn’t it? Sit here.”

She patted the bed, giving me a look as if to say, What are you even talking about?
I ended up sitting next to her on the bed.

I said my thanks and took a bite of the pasta.
Crunch, crunch. The cucumber had a nice crunch to it.

“Tomatoes and lemon pair well, don’t they? I’ve learned something good.”

“I’m glad you like it.”

I handed her a crescent-shaped glass filled with chilled water.

“It’s cold?”

“I thought that would be better.”

“Is this… ice?”

“Yes.”

Let’s leave it at that.
Ice isn’t rare, but it’s not exactly commonplace.

Thanks to relics with freezing properties, it’s accessible, though not cheap.
Even so, ice water isn’t something you encounter every day, so it’s understandable she’d be surprised.

“Ahh, thank you for the meal. It was delicious.”

Pakila-san had finished her pasta.
I also finished mine and stacked our plates.

It made me happy to see her eat so cleanly.
She must’ve truly enjoyed it, judging by the way her two white tails wagged excitedly.

“Thank you. This dish… I haven’t made it in a long time. Back then, it didn’t turn out so well. But this time… I managed to make it delicious.”

I’d grown a little since that summer day.
But the taste of the pasta I shared with her that summer would remain eternal.

“I see. I don’t cook.”

“Really?”

“Lupinus is good at it. Liv and I just eat.”

She gave a wry smile.

Lupinus—that must be the elf woman.
She seemed so elegant, but it’s surprising to hear that.

“By the way, I have a favor to ask.”

“What is it?”

“Can you share this pasta recipe with me? I’d like to teach it to Lupinus.”

“Sure. W-What?”

I froze immediately.
Something soft and long brushed against my arm.

It was a tail.
One of Pakila-san’s two white tails had touched my arm.

“Thank you.”

“It’s simple to make and easy to modify too.”

Wha—!?
The tail wasn’t just touching me; it began to wrap around my arm.

“I-I see. Then even I could—”

“Pakila-san!”

“What is it?”

She looked at me, puzzled.
Could it be she was doing this unconsciously?

By now, her tail had fully coiled around my arm, and her other tail was reaching for my waist.

This… this was not okay. I had to say something.

“Um… Pakila-san, your tail—”

“My tail? Nyaa!?”

She let out a strange yelp.
Her tails instantly retreated, and her face, along with her exposed arms and legs, turned bright red.

Pakila-san looked down, trembling slightly.
Feeling this might be bad, I called out to her.

“Pakila-san“

Suddenly, Pakila-san stood up.
W-What’s going on?

“I…”
“I…?”
“I just remembered something I have to do! I’m leaving!”

With that, she ran out.
I was left standing there, dumbfounded.

“…Ha, ha… hahaha… HAHAHAHA!”

Then I burst out laughing.
It was so funny. I laughed so hard my stomach hurt.

Seriously.
Did it really have to mirror that summer day this closely?

Three days later, early morning.

In front of the Hydrangea Dungeon.
Despite the early hour, the area was bustling with people.

This was the formation of the subjugation team for the current disturbance.

Two Class-II Explorers:
Agaro the “Doom Sword.”
Megadia the “Black Swallow.”

Three parties of Grade-III Explorers:
The talented trio of beautiful girls, Torquetum.
The rising-star party of brave warriors, Zan Brave.
And Hydrangea’s largest and most infamous group, Coon Hunt, who, at the last minute, withdrew their participation.

No one knew why. But apparently, everyone was happy about it.

Coon Hunt had been backed by Hydrangea’s Council and Guild, making their participation practically mandatory.
This had caused significant conflict with Agaro, the head of the subjugation operation.

It was messy—grown-up politics and favoritism at its worst.

Honestly, I wasn’t fond of Coon Hunt either.
I’d been on their bad side once—oh, wait. Right, I had been.

I’d almost forgotten.
It happened only once. Their leader’s name was… Bob?

“Wof!”

Wof? No, it was Bobby.

“Wof! Why are you here?”

“…Oh, Pakila-san.”

She approached me, looking surprised.

“Why are you here?”
“Good morning.”
“Good morni—no, that’s not the point. Why are you here?”
“I have something I wanted to give you, Pakila-san.”

I pulled out a small vial.

“This is…?”

Inside, it contained a glowing liquid.

“If you ever suffer an irreparable injury or are on the verge of death, please use this.”

“…You…”

Pakila-san narrowed her eyes as she took the vial.
Her expression shifted, cautious and questioning, as if wondering what I was saying.

Still, I had to give this to her.
But I couldn’t explain.

I couldn’t say anything about the contents of the vial.
So, as clichéd and clumsy as it sounded, I could only say:

“Please trust me.”

It was all I could manage.
Pakila-san looked at me and then smirked. Huh?

“You fool. Don’t underestimate Torquetum.”
“I-I’m sorry.”

I couldn’t help it after what had happened before.

“Well, they say it’s better to be prepared.”

Pakila-san placed the vial in her pouch.
Did she believe me? I let out a sigh of relief.

“Pakila-san, take care out there.”
“Of course. I’ll come back safe.”

She turned on her heel but looked back again.

“Pakila-san?”
“…When I return, there’s something I want to ask you.”

Her expression was serious and complicated.
I held my breath.

“I-I understand.”
“Wof, you take care as well.”
“Y-Yes!”

Pakila-san gave a faint smile, then turned her back to me.
This time, she didn’t look back as she walked away.

I prayed that nothing would happen.

Now, it was my turn to do my best.
Tomorrow, I’d join the dungeon exploration.

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