As soon as those words left his mouth, Album’s stomach let out a growl. Then he remembered that he never had lunch that day.
“See? You are hungry!”
“Urk…”
Album thought about eating his emergency stash of nuts, but that was when Pancake Girl suggested something unexpected.
“Please wait a little longer while I make you some pancakes.”
“Huh?!”
“You’re hungry, right?”
“Y-Yeah, but…”
“But?”
“It’s too much to ask. We don’t even have a contract, you know.”
“Where did that come from all of a sudden? You’ve eaten plenty of my cooking before.” She told him she didn’t mind since she was already on her break. “How about we eat them together? What do you say?”
“O-Okay.”
Since he would never be able to eat her pancakes again after that day, Album decided to take her up on the offer.
“Little ol’ Album will help you.”
“Thank you. Could you bring me eggs?”
“Okay!”
The pair started by sifting flour with baking powder, adding sugar, eggs, and melted butter to the dry ingredients, then mixing them together gently. This was the batter that would soon turn into pancakes.
Next, they dropped butter into a pan and let it melt over the surface. Once it started to sizzle, they poured batter into the pot and cooked a pair of pancakes together.
A sweet aroma began to waft up toward them. As the surface of the batter started to form bubbles, they flipped them over. The pancakes had turned an appetizing golden-brown on the other side.
“Wow, they smell so good!”
“They do, don’t they? Let’s cook some more!”
The stack of freshly cooked pancakes grew to two, three, four, and then five layers high.
“Whaaaat?! You’re really making that many?!”
“Each one is so small we could still finish them on our own.”
“You think so? What if it’s too much?!” After Album posed that question, Pancake Girl burst into laughter.
“Please don’t make me laugh, Album. You of all people shouldn’t be worried about finishing a meal.”
“Huh? Did I say something funny?”
“Yes, you did.”
When he looked at the chuckling Pancake Girl, Album wished this moment would last forever.
“All right, that’s the last one. Here’s the finished result!”
Pancake Girl topped the pancakes with a healthy serving of syrup she’d made from tree sap. The pancakes smelled just like the forest. Album felt an ache in his heart. Pancake Girl cut a pancake into fourths so that it would be easier to eat.
“All right, let’s eat!”
“Yeah!”
Album picked up a piece and stuck it in his mouth. The pancake was sweet and plump when he chewed on it. It was absolutely delicious. Suddenly, tears overflowed from Album’s eyes.
“Album! Why are you crying?”
“Your pancakes…are so good…!”
“Gosh, Album. That’s not something worth crying over.”
“But they’re really, really good.”
“Is that right? Then please eat as much as you like.”
“Thanks.”
After that, they ate their pancakes in silence. Album’s tasted a bit salty from his tears, but he kept that part to himself.
Pancake Girl must have taken pity on him after seeing him burst into tears. She ended up cooking more pancakes for him, tucking them away in his paisley bag.
“Don’t eat them all in one go unless you want to get sick, got it?”
“Okay.”
“I’ll cook you more another time.”
“…Okay. Thank you.”
His heart broke. There wouldn’t be another time. Album heaved the bag over his shoulder and gave Pancake Girl a deep bow.
“Um, goodbye. Thank you for everything.”
“That’s a bit dramatic. It was only a few pancakes.”
“You made me…really happy…!”
Speaking to her any longer would only be more painful. Album stopped himself before he started weeping, but just as he was about to leap down from the counter…
“Ah, hang on a minute!”
“Wh-What? Little ol’ Album’s incredibly busy today.”
“I highly doubt that.” Pancake Girl scooped Album up—perhaps because he refused to turn and look at her. “Whoa! What’s wrong?! You’re crying so hard!”
“Y-Your pancakes… They were just that good…”
“That can’t be the whole truth, can it? What happened? Was someone mean to you?”
“No… The people here…are so nice… Every last one of them…!”
But that just made Album cry even harder. He started to wail, so Pancake Girl reached out and gently stroked his fur. Once he calmed down, Album began to feel embarrassed. He’d never cried so much in all his life.
“Sorry for getting tears on your clothes, Pancake Girl.”
“That’s all right. I have my apron on, after all. Will you tell me what happened?”
“Do I have to?”
“After all the fuss you made, yes, you do. Please hold yourself accountable by telling me everything.”
“Okay. I understand.”
He would tell Pancake Girl before he left, but no one else. Album stood up straight and began to speak.
“U-Um, you see, little ol’ Album was officially set free.”
The contract between Album and Marquess Lichtenberger had been a strict one that demanded obedience. Album had little to no room to go against his master’s wishes. It was for that reason that Album felt as though the contract made him a prisoner.
“Set free? What do you mean?”
“To put it more simply, I had my contract dissolved.”
“Your contract? You mean with Lord Lichtenberger?”
“Uh-huh. He said I could go free because I’m a good boy now.”
“So, now that you’re free, you wanted to leave the royal capital?”
“H-How did you know?!”
“It wasn’t hard to figure out. Not only were you acting suspicious, but you’ve been crying so much.”
Despite his best efforts to hide it, Pancake Girl could see right through him. Album stared off into the distance.
“Are you going back to that forest?”
“Uh-huh. This time, I won’t boss around the forest fairies. I’m going to gather all the mushrooms and nuts myself so I can live a quiet, peaceful life.”
“But why?”
“Huh? Because I have no friends there, so I’ve gotta get food all on my own.”
“No, I’m asking why you’re leaving.”
“Why…?”
If he was to stay, he would take advantage of Pancake Girl’s kindness. The black griffin she had a contract with certainly wouldn’t like that.
“Because I don’t belong here anymore.”
“And that’s because you don’t have a contract now?”
“Uh-huh.”
When Album nodded, Pancake Girl stuck out her hand.
“Here.”
“Huh?”
“Would you like to form a contract?”
“A contract with Pancake Girl?”
“Who else could I mean?”
Instantly, a torrent of tears exploded out of Album’s eyes.
“B-But why do you want a contract with me?”
Mell lifted Album up so that her eyes were level with his.
“Because your carefree attitude is a tremendous help to us.”
“R-Really?!”
Expeditions were unforgiving ventures—endless loops of battling foes and sleeping in the wilderness at night. Pancake Girl explained that Album, who had no other care in the world besides the food he whined about when hungry, was like a breath of fresh air in those environments.
“Ulgus is actually quite sensitive, so sometimes after monster battles, he can’t even eat a single bite. But ever since you started joining us on our missions, he has never missed a meal.”
Apparently, Album scarfed down food with so much enthusiasm that it was impossible not to work up an appetite just by watching him.
“Also, when things get stressful, I feel at ease just looking at you. We all need you here, Album. So please don’t say you’re going back to the forest, or you’ll make us sad.”
A deep warmth grew inside Album’s heart. It made him so happy to know these people wanted to be with him. Then his tears started to blur the world around him.
“Do you not want to form a contract with me, Album?”
“I-I doooooo!”
Album reached out and gently placed his paw on Pancake Girl’s fingers.