“What is it, Allen?”
“I’m thinking of visiting my home in Goza Village… Would you want to come with me?”
“A-are you saying you want to introduce me to your mom?!”
“No, it’s not that big a deal. I just want it to be a fun trip. I’ll go alone if you don’t like the countrysi—”
“I’ll go! You’re not leaving without me!”
“O-okay. Great.”
I hadn’t expected her to be so excited about it.
“It’s finally happening…! Meeting the parents is a once-in-a-lifetime event! Phew… Calm down, Lia. It’ll be okay. I’ve read a lot of books in preparation for this moment. I just need to dress nicely, be polite, bring a gift… Good, my mental simulation went perfectly!” Lia had muttered under her breath as she clenched her fists.
I had no idea she wanted to go to Goza Village that badly… She must be more of an outdoor person than I thought.
“Oh, right. I wanted to invite Rose, too, but…what do you think?” I’d asked at the time.
Rose had lost someone very dear to her in Cherin. I had hoped that experiencing the abundant nature of Goza Village would help take her mind off things and cheer her up a little. I hadn’t wanted to make her feel like she had to come, though; I left the invitation open for her to refuse if she wanted to.
“What? You can’t be… Oh. Uh, yeah. Rose will definitely be happy to be invited… I think that’s a good idea,” Lia had said with a mixed expression for some reason.
I’d asked Rose later, and she had also been surprisingly excited to go with me. That settled it—the three of us were going to Goza Village.
It was currently nine in the morning on the day of the trip.
“Man, the weather’s beautiful today,” I said.
“Yeah, it’s a perfect day for going out,” agreed Lia.
We enjoyed the nice spring breeze as we headed for the Thousand Blade front gate, where we’d agreed to meet up. When we got there, we found a drowsy Rose struggling to stay awake.
“Good morning, Rose,” I said.
“Rose, it’s dangerous to sleep outside,” chastised Lia.
“Nnn, fwah… Mornin’…,” Rose seemed to mumble, yawn, and rub her eyes all at the same time.
“Do you want to stop by Ms. Paula’s dorm first?” I suggested. “We can go to Goza Village after that.”
“Okay,” said Lia.
“…Sure,” mumbled Rose.
We left Aurest and followed the road straight, making small talk along the way.
“Oh yeah… Ms. Paula’s the one who took care of you while you were in middle school, right, Allen?” Lia asked.
“You once told me she’s crazy big…,” Rose said.
“Yeah, she was,” I replied. “Ms. Paula’s a little scary when she’s mad, but she’s a very kind, reliable person… And yeah, she’s also the biggest woman you’ll ever see.”
We crossed fields and mountains untouched by human hands and entered a thick forest.
“H-hey, Allen…are you sure this is the right way? This doesn’t look anything like a road…,” observed Lia.
“You said your village was in the middle of nowhere, but I never imagined this…,” Rose said in shock.
“Come on, you’re exaggerating. We’re not even halfway there yet,” I told the girls.
““WHAT?!””
We continued on through the dense forest until a two-story wooden building came into view.
“All right, we’re here. This is Ms. Paula’s dorm,” I said.
“Haah, haah… S-slow down…,” Lia panted.
“Phew… This has been one heck of a workout,” said Rose.
They both looked totally exhausted. Walking those rough forest trails must have taken more out of them than I’d realized. I supposed I couldn’t blame them; there was definitely a learning curve for traversing undeveloped roads.
“Hmm… The air here tastes different,” Lia said after catching her breath.
“Yeah, it smells like the forest,” Rose agreed.
The pleasant smell of garlic drifted toward us on the warm spring breeze. Ms. Paula was probably cooking fried rice.
“Let’s go inside,” I said.
“Okay,” agreed Lia.
“Sure,” added Rose.
I knocked on the giant Paula-sized doors…but there was no response. She was probably too immersed in her cooking.
“I’m coming in!” I called out before opening the door and entering the familiar dorm. I took off my shoes at the entrance, walked down the main hall, and went into the kitchen, where I found Ms. Paula making dinner.
Paula Garedzall was the matron of the dorm here, where I used to live. She was a giant at over two meters tall, and her face had powerful features. Standing there in her black shirt and apron, she looked exactly the same as I remembered. Today, as always, she had her sleeves rolled up to reveal arms four times bigger than mine.
“Hmm-hmm-hmm!”
She shook her frying pan, humming so loudly, she sounded like a chorus of people. The sight gave me a warm, nostalgic feeling that sent me back to my middle school days.
That’s weird, though… Is she a little bigger than the last time I saw her?
It…definitely wasn’t my imagination. The rugged hand holding the frying pan was enormous, as was the tree trunk of an arm connected to it. Ms. Paula was noticeably bigger than she had been when I last visited… She must still be growing.
“Th-that’s not a bear, right…?” Lia asked.
“Sh-she’s enormous… I never thought I’d see someone as big as Gramps, and especially not a woman,” Rose said.
They both looked at the matron in shock. I knew exactly how they felt.
“Hey, Ms. Paula. Long time no see,” I said loudly.
The matron turned her head toward me while continuing to shake the frying pan.
“Hmm? Oh, Allen!” she exclaimed. “Did you come for din… Oh? Who are those two beauties? Are they your friends?”
“Yes, they’re my classmates at Thousand Blade.” I nodded and looked at the girls.
“I’m Lia Vesteria. It’s nice to meet you, Ms. Paula.”
“I’m Rose Valencia. A pleasure.”
Ms. Paula smiled broadly. “Lia and Rose! I’m Paula Garedzall, the matron of this dorm. I can’t really leave the stove right now, so would you please wait over there for me?”
“““Yes, ma’am.”””
We sat down at the table to avoid getting in her way. Ms. Paula continued shaking the frying pan with practiced movements, using her other hand to stir a pot and make a side dish of boiled vegetables.