✦ ✦ ✦
It was a little late to be bringing this up, but thanks to my influence, rice was a staple in our household. Though we ate plenty of different things, we almost always included rice. Seeing all the Japanese-style dishes here made me realize that they’d cooked my favorites as a special treat for me tonight. As a former Japanese person, I still loved Japanese food, of course, but this feast reminded me all over again how little my food preferences had changed from my previous life.
“All right, let’s dig in! Bon appétit.”
“Bon appétit!” everyone else said in unison.
Then, we started eating our dinner.
Damn, that’s good. Everything was seasoned perfectly, cut evenly, and just plain delicious. If I didn’t know the kids had made it, I would’ve assumed one of the adults had.
“Man, this is seriously fantastic. I can’t get enough.”
At my words, the members of the girl gang all looked at each other and grinned. It was the same satisfied grin as whenever they pulled off a prank.
✦ ✦ ✦
The next day, Yuki had some time to relax.
Lefi was taking another walk in the meadow, which had become a daily routine since she’d gotten pregnant. It was usually sunny and comfortable there, but today, the weather was different. A bank of clouds covered the entire sky. Droplets of water fell down—rain. It made a plopping sound every time a drop hit the umbrella she held. With each step she took, she heard splashing under her feet.
“Gah ha. I just realized that it has been a long time since I have been rained on.”
She looked up at the umbrella, feeling amused. Dragons generally didn’t avoid the rain. They might take shelter from it because they thought it depressing, but even if they were to be rained on all day, their bodies wouldn’t get cold, let alone cause them to fall ill. Thus, umbrella culture didn’t exist for dragonkind.
Her old self would have been unbothered by the rain, paying it no mind. But for some reason, now...even the rain, pouring down on her, was interesting. She found it charming. It gave the meadow a different hue than usual. The demon lord’s castle, blanketed with gray clouds and drenched in rain. A familiar landscape, yet an unfamiliar one.
“Changing the way one lives their life...can change the way they see things so drastically.”
Lefi continued walking, still in a good mood.
In the meadow area, the weather basically never changed. All the plants and trees within the dungeon derived their nutrients solely from the dungeon’s magical power, so they wouldn’t wither even if it never rained, remaining lush and green. The only times it rained like this were on days Yuki had made it do so on a whim. He occasionally altered the weather on purpose because he thought it would be boring if it were always sunny. Today was the first time in a while he’d had some free time, and he’d realized that he hadn’t changed the weather in the dungeon as of late, hence the current state of the sky.
Yuki was quite particular about the four seasons, however. For example, he only made it snow for a few specific months. He also made subtle changes to the temperature because sudden changes could make people sick. That was why he essentially kept the weather pleasant and sunny most of the time, with rainy days like today happening only about once a month. On those days, the wee ones—no, the girls were the most excited. They had a talent for turning anything into play.
Upon seeing the change in weather today, they’d exclaimed, “Yaaay, it’s raining today! All right, let’s play in it!” Then, they’d put on their raincoats and rain boots and run outside, chock-full of energy.
As a matter of fact, Lefi had seen the girls just moments ago on her walk. They had been intent on digging a trench. Evidently, they were fascinated by the way the water flowed and turned into streams, so they had been building dams and tributaries and such. They’d been so absorbed in the day’s entertainment that they hadn’t even noticed her. Despite their growth, in that way, they were still children, and she hadn’t been able to help but smile at the sight.
I must remind them to bathe as soon as they head inside so they do not catch colds.
With that in mind, she walked another lap of her usual course. That was when Lefi noticed that the girls’ diversion had changed a bit from before. They had stopped expanding their trench-river, instead opting to float what looked like a paper boat on the water.
“What manner of amusement is this?” Lefi asked them as she approached.
Iluna answered, “Oh, hi, Lefifi! Yukiki said, ‘Oookay, time for a game of Pretend Pennywise! If we’ve got a river, then we gotta float paper boats down it!’”
“Penny-what? It matters not, as I suspect this is simply another one of his idiotic ideas. However, this is not an inelegant pastime. Where is the man in question?”
“Well, Leila came over and told him, ‘Master Yuki, you’ve spent a great deal of DP this month, haven’t you?’ So he abandoned his grand plan and went back.”
“Master head drooping!”
“Yup... Just like every time he loses.”
The wraith sisters nodded in agreement after En commented.
“Gah ha! I see, I see. The usual, then. You know, I think I shall attempt one myself! Might you teach me how to fold the paper?”
“Yeah! Okay, so first, you...”
And so, Lefi enjoyed this bout in the rain with Iluna and the other girls. Yuki, back again, joined them, and they competed to see who could make the most beautiful boat while also interfering with each other by throwing water and mud, followed by accusations of cheating. By the time they’d had their fill, it had grown dark, so everyone took a bath at the inn, warming up their bodies and minds to avoid getting sick. Then, pleasantly tired, they ate the delicious food Leila had made.
It was just like any other day. Days that came alive thanks to Yuki being by her side. Warmth spreading in her chest, Lefi was thankful for another day overflowing with color.