“Ah, so you’re the El that Anne was always talking about.”
—
At one of the outdoor tables, I, Anne, and Anne’s mother had settled down. A figure who looked like a bodyguard stood behind Emma Klein, Anne’s mother.
—
Naturally, my head was bowed so low it nearly touched the table.
—
“Yes. That’s correct. I sincerely apologize.”
—
“Not at all. It’s a familiar situation, so there’s no need to worry about it. Though when I was younger, I used to lash out whenever I heard something like that, but now that I’m an older lady, I find it rather amusing.”
—
Emma said this and picked up her fork, cutting a small piece of the chocolate mud cake that was identical to the one I’d ordered. There was chocolate cake in front of Emma, in front of me, and in front of Anne. To add, all of us had the same drink: a double chocolate shake. Chocolate everywhere—it seemed excessive.
—
In most cafés, when a group orders together, they tend to avoid identical menus, but this was my mistake since I’d followed Anne’s recommendation. If Anne recommends something, it means she likes it. Anne is the kind of person who orders what she loves without second-guessing or caring about what others might think.
—
“Hm? Just relax; Anne doesn’t really mind. You both must have a lot to talk about.”
—
“Haha, yeah…”
—
Although she said that, I couldn’t help feeling awkward. After all, I was the one who had caused trouble for my friend’s mother. Emma seemed to notice this and spoke again—whether intentionally or not.
—
“Hey, is this kid’s mom making you uncomfortable? Sorry about that. I’ll take my leave then…”
—
“No! That’s not necessary at all! Really!”
—
I quickly stopped Emma, who was preparing to rise from her seat, and grabbed my straw, sipping from the chocolate shake in front of me. The rich chocolate filled my mouth, but for some reason, I couldn’t taste the sweetness.
—
Emma chuckled at my expression and took a sip of her own chocolate shake. Watching her, I could almost understand how Anne had developed her personality. Perhaps Anne would grow into a funnier, wittier version of Emma herself.
—
I glanced over discreetly. Anne was busy enjoying her cake and shake, her face beaming with happiness. There was no sign of concern for my awkward situation.
—
This annoyed me, and I picked up my fork, cutting a corner from Anne’s cake instead of mine and quickly shoving it into my mouth. I couldn’t tell if the bitterness I felt was due to my current predicament or the overwhelming sweetness.
—
“Aah! El!”
—
Seeing Anne’s face of pure despair after losing a piece of her beloved cake made me feel slightly better.
—
“Tsk!”
—
But Anne, as quick as ever, retaliated by cutting a massive chunk from my cake and shoving it into her mouth. It was at least twice what I’d taken from hers, but I didn’t feel the urge to protest.
—
Watching Anne’s cheerful face again made me smile faintly.
—
“It’s nice to see you two interact. Watching you both reminds me of my old friends. Though these days they complain about wrinkles and don’t visit much anymore.”
—
While I couldn’t fully sympathize, it was still an understandable sentiment.
—
“Actually, I wanted to meet some of Anne’s other friends, but it’s unfortunate. Ah, Dylan? Could you please order four chocolate cakes for takeout?”
—
The man standing behind Emma responded and headed inside. As he passed, Anne briefly stopped him and added two more cakes, a small side detail.
—
I wondered if there were people in the mansion waiting to eat these cakes, or if Emma herself planned to eat all four. But I didn’t bother asking.
—
“Post-battle sugar intake is important, you know.”
—
Apparently noticing my curiosity, Emma preemptively explained something I hadn’t even asked about.
—
Indeed, this interaction reinforced my belief that Emma and Anne were mother and daughter. Anne’s obsession with sweets undoubtedly came from her mother.
—
“By the way, Miss Alicia? You mentioned that you have some skill with a sword?”
—
“…I’ve made my apologies. Please stop tormenting me.”
—
How embarrassing this must be. My face must be as red as Anne’s hair by now.
—
“No, I’m asking seriously. Of course, I’ve heard about it from Anne, but I’d like to confirm directly with you.”
—
“It would be difficult for me to demonstrate here, but I suppose I can handle creatures of the highest-tier monsters to some degree.”
—
Though it sounded casual, the “highest-tier monsters” aren’t easy foes—even seasoned knights struggle against them. Normally, a statement like that wouldn’t come from an academy student. But the truth remains, and there’s Selian, who’s even more monstrous than me.
—
“That’s impressive. So, Miss Alicia? Are you interested in participating in tomorrow’s extermination mission?”
—
“Mom?”
—
“Anne, today we only brought Ian because we knew Alicia would be coming, but you’ll have to join tomorrow.”
—
So that’s why Ian wasn’t at the mansion.
—
“The extermination isn’t anything overly dramatic. Sometimes creatures from the Forbidden Forest crawl down to the outskirts of the city, so we go out and take them out regularly. And this time happens to fall during your free time.”
—
Emma finished the last of her shake and continued.
—
“We aren’t short on hands, but I’m also curious about the current level of the younger generation. And since Alicia is Anne’s friend…”
—
“Anne wouldn’t leave me behind at the mansion alone. I’ll join you; thank you.”
—
“Thank you.”
—
Just then, the cakes for takeout arrived, as Dylan approached our table with the boxes.
—
“Shall we get up?”
—
By this time, the plates that were once laden with cake and the cups filled with shakes were now empty. Although drinking the shake had already felt like excessive sugar intake for me, Emma and Anne had completely devoured their cakes. Moreover, noticing that I hadn’t touched mine, they naturally extended their forks to my plate and finished it off too.
—
Since I had mentally given up on the cake-shake combo after my first sip, I didn’t mind at all. In fact, I was grateful they helped.
—
Dylan had to carry a massive sword with both hands, so naturally, Anne and I ended up carrying the cakes.
—
On the way back to the mansion, Emma and Anne were deep in conversation several steps ahead of me. Watching them walk side by side made them seem like sisters rather than mother and daughter. They were both short, but Emma was just a touch taller, which made Anne appear like the younger sibling. That was at least somewhat reassuring.
—
I was lost in this line of thought when Anne and Emma’s conversation paused, and they simultaneously turned to look at me.
—
“Miss Alicia? Were you thinking something inappropriate?”
—
Emma at least questioned it, but Anne had clearly decided I’d done something wrong and was already giving me a disapproving glare.
—
Didn’t you two need to resemble each other so much?!
—
—
*
“Hi.”
—
Back at the mansion, Ian greeted us. I shook his outstretched hand.
—
“It’s interesting to see you here. I’ve only ever seen you at the academy.”
—
“I might impose on you for a while.”
—
During this exchange, it seemed Alec had come to meet Emma and was chatting casually with her.
—
“Here, I brought this one for you. Let’s eat it together later.”
—
“Yes, but you must be tired from the extermination. Go relax first. I’ll bring the cake later.”
—
Emma handed over the cake she’d taken from Anne to Alec. Like it was nothing unusual, Alec passed it on to one of the servants before greeting Emma.
—
Come to think of it, when I met Alec separately from Emma earlier, I hadn’t noticed, but seeing them stand side-by-side now, the physical difference between them was striking.
—
—
“By the time evening comes, I’ll send someone to fetch you, Miss Alicia, so perhaps you and Anne can…”
—
Alec paused mid-sentence, turning to glance at me. It seemed whatever he wanted to say was already written all over my face, because he offered a half-smile.
—
“Miss Alicia, I knew what you were thinking. Trying to explain to you now would just sound like an excuse, but it wasn’t me… it was your… ah… Oof!”
—
“Haha. Miss Alicia? Well then, I’ll go ahead. Have fun, and see you later at night!”
—
Emma dragged Alec into the mansion. Watching the petite Emma towing the large Alec into the house was a bizarre and almost indescribably fascinating sight.
—
Though I did catch Emma stomping on Alec’s foot a moment ago, it must have been my imagination.
—
But even from outside, I could clearly hear Emma and Alec’s conversation.
—
“Excuse me, it was your fault first…”
—
“Are you out of your mind? Don’t say things like that in front of the kids…”
—
…It must have been my imagination.
—
“Mom and Dad have known each other since childhood, by the way. Dad was originally a commoner, but Mom drove hard enough to make him a son-in-law, without much fuss.”
—
We didn’t need that explanation, Ian.
