Chapter 53

“I’m sorry, Young Lady. It was I who invited Tsukasa.”

Chloe apologized to Sharl, stepping in between them.

“You? Huh? Why did you bring him to the house?”

“I’ve dabbled in martial arts myself, but consistency is key in martial arts.”

“Then wake me up!”

“One more thing, practicing when you’re not feeling well only increases the risk of injury and there’s nothing good that comes from it.”

True enough…

“But…”

“Aren’t you having a study session with Tsukasa too? First, it’s important to get your health in order. It won’t change whether it’s 6 o’clock or 8 o’clock.”

Well, that’s true.

“Right… Tsukasa, I’m sorry. I was late yesterday.”

“I heard, I heard. It’s unavoidable, and since I got treated to breakfast and coffee, there’s no problem.”

It was delicious.

“I’m sorry… I’m going to get ready. Chloe, come with me.”

“Understood. Please wait a moment, Tsukasa.”

As Chloe bowed her head, the two of them left the living room.

Feeling a bit bored, I took out a basic study textbook from the bag I brought and started reading.

After a while, Sharl came back with Chloe, changed into her athletic wear.

“Oh? You’re really motivated to study while waiting, aren’t you?”

Sharl said as she took a seat. Chloe headed towards the kitchen.

“No, I’m just fishing for compliments. I look like a child studying in front of my parents.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

Apparently, the honor student doesn’t know this kind of appeal.

“Building rapport.”

“Are you stupid?”

Sharl laughed at that.

“Young Lady, breakfast is ready. Please enjoy.”

In front of Sharl, the same food I ate earlier was placed.

“Thank you.”

Sharl thanked Chloe and started eating breakfast.

I continued reading the basic study textbook in front of Sharl.

“Hey Sharl, where do you train in martial arts? Do we have to go to the park?”

“Well, it’s already 8 o’clock, and that’s a bit annoying.”

There would be more people there, and I wouldn’t like that either.

“Where do we do it?”

“Our garden should be fine.”

With that said, I looked out the window and saw that while it wasn’t as large as a park, there was a garden adequate for training. Moreover, it had grass, and the ground looked soft.

“Young Lady, why don’t you study first? After exercising, you would want to take a shower, and while it’s fine for you since this is your home, I don’t think Tsukasa brought a change of clothes.”

Chloe suggested.

“Oh, I didn’t bring any.”

“That’s true… Let’s do test preparation first.”

“Yeah…”

I packed the basic study textbook back into my bag.

“I changed my mind… You’re so predictable.”

I thought we would do the fun martial arts first, so I cheerfully read the boring textbook, but if we’re studying, then it’s fine.

“If we’re doing it soon, then we can do it then.”

“You really hate studying, don’t you? Then it’s probably fine, right? I think you could pass the basic study test even now.”

Is that so?

“No, I will study. I want to get a good score, and lately, studying hasn’t been too hard for me.”

I don’t do it at all by myself, though. It gives me a headache.

“Well, I can understand that. I don’t really like martial arts either, so I don’t want to train alone, but if it’s with someone, I can enjoy it.”

“That’s true.”

It’s strange, isn’t it?

◆◇◆

I listened to their conversation with a smile.

But inside, I was a little mocking.

These two are children…

To put it kindly, pure.

Just because they do something they dislike with someone doesn’t mean it’ll be enjoyable.

That should be obvious.

The reason these two can endure what they’re not good at is because they like each other.

They can do their best because someone they care about is watching, they can do their best because someone they like is teaching them.

That’s entirely the case with these two.

I wonder what kind of love this ‘like’ is.

Friendship or affection…

From what I hear, these two don’t seem to have entered the realm of affection yet.

However, the destination for young men and women during this age is pretty predictable.

Especially since the Young Lady, who is particularly poor at socializing, will definitely go there.

Now, when that time comes, what will these two do…

Iver and La Folle… two households that will never intersect.

Luckily, Tsukasa hasn’t claimed the name La Folle.

But will that be enough to make a difference…

“By the way, what was that amazing thing you mentioned on the phone the other day?”

Tsukasa asked the Young Lady.

Then, the Young Lady, who was sipping her coffee after breakfast, wore a smug expression.

“I’m glad you asked. Here, this!”

With a cheerful demeanor, the Young Lady took out a small bottle filled with a black liquid using space magic.

“…Soy sauce?”

“Why would it be soy sauce… While it does look like that.”

Yeah, it does look like soy sauce.

“So what is it?”

“It’s a potion, a potion.”

“A potion?”

“Did you forget? You asked me to make a cola-flavored potion, didn’t you?”

That’s quite something…

“I didn’t say it like that, but did you make it?”

“Yes, it was tough. Especially the carbonation. As for the flavor, it tasted like just sugar when done normally, so I used special herbs. The leaves of Kua and Saira. Plus, a little bit of Renshi fruit to bring it closer to the cola flavor.”

That was quite a fast talk…

The bad side of being an otaku is showing.

“Huh… impressive… But why is it black? Aren’t potions supposed to be clear or blue? Oh, the ones that recover magic power were red.”

“Magic recovery potions? The red ones are expensive, right? You know quite a lot.”

“Uh? Well, I think I had some at home.”

“Well, that’s not too surprising, I guess. The black one is that way so it doesn’t look out of place for cola.”

Incredible, Tsukasa…

You can actually have a conversation with an alchemy nerd…

I usually just zone out when I’m listening during meals.

“What do you mean it doesn’t look like cola?”

“I got the taste and flavor close, but blue cola doesn’t look like cola at all. When you drink it, it just feels off.”

“Oh, I saw something about that on TV! Something about shaved ice… what was it?”

Tsukasa is a good listener…

“Shaved ice syrup is actually the same flavor but just different colors and scents. People identify flavor through not just their taste buds but also smell and appearance.”

“That’s it. I see… something like that.”

“Exactly.”

The Young Lady nodded in satisfaction.

I can clearly see why these two get along so well.

“Cola, huh… Is it okay if I try it?”

“Ah, save it for after you get home. The cola-flavored potion turned out well, but it has a drawback.”

“A drawback?”

“You can’t take it with you. It’s a potion, but you can’t take it with you.”

Isn’t that pretty fatal?

“Why? Is it because it’s carbonated?”

Doesn’t that just not matter?

Even if the carbonation goes away, it should be fine.

The potion is primarily for recovery.

“Close! Cola tastes bad if it’s not chilled. So it has to be kept in the fridge, making it impossible to take it with you.”

That seemed even less important…

“Well, that’s no good. I’ll store it in the fridge when I get home.”

“Yeah, yeah. Oh, I’ll give you two, so you can give one to Toko. You know twins will fight, right?”

As the Young Lady said this, she took out another black potion.

“Come on, I’m not a kid anymore…”

While Tsukasa said this, he accepted the two potions.

“You two are just having silly fights… Now, it’s almost time to study.”

It was already 8:30.

“Young Lady, where will we do it? In your room?”

“Here should be fine. My room is messy.”

Is that something you say in front of a guy?

“Is a potion rolling around in there?”

“It’s not just potions; there’s also paperwork. The only clean part is my bedroom, but since there’s no desk, we can’t study there.”

It’s going to be late-night studying!

Hehe.

“I haven’t slept much, and I think I’ll give in to the temptation of the bed.”

“Don’t worry. I’ve had my wake-up coffee too.”

“Hmm, well, if I get sleepy, it’s okay to sleep.”

“It’ll be fine. Just wait a moment. I’m going to get my study materials.”

The Young Lady stood up and left the living room.

“I think I’ll nap around 2 o’clock after lunch.”

Tsukasa looked at me.

“I think so. Well, taking a nap is important, right? How about you, Tsukasa? The Young Lady’s bed is big, you know?”

Well, it might make it harder to sleep!

Hehe.

“I slept a lot yesterday, so I’m fine.”

This guy isn’t taking any bait…

How boring…

Thank you for reading.

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