The picturesque rice cakes are delicious today

"Hey, Togo. Have you ever been in love?"

Eh

Winter is coming to an end. In that season, the teacher suddenly asked me such a thing.

When I finished my studies and was drinking hot chocolate while stirring the contents of the mug with a muddler, the teacher who seemed to be watching the timing rushed in.

"Togo. Can I have a minute?"

The teacher holds a mug of hot chocolate in one hand and three thick books in the other.

All three books are subtly different in size and decoration.What they all have in common, however, is the lettering of the "graduation album" in each book.

"...... Is this yours?"

“Yeah, I think so. It was small, medium, and high, and it was for three books.I took it when I went to my parents' house the other day. "

The teacher said that and sighed deeply.

"I just came here to recover my human senses from my boyhood to puberty."Unfortunately, there are parts that I can't recall, but what I can recall is that it passes a filter called my current feeling, so it's not like that. "

While saying that, the teacher lifted the cover of the graduation album a little, peered at it from the side, and closed it again.

"So, Togo. I'd like your help.I just want you to tell me a little bit about your fresh and fresh feelings, which are supposed to be much closer to my adolescence than I was! "

"Fine. Of course. I want to help."

Listening to other people's thoughts and feelings seems to be useful to the teacher, and we sometimes do this.I'm happy to be of help to the teacher, and... there are things I can find by trying to tell you something about myself, so it's quite interesting.And, quite simply, I like to talk to my teacher.I'm better at listening to my teacher than talking to myself.

"Good mood, then don't hesitate."

The teacher asked me a question as I drank hot chocolate... without even thinking about it.

"... what were your dreams when you were little?"

"Hmm... I feel like when I graduated from kindergarten, I said I was a police officer."The person who came to the garden in the traffic safety class looked very nice, and so on. "

Successful. When I was in elementary school?

"... when I was in the fourth grade, I did say," Painter. "So, when I graduated from elementary school... 'I don't have a clear vocation, but I want to be someone useful,' I wrote in the essay book. I remember it very well. "

When I answer, the teacher says, "Oh, I see." He drinks hot chocolate with a slightly lonely face, and then laughs.

"Well... if that's the case, you'll be fulfilling your dreams for the future when you graduate from elementary school."It's a very useful thing for me. "

“That's the best part.”

It was a graduation essay that wrote something different from what I wanted, but I am happy to be of service to others.If that is the case, I would be glad.I wrapped my mug of hot chocolate in my hands and felt like my palms were warming up.

By the way, where's your teacher?

I shone a little and hid my loose mouth in a mug while asking.It is very interesting to know what the teacher was thinking when he was a child.

... and then...

"... look at me."

The teacher gave a strange look, and opened up what seemed to be the graduation album of the teacher's elementary school.

The photo that says "Unnaku" is a child younger than me with the face of the teacher.... it's kind of weird.

However, the "Future Dream" under the picture is to die on the tatami!It seems that the teacher was a teacher from a young age. "

Sounds like a teacher.

Well, I don't know. I'd say the soul of a triplet is something like this, but it seems that I've been in this condition since this time.

Yeah. Somehow... I'm a little relieved.

"Then I'll change the subject, but here's the next question."What kind of ideal parent do you think you are? "

The next question brings me to my next change of heart. [M]

... but this might be a difficult question for me.When I said that, the teacher thought it and told me first. [M]

"Well, I'm too old to think about this, so I don't know what an ideal parent from a child would be."But when I thought about it, I felt like, "I don't want to let down my job, I don't want to lose my money by returning it to my palm just because it sells subtly, I don't want to use people's assets on my own, I don't want to complain about other people's wills, and above all, I don't want to get involved"..... "

The teacher said that with a sharp expression, but without saying so, he rang hot chocolate.

"The point is, rather than expectation as a family, I once had to expect something alive as a human being.I'm on my own.Parents may not be able to support themselves anymore.... that's why I'm so sorry, but I just wanted to ask you to think about this... was it difficult? "

"No, I'm fine.... wait a minute."

I wanted to encourage the teacher to be busy, so I'll give him a moment to think about it.

I don't think my parents are ideal. [M]Certainly, it seems to be a fairly wealthy person, and from the perspective of others, it seems that "a beautiful man and a beautiful woman are suitable", and although my classmates in elementary school sometimes envied me.But I don't think it's ideal.

Well then, if you ask me where I'm dissatisfied... it's difficult.To begin with, I'm not very good at putting ideas into words.

So I think about it. I think about it... oh, yeah, I think of one.

“Maybe someone who talks to me and listens to me is good.Well, it doesn't really matter.It's not about grades or paths or school events, but I think it's better for people to be able to talk about things that really don't love each other. "

The words I came up with were immediately written down in the note that the teacher had in hand. [M]Then, I was satisfied with my conclusion. [M]It's refreshing.

... and suddenly I thought even more as I watched the teacher take notes and mutter, "Sheng Zheng, I'm sure of it."

"Maybe someone like a teacher is better."

When I thought about it, I said so, and the teacher raised his face with great force.

"Me? Me? My parents?"What do you think of that guy? "

"Yeah, I think so."

The teacher was surprised, but I nodded confidently.

"...... I think I'm a little too excited to be a parent, and I think I'm a big, grown-up creature, but..."

While saying that, the teacher looked indescribable.

Yeah, I think so, too.Therefore, I'm sure that the children raised by the teacher will grow up to be just a little stronger for the teacher.So maybe we'll grow up together.

... if you think about it, I envy her a little.

So, well, I exchanged such questions, talked a lot again, and the teacher continued to make some notes... and fell in love.

"Togo. Have you ever been in love?"That brings me to this question.

... I wasn't expecting this kind of question, so I'm pretty surprised.

"I really want to hear this."... well, I'm curious about your story.Besides, I don't feel like I'm looking at something like that from a general point of view...Or rather, the more I thought about it, the less I understood it.Then, for now, I decided to increase the number of mothers and try to average it out. "

"I don't think it makes much sense when the number of mothers is two."

Yeah, I guess.

The teacher nodded with a sigh.... it seems that the teacher is a bit unusual.

But I'm very sorry that I can't help you with this. [M]

“I'm sorry, I don't know much about that.”

... so, yes, to be honest.

"I didn't think so either."But Togo. If so... "

The teacher said it gracefully... and held the mug at eye level.

"I don't know what it means to have chocolate gatherings like this."

... well.

Today is February 14th, and it seems to be such a day... so I also got chocolate at school.Girls are amazing. There are sweets packages jumping around the school, and people come and go with sweets from other classes as well as from other school years...I think it's very full of energy.

This kind of thing, my mother is very noisy when I bring it home.So this year, instead of taking it home, I will consume it all at school or here.I tell my parents that 'it seems like it has been banned from school since this year'.I'll pay you back from my lunch money and do my own thing. [M]

... and the hot chocolate we're drinking right now.This is one of the things I got at school today."I stirred the warmed milk with it, and it turned into hot chocolate." I got something like a stick of chocolate and it was hardened. It was in two bottles, so now I'm drinking it with the teacher.I couldn't consume such a shape at school, so I brought it to my teacher's house.

"Togo, I've heard of it, and I've been with you for a while... but I don't think this is a gift from someone to show their love for you."

Yeah. No. It seems that friendly chocolates are popular these days.

The teacher looks at the paper bag next to my bag with suspicious eyes. [M]... no, that's all.It's not like that because the girls at school told me it was like that, or they threw it in a bag that I had hung next to my desk.

"... I guess so. Certainly, if I get the chocolate, it won't make me fall in love."Hmm. And... it's hard to imagine you're obsessed with someone. "

Eventually, while saying so, the teacher drank up the hot chocolate with a complicated face.Then I stared at the melted chocolate stuck to the stick and began to suck it off.Well, maybe that's the right way to eat.

"I think so, too.I'm full of myself. [M]I may not be able to afford to be aware of others.Someday, I may feel that way, but at least not for now. "

"You're on your way. Well, if that's the case, then it can't be helped."They even say they call on friends. "

While watching the teacher stroke the chocolate stick and hold it in his arms, I also try to imitate the hot chocolate and think about it a little more.

... a sparkling obsession. That's right, if you say it hard enough, to me, being addicted... "

I wonder if it's a painting.

"Painting?"

“I want to be better, and I want to be able to draw exactly as I wanted.It's fun to draw. If only you could paint the picture you've always wanted to paint. How about that? "

What do you think? When I stare at the teacher, the teacher laughs at the shards.

"I see. Chengdu, Chengdu... apart from love, it's not limited to human to human lusts."Hmm. If you have a desire to drive yourself mad, it might be called love.You're on your way. I'm in love with madness. ”

The teacher gradually became empty as he spoke. He said, "Hmm, hmm," and began to stare and roar at the void as he moved the stick while pretending to play with the pen with one hand.Together, I stare at the void.

I wonder what kind of love is.

"Hmm. I don't know what it's like in general..."

The teacher and I both looked up at the ceiling... and suddenly I thought:

"Where's the teacher? Not the general point of view, that means you have the teacher's point of view."

When I asked that, the teacher, stuck to his words, twisted his mouth a bit... then took a breath and seemed to calm down a bit... and asked me back.

"... do you want to hear it?"

Yeah.

And I'm suddenly curious.The teacher knows what I don't know. [M]So I want to ask, and I'm curious about how the teacher felt about it.

I looked up at the teacher with expectation, and the teacher turned to the day after tomorrow with a very awkward, shining face.

"Good. Then I'll talk to you and let you know."

Then, whether it was a reopening or an enlightenment.When the teacher switches to such a look, he starts talking.

"... what is love to me?"

Yeah.

I await the words of my teacher with great confusion as to why. [M]If you wait with such a shameful feeling like you want to hear it...

The teacher said.

"Fear."

"I know it doesn't seem common for the time being."

"Isn't that right? I thought so, so I asked you."

All of a sudden, the tension eased, and we started talking at the same pace.

So, what do you mean by fear?

"Hmm. Well, just like that."... Love is madness.I get scared of myself.This is fear. Also, love is... no, um... don't be afraid of misunderstandings, love is a desire to treat the other person.... it was nothing but fear when I wondered if it was possible for the opponent to accept it and give it back to me.It resembles the feeling of peeking into nothingness. "

It's kind of philosophical. The teacher who talks about love is always more philosophical.I think that's probably because the teacher thought very much about this.

"And I'm glad to hear that." When you fall in love, a man becomes dressed. "

Is that so?

"Hmm. I don't want to show the other person what's badly dressed."And that's... fear! What if they see something bad?If you think so, you're already scared! "

The teacher makes a lot of noise while saying, "Huh?"I will leave it alone because it will relieve the embarrassment and shine of my teacher.

... anyway.

I'd like to take a look at the dressed teacher.Maybe about 30% is badly dressed and about 50% is interesting, so maybe about 20% is really very good-looking.

"So, that's it." It was a three-point assortment of fears.That's love. I don't know anymore.I don't know anything. "

The calm teacher said so quietly.It seems that this is the end.So for the time being, I applauded the teacher.

“No, I don't know. I don't know."

The teacher fell down on his desk with a pathetic look on his face.

"Human beings can only make up for things they've never experienced before, and there's nothing they can do to make up for things they can't imagine...... that's true......"

That's what I'm saying.... I heard something similar the first time I saw you."It's a lot different from what I meant at the time, but..."

... yeah. I just remember when I first met my teacher.I thought about it... and I asked.

"Admiration, perhaps, is it close to love?"

Hmm?

As long as I look at the teacher who reacted with a twitch, I think it's worth talking about.

"You're such an amazing person, I wish I could be such a person."And... you've been saved.That sort of thing, sparkling, like it's opening your sight..... "

Maybe the teacher had something to think about in my words. [M]Maybe it came up with a good idea.

Seeing the teacher start taking notes, I take the mug to the sink and start washing.Along with the teacher's share.

When he finished washing the two mugs, the teacher knocked on the ballpoint pen and pushed the nib, put the pen down, and smiled nicely.

"No, thank you, Togo. Thank you."It's said that if three people stop by, the wisdom of Wenzhen will be, but even two people unexpectedly will change things for the better. "

"That's the best part."

The teacher was somewhat motivated, sat down in front of his laptop as he walked to his seat and danced with the woof.The keyboard rattled so quickly that work started.

... looking at such a teacher, I suddenly thought...

I don't know one thing about love, and I don't think I've ever seen someone in love.

I wonder what it's like to be in love.I can't help thinking about something I don't understand, but I think about it.

I'm a coward, and I don't have much courage, so maybe I'll be a "three-piece assortment of fear" just like my teacher, I don't think.

... but, well, at that time, I was about 30% dressed badly, about 50% funny, and about 20%... no, I don't care about 10%, so I want to be a very nice person. Like a teacher.

... no, for me, 50% of the fun is a more difficult task than 10% of the good looks...



Chapter XVI: The Disease of Fear



Right now, Crores is on his way to find the gemstone that was sealed by the Kakikachi King of Arson.

That's because there seems to be a seal next to the place where she was raised...

... the day after I came back from the fairy land.

The Bone Knights' Dazzling Squad (It seems that some of the bones that they like to paint gathered together to form a small squad dedicated to communicating with humans.That's the Glamour Squad.) worked with the fairy and Angel to tell them where to find the next seal.

... but I didn't know that at all.

"What is this...? A big snake?"

"Under a big snake...? The basement?"

The painting painted by the Knights of Bones painting team is a large snake painting.And there's a room underneath, and there's a sealed jewel there.

I mean, mostly no tips. I don't know!

"...... Is there a big snake house around here?"

I don't know.

”No, I've never heard of it before... let's ask oniisan”

“I've never seen anything like it! Where's Lian?"

"No.... erm, not in the downtown of Wangdu, but it's just some information."

"That's right, isn't it the capital?"I've been sketching around the capital for a while.I've never seen a snake like this before. "

We roar face to face. [M]It's really hard not to have a clue.

... I think you've been very blessed up until now.I wonder how Carnelia would have looked for the amber pond.

Well, there's also a detector, so I guess I'll go hang out and look for it again.

Faye said that while scratching her head, and I nodded too...

"...... I may have a plan for this place."

And we all saw Crore who started to say that.

"Really!?"

"Yeah, yeah..."

If it's true, it's amazing.Somehow, it's a terrible odds!

... but after all, Crore doesn't look like she's floating.

Let's go then.

“No, I'll go alone.”

And then I turned down Lao Cres' offer... and said, exhaling a sigh.

"Because... if someone other than the person involved enters the place where I'm raising the detective, it's going to be a big deal"

And then Crore explained to us, "Where is it?"

"I don't know where, but there's a place to pick up orphans and raise them as secret agents.Well, even though you're a detective, there are people like me, there are just assassins, and there are people who can be raised to be connected to commerce..... "

After hearing Crore's explanation, I can't imagine any of it now.Well, the point is, it's like a secret detective or other training school boarding school.

Does that mean that Mr. Crore is out of there?

"Yes, I was probably an orphan, but it seemed like I had a good look since then."I wonder if they picked it up, raised it, and continue to this day. "

Huh. Right. I feel like there's been a lot going on 'til now', but it doesn't seem like Crore himself wants to talk much, and he doesn't listen very deeply.

... by the way, I don't know much about Crore.

I don't know where they come from. I don't even know where I grew up.I don't know how old I am... I don't know the colors that suit me, but I don't know the colors that I like, and I don't know the whole picture of Crore that doesn't look like a forest, even though I know it's surprisingly forest-like.

All I know about Crore is my favorite paintings... and my favorite food.Edamame. And the cookies from the King's Landing. And the lemon tart.

"Well, that's why." I'll go alone for now.So, if you can talk properly and get the sealed jewelry, I will.Even over there, you don't want to keep the jewels that come out of the Tickle King. "

That's what Crore said, smiling as if to reassure us.

“So, it's okay. If anything happens, I'll be in touch.”

"Hey, hey, hey."

When she was so worried about Crore's words, Laocres raised his voice to blame and grabbed Crore's arm.And then Crore looked a little confused... and sighed.

"... I think I'd better go alone. I don't think it would be confusing."If I accidentally take Mr. Togo with me, it will be a terrible thing. "

This is ridiculous?

When I heard it back, Crore closed his eyes and said:

"I see. Do you want me to lock you in the basement and let you make jewels for life?"

I don't like that...

"The rest... is such a beautiful thing."It's a corner... and I'll teach you something incredible. "

... what do you mean by "incredible"?Well, as long as I see Lao Cres listening beside me, it's not very nice. Maybe.

"Then take me with you."I don't know how much you can stand up to a detective, but it'll help protect your back. "

When I was thinking about what I would do, Lao Cres said so.Without letting go of Crore's arm, she looked down at her and saw a plaster statue full of intimidation.

... but...

"Oh, no."

How exactly did Ms. Crore escape from Laocles' hand and clasped her forehead with the fingertips of her hand that had been grabbed before.

"... you probably don't think that you can do anything that might be done by Togo-kun, but..."

As she groped Lao Cres' forehead with her fingertips, Crore said... with a smile that was not very forest-like.

If you're a beauty, you're a beauty, too.

... so Crore left alone. That's the end of it.

"I'm worried..."

"... it's about Crore. It'll work."

Laocles said so, stirring the pot of dinner without changing his appearance.

... Today's dinner is a mushroom hotpot full of vegetables, chicken, and forest mushrooms.I thought about adding rice cakes and making them into rice cakes, so I drew cut rice cakes and served them just now.When you've finished eating your gear, add the mochi and boil it.Then, the mochi with plenty of stock is quite delicious.If I had done this before, it would have been very popular with Carnelia-chan, so I'll do it again this time.

"At the very least, I guess I should have asked you where..."

It's better than him deciding not to say it.

Laocles sighed and stirred the pan without changing the phase.

... so I noticed.

"Oh, Lao Cres. I left my rice cake here. What happened?"

Lao Cres' hand stops stirring the pot.

I peeked at the pan. [M]

”... you're melting”

"... sorry"

There was already a mochi in there that was supposed to be put later, and then it was well stewed and already melted.

... apparently, Laocres is worried about Crore too.

"This hot pot is melting and tasty!"I don't know why, I feel like some kind of mochi flavor, but... how did you make this? "

I don't know.

"Yeah. Let me just shut up for a second..."

The pan where the mochi melted was delicious.However, I can't say that Lao Cres and I were all in the sky above, so I decided to keep the manufacturing method to myself.