Sense of Distance
Lux’s Side
When the three of us moved to the Rodwell family’s dining hall, it seemed the dishes the household staff had prepared to celebrate the end of my swordsmanship tournament were already ready. With Siana seated to my right and Elina-san to my left, we immediately began to eat.
“Master, this…”
Just as Siana was about to say something while looking at the food in front of her.
Elina-san, who was sitting to my left, took a piece of already-cut meat with her fork, leaned closer to me, and held it out toward my mouth as she spoke.
“Lux, I eat expensive food often so I can tell, this really is high-quality meat! I’ll give you mine, so open your mouth and say ah?”
“Eh!?”
Ah…!? A-And right in front of Siana too!?
“I-It’s alright! If it’s good meat, I think it’ll taste even better if we all eat it together, so please enjoy it too, Elina-san!”
“Of course I’ll eat some later, but since you worked so hard in the swordsmanship tournament today, Lux, I want you to be the very first. It’s my way of saying thank you for your efforts.”
“Y-You mean… to acknowledge what I did in the tournament?”
“Yes! I was really moved when I saw you take second place in the swordsmanship tournament! You know, the tournaments in this country are really high-level, right? Just thinking about how much effort you must have put in to take second place in such a tournament makes me want to show my appreciation directly! And since we’re in the middle of a meal right now, feeding you is how I want to do it!”
The act of being fed like that might look embarrassing on the surface, but Elina-san wasn’t doing it just for show; she was also putting her genuine feelings of wanting to honor my efforts in the swordsmanship tournament into it.
Since Elina-san was directing such kind feelings toward me, I couldn’t refuse them just for a superficial reason.
“…Alright, Elina-sa—”
“Please wait, Master!”
Just as I was about to say that, Siana, sitting on my right, also took a piece of cut meat with her fork, leaned closer to me just like Elina-san, and offered it to my mouth as she spoke.
“If that is the case, then I too wish to show my appreciation to Master!”
“Eh!?”
Because of that, I now had two pieces of meat being offered to me at the same time.
Then, Elina-san spoke.
“Siana-chan, Lux only has one mouth, so could you let me give him the first bite since I suggested it first?”
“I am very sorry, Elina-sama, but since I have been supporting Master closely for a longer time, I cannot give up this opportunity.”
When Siana replied like that to Elina-san’s suggestion, Elina-san paused for a moment before speaking again.
“…Hey, Lux, whose meat do you want to eat first?”
“Eh…!?”
“I too would like Master to decide.”
“Ehh!?”
Which one of their meats should I eat first!?
Th-There’s no way I can choose!
The fact that Siana wouldn’t back down must mean she really had been supporting me closely all along.
But that doesn’t mean Elina-san’s feelings are any weaker. She also came to see me during breaks in the swordsmanship tournament, and even after it ended she came all the way here to see me. Her desire to show her appreciation to me is just as strong.
And after thinking it over…
“I-It’s embarrassing to do something like that in front of others, and also… I can’t choose whose should be first, so if you really want to show your appreciation, could you please do it in some other way?”
Even if it might seem superficial, there was still the simple embarrassment of being fed in front of others. After I gave my answer with a suggestion for an alternative, Elina-san lowered her fork after a short silence and said.
“Alright! That works too! In that case, let’s enjoy eating this delicious-looking food in front of us while happily sharing our impressions!”
When Elina-san said that, Siana seemed to accept it as well, lowering her fork and turning her attention back to the food in front of her.
“Yes! But I was truly happy to receive both of your feelings, so thank you very much!”
Thinking it was good that they backed down more easily than I expected, I properly conveyed my gratitude for the kind feelings both of them had for me.
And so, the three of us ate the food in front of us together while sharing our thoughts on its flavor and deliciousness.
Siana and Elina-san had similar tastes, and while eating they happily exchanged very similar impressions.
Even though the two of them had completely different personalities and should have been meeting for the first time, they seemed very close in distance, and that made me feel truly happy.
Several dozen minutes later.
“Lux… look, this is my body. Won’t you touch it?”
While we were eating, I never imagined things would turn out like this.