Handshake
Lux’s Side
Even though a man suddenly spoke to me aggressively and there was some trouble, Remina-san handled everything safely, so afterward we went into the bakery as planned.
Then, once inside, we each bought some bread and sat together on a nearby bench to eat it.
“Remina-san, you really can eat bread normally now.”
“Yes. At first, I was even shocked by my own lack of common knowledge, but now I can eat like this without issue, and it’s all thanks to you teaching me how to eat it.”
“It wasn’t anything special, but even though your younger sister ate bread, was there some reason you had never eaten it yourself, Remina-san?”
“It’s only natural that I possess nothing but limited, biased knowledge, but if I were to give another reason, it would be that my position left me no time for things like entertainment.”
She didn’t even have the time to enjoy something as simple as bread. Normally, I’d wonder if that was even possible, but with the atmosphere she gives off and that swordsmanship of hers…
She probably really has devoted every bit of her time to only what she needed to become who she is now.
“You’re amazing, Remina-san.”
“I’m not amazing. As I said earlier, I simply had no choice because of my position.”
“Even so, I respect you. Seeing your sword earlier, I could really catch glimpses of all the effort you’ve put in.”
“I don’t intend to belittle my own sword, but it’s also true that there are still many things I fall short in, like not even knowing how to eat bread.”
I don’t know if that really counts as falling short, but if Remina-san feels that way, then maybe it means she wants to learn those things.
…That’s it!
“In that case, this might be unnecessary meddling, but if you’d like, I can teach you those kinds of things from now on.”
“…! You would… teach me?”
“Yes! Ah, but if your sister knows more about that stuff, then it doesn’t have to be me.”
“No. If you’re the one offering, then I want you to be the one to teach me, and in return, I’ll teach you the sword.”
“What!? I-is that really okay!?”
“Yes. I want to watch your growth by your side.”
I know Remina-san is a busy person, so part of me feels a little bad accepting something like that, but if she’s saying it.
“Alright! Then starting today, I look forward to working with you!”
“I’ll be relying on you, Rodwell.”
After that, we shook hands and spent some time eating bread together and enjoying ourselves.
Rezamiliana’s Side
“Rodwell, today was sudden, but I truly appreciate you spending time with me.”
“No! I should be the one thanking you! I had a really great time!”
Lux spoke with a bright smile.
Rezamiliana, struck in the chest by that smile before she could stop herself, said nothing of it and replied.
“Yes… until next time.”
“Right! Let’s meet again!”
After exchanging farewells, the two began walking in separate directions.
Then Rezamiliana lowered her gaze to her own palm, the one that had just shaken Lux’s hand.
“As I thought, Rodwell’s hand is a good hand. Without a doubt, he’ll become even stronger in the future.”
While thinking that, another thought crossed Rezamiliana’s mind.
I wanted to keep holding his hand longer…
“Wha!? W-what am I thinking…”
Realizing the kind of feelings she had let slip into her thoughts, Rezamiliana’s cheeks flushed slightly as she shook her head.
Then, after taking a deep breath, she returned to her usual serious expression.
That’s right, now’s not the time to be thinking about things like that. I must make Lage regret the foolishness of trying to harm Rodwell.
Her feelings for Lux had grown stronger, and in equal measure, so did Rezamiliana’s quiet anger toward Lage.