11 – First Snow and Donuts
“Are you okay?”
Dorothy’s hands, suddenly reaching up to my face, covered my cheeks.
When did she get this close?
I was definitely inside the bakery, and in the blink of an eye, I found myself here. As if she already knew I was following.
“Eugene.”
Dorothy slapped my cheek once again.
Her hands were chillingly cold. Perhaps Dorothy, like me, had exposed her bare hands to this cold.
However, for some reason, I felt that touch was warm.
Of course, it was just a fleeting impression.
“Ugh. Move aside.”
A small, reflexive response.
Dorothy, who barely heard it, twitched her arm and slowly let go of her hand.
Her expression remained indifferent, but was the confusion sensed in her eyebrows and the corners of her mouth just a misconception?
Unfortunately, there was no opportunity to confirm if my guess was correct.
“Who are you? Why is an officer embracing an imperial kid?”
The middle-aged man raised his voice again.
It was surprising that he could shout even after seeing the conquering demeanor of the emerald green officer.
“Show your identification.”
Oh, I see. He’s a soldier too.
Dorothy took a step forward in front of me and opened her lips.
“Loyalty. I apologize, but who are you, sir?”
“What?”
“I’m meeting you for the first time. I have no obligation to bow to someone who is neither my superior nor subordinate. If you’re expecting military courtesy, I politely decline.”
His unique tone with no highs or lows exerted pressure.
As Dorothy took a serious attitude, he began to look noticeably flustered.
Correction was necessary. The author is neither a current soldier nor a retired one. Perhaps, it could be a family of merchants who came to deal with soldiers or a relative of a young officer.
The ploy to establish dignity even to the extent of boasting was revealed at once.
The middle-aged man’s expression twisted significantly.
Those who had just enthusiastically sold me were also now looking at the middle-aged man with cold eyes, making it even more evident.
Around that time, Dorothy turned her head back towards me.
“Well, let’s go home.”
“…Yes.”
Things had gotten tangled up in various ways.
The initial goal wasn’t achieved, and now we were caught up in unnecessary trouble.
Still, for some reason, Dorothy’s gaze was surprisingly gentle.
Satisfied with that, I followed Dorothy.
That’s when it happened.
“Where do you think you’re going, you barbarian!”
The middle-aged man’s yelling rapidly approached.
Thump, thump. The middle-aged man, chasing after me with heavy footsteps, reached out with his hand.
Since we were in front of an officer, it seemed like he had no intention of hitting me.
But he grabbed my head, showing signs of trying to do something.
It was akin to hitting the head with a cane, a method solely meant to humiliate.
“…”
Facing the sudden approach of the middle-aged man, Dorothy assumed a stance without any separate weapons. It was a preparatory movement for martial arts. Her sturdy figure indicated that Dorothy hadn’t taken her combat skills lightly.
Perhaps she could easily subdue at least one of the middle-aged men driven by anger.
But this was a problem of my own making.
I couldn’t borrow Dorothy’s help.
The outstretched hand was getting closer.
“Dirty Imperial scum!”
In the next moment.
Sliiide―
“Wha, wha, what?!”
As if he had stepped on an ice sheet, the middle-aged man soared into the air.
If he were a bird with wings, he would have landed gracefully, but unfortunately, he was a man with a protruding belly.
Thud!
With a resounding noise, he sprawled out in the middle of the main road.
“Ughhh….”
It went according to plan.
[Rotation].
A nameless maneuver. It meant toppling over using magic only with imagination, without the aid of a spellbook.
His center of gravity was so high that even a slight force easily tipped him over. Probably because of his belly.
In the sky, snowflakes were falling. It was not uncommon for someone to slip in the snow.
Thus, the middle-aged man, who had been swaggering confidently, ended up falling quite ungracefully.
“Ugh. Well, that settles it.”
His wife and three children, who had been watching the spectacle, silently furrowed their brows.
Meanwhile, my gaze met Dorothy’s.
Dorothy knew that I could use magic. It seemed as if she was asking, ‘Was that you?’
Having grasped the situation to some extent, her stern expression slowly softened.
I laughed lightly and opened my mouth.
“Benjamin will be waiting.”
Dorothy nodded.
Side by side, we faced the two-story house. A cozy dwelling in the suburbs of Oslo.
My neck felt chilly.
*
As soon as I opened the door, warm air filled the room.
“…!”
It was different from the warmth of the bedding. It was not the heat generated from blocking the cold, but rather a sensation as if sitting by a bonfire.
What on earth is this?
“I’m back.”
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“I see. I’ve lit the fireplace.”
Benjamin sat on the living room sofa, shaking his hands with excitement.
And there it was.
There was actually a bonfire in front of the sofa!
…Oh, I see.
A fireplace that occupied a large portion of the living room wall. Flames flickering inside the hearth. As someone who had learned about fireplaces in advance, it was quite a fascinating sight.
So this is how it gets warm. Will the fire spread?
As curiosity surged, the cold retreated due to the warmth seeping in.
By the way, Benjamin showed no sign of surprise when he saw me return with Dorothy.
Flying or crawling, was it all for nothing?
“I’m back. I’ll go upstairs now.”
After a light greeting, I stepped onto the stairs leading upstairs. However, a voice suddenly soared, causing me to pause my steps.
“Hmm? No, come here and rest while basking in the light.”
It was Benjamin.
“Yes?”
“hehehe. It was cold outside, right?”
The old man chuckled playfully.
“I told you to finish studying early and come downstairs. Let’s take today off.”
It wasn’t just Benjamin.
As I stood on the stairs, Dorothy lightly pushed my back with her head. Towards the living room.
What is it? I was about to ask, but suddenly I realized that I hadn’t decided on an address yet.
Dorothy. Thok.
“Well, just a moment.”
In the end, I plopped down on the sofa without hesitation.
Once I sat down, I actually felt quite good.
Whoosh—
Sparks flew between the flickering flames.
As I sat on the comfortable sofa, watching it, I felt an inexplicable sense of tranquility enveloping me.
“I’ve seen you studying hard all this time. You’re really determined to learn in just a month.”
“Well, yes.”
“It’s only natural to receive praise for working hard. You’re doing well. However…”
Benjamin glanced at me and subtly lifted the corner of his mouth.
“Resting is just as important as working hard, if not more.”
“….”
“It’s the first day of the new year. Take a break, just like on New Year’s party day.”
A word I didn’t know popped out of Benjamin’s mouth.
“A New Year’s party?”
“Huh? What is it? You don’t know?”
“Is it a custom of the Federation?”
When I asked, Benjamin made a difficult-to-describe expression.
“Well… it’s something similar. Even if we call it a party, there’s nothing special about it. It’s just about resting and eating.”
As he said, we had dinner as usual. Except for the fact that it was warm thanks to the fireplace, it was a rather ordinary atmosphere.
So that’s why.
When Benjamin called me to the living room again, I couldn’t help but be surprised.
A small table in front of the sofa.
On it, neatly folded, was a shirt. And there was a stylish tie wrapped around the shirt.
It was a high-quality fabric shirt and tie. Even I, who couldn’t see, could tell.
I held my breath.
“What is this?”
“It’s a gift. The highlight of the New Year’s party is the gift presentation ceremony.”
“… I haven’t prepared anything.”
“hahahahaha! You’re the only one shivering in front of the fireplace like a puppy soaked in rain.”
Benjamin laughed heartily.
“It’s just a part of life to receive sometimes. Don’t feel too awkward as the giver.”
Suddenly, an awkward silence fell. Words involuntarily escaped my mouth.
“Oh. Should I try putting it on?”
“You said it well. Go change and come back.”
Oh no.
To think I have to put this on.
In the end, I headed to the storage room with a shirt and a tie in my hands. By the time I realized, I was already in a state where even buttoning up a shirt was a struggle.
“Damn it.”
I barely managed to put on the shirt.
But no matter how hard I tried, the tie ended up feeling like a boa constrictor tightening around my neck.
It wasn’t until the inexperienced Dorothy personally tied the tie for me that it finally looked neat.
“…”
Benjamin and Dorothy. The gaze of the two made me uncomfortably aware.
“Oh, it suits you well.”
Benjamin said it without any mischief, and Dorothy nodded in agreement.
Feeling like I wanted to disappear into a mouse hole, I sat down on the sofa.
“This is not the end here.”
At that moment, Benjamin took out another set of clothes from behind the sofa.
This time, it was winter women’s clothing. It seemed like a gift for Dorothy, but it was quite excessive in its lightness.
“Who wears a military uniform to go out? Wear something nice.”
“I don’t want to.”
It would be best to summarize the events that followed as “Dorothy’s expression filled with disgust.”
After Benjamin was rejected like that,
Dorothy stood up.
Dorothy rummaged through her handbag a few times and came back to the living room holding two scarves of different colors. I thought she didn’t buy anything at the clothing store, but it turns out she did.
Black and gray scarves with clean white patterns embroidered on each.
Dorothy handed me the black scarf.
“Try it on.”
I clumsily wrapped the scarf around my neck. It was much easier to wear than a shirt or a tie. It felt cozy.
Meanwhile, Dorothy also put on the gray scarf.
Even without conversation, the atmosphere became cheerful. Dorothy flashed a playful smile.
On the other hand, Benjamin spoke up.
“Dorothy, what about mine?”
“I don’t have one for you, Oslo-nim.”
“Stop that… Is there really none?”
With that, his voice tone lowered a notch. He was genuinely disappointed.
Incidentally. Benjamin’s symptoms of depression improved only after he discovered that the cane he had placed in his study had been replaced with a new one.
Anyway.
I received a handful of gifts.
Feeling awkward, I sat on the edge of the sofa, and Dorothy began to prepare something in the kitchen with her scarf still on.
A little while later, she came back with something in a dish.
It was a round bread.
With a hole in the middle and a subtle color.
“What is this?”
“A donut.”
*
Dorothy slowly opened her mouth.
“It’s a sweet bread. I was worried you might not like sweet things, but it seems like you do.”
Ah.
Could it be?
“That thing. Is it about this morning?”
“Yeah.”
My tension eased.
If the piercing gaze was to confirm whether I enjoyed the sweet marmalade or not, I wouldn’t have gone outside if I knew the truth of the incident was so absurd.
“hahahahaha….”
However, the reason for the laughter was not just that.
What is this all about?
Warmth and gifts. Kindness and consideration.
Isn’t it just like family?
Family is a special title. It cannot be easily obtained.
Because it is not easily regained, it is precious.
So then, why do Benjamin and Dorothy go to such lengths?
I couldn’t just let it pass.
I organized my thoughts and asked them. Benjamin and Dorothy faced each other.
They didn’t seem as surprised as I thought they would be.
“Well, where should I start?”
Benjamin, who had been mumbling, suddenly looked at Dorothy.
“Can I say it?”
“Yes.”
Why can I say anything?
Before I could even start worrying, Benjamin gave me the answer.
“My wife, Susan, couldn’t have children because of an illness when she was young. Now, both of us are too old to have any.”
In other words.
“Dorothy is our adopted daughter. I have five daughters under my care, but they are all children I have raised with my heart.”
“……!”
“If they were asked to reveal their entire stories, each of them would fill at least one book. I, from the start, was no exception, as I’ve already said.”
Suddenly, Benjamin’s palm came to mind.
A life akin to torture.
“I don’t think family is anything special. Living under the same roof and bickering with each other, that’s what family is, isn’t it? There was a time when I attributed unnecessary meaning to family, but looking back, it was all pointless.”
In Benjamin’s eyes, the flames in the fireplace flickered slowly.
“Oh, I almost droned on about an uninteresting story. Let’s stop the rambling here.”
He smiled gently.
“Today, taste those donuts and take a good rest. It’s a gift Dorothy prepared for you. I’m sure they’ll be delicious.”
“…”
I picked up the fork.
Square – the thin sugar glaze on the donut splits cheerfully.
Taking a neatly cut piece, I put it into my mouth.
“Wow.”
I learned for the first time that bread could be so soft. Along with a melting texture, there was a delightful sweetness from the sugar coating on the donut.
Soft and sweet.
That was all.
A single forkful, warming the entire body with a gentle warmth, was enough.
“…”
Certainly, family doesn’t seem to be anything special.
Time passed quickly, and before I knew it, a month had passed since I moved into the duplex house.
My proficiency in Provian had improved significantly, but unfortunately, I failed to surprise Benjamin. A cool laugh and a simple “Well done” were all I got.
I didn’t mind. In fact, it seemed better that way.
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Anyway, from that day on, I started receiving Benjamin’s teachings in earnest.
And.
January 27th. Snow.
Snow is rare in the Empire’s winter.
Even if there is a lot of rain, snow rarely falls. It was a rare occurrence to even see a flake of snow, let alone have it pile up ankle-deep and be treated as a blizzard.
So.
It took me three years to see snowflakes swirling outside my window again.
