Ch. 5: Gratitude Towards Him
The view outside the window was colored a beautiful deep red.
Within the room, I lit the candle Drei had given me.
OO: “It smells nice. Just like the flowers.”
I enjoyed the fragrance for a time, then suddenly what Drei had done earlier came to mind.
(That was pretty scary earlier, but it doesn’t change the fact that Drei gave me this candle as a present… I need to thank him properly.)
OO: “I wonder how best to do that.”
Suddenly, I remembered what the king had told me.
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King: “He regularly goes without meals and just locks himself up in his room.”
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(…that’s it.)
I hurriedly made my preparations and left the room.
Then I asked one of the castle workers to borrow the kitchen…-.
OO: “Alright.”
I remembered how the only thing Drei had consumed was coffee.
(I’m sure… he really likes coffee.)
I recalled his gaunt face and rolled up my sleeves.
Ch. 6: His Smile
The next morning…-.
The room was wrapped in a morning chill.
(I’m sure he’ll like this… a coffee-flavored cake.)
I carefully placed the cake I had made the night before into a basket and headed for Drei’s room.
Taking a deep breath, I knocked on the door to his room and called out.
OO: “Drei, do you have a minute?”
Drei opened the door and poked his head out slightly.
Drei: “What?”
OO: “Here, this is for you.”
I emphatically held the basket out to him.
Drei: “Is it poison? Retaliation for yesterday?”
OO: “How rude… just open it.”
Drei opened the basket and revealed the hand-made coffee cake.
OO: “I thought you could eat it when you go to the flower field.”
For a while, Drei just looked at the cake I had made…
Drei: “Are you planning on feeding me?”
OO: “…um, it’s thanks for the candle.”
Drei: “…that was just to trigger the battle, I told you remember?”
Drei let out a sigh as if he was fed up with explaining it.
Drei: “…I don’t want it.”
OO: “…oh, ok.”
Drei handed me back the basket and shut the door to his room.
OO: “Feel free to eat it if you like.”
I set the basket in front of the door and left.
…
……
(This place really is very relaxing…)
I watched the flowers swaying in the wind…
(That’s…)
I spotted Drei lying down in his usual place.
(…I wonder if he’s sleeping?)
I tried to carefully move closer and saw his breathing was shallow, clearly asleep.
Next to him was…
(Ah…)
The basket that had held the cake I tried to give him.
(Drei…)
Happiness filled my chest and I broke into a smile.
(I’ll try and make him something tomorrow too and bring it.)
And so I got into a daily routine of making Drei different things…-.
…
……
(I couldn’t bring him anything today…)
I had caught a cold and spent the entire night before in bed.
(I wonder if Drei still went to the flower field today…)
I felt myself growing a little lonely as I thought about him when…
Drei: “What are you doing?”
OO: “…!?”
Suddenly, Drei was standing there in my room.
OO: “Drei… is something wrong?”
Drei: “Don’t give me that.”
OO: “Eh…?”
Drei: “Why didn’t you come? Every morning, between 8:00 and 8:10, you come to my room. And then every afternoon between 1 and 1:10 you come to the flower field. That’s your routine. I know all of your movements.”
(My… movements?)
Drei: “You eat the foods you don’t like before the foods you do like and you take .02 seconds between the two. Your favorite place is the flower field. And your favorite thing is…”
He stopped talking and suddenly held up a small bouquet of flowers in front of me.
OO: “That flower is…”
(It’s the same flower as the candle Drei chose for me.)
OO: “Drei…”
Drei: “You were supposed to come to my room. Without you, I’d die from starvation. The first cake you made is my favorite. And… that expression on your face is the one I find the cutest…”
For a moment, Drei flushed red, then he immediately left the room.
(I wonder what expression… I was making just now.)
I tightly clutched the bunch of flowers.
Then the next day…-.
Feeling back to normal again, I hurried to Drei’s room.
(I’m glad I could borrow the kitchen for the full morning.)
This morning, I had baked a coffee-flavored sponge cake.
I knocked on Drei’s door and…
Drei: “…”
The door opened slightly, and Drei looked out at me, expressionless.
Our eyes met, and I felt like I saw a slight shift in his expression.
Drei: “You’re back to your normal routine.”
OO: “Yes…!”
I smiled at his words and…
Suddenly, I was strongly pulled towards Drei and wrapped in his arms.
OO: “Drei…!?”
I felt my face rapidly heating up.
Drei: “Let’s make this a part of your routine too from now on.”
Saying as much, Drei smiled at me.
(This is the first time I’ve seen him like this…)
I felt warmth flood my chest at his kind smile, and I gently wrapped my arms around his back.
OO: “Drei…”
Drei: “That face of yours is cheating you know. It’s even cuter than usual.”
Drei tightened his arms around me, holding me tighter.
I buried my face in his chest…
And I kept hidden in my heart the excitement I felt at the idea of what I would make him tomorrow.
END
Secret Story: Conquer Strategy for Cake
Drei: “…”
(What’s that smell…?)
The scent of the cake OO had left drifted to my nose.
(Coffee…)
Drei: “Did she make this just for me? …Ha.”
I smiled without thinking.
(She’s so weird… wanting to thank me for using her.)
At that time, I heard a sound coming from my abdomen.
Drei: “…!?”
(Is that coming from my stomach? Is it saying it wants to eat this?)
Drei: “…tch.”
(I can’t stomach the thought of falling for her trap but… well, it should be fine to just have a bite…)
Taking the cake, I headed for the flower field as usual.
…
……
Laying down in the flower field, I tried the cake OO had made.
Drei: “…!”
I had planned on only a bite, but I couldn’t stop myself and ended up eating the whole thing.
(What’s wrong with me…!? This is the first time I’ve ever eaten so much.)
Casually, I looked at the sun’s position.
(10 minutes until she comes…)
I started a countdown in my head as I lay back.
(Should be soon.)
At that time…-.
I heard a rustling and sensed someone’s presence.
Drei: “…”
I kept my eyes closed, purposefully giving no indication that I knew someone was there.
After a while, the footsteps I heard nearby faded into the distance.
(…did she leave? She comes here every day in the afternoon between 1:00 and 1:10… she’s pretty predictable.)
Drei: “…huh.”
(She came to see if I thought it was good… strange things have been happing at the castle ever since she came here.)
…
……
After that, it became a routine for her to bring me cake.
(This one smells like orange. The warmth suggests it was baked 2112 seconds before she came to the room.)
The days continued like that, but…-.
Drei: “…”
(Why isn’t she coming?)
I looked at my watch and saw it was several seconds passed 8:10 in the morning.
(She always brings the cake around this time, but she’s already 23 seconds late…)
Drei: “If I think about it…”
(One, she overslept. Two, she’s tired of making cake.)
Drei: “…neither of those seems to fit.”
(Which means… maybe she’s unwell.)
Drei: “…”
(She’s always making me cakes. What should I do for her this time?)
Suddenly, in my mind… I recalled her delighted expression at the candle.
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OO: “But I really like the fragrance.”
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(She said she liked the smell of those flowers. If I do that, she should be happy…)
Moving on reflex, I left my room and hurried for the flower field.
But…-.
Drei: “…?”
(Wait…! Why am I doing all this for OO…? No, wait. It’s not for her! I’m doing this to satisfy my own hunger. It’s important that I make OO feel better so that I don’t starve… It’s my conquer strategy so that she’ll hurry up and be able to make me more cakes! This is a game, it’s a game…)
Thinking as much, I continued to tell myself those words over and over as I headed for the flower field.
But at that time, I hadn’t yet noticed.
That the thing I actually wanted wasn’t the cake.
And I couldn’t comprehend that I was the one who had already been conquered.