Land of Ice Treats, Amarena…-.
Lateria had invited Jay, Kagetora, and Alfred to his vacation home, and all four were now doing as they pleased at the pool.
Alfred: “Is Martin not here yet?”
Lateria: “It seems so. He contacted me saying he’d be here soon but…”
The moonlight reflected off the cocktails they had devoted themselves to beside the pool.
Jay: “Well, it can’t be helped since he had some unexpected official business come up. And I’m sure he’ll bring some top shelf brandy as an apology.”
Kagetora: “Haha, I’m looking forward to it. It would have been nice if Fujime could have come too.”
Lateria: “I heard. Didn’t he lock himself up so he could focus on his writing deadline?”
Kaegora: “Yeah. Though he does go out under the pretext of doing more thorough research.”
Thinking of Fujime frantically working on his manuscript, the four waiting for Martin were serene, without a trace of restlessness.
Alfred: “…spending time together with friends truly is a wonderful thing.”
Kagetora: “You guys are all old friends for sure. Are you sure it’s alright for me to intrude on that?”
Lateria: “Yes, of course. No matter the length of time that has passed, a friend is a friend.”
Jay: “That’s right. When you get to be our age, it isn’t exactly easy to go out and make friends. So it’s a happy occasion when we can make new connections like this.”
Kagetora: “I’d have to agree with you. Though I get a bit sad thinking about my age…”
Alfred: “Haha, we’ll promise not to bring it up, right?”
A chill breeze blew off the poolside and carried with it the sound of laughter.
During that time, the waitstaff cleared the empty dishes from the table and replaced them with beautiful servings of multi-colored gelato.
Alfred: “Oh, this seems to be a different variety than what we had earlier.”
Lateria: “Those were some newer varieties, but these are the flavors that are currently popular in Amarena. I had them prepared as I figured everyone here might like them too.”
This was the fourth time that night that Lateria had treated them to gelato.
Furthermore, this time as well he had a cheery expression on his face, and everyone could tell that he was greatly enjoying himself.
Lateria: “Enjoy these flavors that the youth prefer without being disheartened about your age.”
Everyone’s stomachs were already completely chilled through, except Lateria, and Kagetora whispered low to Jay, who stood beside him.
Kageotra: “…hey, is he always like this?”
Jay: “Hmm, I guess it’s not that unusual for him to be over the top like this. I think that in itself makes it fun but…”
Alfred: “…I think it’s about time I took a swim in the pool. I’ve been sitting this entire time, so my body’s grown a bit cold.”
As Alfred suddenly stood, Jay didn’t miss a beat and lightly raised a hand.
Jay: “In that case, how about we have a match? I’ll join you.”
Kagetora: “H-hey?”
Lateria: “Al and Jay’s match is sure to be interesting to watch. Kagetora, let’s watch them while eating gelato.”
At Lateria’s beckoning, Kagetora looked at Jay and Alfred.
The two of them chuckled, their eyes saying they would leave the gelato to Kagetora.
Kagetora: “…Martin, hurry up.”
Having unreservedly been given the mantle of friendship, Kagetora took a seat.
This moment of fun amongst the adults showed no signs of ending any time soon.
END