Clack Clang Creak
North, east, south,west. The sound of a bustling morning echoed throughout the city with the rise of a new day. Stores have opened up and customers have poured in. It was going to be yet another busy day.
Different from the chirping of the birds or the flapping of curtains what they would usually hear when he was back in the Aldridge mansion, what greeted Grey now was much more chaotic, yet strangely enough, it was calming to listen to.
As Grey looked outside the window, rather than a large, luxurious garden, what he saw was a busy street full of people and carriages passing by. It was much livelier than the streets outside the noble's district of the royal capital.
"Mmm,.. Grey..." ［Yuna］
Of course, the sound of the busy city was not the only thing which welcomed Grey in the morning. A more adorable sound, or so to say, Yuna's adorable morning voice called out to him as he stood by the window.
As Grey turned around, what he saw was a sleepy Yuna who could barely open her eyes, stretching her arms open towards him. Surprisingly, even when she was still sleepy, her arms were straight and firm.
"Hug... Give me a hug..." ［Yuna］
"Yeah, yeah, coming." ［Grey］
As per Yuna's request, Grey approached her slowly, sat on the bed and gave her a tight hug, or rather, Yuna was the one who gave him a tight hug. Yuna embraced Grey while leaning her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeats.
Yuna was once again in her spoiled child mode. Since Grey and her usually helped out in the kitchen back at the Aldridge mansion, she couldn't really do such a thing so often. She is catching up to all the times she missed hence the increase in her clinginess and neediness.
"Grey... Cuddle..." ［Yuna］
"No, Yuna... We still have to get up..." ［Grey］
"No! Cuddle with me!" ［Yuna］
There was no escape. Grey wanted to start the day already but Yuna had other plans. Her embrace only became tighter, not wanting to let go of him. Her sleepy face was gone. All that was left was a pouting one.
"Haah... Alright, but only for a couple of minutes, okay?" ［Grey］
And as one would suspect, Grey didn't even put up a fight. As soon as he saw Yuna's adorable pouting face, he knew it was going to be a losing battle. He didn't retaliate any more ang gave in to Yuna's demands.
A smile quickly bloomed afloat Yuna's face as she lay back down on the bed, Grey in her embrace. She was like a spoiled kindergartner who didn't want to let go of their stuffed toy even for a single second.
It took a few minutes before Yuna became satisfied with cuddling and let go of Grey. After their sweet time together, they both cleaned themselves with magic and readied themselves for the day
If there was one thing Grey and Yuna missed in living inside mansions, it was that they had their own private baths. To both of them, while cleaning with magic was very effective, it was also really unsatisfactory.
"Right, Yuna... What would you like for breakfast?" ［Grey］
"Hm? Didn't we pay for our stay with breakfast included?" ［Yuna］
"Ah..." ［Grey］
It was only then that Grey once again realized they were back at the Rabbit's Den. He had grown accustomed to cooking their own breakfast back at the royal capital that he instinctively asked Yuna without much thought.
"Sorry, I completely forgot." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, why are you apologizing, silly?" ［Yuna］
"You're having fun teasing me, aren't you?" ［Grey］
"Hehehe!" ［Yuna］
Yuna smiling ever so brightly, Grey and Yuna headed downstairs towards the dining hall. There, they were greeted by the familiar sight of customers having their breakfast with their companions, with Helen serving them their meals.
Of course, Gerd and Selia were nowhere to be seen. They were back at the kitchen, cooking everybody's breakfast. It has only been more than a month since Grey and Yuna have gone away yet they couldn't help but feel nostalgic by the sight.
"Oh, Grey, Yuna! Are you going to eat breakfast now?" ［Helen］
"Yeah... Can we have three servings each?" ［Grey］
"Three? Looks like your appetites haven't decreased during your time in the capital, huh..." ［Helen］
"Hey, come on now. We just missed the breakfast here." ［Grey］
"Un! I feel like I could eat a dozen meals!" ［Yuna］
Yuna said happily, reinforcing Grey's statement. Although what she said was just an expression, coming from her, it really didn't sound like one. If she tries, she would most likely be able to pull it off.
"Flattery won't get the two of you anywhere, you know? You still have to pay for the extra meals." ［Helen］
"Yeah, yeah, we already get it, so can you get our breakfast now. We're getting kind of hungry." ［Grey］
"Alright, six sets of breakfast coming up!" ［Helen］
As fast as ever, Helen went to the kitchen to get breakfast for Grey and Yuna. In just a couple of minutes, a piping hot breakfast was served at their table. It was a sight which was sure to arouse anyone's appetite.
""Thank you for the meal!"" ［Grey and Yuna］
Excitedly, Grey and Yuna took a bite of the meal in front of them. A bite leads to another and another one. It didn't take long before Grey and Yuna finished their meals. Both were wearing satisfied faces as they enjoyed their meal.
After breakfast in the "Rabbit's Den", Grey and Yuna then went outside and headed to yet another familiar place. It was the Adventurers' Guild which was already very busy even though it was still early in the morning.
As soon as Grey and Yuna entered, a familiar sight greeted them. Although it was a lot less smaller and grand than the guild back at the royal capital, it was much more comfortable, well, it was somewhat comfortable.
The eyes of many adventurers and staff members quickly swam towards Grey and Yuna's direction the moment they entered. Some quickly turned away their eyes, while some bore holes through them as they stared at them curiously. The latter being the new faces who just arrived at Galderia.
If there were people happy to see them, there were only two. One was Tilda who was at the reception desks as usual, and the other was the chief dismantler, Bartolos, who was strangely also at the reception desks, and talking to Tilda nonetheless.
"Oh, Lad, Lass! When did the two of you return?" ［Bartolos］
"Good morning. We just arrived yesterday." ［Grey］
"Good morning, Tilda, Mister Bartolos. Long time no see!" ［Yuna］
"Nice to see you again, too! So, how was the royal capital?!" ［Tilda］
Immediately, the topic shifted towards Grey and Yuna's stay at the royal capital. Like they did with Helen, they explained their experiences, that is of course, leaving out the troublesome parts like the awarding ceremony and such.
If there was one thing Grey and Yuna were amazed about, it was that Tilda was just chatting with them while processing the adventurers' quests. She was able to laugh and chat merrily while not making a single mistake. She was a true professional. A master of her crafts.
"Anyway, Mister Bartolos, what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be at the cold storage at this time?" ［Grey］
"Well, there was a certain document I wanted to ask Tilda regarding today's items. I was about to head back when I saw the two of you come in, and well, you already know the rest." ［Bartolos］
"Ah, sorry for holding back." ［Grey］
"Hahaha, no worries, Lad. Then, I'm heading back now. I'm looking forward to the materials you'll bring. There haven't been any good ones since you lot, along with Kris and Aria, left the capital." ［Bartolos］
Mumbling in a barely audible voice, Bartolos turned around and headed back to the cold storage like what he was supposed to do, leaving behind Grey, Yuna, and Tilda to their own devices.
"Ah, right. Are you two taking any quests today?" ［Tilda］
Asked Tilda as she looked at the two curiously. She had finished up processing the adventurers' quests and had become free at the moment. Well, she would have free time if Grey and Yuna don't have any work for her.
"Hmm... We just meant to say hello, but now that we're here... Should we take a few quests? What do you think, Yuna?" ［Grey］
"Ughh... I don't want to... I think we've experience enough excitement back at the royal capital," ［Yuna］
Yuna protested with her face cringing at the memories they had. Her reaction was something only Grey understood. After all, fighting against criminals and flocks of beasts in a single day can bring enough adrenaline rush to last for a lifetime.
"Well... Seems like we won't be having any for today." ［Grey］
"I see... But will you be taking quests tomorrow? We have piled up quite the amount of high-ranking quests, you see..." ［Tilda］
Following Tilda's fingers, Grey and Yuna's eyes shifted towards the quest boards. Just like Tilda said, there were quite a number of quests D-rank and above. While not as much as the time they returned from Moterno, it was still quite a lot.
With "Aster" and "Black Silver" gone, the rate of completion of high-rank quests fell by a large margin. The only ones which had been completed were the urgent ones, and of course, it was done by none other than the Guildmaster who was the strongest in Galderia after the high-rankers.
The reason why Galderia's guild had a much higher number of high-rank quests than other cities and towns was none other than the presence of high-rankers themselves. It was also because of it that the number of high-rank quests piles up whenever they aren't present.
The number of quests D-rank and above have reached more than 40, with C-rank quests numbering at 5. There was even a B-rank quest which not even the Guildmaster could clear. Thankfully, it wasn't an urgent one which could cause the loss of any lives.
"That's... quite amazing, isn't it. The amount, I mean..." ［Grey］
"You could say that again. Anyway, when will the two of you be taking up on quests again?" ［Tilda］
"Hmm... Tomorrow, I guess...? Is that fine with you too, Yuna?" ［Grey］
"Un. No problem." ［Yuna］
Or so Yuna says, but her expression begged to differ. She wanted to spend more time relaxing with Grey, but couldn't prioritize her desires. After all, they needed to clear the quests before they became a problem.
Well, she quickly brightened up and looked rather excited. Rather than thinking about not being able to relax with Grey, she just thought about the amount of time she could spend with Grey adventuring and experiencing new things. All Yuna needed was positive thinking.
"Then, we'll be going now. Can you say hello to the Guildmaster for us?" ［Grey］
"Okay, I'll be sure to tell him. See you tomorrow～!" ［Tilda］
"Bye～!" ［Yuna］
Just as suddenly as they entered, Grey and Yuna left the guild without doing much. While they missed the Adventurers' Guild, the same couldn't be said for taking quests. They both decided to take a rest for the day.
With nothing to do in mind, Grey and Yuna just wandered around the streets buying sweets from stalls from time to time. They had a date they didn't even plan to have. Even then, they enjoyed it nonetheless.
"Right... Yuna, do you want to go to the market?" ［Grey］
"Oh? Are we buying something?" ［Yuna］
"Not really. I just figured we'd look around. Maybe we'll find something interesting. We could also buy food on the way." ［Grey］
"Grey, you're just baiting me with food, aren't you?" ［Yuna］
Yuna asked as she stared intensely at Grey's eyes. She already knew Grey for long enough to know that he uses food to lure her into someplace he wants to go to. Well, it wasn't just places, Grey also uses it to motivate her from time to time.
Unfortunately for Yuna, this time, Grey really just wanted to invite her out to the marketplace, no strings attached. He just wanted to enjoy the day with Yuna and have as much fun with her.
"Nope, I wasn't... Well, we could just head there and not buy any food if you want to. I'm not really hungry or anything." ［Grey］
"Uuu... That's..." ［Yuna］
A troubled face loomed over Yuna as she tried to find the right answer. While Grey didn't intend to tease her at first, seeing how cute her reactions were, it made him rethink his decisions.
"Hahaha, you're too serious. Just say what you want and we'll do it." ［Grey］
"Uuu... Okay... I want to eat some snacks..." ［Yuna］
"Yeah, that's more like it... My girlfriend really is cute, aren't you!" ［Grey］
"Hey, Grey! Stop that, it's embarrassing!" ［Yuna］
A beet red color was painted all over Yuna's ears as Grey patted her head like he would to a child. While Yuna doesn't mind such acts, she was a little embarrassed since they were out in public.
Fish, fruits, meat, and vegetables. There was a lot to be seen in the market. No matter where one looked, one would find interesting things. After the "Rabbit's Den" and the guild, it was Grey and Yuna's favourite place to be in.
Back when they were still at the capital, every time Grey and Yuna needed to go to the market, they would always wear cloaks to prevent them from being known. Now that they didn't need them anymore, they felt much freer and comfortable. They seemed like birds who had regained their wings.
Stall after stall, Grey and Yuna explored the marketplace and bought the things they needed. They also greeted some of the vendors they knew, of which, some had given them free food just because. Something Grey and Yuna accepted happily.
The happy expression on Grey and Yuna's faces didn't fade away as they continued their shopping spree. The market was so large that even when it had already been half an hour, they still weren't able to visit every stall they wanted.
"Yuna. What would you like for lunch?" ［Grey］
"Hm? Why so suddenly?" ［Yuna］
"Well, we're already here at the market. Might as well buy the ingredients for lunch. It would be troublesome to head back if we forgot something, after all." ［Grey］
"You're right.... Then... Umm..." ［Yuna］
Yuna tried to think of a dish she wanted but there was just too much that she wanted that she couldn't decide immediately. From soups to fried food and even barbecue, the number of dishes that popped inside of Yuna's mind was astonishing.
"Umm... Rice!" ［Yuna］
"Rice...?" ［Grey］
A puzzled expression was plastered on Grey's face as he looked at Yuna, who had become red after realizing what she just said. After all, rice was already a staple on their meals. It was just plain strange to request it.
"No... That's not it... I meant steamed rice... Steamed..." ［Yuna］
Yuna's expression only became redder as she explained herself to Grey, covering her face with both of her hands as she tried to hide her flustered face like an embarrassed pure maiden that she was.
Meanwhile, Grey only looked at her with a gentle smile on his face. His heart has taken a quite the significant amount of damage from Yuna's cuteness. If it wasn't for the fact they were in public, he would have hugged her there and then.
"Alright, steamed rice it is." ［Grey］
Grey said as he patted Yuna's head. The latter didn't complain a little bit even when Grey treated her again like a child. After all, if she removed her hands to stop Grey, her flustered face would be revealed. Though it was actually useless since her red ears were betraying her.
After a couple of minutes, Grey and Yuna continued their shopping in the market, arriving back at the "Rabbit's Den" just a few minutes past eleven. It was the perfect time to cook lunch.
"Helen, is the kitchen full at the moment?" ［Grey］
"Hmm... There should still be some space. Are you going to cook again?" ［Helen］
"Well, that and one more thing. I want to see Mister Gerd cook once again. It's been some time, after all." ［Grey］
"Fufufu, then just ask Mom or Dad for permission. And make sure to leave some for me, okay?!" ［Helen］
"Sure thing!" ［Grey］
Heading to the kitchen, Grey and Yuna noticed the customers waiting at the dining hall for lunch to be served. There were more than they could remember, signifying the inn's prosperity and growth.
"Are you here to cook again, Grey, Yuna?" ［Gerd］
Of course, the first one to notice Grey and Yuna's arrival was Gerd who was currently in the middle of tasting the stew he made. Following him, Selia also greeted the two with a smile blooming on her face.
"Un! We're going to cook steamed rice!" ［Yuna］
Yuna said enthusiastically as she raised her closed fist to the air. Her words successfully caught Gerd and Selia's attention.
"Oh, that's the first time I've heard of it. Care to show us how it's made?" ［Gerd］
"No problem. Then... Umm... Can we borrow the kitchen for a moment?" ［Grey］
"Hahaha, no need to ask so timidly. Just find yourselves some space and make yourselves at home. It's not like this is the first time you've used it." ［Gerd］
"Thank you, Mister Gerd, Missus Selia." ［Grey］
With Gerd and Selia's permission, Grey and Yuna quickly got to work and started preparing the ingredients. There were garlic, shallots, eggs, soy sauce, vegetable oil, salt, starch, sugar, pepper powder, pork, beef, and of course, rice!
First, Grey made the marinate with the several spices and condiments. When all is mixed and done, the pork and beef were diced into small biteable pieces which was then mixed with the marinate, left to sit for about 20 minutes.
While Grey was busy with the marinate and the meats, Yuna prepared the garlic fried rice. Like Grey, the meats she used were pork and beef. After several minutes of cooking, a golden brown yet fluffy fried rice was made with a rich aromatic fragrance.
As the meat was done marinating, Grey then added oil to a cooking pan, turned on the flames and started sautéing the shallots and garlic before adding water and the marinated pork and beef until the mixture reached a rich brown color.
After which, a bit of soy sauce and sugar were added. The lid was then covered and left to boil and simmer until the meat became tender. The process was sped up with magic as it takes almost an hour normally.
Starch was then added when the pork and beef became tender to make a gravy, only tuning down the heat when the gravy reached a thick consistency. All that was left to do was served the garlic fried rice, place the meat stew on top, and everything was finished.
A fragrant scent filled the kitchen as soon as Grey and Yuna were done cooking. It has been a while since they cooked themselves some fried rice and glad that they did. Just the look of the steamed rice was enough to make one salivate.
"Ohh～ So this is what you call fried rice..." ［Gerd］
"It smells fantastic!" ［Selia］
By the time Grey and Yuna had finished, Gerd and Selia also finished with their tasks and the customers in the dining hall had started to eat their lunch happily. Everyone was free now.
"Waah～! Are we eating now?!" ［Helen］
Of course, it also meant that Helen was now on a lunch break. As soon as she entered the kitchen, her eyes quickly fixated on the steamed rice. Thankfully, her mother was there to scold her of her overexcitement.
With the steamed rice done, everyone quickly cleaned up the kitchen table. While there were a lot of spaces at the dining hall, everyone unanimously agreed to eat inside the kitchen where it was much quieter and they could enjoy their privacy.
""""Thank you for the meal!!"""
Everyone's voices rang in unison as they all dug their spoons on their bowls of steamed rice. After a single bite, everyone's faces bloomed brightly as they enjoyed their meals.
"Mmm～! This ish sho good!" ［Helen］
"Helen, mind your manners!" ［Selia］
"But ish just sho good! I can'sh helph it!" ［Helen］
"Un! Un!" ［Yuna］
The most excited ones over lunch were Yuna and Helen who couldn't help but talk even when their mouths were full. It went without saying that they both received a scolding from Selia.
Fun stories, warm smiles, and happy faces. Just like in their meals back at the royal capital, Grey and Yuna's meals were filled with joy. If there was one thing they wouldn't exchange for anything, it was the joy of eating with others. It has become a part of their daily lives. A life full of happiness and warmth.
CHAPTER 114 END