"Ah...I didn't know this before, but it sure is nice being outside like this." Howard breathed in a huge mouthful of air, admiring the scenery around us.
"Hey, Helena? You know I can push myself around, right? And Renata is here to help too, so you really shouldn't bother yourself with this." I peeked at Helena, who was trying hard to maintain a straight and elegant visage as she pushed the wheelchair.
"I'm your fiancee...And I just don't like that freaking look on your sister's face when we're in public. I hate it. It feels shitty. Like I'm losing to her." Aloof as her expression may be, the nature that spilled out from her tongue remained unchanged.
"Leave her be, Alex. You know how stubborn Helena can be. Especially considering it's about lady Alyson, we're talking about...Anyway, I never thought we could go outside with you. I was shocked that the Duke allowed it."
'Well, you shouldn't be. After all, I worked my ass off for it.'
It wasn't a secret anymore that George and Maya often turned paranoid regarding everything about me. Just for a chance to have a casual stroll out in the garden, I have to stage a meticulous performance and effort for months.
It was mostly about me not having a seizure or Limit-testing, in other words. Then, I also doubled the portion of my food.
As a result, I got chubby. Well, chubby was kind of a nice way to put it. Simply put, I become fat, hell, even bordering obesity due to the lack of exercise.
My once sharp and bony jawline was now buried in thick layers of rubbery fat. What once were long and frail fingers were now stubby and bloated.
Then again, seeing my current state seemed to bring drastic reactions from my family. They got so happy, at Maya's behest, George decided to throw a small party to celebrate my current state of body...
I don't know; I just take it that they're happy that I no longer looked like I would snap and break from the slightest touch.
And apparently, they thought it would be cool if the party went on for some time instead of wrapping it up after a day like normal people.
Rygor and Bella even came in and stayed for a week because of that.
Renata told me it was like they were having a frickin' festival going inside the castle.
It was a huge deal, and I, the one at the center of it all, could just mellow in loneliness at how much work I needed to do in the future in order to shave all those unnecessary weights.
"Hey, now that we're outside, how about doing something fun?" Bored and feeling a bit mischievous inside, I asked the twins.
"Now we're talking! What do you have in mind, Alex? How about we blast some good old magic into the sky and see whose is bigger and stronger? Or-or, make a huge golem and then blast it to dust!?"
Helena, quick as a cat, jumped in from the back and barraged me with words like a machine gun.
"I think this will be the last outing we're going to have if we do all these Good Old Magic you have in mind, Helena. I mean, look at them. Do you think we can do all that with them watching us?" I gestured toward the rows of guards and servants standing a distance away from us.
"We can just threaten them to shut up..." Helena mumbled irritatedly.
"Ha..." I sighed. 'Still, seeing how she ain't being insufferable about it, Helena sure has softened a lot...' I thought to myself.
"You know, they don't do that kind of thing here, Helena. It's different." Added Howard in from the side, rolling his eyes.
"I know! It's just...Fine! I'll shut up!" Pouting, Helena walked off to the side.
"...So, anyway. We can't blow things up, but we can do something else, can't we?"
Helena flinched and froze in her tracks. Slowly, almost carefully, she turned around.
And I looked at the twins with a devilish grin. "Let's play hide and seek."
"Huh? That's it!?"
"...Aren't we too old for that, Alex?"
So, long story short, we ended up playing hide and seek at my behest.
Yeap. The most straightforward and the most cliche outdoor game of all games out there.
At first, it was only the three of us. But after a few rounds, things got a bit bland, so we decided to expand the roster of players. Renata, Hannah, the pouting Alyson, who was late due to her class, and even the raucous Adam joined in, too.
It was a mess...
Alyson would get overly competitive with Helena, and they would do their utmost best to make each other lose. Adam would automatically lose because he couldn't seem to stay put for even one good minute without running around. Then, we would play a short round of rock-paper-scissors to take Adam's place as the chaser because he was just as bad as It as he was when hiding.
As for Howard, well, I think he's okay. The dude was just chilling and having a good time, judging by the amicable look on his face.
'Hm, where to...?' Just to be clear, I was playing while using magic, flying around trying to pick a tree to hide in. In this round, Renata would be the chaser, and she was doing a remarkable job at pretending to be a clueless and devoted maid, by the way.
Following the breeze's movements, I saw one particular tree. It was hidden behind a huge, wide oak tree. It looked plain at best, and that's why it was perfect.
Hiding behind the grand spectacle, which was the oak tree, it looked nothing more than a background at a glimpse.
After flying with a light heart towards it, I landed and sat on the sturdy and widest branch, resting and biding my time. But then, the sound of the air splitting reached my ears.
Someone was coming. They were flying at the tree I was at a hurried pace.
I knew for a fact that it was not Renata since she was posing as a maid who was not proficient at magic. There's just no way in hell she would jeopardize all that work just for a game of hide-and-seek.
Another figure soon landed and nestled their way in, only to find me staring at them with a playful grin.
With a questioning look plastered on her face, she looked at me.
"Alex? Wha-...Argh, whatever!" Helena brushed off her confusion and claimed her seat beside me just as she caught the movement in the distance.
"O' Spirit of wind, bless me with your protection. Zephyr's eye!" A pillar of turbulent gale rose up in the distance, shaking the trees and bushes alike with great intensity.
Don't ask me why she suddenly whipped out a complex novice-tier spell just to serve as a distraction...It is what it is...
"Wow, you really hate losing to my sister that much, huh?" I gotta admit, seeing the two of them having a go seriously, and even down to using complicated magic, was really amusing.
"Shut the hell up. It's between us. You'd better not screw me over just because she's your sister."
"Hey, like you said, it's between the two of you. I'm just chilling, so don't mind me."
"Hm..." Helena narrowed her eyes. "Let's hope so, then..."
'It is so, you punk-like princess...' I shook my head helplessly.
With the gentle breeze and the sun's warm rays, we sat and enjoyed the comfort of the silence.
Maybe it was because we met every day, and I got used to her, but it didn't feel so bad like this. How do I say this...It didn't feel out of place, contrary to what I might've thought.
"...Hey, why do you do this?" Out of the blue, Helena suddenly shot, with her back facing me.
"Do what? Hide and seek? Hmm, it's hard to say...I guess it can't hurt to play now and then, and since we're outside, I'd say, why not?"
Of course, the real reason was that I was currently training my mana perception to try something. You know, like those stories where the dude can see through everything around him with his mind eyes.
I was trying to do just that right now. By focusing on the movement of mana, I was trying to picture my surroundings inside my head like an echolocation. It was hard, but with some training and Magic Word, there was nothing I couldn't do.
"Not that, idiot..." Mumbled Helena softly, turning around with her eyes darting all around the place as if she were afraid to meet my eyes, which was so unlike her.
'Huh? Then what?' Seriously, I didn't have a jack-clue at what she was getting at.
As a result, I gave her a blank look.
"Urgh! Why...that...Why do you want to be engaged-...Why do you want to be friends with someone like me?"
'Oh, that's why.' I told her the answer already, but I guessed she must've thought I was messing around that time.
So, after thinking to myself for a while, I chose to give her the truth in a more direct way this time around, at least to a certain degree.
"Because I need you and Howard."
"You...need us?"
"Yeah...Who knows? Maybe something terrible will happen in the future, but at that point, we can fight together. You know, just like the heroes from the past."
Helena then glanced at the powerless state of my lower body before proceeding to find me dead straight in the eyes.
"...I will get stronger. Much-much stronger than you. You can hide behind me. I will protect you."
'Heh, look at you running your mouth, you brat.' A soft chuckle escaped my lips.
It came as a shock to me at how serious Helena looked, but oddly enough, it was refreshing.
Yes. It didn't feel bad...
Unknowingly, my hand had moved by itself out of nowhere. Landing softly atop Helena's soft ruby hair. And before my mind could snap back to reality, my hand began to pat and ruffle her head. Caressing them playfully in a gentle motion. Something George often did when I was much younger.
'Hm...'
As it went on, I could totally see the palette of Helena's countenance flushing red from her ears, cheeks, and even down to her neck. She lowered her head due to the embarrassment, but it surely didn't do her much good, that's for sure.
Meanwhile, all I could think about was just how long she would let me do this. I mean, it's been a while, after all. Considering Helena's temperament, it wouldn't be a shocker for her to try and break my flabby arm instead.
"C-Cut it out! Don't go around touching people's heads without their permission, you bastard!" And there it was. She finally swatted my hand away and got up on her feet.
"Alex! Don't you freaking dare forget what I said just now. It's a promise!!" She looked awkward as hell, turning back as though she had something to say a couple of times before making up her mind.
Bright as a tomato, Helena glared at me for a couple of seconds before jumping down from the tree.
"Haha...Sure..." I chuckled softly at the salty and adorable Helena.