SWNOVELXO Chapter 25
**Chapter 25**
As I go through life, there are things that cannot be explained by science.
For example, all the stories referred to as the occult.
Under the ideology of mysticism, people dive deep into spiritual phenomena like witchcraft and ghosts, believing in them without question.
Impossibly absurd tales of reading the future through tarot cards, fortune-telling, astrology, and so forth.
As a Major Arcana, the code of fate is whispered by the stars of the universe, and people nod in agreement.
However, I did not believe in such things.
Since ghosts cannot be fixed to a spatial coordinate system, I regarded what are called spiritual phenomena as illusions created by human disbelief and mental illness.
A person’s future was of a category that could not be observed; thus, I never even glanced at the countless common tarot shops that are visible from just wandering the streets.
To be precise, it would be correct to say that I had no time to waste on such illusions.
I have always been ordinary and plain.
No matter how hard I tried, I could only remain in the middle.
As an ordinary person, I felt that I lacked even the time to pursue such things.
Even the streets that others walked without a care felt overwhelming to me, making me rush forward.
After running madly until I was over thirty, I looked back and regretted it.
I thought I had worked hard, but all that remained behind me was useless things like burnt ashes, which made me feel disappointed.
Perhaps that was the reason.
It was then that I began to read novels, seeking at least a moment of leisure in my life.
And I believed that in doing so, I had regained my life.
So.
….
I don’t know how this story has come to flow like this.
In short, I was someone who didn’t believe in things that fell outside the realm of science.
Even if someone else believed in them, I was the type to think that phenomena I could not directly observe were mere illusions.
However.
There is certainly one thing that should have been classified as an illusion which I now believe.
“Ain.”
“Yeah, why?”
That was something that had always been an illusion.
“It tastes like cotton candy.”
“If you want, I’ll buy you more.”
In my view, she had black hair and deep brown eyes.
“No, I want to try something else too.”
“If that’s what you want.”
This world called it magic.
No longer do I refer to the phenomenon that allows one to conceal their identity with just a necklace as an illusion.
“Ain.”
“Why?”
The moment I observe it with my own eyes and step outside to prove its efficacy, I fully accept it.
“It tastes like cotton candy.”
“I told you that a little while ago.”
And I think.
Perhaps because such a convenient ability exists so plainly in the world, it might be the reason we have not developed beyond the backdrop of the medieval era.
For someone like me, who knows the conveniences of modern times, everything feels terribly inconvenient.
Yet, my wandering thoughts get scattered and are inevitably shoved deep into my mind again.
“But it’s delicious.”
With the woman saying it’s delicious and grinning broadly.
“Okay, I’ll show you other delicious things. Let’s go.”
“Okay.”
I hold her hand, who is munching on the cotton candy, staring blankly at me, and we step into the bustling streets.
This was the third time I had stepped outside with her, who clung to my hand and skipped along.
The ceremonial march I had watched while cloaked and last autumn’s festival.
Since then, she had always stayed in the small room of the grocery store and the alley.
There was a reason for this; it was me who had said it was better to do so, being anxious that something might happen.
Although the empire now resembled a stage with the lights extinguished, it was unnecessary to cause unnecessary trouble.
However, if one were to ask why I am out here now despite being cautious, it is because, during the days I traveled alone, I judged that it seemed safe enough.
“Ain, Ain. This looks strange.”
“Oh, that’s fermented food.”
The peaceful and ordinary market streets are always filled with background characters like these.
In that scenery, there seems to be no trace of anxiety, so even the slightest seed of it shows no signs of sprouting.
I thought it would be fine to wear a necklace and wander around.
“Ain, this smells like the alley’s sewer.”
“…, saying that in front of the shop owner is discourteous…”
“Hmm, it smells like the alley’s sewer.”
“….”
But I didn’t expect her words, thrown out without filtering, to become seeds of anxiety.
I had taught her that honorifics symbolize courtesy, yet who would have guessed she would form discourteous statements in honorifics?
It seems I’ll have to retrain her on the basics later.
I thought that as I bowed my head toward the shop owner, who smiled at me, feeling a bit helpless.
Thus, our outing in the market continues.
“Ain, what’s this?”
“That’s an insect-catching tool.”
She doesn’t just look at food; she walks where her curiosity takes her, and I follow her.
“Then can you catch human bugs with it?”
“…, that’s a bad word. Where did you learn such words?”
“The male customer at the grocery store was babbling like that. If it’s a bad word, I won’t say it.”
The girl who holds my hand sparkles her eyes as she points to all sorts of items seen throughout the market.
“Ain, look at this. It looks interesting.”
“That’s just a decoration to be placed on a shelf, but I can buy you one if you want.”
“No way. That’s a waste of money. Ain has to save money since he didn’t get a bonus.”
“….”
This process seems quite amusing to her, with the corners of her mouth slightly rising as she busily looks around.
“Ain, that looks delicious.”
“No, that’s not delicious.”
“Can’t I just try it once?”
“…, I won’t eat that.”
Still, every now and then, she insists on approaching strange things, and I find myself sweating as I try to convince her.
Why on earth is she so eager to try things like roasted caterpillars or fried crickets?
Even though she sees the perfectly crispy pork grilling at the nearby stall, she chooses to walk toward these odd foods instead.
As time passes, the sky begins to paint itself with new colors against a once blue canvas.
Thanks to the uncle’s kindness, we had come out to explore nearly at noon, yet I had spent all my time simply chasing after the excited girl.
“This is delicious. Ain, do you want to try some?”
“No.”
She seems to be truly enjoying herself, munching on warm roasted caterpillars while swinging her head.
The problem arises when I let her eat it, respecting her choice, yet she keeps trying to make me taste it.
I prioritize the appearance of food above all, and I believe I should never eat anything that looks disgusting from the start.
As I diligently wander the streets while chewing, she persistently checks on me if it really tastes good, subtly turning her head and asking me to try just one.
“It’s delicious; just have one.”
“No, I’m really fine.”
Thus, I firmly reject her offer.
As a result, her smile, which was wide moments ago, gradually fades.
“Ain, do you dislike what I’m giving you…?”
“….”
No.
Isn’t it a bit too much to suddenly pour out emotions like that?
I thought this while growing flustered at her suddenly downcast look.
Since my emotions have become clearer, this situation is somewhat tricky.
Gray emotions only seem dark, remaining calm, before suddenly becoming vividly colored.
Usually, they would burst surrounding mana when turning into such emotions.
The setting of the story, a record passed down from ancient times, speaks of gray disasters occurring during such transitions.
Of course, I don’t assume she will fall into the quicksand of emotion like any other gray entity.
“Sorry, Ain. I won’t ask again.”
Now, she even seems ready to throw away the caterpillar she held as she apologizes, and I have to squeeze my eyes shut and say something.
“…, just one.”
“Are you really going to eat it…?”
“Yeah…, ah.”
So, with my eyes still closed, I opened my mouth wide, waiting for something to enter.
People passing by the market streets might think we are a cute couple.
But for me, there has never been a moment when my heart has trembled more.
It was the moment I, who wouldn’t even spare a glance at odd-looking mushrooms, was about to eat something even more unappealing than the caterpillar I had vehemently rejected.
“Ain will surely like it too.”
Then something mushy and squishy, with part of it feeling hard, slipped into my mouth.
“…”
“Hurry up and chew, Ain.”
At those words, without hesitation, I bit down.
In an instant, a warm and lukewarm juice burst out, filling my mouth.
It felt oddly sticky, and the sensation was outright creepy, causing every hair on my body to stand on end.
The part that had seemed hard the moment I put it in my mouth must have been the caterpillar’s head; with a crunch, it made a sound as I chewed.
“How is it? Isn’t it delicious?”
Simply disgusting.
I couldn’t voice it, so I bit down a few more times, crushed it, and swallowed it down.
And I made an effort to respond.
“…, yeah.”
“Yay.”
When I opened my eyes, she was smiling brighter than usual, with a slightly odd laugh.
She seemed so happy that I accepted what she gave me; she also popped one more caterpillar into her mouth, chewing and engaging me again.
“Want another one?”
“No, let’s go see what else there is hurriedly.”
So, I hastily tugged her hand.
There wasn’t much time left before we would part, so as long as I could steal her soul until then, it would be a victory for me.
Before parting, I even ended up eating one more.
“…”
What a disgusting thing.
********
Several days passed after wandering around the market with her.
When I returned home after finishing work and exercise, Mom greeted me with an incredibly excited face.
“Son!”
“…, what’s going on?”
When I looked at her suspiciously, she grinned and asked.
“Did our son get a girlfriend!?”
“No, there’s nothing like that.”
I answered firmly.
In this life, I did not have a romantic partner.
I understood who she might be thinking of when she asked, but she and I were not the type of relationship Mom expected.
Moreover, I was already over thirty from my past life, and how could I possibly have lust for a mere child in her teenage years?
Even if this world is set in a medieval background, that age gap would be seen as garbage even among nobles.
And I am not garbage.
“But everyone at the market was talking about your girlfriend!”
“…, she’s just a coworker from the grocery store. I only took her around because she wanted to see the market.”
“They said you even walked around holding hands!”
“That was just so she wouldn’t get lost.”
If I just let her be busy wandering around, she might end up attracting some strange people.
And if we happened to lose each other, I couldn’t even predict how things would turn out.
“They even said you fed her food!!”
“…, it was a caterpillar.”
That food, which seemed like a sweet romantic gesture to others, was just a lukewarm and disgusting caterpillar to me.
As that texture flashed back in my mind, I grimaced, and my mom nodded with a strange expression on her face.
“Hmm, is that so?”
“Yes, that’s all there is to it.”
“Such a pity; I thought it was your first girlfriend, and I was so excited.”
She said that while licking her lips.
In other words, Mom was incredibly generous about her son’s first love.
So I shook my head at her and entered the house.
However, Mom’s words did not end there.
“Son.”
“What now?”
I looked at her with a tired expression, wondering what strange thing she would say next, but she spoke to me with an inscrutable expression.
“Be nice to her.”
“No, I told you, she’s not my girlfriend.”
Ignoring my denial, she raised the corners of her mouth and gently reached up to stroke her son’s head, which had grown taller than her own.
“That’s why I’m saying to treat her well, regardless of what she is, Ain.”
“…. ”
That’s a parent’s words.
It is a voice of a loving mother raising a child, rather than that of a naive girl who might be younger than me.
Such an echo resonates gently.
“When the time comes to travel, you’re planning to leave that child behind. Until then, treat her well.”
“…, I will.”
Being a parent.
That is something wonderfully strange, much like magic.
“And if our son likes someone, then Mom is okay with anyone.”
“….”
She seems like she knows nothing at all.
Yet, with a smile that seems to know everything, she meets my gaze.