By Zephyria 
I really wandered around until sunset. I ate this and that, walked around the streets, and when I got tired, I went into any store to rest before coming back out.
If it was too hot, I spent some leisurely time under the shade watching the white clouds, and only returned in the evening.
“Where are you going?”
As soon as I arrived, I took Aska with me towards the newly built Greenhouse. I hadn’t seen it either, so I was curious about what it would look like.
I had told them to make it completely isolated from the outside, so I wondered if it would look a bit stuffy. I vaguely thought so, but the ceiling was wide open.
“……”
It was so high that nothing would be able to invade from that side, but…
“Look around.”
I let go of Aska’s hand and briefly examined the inside of the Greenhouse. I could see places where the surrounding soil hadn’t been tidied up, as if they had just planted something, and there were also empty flower beds. It seemed they hadn’t prepared much since they came without saying anything.
Looking around every corner, I found an unfilled swimming pool in the middle of the Greenhouse. And nearby, I found a Magical tool that probably served to open and close the ceiling.
I didn’t know if I had to inject Mana directly or if it was a Magical tool. I couldn’t use it right away, so there was no way to check. I should ask Asella about it in detail tomorrow and come back.
“……”
Did I come too hastily? I should have told them to finish cleaning up before I went out today.
I wanted to surprise Aska, but I failed, so I felt awkward. Disappointed, I looked around for a moment before turning my head.
“Aska.”
When I called his name, I heard a rustling sound from a secluded place. Aska’s hand, covered in dirt, popped out from beside a large tree.
“What are you doing?”
“Look at this.”
“A flower?”
“I know this. It used to bloom where I lived before. What’s the name of this?”
I went closer and stared at the flower Aska was holding. But there was no way I would know the name of a wildflower that grew just anywhere.
“I don’t know. Where was it?”
“Here.”
Aska gestured to me with his dirt-covered hand. To go where Aska was pointing, I had to step on the soil. It was wet, as if it had been watered, so I didn’t want to go, but he kept gesturing for me to come, so I had no choice but to step into the flower bed.
I saw small, white flowers growing mixed with grass near the roots of the tree.
“You can eat this, do you want to try it? It’s a little bitter.”
“Don’t eat things like that.”
“Why? Grandma said it’s good to steep it in warm water and drink it when you don’t feel well. I just ate it because my mouth was bored. But where is this?”
Belatedly, Aska raised his head, looked around, and asked. There were many things lacking to call it a gift, but I couldn’t say it was nothing now.
I hesitated for a moment and then just said it.
“It’s a gift.”
“A gift? What is?”
“Play here from now on. You said you were bored just being in your room.”
“What?”
Aska’s eyes widened at my words. Aska, who was looking at me like a startled rabbit, turned his head, pointed at the tree, and asked in a dazed voice.
“This tree?”
“No, here.”
“From here to here?”
When I shook my head, he pointed to the rectangular flower bed we were standing in. As if he couldn’t believe it, I spread my arms and said more clearly.
“This Greenhouse is a gift. I’m giving it to you, so do whatever you want here. I’ll tell them to keep the management to a minimum when no one is around. I’m going to control the path from your room to here, so you won’t meet anyone while going back and forth. There will be minimal security, but you still have to be careful.”
Even after I had said all that, Aska’s expression was blank. The Greenhouse was bigger than the room, but in reality, they were both about the same.
When you think about it, it was just like having another room where he could wander around freely, but Aska was happy as if he had been granted a free outing.
Seeing him so happy pricked my conscience, but I was also relieved that he was so simple.
“Th, then can I plant vegetables here?”
“……”
Aska asked, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. This was an unexpected question, so I couldn’t help but be taken aback.
“It’s a flower bed, not a field.”
“It’s mine, so I can do whatever I want, right?”
It was absurd, but as Aska said, it was up to him what he did. I nodded awkwardly.
“Do as you please.”
“Can I cook with the vegetables I plant? Can I put a pot here?”
“……”
Again, I was speechless. I thought he would just sunbathe or play in the pool when it was hot… It seemed Aska was going to have some kind of wilderness experience here.
“Are you going to light a bonfire, by any chance?”
When I asked with a suspicious look, Aska’s expression brightened.
“That would be fun.”
“What’s so fun about it? Don’t light a fire recklessly.”
“Let’s sleep here tonight.”
“Why sleep in a place like this when you have a perfectly good bed?”
“Let’s bring a blanket and sleep here. I’ll go get it quickly.”
As soon as he finished speaking, I grabbed the nape of Aska’s neck as he darted out.
“No.”
“Why? Then you go alone. I’m going to sleep here.”
“I said no, didn’t I? There’s no bed.”
“Just sleep on the floor! There are stars in the sky. Let’s sleep while watching the stars.”
Looking at his stubborn face, it seemed like talking wouldn’t work. I frowned, looked at Aska, and sighed.
“Then I’ll call someone…”
“I’m faster!”
Aska, who turned around in place and naturally escaped my grasp, ran out of the Greenhouse. When I reached out my hand, unable to say anything, he was already gone.
I shook my head and turned my gaze to the white flower Aska had told me about earlier.
Steeping it in water and drinking it makes your stomach feel better? Is it some kind of folk remedy? Even if I looked closely, it didn’t have any particular features, so it seemed like I wouldn’t remember it even if I looked at it for a long time.
I rolled it around in my hand a few times and put it in my mouth to chew. I didn’t notice any bitterness, but my tongue felt numb and astringent. It was similar to when I ate a poisonous plant. I remembered that after this, my mouth became numb and I couldn’t even swallow my saliva because the sensation in my esophagus disappeared.
How could he eat something like this, no matter how bored his mouth was?
Feeling inexplicably bad, I stuck out my tongue and frowned, when I heard someone approaching. When I turned my head, I saw Aska coming with a blanket much bigger than himself over his head.
“Someone was standing guard a little ways away. I think it was the person I saw at your birthday last time.”
Aska said, plopping the pure white blanket he had brought onto the tile floor where there was no dirt.
“Standing guard? Did they not notice you?”
“Of course not.”
If it was the person I saw at my birthday last time, could it be Daram? It seemed like they knew we were here and were standing guard.
“I’m going to keep sleeping here from now on.”
“That’s not allowed. You can only sleep here today.”
“No.”
“I said it’s not allowed, didn’t I? Then I’ll cancel the gift.”
“It doesn’t matter if you cancel it. This is mine now.”
Aska said confidently, spread the blanket roughly, took off his shoes, and slipped inside. Aska, who had covered himself with the blanket up to his head and was moving his legs busily, rubbing his whole body, only showed his face and smiled.
“Are you that happy?”
“You lie down quickly too.”
“I don’t want to sleep here…”
“Lie down quickly, and don’t annoy me.”
Aska, who had frowned as if threatening me, patted the blanket. I sighed and went inside the blanket, and Aska smiled again. He usually didn’t hesitate to express his emotions, but today he was especially generous with his smiles.
“This is mine now, so I have to keep anyone from coming in.”
Aska was still wriggling and moving and rubbing his whole body inside the blanket, making a fuss. The blanket kept lifting up, so I grabbed the edge and opened my mouth.
“Then how are you going to manage it?”
“It’s mine, so I have to do it.”
“Can you grow flowers and trees?”
“Isn’t it just watering them?”
I knew it. It’s true that I could just clear everything out if they died and plant new ones, but it was also a hassle to do that every time.
“I’ll tell them to come and go when no one is around, so I’ll keep a separate manager.”
“No.”
“Stop being so stubborn. Each plant needs different timing and amounts of water, so it’s impossible for you to do it alone.”
“Can I do it with you?”
I couldn’t help but laugh at that question. When I was young, I had a history of even drying out and killing cacti.
“I don’t have a talent for that kind of thing.”
“But I don’t want anyone to come.”
“I’ll tell them to act like they’re not there.”
“I’ll beat them up and chase them out if they come in.”
It sounded like a joke at first, but I couldn’t laugh.
“Won’t they die if you hit them?”
“I have to control my strength. I’ll just hit them enough to get a bump.”
“What do you mean, ‘enough’? Who said you could hit them as you please?”
“Then I won’t hit them directly and just throw stones from afar.”
Is he a monkey… And it was funny that he thought it was okay if he didn’t hit them directly. I was frustrated because I couldn’t get through to him, when suddenly Aska jumped up.
Then he took the glass jar containing the candy that he had left on the floor for a moment, hugged it, and lay down again.
I thought he would eat it all up quickly, but he hadn’t touched it at all since eating just one earlier.
“Why aren’t you eating it?”
“I’m going to save it.”
“I’ll buy you more if you eat it all, so just eat it. We have to sleep now, so tomorrow.”
“No. And I’m only going to receive candy as gifts from now on.”
Does he mean he only wants candy as gifts? It seemed like some strange rule had been created. I quietly looked at Aska, who was holding the glass jar, and reached out to stroke his disheveled hair.
While I was tidying up the sticking-out parts, Aska suddenly asked.
“Is it because you can’t taste it well that you don’t eat well?”
It was a really random question.