Shirou, who returned from the Fairy Kingdom

"Is this explaining why there are such incongruous appliances in the house?" Shirou thought to himself as he sat obediently on the sofa.

The living room didn't lose its elegance and luxury despite the presence of the television; the beautiful courtyard could be seen from the sofa.

Unfortunately, probably because no one has mowed the lawn outside for years, the weeds in the yard are already half a person tall, so there's hardly any scenery to enjoy.

Kuonji Yuju said she was going to make tea for Shirou, and then disappeared at the end of the corridor.

……

……

in the kitchen.

Kuonji Yuju stared thoughtfully at the kettle that was boiling water.

Her beautiful, standing figure was like a still painting, but her heart was anything but calm.

What exactly happened to that brat?

A boy who claims to be from Fuyuki, Amamiya Shirou.

Judging from his appearance, he looks like he just graduated from elementary school.

Although I initially suspected he was a magician disguised as a child, it seems that wasn't the case; he really was just a child...

— Yuzhu was very confident in her judgment in this regard.

Well, it's not surprising that some children from magician families are exceptionally precocious.

Although the Vice Minister was just a child, but—

Kuonji Yuju found it very incredible, but couldn't quite put her finger on why.

When she was angry because someone had touched the front door of her house without permission, Shirou gave her an apologetic smile.

Her childlike smile is innocent and adorable, yet it possesses a sincerity and gentleness that ignorant children lack.

Then, with a moment of relaxation, Kuonji Yuju let Shirou into her house.

This is something she would never have done before.

"..."

Kuonji Aratsumi was quite certain that she was not a woman like Aozaki Aoko (who would have a strong interest in men younger than herself), but she developed very strange feelings for Shirou.

The girl placed her hand on her chest, trying to calm her wildly beating heart.

Calm down, Youzhu.

I must have been seeing too few living humans lately to be acting so strangely.

When was the last time I saw a living person?

It seems like it was about half a year ago... Hmm!

Calm down, Youzhu.

Don't be fooled.

After that kid came in, he kept praising how beautiful the house was, probably trying to curry favor with me.

Hmph... It's too obvious.

I won't fall for it, and I won't let you disturb my peace of mind anymore!

"—"

The kettle made a sound.

Kuonji Yuju quickly took out the teapot and skillfully brewed black tea.

On her way back to the living room, the girl made up her mind.

Next, Shirou will definitely praise his black tea for being wonderful and fragrant, which is to be expected...

Because the black tea I brew is just so wonderful and fragrant!

No, that's not the point.

The point is, I won't be fooled by your sweet talk anymore.

It was just a cup of black tea; once Shirou finished it, he was told to leave and go back to where he came from.

Of course, there are no snacks served with tea!

"……what?"

Kuonji Yuzu entered the house, only to find that Shirou, who should have been sitting on the sofa watching TV, was nowhere to be seen.

The girl's eyes widened.

Just as she was regretting that she had so easily trusted others and let a complete stranger into her home.

Next, she saw an even more unbelievable sight.

"What...what are you doing?"

The girl stared at Shirou's back, her voice trembling as she asked a question.

The boy turned around and gave her an embarrassed, shy smile.

"Ah... because the living room looked too cluttered, which was a shame considering the beautiful view, so I thought I'd fix it up."

As Shirou squatted in the courtyard pulling weeds, he said, "I hope I didn't cause any trouble for Miss Ayumi."

Kuonji Aratsu was so stunned that she couldn't speak:

Normally, would someone go into someone else's yard to weed the first time they enter their home?

What's wrong with this kid's thought process?

Shirou noticed the tea set she was holding.

"Is the tea ready? Excuse me, I'll go wash my hands and be right back."

The girl frowned and said, "Aren't you going to continue weeding?"

"Hmm? It's fine to make it later... It's not good if the black tea gets cold."

"..."

Kuonji Yuzu gave Shirou a deep look, then lowered her eyelashes pitifully.

"Okay, go wash your hands, I've prepared some snacks."

……

……

And so, the two of them drank tea and ate snacks in the well-lit living room.

Just as Kuonji Aratsu had imagined, Shirou drank the tea and praised its deliciousness.

The girl listened expressionlessly, with an air of utter indifference.

"Amamiya, you..."

The witch of the mansion stared at the boy on the sofa and suddenly broke the silence.

"Ok?"

"nothing."

Kuonji Yuju shook her head, her gorgeous black hair swaying on either side of her fair cheeks.

"What's wrong? You suddenly stopped talking halfway through a sentence, it'll make people suspicious!"

Hearing him say that, the girl was a little unhappy: "Amamiya, you seem to really enjoy black tea?"

She clearly looked like a country bumpkin who only drank Japanese tea—that seemed to be the word that appeared on the girl's cute face.

Shirou thought for a moment and replied, "I lived in Britain for a while before, so I can drink black tea quite well."

"Hey?"

Kuonji Yuzu noticed that Shirou used the word "Britain" instead of "England".

Something feels off... or rather, I've been acting strange ever since I met Shirou.

She turned her face toward the floor-to-ceiling window as if to escape.

The area was originally hidden by waist-high weeds, but Shirou has managed to reveal part of it after some simple work.

The girl's mood improved.

Are you good at this kind of thing?

"Yes, I used to do that all the time when I was in Britain."

In an instant, Shirou's thoughts returned to the Fairy Kingdom.

At the edge of the island of Britain in another world, in that small kingdom called Orkney—

"Well, if you live with a witch, it's only natural that you'd be good at this kind of thing."

Kuonji Yuzu raised an eyebrow: "You talk as if you know a real witch."

Shirou chuckled, neither confirming nor denying.

The tea party ended in a quiet atmosphere.

Shirou stood up and walked towards the courtyard.

Kuonji Yuju returned to the kitchen to brew herself a second pot of black tea. When she came back, Shirou was already lying in the weeds, working enthusiastically.

The girl poured the black tea from the kettle into a cup, then opened the magic-related book she had brought.

Time flows quietly.

Kuonji Yuju would only look out the window when she picked up her teacup.

She had no intention of helping; she simply watched the gardener's every move as if she were an observer.

Just as Shirou had boasted before, he was very good at weeding in the garden.

In just half an hour, Shirou had crossed the courtyard and cleared away all the wildly growing weeds.

After admiring his masterpiece for a while with his hands on his hips, Shirou left the courtyard satisfied, without even leaving a footprint.

"Then I'll take my leave now."

After Shirou washed his hands, he spoke to Kuonji Yuju.

"I made an appointment with my family to go back before dinner, otherwise I might miss my chance."

"...?"

The girl had a lump in her throat: "They're gone?"

"...So what exactly are you here for?"

You've been working for so long, isn't it all just to get more information about me, Aozaki Touko, from me?

However, Shirou seemed to have no interest in that area at all.

He has accepted Aozaki Touko's death with equanimity, and he really just came in to rest—

Shirou bid farewell and left without looking back, leaving the witch speechless.

Back in the living room, Kuonji Yuju quietly raised her head and gazed at the view outside the window.

The view of the courtyard through the glass reminded him of his hometown ten years ago.

Compared to then, the courtyard is now so desolate it could be called a wasteland.

But for some reason, their shadows overlapped.

Today her garden has received attention and maintenance, all thanks to Shirou's efforts over the past half day.

This filled the girl's heart with a strange warmth—

It's not so bad to be completely isolated in your own world and occasionally interact with others.

She found herself thoroughly enjoying that moment.

The child simply weeded quietly in the yard and didn't interfere much with his life...

The feeling of not interfering with each other and carefully taking care of Yu-joo's feelings is very comfortable.