Chapter 12 – Bien (4)
The road to here was beautiful, but this space was on a different level.
After breaking through the trees and bushes Bien pointed out, a small pond appeared.
Fireflies roamed over the pond, and only admiration came out.
“Wow… It’s really pretty.”
“… I know.”
It was unfamiliar to see Bien admit it honestly.
She undid her arms, which had been wrapped around her for a while, and opened her basket.
It’s a little chilly as her arms, which were attached to her bare skin, have fallen off.
Inside the basket was her mat.
Bien spread her mat on the floor.
But she didn’t stop there.
Seeing how thoroughly her preparations were, Bien rummaged through her basket and she pulled out even a candle.
“Did you even bring a candle?”
“It’s night, of course.”
It is in stark contrast to me who came with my bare body.
“But how do I light the fire?”
“Ah.”
Bien, who was placing her candle, hardens.
This idiot doesn’t even have the most basic idea.
Lily’s sister always lit a fire with magic when she was with the party, so she must be too used to it.
At this point, she’s ashamed and says, ‘That’s because I just brought it?!’
But do I really need a candle?
The moonlight was so bright that nothing could be seen.
She, who had been fidgeting for a while, raised her head and looked at me.
Her eyes seemed to have moistened slightly.
“… How could it not be..? Starches…”
“… What.”
“… Light this on fire…”
I was embarrassed by this all of a sudden.
Bien whines.
She hands me a candle held in her fern-like hand.
I am curious as to why you are doing this.
Is this even one of your dreams?
I was dumbfounded and laughed.
But Bien did not back down.
“How can you light a fire here? I have no equipment.”
“… I don’t know… What do you do…”
“Can’t we just do without it?”
“…”
Bien’s expression suddenly becomes sullen.
Again, her heart is about to weaken.
I think it wouldn’t have been easy if I just got angry and tickled.
If you show this kind of side, it’s not good to refuse.
Okay. A child who doesn’t normally do this is like this.
And here she is, if she doesn’t come true as she imagined
How much more will you fry me?
I’m not sure, but she might have been a long-cherished wish.
Up to this second.
I scratched my head and looked around.
She takes the candle from her hand.
Bien watches what I do with a brightened expression.
I picked up wood chips, thick twigs, and dried grass from the surroundings.
I sat on my butt outside on the mat and gathered the ingredients.
Then he started scratching the twigs against the wood block.
You can’t help it. You have to be like a caveman like this.
“Starches…?”
“I want you to do it. Wait and see.”
Swish swish
Move your arms back and forth quickly.
It was the first time since I played it as a joke when I was young.
At that time, I couldn’t light a fire after all. Will it be now?
Long time for that
-Tick
Just as the smoke is about to rise, I accidentally push it and the branches come out in pieces.
The rising smoke disappears like a lie.
“Bien, this won’t work… “
Wiping the sweat, I looked back at Bien.
She, too, was squatting next to me, hugging her knees.
I get sullen again, as if my words were expected.
Seeing that expression, I couldn’t bear to finish her words.
It’s like a younger sister with a big age gap.
A-san… Why are you doing this to me?
She closed her eyes and started rubbing the wood once more.
Swipe swipe.
.
.
.
I rubbed for a while again.
Quite a bit of time seems to have passed.
At this point, I don’t know if I came here to rest or to light a fire.
Now that I think about it, wouldn’t it have been quicker to go to the orphanage and get the equipment?
Ignore her arm for the burning pain and continue rubbing it.
Swish
It’s been a long time since the smoke rose this time.
I got used to this and moved consistently without making the same mistake as before.
But beyond that nothing happens.
Bien wipes away the flowing sweat.
I was thinking of quitting Vien’s expression and all, if the real sweat drops were going to kill the smoke by mistake.
“… Starchis, cheer up.”
Pretty words come out of her mouth for the first time in a long time.
How much she wanted to light a candle.
Stick with me please…
And at that moment, a bright fire is born.
“Uh..!”
Bien is started.
I was also surprised and threw tree branches and picked up pieces.
Shake gently to light the fire.
As the fire grows a little more, the wind blows weakly.
Next to him, Bien waits with bated breath.
Anger. And in an instant, a fire breaks out.
“It’s okay… It’s okay!! Look at this!”
“Wow..!!”
The sense of achievement is greater than expected.
I put down the piece of wood that was on fire and watched it rise.
Once ignited, it blooms surprisingly fast and large.
“Right!! Bloom!!”
Primitive people must have tasted this sense of accomplishment, right?
Thinking of them, I danced a little dance beside them that they would have done.
“Bien..! Look at this!!”
Shake your head and dance around the fire.
I hope Bien will come soon and dance.
But even after waiting for a long time, it seems that I am the only one dancing.
I turned and looked at Bien.
She was looking at me with her mouth slightly open.
“.. Bien?”
She thought she was delighted too.
I felt ashamed for nothing at the stare at me, staring at me with no reaction.
The hand she was waving also scratched her head
The excited legs slowly loosened up.
Leave me alone up to my waist. I stopped dancing.
“Ah… Am I a little excited?”
“Uh..? Uh. Ah… It doesn’t matter if we dance a little longer…”
She acts like a person who suddenly wakes up.
“That… No. Let’s light a candle.”
I picked up the candle I had put down on the floor and put it on my own small fire.
“…You’re so cute…”
I hear Bien say something behind me.
“Uh? What did Bien just say?”
“Uh? Oh, oh, did you not say anything?”
There were 5 candles in total. She took out the remaining candles from the basket one by one.
It was lit and placed on a mat.
After uploading everything, it looked like it was about to memorize a spell.
But as long as you don’t have such silly thoughts, it’s an honest impression.
Okay. It was definitely pretty.
Bien must have imagined this.
I think I can understand why I wanted to light the candles so far in the beauty of the candles.
Bien sat down on her mat with a smile on her face.
He looked very satisfied.
“Ugh… Thank you.”
Pushing her hat down, she thanks him.
“Sit down quickly too, Starchis.”
I was pleased with her thanks and sat down as she said.
On her mat, slightly away from her.
Sit her down and twist her weary arm a little.
After a long intense workout, it felt relatively calm now.
Bien creeps up to her and crosses her arms again.
‘It’s cold,’ she said briefly.
Still, she massages my arms little by little.
I guess I know it’s hard
“The atmosphere is good.”
She also shared her personal impressions.
Something I would never normally say.
It had been a long time since she looked so happy.
A candle that brightens the surroundings.
A small pond of clear water.
Fireflies flying over it.
The moonlight shining on me and Bien.
Stars hung in the sky innumerable.
Cool wind.
I also felt that my tired body felt a little lighter.
It would be nice to see such a beautiful scenery with a lover.
“I must come here later with my future lover. Right Vien?”
Bien hardens at the words handed over.
Pausing for a moment, she speaks her words.
“…You do that too. I’m satisfied with what I’ve seen once…?”
“… What the. I get it.”
You put on such a satisfied expression earlier.
There is no law that my words are easy to affirm.
Is it really that hard to just say ‘yes’?
“Ah!”
She suddenly calls out.
Then he untied her arms and rummaged through her basket again.
I felt ominous.
“Did you have a hard time lighting the fire… ? Ruler. I’ve made.”
Haha. The time has finally come.
She handed me a snack.
To think I had to work hard to light a fire and even eat this.
It’s like giving a bottle and giving poison.
“Um… What is this?”
It looks like bread. Other than that, I don’t know.
“It’s a sandwich. There are not many ingredients…”
“Oh, is it a sandwich?”
When I ask again, Bien gets angry.
“Bah, because it’s in the basket and it’s out of shape?”
If you look closely at the bread she gave you, you can see that there are ingredients in between.
Listen a little bit
Eggs… What is this? Sweet potatoes.
Bread is the hard bread the children ate earlier.
As she said, it’s modest.
Still, if you think of sharing the children’s food, it looks like a delicacy.
“That… Thanks Bien.”
“Huh.”
I said it bluntly, but she looked at me with her fidgety face.
You must be curious about my reaction.
I’ve already eaten Bien’s food a few times before.
I don’t have any good memories.
Reluctantly, I looked at the sandwich the way Bienne looked at me.
She opened her mouth and turned around, wondering where to ask.
It takes a long time to open and close your mouth, muster up courage
I took a small bite and asked.
The sour taste rises sharply.
There was nothing sour to come up.
It’s not that the food isn’t tasty, it’s another food.
Oh Are you kidding me? I stopped chewing and looked at Bien.
I looked at her with a serious smile on her face, saying ‘If you’re joking, tell me now’.
But instead of following me in a funny way, Bien’s expression suddenly brightened.
You look very happy.
“Eh.. Is it delicious?”
Did you understand my laughter that way?
But if that’s the case, that means you’re not kidding.
Although this is tasteless, it is made with care.
I use my wits to finish chewing the food in my mouth.
“Oh well. Would just eat you like some too?”
As for Bien, she only eats the food she makes.
She doesn’t notice there’s a problem.
To let her know that her food is not good
‘You try it too’ she gave it back, but she just ate it well.
So if I divide it like this and reduce my share, I can relieve the pain.
“Nope. You haven’t eaten dinner Eat them all.”
But the rope of salvation does not come down.
I looked at the remaining sandwich in her hand.
It feels bigger than before.
“Uh… Is it more… Delicious than what Lily did?”
Bien asks cautiously.
It will taste better than the one Lily noona made.
If you look at it, you’re good at making absurd fights.
But still, I can’t say that.
The peaceful atmosphere that comes from sitting in front of the beautiful scenery now
I don’t want to be cold.
“Hmm… Both are delicious. Look over there!”
I just stretched my hand out in front of me.
Bien’s gaze follows.
I called whatever I see.
“Wow, those fireflies are really pretty.”
I tried my best to change the topic of conversation.
Why are you trying to compete with Lily’s food?
I took a big bite this time.
It would be better to get rid of this quickly and clean it up.
*****
Time has passed.
The candles had all melted and disappeared, but it was still dark.
As she got used to the beauty of the pond, her drowsiness returned.
My stomach was full, and the topic of conversation was off, making it harder to fall asleep.
It’s been quite a while since I kept my silence.
Wouldn’t Vienne be sleepy at this point?
I saw her holding her arm inside her saying it was cold.
Her hat is also off to her side of her, so her face of her is clearly visible.
She was staring blankly at the pond.
Is it now?
“That… Bien.”
He looks up at me without answering.
“Would you like to go in now… ? There’s nothing more to talk about, I’m tired and… Ah. It’s cold too.”
“Cold..?”
I don’t answer the other parts, but I answer only the last word.
She unfolds her arms her and moves her body her to fall on her back into my arms.
“I was cold too, but it’s fine.”
No, isn’t it right to go in?
Why do you two have to be cold here?
But it’s a little warm because she’s like this.
“Can’t we just… Go inside?”
“No.”
“Why? There’s nothing to talk about right now, you’re bored.”
“I am not bored.”
She’s sitting in my arms, so I can’t see her expression.
She didn’t know what she was thinking when she said this.
“I’m really tired right now… “
“Then will you give me another wish ticket instead of going in?”
“…Uh?”
“You didn’t stay up all night with me when you went in. You didn’t make my wish come true.”
My thoughts just stop at her words.
Do you follow these again?
The action just stops.
That’s never going to happen.
“No. Okay, let’s stay up all night.”
.
.
.
Even after that, I was able to watch the sunrise with her quietly without a word from her.
My back her hurt from enduring the Vienne that kept leaning on me.
Back at the orphanage, the children were waking up.
From the moment the children fall asleep to the moment they wake up, they are with Vien.
My eyes hurt more than anything else.
It also came with a headache.
As soon as they wake up, they cling to my body, saying let’s play with strong movements.
In my dizzy head, my older brother’s advice…
It hovered more and more clearly.
