"Master Alfried, wake up.

　As I surrender to the comfortable feeling, I'm suddenly called out to him and he shakes my shoulder.

　With that, my consciousness slowly floats up and I open my eyelids slightly.

　In front of me is Saara, a beautiful maid with long black hair.

''Hmm?　Sarra, what?

It's time to get up for breakfast.

　While I couldn't turn my head, I asked reflexively and Saara told me nonchalantly.

''Eh, you could have slept a bit longer. I just returned to the mansion after traveling from the Silford territory, you know?''

'Having said that, it's been three days already. I saw more yesterday and the day before yesterday, but from today, I'm going to have you return to your normal, regular routine.

　I knead my way out of it, but Saara unceremoniously rips the covers off.

　As usual, Saara is a bit harsh. Meena would be able to scatter it in the smoke just by talking at random.

　As I think about it, my brain gradually activates and I suddenly realize.

''Huh?　I thought I locked myself in my room last night...

　I should have locked the door to my room with a psychic last night to sleep as hard as I could today.

　So why is Saara coming into my room?

'I always take the master key with me when I go to Master Alfried's room,'

Didn't they say that the master key is only used for emergencies?

　I'm afraid that my privacy will be lost if they use it so pompously. I'm afraid that one of these days I'll be able to force it open for a bit.

'Because Master Alfried will lock the door and sleep.

　That's one thing, but is there an option to give up?

　I'll have to do something about the master key when this happens. Next time I'll steal it secretly and replace it with a fake one.

'I don't know what you have in mind, but I'm sure you'll all be up in the dining room waiting for me.

No. I still want to sleep in here.

　When I say once and for all and turn my back to sleep, Saara walks over to me.

　Well, you don't think the ladylike Saara would wake me up in a violent way like her sister Elinora, do you?　

　I'm a little anxious, and Saara walks past me and opens the curtains.

　Then she unlocks the wooden window, smiling at me.

'It's quite cool in this room, isn't it?'

Well, you're not gonna...

　I scream out in a panicked voice as I realize what Sarla is thinking.

　It's the third day since we got back from the Silford house. It's late August and the season is still in the middle of summer.

　The summer temperature is still unabated, and the fierce sunshine and temperature are making people suffer.

　It's impossible for me to sleep in such conditions, so I use ice magic to lower the temperature in my room every day.

'It's hard to sleep when the room is so hot, isn't it?'

No, don't--

　Without me finishing, the window is rattled open.

　The sound of insects buzzing from outside and the hot air pregnant with heat invades the room.

　Ugh, the muffled air came within five seconds of opening it. It drove away the air that was made hinky by the ice magic in the blink of an eye.

''Ko, this much ice magic power........!

　I activate my ice magic to counter the hot air. Cold air spreads around me, pushing back the hot air coming in through the window.

''The air may be warmer, but it won't prevent the sunshine.

　Saara tells me as if to mock my efforts.

　Yes, my bed is arranged so that the morning sunshine from the window naturally hits it. Even if you use ice magic to lower the temperature, you can't help the sunshine coming down from the sun.

　Or rather, it's uncomfortable to be exposed to the heat from the sun's rays while the air around you is cool. It's like my body's thermoregulatory system is going haywire.

'd*mn!　What a power of sunshine!　But you can prevent that from happening by getting out of bed!

　I get off the bed and hide in the shadows to get away from the sunlight coming through the window.

　Hmmm, now I can be comfortable without being in the sun.

　I chuckle at that, and then Saara grabs my arm.

'Yes, now you've gotten out of bed. If you're not going to sleep, we'll have breakfast.

Oh....

　And I understood that I had been set up for Saara's plan.



　◆



Good morning.

Al!　Too late!　Quickly, the usual!

　As soon as I enter the dining room, a sharp voice from Elinora's sister comes flying in.

　I already understand what it means, and I promptly activate my ice magic to lower the temperature in the dining room.

''Ah, it's cool.''

Yeah, well, I need Al in the summer.

　Sister Elinora and Mother Erna muttered with a relieved look on their faces.

　I'm sure their first words were irritated by the heat. People don't get angry over trivial things as long as they can afford it. This doesn't seem to make them complain about being slow to get up.

''I can use wind magic to cool off a little bit too, but it's still no match for ice magic.

'Somehow Silvio's idea of magic is starting to resemble Al's.

'My mom and Al said I'd be better at using magic in the everyday parts of my life.

　Yes, yes, yes. Magic is there to enrich our daily lives. Therefore, it's a very good real-world practice to use in everyday situations that you can strive to be comfortable with.

''Yes, but don't be like Al, okay?

Haha, I don't think it's going to be that bad.

　Mother Erna says to remind her, and Brother Silvio laughs bitterly.

　Please don't call people weird for a minute.

''Huh ... I don't want to leave this place anymore.

I'm afraid it's going to be me and Saara who are serving today. You might want to clean up your room first.

Oh, no!　Mel!　Let me serve you, too!

　It's a pretty rare scene to get a job wish from Meena. But it's obviously for the benefit of the cold air.

'I don't need three people to serve you. Here, go ahead and get going.

Okay.

　Meena looked comfortable in the back, but was shooed away by Mel, who came in with a wagon and a handful of hands.

　Then Meena looked unfaithful and went out into the hallway and said, "Whoa!　It's still hot in the hallway! And so on.

　It's not hot enough to collapse without ice magic, but what's hot is hot. It's going to be hard for a maid to work in the middle of summer.

　As I was sending a shout out to Meena in my mind, Mel and Saara pushed the wagon and placed the food on the table.

　On the table are pork shabu, tomato spaghetti, corn soup and bread.

　Hmmm, pork shabu is easy to eat, even in the hot summer.

　When I was thinking that, Elinora's sister shouted in a strange voice.

'Huh?　Today's spaghetti and soup isn't warm.

Oh, you're cold.

　I held a plate of tomato spaghetti and a plate of corn soup and it was chilly.

'Hey Al. What are you doing chilling on your own?

No, it wasn't me.

　I shake my head in proper denial as Sister Elinora misunderstands the situation brilliantly.

　Then Saara, who is arranging the plates, chuckles.

'That's what Mr. Bartolo chilled with his ice mages. It's summer, so he tried to chill it so it would be easier to eat.

Is that so?

I've never had cold spaghetti before. I'm looking forward to it.

　Dad Nord and Mother Erna seem to be very interested in this.

　It's summer, and cold food tastes better. Bartolo was nice enough to make the tomato spaghetti. Maybe it's because it's noodles, but I'm sure it goes down easy.

　Anyway, it was my sister who doubted me first.

　When I turn a jitzy gaze at her, Elinora sister mutters in a bad way.

''It's ... confusing.''

Why are you the first to suspect me?

　Even though I used ice magic to cool the air earlier, I'm not going to suddenly chill my food.

''That's because Al always cheats with his magic.

　Mmm, that's something I can't deny.

Well, now that breakfast is ready, let's eat.

　Your father's right, Nord. I don't care about the details now. Let's just eat the delicious-looking food in front of us.

　First, you spoon the corn soup and bring it to your mouth.

　The cold but thick corn flavor seeps into your mouth and slurps down the back of your throat. It seems to have a heavier weight than when it's warm, but thanks to the cold, that's not a problem at all; in fact, the taste is more intense than usual.

　The sweetness of the corn is concentrated in this dish and it is very delicious. The spoon moves from one spoon to the next on its own.

'Sarra!　More corn soup!

I'm sorry, sir.

　As I'm slurping the corn soup enthusiastically, sister Elinora seems to have already eaten it up.

　Saara takes the plate and pours a refill from the pot in the wagon.

　That's right. There's no need to rush to eat and there are refills. Let's eat it slowly and savor it.

　It's a shame if you don't eat it with the bread as well as the corn soup. I cut up a basket of warm bread and dip it in the corn soup.

　The soft sweetness of the bread matches the sweetness of the corn soup very well. When it's hot, the mushy bread absorbs water and is hard to swallow, but thanks to the juice and coldness of the corn soup, it's easy to swallow.

'After all, it's easier to eat cold food in summer.

Yes, hot soup would be nice, but cold soup would be nice too.

　Yeah, yeah, hot food in the winter. Cold food in the summer. That's justice.

　After a bit of corn soup and bread, we reach for the pork shabu salad next.

　This one is in the form of each of us taking it and eating it with the dressing of our choice nearby. After taking my portion, I dip it in the sesame seed dressing I have on hand and eat it.

　Yeah, the sweetness of the sesame dressing went well with the taste of the pork. If you bring a hamburger in the morning, it's heavy, but if it's a light pork shabu, it's easy to eat.

　If I wrapped the pork shabu with cabbage, the sweetness and freshness of the cabbage spread and it was even easier to eat.

　After refreshing my mouth with a salad, it's time for the main course, cold tomato spaghetti.

　It's not just tomatoes, but also summer vegetables such as eggplant and cucumbers on top, with cured ham and cheese on top. The colors are so bright and delicious.

　I lightly mix it up with a fork and then roll the noodles up and eat them.

　The coolness and sourness of the tomatoes spread in my mouth. As I chewed, the crunchy texture of the cucumber and the sweetness of the eggplant leaked out, and it mingled perfectly with the acidity of the tomato sauce.

　Oh, this is another dish that I can't stand in the summer. Not only is it cold, but it's also nutritious due to the use of fresh vegetables from the village. It's the perfect summer meal.

　And not only do the tomatoes and the vegetables go well together, but the cured ham and cheese go well together as well.

　You can eat it with ham and cheese, or with vegetables and ham, or with cheese and noodles, and there are many variations.

Cold spaghetti tastes great too, doesn't it?

I think I like it cold!

'Yes. It's totally delicious when it's cold.

　Brother Silvio, Sister Elinora and Mother Erna seem to be very pleased with this.

　It's amazing how good food is, whether it's warm or cold.

''In the winter, you might be saying the opposite.

That's the time. Winter is winter, and we just need a hot meal.

　Dad Nord laughs cheerfully at Mom Erna's words.

　Well, I guess humans are creatures in good shape, aren't they?