Okay, we'll eat our lunches while the water fills up!

Let's do it!

　I was about to suggest using water magic to quickly manipulate the spring to put in water, but I quit as soon as I heard Bartolo's line.

　It's not worth it to do anything with it, not just because it can be done conveniently and quickly with magic.

　This kind of gradual time is one of the best parts of the slow life.

　Me and Bartolo put down a sheet on a flat area and sit down there.

'My butt doesn't hurt because of the moss,'

Nature's cushion, huh?

　In a normal place, the ground would be hard enough for me to feel the hardness of the ground on my butt and occasionally hit me with a hidden tree root or stone, but I didn't have to worry about that at all here because of the fluffy mossy stuff growing on the ground.

　While we were enjoying the feel of the moss, Bartolo pulled out two lunch boxes from his back basket.

　I'm already starving after walking incessantly all morning and climbing the mountain.

　Bartolo unwraps one furoshiki and I unwrap the other.

　Then, all at once, I opened the lid to reveal a bento with just a rice ball and a bento with just a few ingredients, such as fried chicken, fried eggs, salted salmon, broccoli, and cherry tomatoes.

　It's nice and simple, but this is the royal way of bento.

　Even if we made it ourselves this morning, the moment we open the bento is a very exciting time for us.

What's in the ingredients for the onigiri?

　I made fried chicken and egg rolls, but Bartolo did all the onigiri making.

　So I don't know what the ingredients for an onigiri are.

'Heh, that's a treat.

Okay. But I want to know this. You have salt rice balls, right?

"Of course, kid.

　If that's the case, there's no problem. It's not a bad idea to have a variety of ingredients in your rice ball, but I think I'd like to have an onigiri with only salt.

　As expected of Bartolo, he knows what he's doing.

Well, let's eat!

Yes.

　I nodded at Bartolo's words and quickly reached for the onigiri.

　I'm curious about the ingredients inside, but you'll understand when you eat it.

　I take a bite of the onigiri. The taste of sweet rice and exquisite salt.

　Could it be a salted onigiri?　I took another bite to make sure, but the middle part of the rice ball was empty.

"Ooh, a salted onigiri!

Did you find it first?

　At first I was a little happy because I wanted to eat salted onigiri if possible.

　Oh, I guess it's because I worked up a sweat. The moderate saltiness is very tasty. It also goes well with the unique sweetness of this rice.

　It seems to replenish the salt I've lost.

　After taking a bite of the onigiri, I ate the fried food as a side dish.

　Even after it cools down, it's still soft and juicy, and the rich juices gush out in my mouth.

　I ate the karaage and bit into the rice ball and repeated the process.

I hate the fact that it's seasoned so thickly to go with the onigiri.

Haha, fried food goes well with onigiri.

　Mmmm, after all, fried rice balls are a must for onigiri bento.

　After eating one salted rice ball with karaage, I ate an omelet, broccoli, and mini-tomato as a chopstick rest.

　Yes, the sweet omelet was delicious, and the fresh broccoli and mini-tomatoes made my mouth feel refreshed!
Nah.

　By the time I finished eating one of the onigiri, Bartolo had already finished three.

　There's a big difference in the size of their bodies, so their eating pace is completely different.

　I grabbed my second onigiri and ate it as fast as I could.

　I'm sure you'll be able to see the beautiful red flesh as you take a bite.

This time it's salmon.

　This joy of finding the ingredients and dusting them off. Very nice.

　After swallowing the first bite, I eat the salmon and rice together.

　The salty salmon and rice go very well together. Especially the skin, which is grilled until it's crispy and gives off a savory flavor.

'Ah, a rice ball, salmon, an omelet, and a fried egg... I'm craving miso soup.

　If the lineup consists of rice, fish and omelet, miso soup is necessary for soup.

　Oh, I want to eat that warm miso soup and onigiri together.

　As I muttered to myself as if I were getting impatient, Bartolo laughed and pulled a small cloth package out of his pouch.

'There it is, kid. I knew this would happen, and here's a miso ball!

Is that something you could make with hot water?

Yeah, it's got miso, dried wakame seaweed and fish fillets. Well, it's going to taste a little rough, but it has the flavor of a proper miso soup.

　I see, they put dried wakame seaweed or fish slices in the miso to replace the dashi ingredients. Oh, I see, that would certainly make a great miso soup, although it's rough, but it would make a great miso soup.

　I'm not sure if Bartolo's miso ball can be made into a proper miso soup.

　In order to find out, I make two teacups with clay magic.

　I put a ball of miso in each of them and pour the hot water I made with my magic into them.

　The ball of miso melts as it gains steam. You stir it with a spoon made of earth magic.

　Then a splendid instant miso soup is created, and the fragrant yet gentle aroma of miso wafts through the air.

　Me and Bartolo nod to each other and pick up the teacup.

　Then we breathe lightly and sip slowly.

　The taste of gentle miso and the taste of the shore. The dried wakame seaweed and fish fillets seemed to do the job well, enriching the flavor of the miso soup even more.

''Huh...''

　Me and Bartolo exhale slowly and sip again.

　Ah, the warm miso soup seeps into my body.

　I didn't expect to be able to eat miso soup without using spatial magic on the road, so the emotion in me is huge.

'You do it, Bartolo!

'Because there's a boy who can magically make hot water right away. I thought I might be able to make an instant miso soup somehow.

　I patted him on the back as if to express my pleasure, and Bartolo laughed with pride.

　The taste of the broth was definitely rougher than what was served in the mansion, but this was an antidote to the broth.

''Mother Erna and sister Elinora would probably like the stronger taste of miso, but Father Nord and Brother Silvio might like this one better.

I see. In that case, how about making a seafood miso soup with shrimp and fish bones?

　Whoa, I think Bartolo has noticed a new aspect of miso soup.

　Yeah, yeah, it's great. I love arabesque soup, so I'd like you to make me some.

I'm sure you'll enjoy it.

You're right!　Alright, when this happens, let's get back to the mansion and make it!

　As I was ministering to him with this single-mindedness, Bartolo suddenly stood up and began to say something like that.

'No, wait, Bartolo. No, wait, Bartolo, that's not true. We've come all this way and it's a shame to leave so soon. Besides, the spring hasn't filled up yet.

　It may be my fault for sounding like I was trying to kindle the fire, but we've been here less than 30 minutes. I have some leftover lunches, and it's not very likely that I'll be leaving right away.

''Ugh, I see.

We have some time to kill after we get home, so why don't we just relax and enjoy our time here for now?

　When I said that, Bartolo grunted and sat back down.

　He still seemed somewhat anxious to make the seafood miso soup, as if he couldn't bear to do so.

　Bartolo, as if to get rid of his anxiety, stuck to his onigiri.

　I sipped the miso soup while eating the salmon onigiri.

　The taste of the seaweed flavored miso soup melted my onigiri and washed it down my throat.

　Then you drink the spring water to refresh your mouth and throat.

"Huh, that's so relaxing...

　I could hear the sound of a spring running in the area, and the clean surface of the water.

　The water is very clear and the mosses are very colorful.

　If we look around, we can see the mountains closer than usual, and in the distance, we can see what looks like the village of Koliat faintly.

　It is a kind of luxury to eat onigiri with such a nice view. If we could enjoy such a view, it would be worth the trouble of hiking up the mountain.

　But I don't have the strength to descend the mountain, so let's take the psychic ride home.

　As I looked out over the landscape, I decided to do just that.