Brother Silvio finished the painting and the king, the original battle pencils were completed.

　Of course, I can't play with just one, so I've also included several other demon motifs.

　Now you won't have any complaints.

　I handed the battle pencils to an employee of the Triera Trading Company who was waiting in the village for communication, and he immediately started transporting them to the King's Capital.

　It's not that it's a job like working for a company, but I'm still not good at things that exert coercive force.

　If it's for my own benefit, I'm not bitter, but when it's for someone else, it's a pain in the ass.

　The mere mention of work is enough of a distraction to prevent me from truly enjoying my usual routine.

　Maybe it's because of the ingrained company spirit in me, but if possible I'd like to avoid this kind of hassle in the future.

　Well, that's the end of the request from the king. Let's stop thinking about it.

　As I was taking it easy with a weight off my shoulders, before I knew it, we moved from autumn to full-blown winter.

''It's ... cold.''

　When I woke up in bed, I was awakened by the cold air that enveloped the room.

　The only warmth was in my remaining bedding.

　But even that would eventually be eroded by the cold air.

　I don't want to get out of bed in the winter because it's cold. As a result, I fall asleep twice. What a pattern there was often.

　So how many times have I wasted the precious morning of a holiday?

　Well, I love to spend my time in bed, so it's a very fulfilling time for me.

　At any rate, it shouldn't be cold enough for me to sleep twice.

　I instantly float multiple fireballs and try to raise the indoor temperature as well.

'Huh ... it's warm.'

　The fireball burning melodramatically in the air immediately raised the temperature of the room, which had turned into a low temperature.

　When it reached a comfortable temperature, the fireball's momentum was reduced and maintained.

　After all, it's best for humans to live in the right temperature.

　Once the temperature in the room reached the right temperature, I closed my eyelids and let my consciousness sink into darkness again.

'Al!　It's time to practice!

　However, an entity has invaded to prevent that from happening. It was Elinora's sister.

　As usual, she came in as if it were her room without knocking.

　I thought about deciding to go to bed with the raccoon, but I stopped and opened my eyes only honestly.

　For some reason, it's because I realize that it's useless because I can't get through to Sister Elinora and Mother Erna.

　Besides, there's a good chance that they'll take the good news that we're unresisting and approach us and bring us into a forceful discussion.

''It's cold and it's still early,''

'Winter slows Al down and it takes him a while to get ready, doesn't it?　That's why I'm going to wake you up early - wow, it's warm in here, even in winter. It's a little creepy.

　I didn't hear me complain, but Elinora sister came into the room and frowned.

　I guess she found the temperature difference between the temperature in the hallway and my room uncomfortable.

　It's not hard to understand the feelings, but it's strangely hurtful when a woman tells you she's uncomfortable as soon as she walks into your room.

　I mean, it's like a reptile that can't maintain its body temperature in the winter when it's slower to move.

'It's okay. I won't falter in my preparations.

　So you'll have to let me stay in bed until the last minute of practice.

I come into your room and you can't even twitch a muscle.

Elinora sister, trust me...

You can't even sound serious. Come on, let's go downstairs quickly.

Yeah, yeah.

　Without reacting at all to my serious expression and the sound of my voice, Sister Elinora dragged me out of bed.

　At that moment, the futon got strangely tangled up with me, and it must have been because the futon missed me too.



　◆



　I changed out of my nightgown and went downstairs to change into my regular clothes.

　The air in the living room was warmer than my room, probably thanks to the fireplace running in the living room.

'Good morning, Al,'

Good morning, Brother Silvio.

　Brother Silvio was at the Kotatsu.

　That's my family's sensible man. He neatly greets me in the morning. It is very different from my sister who comes into the room without knocking and greeting.

　There is still some time until the time of practice. I went into the kotatsu to warm myself up.

　But my sister Elinora has gone in the shortest route, so I have no choice but to go into a faraway place that is empty.

　The kotatsu has already started up and is warm. This is a heating power that surpasses that of a futon.

''Hey, Silvio-san.''

What is it?

Why would I want to get out of the kotatsu and go outside to practice on a cold day like this?

It's not that I don't want to, it's that I have to.

That's what I mean. I'm not woozy.

　Taking advantage of the honor student's exemplary answer, sister Elinora is here to say.

'This kotatsu is a heating device made out of my inertia to not want to go outside?

'That's not the same thing as this. Don't distract me from the point.

　Sis Elinora sits on the kotatsu shamelessly.

　d*mn, sister Elinora's habit of saying things like Mother Erna.

　There's no way sister Elinora is capable of such a clever response. She must have been taught by Mother Erna how to deal with me when I try to round her up.

　It's kind of frustrating.

'Oh, you've got it all together!

　As I'm chewing my teeth, Bartolo walks into the living room.

　A small pot was held in his hands, and I could smell the gentle scent of miso.

'Maybe it's miso soup?'

Yeah, it's hard to practice on a cold day like this, isn't it?　So drink a little something warm to get your strength up!

　Bartolo, what a handsome man you are at heart.

Thank you, Bartolo!

'I think I'm going to have more strength than usual when I drink miso soup.

I was just hungry!

　Bartolo's kindness to me, brother Silvio, and sister Elinora's expressions are filled with emotion.

''Hehe, today's miso soup is a bit fancy,''

　Flashy?　Maybe it's full of ingredients or something?　Or maybe it has some fancy ingredients in it?

　I looked into Bartolo's open pot as I leaned forward in curiosity.

　Then I saw a bright red tomato sitting in the middle of the pot.

'It's a whole tomato miso soup!

"Oh,

　It's not the direction I imagined it would go, but it's certainly flashy.

　Who would have guessed that a big tomato would be thrown into the bowl?

　We wait patiently for Bartolo to serve it to us while the gentle aroma of miso soup rises in the air.

　I can tell just by looking at it. It's absolutely delicious.

　Just one look at the tomatoes sitting in the miso soup was enough to assure me that they were tender.

　When the whole tomato in the miso soup was handed out to all of us, we all grabbed our spoons.

　The ingredients were simple, just green onions and bok choy. The tomatoes are in the main course, so that's all we need.

　The tomatoes were very soft, perhaps because they had been peeled thin beforehand. I was able to scoop them up very easily with a spoon.

　I cooled the faint steam with my breath before slowly putting it into my mouth.

'.........Delicious.''

　The softened tomatoes melted in my mouth.

　Then the sweetness of the tomatoes spread out.

'It's warming,'

These tomatoes are sweeter than usual!

'Tomatoes get sweeter when they're heated. That must be what makes them so sweet.

　Yeah, Bartolo is right. The sweetness of the tomatoes is enhanced thanks to the proper cooking.

　I'm convinced that this tomato is the star of the show, both in taste and volume.

　The sweetness and acidity of the tomatoes dissolve into the miso, which is very tasty.

　Drinking the soup warms you up from the inside. It warms you up from the outside on the kotatsu. It's the best.

"Ha, that was delicious.

You're so warm.

Yeah, I'm warmed up and my stomach is swollen, so I'm not going to practice.

No, of course not.

　When I was having a conversation like that with brother Silvio, I was angry with sister Elinora.

''Eh, after eating such delicious food and getting warmed up in the kotatsu, I don't want to go outside anymore. Let's just stay in the kotatsu and get warm!

　I'm having a good morning. I don't want to go out of my way to torture myself.

　I want to plunge into a sloppy, sloppy time.

　Brother Silvio looks on with a bitter smile as I complain, and Sister Elinora passes on.

　No matter how I appeal to them, they don't seem to have any choice but to stop practicing.

　Sighing in disappointment, I looked at Bartolo, who was putting away the dishes, and it hit me: "Yes, Bartolo!

'Yes, Bartolo!　Now is the time to take care of that thing!

　Yeah, I made a deal a while back. It was that Bartolo would excuse me from my training in exchange for me helping him clean up.

　If I play that card, I won't have to go to practice.

'Huh?'

　While Sister Elinora wonders, Bartolo sneaks up on her.

'Oh, come on, kid. I promised you that I would, but I told you I couldn't do it all of a sudden.

　Even if Bartolo gives a reason, he needs to say it up front.

　Even if he succeeded in saying it on the day, it would only cost Bartolo dearly.

''d*mn, come to think of it,''

Don't worry. Tell me in advance and I'll make sure you get around it.

So, next time we train, we'll do it for me, okay?

Okay.

　Lately, the winter weather has been getting colder and colder. Next time I'll let you avoid the practice.

　I chuckled as I made sure Bartolo nodded firmly.

'Come on, we should get outside now.


　But the spare smile crumbled away as Sister Elinora quickly led her outside.