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“I’m home.”

After parting ways with Alfe and returning to my house, I opened the door and was immediately wrapped in a nostalgic scent.

“Welcome back. Estea, please make yourself at home, all right?”
“Thank you very much. Excuse me for intruding.”

I’d felt it when we came back to Torch Town too, but stepping into the house made that sense of being home all the stronger. I hadn’t realized it before, since I’d never been away from home for so long, but this was a feeling I never had back when I was Glass.

“We’ve prepared a guest room for you, Estea. Leafa, show her the way.”
“Understood, Mother.”

Nodding, I led Estea to the guest room. Our guest room hadn’t been used much since I was born, but apparently, back when my parents first got married, they used it for friends who came from afar to visit.

When I opened the door for the first time in ages, I found a simple desk suitable for a bit of writing and a neatly made bed that carried the fresh scent of clean soap.

“How kind of her to prepare this.”
“I wasn’t the one who did it. If you thank my mother directly, she’ll be happy.”
“All right, I’ll do that.”

Estea nodded obediently and placed her luggage in the corner of the room.

“From here on, Hom and I will handle the housework, so you don’t need to worry about it.”
“You’re quite the devoted daughter.”

She said that with a gentle smile, and I couldn’t help but give a wry one in return. Considering my mother’s Black Stone Disease, I was hardly what one would call a devoted daughter.

“I don’t think I’ll ever be able to repay everything she’s done for me, though.”
“…Did something happen?”

I thought my reply had been fairly neutral, but Estea’s tone dropped, her expression tinged with concern. Her perceptiveness—which she’d shown without restraint during Zersteller battles—was as impressive as ever.

Now, how should I explain this? My mother’s condition seemed stable for now, but since it was impossible to predict when an episode might strike, perhaps it was best to tell Estea about the Black Stone Disease. After all, since I’d invited her here, it would only be proper to make sure she didn’t end up feeling unnecessarily responsible.

“…The truth is, my mother has the Black Stone Disease.”
“Huh…”

Estea’s voice trailed off. Her expression grew far more serious than I had expected.

“I know it’s a progressive and incurable illness. That said, we’ve managed to find a medicine that suits her condition, and for now, it’s slowing the progression to an almost negligible rate.”
“…There’s such a medicine?”

Estea asked skeptically. We were in different academic years, so she probably hadn’t heard about it, but her range of knowledge seemed at least on par with Melua’s.

“There are plenty of unfinished and unpublished drugs out there, aren’t there?”
“That’s true… Sorry for doubting you.”

When I posed the question, Estea seemed to reconsider and apologized softly.

“I’ve heard that research on it is being conducted all across the continent.”
“Yeah—”
“Leafa, Alfe’s here to see you!”

My reply was cut short by my mother’s lively voice calling from another room.

“I’ll be right there, Mother.”

Hearing that cheerful tone, no one would ever suspect that she suffered from an incurable disease.

“I pray for your mother’s full recovery.”
“Thank you.”

I sincerely thanked Estea for her kind words. For now, I decided to keep to myself the fact that I intended to take up that very research one day.

“Mom sent this over! She said we’re having a feast tonight!”

When I returned to the living room, Alfe was setting a large basket down on the table.

“Mrs. Clifford’s cooking is quite famous, you know. Everything she makes is absolutely delicious,” my mother added, speaking to Estea while instructing Hom to set out the dishes and cutlery for lunch.

“I love Leafa’s cooking too!”
“So do I.”
“Daddy too!”

At Alfe’s usual cheerful exclamation, not only Hom but even Father raised his hand in agreement.

“Then I suppose that means I can look forward to dinner?”
“I’d say so. It’s been a while, but I think I’ll put my cooking skills to use again.”

Estea asked the question with a teasing smile, and I nodded back with one of my own.

“I’m looking forward to it too, Leafa.”
“Yes, Mother.”

By taking charge of the cooking, I could at least lighten her load a little. I’d thought that handling the meals would be the hardest part, but with everyone’s enthusiasm, it seemed I’d be able to take on the housework quite naturally.