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For the main dish, I prepared a steak and braised shoulder in red wine.

Mama Sonia taught me how to cut the shoulder meat, which had rested for a week.

I carved the meat carefully, scraping it off the tibia and peeling it away. I followed Mama Sonia’s instructions as I separated the meat from the bone.

(How’s that? I did a good job, didn’t I? Fufun! I’m not the same person I was back then! I can even butcher meat properly now!)

After all, starting the day after tomorrow, I’d be surviving alone for a whole week! I was not the same girl with zero survival skills I was back then! Fufu!

(I apologize for that. I got a bit too carried away.)

For some reason, I got weirdly excited about cutting meat.

Once the meat was ready, I began cooking. Mama Sonia showed me how to fry, stew, and remove the scum from the broth. The fire stove I was going to use was just like a gas stove, but here I had to adjust the strength of the fire, so I needed to be careful.

I’d failed many times in the past. But this time, I watched the expressions on Mama Sonia and Miss Elrose’s faces carefully. So far, everything seemed to be going well.

Once the cooking was done, I had them taste the stew and the onion sauce for the steak. Mama Sonia and Miss Elrose smiled at me. I couldn’t hold myself from sticking my fist up in a winning pose. Which just left both of them surprised. Miss Elrose playfully scolded me for being improper, and Mama Sonia laughed.

They prepared all the side dishes while I focused on the main course. After we had served everything at the table, we were ready for dinner.

Papa Howard smiled happily while eating. I knew I shouldn’t say this myself, but I thought I’d done a good job this time. Cooking with the stove had been tough at first!

The meat, which had taken hours to stew, was tender and melted on my tongue.

The steak had soaked up the flavors beautifully, and the onion sauce took it to the next level. The delicious meal filled my body with happiness! It felt like it was washing my trauma away.

While we ate, we started talking about the knights who had come to the house earlier. They’d visited to greet Papa Howard.

“The snow melted earlier this year than we expected…”

Originally, a survey team had been scheduled to go into the Great Iroshio Forest before last fall. But due to various delays, winter came before they could depart, pushing it back to this spring.

(I see… I get it. And also that thing in the Daypahra Mountains, right? I get it.
It sounds very tough. Ahaahahaha. I’m sorry….)

My mind was trying to escape reality for some reason. Weird, wasn’t it?

“It will take a month for the main group to be ready. Once they are, they’ll contact us again and leave Dekenbel.”
“Then we need to begin preparations to receive them… What’s the size of the troop?”
“10 in the vanguard, 20 in the main body, and 20 in the rear.”
“That’s fewer than I expected.”
“They probably never intended to conquer Iroshio.”
“Understood. I’ll contact Molly Beers tomorrow. Elrose, please take care of it.”
“Please do,” Papa Howard said.

While I was out in my dream world, the two of them carried on talking, and Miss Elrose bowed, saying, “Understood.”

“That aside. Susie. How was the equipment you picked up yesterday? Did you find anything amiss?”
“It’s great! I was very impressed with how well they have taken care of it!”

Papa Howard nodded happily, and the conversation shifted to the coming-of-age ceremony the day after tomorrow. Both Papa Howard and Mama Sonia asked me various things, like whether I was ready, how I was feeling, that I should make sure to be fully prepared, and that I should also watch what I eat.

Which led to us talking about food again. The hardest thing for me was thinking about not being able to eat Mama Sonia’s cooking for a whole week.

“Oh my, if you’ll miss me in just a week, then what will you do once you go study in Dekenbel next year?”

When Mama Sonia said that, I froze. My knife and fork dropped from my hands.

(Next year? Study in Dekenbel? Living in the school? 3-year-long dormitory life? 3 years without Mama’s cooking? 3 years away from here?)

Just knowing the truth behind those words pierced my chest.

(No way! I can’t!)

“N-No… I can’t live in a dorm for 3 years… I don’t want to go. I don’t want to. I don’t want to be away from here…”

I didn’t know why, but I suddenly felt so sad. Tears streamed down my face as I pleaded not to go. I knew I was being selfish, but I just couldn’t stop crying.

“N-No? No can do! Susie, you don’t need to force yourself to go! You can stay here! You can stay! Stay here! That’s right! Just stay here forever!”

Papa Howard stood up, speaking in a panicked manner.

“Howard, what are you saying? We can’t have that. And Susie, this isn’t happening tomorrow. Let’s all calm down. You’re a good kid. Don’t cry, okay?”

Mama Sonia stood up and gently dabbed at my tears with a handkerchief.

As she did, I was reminded of the first meal I had here—and the tears just flowed even more.

Papa Howard paced around the table in a fluster.

Mama Sonia kept gently talking to me, trying to calm me down.

Miss Elrose quietly placed a napkin on my lap, silently offering support.

Feeling the kindness of all three of them made me cry even harder. My tears couldn’t stop, no matter what. I cried like a child—and time just kept passing.