The Green Demon had effortlessly cast my hope-filled heart into the depths of hell... It was an infuriating turn of events, yet a part of me had always feared this day would come.
Ever since I befriended Raz-san and started receiving home-grown vegetables from her field, facing off against green peppers had been an unavoidable fate. I had always lived with a low-level anxiety about whether I could accept them with a straight face when the moment finally arrived.
Fortunate or not, green peppers had never been among the previous hauls, so I might have let my guard down a little. But to think they would appear here, of all places...
Stuck in this predicament, I only had two choices.
The first was to be honest and confess to the two of them that I hated green peppers. The benefits of this path were obvious. Neither Raz-san nor Til were the type to force anything on me, so if I spoke up, I could likely avoid eating them altogether.
However, what made me hesitate was my tiny shred of pride. No matter how much older they actually were, I simply didn't want to admit I couldn't handle my vegetables in front of these two, who acted so much like children. My desire to put on a petty front just wouldn't disappear.
That led to the second choice: endure and eat them without a word. The benefit would be the preservation of my dignity. The demerit, of course, was that I would actually have to eat green peppers.
At first glance, the reward seemed small compared to the suffering, but since it also meant not letting Til's kindness go to waste, it was a agonizing dilemma.
Should I confess, or should I stay silent? Just as I was internally wrestling with this ultimate ordeal, a lifeline came from an unexpected source.
"Til, you mustn't. Kaito-kun-san is a little weak with Green Pepper-sans. It would be better to pick something else."
"Ayah!? I-Is that true?"
"E-Err, well, yes. Rather than just a little, perhaps a tiny bit... if I had to say, I suppose I am weak with them."
"I am so sorry! In that case, in that case, how about some tomatoes instead?"
"...Ah, yes, I love tomatoes."
Raz-san had gently corrected Til... but wait. Had I ever told Raz-san that I hated green peppers? No, I definitely hadn't. In fact, I had done my best to keep it hidden.
"...Raz-san, um, how did you know that I was, well, a little weak with green peppers?"
"Well, you see. Chrome-sama told me before..."
"Kuro did?"
As I tilted my head in confusion, Raz-san recounted an exchange she'd had with Kuro in the past.
It went back about two years. Kuromueina had visited Razulia while she was doing her usual field work to talk about me.
"Raz, I think you'll become friends with Kaito-kun and have opportunities to give him vegetables as gifts."
"Yes! I want Kaito-kun-san to eat the Vegetable-sans Raz grew too!"
"I'm glad. Your vegetables are truly delicious, and I'm sure Kaito-kun will be happy, but... there's just one thing I'd like you to keep in mind."
"Something to keep in mind?"
"It's not that Kaito-kun can't eat them or anything, but he seems to be a little weak with the taste of green peppers. So, when you give Kaito-kun vegetables, I'd like you to avoid including them. Kaito-kun is kind, so I'm sure he'd accept them with a smile if you gave them to him, but I don't think there's any need to make him force down things he dislikes."
"Ayaya, so that was it. Raz is weak with things like Meat-sans too, so I understand the feeling! I understand, I will make sure not to give Green Pepper-sans to Kaito-kun-san."
"Thanks, I appreciate it."
After that short exchange, Razulia had remembered it all this time.
...I fell for her all over again. Her thoughtfulness was nothing short of perfection.
To think she had anticipated that Raz-san would gift me vegetables and spoke to her in advance like that... So that was why there hadn't been a single green pepper in any of the bags Raz-san had given me until now.
Furthermore, by saying I was "a little weak with the taste" rather than saying I "couldn't eat them," she had made it sound like a matter of preference rather than a childish dislike, thus protecting my fragile pride.
To top it all off, she must have said this a long time ago—likely right after she first learned of my hatred for them—yet she never mentioned it to me or acted patronizing about it. She had just been supporting me in secret.
If this exchange hadn't happened today, I don't think I ever would have realized what Kuro had done for me.
To be honest, I was deeply moved. I'll say it again: falling for her all over again was the only way to describe it.
Truly, Kuro was a flawless lover... provided Baby Castella wasn't involved. Yes, she was perfect... as long as it had nothing to do with those little cakes.
Machina: "...We don't need a destination to reach. We just need to keep moving forward. As long as we don't stop, the path will continue... Since I will not stop, as long as My Children do not stop, I will be there waiting at the end... That's why... don't you ever sto—"
Serious-senpai / ???: ""No, YOU stop!""