"Alright, Rest! We've arrived at our destination!"
"Whoa..."
Yuri had led him to a hill located a short distance from the Royal Capital.
The gentle slope was blanketed in lush greenery, and the sky stretched wide above them, offering a panoramic view that felt incredibly refreshing.
"Impressive, right? I found this spot the other day while I was out for a run!" Yuri declared, puffing out her chest with pride.
Finally released from her princess carry, Rest let out a long, weary sigh.
"It's certainly a nice view... But you really come all the way out here just for a run?"
The distance from the capital to this hill was nothing to sneeze at. No matter how much of a healthy, athletic powerhouse Yuri was, this was well beyond a casual morning jog.
"Well, it happened by accident. I usually run through the streets of the capital every morning, but I decided to try a different route for once. I only took one wrong turn, and I ended up here."
"Just... one turn? And you ended up all the way out here?"
There was no way a single wrong turn would land someone in a spot like this. More importantly, how had she ended up outside the city walls without noticing? Had she just hopped over them?
"It is a beautiful view, though... even if it's a bit chilly for this time of year."
"Yeah, we probably should have come when it was warmer. The weather is lovely, but the wind has a real bite to it."
"I suppose it does. In that case... Barrier."
Rest activated his magic. A transparent dome enveloped the pair, cutting off the biting chill of the outdoors. He made sure not to seal the air circulation completely to avoid suffocation; he simply filtered out the freezing inflow.
"Oh! I'm not cold anymore!"
"That should do it. Let's take it easy for a bit."
"Right! I made us a lunch, so let's eat!"
Yuri pulled a lunch box from the pack she'd been carrying. It was a massive container, which she presented to Rest with a flourish.
"I woke up early this morning to make this! Believe it or not, I'm actually a pretty good cook!"
"Is that so? I have to say, that’s... unexpected."
He didn't associate Yuri with domestic skills at all. If anything, his memories of her cooking were somewhat traumatic.
She'd made me eat worm meat before, and I have a vague memory of her trying to feed me insects, too... Is this lunch really safe?
"Go on, dig in! This is my absolute masterpiece!"
"Wow... That’s a lot of brown."
When Yuri lifted the lid of the oversized lunch box, she revealed a mountain of fried and grilled foods. There wasn't a hint of green—no parsley, no cherry tomatoes, nothing for color.
The contents were a carnivore's dream: yakiniku, Hamburg steak, fried chicken, tonkatsu, and yakitori. It was a solid wall of meat. Furthermore, the sheer volume was staggering; it was packed so tightly into the box that the container looked like it might rupture from the inside.
"This is... certainly a high-energy meal."
"Well, you looked so exhausted, Rest! I packed it with as much nutrition as I could!"
"It's definitely nutritious... though maybe a bit lacking in balance."
"I have sandwiches over here, too. Have some of these!"
She produced a second lunch box filled with egg and BLT sandwiches. Rest felt a wave of relief at the sight of actual vegetables tucked between the bread.
"There’s plenty, so don't be shy!"
"...Thank you for the food."
Setting aside the sheer quantity, at least there were no insects or monsters in this batch. The meat appeared to be standard chicken, beef, and pork. It should be perfectly fine to eat.
"......This is actually delicious."
The meat was tender and the seasonings were robust, showing more care than the presentation suggested. Yuri was something of a gourmet herself, so he’d trusted her palate, but it seemed her technical skills had caught up.
"I’ve been taking lessons from Primula and the Marquis Rosemary House chefs. They said I’m a natural!"
"I see... Come to think of it, you’ve always been a quick learner."
Even at the Academy, despite her flighty personality, she was surprisingly studious when she put her mind to it. It seemed that diligence extended to her cooking.
The amount of food had seemed daunting at first, but Rest was still a teenage boy with a growing appetite. Combined with Yuri’s own impressive capacity for food, they made short work of the massive spread.
"Whew... that was great. Thank you."
"You're very welcome! I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"I'm stuffed... I’m actually starting to feel a bit sleepy now."
The sky was a perfect blue, and the rolling green hills stretched out toward the horizon. Taking a nap in a place like this sounded like pure bliss.
"Good! That’s exactly what I planned."
Yuri smiled and patted her lap. With a mischievous glint in her eyes, she beckoned him over with her other hand.
"I've got the perfect pillow ready for you. Don't be shy!"
"......Are you serious?"
It would undoubtedly be a top-tier pillow. After all, it was a lap pillow offered by the pampered daughter of the Marquis Catreia House.
Rest hesitated for a moment, wondering if he should refuse... but honestly, they’d shared a bed before. It was a little late to start getting embarrassed about a lap pillow.
"...Alright then. I'll take you up on that."
Drawn in by her invitation, Rest lay back and rested his head on Yuri’s thighs.