Daybreak Summoner Chapter 20 (Patreon)

Even though I'm not sure what to do Right Now

"Oh, Rei-dono and Rinna-dono. What a coincidence that we meet here."

A familiar voice comes from behind them.

The two, who had been walking hand in hand through the crowd, turn around.

A blonde female knight wearing white and silver light armor.

Hilde's figure was there.

"Ah! Hilde-san, it's been a while...or not so long."

"Hello, are you making the rounds?"

Rei lightly greeted back.

Rinna still looks a little nervous.

"Mm, well, something like that. By the way, what are you two doing today?"

"Hehehe, I have a date with Rin-chan."

"No! Just the two of us are going out!"

Rinna excuses herself in a panic.

But with her face red and her hands flapping, she is not very convincing.

"Oh, no! Yes, yes! Thank you for reporting the Ortlos matter to the guild."

Before the topic goes off in a strange direction, Rinna tries to bring it to a serious topic.

"Thanks to you, I was able to take the special promotion exam and successfully made it to B level."

"Oh! That's great news! It was worth it for me to report it to you."

Hilde nodded her head in approval.

Rei was as proud as if it were her own and began praising Rinna.

"Rin-chan is amazing! She mastered the partial reinforcement, which she says is a higher technique, and she saved me from being surrounded by lizards in the mountains with it, which was really cool."

"If you say so, I can't thank Rei enough for always putting her body on the line to protect me, and for cooking me delicious food."

"Rin-chan...you thought of that.... I'm so happy.

"No, it's not that... it's just natural to feel this way..."

"Ah....

Rei and Rinna look at each other and begin to enter their own world, and I cough to remind them of my presence.

The two huffed and looked away, embarrassed.

"Anyway, congratulations on your promotion to B level. By the way... have any attackers shown up since then?"

Suddenly serious, Hilde breaks the subject.

Rei and Rinna's expressions instantly tightened as well.

"No...they haven't shown up since then. I thought he might have attacked us during the promotion exam, but..."

Hilde puts her hand over her mouth in response to Rinna's answer.

"Unfortunately, we have no clue either. We haven't caught a tail on anything."

She shakes her head and sighs lightly.

She was hoping to get some new information from Rinna and the others, but with no movement so far, there's nothing she can do about it.

"I wonder who the hell he is.... What is he after Rin-chan for...?"

"I don't know. I just know that something is about to happen. Something is about to happen... I can't help but feel this kind of uneasiness. If only he were here at a time like this..."

"That guy?"

Hilde muttered, and Rei couldn't help but ask back.

Hilde chuckles, wondering if it accidentally escaped her mouth.

"Oh, you heard me. Actually, I had a friend who used to study swords with me. His skill was even greater than mine, you know."

"You're stronger than Hilde-san!"

Rei is astonished.

Hilde, in the flesh, has treated herself to an enhanced version of herself.

I can no longer imagine that I am stronger than her.

"I've only been able to get one over on that guy in a match more times than I can count. If that were true, he would have been the Knight Commander."

"So... where is that man now?"

I ask fearfully.

From the way Hilde talks, I don't think he's deceased.

"I don't know. That day..., the day my master was killed, he lamented his helplessness, and then he disappeared..."

Hilde's voice, as if squeezed out, and then a heavy silence.

It was impossible for either of them to ask what had happened any more.

"...Hahaha, don't make that face! It was a long time ago. Forget about it."

It was a somewhat forced laugh with no sense of boldness.

Making a smile, Hilde waved one hand.

"I'm sorry, for telling you all this. Well, I'll leave you now."

Hilde said goodbye and disappeared into the crowd.

A sense of disquiet was smoldering, but there was no point in thinking about this and that now.

"...Come on, Rin-chan, let's continue our date."

"That's why it's not a date!"

I smile at Rinna and squeeze her hand.

Rei's smile and warmth always make Rinna feel better.

No matter what happens, she and Rei will be fine.

There is no evidence to support this, but Rinna feels that way.

Rei

After returning from the date, Rei went into battle to fulfill another promise he made to Rinna.

He promised to make her favorite food.

The battlefield is the kitchen, and the enemy is the steaks at Shinrokutei.

I will match, or even surpass, the taste of that steak.

With an extraordinary fighting spirit, he will end up in a fierce battle.

"Here you go, enjoy!"

"Oh...this...!"

The lamb steak served in front of Rinna was a match made in heaven for any restaurant in the area.

Tanguis goat meat was too expensive in King's Landing, so lamb was used as a substitute.

The lamb had no smell, and the flavor of the sauce was reproduced as much as possible.

Due to problems with the ingredients, it is not a perfect reproduction, but it is a work of great confidence.

"Bon appétit, sizzle..."

Cut the meat, bring it to your mouth, and take a bite.

The mellow sauce and juicy goodness of the meat popped in her mouth, and Rinna was immersed in a sense of happiness.

"Hahah... Delicious..."

"Really? Which tastes better, the steak at the Shinrokutei or the steak at the Shinrokutei?"

Rinna thinks for a while with a serious face.

"Hmmm, it's hard to say which is better. But Rei's taste, I like it."

"I see...yeah. I'll do my best so that next time you can say without hesitation that mine tastes better."

Rei looked a little disappointed, but she had fought a close battle with that steak.

That gave her confidence for the future.

"Rei's cooking is really good. You could be my wife anytime."

"...a bride?"

Wife.

Marriage.

Rei had never imagined herself standing next to someone in a wedding dress.

She tried to imagine herself standing next to someone male.

But it just doesn't feel right.

Then who would she feel comfortable with?

I stare at Rinna, who is happily eating steak in front of me.

I see myself in my wedding dress, and next to me is Rinna, also in her wedding dress.

The two of us threw the bouquet together.

Somehow, it felt strangely right.

"Hmm? What's wrong Rei, your face is red."

"Nah...it's nothing!"

Rei shakes her head and blows away her delusion.

Rinna looked at her with a dubious expression.

-Ugh, to imagine myself married to Rin-chan....

After dinner and a bath, Rei sits in front of the mirror in her nightgown.

She brushes her own hair and finishes grooming it, then beckons Rinna over.

"Come here, Rin-chan, I'll do your hair."

"...hmm, thanks."

As Rinna sits down in front of the mirror, Rei turns around and kneels behind her.

She runs her long, silky hair through the brush.

Rei takes care of Rinna's hair, a routine the girls have never missed while traveling.

"How is it? Does it hurt when it gets caught in the brush?"

"It's fine, Rei is good at it."

"No, it's because Rin-chan's hair is beautiful."

Slowly, she runs the brush through her long hair and adjusts it.

The silence is not painful, just the two of us in quiet time.

In the midst of this pleasant sensation, Rinna opens her mouth.

"Rei, starting tomorrow, you'll be working on a B-level request. I'm sure you'll meet with some danger."

"I guess so. ...Are you worried?"

"No, strangely enough, I don't feel anxious at all. Maybe it's because Rei is there."

Rei's arm stops moving the brush as she hears these honest words.

I wonder if I'll be okay no matter what, as long as Rin-chan is here."

She begins to move her hand again.

The feelings I have for Rinna are growing by the day.

She has been alone for a long time, so she still doesn't know what this feeling is.

But she is sure that it is something wonderful.

That much Rei knows.