落とし穴３４掘：あまーい日 (Part1)
**Pitfall 34: A Sweet Day**
**A Sweet Day**
**Side: Eris**
*Rustle...*
The sound echoes through the inn’s lounge.
Looking around, I see most of the expectant mothers gathered here, reading books on pregnancy and child-rearing. Naturally, the contents are written in Japanese—books from Yuki’s homeland. Yuki had rushed to procure them for us as soon as he learned of our pregnancies.
Ever since we conceived, we’ve been ordered to rest here in Weed, and the last few months have been peaceful. Our days are spent reading these books to study for our children, or perhaps taking a light stroll through the park.
My belly has grown quite large now. It is deeply moving to think that a new life resides within me, and that it is the child of Yuki and myself.
Yuki and the others are busy every day with the survey of the New Continent, yet he still makes time to check on us daily. I truly feel I have met a wonderful man.
At first, I was terrified of Yuki’s inscrutable nature. But once I learned of the mission he carried on his shoulders, those fears dissipated, leaving only affection in their wake.
"My, what a strange encounter it was," I murmur, smiling as I recall the day I first met him.
We had been bought as slaves by Mauve and his group and brought to a grassy plain inside a dungeon. Standing alone in that field was a young man with black hair. He possessed no air of authority; he was a strange person who treated us slaves with consideration and spoke to us as equals. We had been on edge, expecting to be handed over to someone far more intimidating than Mauve’s group.
"Hm? Did you find an interesting article?"
As I reminisce, Deryu notices me and glances over.
"No, it’s nothing. I was just remembering the first time I met Yuki."
When I say this to Deryu, everyone in the room looks up.
"Ah, it feels like I’ve been with Brother for a lifetime, but it hasn’t actually been that long, has it?" Ratz says with a smile, gently stroking her belly. She has been truly happy lately. She was the one who wanted Yuki’s child the most, after all.
"Oh? A story about when you met Yuki? Come to think of it, I’ve never heard that," Deryu says.
"Me neither. I wonder how that Yuki treated you when you were still slaves?"
Deryu and Seraria close their books, eager to hear our story.
"Everyone, the tea is ready."
"Wait, did something happen? You’ve all closed your books—are we watching a movie?"
Kirue and Rurua, who had been preparing the tea, return to the room.
"Perfect timing. Why don't we talk about when we first met Brother while we have some tea?"
"I would love to hear such a story as well."
"A story from before I arrived? I’m interested."
Milly isn't here—she’s handling paperwork in our stead—but we can just give her some alcohol later. And so, we spent the day blossoming with tales of the past.
"Heh, I suppose it’s no surprise that he was like that even back then," Seraria says.
"That sounds just like him," Rurua adds.
Seraria and Rurua seem happy to hear about Yuki’s actions from a time they didn't know him. Deryu, however, looks a bit pensive.
"My encounter was quite a bit more intense, I must say."
"That’s because you were the one attacking, Deryu. My heart nearly stopped that day. I was even preparing to escape just as Brother told me to."
"It was such a huge commotion, with the Demon Lord attacking and all."
It was truly terrible for my heart when Yuki insisted on staying behind. As it turned out, it was a landslide victory for Surakichi-san.
"I never imagined a rookie Dungeon Master could do that much to me. Well, he’s a good husband now," Deryu says, tapping her belly with a smile.
"Hey, Deryu. I’ve told you not to handle your belly like that."
"It’s fine. This book says a little stimulation is necessary—oh."
As she tries to hold the magazine, she accidentally drops it.
"…What is this?" Seraria asks, picking up the magazine and looking at it.
"Hmm, let’s see. 'To that special someone'?"
" '...Chocolates'?"
Ratz reads the line, and I read the large, bold text.
"Chocolates? You mean the candy, right?"
"Looks like it. 'Valentine’s Day is finally here! Let’s pour our hearts into making handmade chocolates for that special someone!'"
"…Hmm. It seems to be an event from Yuki’s homeland."
Everyone reads the article with rapt attention. It seems to be an event where you make sweets using that melt-in-your-mouth chocolate and give them to someone you love. It’s also a great opportunity for single people to confess their feelings.
"Sounds interesting. Fortunately, we have chocolate at Ratz’s shop, don't we?"
"Yes, it’s a popular item. Processing the chocolate yourself to make original sweets and giving them away... that’s wonderful. Let’s make something for Brother. I’ll provide the chocolate."
Ratz immediately contacts her shop to arrange for the stock to be sent over.
"So, what kind of sweets are there?"
"Let’s see... it looks like you can knead chocolate into cookies."
"This one looks like a pie with chocolate inside."
There are many types of chocolate sweets. I want Yuki to eat something delicious, so I wonder what would be best?
"Come to think of it, does everyone here have experience making sweets?" Seraria asks as if she just remembered.
I shake my head, as I’ve never made such luxury items. It seems everyone else is the same; only Kirue knows how to bake.
"Hmm. It would be problematic if we all tried to make them separately, wouldn't it, Kirue?"
"Yes, I believe you are correct, Lady Seraria."
"Why is that a problem?" Ratz asks, looking puzzled.
"You shouldn't think of it the same way as regular cooking. Sweets require quite a bit of precision, so the failure rate would be high," Seraria explains.
"That’s true... How about we all make chocolate cookies together, with us providing the support? We can change the shapes however we like, and we can prepare the dough for everyone," Kirue suggests.
I see, so making sweets is quite difficult. We can't afford to make individual attempts and end up feeding Yuki something that didn't turn out well.
"Let’s all make them together, shall we?"
Everyone nods in agreement.
"I could never make something original on my own, so that helps."
"Exactly. It would be tragic if we tried to do it alone and couldn't give Brother anything because we failed."
It seems we all share the same thought, and so we decided to make sweets together.