落とし穴１１３堀：短い時間 (Part2)
If I get my hands on a long-running game, manga, or anime, it becomes a bewitching trap that drags on even after my time off is over. Going to the mountains or the sea is just as exhausting, leaving me wishing for another day of rest, and since I have work tomorrow, I end up whipping my tired body into shape.
That’s why, fundamentally, I prefer consecutive holidays.
When it’s just a single day off, I end up with so little to do, just like this.
If I were back in Japan, I’d spend a day like this just sleeping.
Is there anything else to do, though...?
"Ah, it’s good that I made side dishes this morning, but I made quite a bit too much and there’s leftovers. Should I make a bento with them and head to the park?"
"Oh, that sounds lovely."
If I stay at home, the other wives will be on edge, after all.
Hm? Is this what it feels like to be a father with no place in his own home? No, that’s not it, is it?
Thinking such foolish things, I pack a bento and head toward the park in Weed with Ria.
"The weather is wonderful, isn't it?"
"It sure is."
It’s a fine day—not just a vast expanse of blue, but a pleasant sky with clouds scattered here and there.
Since it’s a weekday morning, the park is sparsely populated.
Mostly, it’s just elderly men and women out for a leisurely stroll.
I mean, if any able-bodied people who should be working were lounging around the park at this hour, I’d be worried that their mental health was suffering.
...Does that mean I’m mentally unwell?
No, I’m here with Ria, so this counts as a date.
Right. I’m not unwell.
"Oh my, what’s the matter? Why such a complicated look on your face?"
"Oh, Grandma. Hello."
"Ah, yeah. I was just lost in thought, Grandma."
It wasn't exactly sudden, but Grandma, who had been crossing in front of us, called out, snapping me back to reality.
"Is that so? I thought maybe you were stuck with some troublesome work again."
"That’s a given for me, isn't it? If anything, I’m just a bit bewildered by having some free time."
"Hya hya hya, that sounds just like you, Yuki-chan."
Grandma laughs at my joke.
This Grandma is an elderly woman who came to Weed after I invited her.
Well, technically Seraria’s subordinates did the recruiting, but I made sure to show my gratitude when she arrived.
After all, she was willing to say she’d be content to die in this land.
Beyond that, her knowledge and wisdom from a long life—and her expertise in childbirth—have been a massive help to all my wives.
"Well, I’ve been quite busy lately, too."
"Come to think of it, you retired from the obstetrics clinic, right?"
"Aye, those girls can handle it on their own now."
Grandma’s experience as a midwife was invaluable to Weed, which is full of young people. She helped with the wives' deliveries and served as a special consultant at the Weed hospital, but Rurua reported to me just last month that she had stepped down.
"I see. That’s good to hear."
"Aye, it is. That’s why us old folks can take a stroll like this while the sun is still low in the sky."
As she says this, she starts walking toward a nearby bench, and we follow her.
"Oh, that reminds me, I brought a bento. Would you like to have a bite, Grandma?"
"That sounds lovely. I’ll accept your kindness."
And so, the three of us eat our bento leisurely, staring blankly from the bench at the park as it nears midday.
People who seem to be on their lunch break sit on benches like us, eating their own bentos with slumped shoulders, and mothers with children have started to appear.
"When evening comes, you’ll see even more children."
"Oh, right. Aslin and the others will be out of school by then."
"That’s true. You know that well, Grandma. Do you stay here until the evening?"
When I ask that lightly, the answer I get back is quite unexpected.
"I do. I want to burn this scenery into my eyes. After all, memories are about the only thing I can take with me when I go."
"Eh? You can only take memories?"
Ria seems confused by Grandma’s words, but I understand to an extent.
"What’s this? Do you sense that your time is drawing near?"
"Nah. Well, I’m still fine for now. But my time left is shorter than yours, Yuki-chan."
"That’s true."
"I thought I had a long life, but before I knew it, here I am. It might have been a shorter time than I expected."
"G-Grandma?"
Ria seems to feel a bit uneasy at the topic, speaking up with a worried expression.
"Oh, forgive me. I’m fine. Besides, I’m going to be the one to deliver Ria-chan’s child, you know?"
"U-um. So, please keep living a long life, okay?"
"I will. Now then, we’ve had our fill, so I think I’ll head home and take a nap."
"Alright, Grandma. See you later."
"See you later, Ria-chan, Yuki-chan."
With that, Grandma walks away with a firm, steady gait.
Yeah. It looks like the end is still a long way off.
Before I knew it, the afternoon had passed, and half of my holiday was already gone.
"Just like Grandma said, it was a short time. My day off."
When is my next day off again?
The time of a holiday and the time of a life—the beginning and the end.
Is it long, or is it short?
Well, well. I wonder what everyone will think when that time finally comes.
And as for that Grandma, perhaps her time to be welcomed is coming soon, too.