第１３４７堀：仲良くなるためには
**Chapter 1347: To Become Closer**
**Side: Dressa**
"It’s been a while since I last went to school, but everyone seems to be doing well, don't they?"
"They sure are. It’s good to see them so full of energy."
"And I’m just glad they accepted the snacks."
"Mm. It was a relief to hear that Hiiro and the others are earning their keep properly."
We chatted about such things as we finished our greetings at the school and began our walk home. While the teachers were aware of our standing, they treated us like any other student, and for that, I am truly grateful. Well, considering that people like Mauve and the others are among those teachers, I suppose that’s only natural.
"Now, the only thing left is preparing tonight’s dinner. But what shall we do? We bought quite a bit from the leisure facilities, after all... Labyris, what do you think?"
"Hmm, let’s see. We bought a lot of things since there were so many unexpected new items, but wasn't it mostly desserts?"
"I feel like there were a lot of jelly-based treats, since they were summer specials."
Shera, Labyris, and Vilia began discussing our upcoming plans. Indeed, for the first day of our break, we had spent our time playing around the leisure facilities—the mountains, the sea, and so on—staying overnight, and returning only after picking up some souvenirs.
Normally, we would be glued to Yuki’s side, but this time, we were told that it would be a good opportunity to observe the movements of the idiots and to get a firsthand feel for how things are inside Weed. And so, here we are, spending our holiday in a leisurely fashion... I suppose?
It’s only a three-day break, and on the second night, there’s a dinner party for everyone to gather. I feel like we’re managing a surprisingly small amount of time.
"Dressa-chan, what’s wrong? You had such a complicated look on your face."
"Eh? Ah, I was just thinking that this break is surprisingly short. It doesn't look like I’ll have time to go hang out with Arne."
If it were a little longer, I might have had time to relax with Arne, who serves as a knight in Ex, but with only three days—and it being such a sudden development—I imagine it would be difficult for Arne to take time off as well.
"That’s true. This break was sudden and short, wasn't it? Usually, they last about a week."
As Labyris said, the suddenness and the short duration were the culprits. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, but I feel a certain sense of dissatisfaction.
"Ahaha, it does feel short for a holiday, but in Weed, there are plenty of regular days off, after all."
"The rule is two days off every seven days."
That’s right. As Shera said, Weed has regular holidays. The two days off every seven days that Firia mentioned.
"Usually, there aren't this many holidays, you know."
"Mm. Hiiro and the others used to spend every day looking for food."
Vilia and Hiiro’s stories are a bit heavy, but in the country where I served as a princess, the concept of a "holiday" didn't exist either. Arne was a tool shopkeeper's daughter, and she spent every single day minding the store. Children had time to play, but I don't recall adults ever having a day off. Perhaps we’d rest for celebrations or if we caught a cold? Or maybe when work couldn't be done? No, even on rainy days, those in outdoor professions would do the bare minimum, and the rest of the time was spent doing piecework at home.
In short, unless something extreme happened, people worked almost constantly just to make ends meet. Which means there was no room for leisure. The only time one had the luxury of playing was during childhood. And that meant it couldn't cost any money. Money was a tool for survival, not for enjoyment. I doubt that was unique to my royal capital, either...
"It strikes me anew—having the time and money to play is truly amazing."
"Unyu? What do you mean?"
"I don't really understand."
"Dressa-onee is being mysterious."
Aslin, Firia, and Hiiro tilted their heads at my words. However, Labyris, Shera, and Vilia wore faces of understanding.
"Well, I suppose one wouldn't think that resting leads to economic revitalization."
"Rather than that, perhaps it’s about holidays improving efficiency?"
"That’s right. It makes the results much more visible and easy to understand."
"???"
I think the three of them hit the nail on the head, but it seems it still doesn't quite click for the others.
"It means there are many things to look forward to, thinking you'll do your best tomorrow. If tomorrow is a holiday, you’ll think, 'I’ll work hard today,' won't you?"
"Yeah, that’s right."
"I’m a little happy before a day off."
"And on payday, too."
Hiiro, why are you so mature about things like that? Well, putting that aside, it means the people of Weed have attained daily happiness. Conversely, it means that in other countries, people are barely scraping by just to survive each day. It’s only natural that there would be a difference in their vitality for living. I certainly wouldn't want to throw away my current life.
At that moment, I remembered something.
"Come to think of it, the reason Prof is so tense might be because she doesn't play enough."
"Ah... she does seem like a very earnest girl, doesn't she?"
Honestly, Labyris calling her a "girl"... well, I understand what she means. Prof is just too serious. She doesn't look like she knows how to play. Her desire to serve Yuki, as if he is everything, is practically oozing out of her.
"She certainly doesn't look like she has any breathing room. Personally, I think it’s a matter of the time spent together, and she seems to be better with us than with anyone other than Yuki-san."
"I agree with Shera’s opinion that she’s shrinking away because she hasn't spent much time with Master. She just needs to learn that being important doesn't mean he does unreasonable things. If anything, Master is a commoner at heart."
Well, that is precisely why we decided on this arrangement—so that Yuki could spend more time with Prof, Orelia, and the others. If things stay as they are, it will interfere with work, and above all, Prof will be handling information exchanges within Weed from now on; she will have more contact not just with Yuki, but with us as well. Things wouldn't work out if she remained like that. That’s why we decided that Yuki should be the one to get close to her first.
As I was thinking about this, Aslin and the others, who hadn't quite understood, clapped their hands.
"I get it! We need to do something so Prof-onee can become friends with everyone."
"That’s right. She is definitely too tense. So, we should think of something for everyone to play."
"Mm. Orelia and the others became friends by participating in the shooting game. So, we do the same thing?"
"No, that’s impossible for today. We can't call everyone in, and even if we split into teams ourselves, we’d only have three teams."
"That’s true. Plus, there’s dinner preparation. Let’s make that a proposal for tomorrow, and for today, why don't we look for something we can play after dinner?"
"I think that’s a good idea. We have to prepare the meal, and considering that time, it would be playing after dinner. So it would be better to play something at home, at a leisurely pace."
Labyris and Shera agreed with my opinion and put a stop to the other idea. It’s not that it would be impossible, but preparing the space for a shooting game is surprisingly troublesome. Computer games would be easy, but I’m worried about whether Prof would be able to handle those.
"Then, let’s go to the toy store right now!"
"Oh! That’s it!"
"Let’s buy lots of things!"
Aslin and the others started running off. We chased after them, and Vilia shouted:
"We already have plenty of things, so there’s no need to buy anything new!"
It was true; we already possess a large number of toys, so there’s no necessity to buy more. I thought so, but all three of them replied:
"Presents!"
They didn't slow down at all. *Sigh*, I suppose we have to chase after them.
"Vilia, give it up. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It will be a chance for Prof to get closer to us, too."
"Muu. Well, I suppose that’s true, but..."
"The information Prof-san brings will be necessary from now on, so this is a good opportunity."
"That’s true. But, infiltrating Weed... I wonder if the other side has thought this through?"
"Who knows. Still, there hasn't been a country that has declared war on us like they used to."
"It’s troublesome that they won't pick a fight head-on. It makes proving criminal intent difficult. If we make the first move, they’ll definitely find some fault to complain about."
It is certainly becoming a nuisance. We definitely need a solid information-sharing setup with Prof.
"Alright, let’s look for something Prof might enjoy, too."
"I wonder what her tastes are."
"We haven't asked, so that’s difficult."
"For things like this, isn't intuition fine? She might also want to try something new."
Discussing this, we joined Aslin and the others in browsing for party games and such at the toy stores inside WeeMall. We even ended up buying things for us to play with back home—well, please forgive us, as it means we are properly enjoying our holiday. Hivia, Narjia, and Wusfi would likely be happy about it, too.
To deepen mutual understanding, spending time together is, after all, the best way. You could say the children have grasped the psychology of it better than we have. Well, that’s assuming there isn't a case of "if you hate it, you hate it."