落とし穴外伝：寒くなってきたら (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: When the Cold Sets In
Side: Lyushi
As the sun dips below the horizon, the hour arrives when the workday and school day end, and the masses begin their trek home to await the coming dawn. In the quiet of the Weed park, a peculiar little shack has appeared out of nowhere.
To the casual observer, it might resemble a covered wagon, though why anyone would haul such a thing into the park is beyond me. More importantly, a row of stools has been neatly arranged in front of this wagon-like contraption.
As I tilt my head, wondering what this could be, an elderly man steps inside.
"Welcome," a voice greets him.
Watching from a distance, I finally understand what I am looking at.
"The usual hot sake, and I hear you’ve got *that* on the menu starting today?"
"Indeed, we do. Everything has been simmering nicely."
"Then I’ll take a daikon radish, an egg, and a chikuwa."
"Right away. Please, make yourself comfortable."
Hearing this exchange, the truth clicks into place. That is…
"A shop."
Yes, right before my eyes is a mobile eatery. A street stall, I suppose you would call it, though the wheels make it an unusual sight, which is why I hadn't made the connection.
Still…
*Whoosh.*
A gust of cold wind bites at my skin. The warmth of summer has long since vanished, and the night is beginning to embrace the chill of winter. It is the kind of weather that warns you: in less than a month, a heavy coat will be a necessity. It is so cold that I find myself hoping my current light attire will suffice for the remainder of the month.
In such weather, the idea of eating at an outdoor stall—or running a business in the open air—is baffling to me. Well, I know the world is full of all sorts of people, so I suppose there are those who enjoy such things. Just as I reach this conclusion and turn around—
"What is it? Did something happen?"
Standing there was Yuki-sama, my master and the man who saved my life.
"Ah, no. Just over there."
Without needing to report anything specific, I gesture toward the stall.
"Oh, a street stall. So they’re operating here today, are they?"
Yuki-sama seems familiar with the stall’s existence, showing no sign of surprise.
"It is quite late, sir. Can they really turn a profit in a place like this?"
I voice my doubt. It is already past nine o'clock. We are on our way back from delivering documents to August, Cleena-sama’s homeland, at their urgent request. At this hour, dinner is long finished, and most shops would be thinking of closing up for the night. To still be open suggests a lack of sales, and frankly, the location seems poor.
"Profit isn't really the point. Tell me, Lyushi, is this your first time seeing that stall?"
"Yes, it is."
I have never seen such a strange stall before. While I do serve as Yuki-sama’s guard, I have plenty of free time and have wandered all over Weed, yet I have never encountered it. Then again, I rarely find myself out in the middle of the night.
As I ponder this, someone carrying a box passes by our side and comes to a halt.
"…Yuki? And Lyushi?"
"Hm? Oh, Kaya. It’s rare to see you out here."
It was Kaya-sama, one of Yuki-sama’s wives. I recall she works as a police officer alongside Tori-sama and Riel-sama, currently specializing in security for the International Exchange School. Why is she here?
In fact, looking closely at the box she is carrying, I can see what appears to be a daikon radish poking out.
"Um, Kaya-sama. Is that a daikon radish?"
"Yes, a variety of oden ingredients. I was asked to bring them over."
"Asked to?"
As I tilt my head in confusion, a voice calls out from the stall.
"Kaya, you're here!"
I turn to see Covil-san. She is the wife of Yuki-sama’s younger brother, Kiyu-sama… why is she here as well?
As I grapple with this question, she speaks.
"Wait, Yuki and Lyushi are here too? Did something happen?"
She seems just as puzzled to see us.
"Something happened, alright. I was unusually requested to deliver some documents."
"Huh? And you actually went, Yuki? At this hour? Didn't they turn pale?"
As Covil-sama suggests, they were indeed shocked—they never expected Yuki-sama himself to show up. From their perspective, it would have been natural for Cleena-sama, who hails from August and handles their diplomatic affairs, to be the one to arrive.
However, Yuki-sama is a man who cherishes his wives and children deeply. He went in her stead to avoid a situation where a mother and child would be separated just as they were preparing to bathe and sleep together. Cleena-sama had initially insisted on going herself, but she was told that her presence might prolong the negotiations, so she left it to Yuki-sama, allowing her to spend a peaceful evening with her child.
"They did. Well, I imagine they intended to exploit the fact that they called me out at night, hoping I’d want to leave quickly."
"What do you mean?"
"They wanted me to nod along without scrutinizing the details of the documents. As it happens, the papers weren't particularly important anyway."
"Wow. Couldn't you have just refused?"
"I could have, but then they would have just brought it up again later."
"Ah, I see. So that’s why you went and made them turn pale."
I see. I had wondered why Yuki-sama went himself, but by appearing in person, he delivered a silent warning: *Do not summon us for such trivial matters.*
"Well, I hope that message gets through to the August side. I could contact the princess, but she’s caught between a rock and a hard place as it is."
The princess he refers to is likely Princess Inis of August. She is now Cleena-sama’s sister through adoption, though I have yet to meet her. Well, that is only to be expected.
"As usual, things are complicated. Anyway, since you’ve stumbled upon our stall, why not join us? There’s still room."
"Is that so? What about the old guys?"
Who are these "old guys" he speaks of? As I tilt my head, unable to fathom who Yuki-sama is referring to…