A mysterious place unknown to anyone, despite having no magic at all... It occurred to me that maybe because it was such a place, a scammer might have tricked people into thinking it was the entrance to the fairy realm.
'But what do we do now?'
The flower field was pretty, but that was all. If it had been a lake, we could have at least gone boating.
The two of them, having arrived since this was the destination, now looked at me with lost eyes, unsure of what to do next.
"Um. Well..."
"..."
"How about a picnic?"
It happened to be lunchtime anyway. Plus, instead of bringing packed food, we had a chef who could cook right here, allowing us to have a much more luxurious picnic than usual.
We found a suitable spot in the shade and laid out our things. It might be undignified, but since it was a picnic, I flopped down onto the blanket. The sweet scent of flowers filled the air.
Since I lay down first, Ari flopped down beside me too. Ray looked down at us for a moment, then cautiously started to lower himself as well.
"Ahem!"
"..."
"Aheeemm!"
Before Ray's head could even lower to the ground, a loud cough echoed nearby. Not just once, but twice. The culprit was obvious.
"Brother, go away."
"Huh, Lovey? I'm working right now, what do you mean go away?"
"You took time off, Brother. What work could you possibly be doing?"
Giving my brother a glare that told him to stop making the poor boy self-conscious and go away, I pulled Ray, who was frozen in an awkward half-sitting, half-lying position under Brother's stare, down onto the blanket.
Ray tumbled down with a soft thump, his eyes wide with surprise, but he quickly looked at me and gave a bashful smile.
'Oh dear, what am I going to do with this sweet boy?'
He was in a position where he could easily tell Brother off if he felt pressured. Yet, here he was, just looking uncomfortable. It tugged at my heartstrings.
'This must be because of his family situation, right?'
Being so wary at an age when he should be carefree—there could be no other reason.
All the more reason for me to be kind to him. Feeling sympathetic, I reached out and patted his head.
His eyes widened in surprise, but then he ducked his head slightly, as if inviting me to pat it more easily.
Finding him adorable, I chuckled softly. Seeing this, Ari, watching from the side, seemed to get jealous and ground her teeth.
"Hey...! Me too!"
She was adorable too. Having only ever had an older and a younger brother, I wondered if this was what it felt like to have a little sister.
I smiled and placated her with reassurances, and Ari, who had been smiling contentedly, suddenly frowned sharply.
"Ow!"
She cried out in pain, leaving me stunned for a moment, wondering if I'd somehow hit her by accident. But then she suddenly flared up in anger. Not at me, of course.
"He hit me!"
Ari shot up and pointed accusingly at Ray. Startled by the sudden accusation, Ray flinched and glanced nervously at me.
"I, I didn't..."
"I'm telling you, he hit me!"
"How could I have hit her..."
Ray looked at me, his face etched with injustice, silently pleading for me to believe him. And he was right; he couldn't possibly have hit her from where he was.
With me positioned between them, any attempt to reach out a hand or foot would have been obvious to me. When I defended Ray, Ari stomped her feet in frustration.
"But it's true...!"
She looked genuinely upset too, but even she seemed to realize that the circumstances didn't point to Ray, so she appeared resigned.
Sighing, she plopped back down, and I sat up properly as well.
Just then, my brother, who had been fiddling with something in a corner of our picnic spot, turned his head with a flourish.
"Ta-da! Flower crown complete!"
He held out a flower crown to me. It was sturdy and lush, woven skillfully from the flowers.
My second brother might look clumsy because of his large build, but he was actually the most dexterous among us siblings.
'Even I can't make a flower crown this well...'
I knew the basic steps, but I certainly couldn't make one as beautifully as this. After putting the crown he'd given me on my head, my brother offered another one to Ari.
"Here you go, please wear it."
"I don't need... hmm."
Ari started to refuse haughtily, but then she glanced between the crown on my head and the one my brother was holding out, and finally accepted it.
With another prim 'thank you,' she put it on with a smug expression, casting a glance at Ray that clearly said, 'See? You don't have one.'
Seeing this, Ray pouted slightly. My brother started fiddling with flowers again, and I assumed he was making one for Ray, but I was wrong.
He finished it and promptly put it on his own head!
"Ta-da, matching crowns with Lovey!"
"...Brother. What about Ray?"
"You don't go around matching things with strange men."
Seeing Ray looking crestfallen, empty-handed, I shot my brother a warning look, but he just spouted nonsense and refused to budge.
"And what sin did Ari commit to deserve matching crowns with a strange man like you, Brother?"
"I didn't match crowns with the Young Lady; I matched with Lovie. Same goes for the Young Lady."
He continued his absurd claims, saying there was no connection between Ari and himself. Staring blankly at him, I took the crown off my own head and placed it on Ray's.
"Fine, then you three can match. I'm out."
"Aaah! Why me?!"
"I don't want to..."
Ari shrieked in protest at my suggestion, while Ray, still looking glum, flatly refused. Only then did my brother hastily make another crown and present it. And so, the four of us ended up sitting there side-by-side, all wearing flower crowns.
"...The weather's nice."
It really was beautiful weather. Puffy white cumulus clouds, like piles of sheep's wool, drifted across the vivid blue sky. It felt refreshing just looking at it.
I was gazing blankly at the sky when the announcement that lunch was ready snapped me back to reality.
The menu consisted of sandwiches, simple picnic fare, but they were grilled cheese sandwiches, with the cheese melted rich and gooey inside.
Eating freshly made grilled cheese outdoors! What a luxury! As I took a bite, hot melted cheese oozed out from between the bread.
"Hoo, hah, hot..."
"Careful, it's hot. Here, drink some apple juice too."
The accompanying drink was apple juice, refreshingly cold with tiny ice crystals, almost like a sorbet.
This was another treat not easily enjoyed outdoors, so I gladly used the juice to cool down my burning mouth.
The warm, savory sandwich paired with the cool, sweet apple juice was absolutely perfect. Truly the mark of an imperial chef. What an inspired choice for a picnic lunch...
Thanks to him, I hadn't had to worry about food throughout the trip, even while outdoors. His skill never failed to impress.
I found myself quite wanting to hire the chef, but I had to give up on the idea, lacking the confidence that I could offer better terms than the imperial palace.
Once we finished the sandwiches, the chef brought out a cake he'd kept cool in a refrigerated magical device.
My eyes widened at the unexpected dessert, and Ray gave a small, bashful smile.
"Today was supposed to be a special day, meeting the fairies. I prepared this to celebrate... but I guess it's ended up being more for consolation."
Seeing the genuine disappointment on his face about not meeting the fairies, I felt a pang of guilt but lied smoothly.
"Yes, indeed... I'm also very... disappointed... haha... ha..."
My tone sounded so fake and stupid, I wanted to smack myself. However, Ray didn't seem suspicious and actually apologized to me.
He seemed to be blaming himself and Ari for us not getting to the lake, so I found myself having to reassure him.
"No, don't blame yourself. If it was destined, we would have met them. If we didn't, then it simply wasn't meant to be."
"If it were destined... we would have met?"
"Yes. Even if the entire world tried to stop it, wouldn't destiny find a way?"
So, not meeting them is fate's doing, not yours, I explained. Ray seemed lost in thought for a moment before murmuring,
"...Right. It's destiny."
His expression seemed a little lighter, so I felt relieved that he'd stopped blaming himself.
As I listlessly nibbled at the cake, my brother brought a box from somewhere.
"You must be bored. Since we're here, why don't you take a look at these?"
It contained the items intended as offerings for the fairies. I hadn't brought them; Ari had, determined to help me meet the fairies.
I'd been curious about them during the journey, but she'd just grinned and told me to wait until the day itself... Seeing that Ari didn't object this time, I figured it was okay to look.
Opening the lid, I found the box filled with colorful objects.
There were smooth, pretty stones that looked like pebbles, but one item in particular caught my eye.
"This is lovely."
It was a ball made by winding colorful threads tightly together. Multiple colors were layered and twisted, making it resemble a cluster of flower petals.
"Pretty, isn't it? It's a toy from another continent. These are from the same place too."
As she spoke, Ari took out several small pouches, each about the size of half a walnut. There were five in total, adorned with fine, delicate embroidery in colored thread.
Picking one up, I could feel it was subtly weighted, perhaps filled with grain or sand, and I could hear a soft rustling sound from within.
"Apparently, you play with them like this."
Ari tossed all five pouches into the air with a flick of her wrist. Then, she deftly caught every single one on the back of her hand as they fell at different speeds.
Without dropping any, she flicked her hand again, sending the pouches flying upwards once more. With a swift motion, she snatched them out of the air, catching all five securely in her palm.
"Oh! Let me try."
Taking the pouches, I confidently tossed them upwards. Watching them fly, I extended the back of my hand, but they all clattered onto the ground.
"Uh..."
"T-try again," Ari stammered, her eyes flickering slightly as she saw my utter failure. At her suggestion, I tried once more, but...
"Well, that's slightly better than..."
Only one pouch managed to land precariously on the back of my hand. But even that wobbled unsteadily before slowly sliding off and dropping to the ground with a soft thud.
Ari looked completely at a loss.
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