[ENG] Soshiki no Shukuteki to Kekkon Shitara Mecha Amai V1 Interlude 4

Interlude 4

"Ritsuka, do you have any interest in picking up a new hobby?"

"Why the sudden question?"

As a rule, Ritsuka and Yoshino, the recovery team, only get involved when there is news of a Fallen Feather.

The Organization or Shishima Institute likely operates the same way. They don’t seek combat for its own sake. That kind of conflict only arises out of necessity as part of the larger situation surrounding the Fallen Feather.

So, when there’s no mission, Ritsuka and Yoshino are just regular 14-year-old girls.

"Well, lately I’ve felt like my life’s lacking a bit of excitement, you know? There’s always this idea that starting a new hobby can open up a whole new daily routine and all."

"Is that so?"

"It is! And that's why I’ve decided to try something new—cooking!"

Yoshino was holding a brand new recipe book, with a few sticky notes sticking out, indicating she'd already started reading it. Ritsuka let out a small "Oh," impressed.

"Wow, Yoshino, you can cook?"

"Well, not really. I’m just reading this for now."

"Huh? ...That’s pointless."

"You're too naive, Ritsuka-chan. Cooking starts with recipe research!"

"Is that so?"

"Exactly! First, you learn the basic ways to cook from this book, then you come up with your own twists! And finally, you make your homemade dish and feed it to your beloved boyfriend, winning him over with your cooking skills!"

"But you don’t have a boyfriend, right?"

Ritsuka responded innocently, tilting her head, but Yoshino’s expression darkened.

"We’re talking about making a boyfriend and cooking, okay? Both are going to happen!"

"Good luck with that."

"Why are you acting like it’s someone else’s problem? Ritsuka, you want a boyfriend too, don’t you?"

"Eh... not really."

Ritsuka’s answer was completely honest. She wasn’t really interested in having a boyfriend or being in a relationship. In fact, she sometimes thought of it as something only seen in TV shows or manga. Yoshino sighed deeply at this response.

"Ritsuka, don’t you want to try something else besides just drawing? Forget the boyfriend thing, but cooking is something that’ll definitely be useful for the rest of your life."

"I like drawing, and cooking... is something people do for me. Hmm..."

Ritsuka’s main hobby was drawing, especially landscape paintings. She was confident that her skills were better than average, and when she immersed herself in it, time flew by. So, at the moment, Ritsuka had no real desire to pick up any new hobbies. Yoshino, lost in thought, asked quietly:

"Ritsuka, do you think this fight will go on forever?"

"I don’t know. It’ll probably end eventually. The Fallen Feather won’t last forever."

"Exactly. It’ll end someday. Sometimes I think the people in the Organization don’t realize that, but we’re different. This won’t go on forever."

"What are you trying to say, Yoshino?"

"I’m talking about how we should think about our future. Right now, the Organization is keeping us alive. But that won’t last forever. If the day comes when that changes, what will we be able to do...?"

"Do you want to start something new?"

Ritsuka’s question made Yoshino nod quietly. Ritsuka thought Yoshino was very smart. Unlike herself, who tended to drift along, Yoshino was always thinking ahead, considering the future, and moving forward.

If one day everything she knew were suddenly taken away—

(I have... nothing.)

"...You just got a little anxious, didn’t you?"

"Yeah..."

"Well, once I’m done reading this book, I’ll give it to you. It’s not like anything’s going to happen right away. We can just start picking up new things little by little."

From that day forward, Ritsuka would learn that there was a difference between the strength needed to fight and the strength needed to live each day. She would later be grateful for that lesson, but—

"Let’s do our best! Our future dream is to form a 'Bride's Alliance!'"

"What’s that alliance?"

"I just made it up! I bet your future dreams are all vague too, right? So, it’s okay to say you want to be a bride when you're young, and people will let it slide! Well, I’ve always wanted to be a bride from the start, though!"

"I don’t really get it..."

—But right now, it wasn’t time for that.

[ENG] Soshiki no Shukuteki to Kekkon Shitara Mecha Amai V1 Interlude 4

Related Posts