“Yawn… Good morning…”
“Is Kyle still sleeping?”
“Yeah, still in dreamland.”
I woke up early from a strange dream after a while of sleeping in my room.
Seems like I’ve been sleeping poorly lately because of that weird dream.
Plus, my bed is so small that I probably woke up because it was uncomfortable.
I might have been fully spooning with Kyle, but the space was still tight.
I mean, two adults trying to sleep in a bed meant for one kid? And with Kyle being taller than average, it was even worse!
“Well, he should wake up soon.”
“By the way, can you believe you’re a guy? Mom was really shocked!”
“Why are we talking about this first thing in the morning?”
“Just showing how surprised I was.”
I’ve heard that a ton already.
Like seriously, I could’ve gotten a callus on my ear from all the reminders yesterday.
I heard it while eating lunch, in the fields, and even at dinner—non-stop.
Really.
“I’m just a human, you know? Is Mom trying to say she dated from a young age?”
“Yep.”
“….”
I got nothing to say to that.
I wasn’t interested in any of that stuff as a kid.
I’m still kind of baffled by that.
How does one date in childhood?
Back in my past life, I was all about playing outside, and it’s the same in this life.
“I’m just glad you’re getting along with Kyle.”
“Right?”
“Yeah, he seems like a nice kid. I noticed he treats you well yesterday.”
It’s not like I was the one getting praised; it’s more like Kyle got a smidge of praise, and that somehow made me happy.
It wasn’t a big deal, but it was nice to hear.
“Of course, no matter how I think about it, I can’t fathom why a kid like him would like you.”
“….”
“You are older than him, after all.”
“That’s true….”
“…Wait, what if…”
“What if what?”
“You’re not doing anything weird, are you?”
“….”
Hmm.
That’s a bit too close for comfort.
Weird stuff, huh?
I haven’t done anything intentional, but listening to Kyle, it does sound like I’ve done a bunch of weird things.
“Come on, you think I would?”
“I’m getting curious…”
Mom is just way too suspicious.
If a kid does something, can’t she just let it slide?
“…Dad, did you stay up late again last night?”
While Mom and I were preparing a simple breakfast, Dad came out into the living room.
But he looked really rough.
He seemed better than when he got home yesterday, but he still didn’t look good.
For sure, after dinner yesterday, he seemed fine, so maybe he did stay up late.
Otherwise, there’s no way he could look that worn out.
“No need to worry.”
“…Well, that doesn’t sound very comforting.”
I don’t know what it is, but it doesn’t seem like a huge issue.
If it were a health problem, he wouldn’t react like that.
Or maybe I just misread him?
“Oh, Kyle. Hold on a sec. Breakfast is almost ready.”
Just as I was worrying a bit about Dad, Kyle came out of his room.
Did they agree on a sequence for coming out or something?
Though they’ve gotten close, I didn’t think they’d coordinate like that.
I caught Kyle up on things and continued prepping breakfast while wearing the apron that I wasn’t even using in the castle.
“Mom! Can I put this here?”
“Oh!”
I might not be in the castle, but I still wanted to serve Kyle something nice.
It might not be much, but I worked hard on it.
Of course, it was the same food as yesterday.
*
“Yawn….”
“Sophia, didn’t sleep well?”
“My bed is tiny, and I had weird dreams.”
“…Weird dreams?”
“Yeah, they’re kind of strange… After dreaming of Kyle, I end up waking up super early.”
“….”
Thanks to that, I’m super tired even though it’s not even dinner time yet.
I think if I have another one of those dreams today, I could really end up sleep deprived.
“At least it’s not something really bizarre; it’s just Kyle. It can’t be a nightmare, right?”
“Haha… Well, nothing bizarre has happened, right?”
I couldn’t easily answer that question from Mom.
It’s just that the Kyle in my dreams was always naked.
Of course, there’s no way I could say something so embarrassing out loud.
I mean, I’d be awkward too, knowing the person.
“Anyway, Kyle’s just sleeping there, and that’s it?”
“Uh-huh.”
“Okay.”
Today, both Kyle and Dad went out.
They left to help Dad with his work, like yesterday, but I stayed behind at home this time.
I went out with them yesterday, but I wasn’t really useful, just chatting with Kyle.
So staying behind felt more useful.
Plus, they might get closer if it’s just the two of them.
“Hey, Mom.”
“Yeah?”
“What does our family do to make a living?”
Dad gave me a vague answer yesterday, and now I’m curious again.
Maybe he answered too vaguely, huh?
I couldn’t help but wonder.
No way farming alone would support the lifestyle we have.
Our house is pretty spacious compared to regular folks.
I’ve never really had serious issues due to family finances growing up, which is even stranger.
Is farming really that stable?
“I can’t imagine Dad can make that much from farming.”
“….”
Mom didn’t say anything.
What kind of job would make that much?
Is it something shady, like selling drugs!?
There’s magical herbs that work like cigarettes, so there’s no reason they wouldn’t have drugs, right?
I’ve never dealt with drugs, but it wouldn’t be that surprising.
It’s natural stuff you could find anywhere.
I felt a bit worried about the possibility of our family having a scary secret.
Could that be why Dad looked so unwell yesterday?
“Wait…”
“Hold on a second.”
“Uh, okay.”
Mom suddenly went into another room.
I have no idea why, but I started waiting in the living room.
“I wasn’t planning on revealing this yet…”
“….”
And Mom came out with a box.
It wasn’t huge, just a regular-sized box.
I had no clue what was inside, but I felt a bit anxious.
What if I opened it and some white powder popped out or something?
Or even some bizarre bomb?
Or maybe an artifact no one knows about?
I had no clues whatsoever, but I was curious.
“What’s in there?”
“It’s what you asked about.”
So inside this box is what our family uses to make a living.
I looked at the box with a mix of excitement and worry.
“…Huh?”
“Ta-da~”
When she opened the box… it was medicine.
A bunch of pink potions filled small glass vials.
I looked at Mom with a ‘What the heck?’ glare, and she was just looking back casually.
Her mouth was slightly smiling, but her gaze was fixed on me.
“…What kind of medicine is this?”
Is this really drugs?
Like, a super addictive, bad kind made of pink potions?
“Just a mild potion.”
“…Huh?”
“It’s not dangerous, just a potion that makes you feel a little happier than usual.”
“…So this is how our family makes a living?”
“Yup.”
My brain was literally short-circuiting—like neurons exploding left and right inside my head.
Selling mild potions as our family business?
What kind of nonsense is this?
I never expected it, nor did I imagine it.
No, I didn’t even think about mild potions at all.
“Now I get why my parents were like that back then. This is super awkward…”
“Mom.”
I cautiously called out to her.
So, we’re selling mild potions, but there’s one thing I had to check.
“It’s legal, right?”
“Of course! This is a 750-year-old mild potion tradition!”
“….”
750 years? What in the world…
“I’ll explain everything in detail when Dad gets home. You probably won’t believe anything I say right now anyway.”
“….”
“Or want to try a potion?”
“What?!”
I’m feeling dizzy.
Like, really.
I’m not sure I’m not dreaming right now; this situation is just too surreal.
Yeah, if this isn’t a dream, then what is?
It’s definitely a dream, without a doubt.
I slowly pinched my cheek.
“….”
Ow! That’s seriously painful.
So, it’s not a dream.
100% reality.
An unchangeable, undeniable reality.
“Well… At least it’s not illegal. And it’s legal, too.”
Thank goodness.
At least it’s not illegal.
What if it was some weird, illegal potion? How would I even introduce that to Kyle?
“Ta-da~ Our family drinks potions instead of alcohol!”
There’s no way I could say something like that!
I’d probably be too embarrassed to even bring it up to Kyle.
*
“Hey there. Take a seat.”
“…Kyle, why don’t you go read something from the shelf in your room?”
“What now?”
“Yeah.”
Once Kyle and Dad got back, Mom and I got to work right away.
This was family business, so Kyle needed to step out.
With Kyle going to my room, that left three of us in the living room.
All family.
“Dad, this is about the mild potions. Is it real?”
“…Did you spill the beans?”
“Haha, but we had to talk about it eventually.”
“Dear, is it really okay to tell Sophia this?”
“Dad, it’s fine. Just keep talking.”
“Ha… Just wait a minute.”
Dad paused to think after hearing me.
It looks like he’s struggling to tell me this news, which is understandable.
But the toughest part is probably me hearing it.
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