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I briefly stop by the church on my way to my next roof repair job. When I arrive, I see all the people in the church gathered underneath the largest tree in the courtyard.

For some reason, everyone has their head raised.

Still looking up, Marie and Efa lower their eyelids in worry and put their hands together in front of their chest together to pray. The kids also look nervous.

What happened?

Feeling puzzled, I follow everyone’s line of sight, where I finally notice the green sheets caught on the tree. It is then that I understand the situation.

The dried sheets appear to have been blown away by the wind, causing it to get stuck on the tree… At least, that’s my speculation. After all, the wind’s strong today. During spring, it’s usually windy on most days. Some roofs that need repairing even fly away before they can be fixed because of the wind, so it’s quite a serious problem.

When I once again shift my gaze back to them, I notice that closest to the big tree is Lian as he reaches up as much as he can.

And…

Underneath him is that knight with awfully long hair, whose color is similar to that of the horizon at dawn. It’s so bright that my eyes hurt looking at it. His hair is also so long that it probably gets in the way of a lot of things. Probably why he has his hair tied with a string at the side of his neck.

It seems that in spite of his skinny build, he has considerable physical strength. Even with Lian on his shoulders, that knight is able to stand still with a calm face. And he’s even smiling. It’s like he’s enjoying the situation.

No, I’m not annoyed at all. I’m not, but… Aren’t they a bit too sticky?

I dismount my horse after tying it in front of the gate and ask, “…Hey. What are you doing?”

Having noticed me, he sweeps his eyes, a color that’s incredibly dazzling, toward me and narrows them in a smile. “Oh, good afternoon, Fram-dono. Even if you ask me that… things are exactly what they look like.”

“Huh? What do you mean by that─”

“Ohhhhh!!! I caught itttttt!!!” Lian shouts, ecstatic. With a brilliant smile, he proudly raises the hand holding the edge of the sheets into the sky.

When everyone sees this, Efa and the kids jump happily and cheer. Marie also looks relieved. All the tension drains from her face.

“Congratulations, Lian-dono.”

“Yeah! Thank you!! It’s a relief that Schwede-sama is so tall! You even had to piggyback me like this… I’m really sorry…”

“No, no. It’s okay. This is nothing. I’m also happy to be of help.”

“I-is that so? Sorry… Thank you so much…” It is then that Lian finally notices my presence. He widens his eyes in surprise. “Ah?! Alfred?!” Then he seems to have remembered his current position and immediately lowers the arm that’s in the air, face reddening.

“T-this is…! A sudden gust of wind blew the kids’ sheets away… so…”

“I see. It’s great that you managed to get it back.”

“Ah… yeah. I’m relieved…”

Lian’s cheeks flush an even darker red from embarrassment. Shy, he breaks into chuckles.

Affected by his mood, I also laugh.

The amount of times he has shown such a natural smile has recently increased. To be honest, his smiles turn genuine whenever he’s really happy.

It’s very… cute.

Lian is cute, but the guy who’s still giving him a piggyback really annoys me. Since they’ve already achieved their goal, he should put Lian down already.

I look back and say, “Hey, Schwede. Isn’t Lian heavy? Let me take over. Take your hands off of Lian.”

Schwede sends me a sidelong glance and lifts his eyebrows, smile still plastered on his face. He looks amused, worsening my mood even more.

“…He’s not heavy at all, though?”

“Whatever. Just put him down.”

Seriously, just release him already.

“Sure, sure. I understand. Lian-dono, I’ll release my hands now.”

Schwede lets go of Lian’s feet.

“Huh?! Hey! Wait, why?! W-wahhhh!!”

Losing its support, Lian’s body leans backward. I spread my arms and catch him from behind, so that he falls into my arms on his back. Together with the sheets.

I lower my gaze toward Lian and find that his eyes are wide open. His hair is a mess, and his body is stiff as a rock. He looks exactly like that silver cat when it’s surprised.

“That was…”

“That was?”

“That was scary!!! Just what were you two thinking? That was so… so scary!!! Don’t surprise me like that! Awful! Too awful! Why did you two suddenly do that?! Idiots! Better remember this, okay?!” Lian’s face is red, this time from anger. With teary eyes, he continues, “I will do the same thing to you guys next time! Make you feel your stomach twist from the fear of falling down!”

That being said… with Lian’s strength and slender body… Nevermind me, but even giving that slender knight a piggyback ride will be physically difficult for Lian.

The moment we ride on his shoulders, he will most probably get injured. Just the thought of that really scares me. I want him to avoid doing that if possible.

That Schwede guy also has a complex expression on his face, appearing to be speechless… He seems to be thinking the same thing.

I head inside the church with Lian still in my arms. When we reach the dining room, I gently put him down, along with the sheets, on the table.

I peer into his face. His eyebrows are furrowed, and he’s also pouting.

As I wonder whether he’s still angry, I suddenly remember something. I take out something from my coat pocket and put it in Lian’s mouth.

It’s a pastry baked by Gouda-san’s wife: a palm-sized cookie sandwich with apple jam slathered in between them. Millet grains have been mixed with the cookie dough, making the cookies fragrant and not too sweet. It complements the acidity of the apple jam and is very delicious.

It’s reasonably large and filling, so it can keep the stomach satisfied for quite a while.

Gouda-san’s wife came to visit Cheddars’ Ranch the other day and brought a large number of these pastries. Turns out she’s sharing them around because she made too much. The three kids were overjoyed.

I planned to eat it once I feel hungry, so I wrapped it up and put it in my coat pocket… I’m glad that I brought it with me.

Lian munches for a while with a grumpy face. Then he mutters, “Delicious,” before holding the cookie sandwich with both hands and quickly eating it.

The deep wells between his brows gradually disappear.

The jam on the edge of his mouth looks so delicious for some reason. Unable to help myself, I lick it off.

A frown once again appears on his face, and he flushes bright red in anger. This time, he smacks my head.