Volume 6, Chapter 18 – I’m home

Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale.

I take a deep breath, then let it out, repeating the cycle.

I stand in front of the Jez Herbal Apothecary.

I have finally fulfilled my promise to Shishou by becoming a Magic Apothecary.

There is no one else I would rather report this to first.

“Fiene-sama, have you calmed down?”

“Yes. I’m fine. Let’s go.”

“Understood.”

Steeling my resolve, I open the door to the Jez Herbal Apothecary and step inside.

“Welcome—oh, oh, oh, oh!”

Ma’am was relaxing in a chair at the back of the shop, which was as deserted as usual.

Upon seeing me, she sprang to her feet, her eyes going impossibly wide.

I greeted her with a smile.

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“Ma’am, I’ve returned—mgh!”

Before I could finish the sentence, Ma’am charged at me with incredible momentum and pulled me into a crushing hug.

“Oh, w-welcome home, welcome home! Fiene-chan, you’ve finally come back! Are you hurt anywhere? Have you been eating properly? Did some strange person do something to you? Oh, goodness! I’ve been so worried! You stopped sending letters halfway through, really, honestly!”

“Mmm… ngh…”

Being squeezed so tightly by her rather plump frame made it a little hard to breathe.

“Ma’am, Fiene-sama is suffocating!”

“Hm? Oh, sorry about that, Fiene-chan. I’m just so glad you’re safe. Chris-chan, welcome back. You weren’t hurt, were you?”

After that familiar little exchange, Ma’am released me from her hug attack, but now Chris-san was the one being subjected to it.

“Ma’am, um, I—”

“Oh? There are two girls here I don’t recognize. Are they new friends?”

I tried to introduce them, but I couldn’t get a word in over Ma’am’s usual pace.

Even so, somehow the conversation carried on as though everything was going exactly as I’d intended.

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“”Yes. This green-haired girl is my little sister figure, Lumia, and the black-haired woman is Mieshiro Shizuku. Lu-chan, Shizuku-san, this is Rosanna-san, the wife of my Shishou, Jez-san.”

“My, my, it seems my daughter was quite a help to you. Thank you. I’m Rosanna, Jez’s wife. Nice to meet you.”

With that, she gave the other two hugs as well. Unlike the one she gave me, these weren’t quite as fervent, so Lu-chan didn’t seem to be struggling for air.

“Still, Lumia-chan is taller than Fiene-chan, yet she’s the little sister? Shouldn’t Fiene-chan be the little sister?”

“Eh?”

I froze at Ma’am’s words.

“I… I was supposed to be the taller one…”

“Oh, really? From the feel of the hug, it felt like Lumia-chan over there was taller.”

“Eh? Could it be that I’ve finally overtaken Onee-sama in height? Let’s compare!”

Lu-chan approached me with a beaming smile.

“Eh? Ah, no, well…”

“Come on, stand back-to-back right there. Hurry up!”

Urged by Ma’am, I reluctantly stood back-to-back with Lu-chan.

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Our heads gave a light little bonk.

“Hmm, indeed, Lumia-dono is just a tiny bit taller. Fiene-dono, perhaps your daily meals are insufficient after all?”

“Uugh…”

How could this be?

I knew she’d been catching up little by little, but I never imagined she’d actually overtake me!

“Fiene-chan, what’s going on? You have been eating properly, haven’t you?”

“Eh? Um, I’ve been eating about as much as I did when I was here. And I’m eating my vegetables…”

As I answered hesitantly, Ma’am placed both hands on her hips and declared firmly:

“Fiene-chan, you’ve always had a small appetite. But you’re a girl in her growth period; you mustn’t diet, you have to eat properly. Since that’s the case, I’m making sure you eat properly today. Now, come inside.”

And so, I was dragged by Ma’am into the nostalgic interior of the Jez Herbal Apothecary.

Once we were all inside, Ma’am flipped the shop’s sign from “Open” to “Closed.”

“Eh? There’s still plenty of business hours left, isn’t there? Is it okay to close now?”

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“My daughter’s finally home. I’ve got no time to be running a shop. Just wait a moment. You! You! Fiene-chan is back!”

With that, Ma’am ran off toward the workshop.

Rather than calling for him the moment I walked in, she waited until she’d finished greeting us first. That was just like her, and somehow it made me feel nostalgic.

“Is that person the mother-figure Fiene-dono had in the Royal Capital?”

“Onee-sama is very well-loved…”

“Yes. It was only for half a year, but if Ma’am hadn’t been there, I might have ended up on the streets. And while Jez-san is very taciturn and has the temperament of a craftsman, he’s a very kind person at heart. He helped me more than words can describe. Both of them are precious benefactors to me.”

I was truly glad to see that Ma’am hadn’t changed and that the shop remained the same.

As I thought this, I heard the sound of thumping footsteps running from the direction of the workshop. Then, that familiar, blunt voice reached my ears.

“…Ah. So you made it back safely.”

“Yes, Shishou. I’ve returned. And… I’ve officially become a Magic Apothecary.”

Smiling just like I had back then, I told Shishou, “I’m home.”

Was it just me, or did Shishou’s cheeks soften ever so slightly?