Chapter 124
Arellin thought.
‘Maybe I was wrong to try to get a hold of something like Pipalo Day in this world after all.’
The kitchen was a mess.
The children and herself were covered in chocolate and unrecognizable debris.
Arellin sighed heavily.
***
The day before the incident.
Peaceful Halbern Manor.
It’s the same time of day when the Parenting Corps is jockeying for Arellin’s affections and collecting stickers, the Knights of Saren are getting kicked out for opening Toto, and Jaren is busy recruiting members for the Dragon Protection Society.
Yuni found herself in an amusing and troubling situation.
“So, you want to give Sir Mehen a present?”
“Yes.”
Arellin nudged her hand as if embarrassed to say it.
How cute!
“My mom always gets me something, so I want to get him something too.”
“Aww. Anything would be nice, wouldn’t it? Hell, even if it’s from you.”
“Why would you give him hell?”
Arellin was furious, but Yuni was already smiling happily, enjoying the little girl’s cute and quirky heart.
How sweet she is.
“Anything?”
She’d already asked the rest of the nursery, starting with Mehen’s aide, Dylan, but all had come up empty.
Now Yuni was her last hope.
“I don’t think we can get you anything material, since you’re so rich.”
Besides, there was someone who already had a lot to offer in the way of gifts: the Archduke of Halbern…
“My dad has nothing useful to offer…”
Yuni smirked at Arellin’s complaint.
“Then why don’t you make something for him?”
“Make?”
“Anything would be good.”
Arellin pondered.
Crafting is a scarce commodity in itself, so why not?
After all, isn’t it Pipalo’s Day soon?
She doesn’t know if other worlds have Pipalo Day, but Pipalo gifts?
This is it!
Arellin’s eyes sparkled.
***
“So you’re suddenly going to cook.”
“Not cooking, but confectionery!”
Arellin raised her eyebrows sternly, as if to say that they were not the same thing.
Valar chuckled and jerked his chin.
“Yes, baking. So why do you want to do this?”
“I’m making it for Mehen.”
“Hmm.”
Valar narrowed his eyes, then asked coldly.
“And Dad?”
“…”
“And my dad?”
“… I’ll listen.”
Arellin replied in surrender, and Valar smiled in satisfaction.
“Good?”
“Yep. Dad’s a big-bowled man who can’t be satisfied with little things.”
“And you’re a little girl who has to fight for her share of the little things.”
Valar frowned.
There he goes again, the man.
“So you hate your dad?”
“… No, I don’t hate you.”
Valar smirked.
“Okay, try harder.”
Arellin had gotten her father’s help +1!
While Valar was covering Mehen’s eyes and ears, Arellin was secretly working on her gift.
The twins, Aaron, and Pession joined her in the crafting.
“I’ve never made anything like this before.”
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
The twins chimed in with Pession.
“…”
Aaron nodded quietly, indicating that it was his first time too.
“Yeah. It’s my first time too.”
“…??”
Arellin had never made a puppet before, either. She’d only heard stories of people making them and giving them away.
‘That’s why I wanted to make more!’
The lollipops were made by the mansion’s pastry chef, so all the five kids had to do was coat the lollipops with melted chocolate. They can add almonds and other decorations to their liking.
Arellin is calmly coating the lollipops in chocolate.
Poof!
Pession suddenly injected the chocolate with an elixir.
“…? Why did you put that in there?”
“To make you healthy!”
“???”
“Because I’m giving you Arelin!”
What is this guy saying?
The twins’ eyes lit up as if they were impressed.
“Me too!”
“Me too!”
Noel and Ciel bickered and started dipping their chocolates into the weird stuff.
“…???”
When she saw the blackish-red stuff that she assumed was capsaicin, Arellin gave up trying to think.
She should never eat that.
Aaron, on the other hand, was calmly making the usual munchies.
Then.
“Aaah!”
“!”
A timely demon dropped something unidentifiable into Aaron’s chocolate. Aaron fluttered his eyelashes.
Aaron was furious.
Just like that, Aaron’s brulee had become half good, half hellish.
“Arellin, do you want to put it in?”
“No. Never.”
The demon’s grasp reached out to Arellin.
Arellin refused, vehemently.
“Why, put it in!”
“If you put it in, you will die by my hand!”
“This is expensive!”
“You can try it!”
“I said don’t put it in!”
Klang, klang!
Arellin and the twins argued, and the kitchen turned into a mess.
The twins and Arellin were covered in chocolate and something unidentifiable, and that was the end of the popsicle making.
***
The five disheveled children were all dragged into the bathroom. Freshly washed, they gathered together.
“I’m glad it turned out okay.”
Pession and Aaron were quick to clean up the mess.
The twins, the ones responsible for the mess, giggled as they looked at the popsicles they had made.
There was no way they were going to eat it.
“I’ll give it to Daddy.”
“I’m giving it to Brownie!”
They… What the hell is wrong with them?
Arellin mourned inwardly.
Aaron looked at his share of munchies and gave one to Arellin and Pession. They nibbled on them.
“Delicious.”
“I know.”
Aaron handed the twins one each.
“Yum!”
The twins ate them and ran to the bathroom.
“Aaron, you’ve gotten your revenge.”
The twins had gotten their karma back for touching Aaron’s chocolate.
And the long-awaited elixir.
“Here, Arel. Take it!”
Arellin didn’t know what to make of the munchkin being held out to her.
More than anything else, the overwhelmingly fat elixir pouch was just a burden.
“Sion.”
“Huh?”
“You want to be my puppet?”
Pession was shocked.
“You weren’t going to give it to me?”
Arellin demanded, her eyes deciding something.
“I’ll give it to you if you eat one of these.”
“I made them for you to eat, Arel.”
“I eat them every day, you should too.”
With that, the elixir was snatched from Pession’s hand. Pession took it without thinking, then stiffened.
Arellin watched him disappear into the restroom and smiled in satisfaction.
“Mmm. Tastes like a normal elixir.”
In other words, it tastes like shit.
The twin, who had just returned from the restroom, snatched a mouthful before running off to the bathroom again.
“Me too.”
“Do you want to try one?”
“Yeah.”
Arellin took it gratefully, wondering if it was a futile challenge, but it would get rid of at least one of these tasteless munchies.
“…?”
Surprisingly, it held.
“Are you okay?”
“It’s delicious.”
“…?”
Are you okay with your tongue?
Aaron gulped down five more elixirs to make sure he was really okay.
***
On the day of Pipalo Day.
As soon as the sun came up in the morning, Arellin was the first to run to Mehen.
“Mom-!”
Arellin suddenly held out a well-wrapped puparo in front of Mehen’s surprised face.
“A gift!”
A smile spread across Mehen’s face.
“This must be the legendary papoose that turned the mansion upside down the other day.”
“Huh? You knew about it?”
“Yes. He’s a Nurseryman, a Lord, and he’s been after them all.”
Valar did a good job of covering Mehen’s eyes and ears, but Mehen was too good.
“I prepared this for my mom.”
“Delicious.”
Behind a giggling Arellin, Valar appeared.
“And for Dad?!”
“…”
As if expecting it, Arellin nonchalantly pulled out Valar’s share of the munchies.
“Here.”
Valar giggled, took a bite, and then his expression quickly turned sour.
Then he scurried away.
“What did you feed him?”
“Twinkies.”
“…”
A few moments later, Valar returned, looking at Arellin.
“Did my daughter… want to assassinate her dad so badly?”
As funny as it was to see her father in trouble, Arellin felt sorry for Duke Sperom and Brownie.
What did they do to…
“Here, a real one.”
Valar accepted the muffin with a dubious expression and took a cautious bite.
“It’s delicious.”
“Isn’t it?”
Valar smiled as he popped the poparo into Arellin’s mouth.
“Maybe next year you and dad can make them together.”
“Okay.”
“Count me in.”
“Yes!”
Somehow, Arellin had a premonition that next year’s exclusion day was going to be even more raucous.
