We returned to my house the moment the sky turned completely dark.
Once we opened the door, the aroma of boiled Mirte Mushroom and freshly baked bread enveloped us. Our attention was immediately drawn to the humming figure of my mother, busy at work in the kitchen.
"I'm home," I said, announcing our return.
"Welcome back~," my mother replied from inside.
After we stored our equipment, we quickly went into the kitchen.
She turned to look at us the moment we entered the room, and she frowned as she noticed how dirty we were—or more precisely, how dirty Tizmilly was.
"My! Tizmilly! Are you okay?" she gasped and rushed toward Tizmilly. She checked Tizmilly's condition, wiping Tizmilly's cheeks with her apron.
"I-I am okay, Mrs. Roost. I am just a little tired..." Tizmilly muttered with a vague blush on her cheeks.
"You need a bath. Don't worry, Aunty has warmed the water for you."
Then my mother looked at me and narrowed her eyes. "And you, Theo!"
I could only tilt my head, oblivious as to why she suddenly became angry.
"Why do you always bring Tizmilly into Dungeons!? Which girl will be glad dating inside a monster-filled place?" my mother asked me while placing her hands on her waist in an intimidating pose.
"Don't worry, Tizmilly is strong. And we were not dating..." I answered, looking at Tizmilly to seek her help, and Tizmilly nodded in response.
But my mother seemed to be still unsatisfied even after that.
"Even if that is so, can you say that Tizmilly enjoyed her time while you two were inside? Huh?"
Only after Tizmilly herself told my mother that it was her who wanted to become stronger and joined me did my mother calm down. She seemed to recall the boiling soup in the kitchen after that. My mother rushed back to take the pot off the stove and turned off the switch of the stove.
I let Tizmilly take a bath first as I went to help my mother set up the dining table. Once Tizmilly finished, it was my chance. Then, it was our dinner time.
The dishes couldn't be called luxurious whatsoever, but they were warm, and that was what mattered. Steam curled from the bowls, and the bread crust cracked softly when torn.
"Mom's cooking is always incredible!" I praised as I dunked the bread into my bowl of soup.
"Haha, of course!" she replied as she messed with my hair, ruffling it like I was still ten.
I could feel eyes filled with longing watching me. And it was Tizmilly, as expected. She sat stiffly, unsure. My mother also noticed it, as she came closer to her and started to mess her hair up as well.
"Here, Tizmilly, too!" my mother giggled with a bit too wide smile, clearly having a good time.
"Ah-ah... M-Mrs. Roost?" While Tizmilly could only blush, '!?' marks practically popped out of her head.
I laughed watching them and ignored Tizmilly when she pleaded for me to help her get my mother off her. After all, I couldn't defeat my mother. No one could.
We continued to slowly work through our dinner until we finished all the soup. And, surprisingly, it was Tizmilly who ate the most. She could only cover her red face with her palms as my mother teased her about how she would become a big woman if she continued her current appetite.
She ate five bowls and 8 pieces of bread, so actually, maybe she might really become one. I laughed at the idea, earning a glare from Tizmilly that had no heat in it.
We washed the utensils together at the sink and let my mother rest at the living room, before the fireplace. The crackling logs cast flickering shadows across the walls. As I rubbed a spoon with the sponge, I turned to my left and saw through the small window that the snow had already started to fill the world outside. Fat flakes, silent and steady. Naturally, it brought me to think about the Academy.
"We have to return to the Academy... right?" Tizmilly muttered.
She also looked at the snow. And maybe even thinking about the same thing as I was. Her reflection in the glass looked small.
I nodded before opening my mouth.
"Yes. After the festival, what about hiring more maids? We will not be able to go to the restaurant every day once we're back at the Academy, and it will be too much if we just leave my mother and the girls managing it. They'll be swamped."
Tizmilly slowly nodded her head.
"You're right..."
I noticed that Tizmilly's hands had slowed down. She also lowered her head. And as I looked at her more closely, I could see that her hands were subtly trembling. The sponge paused over a plate.
_Returning to the same place where she lost everything... It wouldn't be great. She must be afraid. I knew that feeling._ That pit in your stomach before walking into a room full of people who once cheered when you fell.
I quickly finished washing the utensils on my side and washed my hands.
From personal experience, I knew that saying too much or trying to cheer her up here wouldn't be good for Tizmilly. And I also wanted her to solve her problem by herself so that she could grow stronger in the future. Both mentally and physically. Sometimes comfort was just another cage.
I lightly tapped her shoulder.
"Come on, wash yours faster," I said, showing her my best smile. "You don't want my mom to finish all the cookies alone, do you?"
Tizmilly immediately perked up the moment I mentioned cookies. She stopped getting down over the thought of the Academy and immediately hastened her movement, soap bubbles flying.
_Heh, her appetite really has greatly increased after she tasted my mother's cooking, huh? So cute. And so human. That's good._
We then put the utensils back into the cupboard, the wood warm from the fireplace.
The first snow had come.
The Deep-Lore Delve Festival was waiting for us days later, and once the winter ended, our third year in the Academy would start.
Hopefully, nothing troublesome would happen then. But with our luck, with the Crown Prince nursing a bruised ego and Raffassa nursing a grudge, trouble was already sharpening its knives. For now, though, there was soup, and warmth, and snow. That had to be enough.