Chapter 30: Waiting for Winter with Shou

The guest room was ready, so Lyla and Dred could stay whenever they wanted. After happily touring the house, Lyla retreated to her room with Dred, who wore a deep frown.

Shou let out a quiet sigh, feeling uneasy. Maybe she had said too much earlier. She wasn’t even a proper apprentice healer yet.

“Shou, don’t worry about it. He’s just lost in thought, not angry. Besides, thanks to your new title, Lyla is treating you with more respect.”

Leon’s words were meant to comfort her, and they did. It did feel like she had gone from just a child to something a little more.

“Right, ‘Little Healer’ and ‘Black Wolf.’”

He was definitely laughing. Falco? Say something to him, will you?

But instead of responding, Falco simply picked Shou up and placed her on his lap. She tilted her head up to look at him and thought she heard him mutter, “My little healer. So cute.”

Ah. I don’t even need words anymore to know exactly what he’s thinking. Shou felt a mix of exasperation and warmth.

“Falco, let’s go upstairs.”

Still perched on his lap, she made her request. Without hesitation, Falco lifted her up and carried her to the second floor. As they ascended, Shou glanced back at Leon. Leon’s eyes silently conveyed his thoughts: Take care of him.

Shou gave a slight nod.

Falco, meanwhile, was surprised and relieved that Shou let him carry her without protest.

Lyla had been his mother, but she had never given him a home. They had always been on the move. Just when he would start getting used to a town, they would leave again. In his spare time, he trained with the sword. By Shou’s age, he had already learned how to hunt slimes without turning their cores gray.

No matter what he said, in the end, things always went Lyla’s way. Eventually, he had stopped speaking at all. As long as he swung his sword, she left him alone, and he could stay by her side. That had been enough for him.

Until that day.

“Falco, you’re fifteen now. You can live on your own.”

With those words, his mother walked out of town without saying where she was going.

He had been stunned. But at least he could hunt, so he wouldn’t starve—or so he thought.

It wasn’t until later that he realized he had no guild card. He couldn’t even sell what he hunted.

Looking back now, it should have been simple—just go to the guild, register, and start selling his game. But back then, he had spent so long avoiding thinking for himself that he couldn’t even take that first step.

In the end, he collapsed from hunger and was taken in by Gina. Embarrassing.

And now, every time Lyla returned, he felt like that helpless fifteen-year-old again—the one who couldn’t do anything, the one who didn’t think. The boy who had been discarded without even the will to protest.

But now, he had Shou. If he let himself be swept away again, he would drag her down with him.

Lyla—no, she’s not ‘Mother’ anymore—Lyla needs to leave soon.

…Wait, Shou is still clinging to me? That’s rare.

She was muttering to herself.

“Magicians are terrifying.”

Falco chuckled.

“Is this your first time seeing one?”

“Yeah. Also, first time seeing green hair. He seems hard to approach.”

“People from the Lakes have unusual colors. Deep Forest folk joke that their hair looks like it was dyed with swamp algae. They’re a bit isolated, and magicians even more so. But Dred is surprisingly aggressive for a magician.”

“I see. So, does he really use massive fire spells?”

“Oh, yeah. He burns monsters to a crisp.”

“Wait—then what happens to the meat?!”

“…There is none.”

“That’s such a waste!”

Reducing monster numbers was important, but to Shou, monsters equaled food. She really did love eating.

Oh, she finally climbed off his lap. Shame. Now she was opening her secret stash.

“You don’t mind me watching?”

She turned and smirked.

“It’s not exactly a secret.”

How did she always know what he was thinking? With a quiet laugh, she prepared tea and arranged some baked goods on a plate.

“Days like these call for snacks and tea.”

She even poured a cup for him. Living with Shou had taught him something: when preparing food or drinks, you always make enough for the person with you. To her, it was just common sense.

And then there was snacking. When he had once asked why she needed food outside of regular meals, she had given him the most pitying look and said, “It’s nourishment for the soul.”

Was it, really? Or was that just an excuse to eat more? Either way, Shou was cute when she ate, so he let it slide.

What’s she doing now?

“Ahhh—”

She was holding out a piece of pastry for him. …She’s feeding me?

He took a bite. Delicious. Shou gave a soft, satisfied smile before eating one herself. Then another. Another bite for him.

…And now the snacks were gone.

“See? Now you’re full.”

She patted his chest. She’s right.

Shou neatly gathered the empty cups and plates.

“Alright, time for bed.”

Yeah. He wasn’t fifteen anymore.

Though sometimes, Shou spoiled him so much that he wondered if she saw him as younger than that.

Lyla had raised him to be a strong hunter, and for that, he was grateful. But that was all she had given him. He would take that strength and use it to live properly.

If he got hungry, Shou would feed him. If he wavered, Leon would guide him. If he fell, the people in this town would help him back up.

So he would walk forward—not as Lyla’s son, but as Falco.

He held the sleeping Shou close. She squirmed for a moment, searching for the most comfortable spot. Once she found it, she stilled.

As he gently patted her back, listening to her soft, steady breathing, Falco closed his eyes.

Winter was coming.

But with Shou here, it would be warm.