Chapter 57: Forms of Love

After I moved the chest of drawers together with Toack, we started to clean the bedroom floor with cloths.

Truthfully, I just needed him to help me move the chest of drawers, but since we were at it, I had him help with the cleaning as well.

As I wiped the floor repeatedly, I came to understand how dirty the floor really was. I carefully cleaned the dust and the small amount of dirt that came in from the outside.

Then, as I took a look at the part of the floor that looked as if it was brand new, I felt refreshed. Nice, let’s keep this momentum up and make this entire bedroom look nice.

「…Say, Aldo」

「What’s up?」

While I was wiping the floor with a clear mind, Toack called out to me in a low voice.

「Did you two do it in the end?」

「Pffff! You too?!」

Spit burst out of my mouth unintentionally from Toack’s sudden question.

Just when I thought that I had escaped from the talk in the living room, I’m the one who is being questioned this time.

「Did Aisha ask you the same question when you were picking out the radishes with her as well?」

「No, but when I went to get water from the kitchen, that was what her and Flora were talking about」

Well, if I think back on the conversation he and Aisha had in front of our house, it makes sense for him to want to ask me that question.

Surprisingly, Toack might have already had that intention in mind when he agreed to lend me a hand so easily.

「Ohh, I see why it took you so long to come back」

With his hand on his chin, he nodded convincingly.

「So? If you’re not denying it then did you do it after all? You both like each other and got your marriage acknowledged, but you wouldn’t be so embarrassed that you’re still only holding hands with her, right?」

「…We did do it. I’m not that useless of a man」

It’s embarrassing and it makes me wonder why I just told him that, but Toack is also a close friend who had been supporting the relationship between me and Flora. It should be fine to let him know that much.

Of course, no matter how close of a friend he is, I’m not going to tell him any more than that.

「The marriage between you two shocked me too. Looking at you two, I thought it would take about a year as a couple before marriage would be considered」

Ah, how do I put it? I was overflowing with joy when I found out that me and Flora thought the same thing about each other. It was like my feeling of wanting to be with her forever exploded…

When she went missing, I realized that I liked her.

After that, I managed to save her by my own hands somehow.

Then, I found out about how she thought about me for nine years.

「…Because the moment I saved her, I knew that I would never want to be separated from her for a second time…」

It’s because of those thoughts that I was able to decide on marriage so quickly.

「…Is that so?」

Toack replied with an expression and in a voice that did not have a single hint of messing around.

He had the same poker face as always, but I thought he looked a bit gentler than usual.

I can’t help but become embarrassed when he looks at me with somewhat of a warm gaze.

He spared me from the teasing but seeing him being happy for me like this made me feel self conscious.

While feeling bothered by this embarrassing feeling, I asked Toack a question that I’ve had from before.

「…So Toack, do you have anyone you like?」

I want to support him If there’s a girl that he’s interested in.

Speaking of girls around him, it would be people like Aisha and Ena, right?

「Me? Not really」

「Is that so? But I see that you get along pretty well with Aisha, what about her?」

When I asked him a simple follow-up question after his clear answer, this time it was him who had spit spray out from his mouth.

That’s dirty. Wipe that off the floor properly, okay?

「I would never feel that way about her. I’ve never felt like that with her before」

「Really? When we were playing at the river, I remember you looking away from her uncomfortably though?」

Since I’m a bit curious about the relationship they have, I decided to dig deeper.

When Aisha’s clothes got wet, I remember Toack’s face got quite red. If he didn’t feel anything at all about her he shouldn’t have that reaction.

「Well, you probably wouldn’t be able to look at her naturally either when she looked like that, no?」

That’s true as well. Even if you aren’t interested in the girl, it’s natural to look away if her clothes got wet.

When I nodded as if I was convinced, Toack grinned and said,

「Unlike you and Flora, I’m not a secret pervert」

「Wha?! A secret pervert?!」

「Yeah. You two were looking at each other’s skin too much. It was like if you two are that interested in each other then just go get a room」

Mmmmrr, he’s right. I was definitely aware that I was staring at Flora’s chest, her clear skin, and her beautiful feet at that time. Even though it was induced by Aisha, that was still the truth.

I started to feel embarrassed as I become aware of the fact that even though I called Flora a secret pervert yesterday, I was also like that myself.

But I knew it, Flora was looking at my skin after all.

Perhaps Toack was satisfied with my embarrassment; he chuckled and sat down on a chair.

「Besides, we’ve been fighting ever since we were young. There’s no way we would suddenly have feelings for each other after all this time. I’m quite fond of my single life right now」

It’s not like I think that they have to have a normal lover’s relationship. They seem to have their own relationship that they’re comfortable with, and I don’t think that’s a bad thing.

「…I think that a relationship between two people where you’re both comfortable enough to not be conscious of each other is nice too」

A relationship where even without acting all lovey dovey, both people understand how each other feels. I think that love is different for every person.

「…What are you saying?」

「I don’t know much about the past, but I heard that Ergys-san and Fiona-san also didn’t get along back in the days, so it might not be impossible for you and Aisha, right?」

It seems that even that harmonious couple were once fighting like cats and dogs. I find that unbelievable but Flora and the other villagers said so as well.

「Don’t group us together with those two」

Toack stood up and started to wipe the window as he replied to me.

I could not really see the expression he had on his face at that time due to the sunlight.

◆

After I finished questioning Toack, we quickly finished cleaning and arranging the chests of drawers.

Our bedroom is now so clean that it’s almost glittering, completely different from this morning. It also looks like the room has gotten a bit brighter as well. The accumulated dust on the walls and floor was gone.

Flora and I will be living in here from now on, so I should probably clean this room a bit more often.

Looking at the beautifully clean room, it made me decide that I’ll properly clean the other rooms in the house too.

「The chests of drawers’ positions are not misaligned, right?」

「It’s perfect. I think we’ve adjusted it enough times already」

Toack gave a straightforward answer while looking fed up.

Yup, the two chests of drawers are not misaligned.

I nodded in satisfaction after I gave the final check.

「Alright, all done! Thanks, Toack」

「You aren’t tired at all after lifting the chest of drawers, right? You’ll be helping me next time when I have wood to transport, okay?」

「Yeah, I got it」

Since he helped me so much, I have to lend him a hand when he needs it as well. I can’t if the wood he wants me to carry is too heavy, but when I think about the wood materials in his workshop, it should be no problem.

「Well then, should we go back to the living room? Do you want some tea?」

「No, the sun’s about to set. I should head home soon」

「Okay」

We walked out of the bedroom while we had that conversation.

「We’re done moving the chest of drawers and cleaning the bedroom-」

In case we barge into some strange conversation, I spoke out in a loud voice as we walked towards the living room.

Then, I saw Flora and Aisha talking to each other face to face.

Aisha muttered something to her, then Flora put her hand on her mouth and her face lit up.

「I-is that so?!」

「Yes, so in the morning-」

Aisha was in the middle of telling her something, but she seemed to have taken notice of me and Toack.

「-You won’t have enough energy unless you eat. It’s summer already!」

「Huh? Huhh? What are you talking about all of a sudden, Aisha? What about men in the morn-?!」

「Shhh! The guys are here!」

Aisha covered Flora’s mouth with her hands since Flora did not realize that Toack and I came into the living room.

Even though I made sounds talking to Toack as we walked down the corridor and when we entered…

She must have been quite into the topic. It sounded like a continuation of the conversation they had before.

When I glanced at Toack with a bitter smile, he shrugged his shoulders in response.

It would probably be a good idea to not go into the topic of their conversation here.

「We’re done moving the chest of drawers and cleaning the bedroom-」

「O-okay! Thank you for your hard work! Not just moving the chest of drawers, but you cleaned the room as well?」

Flora thanked us with a slightly red face when I repeated the same words again.

「Yeah, thanks to Toack, the cleaning was quick」

「Sorry for making you help with the cleaning as well. Thank you, Toack-san」

「This much is nothing. You treated me to lunch after all. Well, as for Aldo, he will lend me a hand next time so it’s all good」

Toack replied with a slight bow as well when Flora bowed her head slightly and thanked him.

I was hoping that I would be spared from helping him next time when Flora thanked him. It’s a shame that it didn’t turn out that way.

「Don’t make me lift anything unreasonable, okay?」

「No worries. In your shape you can probably lift all the pieces of wood that are as long as the living room. I’ll make you lift as many as the times you made me help you lift that chest of drawers」

「…Wouldn’t that be a bit too much?」

So he was holding a grudge because I kept on making him help with the readjustments of the chest of drawers after all.

「Hehehe, that sounds tough, Aldo-san」

「No, Flora. This is no laughing matter」

「I’ll have a boxed lunch and some water ready for you at that time so work hard, okay?」

Well, if there’s delicious food made by her then I’ll be able to make it through somehow.

I thought that in my mind as I stroked her back.

「You guys really have the aura of a married couple」

「…Yeah, it took them this long to get together though」

I became embarrassed as Toack and Aisha made those comments while they looked at us.

「That reminds me, I heard that Ena helped you clean your house recently. Pay her hard work forward, please clean my house for me」

「That was for the vegetable soup I made for her. But either way, I have no intention of helping you out with your work since you’ve never done anything for me」

They say that me and Flora feel like a married couple, but I think that they feel like one as well.

「Don’t you think those two really get along well?」

「……」

When I said that in a quiet voice to Flora, I saw her looking at me with a spaced out expression. I feel like her eyes are looking at my crotch but am I overthinking it?

「Flora?」

「Ny-nyothing!」

When I got a bit worried and called out to her, she jumbled her response with her face and ears red.

Something is definitely up. Was it something that Aisha told her?

I continued to look at Toack and Aisha while thinking about it.

Then, Toack frowned as if he was reminded of the previous conversation we had in the bedroom from the warm gaze I was giving them.

「Ridiculous. It’s about time I take my leave」

「Nn- right. Maybe it’s time I leave as well」

If she doesn’t have an opponent to argue with there’s no point in continuing, yeah.

「Alright then, here, take your radishes. Here are yours, Toack. And these are yours, Aisha」

「Ohh, thanks」

I handed Toack the radishes that we predicted to be spicy.

「Ah, thank you」

Aisha replied with a smile on her face when I handed Aisha the non spicy radishes.

Aisha and I couldn’t hold our smiles in as we glanced at Toack.

「Well then, good bye!」

Toack put his shoes on and left as Aisha got close to Flora.

「Good luck. Be assertive」

「G-got it!」

Aisha smiled in satisfaction when Flora responded with a few nods. Then, she rushed towards me.

What does she have to say to me?

「…Hey, be good to Flora. I won’t forgive you if you make her cry」

「I know that」

Although Aisha’s serious voice surprised me, I answered as I nodded firmly. I’m sure that she would be the first one to come hit me if I made Flora cry.

Perhaps she was satisfied with my answer that was filled with resolve, as she smiled and hit my shoulders.

「Well then, you two, see you later-!」

Then, Aisha moved to the entrance and left in a blink of an eye.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om