"Come on, Rest! We've reached our destination!"
"Ohh..."
The place Yuri had brought him to was a hill located a short distance from the royal capital.
The gentle rise was blanketed in green, and the sky stretched high above, offering a refreshing vista that swept across the horizon.
"Amazing, right? I found it the other day while out running!"
Yuri declared proudly, puffing out her chest with confidence.
Finally freed from the princess carry... Rest let out a sigh.
"It really is a nice view... That said, you came all the way out here for a run?"
From the royal capital to the hill was quite a distance.
Even for Yuri, who was a naturally athletic health nut, it was farther than one would normally jog.
"Well, it was a coincidence. I make it a habit to run through the streets of the capital every morning, but one day I decided to try a different route by turning at one extra corner, and I ended up here."
"One corner? That's all it took to get here?"
There was no way a single turn could lead to a place like this. More importantly, how had she ended up outside the city walls? Had she not noticed while climbing over them?
"Well, it's a lovely view regardless... A bit chilly for the season, though."
"Yeah, we should have come during a warmer time. The weather is nice, but the wind is cold."
"True... Then, how about this — **Barrier**."
Rest activated his magic.
A transparent dome enveloped the two of them, cutting off the cold air from outside.
Since completely stopping airflow would cause suffocation, he limited it to suppressing the influx of cold.
"Oh? It's not cold anymore!"
"That should take care of it. Shall we settle in?"
"Sure. I made a bento, so let's eat!" Yuri pulled a lunch box from the bag she had been carrying on her back.
She set a rather large container down in front of Rest and opened it.
"I woke up early this morning to make it! I'm actually quite good at cooking, you know!"
"Really...? That's, well, unexpected..."
He had absolutely no image of her being good at cooking. If anything, the only memories he had of her in the kitchen were of various mishaps.
(She made me eat worm meat that one time... and there was another occasion where she tried to serve me bugs...? Is this bento really safe?)
"Go on, dig in! It's my pride and joy!"
"Ohh... It's very brown."
When Yuri opened the larger lunch box, an array of brown dishes was revealed inside.
There was not a single garnish in sight — no parsley, no cherry tomatoes, nothing to add color.
The dishes consisted of grilled meat, hamburg steak, karaage, tonkatsu, yakitori... essentially nothing but meat.
On top of that, the portions were enormous. Even for two people, there was far more than enough, and the lunch box was packed so tightly it looked like it might burst open.
"You could say... this is going to give some serious stamina."
"You looked tired, Rest! So I packed everything that looked nutritious!"
"It certainly has nutrition... though it's a bit one-sided."
"I've got sandwiches too, so eat some of those as well."
Sandwiches emerged from a second lunch box — egg salad and BLT. The vegetables tucked between the bread provided a small measure of relief.
"There's plenty, so help yourself!"
"...Thank you for the meal."
Setting aside the contents and the volume... at least there were no bugs or monsters mixed in this time. The meat appeared to be chicken, beef, and pork. It should all be perfectly safe to eat.
"...This is delicious."
The richly seasoned meat was tender and far more carefully prepared than its appearance suggested.
Yuri had a surprisingly refined palate, so he had always trusted her taste, but her cooking had improved as well.
"I've been learning from Primula and the chefs at House Rosemary. They even praised me for having a natural knack for it!"
"Is that so... Come to think of it, you are a quick learner..."
At the academy, despite her free-spirited personality, she studied well and had a genuine desire to learn. Her cooking skills seemed to be improving at the same rapid pace.
He had thought the portions were large, but Rest was still a teenager, and Yuri, despite being female, was a big eater, so they managed to devour the contents of both lunch boxes clean.
"Ah, that was delicious... Thanks for the meal."
"Don't mention it. I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"I'm so full... I'm getting sleepy."
The sky was blue, and green hills and plains stretched out all around them. If one lay down here for a nap, it would surely be wonderfully comfortable.
"Yeah, that's all part of the plan."
Yuri grinned and patted her own knee.
She flashed a mischievous smile, the corners of her lips curling upward, and beckoned him with her other hand in a "come here, come here" gesture.
"I even prepared a pillow for you! Don't be shy — use it!"
"...Seriously?"
It was, without question, a first-rate pillow.
After all... it was the lap of the sheltered young lady of House Cattleya.
Rest hesitated, wondering whether he should refuse... but honestly, they had already shared a bed, so there was no point being coy about it now.
"...Then I'll take you up on your offer."
Rest lay down as invited, resting his head on Yuri's thigh.