"When did you learn to drive?"
There was no answer from Cider for a mont as they passed through rough gravel roads. When the road beca smooth again, a slow reply ca as if searching through mories.
"I learned when I was modifying this carriage. Since it was made to be easy to use, the operation thod is also simple."
"Ah, I see."
But I can't do it. Sohow he heard her grumbling and a reply ca back.
"You probably just didn't have the opportunity."
That wasn't entirely true. Among other Hunters, there were quite a few who drove steam carriages around. Accordingly, steam carriages for one or two people, like scooters, were also released. Steam carriages that had been rely transportation had beco a ans of entertainnt.
"To be precise, it wasn't that I didn't have the opportunity, but that I wasn't interested."
"Are you interested now?"
"A little?"
At the sa ti as those words, Esperanza erged from the carriage. It was a deserted road with no one watching anyway, and the driver's seat was wide enough for two people to sit. Taking advantage of the carriage slowing down, she completely erged through the window, climbed onto the top of the steam carriage, then slid down to the driver's seat. When the narrow driver's seat beca full, Cider clicked his tongue.
"My lady, you need to learn safety rules before driving."
To receive such a look from Cider of all people. Esperanza snorted and retorted.
"I'm safe."
"Ah, I'm sure you are."
While machines are exploding left and right in his own laboratory. Who's telling whom about safety?
"I suppose touching dangerous equipnt while sleeping four hours in three days doesn't violate safety rules?"
Then Cider asked back without batting an eye.
"Are you worried I might be in danger?"
"How does that beco such a question?"
Just then the carriage jolted. Esperanza reflexively grabbed the railing. Cider pulled Esperanza's arm closer to his side as he answered.
"Well, you've always worried about ."
"...Ah, yes."
It wouldn't seem very convincing to deny it. Esperanza clamped her mouth shut and turned her head the other way. The cold wind lifted her hair. Cider laughed softly.
Sitting deep in the driver's seat, she looked at the road stretching ahead. Unconsciously turning back, she burst into laughter seeing the large carriage that the driver's seat with two people sitting side by side was carrying on its back.
"This way there's no point in bringing the carriage. To think we're leaving that nice seat empty and both sitting side by side in the driver's seat."
No dignity and no efficiency.
"But it's not so bad."
"That's true."
She had to agree. The weather was cold enough to numb the tip of her nose, but the road where the autumn leaves hadn't fully fallen yet was colorfully beautiful. Cider slowed the carriage's speed a bit so Esperanza could fully enjoy the scenery.
After driving for about 30 more minutes like that, a wide field appeared.
"So, where is this place?"
It was a place they had reached after driving west from the mansion for about an hour. Low green barley tickled her ankles. A field where sprouts had just erged. Indeed, there was no sign of people, so even if soone suddenly flew up, there would be no one to see.
"It's my private property. There's an abandoned mine nearby so no one cos around, and this seed like the most suitable place."
"No one cos here?"
"I can't say for certain, but it's not really a place worth seeking out, is it?"
Esperanza looked around the green barley field swaying low in the wind, holding her hat with one hand. When she took off her outing hat, her hair fluttered in the wind. It was a place with nothing but wind and green barley.
"I suppose so."
When Esperanza, who had looked around the green barley field and returned, took out the devices she had brought from her inventory, Cider attached the huge steel wings to Esperanza's back. Click, click, the heavy machinery found its place. In an instant, Esperanza's back was covered with tal.
"It's a bit complicated now, but once it's completed, you'll be able to wear it easily by yourself."
Even as he said this, he was obviously enjoying himself as he fitted each piece of machinery like caring for a child. The one being cared for also fidgeted with her fingertips, feeling ticklish.
"Done."
Cider, who had checked both wings one more ti, straightened up.
Esperanza put magic power into the large wings and folded and unfolded them as she had done in the laboratory. She didn't feel parts colliding or magic power being blocked like before. The problem was elsewhere.
"Wearing this outside... it's really embarrassing."
"Oh dear, get used to it."
"You said you'd make it smaller!"
"I can't make it so small it's invisible. Now, my lady. Stand here."
Cider positioned the dejected Esperanza in the middle of the field and stepped back a couple of steps.
Fly now? So suddenly like this?
"Uh, how do I do it?"
"Well, I don't know either."
"...What did you say?"
"Theoretically you can fly by putting magic power in and moving the wings, but I haven't tried it myself."
I know that, but there should still be so explanation. Like how to move the wings.
Let's see. Just flapping the wings doesn't seem like it would work. First, lift the body slightly with magic power, then try moving both wings at the sa ti...
"Can't you not watch?"
"I won't laugh."
Indeed, there was no trace of laughter on Cider's lips. He had taken out a magic board from sowhere and seed too busy asuring magic power to have ti to laugh. But then what was he doing?
"Your eyes are laughing."
"I always have this face."
"Don't be ridiculous."
When Esperanza glared with wide eyes, Cider finally raised his lips in a smile.
"Fine, if it really bothers you, I won't look, so practice however you want."
Since asuring magic power would be useless during that ti, Cider opened an empty notebook and sat perched on the driver's seat.
Esperanza tumbled miserably several tis like a bird just attempting to flap its wings. Once she twisted her foot trying to kick off, and once she sat down backward from losing her balance.
Cider secretly watched and frowned, but didn't step forward to stop her. He only expressed his regret by quickly jotting down a few short words in the corner of his notebook.
And after about an hour had passed, when Cider had filled two pages of his notebook with doodles and opened the third blank page.
"Oh? I did it!"
Esperanza with steel wings was floating at an awkward height. Roughly grasping her flying hair with one hand, she moved her wings a few tis, and having gotten the hang of it, she quickly approached the carriage where Cider was perched.
"You succeeded quickly?"
"I guess so. It's more manageable than I thought."
Esperanza smiled brightly. Achievent sparkled on her usually indifferent face. Cider said sowhat impulsively.
"Co here. I'll tie your hair."
"I have a string."
"I know."
Esperanza, who had been looking at his laughing eyes, soon nodded quietly. Her cheeks were slightly red. Cider pulled down the tie that had been around his neck to tie her hair. Using a tie, not even a scarf, to tie hair. Esperanza turned her head this way and that with an awkward feeling. As if she could see her tied hair that way.
"It's not strange at all, so you don't need to worry."
It was just a plain silk tie with a light pattern on gray, but it went quite well with her brown curly hair. Esperanza, who smiled shyly with pursed lips, approached Cider's side.
"What were you doing?"
"Nothing much. Want to see?"
She opened the notebook Cider handed her. As he said, the contents weren't much. Just the field drawn as it appeared in his view, the carriage, and Esperanza showing only her back with her hair flying.
"I told you not to look, so why did you watch?"
Thinking that he had seen all her tumbling and falling made her cheeks burn. Fortunately, there was no such scene in the drawing. On the last page was a drawing of Esperanza floating as high as her own height.
When she turned her head to check Cider's reaction, small kisses fell on her forehead and bridge of her nose without explanation. Esperanza giggled and hugged Cider tightly, then let go.
"I'm going to practice now. If you're going to asure magic power, do it now."
Esperanza, who had slipped out from between his arms, reached the middle of the field in the blink of an eye. Low flight seed to already be natural to her body. But how about handling two magical tools at the sa ti? If she held a gun, control would be more difficult, so she should practice that too.
It took less than 10 minutes for Cider to set up two magic boards and place asuring instrunts. With those simple machines, he was asuring the magic power of this entire field. Esperanza glanced at him sideways. The wings on her back felt heavier than before, just from the plausible-looking equipnt installed in an instant and a pair of eyes watching.
"I'm going to try high-altitude flight. Then I'll try using it simultaneously with a gun, and if both succeed, I think we can start combat practice."
"Good. I'll take it into account."
Since she hadn't beco completely accustod to it, there were several trials and errors. But once she started concentrating, even the watching gaze didn't bother her.
Magic power flowed to the tips of the brass-colored feathers. The widely spread wings lifted her body. She felt gears in the area her arms touched. Esperanza's wings, which had been flying low at her own height, flapped roughly. In an instant, she soared up to the high sky.
Cold air brushed her cheeks. The weight of the machinery pressing on her shoulders was now familiar. She seed to roughly understand how to move the wings with magic power. Though she would still need practice.
She made a wide circle around the field between mountain peaks. She also tried going up above tree branches. She returned to the field with a beautifully colored autumn leaf as a trophy.
From the dizzying height of the sky, Cider standing in the green barley field looked very small. Esperanza stood quietly in mid-air and watched him absorbed in his asurents. Even though he was quite far away, she seed to see everything—his frowning forehead and his eyes shining seriously.
A mont later, Cider looked up. It felt like their eyes t sohow. A gentle smile appeared on Cider's face. Esperanza smiled the sa smile like a mirror image.
My toy soldier.
A satisfied smile appeared at the corners of her mouth. Suddenly the air under her feet standing in the sky felt empty. Should I co down now?
The mont she made up her mind, Cider whispered sothing urgently from below. No, thinking he had whispered was only Esperanza's own thought. He was saying sothing busily, but she couldn't hear well because of the wind.
"What did you say?"
"...Be careful!"
She couldn't understand any of the words before, but only those words were clear.
Be careful? Why?
The mont she moved her wings to hear the inaudible words, there was a cracking sound.
"Huh? Huh huh huh?"
The wings won't move! The magic power is also blocked. What is this? But even while thinking, her body was being pulled toward the ground. Cider, who had looked as small as a toy soldier, gradually grew larger. At this rate, she might crash into him!
"What, what are you doing? Move away!"
Cider stepped back. Esperanza's eyes widened as much as they possibly could.
Why, why are you going backward! We're going to crash!
"You're crazy...!"
All of it happened in an instant. Cider caught Esperanza's body as she fell as if crashing, and naturally Cider's body tilted backward. When Esperanza supported the back of Cider's head with her hand, Cider pulled and grasped Esperanza's both arms with his hands.
They were close enough for rough breaths to mingle. Their hearts beat as if they had been running hard.
"Are you crazy? You should have moved away! Are you hurt?"
"I'm not hurt."
It was fortunate that the green barley field that had missed harvest ti was soft. Cider looked up at Esperanza while lying down. Esperanza's gaze swept over Cider's eyes and cheeks, then gradually beca dazed. Cider, who had been watching that, touched the tip of her nose and asked.
"What about you?"
"I'm fine. Thanks to soone."
"Then that's settled."
"What are you smiling about like you did well! When soone's about to fall, you should move away. What do you do standing there? You didn't get hurt... but you almost did!"
Cider asked with a crooked smile.
"If you're going to crash anyway, isn't two better than one alone?"
Crash, really, even when talking. Of course, what just happened was indeed a crash. But.
"Today is the last ti I crash."
"Then I'll share only the first and last crash with you."
And he wrapped both arms around the waist of Esperanza, who was awkwardly getting up, making her lie completely on top of him. Until their heartbeats overlapped. Esperanza glared at her annoying lover for a while, then kissed him as if giving in.
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