"It is just a matter of how you use it, right? You simply had not done it before. Now that you can, there is no problem with doing it."

"...You think so?"

"Yes. Something you made being eaten by someone who says it is delicious, and sharing that moment together. That is a very happy thing."

To Qiong Xing, it was not something worth worrying about, but since they had grown up in different environments, he decided to leave it be.

"If you would like, please give this to Coelho. And as thanks for the hot pot... I am not sure if it is enough, but here are some medicinal herbs I picked before."

"Well done!"

He was praised enthusiastically.

However, when Mr. Paulo tried to eat the ice cream meant for Coelho, Qiong Xing lightly slapped his hand to stop him.

There was truly no letting his guard down.

"I did interrupt him while he was working before. If Coelho cannot eat it, then you can have it, Mr. Paulo."

"I suppose that cannot be helped. Then I will go deliver it quickly."

He stood up with a small grunt, yet his steps were surprisingly light as he left the room.

Qiong Xing could not help but wonder if he would really deliver it properly.

...

"Why don’t we settle this with a fistfight?"

"No way!"

Everyone present stopped it.

Even the one who had unexpectedly suggested the fight.

"Sorry. I went too far too. Don’t do anything reckless."

Seeing that Narka sincerely apologize, Qiong Xing decided it would be petty to keep being angry and forgave him.

Qiong Xing had made up with Sergei (sort of), but he had not been able to talk properly with Narka and the others, so he mentioned it, and they ended up dragging him to the training grounds.

Who dragged him? Surprisingly, it was Sergei.

"You have done nothing wrong, so there is no need to be overly considerate toward us. As for the child... well, it was surprising, but that is all. That child is very good, and you are also properly acting as a mother, so there is no need to look down on yourself."

"...It seems I have made some very good friends."

"That is right. As thanks, you could offer us more of that ice cream thing."

"I feel like I would get a stomach ache, so no."

"..."

As expected of him. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

If left alone, he would likely end up eating only ice cream instead of proper meals.

When Qiong Xing refused, Narka looked away as if hit right on the mark.

At the training grounds they had been brought to, Narka was once again training intensely as usual.

Qiong Xing unconsciously hid behind Sergei.

But Sergei said nothing about it, he simply greeted everyone as usual and received Ranga that had been left in his care.

"...Ah, so, uh, how is he doing?"

"Who are you referring to?"

Still hiding behind Sergei’s large back, Qiong Xing listened as Narka, unusually awkward, averted his gaze while asking about him.

"Qiong Xing. I mean... well, I was surprised the other day and couldn’t say anything. I thought it would be rude to act weird, so I haven’t met him since..."

"In that case—"

"He really was a woman, huh. I didn’t know, but sorry about that."

"..."

Huh?

Qiong Xing was so stunned he could not respond.

"I always thought he had a pretty face. Well, it was too pretty for a man anyway. I also thought maybe he was small because he was a kid, but for a woman, there’s barely anything there in the chest area."

Was this... an attempt to pick a fight?

Of course there was nothing on his chest.

Qiong Xing was a man.

He had not clearly stated his gender outright before, but the level of misunderstanding left him genuinely stunned.

"When you put it that way, his body was pretty skinny too. Is he actually eating properly? I was surprised how light he was when I carried him."

I am more shocked by your misunderstanding.

Compared to that man, most ordinary people could probably be described as "skin and bones" anyway.

And it would be nice if he could finally realize that picking someone up and carrying them away like an abduction was not normal.

Even Sergei was rendered speechless by the sheer misunderstanding, and Qiong Xing was wondering what to do when a hand gently landed on his shoulder.

"...Rohen."

"Huh? Rohen? Wait, Qiong Xing, you were here all along!"

Qiong Xing accidentally made a sound, and Rohen smiled at him before bowing.

"Eh? Um? ..."

"I heard about it from Mr. Paulo. It was certainly surprising, but I have no intention of distancing myself from you because of it. If you are worried about how we acted the other day, then I apologize, so please forgive us."

Qiong Xing could not understand why Rohen was apologizing.

It was not that he had been deceiving them, but his somewhat unusual circumstances were not something most people could easily accept.

Sergei had accepted it, but Qiong Xing had never intended to force that on anyone else.

"The kind person that you are may have tried to keep distance from us out of concern, but thanks to you, I am able to live each day like this, smiling. I can only feel gratitude for that, never anything like disgust."

His smile was the same one Rohen always wore, and there was no sign of discomfort toward Qiong Xing in it.

Trying not to cry, Qiong Xing still managed to smile and say thank you, and Rohen smiled back in return.

"Hey, don’t forget about me. What’s going on here?"

Ah, he had forgotten.

After explaining to Narka who had been mistaken as well, the man was once again extremely surprised, but then laughed it off.

He then slapped Qiong Xing firmly on the back, and the force of it was strong enough to make him cough, causing everyone to worry about him.