Luciel took a cautious sip from the wooden ladle, then frowned.
"No salt… tastes pretty bland," he muttered.
Still, the tomato broth wasn't bad. The soft red fruit had dissolved into the water, giving the soup a bright color and a sweet, tangy flavor that made his stomach growl. It was simple, light — and surprisingly refreshing.
He poured the broth into three bowls, set them on the rough-hewn table, and added thick slices of roasted meat beside each.
"Dinner's ready!" he called out, glancing over his shoulder. "Go wash your hands first."
"Wash… our hands?" Elara blinked.
The white-haired girl looked genuinely puzzled, as if he had suggested something outrageous. Then she turned her palms upward — blackened by ash, dirt, and streaks of dried sweat.
"…Oh." She frowned. "Maybe you have a point."
"Wash our hands?" Mino echoed. The rabbit-eared girl wiped her forehead with the back of her hand — and instantly left five grimy streaks across her face. "Do we really need to?"
Luciel sighed. "Before, we didn't have much choice. But things are different now. We have water — we can afford to live cleanly."
"But that's such a waste of water…" Mino mumbled, pouting.
"It's just rainwater," Luciel said, giving her a look that brooked no argument. "Nothing is wasted."
The crystal fish in his barrel had long since made clean water an afterthought. Rain no longer carried the same preciousness it once did.
"Okay, okay…" Mino muttered, shrinking under his gaze. "I'll go wash."
Her tone was that of a child reluctantly obeying a parent, ears drooping as she shuffled off toward the water basin.
Luciel turned toward Elara. "You too. Or no dinner."
"…"
Elara opened her mouth to retort — but the expression on his face stopped her cold.
"…Fine." She followed Mino, grumbling under her breath.
Luciel exhaled, rubbing his forehead. "What am I, a father now?"
He chuckled to himself. They're barely younger than me, but they act like kids sometimes.
He'd noticed it recently — the way he naturally fell into a calm, steady rhythm around them. When others were inexperienced, he instinctively took the lead. Maybe that was what people meant when they talked about "leadership."
"Done!" Mino announced proudly, walking back into the room with both hands held out like a child showing off a prize. Her palms were pink and glistening with water.
Luciel smiled. "Very clean. Good job."
He turned toward Elara, who hesitated before doing the same — lifting her hands awkwardly for inspection.
"Looks fine," he said with a small nod. "You can sit down and eat."
"…?"
Elara blinked down at her own hands, confused. Why had she even shown them? Why had she obeyed him so naturally? She was sixteen — not some little girl needing approval. Yet her body had moved before she'd even realized it.
What's wrong with me…? she thought with a small scowl.
"Whoa, the soup's red today!" Mino exclaimed, eyes wide as she peered into her bowl.
"Elara, stop daydreaming and sit," Luciel called, amusement in his voice.
She jolted a little, cheeks coloring.
He knew why she hesitated — he could see it in her face. People who'd been alone too long forgot the rhythm of shared life. They forgot how to be part of something, and when they finally tried again, everything felt clumsy and strange.
But all she needed was time.
"…Coming," Elara murmured, shaking her head and sitting down beside Mino. She glanced into the bowl. The broth shimmered faintly in the firelight, glowing like molten ruby.
Luciel smiled. "It's been a long day. Let's eat."
He took the first sip.
Mino followed — and her eyes went wide. "Wha—wow! What is this? It's so good!"
Luciel nearly laughed at her expression. The bunny girl's eyes sparkled as she drank another mouthful, her fluffy ears twitching with delight.
"It's tomato soup," he explained. "Sweet and sour. I added some red fruit I found in the foraging basket."
"Tomato?" Mino repeated the word like it was sacred. "What's that?"
"It's a kind of fruit. Red when ripe, green when not. I'll show you how to pick them later."
Mino nodded quickly, already halfway through her bowl. "It's the best thing I've ever tasted!"
Luciel chuckled, ladling another scoop into her bowl. "Then eat all you like."
Her face lit up. "Hehehe~" She sipped noisily, humming with satisfaction.
Elara raised a brow. "It can't be that good…" she murmured, more to herself than anyone else.
But curiosity got the better of her. She lifted her spoon and took a small sip.
Her silver eyes widened slightly. The tangy warmth spread through her mouth, followed by a faint sweetness that lingered pleasantly on her tongue.
Without realizing it, she drained the entire bowl in a few gulps.
Luciel grinned. "Finished already? Here, have some more."
He refilled her bowl before she could protest.
"N-no, I'm fine," she said quickly, her face reddening.
"Drink it fast, or Mino will steal it," Luciel teased.
Elara instinctively shielded her bowl with both arms, glaring defensively. It took her a second to realize how childish she looked, and her blush deepened until it reached the tips of her ears.
"I'm not stealing it!" Mino protested, puffing her cheeks and tugging at Luciel's sleeve. "You're so mean, teasing me like that."
Luciel laughed. "Alright, alright. Eat your meat before it gets cold."
He passed each of them a slice of roast.
Mino took a bite and frowned slightly. "Hmm? The taste… changed?"
The dried meat, once salty and chewy, now felt tough and oddly fishy after being roasted. Both girls chewed slowly, clearly less enthusiastic.
Luciel noticed but didn't comment. It wasn't like he could make real fresh meat yet.
When they finally finished, Mino began tidying the table, humming softly.
Luciel added a few more stones to the fire pit, then turned toward her. "By the way, Mino—how's the skirt coming along?"
Her ears perked up immediately. "It's done! I even added sleeves to both robes." She grinned proudly.
Luciel smiled. "Good work."
The bunny-eared girl's tail swished happily behind her. Last night she'd spent hours sewing by lamplight, patching together bits of cloth from their salvaged stash. The skirt wasn't fancy, but it fit her perfectly.
"After we finish cleaning, both of you should take a bath," Luciel said casually, tossing another piece of wood onto the fire.
Mino blinked. "A… bath? But we just washed yesterday."
Luciel gave her a deadpan look. "And you ate yesterday too. Did that stop you from eating again today?"
"Uhh…" Mino froze, her mouth opening and closing like a fish. "That's… not the same!"
"It is," he said firmly.
"I—"
Before she could argue further, Elara crossed her arms. "I don't need a bath."
Luciel turned toward her, arching a brow. "Really?"
The tone of his voice was calm, almost lazy — but the slight curve of his mouth spelled trouble.
Elara stiffened. "What?"
"Can't you smell yourself?" he said bluntly. "I can. You definitely need a bath."
Her face turned crimson. "W-what did you just say?!"
Luciel wrinkled his nose dramatically. "Yeah. I wasn't sure before, but now that I'm close, it's obvious. You smell."
Elara froze, speechless. Her silver eyes widened in disbelief.
"I… I don't smell!" she stammered, voice trembling between outrage and embarrassment. "I'm not smelly at all!"
Luciel shrugged. "If you say so. But my nose disagrees."
Her hands clenched into fists. "You—!" She looked ready to explode. Her pale face was flushed scarlet now, the tips of her ears pink.
For someone like Elara — calm, proud, self-disciplined — being told she smelled bad was probably the single most humiliating thing that could happen.
Luciel didn't help matters by fanning the air in mock disgust.
Mino couldn't hold it in any longer. She covered her mouth, shoulders shaking with laughter.
"Pfft… hehe…!"
Elara shot her a glare sharp enough to kill a lesser creature. Mino squeaked and hid behind Luciel.
"Wash. Now," Luciel said lightly, clearly amused.
Elara stamped her foot. "Fine!"
Her long hair whipped behind her as she stormed toward the small bathing room. "I'll wash right now, happy?!"
"Wait," Luciel called after her, "I'll heat the water—"
"Don't bother!" she snapped back. "Cold water is fine!"
"You'll regret it," he said with a grin. "Cold water doesn't wash away the smell."
"You—! You're lying again!"
"It's true," he said innocently. "You still smell a little even after the last bath."
Bang!
The door slammed so hard the frame rattled.
Luciel winced — then chuckled. "Guess I struck a nerve."
Mino giggled quietly beside him. "You shouldn't tease her so much, Luciel."
He grinned. "If I didn't, she'd never relax. Sometimes a little teasing is good for the soul."
The bunny-eared girl tilted her head, still smiling. "You really like making people mad in funny ways."
Luciel laughed softly, the sound warm and tired. "Maybe. But it's nice hearing her talk like that. Means she's finally comfortable enough to get angry."
The fire crackled softly in the hearth. Mino began folding the cloth she'd been sewing, her tail swaying lazily.
In the background, the faint sound of splashing water came from behind the closed bathroom door — followed by a very loud, indignant shout.
"L-Luciel! The water's freezing!"
Luciel's lips twitched. "Told you."
"Don't laugh!" came the furious reply. "You— you're terrible!"
Mino's laughter joined his, bright and infectious, echoing warmly through the small wooden house.
And for a brief moment — even in this ruined, desolate world — their laughter felt like the most natural sound in the world.