Sizzle!
Fat dripped onto the flames, producing a series of sizzling sounds. Wisps of smoke dispersed into the air, and the aroma of grilled meat wafted all around.
Nana was chasing butterflies nearby while wearing her small cloak. Since the small cloak's abilities made even catching butterflies difficult, they were having quite a good time.
Alice was sitting next to a semicircular bulge on the ground, occasionally calling out as if conversing with that bulge.
Skillfully flipping the skewer in his hand, Evans raised his head with a somewhat helpless expression.
"The first thing you do after not seeing me for so long is grab me to be your grilling chef?"
Across from the fire, a girl with long, pale gold hair was holding two bamboo skewers in both hands, her cheeks puffed out, though this couldn't hide her absolutely beautiful face that surpassed human limits.
Hearing Evans ask, her expression was quite natural as she made a series of muffled sounds.
"Why are you being so mean..."
"Swallow your food before talking!"
Gulp.
The girl struggled to swallow what was in her mouth, her pale blue eyes taking on some resentment.
"You haven't come for two years. Do you know what I've been eating these past two years?" As she spoke, she wrinkled her pretty brow and put on a pitiful expression, as if she'd been eating grass for the past two years.
"...? As if you don't know anyone else when I'm not here. Doesn't Madam welcome you to freeload meals at Beauxbatons?" Muttering quietly, Evans grabbed another handful of pre-skewered meat from nearby and skillfully grilled them over the fire.
"How have these past two years been?"
"Well, same as before." Putting the bamboo skewer aside, Sothea's slender fingers twirled the strands of hair falling by her ear. "Most of the year sleeping in the lake. When I wake up, I tend to my botanical garden, visit Sister Sally, Madam, Uncle Delacour, and the others, and then... that's it."
As she spoke, she seemed to suddenly remember something, her eyes lighting up.
"Let me tell you, Uncle Delacour's little daughter is super cute now! Soft and looking like she'd be easy to bully. I really want to grab her and play!"
"Unfortunately, their house has too many defensive arrays. I can't steal her out. How annoying!"
Looking at the girl's indignant appearance, Evans smiled and glanced at the pile of empty skewers beside her, then fell silent again.
Half an hour... she must have eaten over a hundred skewers, right?
Seems like she slept even longer this time?
"Mmm, I want to eat grilled potato chips." The girl finished another chicken skewer, pondered for a moment with her head down, then her eyes lit up as she looked toward the semicircular bulge that had been by Alice's side.
She put down the skewer and walked over on hands and feet, placed both hands on the bulge, and suddenly pulled hard!
Something that looked like a large potato but had small eyes and two short legs was pulled out. Seemingly not expecting to suffer inexplicably, it instinctively wiggled its legs, trying to break free from the restraint.
But its struggling strength couldn't break free from those seemingly boneless hands holding it.
Holding the large potato up to the sky, Sothea's pale blue eyes shone with light as she couldn't help licking the corner of her mouth.
"How about we roast Loca?"
"Buzz?"
The large potato's wiggling legs stiffened for a moment, then began struggling vigorously. But the girl seemed determined to eat grilled potato... no matter how it struggled, it couldn't break free from that heavy embrace.
Gradually, misty moisture began forming in the corners of the large potato's eyes.
It felt that Sothea would really do such a thing!
Looking at the large potato whose small eyes were about to squeeze out potato juice, Evans helplessly shook his head and spoke softly.
"Stop scaring it. If you traumatize it, you'll have to find a way to treat it later."
Perhaps feeling that Evans made a good point, Sothea relaxed her hands holding the large potato. The large potato instantly broke free from her restraint and tremblingly burrowed into the soil.
"Hmph, raising you was a waste!"
Hands on her hips, looking dissatisfied at Loca, who had burrowed into the soil with only a few leaf fragments showing, Sothea made a face, returned to the fire, took a new round of skewers from Evans's hands, took a bite, and her face once again showed a happy and satisfied smile.
After burrowing in the soil for a while, perhaps feeling there was no danger, Loca poked out half its head. Soil slid around it, squeezing it back next to Sothea.
"Speaking of which, what did Loca go to England for before? It could even bring you presents?" Evans asked while grilling skewers.
"It said it was looking for relatives, but the relatives it has in your area were probably turned into french fries long ago. I don't know which relative it was actually looking for... all mysterious about it."
Reaching out to pat the half of the large potato's head sticking out, Sothea looked at the handful of empty skewers in her hand, then looked at Evans again with a pitiful expression.
"All gone."
His eyebrow twitched. Evans opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing. He pulled out an iron box emanating cold air from his pocket, pointed his wand, and several pieces of solidly frozen beef floated out, thawing themselves in mid-air, cutting into chunks, getting brushed with seasonings, then being skewered by bamboo sticks and floating over the fire.
Having done all this, he put away his wand and helplessly shook his head.
"Using a complete set of nonverbal spells just to grill meat... there's probably no wizard more extravagant than me."
"Hehe, Evans is the best!"
The aroma of grilled meat spread in all directions, but no creatures were attracted by the fragrance. The animals in the forest seemed to have a strange understanding not to casually approach this area.
A few minutes later, handing over the skewer in his hand and watching the girl bite into the meat skewer with a carefree smile, Evans felt a complex emotion surge in his heart.
Even after not seeing her for two years, she was still the same as in the beginning. This face seemed to never show loss or sadness.
But her attitude of completely not mentioning that matter always made Evans feel somewhat uneasy.
She wasn't still angry, was she?
After hesitating for a moment, he spoke softly.
"Sothea, I..."
"Shh."
A jade-like finger appeared before Evans, swaying left and right, blocking what he wanted to say next.
The girl swallowed the food in her mouth, and that exquisite face once again showed a spring-like smile.
"You just got back... don't talk about unhappy things, okay?"
Then, as if suddenly remembering something, she stuck her meat skewer aside, took Evans's hand, pulled him up from beside the fire, and ran toward the nearby woodland.
"Come on, I'll take you to see my new botanical garden!"
Feeling the softness in his palm, Evans was somewhat dazed as he was pulled up and followed for a couple steps before suddenly realizing something was wrong.
"Hey? Wait, the fire isn't out yet! Setting mountain fires means life in prison..."
"Don't worry! Nothing will happen!"
"I'm a water sprite, after all!"