This House Has A Delicious Restaurant - Chapter 21 - A Place to Stay (1) - Part 1

21. A Place to Stay (1)

<A Day in the Life of Sidon>

Although he had no memory of his past, Sidon learned that the person with mind-controlling powers, who had been on his mind, was his biological older sister. Yet, this revelation didn’t make much difference to Sidon.

When she approached him warmly, calling him “Dian,” Sidon felt burdened and avoided her gaze. She, who was called Diswen, gave a faint, bittersweet smile and said she would call him Sidon if it made him uncomfortable.

Even though she accepted that he couldn’t fully recall his memories, she still seemed sad. Nevertheless, she appeared content just knowing that Sidon was alive and well.

Sidon, uncharacteristically, flatly rejected her suggestion to share a room. Instead, he chose to stay in the mansion where he had previously lived with Ding.

As he was trying to sleep in late today, a shadow loomed over him.

“I told you not to sleep too long, didn’t I?”

It was Khan. With no place to go, Khan had been living with Sidon. He likely felt a sense of familiarity since it was where Ding used to live.

Since moving in with Khan, Sidon had been scolded several times for not keeping proper food in the fridge. Although it hadn’t been long since they started living together, Sidon regretted ever thinking that Khan was a quiet man.

Khan, who woke Sidon up in the morning by binding him with shadows, was quite the nagger.

For some reason, Khan seemed to think of Sidon as a child he needed to care for, much like Ding used to.

Though Sidon found it incredibly annoying, those around them, including Diswen, seemed relieved. After all, everyone knew that if left unattended, Sidon would just sleep and not bother to eat.

“…I’m not hungry, and I feel sleepy.”

“It’s not that you’re sleepy. You just want to lie down and do nothing.”

Sidon quietly averted his gaze, as if Khan’s words were true.

Sighing, Khan used his ability to create a shadow at Sidon’s feet. Sidon looked down at the shadow, blinking absentmindedly.

Are they going again?

When he opened his eyes again, the scenery had changed. A silver-haired woman, sitting on the sofa reading a newspaper, smiled without looking in his direction.

“Good morning, Sidon.”

“…Yeah.”

Moa Ablon.

From Sidon’s perspective, she was an odd woman. If Diswen was annoying and others like Phel were loud, Moa was… neither loud nor annoying, just peculiar.

Sidon didn’t mind having Moa Ablon nearby. Even when he lay silently on the sofa, she wouldn’t speak to him, bother him, or nag.

Sometimes, she would softly stroke his hair, like with Zerdan. Was it because he somehow reminded her of Zerdan?

As Khan greeted a few others and headed to the kitchen, Sidon stretched out on the sofa. When his head turned toward Moa Ablon, she naturally extended her hand and stroked his hair. It was a pleasant touch.

As his eyes began to close again, Sidon found himself enjoying the sensation of being gently stroked. Familiar voices from his companions echoed nearby.

“What’s this? Sidon’s asleep as soon as he arrives, again.”

“He’s always been a sleepy kid. You’re one to talk, Phel, since you just woke up.”

“They say beautiful people sleep a lot! Anyway, thanks to Sidon being here, Diswen has brightened up. She’s even started preparing meals, saying she needs to take better care of him. We’ve all benefited from that.”

Someone sat down beside Moa Ablon. Judging by the voice, it was Phel.

Unlike Phel’s high-pitched, emotionally expressive voice, Moa Ablon’s response was soft and calm.

“Where are the others?”

“Anise went with Mummy Man to check on the orphanage kids who were injured. Seems the two have become quite close.”

“Mummy Man doesn’t talk much, so it’s hard to get close to him. Maybe Anise listens quietly, and that’s why. If it were me, I’d be too frustrated to have a conversation.”

“They’ve probably bonded through fighting together.”

Moa Ablon laughed quietly, murmuring that Lazis must be getting anxious because of that. Sidon, listening, nodded internally, agreeing with her. Lately, Lazis has been throwing tantrums toward Mummy Man for no reason.

“And Obella and Terisier?”

“They’re working on rebuilding the damaged buildings, like the orphanage. If Terisier can control his abilities properly, he can easily restore everything to its original state.”

“…I still can’t believe it. That Terisier has such incredible abilities.”

“Guess we can’t make fun of him anymore.”

“Hmph! That’s not true. Now that he’s regained his senses, he can’t kill me, and most attacks won’t affect me anyway.”

Phel snorted. It wasn’t that they didn’t get along, but their bickering was typical of them.

Phel was still struggling to adjust to Terisier’s changed behavior, but it wouldn’t be long before things returned to how they used to be.

Recalling old memories and recent events, Phel shuddered slightly as she spoke.

“It’s a good thing Terisier snapped out of it when he did; otherwise, we might all be dead. It still feels like a dream that we’re all still together.”

“We have Diswen’s ability to thank for that.”

“And your ability too! I never even knew abilities could be strengthened. And when you told Terisier to destroy his own eyes, I thought my hearing had been manipulated—I was so shocked!”

“It couldn’t be helped. His eyes had been turned into jewels, and we didn’t know when Liffree might take control of him again. With Terisier’s abilities, he could always restore his eyes later.”

“…The way you said that so calmly was terrifying.”

Phel sighed deeply. Sidon, eyes closed, also recalled the incident and agreed with her sentiments.

Everyone had been deeply moved, thinking everything was over when Terisier, tears in his eyes, seemed to regain his senses. Then, out of nowhere, Moa Ablon had made that shocking suggestion. The astonishment that followed was palpable.

Luckily, Terisier had kept his head down while using his abilities, so no one saw what changed, but Liffree’s pale face made it clear that the matter had been handled.

“Thank goodness you’re on our side… If you and Zerdan had been on the same team, the two of you together would have beaten us for sure.”

“No way. Neither Zerdan nor I have direct offensive abilities.”

“Doesn’t matter. You two would’ve figured out a way to win.”

Moa Ablon smiled lightly. Her lack of denial suggested that she somewhat agreed.

Since then, Zerdan had quietly disappeared along with Liffree. No one knew what Zerdan had done to Liffree, but it was clear that Liffree no longer had the power or means to control Terisier. Sidon wasn’t particularly interested in Liffree, but not seeing Zerdan for a week left him feeling a bit regretful.

Of course, Sidon believed Zerdan would eventually resurface again as if nothing had happened, so he waited patiently.

“It’s nice to have peace, but I’m a bit bored now that there’s nothing to do. We’ve finally got so many talented people on our side. Don’t you feel the same?”

“I’m fine. I never really enjoyed fighting to begin with. I only joined because I wanted revenge for what was done to me.”

Phel muttered under her breath.

“Better be careful.”

Ignoring Phel’s mumblings about getting into trouble for playing pranks, Moa Ablon continued stroking Sidon’s head, as if it were second nature.

Sidon, feeling the usual comforting touch, suddenly shuddered as another sensation crept over him.

Ah, it’s happening again.

The hand that had been gently stroking his head moved down naturally to caress his ear. The delicate touch on his earlobe made Sidon feel strangely warm, a sensation both foreign and ticklish.

“Besides, I’ve been planning something else lately, so I’m not that bored.”

“Planning something?”

“It’s a secret.”

Moa Ablon’s words were directed at Phel, but Sidon was too distracted to focus any longer.

This new, unfamiliar feeling stirred within him. His body tingled slightly, and the areas being touched felt unusually warm. It was fine when she stroked his head, but why did he feel this way now?

“What the—? You’re awake earlier than I expected.”

Phel looked at Sidon, who had sat up, but Sidon didn’t respond. Instead, he looked directly at Moa Ablon.

She had been reading her newspaper but seemed to notice his gaze, lifting her head to meet his eyes. Her green eyes were innocent, giving away no sign of awareness, and she offered him a soft, serene smile.

Sidon rubbed the back of his neck, feeling the heat rising not only from his ears but his neck as well, and even a bit lower.

* * *

A week had passed since the incident with Terisier.

While it was a relief that Terisier had regained his senses and Liffree had been captured, there was still a lingering concern that Zerdan might be attacked. However, contrary to those worries, the response had been rather lukewarm.

Although they had only fought side by side for a short time, Zerdan had become an ally, and Diswen, who had suffered the most, seemed more relieved by Sidon’s survival than vengeful. Seeing how Sidon followed Zerdan’s lead also diminished her desire to attack.

Moreover, without any direct harm to anyone else, attacking Zerdan seemed unnecessary.

Naturally, everyone’s gaze fell on Obella, who had been watching Zerdan with an unreadable expression. Zerdan, sensing Obella’s eyes on him, subtly avoided his gaze. In the end, Obella showed no intention of attacking Zerdan, and the situation de-escalated.

“Can I take Liffree with me?”

Those who were injured were left in Sidon’s care. As for the scorched surroundings, it was decided that Terisier would restore everything once he had fully regained his strength.

Just as the group was preparing to return home, Zerdan, who had been standing quietly, pointed at Liffree and asked the question. Strangely, he directed the question to me, not to Obella.

Phel scoffed and was about to say something when Obella stopped her.

Zerdan’s question had caught everyone’s attention, and Obella silently stared at him without interfering. Finally, the decision fell to Sidon, who looked at Zerdan and gave a nod.

“Do as you see fit.”

“What? What makes you trust him enough to leave it to him?”

Phel protested, causing a stir, but Diswen and Anise quickly moved to calm her down.

Naturally, others looked displeased, as though they wanted to oppose his decision. However, they couldn’t keep monitoring Liffree indefinitely, nor could they imprison him somewhere. Zerdan might have been close to Liffree, but he wasn’t the type of man to let emotions cloud his judgment.

“You can let him live or kill him, but just know that no matter what, he won’t be able to use Terisier or anyone else again. Zerdan, you settled the thing you were most concerned about, haven’t you? You’re not going to get greedy anymore, right?”

“…Yes. I don’t think there’s anything to worry about anymore.”

Zerdan’s original fear had been that Terisier’s abilities could be used to revive his parents or bring back the horrifying events of the past. How deeply had that trauma been embedded, for it to still haunt him after all these years?

I approached Zerdan and gently touched his cheek. He didn’t resist; he just looked at me, and I gave him a reassuring smile.

“It’s all right now. You’ll never have to return to the past again.”

His expression was hard to read.

From his perspective, I’d explained the situation, but perhaps he found it frustrating that I spoke as though I fully understood everything.