Investing in My Crippled Wife: Every Return Makes Me Stronger

”By the way, do you want to check what we got as a reward earlier?” Soren suggested. ”I’m really curious.”

”Of course,” Ethea said, nodding. ”I almost forgot about it.”

Soren then took out the large box and opened it.

”Whoa!”

Two of them exclaimed at the same time.

Inside the box were six beautifully crafted figurines, each one depicting a character from the story. Theo, in his golden armor, his sword raised. Mona, with flames swirling around her hands. Elea in her masked assassin gear, daggers crossed. The boy with red eyes and pitch-black skin, holding a tiny dagger. And the fairy hovering in the air, smiling.

”So this is how I looked?” Soren muttered as he picked up the boy’s figurine. Although it looked somewhat cute and eerie at the same time, he could say it certainly, ”...I really resembled a monster, huh.”

Ethea picked up the character she played as, her lips curling up. However, her gaze soon moved over to the other, last figurine. ”Is this the second hidden character?”

Soren followed her gaze. The sixth figurine was smaller than the others, almost hidden in the box’s corner. It depicted an old man in a worn cloak, his face weathered and tired. He was sitting on a wooden stump, his hands resting on a cane, his eyes closed as if in deep thought.

”Huh?” Soren’s eyes widened as he picked it up. ”...I never met him. What about you?”

”Me neither,” Ethea shook her head. ”Perhaps he would appear in another hidden ending?”

”Right, there must have been some conditions to meet him,” Soren muttered and didn’t forget to use appraisal. But it showed nothing noteworthy, just a simple figurine. ”Anyway, coupled with the memory crystals we got, this can be considered a special trophy from our little adventure.”

”Hehe, you’re right.” Ethea laughed. ”Let’s visit it again sometimes.”

”Alright, I’ll add it to the list too.” Soren nodded enthusiastically. ”But this time, let’s ’play’ in a comedy or school life. No, in fact, let’s try it all one after another. Tomorrow, we can try again.”

”Cool, but let’s just make it once a week. I think it will be more than enough. We have other things to do after all.”

”Ah, right. Once a week then.”

They continued chatting about which stories they wanted to try next, occasionally pointing out interesting sights on the shore as their boat drifted lazily across the water. The conversation flowed easily, and before they knew it, an hour had passed.

”We should head back,” Soren said, glancing at the time. ”It’s almost lunch.”

”Mm.” Ethea nodded. ”I’m getting a little hungry.”

Soren guided the boat back to the dock and helped Ethea out. After returning the boat and collecting their belongings, they headed back to the car and drove to the hotel for lunch.

───────

”Whoa...” Ethea stared at the table speechlessly. ”You... When did you prepare all of this?”

The table was filled with an assortment of dishes. Small cakes with cream and berries, tarts with glazed fruit, flower-shaped chocolates, and pastries dusted with powdered sugar. In front of them sat a large bowl of steaming magic chicken soup and his original meal.

Soren sat down beside her. ”In the morning. I wanted to make things you like. I haven’t cooked sweets for you lately, so this time I went all out. There’s the honey cake, the berry tarts, the cream puffs...”

Ethea looked at the spread, then at him. ”You made all of this? For me?”

”Mm. It wasn’t that hard. I’m an Expert Magic Chef, remember?” He smiled. ”Now, let’s eat before the food gets cold.”

”...”

”Here, try this first.” Soren picked up a spoonful of soup and held it out to her, waiting patiently.

”...” Ethea’s heart swelled, filled to the brim with a warmth that spread through her chest and left her breathless. She wanted the day to end. She wanted it to end so she could finally tell him how much she loved him, so she could stop holding it in and let the words out. But she also wanted it to stretch on forever, because every second with him felt like something she wanted to keep.

”...Thank you.”

She accepted the spoonful, the rich broth settling in her chest alongside everything else. ’...Gulp.’

”...It’s tasty as always.” She smiled at him.

Soren’s expression brightened as he sighed in relief. He’d been really worried about messing it up since he’d cooked it in a hurry after returning from the lake. But now, it seemed like he’d worried for nothing.

He picked up another spoonful and tasted it himself, and fortunately, it tasted as he intended. However, he realized he used the same spoon again a moment later. ’...Let’s pretend I didn’t notice.’

He told himself while checking Ethea’s expression.

’...Smiling. Hmm...’

His lips curled up, and he ignored the small voice in his head telling him to be careful. He scooped another spoonful and held it out to her.

Ethea accepted it, her eyes never leaving his. She didn’t say anything, but something in her expression made his heart beat a little faster.

Then, before he could pull the spoon back, she reached out and gently took it from his hand. She scooped up a spoonful of soup and held it out toward him.

Soren blinked, caught off guard by her sudden move. ”Y-You don’t have to-”

”I know.” Ethea cut him off gently while pushing the spoon closer. ”But I want to.”

”...” Soren stared at her and realized he couldn’t refuse those eyes. He leaned forward and accepted the spoonful.

The soup was warm, but the smile on her face was warmer. He chewed slowly, swallowing both the broth and the feeling rising in his chest.

”...It’s good,” he said.

”Of course it is.” Ethea’s smile widened. ”You made it.”

”...Right.” Soren chuckled, hiding the fact that it tasted even better than earlier somehow. Perhaps it was because she was the one feeding him this time...

”Here,” she scooped another spoonful and held it out again.

”...” Soren obediently leaned forward and accepted it. Then he took the spoon back and returned the favor. They went back and forth like that, feeding each other between bites, until the soup was nearly gone.

”...Shall we move on to the sweets?”