yumemory | Lennox - [SSR] The 22 People Bonded by Fate

Card Story: The Time You Gave Me (Southern wizards, Faust, Shino, Heathcliff, Akira)

Card Episode: Camping Tips (Lennox, Akira)

Raws: sumiitaru (thank you!)

The Time You Gave Me: Chapter 1

[Location: Courtyard, morning]

Akira: Hm? Are those the Eastern wizards and Lennox I see?

Heathcliff: Hyah!

Shino: Hup!

Lennox: Shino, you should put more weight into your kicks. And Heathcliff, you should lower your stance and face me more directly.

Shino: Got it. …Here!

Heathcliff: Lower my stance… Like this?

Lennox was sparring with Shino and Heathcliff. Faust stood some distance away, overseeing their training.

Akira: Are they doing combat training? It’s pretty unusual for Heath to join in.

Faust: Yeah. They asked Lennox for some tips, apparently.

Akira: Are you here to teach them, too?

Faust: No way. I’m only here to observe; Shino wouldn’t stop pestering me to come and watch them.

Akira: Ahaha, I see. Maybe I’ll sit down and watch too.

Heathcliff: Practical training really is just as important as classroom learning. I’m glad you invited me to train with you, Shino.

Shino: Yeah, and the Sage came too. Faust, you were watching, right?

Faust: Yeah. Your agility with that kick was excellent..

Lennox: Shino, Heathcliff. You both have a knack for combat, and you learn fast.

Akira: Good work, you three. Lennox, you didn’t even stop to control your breathing throughout all that training…

Lennox: Ah, I wasn’t doing a lot. I was just giving them some pointers.

(Figaro arrives)

Figaro: Hi, sorry to interrupt your training. Leno, do you have a moment?

Lennox: Doctor Figaro. What is it?

Figaro: Mitile and Rutile are looking for you. They said they need you to fix the broken stepladder in the library.

Lennox: Understood, thank you for letting me know. Shino, Heathcliff. Let’s continue our training tomorrow.

Heathcliff: Of course. Thank you for today.

Shino: You better prepare yourself. I’ll be much stronger tomorrow.

Lennox: I look forward to it, then. Master Sage, Lord Faust, Doctor Figaro. I’m off.

(Lennox leaves)

Figaro: Leno works really hard, doesn’t he?

Faust: …Well, he’s not the kind of person who takes a break, even if you tell him to.

Figaro: But it’s okay to take things easy once in a while, isn’t it? That’s what I think, at least.

Akira: I agree… I really hope Leno gets to have a relaxing break soon.

Figaro: …Yep. It’s times like these when it’s good to live slowly.

Akira: Live slowly?

Figaro: Uh-huh. He’s a hard worker, we all know that. So, how about we take him away from all that activity and let him rest for once?

Figaro: And to make it less boring than it sounds, we’ll go out of our way to keep Leno entertained and make sure he has the time of his life.

Figaro: What do you think, Faust? Any suggestions that might help Leno experience some of that wonderful slow living?

Faust: You guys know him better than I do.

Faust: Besides, he’d enjoy it more if his fellow Southern wizards were doing all that service for him. Sorry, but I’ll pass.

(Faust leaves)

Figaro: Aaand he’s gone. Well, how about you, Master Sage? Any tips on living slowly?

Akira: Hmm. Speaking of that…

The Time You Gave Me: Chapter 2

[Location: Lounge, morning]

Lennox: Camping, you say?

Akira: Yes. I think it’d be great if we could eat together while surrounded by nature or simply chat in the tent.

Figaro: I already talked it over with Rutile and Mitile, actually. So, wanna come with us?

Lennox: Of course. Spending time in nature sounds like a good change of pace.

Lennox: When do we start preparing? I can carry the camping gear.

Figaro: Don’t worry about it. Your one and only task is to stay put until we’re all prepped.

Lennox: …?

Akira: Lennox, we all want you to spend some time relaxing.

Akira: You always help everyone with their training, you go out on missions, and you even help fix the manor every time the Northern wizards destroy it…

Akira: We’ve always relied on you, and you always help us with no hesitation. So this time, we want to do the same for you.

Lennox blinked in surprise at us, before his cheeks slowly reddened.

Lennox: It’s a little embarrassing to hear you say that…

Figaro: Hey, don’t get shy on us now. We’ll take care of everything, okay?

Lennox: Thank you so much. I’ll be looking forward to it.

[Location: Hallway]

Soon enough, the day had passed, and the few hours before our scheduled camping with Lennox and the others had arrived.

I went to his room, bringing two cups of tea with me.

[Location: Lennox’s room, day]

Lennox: Master Sage? Please come in.

I noticed a brush with white bristles in Lennox’s hand.

Akira: Ah, are you brushing the sheep right now?

Lennox: Yes. I’m not sure what to do when being told to rest.

Akira: Ahaha. I get what you mean. It’s like not knowing what to do with all the sudden free time, isn’t it?

Akira: Actually, I feel the same, and that’s why I came to see you early today… Would you mind if I help out with brushing the sheep?

Lennox: Of course not. Thank you.

Akira: I know it’s only been half a day, but have you been able to relax?

Lennox: Yes. None of the wizards came knocking on my door yet, so the manor suddenly feels kind of quiet.

Lennox: I guess I’ve gotten used to living a busy life ever since I moved here…

Lennox: So I’m glad you came to visit me, Master Sage.

(Knock knock)

We suddenly heard a knock on the window. When we checked it out, we found Rutile and Mitile on their brooms, waving to us.

Mitile: Mister Leno, Master Sage!

Rutile: We couldn’t wait any longer, so we came to pick you up!

Akira: Ahaha. It seems like you aren’t the only one who’s feeling restless, Lennox.

Lennox: It seems so. Please get on my broom, Master Sage.

The Time You Gave Me: Chapter 3

[Location: Forest near the manor, afternoon]

Rutile: Mister Leno, over here!

Mitile: Come on, come on!!

After dismounting from Lennox’s broom, we walked a little further into the forest to find the tents and tables already set up.

Akira: Amazing… What a perfect setup!

Lennox: This is certainly a nice surprise. It’s very impressive.

Mitile: Ehehe. Actually, when I said we were setting up a camp for Mister Leno, everyone at the manor gave me all sorts of things.

Rutile: These magical lanterns are from Lords Snow and White, and these lovely flowers are a gift from Shino and Heath!

Rutile: And this is a souvenir Cain got from the city, while this one over here is from Mister Nero...

Akira: There’s so many that it's hard to fit them all on the table... Everyone really wanted to give you something, Lennox.

Figaro: Yep. Leno is so popular, it honestly makes me a little jealous. And to top it all off, this wine I have here was from Faust.

Lennox: From Lord Faust…

Figaro: I was supposed to keep it a secret, so don't tell him I told you, okay?

Figaro: Mitile, Rutile. Let’s go cook some dinner.

Mitile: Doctor Figaro, no magic today, alright?

Rutile: Let’s enjoy some slow living by doing things manually! Please keep an eye on the heat, Doctor Figaro!

Figaro: Woah, that’s quite the heavy responsibility you’re giving me. Gotta make sure I don’t carelessly burn tonight’s dinner.

Lennox cast an affectionate gaze at the Southern wizards who were busy preparing their meal.

Lennox: …I think I prefer being surrounded by a little noise now.

Lennox: When I was in the South, I only visited the town during each cold season. Outside of that period, I spent each and every day with my sheep.

Lennox: Living alone has always suited me, as it allows me to live freely. But it's been a really long time since I've had a lively life like this, and every day has been enjoyable for me.

Lennox: And also…

Lennox looked at the glass of wine in his hand.

Lennox: Coming here to the manor reunited me with the person I've been looking for for a long time.

Lennox: It’s all thanks to you, Master Sage.

Lennox: This is a moment of my life that I want to treasure. I mean that with all my heart.

Akira: Lennox… You know, I’ve also received a lot of precious things from you.

Akira: So, thank you so much for always being kind to me.

Instead of replying, Lennox gave me a kind, gentle smile. Then at that moment, a cheerful voice called out to us:

Rutile: Mister Leno! Master Sage! Dinner’s ready!

Mitile: Give it a taste and tell us if it turned out okay!

Lennox: We’re coming. Let’s go, Master Sage.

Lennox held out his hand to me, and I grabbed onto it firmly.

Card Episode: Camping Tips

[Location: Courtyard, morning]

Akira: I get the feeling that you’re a skilled camper, Lennox.

Lennox: Really?

Akira: Yes. I don’t know, maybe because you’re good at things that require physical power, you come off as someone who knows a lot about camping.

Lennox: I used to camp a lot, perhaps to the point of being used to it.

Lennox: Spending time in nature isn’t unpleasant for me.

Akira: When we’re out camping, we’re supposed to prepare our own meals, right?

Lennox: There are times when I bring emergency food, but most of the time, I get my supplies from the nature around me, by fishing or picking fruits.

Akira: That’s interesting…. Do you have any tips for having a more comfortable camping experience?

Lennox: Hmm… One of them is to keep the fire alive at all times.

Akira: (He means the campfire?)

Lennox: If you’re camping in a group, then you can take turns watching it…

Lennox: Ah, and it’ll be a good idea to put things that can make noise around your tent.

Akira: …?

Lennox: And when you sleep, be sure to keep an object that you can use as a weapon by your side.

Lennox: Mountains and forests are filled with dangerous beasts and hunters. Even if you don't defeat them during an encounter, they’ll run away if you can manage to scare them.

Akira: (Somehow we’re no longer talking about camping tips, but crime prevention…!)