The bamboo blind was lifted.
Immediately afterward, Uesugi Tetsu saw a little girl with straight bangs enter the room carrying a wooden tray.
"My lord, forgive the intrusion."
The girl lowered her head slightly. First, she knelt respectfully, then slowly shuffled over on both knees to Uesugi Tetsu's side and carefully set the wooden tray on the small table.
Uesugi Tetsu glanced at her lower body, which was barely covered by her clothing, and wondered whether she wasn't cold dressed like that in this weather.
Based on his observations, he guessed it was probably late autumn, with winter fast approaching.
Naturally, the weather was that of late autumn as well, with the temperature holding at around ten degrees Celsius. Even someone like Shiraishi, who could survive ten days to half a month if thrown into a remote mountain forest, had to put on something warm.
While Uesugi Tetsu was thinking, pale-yellow tea was poured from the small earthenware pot. The girl's relatively fair hand then moved the cup in front of him.
White steam rose from the hot tea.
Uesugi Tetsu's nose twitched.
It smelled rather like barley tea, but somehow not quite the same.
The girl moved the two half-full cups of tea in front of Uesugi Tetsu and Shiraishi respectively. Then she withdrew the tray and lowered her head timidly.
"Honored sirs, please have some tea."
"Oh, thank you."
Uesugi Tetsu thanked her instinctively. With the attitude of someone trying it out, he picked up the cup and downed it in one gulp right before Shiraishi, who had just raised a hand to tell him to wait.
Hmm... How should I put it? The tea tasted a little sour and astringent. It didn't taste like tea. It was more like dishwater.
Although saying so would have been rude,