CH 208

After finishing the cooking of the rice, I opened the lid of the pot. Quite a few people were peeking inside together with me.

“Oohh! The rice is standing!”

“Yeah! There’s probably scorched rice at the bottom too!”

“Yahoo! I wanna eat that burnt rice!”

Two people exploded with excitement.

“Ahh… I should have detained Damsel Scarlet for a bit longer. I wanted to share this excitement with her…”

“Now, now, whining about it now won’t change anything. Please take care of the gyoza, too!”

Aye! I’ll roast them nicely!

＊

After wrapping it up quickly by roasting 100 gyoza with my magic, we dished up all the stuff and sat down at the dinner table with everyone.

Mr. Amato started to eat right away, and immediately broke out in huge cheers about the taste of the gyoza, dips, and rice, “It’s way too tasty. Awesome stuff, really!!”

“I see… That’s great to hear. It makes the cooking worthwhile. And, thanks to you as well, Bennyboy. I’ll never forget this debt I owe you.”

“Meeh neisher!”

The two of us prayed towards Bennyboy, causing him to draw back even further.

＊

{Sword}

When I was drinkin’ my booze in my own room, someone knocked on the door. I didn’t answer, but they entered without a care.

……Indra.

“Sorry, I didn’t know you were bad with rice. I heard from Mr. Amato that some people prefer cold rice. If you dislike the smell of rice, it’ll be easier to eat if you let the rice cool down once, and then steam it again to conceal the smell. That’s what I made for you. Will you give it a try?”

……

“……I haven’t said a thing ’bout bein’ bad with it. Don’t make up stuff as you like,” I replied while lookin’ outside.

I know it, but it still pisses me off.

Sure, it’s a smell I’m not used to, but I wouldn’t call it bad or ‘nythin’. It might be nostalgic to Amato, but I wouldn’t know ‘nyway. So isn’t it totally fine for me to be less excited than that guy?

“……Is that so? I see…… ……You didn’t come to our first taste-testing today. Are you not hungry?

“Not really. If I feel like it, I’ll go grab some food. No need to worry ’bout it.”

I drank my booze while lookin’ out of the window.

Isn’t it great if the two of ’em can make merry together? Not like she needs to come to me for each n’ every lil’ thing.

“……Should I make you some side dish?”

“Nah, no need.”

After my reply, she stood there for a while, but then she slowly turned ’round and was ’bout to leave. When I cast a sidelong glance at her…

“……! Whaa-!? Sorry, it was my fault!”

She was cryin’!

I jumped up and drew her into my embrace.

“Sorry, ‘kay!? I just was in a slightly bad mood, so I ended up ventin’ it on you. Please forgive me, alright?”

She was quietly sobbin’ while wipin’ the tears with her fists.

“Sorry, it was really my fault. ‘Kay? Don’t cry…I’m tellin’ you I’m sorry…”

What should I do? I’ll definitely get killed by the maids. And while at it, it looks like I’ll also be killed by the head maid and the butler. Or rather, it looks like this whole place will turn into a den of enemies.

＊

“……I thought you’d always eat…my food…while saying it’s delicious. That’s what I believed. I got conceited. That’s why I didn’t…want to think…of a day when you’d say…that you won’t eat it,” explained Indra intermittently.

“I think it’s great! Rather, I thought the same as well!” I yelled, “Not Amato, but me! I always thought that it tasted great! I’ve been eatin’ your food all the time while thinkin’ so! That rice was simply somethin’ I smelled for the first time ever, so I didn’t get all that excited ’bout it. But, that doesn’t matter, does it!? I mean I’ve been always feelin’ that your food is wonderful!”

She looked up to me with teary eyes, “……You told me you don’t need it.”

!!!!

“Right now, I just didn’t feel like it, but okay, I’ll eat it! Also, I don’t get that stuff with different preferences, so bring me the normal one! It ain’t like I’m a particularly picky eater!”

I yelled, but if she leaves my room with a tear-stained face, I’ll definitely get butchered by the maids.

“Ah, wait. Please wait until you stop cryin’. If you leave this place with such a face, I’ll be murdered by the maids.”

She cast her face down, buried it in my chest, and wept.

……Sorry. I didn’t expect that it’d shock you so much.

But, now that I think ’bout it, she said so before. At the town where we scouted Black Fatty and the other monster cows, she said that she hated people, who left food behind ’cause they were picky ’bout their food, the most of all.

Sorry.

I knew it. But, I didn’t think I’d hurt you so much by just sulkin’ a bit.

But, after I realized that I had hurt her for real, I frantically apologized as I hadn’t anticipated a girl as haughty as her to start cryin’ over me tellin’ her that I didn’t need her food over a sulky mood.