CH 109

Suddenly, a Cooking Class

“――What, out of the blue? What do you mean by, a cooking class?”

With Zechs’ face becoming more and more confused, Sheila quickly began her preparations.

“I thought I’d give a demonstration on how to make herbal tea. I’ve already prepared all the ingredients.”

For this purpose, Sheila asked Amy to set up a simple cooking table near the counter. She moved some wood from the fireplace and put on an apron while waiting for the sparks to grow under the iron pot.

Some of the ingredients were collected by herself, and others from Amy’s Pharmacy. All the ingredients necessary for making herbal tea were ready. Once they were laid out, the preparations were complete.

“Now, let’s start Sheila’s cooking class everyone~”

“Why the sudden honorifics?”

Sheila tried clapping to liven things up, but no one was getting into it. She didn’t care much and went on with making herbal tea.

“We need to prepare brown rice, bamboo grass, and daylily’s root. Oh, and some citrus peel, and also others.”

“What do you mean by ‘others’? If you don’t say that properly, this cooking class won’t work, you know?”

“The brown rice needs to be roasted until it turns black. That’s the savory flavor of the finished product.”

“Listen to the audience’s protests, you!”

Next to Zechs, who was complaining every single thing about her teachings, Amy expressed his doubts.

“I wonder if the black color of the boiled rice also comes from the brown rice?”

“I think so. The bamboo grass has a rather light liquid color.”

Sheila had never thought about which of these factors affected the liquid color, as she had always taken it for granted. It might be a good idea to look into it.

“Next is the root of the daylily. It takes years for them to grow to this size. And then the citrus peel. This can be done on its own by drying the peels of the citrus fruits you eat, everyone~ Since the harvesting times of bugleweed and cudweed are different, let’s use the ready-to-use ingredients for today―”

“So, you’ve already had it! Then you don’t know how to prepare them!”

“For more information on how and when to collect them and how to dry them, please look here.”

“If it’s already written, say it first! You’re missing the point!”

“Please don’t complain when I’ve written it all down~”

“No, it’s true that I should thank you, but…. No, I’m the one who is forced to go along with a cooking class I don’t understand.”

Cody looked down with a face mixed with sympathy as Zechs gawked and deflated.

“Now, let’s prepare the bamboo grass~ Bamboo grass not only improves immunity and regulates the intestines but it can also be used as an external medicine and has antiseptic effects. However, it also lowers blood pressure, so it’s not recommended for people with low blood pressure.”

“In other words, it’s better to leave sales to people who have some knowledge of medicines.”

Zechs complained about many things but still wrote down all the important information. Sheila secretly laughed and went on with her work.

“First, steam the bamboo grass. Rinse the tea leaves that have been shredded into appropriate sizes with water and wipe off the moisture, everyone~”

“I’ve been wondering since a while ago, but what’s with your slow, drawn-out way of speaking?”

“Put the bamboo grass in a preheated steamer and steam it. When you start to smell the soft sweet aroma, pull it out~”

“Oi, you’re ignoring me, aren’t you?”

Ignoring Zechs’ comments, within a few minutes, a fresh aroma wafted through the air.

Sheila immediately took out the leaves and spread them evenly on a colander. When she was in the village, she used the power of the wind spirit, but this time she cooled them down by fanning them on her own.

“When the leaves have cooled down to a certain degree, we will roast them in a pan over a flame. You can use the leaves as they are, but they will be more fragrant and delicious if they are roasted. Let’s roast it slowly over low heat so that the leaves don’t get burnt, everyone~”

“Is this farce still going on?”

“After a certain amount of water has evaporated, take it out of the pot and rub the tea leaves to squeeze out the water, everyone~ It’s very hot, so be careful.”

“Oi, stop ignoring me for goodness sake. It hurts.”

The vigorous criticism was gradually losing its power. He seemed to be getting tired.

“After kneading them, put them back in the pot and roast them in the same way~ Repeat this process over and over until the water is completely absorbed.”

Even while staring at the slightly rising steam, Sheila couldn’t rest her busy arms.

“When the water is completely gone, remove the tea from the heat and let it dry further. The tea leaves are quite slick, so please prepare a good colander. If the tea leaves are too slick that they still slip through, you can use them in cookies. It will have a unique flavor that not many people like~”

“Is there any point in making that…?”

Zechs muttered to himself, but of course, Sheila pretended not to hear it.

In the village, the villagers would spend a day making herbal tea, dividing the time between those who chopped dried herbs, those who roasted brown rice, and those who made bamboo grass tea. All the ingredients were in huge quantities because they were shared by all the villagers in the end.

It was a lot of work, but it was as fun as a festival. After they finished making the tea, the adults had a big party to celebrate the completion.

Sheila put out the fire under the cooking pot while reminiscing about her bustling daily life in the village.

“Well, roasting something over and over again takes a lot of patience. I’ll skip it today and show you the finished product~”

“There is even a finished product!?”

Zechs’ waning tsk-tsk roared to a climax here.

Just as Sheila was about to praise him for his complaining skill, the creaking sound of the door echoed as if to stop her evil comment.

The unusual visitor was someone Sheila and the others knew well.

“Isaac-san.”

Almost as soon as Cody muttered, Sheila ducked under the counter.

“Sheila from the Steitz Academy” and “Sheila from the Pharmacy” disguised as dark-haired glasses girl. He was the only one, other than Amy who was acquainted with both of them, so Sheila had to try as much as possible not to see him. It was almost a conditioned reflex, because Isak, who was supposed to be busy, often appeared.

‘I got careless out of habit, but this time, I wasn’t in a disguise, so there was no point in hiding…’

If this continued, her friends would become suspicious of her.

Deciding that it would be a bad idea to panic, Sheila stood up with a nonchalant look on her face.  She looked back at Isaac as if she had just noticed him.

Amy, who was watching the whole thing, was silent.

“Eh, Isaac-san. It’s been a while.”

“Hey, long time no see, you guys. What are you doing here?”

“Um, a little bit of a business meeting and a cooking class?”

“…. What? I don’t get it.”

Cody and Zechs happily run up to Isaac, who smiled at them.

“Isaac-san, the dorm leader… How is Axe-senpai?”

“I don’t mind, you can call that muscle idiot like you used to. Anyway, that guy’s all about working out, isn’t he? He couldn’t wait to start his border patrol work.”

Sheila and Amy watched from the counter as the men suddenly became noisy.

“Those two are childhood friends with Isaac-san’s younger brother, so they are on good terms.”

“Oh my, that’s why they look so happy with Isaac-sama.”

Perhaps they were also close friends with Isaac. Although they kept their private and public lives separate during the training because they were only at work, Sheila felt that way when she saw them at ease with each other.

While she was thinking about whether she should make some herbal tea for Isaac, Amy spoke quietly.

“…. Isaac-sama is the only one who visits frequently even in winter.”

There was a smile on his face as he cleared the counter. Sheila suddenly became worried about Isaac’s physical condition.

“Isaac-san, is he that sick?”

Amy blinked his eyes. After a moment, he burst out laughing.

“You’re an idiot. You’re the one he is looking for.”

“Eh?”

“Or to be more precise, he is looking for the Sheila-chan in disguise.”

“Eh?”

“Isaac-sama likes you.”

“―――Eh?”

Sheila blinked repeatedly this time, unable to understand Amy’s words.