CH 984

Since there are only 2 more special SS left, I’ll just go with the flow and publish them.

※ This SS is related to Volume 2’s colored illustration.

As the warm sun shone through the window, I was wondering what I was going to have for lunch today.

[……Like I said, Kai-chan will be “eating the bento I made”, so you can just go home, Death King.]

[……It’s Fate…… who should go home…… Do your job.]

The temperature was especially nice today, and I felt like I could take a nice nap. There’s a place that looked like a lawn in Lilia-san’s garden, and I’d really like to take a nap there~~

It might be even better lying down there if I have a pet. Napping with a cat on your lap is a situation I’d really love to be in.

[I can just leave the work to God of Time and Space! That aside, I should be the one questioning you, Death King! Thoughtlessly coming to the Human Realm, don’t you understand the clamor you’re making?]

[……Don’t worry…… Lillywood…… will take care of it.]

On such a fine day, it might be nice to eat outside. It would be fun to invite Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san, and have a picnic among the Summoning Bystanders group.

Well, the place we’d be having a picnic would probably be the mansion’s garden……

[Kai-chan, you listening?]

[……Kaito…… which bento…… do you want to eat?]

[………………]

Unnn, let’s stop trying to escape reality. Letting out a big sigh, I turned my gaze to the two bento boxes that were offered to me.

[……I mean, in the first place, why am I in this situation……]

I’m pretty sure it all started about a dozen minutes ago. As she had promised to do since yesterday, Isis-san came to visit Lilia-san’s mansion.

Thereupon, Fate-san had come to visit me without an appointment, and before I knew it, they had somehow ended up glaring at each other.

[You see, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? That’s why I decided to make an investment so that Kai-chan would support me in the future…… It was troublesome, incredibly troublesome, but I did my best to make lunch for Kai-chan!]

[……I- Is that so.]

[……I wanted…… to feed Kaito…… something delicious…… so even though I don’t know how to cook…… I studied…… and made this for you.]

[T- Thank you very much.]

I’m not sure what to do…… To be honest, at this point, about 90% of me would rather eat with Isis-san. Compared to Fate-san, whose thoughts were filled with ulterior motives and stressed how everything she did was just troublesome, I felt a genuine fondness from Isis-san.

At this point, the differences between them were just like the differences between angels and demons, but I also couldn’t ignore Fate-san, who even though she had ulterior motives, did take the trouble to make a bento for me.

However, both of the bento boxes they offered to me were quite large, about the size of multi-layered lunch boxes. Eating both of them would be too tough for me.

With that being the case, I could eat half of both bentos…… but putting aside Fate-san’s bento, I don’t feel comfortable leaving anything in Isis-san’s bento. Fate-san’s bento, well, I don’t mind not finishing hers……

[……Hey, Kai-chan? I don’t know if it’s just my imagination or not, but why do I feel like I’m being insulted in Kai-chan’s mind?]

[It’s just your imagination.]

[Kai-chan, a beautiful girl such as I have cooked for you, you know? Isn’t this the part where you cry, overcome with emotions?]

[It won’t work when you say it yourself.]

As I gave appropriate responses to the unexpectedly perceptive Fate-san, Isis-san spoke to me with a worried expression on her face.

[……Kaito…… Are you alright? ……If you’re not hungry…… How about eating it later?]

[No, I was just about to have lunch. I’m really glad for your concern, Isis-san.]

[……How strange. There’s an obvious difference in the way you respond to me and Death King, don’t you think?]

[It’s just your imagination.]

My treatment towards her may have been sloppy, but of course, I was still happy to hear that Fate-san cooked for me.

I’m a guy after all. I’m grateful that Isis-san and Fate-san, two beautiful girls, cooked for me.

[……Ahh, that’s right! Since we’re at it, how about us three eat together? If that’s the case, even this amount……]

[Alright~~ Putting aside sweets, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a proper meal~~]

[……I think the last time for me…… was “about 4000 years ago”……]

[……Eh?]

Hearing Isis-san say that this would be her first meal in 4000 years, I couldn’t help but tilt my head. Thereupon, perhaps sensing my question, Fate-san explained.

[Ahh~~ Kai-chan. Death King and I are a little different from Humans. Eating and sleeping aren’t a necessity for us, they’re more like a hobby.]

[I see……]

[Well, leaving that aside…… I guess I’ll start opening up my bento then?]

Talking somewhat laxly, Fate-san placed her large bento on the table and opened its lid.

What emerged from inside were only fruits and vegetables of various colors…… and nothing other than that.

[……Eh? W- Wait, Fate-san? What’s this?]

[A bento.]

[……To me, it just looked like a box of peeled fruits and vegetables, thrown in the box raw……]

[……Kai-chan.]

[Yes?]

[Even if it’s just peeling them…… Don’t you think that’s a good enough effort from me?]

[…………………]

W- Where the heck am I supposed to throw a tsukkomi here? With no ingenuity nor intentions in mind, it seemed like she just threw peeled food in there……

I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. After showing off this kind of bento, why the heck does Fate-san look so smug……

[……Fate-san, does this look delicious to you?]

[Nope, not at all! To be honest, it looks like animal feed to me.]

[Then, why did you bring this here!?]

[……I just thought I could get away with it.]

Where’s her guardian…… Chronois-san? I beg of you, please bring this person back as soon as possible……

[……Fate…… You can’t…… feed Kaito…… that bento.]

[To be honest, I was also thinking that I’ve cut too many corners, but then, I also thought it should work with love as its cover!]

[……I think…… that won’t work.]

[Kuhhh……. T- Then, what kind of bento did you bring, Death King?]

[……I properly made…… Kaito’s favorite food.]

The animal feed…… Fate-san’s bento was removed by Isis-san from the table. And now, in front of me is the bento box Isis-san brought.

Even so, my favorite food? Is it hamburger steak or fried shrimp? No, but have I ever told Isis-san what my favorite food is?

With these questions in mind, I took the lid off the bento box…… and saw that it was crammed full of “baby castellas”.

Eh? What is this? A baby castella bento? This is my favorite food…… No, no, this isn’t my favorite food!!!

[……I- Isis-san? W- What in the world is this……]

[……I asked…… Kuromueina…… what Kaito’s favorite food is.]

It really is that baby castella spirit’s doing!!! Why the heck are you going around telling people that this is my favorite food!?

[……No, Isis-san. It’s not that I like baby castellas……]

[……I- Is…… that so? ……I’m…… sorry……]

[Ahh~~ No, I just remembered! I loved baby castellas even more than my three meals a day! Well~~ I’m really happy, I’ve never seen such a nice bento before~~]

[……Thank goodness…… I’m glad that…… Kaito is happy.]

I was going to tell Isis-san that she was mistaken, but when I saw the sad expression on her face, I immediately revised my words.

Even if they’re baby castellas, it didn’t change the fact that Isis-san did her best to make them for me…… As for correcting the wrong information she had acquired, I’ll just figure out how to tell that to Isis-san without hurting her while we eat.

That’s right, if it’s to see Isis-san’s smile…… J- Just this many baby castellas is easy-peasy for me.

[As expected, there really is a difference between the way you treat Death King and I, don’t you think?]

[It’s just your imagination.]

After briefly answering Fate-san’s question, I took on the challenge of eating this stack of baby castellas.

On this day, a new trauma to baby castellas was engraved in my mind.