Yesterday’s team battle ended with the victory of the very group that defeated Aina and the others, 『Guardians』.
By the way, since I spent the rest of the day hitting up the food stalls with Shiro, I only managed to catch the final winner’s interview. But honestly, I’m fine with that.
When I returned to my seat with a mountain of food stall goodies, everyone looked at me in disbelief. But once I told them the three were in stable condition, including Iris, they all looked visibly relieved.
『If they were safe, you should have come back immediately!』
Apparently, even Iris had been more fidgety than usual, at least according to Wendy.
She also mentioned that Iris watched the match from Wendy’s lap, using her breasts as a pillow, but didn’t seem too pleased about it.
Honestly, she’s such a spoiled little princess.
-0-
Now then, what am I doing at the moment?
I’m making the ice cream Iris asked for, and preparing a massive lunch as requested by Shiro.
I’m not too worried about the ice cream, but Shiro’s portion is way more than usual. I doubt she can finish it, but anything left over can be served at the after-party.
Which means since this morning, Wendy, Chris, and I have been cooking up enough food to cater a full-blown party.
「Onii-san, is this amount of eggs okay?」
「Master, what would you like in the sandwiches?」
Even though I was the one who got roped into cooking, the two of them are enthusiastically helping me out.
「Ah, mmm! This one’s tasty too!」
「Ah, could I have a bite as well?」
While the two happily sneak bites in the name of “taste-testing”, we’ve already served breakfast to Hayato and the others.
Back in my original world, I cooked decently well, but it was just for myself. So I never had much motivation.
Here, though, there are people who eat what I make and smile. That alone gives the work meaning.
At first, I was thinking of going into farming… but opening a small restaurant doesn’t sound too bad either.
Everyone in waitress uniforms, huh… Yes, not bad at all.
But the problem with restaurants is that it’s hard to take time off whenever you want.
If customers don’t know when you’re open, they won’t bother coming.
So, doing it as a hobby might be just right.
Alchemy too, it started as practical, but all the skills I’ve picked up are starting to feel more like hobbies.
Still, isn’t doing work you actually enjoy kind of the dream?
Especially when it brings in solid income. That’s what you call the ideal job.
「Master, what are you making over there?」
「Are you making cuts in sausages?」
「Hmm? Octopus wieners」
Nothing says bento like these.
I remembered how my mom used to include them in my lunchboxes when I was a kid, so I decided to make them.
While I was at it, I also made some bunny-shaped Rimpuls, those are for Aina and the others as a get-well gift.
Fruit is the usual thing to bring when visiting someone in the infirmary, but I figured they could snack on these while watching the matches.
「You’re so skillful. I’ll try practicing bunny Rimpuls too!」
「Well, part of the fun of bento is making it look enjoyable」
「Ugh… Master’s cooking skills keep improving even without me teaching anything…」
「Yeah, though the level still isn’t going up at all…」
No matter how much I cook, for some reason the skill level just doesn’t increase.
At this point, it feels like a bug in the system.
Not that it’s causing any problems with the actual cooking, but it’s kind of frustrating not to have anything to show for all the effort.
「I wonder why that is」
「It’s gotta be because I’m a Drifter… can’t think of any other reason」
「Hmm, I’m not so sure. Hayato-sama didn’t mention having trouble leveling up any of his skills」
「So maybe only the cooking skill has some weird restriction? But why…」
Could it be that none of the Drifters before me ever received the Cooking skill from the goddess?
Come to think of it, Hayato said the goddess gave him skills that matched his Unique Skill.
So maybe it’s like… I had to choose from a list, and I didn’t have enough points to level up cooking?
「Well… whatever」
At least it wasn’t my Alchemy skill that got stuck.
If Alchemy were still stuck at Level 1, and I didn’t have 『Handing』, 『Multi-Copy』, or 『Experience Circle』, I’d probably be somewhere far from the capital right now, desperately grinding out potions to scrape together a living.
Thinking about that, it’s not a big deal if my Cooking skill never levels up.
That’s what I told myself, half-forcefully, to keep from getting annoyed.
-0-
Now that all the bento boxes are done, I untied the frilly apron that’s basically become part of my standard gear.
We’ve got plenty of dessert too, and I already double-checked everything else, so I haven’t forgotten anything.
I picked at breakfast with Wendy and the others while cooking, so I’m good to go.
When I stepped outside the mansion, I saw a single figure moving at incredible speed.
Like a stroke of black ink across a white canvas, it darted in every direction, chaotic, yet precise. Chasing it was a swirl of shadow, converging as if drawn by the first.
I couldn’t tell what was happening, not with my eyes, but I knew right away who it was.
The moment the shadow noticed me, it stopped perfectly in front of me.
「Well now, Shiro, are you ready?」
「Hmm. No problem. I’m feeling great today」
「After saying all that yesterday, you sure you’ve got the confidence to back it up?」
「Hmm… not sure? If there’s someone at Hayato’s level, then probably not?」
「Oh, so you’re not as confident as I thought」
「I’m just being realistic. No point in going up against someone I can’t beat」
More level-headed than I expected.
It’s not very childlike, but that probably just means she takes fighting seriously.
Honestly, I’d rather she didn’t push herself to the point of serious injury.
「But I’ll do what I can」
「…Just don’t overdo it」
「Hmm, I’ll go easy」
「Alright, let’s get going」
「Hmm. Lord, I’m hungry」
「Didn’t you just eat breakfast!?」
As usual, Shiro was in top form.
-0-
When we arrived at the venue, Iris was already standing tall, arms crossed, waiting.
「Shiro! Today I’ll be cheering you on…. wait, are you eating again…?」
「Hmm. Iris, want some?」
「I have ice cream, so I’m fine! …You brought it, right?」
「Yeah, I brought plenty. Eat as much as you want」
「Excellent! Oh! The container is huge!」
「If you eat it all, you’re definitely going to get a stomachache」
「You underestimate my constitution! I am not so frail as to fall to overeating my favorite sweets!」
How does that even make sense?
Well, if you end up with a stomachache, I’ve got medicine, so eat all you want.
「Alright, I’m off」
「Then I’ll excuse myself as well」
「May you avenge yourself this time, Lord Hayato」
「Do your best, Hayato-sama!」
「Yes. I’ll do my best」
Now that I think about it, Hayato mentioned he lost to the captain of the First Knight Order last time.
He probably won’t use his holy sword again today… but I’ll still be cheering for him to win.
「Good luck to both Shiro and Hayato」
「Yes!」
「Hmm. Watch me」
I watched as the two of them walked off toward the waiting room for competitors, then sat down on the sofa.
「Phew」
「Gweh」
And, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, Iris jumped into my lap.
「Time for ice cream!」
「Alright, here you go」
Big ice cream calls for a big spoon.
Considering the size of Iris’s mouth, it wasn’t that big, but still, there’s something heartwarming about watching a child eat with pure joy.
「Oh! May I really have this!?」
「Yeah. Use it however you like」
「Mm! Then I shall dig in right away!」
Iris was completely absorbed in her ice cream.
Looks like I’ll be able to enjoy the matches in peace today.
「Ufufu, everyone, I look forward to spending the day with you」
「Yes! Chevalier-sama! Let’s cheer for Hayato-sama together!」
It seemed that side was also planning to enjoy the tournament in good spirits.
I was a little worried that no one would be providing commentary, but for now, I decided to just relax and enjoy it.
『Thank you all for your patience! Today marks the final day of the Royal Capital Martial Arts Tournament! We now begin the main rounds of the individual matches!』
The vice captain once again declared the opening with his usual energy, officially kicking off the individual competition.
「Mmgh, this might melt before I can finish it」
「Want me to refreeze it for you?」
「Hm? Can you do that? I doubt you can use magic in a place like this, can you?」
True, casting water magic in the noble seating area would definitely cause a stir.
But since I could just place it into my magic space and chill it, there was no issue.
「Well, yeah. But keep it a secret, alright?」
「Understood! I’ll count on you if it starts to melt!」
Since I’d be refreezing it anyway, maybe I should stick some baked sweets in to add some variety to the flavor.
Parfaits with little cookies or wafers always taste strangely good.
「Sir, here is today’s list of competitors」
「Ah, thanks」
「You placed a wager on Mask the Shiro, correct? Congratulations on her reaching the main event」
「Come to think of it, that bet’s been running since the prelims, hasn’t it?」
「Yes. If you’d like to place another bet, I can assist you」
「Hmm… alright. I’ll put ten million on Lord Hayato to win it all」
「Certainly. With the current odds at four times the payout, please confirm the amount」
「No problem. Go ahead」
「Then please hold on to your betting ticket」
I took the betting ticket from the gambling broker, Triton, and stored it in my magic space.
Emotionally, I wouldn’t mind betting on Shiro again, but I kept it fair and put ten million on each.
I’d already spent thirty million in total, but considering the money I’d made off the accessory auction, I figured Wendy would let it slide this time.
「…You lost ten million nohls yesterday, you know」
「It’s just this once」
「Is that really true…? You’re not trying to win it back, are you?」
「It’s fine… I’m not going to become a gambling addict or anything…」
This is starting to sound like a guy sneaking money out of the household budget to go play pachinko first thing in the morning…
Wait, no, I’m different! I swear I am!
「That’s quite the bold bet」
「Well, I already made back my money thanks to Shiro. If it hits, great. If Shiro keeps winning, even better」
「Hmm. Given Lord Hayato’s current condition, it’s not out of the question」
「Right? He’s got more fight in him than I expected」
He usually comes off as a soft, refined type, but today there was a fire burning deep in his eyes.
Maybe losing last time really got to him.
He might be more competitive than he lets on.
If that’s the case, he might have a real shot at taking the championship.
But then, just how strong is the captain of the kingdom’s First Knight Order?
If they managed to beat Hayato, a Drifter with specialized sword skills, even if it was last time…
They must be a monster beyond comprehension.
Please, just don’t let Shiro face them right away!
With that prayer in my heart, I turned my eyes to the tournament bracket.
…And sure enough, they weren’t up against each other in the first round, but they were in the same block.
Which meant, if both of them kept winning, they’d inevitably clash.
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