The kitchen was wider than expected, spacious enough that the four of us could work without bumping into each other.
Alongside stoves of the Amatsukuni style, the standard equipment of the kingdom was in place, though it all felt a bit old, likely remnants from the time when the place was run as an inn.
「I didn’t know you cooked」
「Well, just moderately. It’s a habit from living alone」
「Master’s cooking is really delicious!」
「Yes. Onii-san can make all sorts of fun and tasty dishes」
「Oh? What kind of things have you made?」
「Let’s see… ice cream, pudding, maybe?」
「Ah, I’ve made pudding too! The eggs in this world taste amazing, don’t they? Even changing the type makes the flavor shift so much, it’s fascinating! But ice cream… that’s not sherbet, right? I did find a leaf called banil that smells like vanilla, though…」
Since Mika-chan seemed eager, I listed not meals but the desserts I’d made and explained the methods as well.
When I mentioned using alchemy for some of it,
「Oh, so it’s alchemy…! Ah, I want that. Maybe I should try to get the alchemy skill from the library too. I wonder if I can learn it…」
「Wait, you can just ‘get’ a skill if you want one?」
「You can… more or less. I think you need some talent though. We obtained appraisal after coming here, for example…」
So that’s how it works.
The library… come to think of it, I never did get around to going there.
「Then could you even get magic that way?」
「Yes. Only the beginner spells though. Onee-chan has a magic profession, but I was able to learn water and earth magic for self-defense. I couldn’t learn fire or wind because I didn’t have the affinity…」
「I see… Sorry to ask while we’re cooking, but could you explain in detail?」
「Of course!」
Listening to Mika-chan, the method of obtaining skills could be summarized like this:
・‘‘Enter the library (for a fee) and read an attribute aptitude book.’’
This shows which magical attributes one has a chance with. If there’s no chance, it’s best to give up on that magic.
・‘‘When testing if you can actually use it, do it outside.’’
Magic use inside the library is prohibited, so you have to borrow the book for an additional fee and test it somewhere harmless. Even if you have aptitude, that doesn’t guarantee you can cast the spell.
・ ‘‘Everyday passive-type skills are the same.’’
These don’t depend on attributes, but there are still limits. If you can’t learn them after some effort, it’s better to give up.
「There are so many fun-looking skills, but not being able to get them is painful… You end up going, ‘I want that one!’」
「I get that… wait, Mika-chan, are you a fantasy fan?」
「Hmm, not really. But since coming to this world, with skills being visible like this, I can’t help wanting all of them. It’s like studying, you don’t know when it’ll be useful, but it feels like you should learn it anyway」
Oh, so she was the honor-student type.
As for me, I usually only want skills when I actually need them…
Still, I agree that it’s best to be prepared.
It’s not like having them ever causes trouble.
「…By the way, what are you making right now?」
「Soup. I made katsuobushi back at a port town we stopped at, and I’m combining it with kombu to make dashi. Then I’ll season it with a bit of salt and… Wh-what’s wrong!?」
「Ha!!」
Before I realized it, I had spread my arms as if I were about to hug Mika-chan!
「Master? You mustn’t suddenly try to hug a woman」
「S-sorry. I just felt the sudden urge to hug!」
But since I couldn’t suppress that urge, I turned and hugged Wendy as hard as I could instead.
「Wah… What’s gotten into you?」
What’s gotten into me? The problem was solved this easily, that’s what!
「Mika-chan! That soup… will you let me handle it from here?」
「I-I don’t mind, but… ah, the soup is…」
「Leave it to me! I promise it won’t hurt you!」
「…Onii-san. Depending on how someone hears that, it could sound very misleading…」
「That’s not what I meant…」
「Onii-san, your words often make people misunderstand things…」
Is she talking about that whole incident with Hayato?
「Um… what exactly are you planning to do?」
「Fu fu fu fu. Just watch. I’ll use this…」
From my pocket, I pulled out a small pot.
The kind of pot you’d find at a ramen shop holding spicy pickled leeks.
The goddess really had a strange taste in containers.
「Wait… could it be!?」
「Yes… it’s exactly what you think!」
I took out a thick, sticky brown paste from inside and dropped it into the dashi Mika-chan had prepared.
-0-
「Yes! I’ve been waiting for this!」
「You could’ve come get it yourself…」
Honestly, this guy… rolling around and playing on the tatami like that.
「Sorry… I couldn’t help much because I had to keep an eye on Makoto so he wouldn’t do anything strange…」
「Don’t worry about it. Freed was more than enough help」
Freed had carried away an impressive number of dishes at once, enough to make me wonder if he was really okay.
When I asked if he could handle it, he simply answered, 『I am a butler』 in such a commanding tone that I had no choice but to leave it to him. And of course, he managed flawlessly.
「M-m-m-ake… ewaaa… wa-aayyy…uhaaa」
「Mika!? What’s wrong!?」
「Ah, hey. Don’t go near her now. If she spills that, I’ll have no choice but to cut you down」
「B-but…」
「You’ll see why in a moment. Don’t worry, nothing strange happened」
By the way, the reason Mika-chan was crying was because, when she tasted it earlier, she was so overwhelmed that she couldn’t hold back her tears.
After taking just one sip, the tears had quietly started to fall, and once she began crying, she said she just couldn’t stop.
「Wait… this is…」
「No way!? How can this be!?」
「Don’t panic and make her spill it, alright? I’ve been looking forward to this too」
「Itsuki-san! But this… this is miso soup!」
「Yeah. The real deal, miso soup」
What the goddess had given me this time was miso, packed inside a small pot.
So of course, I didn’t hold back and used it generously to make proper miso soup.
Last time, I hadn’t been able to serve Shiro and the others grilled onigiri, so this time I decided to make enough miso soup for everyone. The portions were small, but at least no one would be left out.
Besides, there were plenty of other dishes too, and just looking at Mika-chan made it clear how satisfying it already was.
「Alright then, everyone take your seats. The feast starts now!」
「L-let’s start already!」
「Maa-kun? Don’t drink first, okay?」
「But Misa-nee, you’re just as curious about it!」
I get how they feel, but they’ll just have to wait a bit longer. I wanted to drink it right away too…
「Okay, no long speeches. A lot happened, but the villa and the hot spring were safely completed. And Aina and the others came back safe as well… Tonight we celebrate. Eat and drink as much as you like. There’s even dessert waiting. Alright then, cheers!」
「「「「「「Cheers!」」」」」」
We raised our cups, everyone’s voices blending together.
And then, the ones who immediately reached for their bowls of miso soup were Hayato, Makoto, Mika-chan, and Misa-chan.
The other women watched them with surprise.
The four tilted their bowls at the same time.
Except for Makoto, the others drank slowly, carefully savoring each sip…
「Just so you know, there aren’t any refills」
「Eh!? I already finished mine…」
Don’t look at me, that’s on you…
「Haaah… it’s so good… really…」
「Yeah… this taste… it’s just right…」
「Mmn… delicious… and so nostalgic…」
The three of them, satisfied after their first sip, lingered in the warmth of the miso soup before bringing the bowls to their lips again.
Drawn in by that, the others began drinking as well. It wasn’t the most extraordinary flavor, but it had such a deep warmth that everyone found themselves smiling as they enjoyed it.
「…Hey, Hayato. Just one sip…」
「No」
「Come on…」
「You already finished yours, didn’t you? Honestly… why would you gulp down something this precious so quickly」
「Well, I thought maybe there’d be refills, so I figured I should drink it fast…」
「Here, I’ll share mine. Next time, drink it slowly, alright?」
「For real, aniki!?」
「Yeah. Just a little though」
No point in picking a fight on such a rare occasion.
When I poured some of my share into Makoto’s bowl, I noticed Hayato watching enviously.
I sighed and poured the same amount into his bowl as well, which left mine quite a bit lighter.
「Well, whatever. Guess I’ll have some too…」
I brought the bowl to my lips and slowly let the warm liquid flow down my throat.
The flavor of the miso wrapped itself around the taste of the broth made from bonito flakes and kelp, filling my nose and stirring my appetite.
Why is it that miso soup always has such a calming effect?
Tea or hot pot are good too, but when you drink miso soup after a long while, it feels like the finest of meals.
I hadn’t made it often at home, but I always wanted to drink it again.
「Haa… this is delicious…」
「Yeah… savoring it slowly makes it even better」
「Right? Ahh… next time, I hope we get miso again…」
Last time we got soy sauce twice in a row, so maybe miso will come twice as well.
If we’re lucky, maybe we’ll even get a bigger supply next time. I’d like to try clam soup or pork miso soup if possible…
「Still, aniki. How did you get your hands on miso?」
「Hmm, it was from my Unique Skill. When the level of my Unique Skill, 『Pocket Money』, went up, the goddess gave me a stamp card. Every few times there’s a mark, and I get things like soy sauce or miso」
「…That doesn’t really have anything to do with pocket money, does it?」
「Yeah, true, but it’s just a bonus so I didn’t think too hard about it」
「…I think maybe it’s a change in your Unique Skill. My 『Holy Sword of Light (Excalibur)』 was just a special light-attribute sword at first, but when its level rose, it gained that kind of power…」
「Hmm, doesn’t it sound more like my skill? Mine started as just damage reduction, but later it also made it so no one in the party could be affected by status effects…」
Hmm.
A change in the Unique Skill… or rather, an evolution?
Since there’s no way to evolve something like pocket money, maybe the goddess adjusted it herself… somehow that makes the most sense.
「Well, whatever the case. What matters is we got to enjoy miso soup after so long」
「Yes… that’s true. Thank you for the meal!」
「Thanks for the meal, aniki!」
「Thank you, Itsuki-oniisan」
「Fufu, thanks to you, Itsuki-san, we got to enjoy something delicious」
「I’m glad you all enjoyed it」
I finished the last of the miso soup, which had cooled a little, and then we all started helping ourselves to the other dishes.
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