……Now then! I wondered if Hayato and the others would stay with us, but they had already booked an inn and paid in advance for several days, so they would be staying there.
However, since they are going with us to the Yggdra Great Forest, they plan to remain in Einzheil for the time being.
I thought that since Hayato is a noble, he would have duties back in the kingdom, but because this matter started from that incident, the king has given him permission to act freely until the issue is resolved.
After that, I received a long lecture filled with plenty of love, then, exhausted from the journey and sitting in seiza, I took a bath and fell sound asleep.
It had been so long since I slept in my own bed that I drifted off almost instantly.
I will never tell anyone that in my dream I was drinking at Elf e-Rofu for one last time.
The next day I lazed around to my heart’s content, fully enjoyed being back in my own house, and slept deeply again yesterday.
In other words, this is the second day since we returned. I do not know the exact time, but it is probably morning.
Still sleepy, I rub my eyes, sluggishly get out of bed, yawn, and once again confirm that my own house really is the best. I head to the dining room for breakfast.
Nnn…… The closer I get to the first floor, the better the delicious smell of breakfast becomes. How nice……
Waking up to a proper breakfast instead of just a single piece of toast or reheated rice is true happiness.
Now then, I wonder what today’s breakfast will be……?
「Mizera? What’s wrong?」
For some reason, Mizera was sitting neatly on a chair at the dining table instead of in her usual spot in the kitchen, glancing nervously toward the kitchen.
「Ah, milord…… Good morning. Your bed hair is quite something.」
「Ah…… Good morning? I’ll fix the bed hair later, but aren’t you helping Wendy today?」
「Um, Wendy-sama went to the morning market with Shiro.」
「Eh?」
Huh? But I can hear the sound of a knife chopping and plates being set out from the kitchen……
「There we go…… Ah, Onii-san. Good morning.」
「Eh? Chris? G-Good morning……?」
「Fufu. Your bed hair is amazing, you know? I will prepare breakfast right away, so please go wash your face first.」
「O-Okay……」
Um…… Why is Chris here?
We did have plans with Chris in the afternoon, but it is still morning, right……?
Mizera said Wendy and the others went to the morning market, so it should definitely be morning. While I splash water on my face and think about it, someone starts combing my hair from behind.
「Hmm…… It is not straightening at all…… Give me some water.」
「O-Okay……?」
「Um, you look like you have questions, so I will answer first. Chris-san came early this morning, got permission from Wendy-sama, and started making breakfast. I tried to help, but she said she wanted to make everything herself, so I left it to her. Then Wendy-sama went to the morning market with Shiro for the first time in a while……」
「Ooh, I see.」
While Mizera fixes my bed hair with the comb, I grasp the current situation.
Yeah. So basically, it means I get to eat Chris’s cooking after so long!
With that realization, I struggle to fix my remaining bed hair and return to the dining room. Thick omelets, small bowls of ohitashi, rice bowls, soup bowls, and everything else are already neatly arranged on the table, with the rice pot prepared as well.
And the main dish is……
「Grilled fish is ready. It is freshly cooked, so please enjoy it while it is hot.」
「Ooooh……」
A magnificent Japanese-style breakfast spread……
Miso soup, white rice, thick omelet, grilled fish, ohitashi, and pickles that look like daikon and cucumber?
We enjoyed plenty of Japanese-style meals in Amatsukuni, but having this in the morning really lifts my spirits!
If there were natto or chilled tofu as well…… No, I should not be greedy.
「I used the seasonings with Wendy-san’s permission. Now then, please help yourselves.」
「Ooh…… Itadakimasu.」
First, a sip of the miso soup……
Hooaa…… My stomach…… My stomach is being gently comforted……
The gentle warmth seems to wake up my sleepy body from the inside……
The ingredients are leafy greens and…… is this meat? Meat in miso soup is unusual. Is it like tonjiru?
……No. The texture is closer to…… deep-fried tofu. It has a nice juicy bite.
「Hooaa……」
So good……
Eh, what is this ingredient? I have never eaten it before……
It has a juicy texture similar to aburaage.
How nostalgic……
Chris knows I dislike bugs, so it cannot be an insect. I will ask her about it later.
The ohitashi is…… simply boiled spinach, I suppose.
The vibrant green color shows a good balance of leaves and stems. It is seasoned with soy sauce, and a small but important touch, a light sprinkle of roasted sesame seeds. They are properly toasted, so the aroma is wonderful.
These little details really matter.
That extra bit of effort makes it delicious……
The thick omelet.
Preferences for sweetness, saltiness, or dashi stock vary greatly, but I can enjoy any kind…… This one is the sweet style.
……Yeah. It is incredibly delicious.
The beautiful shape of it. She must have used a special rectangular pan…… Ah, she did not? That is impressive……
The white rice has perfect texture. Just looking at the grains tells me that much…… But the real challenge is the grilled fish.
It is so obviously delicious at first glance that I unconsciously add “san” when thinking about it.
Since it is freshly grilled, I immediately pick it up with chopsticks. The skin breaks with a crisp snap, but it is not burnt black at all. It has a beautiful, even browning.
The fish is grilled uniformly without any uneven spots. When my chopsticks touch the flesh, rich, savory juices slowly overflow.
There is grated daikon prepared, so I think about adding soy sauce…… but the skin has been lightly salted, so I try it plain first……
……Yeah. It is delicious.
There is no bitterness from charring at all.
On the contrary, an appetizing aroma rises from the nose, and the overflowing umami keeps asserting itself with every bite.
「So goooood…… What is this? It’s amazing!」
Eeeh…… I like fish of course, but if someone asked whether I prefer meat or fish, I would normally answer meat without hesitation. With this fish, though, I might actually have to think about it.
It was probably just salted and grilled, yet how can it be this juicy……
The freshness is so high that I would believe it if someone told me it was still swimming just moments before it was cooked.
In fact, even if you told me “It is still alive”, I would not be surprised!
I could keep chewing on this forever……
「It really is……! Incredible…… So delicious.」
「Thank you very much!」
「The most amazing part is the bones, right…… I do not feel them at all.」
The greatest enemy of grilled fish, those annoying little bones, are nowhere to be felt, even without having to pick them out with chopsticks or spit them out. That is seriously impressive……
「I did a lot of trial and error!」
Trial and error…… I understand. I really do understand.
The thorny path of countless attempts, effort, experience, and practice that leads to success……!
「……Hayato-sama and the others had to eat mostly fish for a while.」
「Ah…… I can imagine.」
Still, even so, this fish is worth that much effort.
From now on, whenever Hayato eats grilled fish, will it all taste like this……? I am so jealous!
Chris-san, could you teach me how to grill like this?
For today’s afternoon plans, or rather, as payment for them, I will do anything. How about it?
「Haa…… It disappeared in no time at all……」
I do not think I have ever eaten fish this cleanly before.
I always thought I was pretty good at eating fish neatly, but not a single piece of flesh remains. Only the head, backbone, and the tip of the tail are left, just like in manga or anime.
「It was delicious…… Who would have thought a single difference in grilling technique could change it so much……」
「Yeah. We were lucky to get to eat this. The others who are not here today are the ones to feel sorry for……」
Honestly, will I even be able to go back to normal grilled fish after this?
It is not that the grilled fish Wendy or Mizera make is bad.
But Chris’s grilled fish is on a completely different level, one, two, maybe even three steps above. It might be hard not to compare from now on……
「Ah, thank you for the meal, Chris. It was incredibly delicious.」
「Fufu. Thank you very much. It was nothing special. I am glad you enjoyed it. Since you praised me so much, tea is coming out. Here you go.」
I take a sip of the green tea Chris brewed.
Hoo…… The temperature is just right and easy to drink…… This kind of consideration really is nice……
Haaaa…… That was a perfect breakfast.
With this, I can start the day feeling full of energy.
「I’m full and satisfied～…… So? Why did you come to make breakfast? Our plans were supposed to be in the afternoon, right?」
「Yes. The plans are still in the afternoon. Breakfast was…… um…… made as both an apology and a thank you.」
「Hmm? The thank you is for the afternoon? An apology…… Ah, could it be――」
「Yes. You guessed correctly.」
When it comes to something she would apologize for, that is the only thing that comes to mind……
「Ah…… I told you yesterday already, but……」
「I understand. I want to respect your feelings, onii-san……. But for me, it was an incredibly large debt of gratitude, so I could not simply continue as before without doing anything……」
Chris makes a face like she has bitten into something bitter and lowers her gaze.
「……I could not do anything. I could not stop Hayato-sama, I did not know what I should do, and I ended up doing nothing at all. Mii disappeared too, and I started worrying that everything would fall apart…… I only thought about myself. When I heard that onii-san was coming, I selfishly relied on the idea that onii-san would be able to stop Hayato-sama…… and you actually resolved everything…… The gratitude, regret, and shame I feel are so strong I cannot even put them into words…… But you told me that things can stay the same as before…… It is a little difficult for me……」
……Maybe my consideration was not enough.
Apart from Hayato, the others are not the type who can just accept it and move on so easily.
Because they are earnest, straightforward, and good people, it ended up becoming a heavy burden for them instead.
Really…… They are all so similar to Hayato.
「That is why I wanted to do something as both thanks and an apology to convince myself. I know it is not much, but still…… I wanted to do something.」
She is trying to respect my feelings.
This is probably her way of finding closure and settling things in her heart.
Well, if this allows us to go back to how things were before, then I have no problem with it.
「If it is as thanks, then this is more than enough. It was delicious. It was the best grilled fish I have ever eaten. If there is another chance, please make it for me again. Next time it will not be because of thanks or anything, is that okay?」
「Onii-san…… Yes! From now on, I will make it whenever possible! Even during our travels, please leave it to me!」
I see. Traveling with Hayato and the others, huh……
It has been since we went to the royal capital that we last went out together.
That sounds fun—— Wait, Mizera?
Why is she making such a pained face……
「Mizera?」
「……I’m sorry. I still cannot fully accept it. I do not know much about the relationship between milord and Hayato-san and the others……」
……Come to think of it, Mizera had never formally greeted Hayato and the others before.
The last time she saw them, excluding the recent incident, was back in Utopia.
「When I saw milord stabbed and bleeding so much, everything went dark in front of me. The thought that milord might disappear…… I never wanted to feel that way even once.」
「……I’m sorry. That is only natural. Mizera-san has no need to apologize. After doing something like that——」
「That is not it! It is not like that…… Actually…… I was planning to stay quiet because I am the only one who cannot forgive myself, because I cannot fully accept it, so I thought I would just keep it hidden in my heart. But…… but you know? After talking with you a little today, listening to you, and eating your cooking, I can tell. You are a sincere and very kind person, right? I think you are exactly the kind of person milord believes you to be. That is why…… instead of keeping it hidden in my heart, I also want to get to know all of you like everyone else and be able to forgive you……. If possible, next time I would like to cook together with you.」
Mizera lifts her face, eyes slightly moist but with a smile, and reaches out her hand toward Chris.
Chris gently takes that hand in both of hers.
「Um…… Could you teach me how to grill fish? If possible…… as friends, the same way you are with milord and the others.」
「Yes…… Of course. I would be happy to teach you…… Let us make it together……」
The two beautiful girls try to keep smiling while their eyes grow moist, their hands touching.
Though there is no strong force, they share a firm handshake.
When I think about it, Mizera and Chris have quite a few similarities in their circumstances.
These two will probably become good friends.
I have a feeling this premonition will surely come true.
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