Chapter 53: The Neighborhood Demon King VII (1/2)

【78th day】

「Rana, I’ve asked you this before, but……」

「Yes?」

We were taking a vacation from the adventuring business. It was still being updated, and would probably be for about 10 days starting today.

The weather was lovely, and it was lunchtime.

For a change, I was alone with Rana in the camp.

Ea, who would usually be here, was at the Demon King’s place along with Makina.

Early in the morning, Ea had woken me up and said this:

『Onii-chan. I might have thought of something fantastic. Udon and curry, won’t it be the best if they’re combined?!』

『To have noticed that, you must be a genius』

『Right? You can praise me more!』

Thus, in order to take the goblin and the Demon King’s breath away, Ea kneaded udon first thing in the morning, and then, bringing the udon together with Japanese-style soup stock as well, she left the camp in high spirits.

It appeared that it was revenge for surprising her yesterday. My sister was dauntless. As expected from someone with the blood of elven royalty. Those were actions that ordinary people couldn’t do. No, was she just childish?

Lanseal had gone to the castle for her routine duties.

Misuranika-sama was frolicking with the winged rabbits in the plain. She would get carried into the air sometimes, so I had to warn her every now and then.

「I want to know the dishes, or rather, the flavors that Rana likes」

「The taste? This is delicious」

The two of us were eating curry. On top of that, we were eating it with rice.

Delicious. Rice is delicious. The sweet curry and the sweetness of rice. The deliciousness of pork and the great taste of rice. It’s a tag-team attack of flavors. Oh, not good, I lost consciousness slightly.

「I want to know more about your preference for things like the amount of spiciness, acidity, salt and sugar content, or things like the hardness or softness」

I had Rana wear an apron.

Because her white robe would need to be washed if curry got on it.

「That’s difficult. I’ve no complaints about your cooking. Just being able to eat different things every day is an extremely luxurious thing, so that’s delicious[1], isn’t it? Anyone who has something to say in this situation is surely a king among kings who has exhausted the full extent of luxury, I suppose. The Heures family is in the position of a king among the elven clans, but life was simple, so I believe that something like my preferences won’t be of any help to your cooking」

She had misunderstood me on a fundamental level.

「Rana, I'm not asking you for your opinion because I want to improve my cooking skills」

「Uh?」

She tilted her head with the spoon in her mouth. It was unusual for her to act ill-mannered. It was cute though. So I instantly took a picture using the high-resolution camera mode of my glasses and saved it in my personal folder.

「I'm asking about your preferences because I want to season it to suit your tastes」

「Oh, is that so?」

Huh, her reaction is bad.

「I'll have another helping」

「Feel free」

Rana got up from her seat and moved to the kitchen. She heaped a big helping of rice on her empty plate and poured a large amount of curry over it.

She sat down and wordlessly ate the curry quickly.

Her movements were refined, but fast, exact and without any waste. On top of that, she chewed well. Every now and then, Rana ate the pickles that had been added as garnish while she ate the curry.

I had lost the thread of the conversation, so I also concentrated on the curry.

Oh no.

I forgot the raw egg. It's a blunder.

「Rana, wait a minute」

「Okay」

Her spoon stopped suddenly.

I brought chicken eggs from the food storage.

「Rana, mix this with the rice」

First, I broke one to show her and mixed it with the rice. I drizzled a little bit of soy sauce over it.

I ate it to show her.

Raw egg and rice mixed with soy sauce. The mild taste that interacted and mingled. Because of its simplicity, I craved to eat it every now and then. And then, curry. The sweet spices entwined with the eggs over rice. The luxurious pork also entwined with it. None of them clashed with one another. What a peaceful taste.

Eggs over rice and curry. It was a joint performance of two of the major giants of Japanese food. There was no way it was going to taste bad. By no means did I think that I would be able to enjoy this in the alternate world.

「Um, um」

Rana had a startled expression.

「Dear……… I was surprised previously as well to hear that Tekkadon was raw fish, but raw eggs too? Do foreigners have special stomachs?」

「The cause of food poisoning is the shell, so we sterilized them thoroughly. The eggs are fresh so there are no problems. If you’re worried, then should I make onsen egg or poached egg?」

In fact, I found something called an egg cleaning kit among the resources.

The passion that the Japanese have for eating their food raw is also a little crazy. Like eating raw whitebait or raw, still moving octopus. I believe the theory that the ancestors of the Japanese were fishmen.

「No, I won't trouble you. I’ll try eating it raw. Even if I get sick, please don’t abandon me」

I was told that with teary eyes.

「If you hate it so much, I'll boil it」

「No!」

When I tried to take the egg, I was blocked.

「A wife cannot oppose what her husband tells her to do!」

I'm not such a domineering husband, you know?

Rana broke the egg clumsily and mixed it with the rice. She drizzled a little bit more soy sauce. She mixed it well.

With a look of resolve, as if she was fighting a monster, she ate the eggs over rice.

「………………」

Focus.

Nervousness.

「Huh, it’s delicious in a normal way」

It was a normal reaction.

Her spoon seemingly moved faster. The curry disappeared before my eyes.

Adventurers are a bunch that ate well, but Rana also ate well. In addition, elves have a constitution where they don’t get fat for the most part, so the women of the modern world must surely gnash their teeth if they hear of this. I’ve actually seen the women of this side gnashing their teeth.

However, it appears that elves will get sick quickly if they neglected their health, so they have to take heed of that.

「By any chance, if this eggs over rice is made into rice balls, won’t it be delicious?」

「It’ll become soggy, so maybe not, I guess. I’ll have to make seaweed for wrapping them」

「Urgh」

It’s enough to make rice balls with salt normally. You’ll definitely put more than eggs in, won’t you? Changing the recipe is prohibited.

This calamitous magician has no talent for cooking.

『Team member Souya, Yukikaze has a question』

「What is it?」

Yukikaze, who had been in a bad mood recently because she had nothing to do, complained to me. She was currently in the middle of work on the kitchen top.

『What’s the point of this work?』

The arm of the mini-pod was holding a piece of bread and was running it across a grater.

「I’m having you make bread crumbs. The blender is damaged and awaiting repair, you see?」

『Haa, for what purpose?』

「I want to make breaded pork cutlet and then I want to make Katsu curry. My sister will definitely be happy because of that」

I want to teach Ea that there are all sorts of curries. And then, from there, the bread of life.

Yeah, right.

It's for my own self-satisfaction.

「Besides, Yukikaze, rather than a standby order, keeping your hands busy is less stressful, isn’t it?」

『That’s certainly true, but you’re the first and last person to make a wide-area combat program make bread crumbs』

「Oh, yes」

Yukikaze wordlessly returned to making bread crumbs.

When I looked at Rana, her plate was empty.

「Thank you for the meal. It was delicious today as well」

「You’re welcome」

I savored my share slowly as I ate. Because the rice was precious.

We had consumed 720ml just for today’s lunch. I would have to tell Rana soon that there wasn’t much rice left.

「Dear」

「Hmm」

「Why do you want to make food that suits my taste?」

「Huh?」

「Huh?」

Our question marks collided.

No, what do you mean “why”……

「That's because I want to make food that makes Rana happy」

「Huh」

It's embarrassing, so take the hint please.

Rana is a bit of an airhead. She is absent-minded about normal things sometimes.

「In other words, you were planning to use your ingenuity on the food in order to win my favor, is that right?」

「Oh, yes」

Rana gesticulated with her hands as if she was shaping pottery[2]. As she gestured, she looked upwards and downwards. She did this when she was confused.

After a while, she suddenly got a hold of herself and with a pale face, she prostrated herself on the table.

「I’m sorry! I never noticed until now, so I’ve answered you incorrectly! After all, even if you lavish your favor on me, my feelings won’t change any further!」

Should I take that to mean that the points are maxed out, so there won’t be any changes?

Can I be happy about that, I wonder?

「I mean, I only learned about things like the relationship between men and women from books. What's more, they’re exaggerated and the important parts are missing. The times my father buttered up my mother were when he had done unspeakable things behind her back. By any chance, you too? was the likes of what I had suspected. ………………I apologize」

If it’s unspeakable things, then I’ve also done a great deal behind your back.

I swear that they’re not things that will bring you guys unhappiness though.

「It’s not that I’m copying Lanseal, but please let me do something as an apology」

Rana leaned forward over the table.

「There’s no need to apologize, I’m not hurt anyway」

「My misunderstanding is fully deserving of blame. Please punish me」

Rana leaned further over the table.

My eyes were glued to her two swaying breasts.

Punishment, huh? I feel like the punishment that she wished for may also be a reward though.

Well, I'm also in the mood anyway, so――

『Team member Souya, proximity warning. An armed Hemu and beastkin, two in total. Possibility that they are hostile is 15%. 2 o'clock, distance 30 meters』

I've the feeling that I had been interrupted like this before.

Is there forever going to be something like this, I wonder?

「Come on, dear. Feel free」

Eh, we’re continuing?

I’ve caught sight of the people approaching out of the corner of my eye though.

「There are parts of Lanseal that I hate but also acknowledge. Looking at that vixen, I always felt that I’m not aggressive enough. I think that sometimes, not thinking about it and acting lewd without worrying about the consequences can lead to a breakthrough」

That’s not it.

Rana, there's going to be people here in just a little while though.

「We can’t relax and miss this chance to be alone with each other, so de, dear, for the time being, haa, haa…… Pl, ple, please touch……my breasts, or nape, or if you’d really like to, my ears too」

「I’ve found you! Raua”nyuna”-san!」

「Aah?」

Rana looked back at the owner of that voice with a terrifying expression.

Also, the correct pronunciation of her name is Raua”ryuna”.

There were two adventurers there.

The one who had yelled was an adventurer standing with an imposing pose. She was a magician with semi-long blonde ringlets and was probably about 20 years old. With energetic and intelligent-looking eyes, she was a cheerful and charming beauty with a voluptuous body.

She was wearing a scarlet dress that had been modified into an adventurer’s outfit. In her right hand was a large staff with a pyroxene set in its tip. Its design was of a large tree honoring the stone.

She was likely a young lady from a good family. She had such a vibe.

Behind her stood a maid.

She was a tall reptilian beastkin Onee-san. She had thin vertical pupils, scales on a part of her cheeks and probably had a tail hidden inside her skirt. Her long black hair was tied into twin tails.

Adventurer’s adornments were also added to her outfit. I couldn’t see any weapons.

「Who is it?」

「Y, you! Are you saying that you forgot my name?!」

「You’re as noisy as ever, aren’t you, Frey? I noticed your presence because of your noisy footsteps」

「As expected from the only magician that I acknowledge, Ranyaryuna-san. I suppose your long ears aren’t for show」

「It’s Rauaryuna. Aren’t you the one who has forgotten my name?」

The maid took a step forward.

「It's been a while, Rauaryuna-sama. Ojou-sama hasn't forgotten. She simply has no interest in remembering」

She greeted Rana with a beautiful curtsy.

「It's been a while, Lazarissa. Even though it’s on family’s orders, to still be Frey’s attendant, your worries must be endless」

「Yes」

「Lazarissa, deny that」