After a while, Ena, having cheered up, suddenly announced she wanted to cook.
I barely cooked in real life or in games, Mitsuki’s cooking sense was disastrous, and I wasn’t even sure if Ringo understood the concept of cooking. Until now, we’d somehow been eating through the large quantities of pre-prepared food that had been stocked in the mansion’s refrigerator from the start. Now, Ena had stepped up.
“Soma-san has helped me with so many things. I want to repay you in any way I can!”
It was a noble sentiment, but considering Train-chan’s track record of getting into various troubles, I couldn’t wholeheartedly rejoice. However, Ena was full of confidence. She claimed she always cooked for her mother and was confident in her culinary skills.
“Do you understand, Soma-san? Cooking is magic. Any ingredient can become poison or medicine depending on how you prepare it.”
“No, if it turns into poison, that’s bad.”
These kinds of remarks were part of the reason why I couldn’t quite trust Ena. In fact, the bear seemed to sense an ominous aura from her words and quietly got off my head before walking away somewhere. It was a heartless creature, considering it wouldn’t eat it anyway.
“W-well, leave it to me!”
With that, Ena headed towards the refrigerator installed at the edge of the kitchen. It was essentially a large cooler box, and it kept things from spoiling while holding far more than it looked like. Indeed, there should be a large amount of unused ingredients stored inside. Ena opened the refrigerator door and exclaimed,
“There are so many ingredients I’ve never seen before…! Is this perhaps the high-class ingredient Paralysis Squid?! And could this be the legendary Confusion Chicken?! Ah! And this is the mythical Terrato Tomato?! …With these ingredients, it might be possible. The forbidden dish that my mother sealed away long ago!!”
She started saying strange things. Even before that, I wondered if a proper dish could be made from squid, chicken, and tomatoes. While I worried if everything was okay, Mitsuki, with a rare hint of admiration on her usually expressionless face, said,
“Hmm, you have quite the spirit. While the paths of the sword and cooking are different, I can relate to your passion. My blood is boiling for the first time in a while. I think I’ll go train my body outside a bit.”
She stood up with a burst of energy and left the room with fluid, natural movements. I just stared blankly after her…
(…Wait a minute!! *Damn it!*)
It was only a few seconds after Mitsuki left the dining hall that I realized she had escaped, thanks to the natural flow of events. What a pointless use of a martial skill! So sneaky!!
And so, only I and Ringo remained in the dining hall. But Ringo, as if seeing through my unease, said,
“…It’s okay. Soma, I will protect you.”
She clasped both my hands tightly and said with strength.
“Ringo…!”
I didn’t think it was such a grand moment, but I was a little moved. Ringo really is my angel, my last resort. No matter what hardship, I can overcome it with Ringo! A sudden, baseless confidence welled up within me. Meanwhile, unaware of the conversation happening behind the scenes, Ena was in high spirits. She seemed to have decided on the ingredients, and before I knew it, she was standing in the kitchen, holding a gleaming knife.
“Just watch, Soma-san! My magnificent mincing!!”
Then, with surprisingly skillful movements, she lightly raised the knife and…
*Clang!*
With a light and crisp sound, the knife came down. Her posture was also surprisingly poised. Perhaps this could be surprisingly promising. I thought so at that moment, but Ena didn’t make any further moves. As I wondered why, Ena turned back to me.
“U-um, Soma-san?”
“Hm, what is it?”
In Ena’s apologetically raised hand was…
“…Somehow, it broke,”
There was a cutting board, now in two pieces…
*Clatter!*
Seeing this, I was speechless. Beside me, Ringo stood up with a resolute expression. As if to shield me from Ena, she stepped in front of me and said,
“…Soma. I will protect Soma.”
“Huh? Ah, yes.”
“…So, I’ll go get the medicine for my stomach.”
And with that, she naturally left the dining hall. Her steps were decisive and firm.
“……Huh?”
And so, I found myself all alone in the dining hall. Well, you know… it’s hard to explain…
“R-Ringo also ran away…!!”
My last resort crumbled effortlessly. As I stood dumbfounded, Ena announced with a bright smile,
“Please wait for me. I’m going to make something amazing for you right now, something Soma-san has never seen before!”
“Ah, ah…”
Perhaps sensing my unenthusiastic reply, Ena added something else, as if concerned.
“Don’t worry, I won’t put anything strange in the food… like, like a love potion, or anything. But, ah, I’ll put in plenty of affection!”
When she said that shyly, I remembered Ena’s appearance from last night, seen up close, and felt embarrassed myself. Ena now, in her usual armor but with an apron, was cute in her own way, I thought, a foolish thought running through my mind.
(Either way, I can’t escape this now.)
I resigned myself and returned a dry laugh to the energetic Ena.
And an hour later.
“…Soma, are you okay?”
I was still at the dining hall table. I replied to Ringo’s hand stroking my back, still face-down on the table,
“Ah, I’m feeling much better.”
It turned out her claim of being a good cook wasn’t a lie; Ena’s food was genuinely delicious. She seemed to have adjusted the portions, serving enough for two people, for Ena and me. However, egged on by Ena, who served me diligently, I’d somehow ended up eating Ena’s portion as well. Even so, two servings was too much, judging by my current state.
“I-I’m so sorry, Soma-san.”
Ena apologized shyly, regretting it. Ena’s teary eyes met mine directly. For some reason, at that moment, my chest felt hot, and my heart skipped a beat. Trying to hide my fluster, I hurriedly denied it.
“N-no, you don’t need to worry about it.”
“…Um, you’re telling me that?”
But the person I apologized to was Mitsuki. Damn it. By trying not to show my agitation, I’d only revealed it more.
“…Soma?”
Ringo also looked at me with a confused expression. I hurriedly tried to deny it, but…
“H-hiyah!!”
This time, my tongue twisted, and I said something strange. The suspicious gazes intensified.
“N-no! I’m not flustered at all!”
I tried to put on a brave face and look back at Ena, but for some reason, I couldn’t look her directly in the face. And when I saw Ena’s face, my heart strangely started pounding. My pulse raced, and breathing became difficult.
(What is this? This is just like… just like…)
…It’s just like I’m intimidated by Ena!!
Why had this situation occurred? Confused, I couldn’t understand the reason.
“Hmph. To be defeated by mere cooking! Are you even my rival?”
It was an unexpected person who saved me from my panicked state. The voice from the person sitting at the table drew everyone’s attention. But I reflexively shot back a hateful remark at that detestable voice.
“I was never your rival in the first place, and besides, why are you here, Sahzan?”
Yes, Sahzan, whom I thought I’d parted with yesterday, had shown up and was inexplicably making herself at home in our mansion.
“You have an investiture ceremony at noon, don’t you? I’ll accompany you this time. And the one you’re talking to is just a vase.”
“…Huh?”
However, Sahzan dismissed my plea with flowers, or rather, a snub. I just didn’t feel right.
“U-um!!”
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Ena intervened.
“Sahzan-san, you helped Soma-san defeat the Demon Lord, didn’t you?! Thanks to you, we were saved. Thank you so much!”
“Eh, u, yes. Ah, no…”
Sahzan momentarily faltered, unaccustomed to such straightforward gratitude, but quickly regained her composure.
“Heh heh heh… You seem to have some potential! Then I shall tell you of the three-day, three-night holy war between myself and that Demon Lord!”
No, you didn’t even encounter the Demon Lord, I thought, but decided not to voice the retort as it would be too troublesome. I didn’t want to deal with Sahzan right now. I’m sorry, Ena, but I figured Sahzan would be satisfied after a good rant. For now, I decided to leave Sahzan to Ena.
“I-is that so? Um, well… Ah! Sahzan-san, if you’d like, I’ll cook for you next time!”
But why? When I heard Ena’s words, a sense of discomfort arose within me. I felt a vague unease.
“…Are you feeling unwell?”
Ringo’s hand stroking my back felt nice. Yet, looking at Ena and Sahzan chatting cheerfully, the unease in my chest intensified. I thought I should just look away, but my body seemed to refuse, and I couldn’t tear my eyes from them.
“Do you understand? I am a descendant of a great Magician, and one who has been chosen. To destroy all evil in this world, I have deliberately mastered the dark arts, a legitimate successor of a noble clan!”
“Y-you’re amazing…?”
“Heh. Well, somewhat. Heh, heh, heh…”
It should have been just casual conversation. Yet, seeing Ena talking with Sahzan made my chest ache, and my heart beat faster. This sweet, yet bitter, feeling. I couldn’t stay still.
(What is this…)
It’s frustrating. Just plain frustrating. It was almost at the tip of my tongue, but I couldn’t identify it. Then, at a crucial moment, Ena looked at me—
“—?!”
I stood up unconsciously. I still didn’t understand what was happening to me. But a burning sensation welled up from deep within my chest, and I instinctively got out of my seat.
“Soma-san?”
Ena’s voice made my chest flutter. My heart pounded painfully. My pores opened, and a clammy sweat broke out all over my body. I staggered a few steps away from Ena as if trying to escape…
…Ah, I see.
Suddenly, I understood. This burning sensation and restlessness welling up from my chest. I had experienced the same feeling before, when I was still in Japan. Once I understood, it was simple. Why hadn’t I realized it sooner? And once I did, I couldn’t hold back anymore. Where I was, whether people were watching, I couldn’t care about any of that. The last brake was broken. It was released, independent of my will.
“…Soma-san?”
Ena called my name again. And with concern, she approached me. Unsuspectingly, without trying to understand what was happening within my chest.
“E-Ena! I, I…”
“You?”
I desperately wanted to tell her, to convey it, but my tongue wouldn’t move properly. But I had to say it. Because… this sweet and slightly bitter. This feeling, it’s undoubtedly—
“BLEURGHHHHHHHH!!!”
—Undoubtedly a sign of stomach acid, meaning reflux.
But it was too late.
“Kyaaaaaa!!”
Someone screamed. The meal I’d eaten that morning rushed up my esophagus like a fleeting memory. Then, a cascade of something far too messy to be called a fleeting memory poured from my mouth.
“S-Soma-san!?”
“Whoa! A monstrous white chaos has splattered on my clothes!”
“Wow, you’ve really outdone yourself.”
“Soma! Soma! Hold on!”
And thus, a chaotic hell unfolded. I wanted to do something, but my body was numb, my sense of up, down, left, and right was disoriented, and I could barely stand properly.
(No good…)
My consciousness flickered. My body was falling. The ground rushed towards my eyes, and the horrifying sea of white chaos spilled upon it. In this worst of situations, I…
(I’ll never eat Ena’s cooking again…)
I firmly vowed in my heart.
…After that. My collapsing body was supported by Mitsuki, who was the only one acting composed, and I drank the recovery potion Ringo brought me, quickly recovering. It’s good to have reliable companions. It seemed that in addition to overeating, I had also suffered from status effects like ‘Paralysis,’ which sometimes made my body unable to move, ‘Confusion,’ which made it difficult to recognize people or directions, and ‘Fear,’ which amplified my sense of dread. In the game, these status effects usually only caused skills or magic to fail with a certain probability, or to be misdirected if they did activate, but in reality, they had a real negative impact on my mental state. In the game, I had prepared several countermeasures for status effects, but with this happening, those countermeasures were almost useless. However, it was obvious that the Paralysis Squid, Confusion Chicken, and Terrato Tomato in the food were the cause. It was suspicious that they were in the mansion’s refrigerator in the first place, and their names alone were a red flag. I was also partly to blame for letting myself get swept up in the moment and not stopping it, but this is what happens when you use unfamiliar ingredients on a whim. Fortunately, after that, I was no longer troubled by strange symptoms when I saw Ena. To Ena, who apologized profusely, I delivered a merciless verdict.
“…No cooking!!”
My apologies to anyone who was about to eat. This work contains some grotesque expressions.
