Sausage Stir-Fry for Sonya
Soya? Sonya? Sonya? The storage shelves in the rest lounge were stocked with more basic ingredients than I’d expected. Not quite enough for a full meal, but plenty for a simple snack—which was exactly what I was aiming for right now.
—Clink, tap…!
I grabbed a few more ingredients from the shelves. Besides the sausages and vegetables I’d already found, there were basic seasonings and a few cans of preserved food. Thanks to that, I managed to gather a decent spread.
‘Makes sense. With two shifts, they’d need proper break time in between.’
Even for dragons, working half the day straight couldn’t be easy. That was why they’d set up these rest points—so they could grab a quick bite and ease their hunger during breaks.
Still, half a day on duty? That was harsher than the military. And it wasn’t even guard duty. It wasn’t like there was a shortage of students either…
“…Whatever. This should be enough, right?”
I nodded to myself as I looked over the ingredients I’d gathered. Onions, garlic, and bell peppers to start with. And the main ingredient—Vienna sausages. Strings of finger-sized links dangled from the package, which was oddly satisfying to look at. On top of that, I’d also found a can of tomato paste along with salt, sugar, and oil—enough to work with.
Most of the supplies were things that stored well at room temperature.
“Ah, don’t tell me you need this many ingredients? That’s way more serious than I thought… And it’s all for me…?”
“Hm?”
Just as I was about to start prepping, Eros—who had been sitting on a chair—came over, her long, pointed ears twitching like a rabbit’s. She glanced back and forth between the ingredients and my face, her eyes sparkling with a strange mix of excitement and anticipation.
“I figured I might as well do it properly while I’m at it. It won’t take long, so just sit tight and wait a bit, Miss Eros.”
—Tap-tap-tap…!
I started by washing and slicing the onions into thin strips, perfect for stir-frying. The kitchen knife was sharper than I’d expected, which was a pleasant surprise. Next came five cloves of garlic—crushed with the flat of the blade before being finely chopped on the cutting board.
—Tap-tap-tap-tap…!!!
“Whoa…? I thought you were just some amateur, but you actually know how to handle a knife. Where’d you learn that? The way you’re gripping it looks less like cooking and more like you’re holding a dagger.”
“……?”
Eros had completely ignored my request to wait and was now glued to my side, showering me with questions. Her violet eyes sparkled with curiosity. For some reason, she seemed far more interested in my knife skills than the actual cooking. She couldn’t take her eyes off the way I was chopping.
Like this, she really did just look like an ordinary, curious girl. Still, what was that about holding a dagger? I was only gripping the knife a little tighter than usual. I’d never even held a real dagger before—though I had handled a dull training sword back in the military.
“S-So fast and precise! You finished all that in no time? And your movements are so clean…!”
‘Heh, she’s cute.’
Her reaction made me smile without thinking—a quiet, natural smile. I felt like I’d smiled like this not too long ago… Ah, right—Derke! The memory of making star-shaped candy-covered biscuits with her flashed through my mind.
‘Come to think of it, I never got to tell Derke I’d be busy today because she overslept. Hope that’s okay…’
I’d meant to let her know, but things had been hectic since morning. Same with Sofia and Raylin. Though, to be fair, the main reason was that everyone had been sleeping in because it was the weekend. I wondered if they’d start looking for me the moment they woke up. Either way, what was done was done. Worrying about it now wouldn’t change anything. The priority was finishing the conditional rapport quest with Sonya. And checking Eros’s rapport conditions while I was at it.
For today, I’d focus on those two. Nothing bad would happen just because I was gone for a little while. Once I was done, I’d head straight back and find Derke first.
—Thud…!
While sorting through my thoughts, I finished prepping the ingredients. Just as I reached for the green bell pepper—
“Aah?! W-Wait a second! You’re not seriously—?!”
“Hm? Is there a problem?”
“I…! I hate bell peppers!”
“……?”
“I don’t know what you’re making, but leave the bell peppers out! They taste awful!”
“Ah, I’ll pick them out for you later, so don’t worry.”
“You promise? You have to! You really have to! I seriously hate bell peppers, so remember that…!”
“Sure, I’ll keep that in mind.”
Honestly, she was acting like a kid. Three hundred and fifty years old and still picky about vegetables? Dragons really did age differently from humans.
—Slice, slice…!
I half-heartedly reassured Eros and picked up the knife again, cutting the bell peppers into thin strips just like the rest—long enough to stir-fry together. Truth be told, I wasn’t adding them for flavor. Bell peppers didn’t have a strong taste anyway. They were mostly there to add a bit of crunch.
Even eating one raw didn’t give much flavor—just that crisp texture.
“Ugh…! Just looking at them makes my stomach turn…”
“Eros? The teacher is making this for us. You shouldn’t act like that. Come over here.”
“But even the smell of bell peppers is making me feel like yesterday’s alcohol is coming back up…?”
“Still, you shouldn’t get in the way. Sit with me, come on!”
“Hmph…! Sonya, are you okay? You’ve been flying around all morning—you must be feeling queasy too, right?”
“Honestly, my stomach’s not great either. Standing is exhausting, so let’s just go back soon.”
By the time I finished prepping and was lighting the magic stone with a match from the counter, Sonya had stepped in to keep Eros in check. It was perfect timing—she’d been getting on my nerves from the side anyway. The more I watched them, the more I wondered if they really were the same age. Their personalities were complete opposites. Even though they were the same age, Sonya felt more like the older sister.
“Oh? Hey, you two?”
“Yes, Teacher Breeder? Did you call for us?”
“Come to think of it, did everyone drink last night? Even the first-years?”
As I listened to their conversation, I suddenly remembered what had happened the night before. I hadn’t seen it myself, but Raylin had told me—Diora had crashed the freshmen welcome party and tried to force the juniors to drink.
“Yes, everyone had at least one glass. The freshmen passed out quickly, so we ended up drinking the rest for them.”
“Ugh…! Just hearing about alcohol makes me want to throw up… We had such a hard time because of those useless freshmen.”
“Still, Senior Sofia stepped in and stopped it. If it weren’t for her, things could’ve gotten really bad.”
“Ugh, I never thought I’d have to drink again even after becoming a second-year… Just thinking about last night pisses me off!”
Sonya and Eros shook their heads as they recalled the events of the previous night. Eros even made a gagging sound. They must’ve drunk quite a bit in that short time. And apparently even the first-years had a glass each… I couldn’t help but worry about Derke’s condition even more. I probably should’ve checked on her, even if she was sleeping in.
“Are you all feeling really unwell?”
“I’m a bit better now. And… I think eating what Teacher Breeder makes will help us recover quickly.”
“…J-Just leave out the bell peppers!”
“Ah, is that so? Then I’ll make something that’ll help with the hangover while filling your stomachs.”
“Excuse me? A hangover remedy? But with these ingredients…?”
There was no way I could just ignore how miserable they looked. Time to use this.
“I happened to bring this from the cafeteria.”
—Clatter, thud!
—Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle…!
I pulled out the canteen I’d tied to my waist and poured its contents into the pot. A white liquid spilled out—the bone broth I’d simmered earlier. It looked just like a milky beef soup.
‘Thanks, Ram-Ji. I didn’t expect you to even prepare broth for me…’
When I first received the beans and broth, it had just felt like extra baggage. But I couldn’t ignore the thoughtfulness behind it. That was why I hadn’t been able to refuse and ended up bringing it all the way here.
“Teacher Breeder? What exactly is that white liquid…?”
“It’s the soup dish that was supposed to be served for lunch today. It should help quite a bit with hangovers.”
“D-Don’t tell me you brought it just for us?”
“It’s nothing too difficult, so don’t worry too much. We’re short on ingredients, but I’ll do my best to make it delicious.”
I dodged Sonya’s question and lit the stove on the side as well, to bring the broth to a boil.
“Hoh, for a human, you’re surprisingly well-prepared. But my palate is quite refined, you know~?!”
“Eros? What’s with that tone toward Teacher Breeder this whole time?!”
“Huh? Sonya, you’re the weird one here. It feels like you’re looking after the teacher more than I am…!”
“T-That’s not what I meant! Zero s…!”
“Eek?! You called me Zero s again—?!”
—Thud, thud…!
Here we go again. They’d been quiet for a while, but now they were bickering once more. How did two people with such opposite personalities manage to stay friends?
‘Anyway… From what they said, Derke must’ve drunk and passed out too. I’m worried. I should go see her as soon as I get back. If I show up empty-handed, she’ll complain, so I should make something for her.’
—Fwoosh!
—Rumble, rumble…!
I turned up the stove flame and drizzled oil into the pan.
—Sizzle…!
Once the pan was evenly heated, I added the minced garlic to infuse the oil. When the garlic was lightly browned, it was time to add the onions. Ah, and the bell peppers Eros hated, of course.
—Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh…!
I stirred the fresh vegetables evenly with a spatula. Just as the onions started to turn golden—
—Plop, plop…!
—Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle!
I tossed in the bite-sized pieces of Vienna sausage.
“Hah? That smells delicious!”
“Sniff-sniff—! Teacher Breeder? Could I ask what you’re making right now…?!”
The moment the sausages hit the hot oil, Eros and Sonya—who had been arguing just seconds ago—stopped fighting and reacted instantly. They really were still kids, getting this excited over the smell of frying ham. Their simple reactions were oddly endearing.
“Ah, are you asking about what I’m making now?”
“Yes…! I’d like to know the name of the dish…!”
“Well, about that… To be honest, it’s a dish I thought of the moment I heard Miss Sonya’s name.”
“H-Huh?! M-My name, you mean…?!”