Following Friends to Paradise
The clatter of dishes echoed as I set them down. Steam rose in thick, fragrant waves from the tomato sausage and vegetable stir-fry and the rich ox bone soup, filling the air with a warm, comforting aroma.
"Sniff, sniff…!" Sonya and Eros both leaned in, noses twitching. They licked their lips and glanced back and forth between the food and me, like eager puppies waiting for the command to eat.
"……"
The two girls stared silently at the dishes, curiosity written all over their faces. I figured that if I could make something this appealing with simple ingredients, it had to be a success. The bite-sized sausages and vegetables glistened in the glossy tomato sauce, a vibrant red that practically begged you to take a bite. The occasional bright green bell pepper added just the right visual pop.
"T-Teacher…?!"
"What is it, Miss Sonya?"
"I understand what Sonya—no, what 'Soya' is now, but what exactly is this white stuff?"
"Yeah! I've never seen anything like it! It looks like boiled milk… but the smell isn't half bad?"
Seated at the worn table, Sonya and Eros gripped their fork and spoon respectively, murmuring to each other. They looked ready to pounce on the food, yet the unfamiliar sight held them back.
"Try it and you'll be satisfied. If your stomach's still upset from the alcohol, start with the broth. It'll clear your head right up."
I deliberately avoided explaining what it was. If I told them it was made from simmered bones, they probably wouldn't touch it. The question was familiar by now, and my answer was always the same: just eat it first. This dish wasn't the kind to spark strong likes or dislikes, so I felt confident.
"Fine, then! This Eros shall be the first to challenge it!"
"Eros…? You usually pick at your food. You sure about this?"
"Yeah! It smells fine! And this time, I absolutely won't lose to some human cooking…!!"
With determined eyes, Eros scooped up a spoonful of broth. Her violet gaze held a resolute glint, as if swearing not to repeat yesterday's embarrassing collapse. That cream-filled chocolate pie must have left quite a scar on her pride.
Slurp…!
Eros brought the spoon to her lips with surprising boldness.
"Hah, haaah—?! It's warm and so smooth…?"
Of course it was warm—I'd just boiled it. Her simple way of describing the taste was cute, probably because she was still young. At least this time she managed to keep it down without fainting. Maybe because the Gourmet Feeding skill hadn't activated.
"Ah, then me too…!"
Slurp! Gulp…!
Sonya followed right after, swallowing a spoonful without hesitation. Her throat bobbed as she drank it down. I wondered if it was really okay to feed something hot to an ice dragon.
"Haaaaah—?! W-What is this? This deep, rich flavor… It feels like my insides are melting…?!"
"Right?! That's exactly what I wanted to say!"
When Sonya gave a more detailed reaction, Eros shamelessly jumped on the bandwagon, claiming she'd felt the same way. With those positive comments out of the way, the two girls immediately…
Glug, glug…!
Gulp, gulp…!
They lifted the entire bowls and drained every last drop. Not a single bit remained. The broth had been piping hot, yet it seemed lukewarm to the hatchlings.
'I was worried it might feel too rich, but the seasoning must be just right. Good thing the pepper balanced it out.'
Watching them made me feel proud. Warm soup really was the best hangover cure. Their hearty appetites lifted my mood.
"Khaah—! My body's hot, but why does this feel so refreshing…?"
"Eros? You sound like some dwarf uncle. You're even sweating."
"D-Don't laugh! When did I…?!"
"Hehe, you just did!"
"Hmph! Sonya, your face is bright red! Were you actually a fire dragon this whole time?"
"Hah?! N-No, that's not it…! I'm just weak to heat…!"
The two made such a fuss over what was only an appetizer. Their reactions were so adorable that I couldn't help smiling.
"Anyway! With this level of skill, there's no way we'll repeat yesterday's disgrace!"
Clink, clink, clink…!
Eros boldly picked up her fork again and speared three sausages at once. Maybe it was from wielding that heavy mace—she had surprisingly quick and precise movements. She'd even managed to avoid every single piece of bell pepper.
"…I won't lose to human cooking a second time—!"
I didn't expect any thanks. Just watching them enjoy the food was enough. Still, challenging my cooking like this…
"—Haaah…!"
With that determined cry, Eros shoved the sausages into her mouth, her expression just as resolute. She looked absolutely determined not to lose. The ox bone soup must have given her confidence.
'Too bad. The soup might've been manageable, but the stir-fry is on another level…'
I silently offered my condolences. After all, this dish was only half a star below yesterday's cream-filled chocolate pie. If a 3,416-year-old dragon had briefly lost consciousness from a four-star pizza, could a mere 350-year-old second-year really handle it?
"Munch, munch…!"
As I worried, Eros's jaw worked. The crisp sound of her chewing the well-cooked sausage reached my ears.
"━━────?!?!?!"
In an instant, Eros's pupils dilated. Her entire body went rigid. Yet somehow she was still holding on.
'Oh? Look at that. So being SSR-rank really does mean something. She's lasting longer than I expected.'
Surprisingly, Eros didn't collapse. She just sat there with wide eyes, ears twitching, refusing to utter a single sound or fall over.
"Eros…? You okay?"
"……"
"Huh? Hey, Zero s? That's weird."
Even when Sonya called out—going so far as to hit her "Zero s" trigger—she got no response. Had she fainted while still sitting upright? Was her pride keeping her conscious? It felt like she was clinging to the belief that she absolutely could not collapse, even if her mind had already gone blank.
From that reaction, it was clear the food was delicious enough to make someone lose their senses.
"…So good you can't even speak? Well, anyway, Breeder Teacher?"
"Hmm?"
"Thank you for the meal—!"
Sonya bowed politely before eating. Despite her usually prim appearance, she was surprisingly cute. Bowing her head to a human was quite something.
"—Nyam…!"
Sonya immediately picked up her fork and swallowed a piece of stir-fry. Following her friend straight to paradise. The question was whether Sonya could endure it better than Eros had.
Crunch…!
"Heuuuugh—?! I-It's too much……?!"
Affinity with the target has greatly increased!
The target who had postponed the conditional contract now seeks to form a contract with you again.
◆ Conditional Contract Target ◆
[Eros (Lv.350 / Love) – 'Blind Faith' relationship]
'Huh? What's this now?'
"Haaum…! So sleepy, desu-yong……"
"Derke, does your head hurt?"
"Huuung? It feels a little throbby……"
"Tina's okay, desu-yong…?"
"I'm fine thanks to Tina unni… but I feel bad seeing all the other classmates struggling……"
It was past noon at the academy. Students lined up at the cafeteria for a late breakfast that doubled as lunch.
—I'm never drinking again.
—Ughhh… my stomach's still churning.
—The seniors are terrifying. I wanna go home…
—I don't even feel like eating because my stomach hurts…
The first-years waiting in line muttered complaints while avoiding the seniors' gazes. After all, yesterday had been their first time ever drinking alcohol—and only because the upperclassmen had forced them to. At least Sophia had shown up and stopped Diora’s rampage. Though a fierce clash had broken out between Sophia and Diora, everyone at the academy had agreed to keep the incident quiet.
"No special serving todayyy…! Please take a seat and I'll help set everything uppp…!"
When Derke and Tina entered the cafeteria, a goat-like herbivorous beastkin guided them to their seats with a trembling voice.
Bubble, bubble…!
A small pot on the table simmered with milky-white broth. Beside it lay thinly sliced raw meat, mushrooms, and various vegetables.
"You can dip whatever ingredients you like into the broth and eat them! You can drink the broth too, so please enjoy it to your heart's contenttt…!"
The goat beastkin explained how to eat.
"Whoa…? What is this? I've never seen food like this before……?"
"Haaah—?!"
"I-Is this……?!"
Tina and Derke reacted in turn to the unfamiliar dish. Derke's reaction was far more dramatic—she looked as if she'd just remembered someone she'd forgotten about while staring at the pale bone broth.
"Derke? Why are you suddenly like this?"
"This food… somehow feels like it has Breeder Oppa’s energy in it, desu-yap…!"
"What? Breeder Oppa… I mean, Teacher?"
"Yeah, yeah—! Now that I think about it, I haven't seen Oppa since we drank yesterday, desu-yong…!"
Whoosh, whoosh!
Only now realizing Breeder's absence, Derke raised her index finger and summoned the Wraith Legion to search for him.
"……?"
But nothing happened. Normally a wraith would have appeared instantly and revealed Breeder's location. Instead, there was no translucent spirit—only the gentle steam rising from the simmering pot.
"Huaaah—? W-What in the world is going on, desu-yong……?"