The Enchanted Bungeoppang

Red Bean / Cream Bungeoppang — *Ting!* [Red Bean / Cream Bungeoppang - ✮☆] [A dessert that becomes even more special in cold weather. Though shaped like a carp, it is packed full of sweetness. The rich, nutty sweetness of red bean. The thick, creamy sweetness of custard that makes you crave milk. Even the cold will pause for a moment in its presence (Grants 200% Cold Resistance upon consumption).]

"Whoa, what is all this…?"

Countless notification windows fill my vision. Once again, they’ve piled up all at once. I can’t help but be impressed every time a system message appears. It’s never the same content; each time, appropriate rewards follow. New information I’ve never seen before is included as well. This time, however, the volume is enormous. If it had been nothing but text, I would have skipped through it quickly, but that’s impossible now. Every single message contains content I can’t afford to ignore.

"By the way, this is the first time I’ve seen this kind of star rating."

First, the ✮ symbol means five stars. In other words, the bungeoppang is rated five and a half stars. It’s the result of stacking almost every possible ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠bonus. A dessert created by combining the use of red bean as a specialty ingredient with help from Derke and Raylin. I never could have made it alone.

"Still, 200% cold resistance just from eating bungeoppang? Does that even make sense for something like this…? I guess anything above five stars really is on a completely different level."

Anyway, Gourmet Feeding is apparently about to rank up soon. Before long, it’ll promote to S Rank—

"Hey~ Teacher?! Why are you standing there with that dumb, blank look on your face?"

"Oppa? What’s wrong, desu yo-?"

"…Ah, um?"

While I was checking each message one by one and slowly clearing the status window, I heard Eros and Derke’s voices from beside me.

"Why are you frozen like that? Are you so moved by my skills that you’re speechless~♡"

"Did something go wrong…yap…?"

"Ah, it’s not that……. Want to take a look at this?"

"Huh?"

As I cleared the system messages and looked down, the beautifully colored bungeoppang came into view, radiating a brilliant golden light.

"…I was just surprised because it turned out much better than I expected. Thanks for helping, Derke."

"I’m glad yap-! I’m proud I could be helpful to Oppa desu yo-!"

"Hmph, this Eros-sama helped too, so you should thank me a whole lot as well-?!"

Eros suddenly cut in, keeping an eye on Derke. She shot me a sulky glare, looking just like a jealous puppy. A dragon craving my affection? It was absurd, yet somehow endearing at the same time.

"…Haha, of course I’m grateful. By the way, Eros?"

"Hm? Why? Are you going to give me a kiss as thanks~♡?"

I had only called her name, yet she was already smiling and leaning in. Why was she already counting her chickens before they hatched when she hadn’t even done anything yet?

"No, since we’re on the subject, could you finish it up?"

"Huh? Finish what?"

"You know, the same thing you did with the shaved ice earlier. The enchantment you cast to make it taste even better."

That’s right. It was time to add the finishing touch with Dragon’s Allure. Now Eros could finally help properly. Truth be told, I had made these bungeoppang specifically for this very moment.

"Five and a half stars should be more than enough, right?"

The goal was to use Dragon’s Allure to quell Sofia’s suspicions.

"Huuung~? For free?"

"What?"

"This Eros-sama isn’t that easy, you know? I don’t feel like doing it just like that~?"

Eros crossed her arms and turned her back, acting expensive without grasping the situation. She gave off the vibe that she wouldn’t help unless I asked properly.

"Haa……."

A deep sigh escaped me at Eros’s attitude. She had no idea how serious the situation was. If Eros didn’t cooperate, our secret would eventually be exposed. That would only lead to a total party wipe ending. How dense could this Zero girl be? I wasn’t doing this just to save myself. Did she still not understand what was going on?

"How am I supposed to explain this…?"

I wanted to tell her the truth. If she didn’t help right now, all three of us would be screwed together.

"Finish up? Breeder Oppa? Is there still something left desu yo-?"

But Derke was staring at me intently from the side.

"What? Why aren’t you saying anything? Don’t tell me you don’t need my help~?"

"Tch, guess there’s no choice……?"

"I’m not asking for much♡ Just let me call you Oppa like that freshman—"

—Smooch!

I cut off her unnecessary words and pressed my lips to the back of Eros’s hand, kneeling on one knee.

"──Hwaaaaah?!?!"

The moment my lips touched the back of her hand, Eros made a huge fuss. Her face instantly turned bright red like a tomato.

"Eros? I’m begging you. I really need your power to finish this dessert. Will you please cooperate?"

Even kissing the back of her hand had been a huge gamble because Derke was watching. That’s why I couldn’t kiss her directly. It would have been suicide.

"U-uhh…♡"

"Eros?"

She had only received a light kiss on the hand, yet Eros stood frozen like a statue. Perhaps because Dragon’s Allure was already stacked, even a small bit of skinship provoked such a strong reaction.

"B-Breeder Oppa-?! What are you doing…?!"

"Hm? Derke? What’s wrong with a kiss on the hand?"

"Hwaaat? W-what did you just say desu yo-!? What’s wrong with it…?!"

"It’s just a polite greeting, isn’t it? Did I make a mistake?"

"Uuuut…! It’s not that…! B-but still…!"

"Aha, got it. If it bothers you, I won’t do it again."

"Hmph-! Oppa can be so sly sometimes desu yo-!"

While I was skillfully handling Derke, Eros came to her senses.

"—Become delicious, yap yap♡"

She cast Dragon’s Allure on the bungeoppang on the plate.

Oh, it worked. I didn’t expect the effect to apply even after completion. The effect is certainly powerful. Thanks to that simple enchantment, the bungeoppang instantly transformed into a six-star dessert. At this point, it was already a high-class treat that couldn’t be compared to ordinary street bungeoppang.

"Thank you very much, Eros."

"Hmph, hmph…♡ I’m only letting the hand kiss slide because you listened to me earlier!"

"It’s an honor. Now then……."

Preparations were complete, so it was time to call everyone.

"—Ladies? Everything’s ready! Please come down and try some!"

*

"Howa-? What’s this, Whitey? Don’t tell me it’s fried fish?"

"Teacher? Did you make some for us too? I’m touched…!"

"Hehe, the shaved ice you made earlier was delicious too, but this one has quite a unique shape, doesn’t it?"

All the girls gathered at my call, making the small kitchen quite lively. It made sense—they were all ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠reacting with surprise at seeing bungeoppang for the first time.

"Breeder? Does this really have fish in it? It looks more like a pie……."

"Don’t tell me you put fish in bread? Still, I trust Teacher’s skills…!"

"Sonya? Who are you to judge whether to trust our Whitey or ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠not? And put that down! Sofia-senpai should eat first!"

"Ah, s-sorry-!"

Since they hadn’t watched the cooking process, they were making all sorts of guesses while examining the bungeoppang. Their reactions were cuter than expected. To think they’d actually imagine real fish. Then again, I didn’t know the origin of why bungeoppang was shaped like a fish either.

"Ladies? Don’t do that and just try a bite together. It won’t taste good once it gets cold, you know?"

"Hehe, you’re right. We still haven’t cleared up all the misunderstandings, but the important thing is that everyone is safe."

Sofia smiled at me. She was emphasizing that her suspicions hadn’t been cleared yet. At the same time, she lifted the golden bungeoppang high.

"In that sense, shall we all have some together?"

""Yes, Senpai—!""

Sofia led the tasting with a gentle voice. At the same time, each girl picked up a bungeoppang.

"Well then, I’ll enjoy it, Breeder."

"By all means. I hope you find it delicious."

—Crunch…!

The moment I finished speaking, all the girls took a big bite of their bungeoppang. I was looking forward to it. Just how would they react to a six-star dessert?