The Troublemaker Returns
Another visitor spoke. “Exactly as I said. From what I’ve heard, the one who didn’t return today is finally coming back.”
Benetric, who had been about to leave the lounge, turned around and muttered in a disinterested voice. Judging from her indifferent expression, it didn’t seem like welcome news. Of course, it wasn’t welcome news to me either.
The academy’s only student who hadn’t returned from break. Just hearing about it sent a chill down my spine.
“Oh? By ‘the one who didn’t return,’ you mean…?”
“The fourth-year troublemaker is supposedly returning sometime today.”
“A troublemaker?”
“Yes, that arrogant Raili girl. Ah, you probably haven’t met her yet, have you?”
“Um… I suppose I should say I haven’t.”
I didn’t know Raili’s face. I might have seen her in the opening video, but I had never faced her directly in this body. That said, it wasn’t as if we had never met at all. From the letters she had sent me, it seemed the previous Breeder had been close enough to her that she called him “teacher.” Of course, for some reason she seemed to dislike me now.
“What’s with that ambiguous reaction? Anyway, she’s returning today, so keep that in mind.”
“Yes, I understand.”
Just as I suspected, it was Raili. I had known she would be returning this time, but I hadn’t expected it to be today. It was happening faster than I thought, which left me rather flustered. I had assumed I’d already handled most of the characters I needed to bond with, yet here was still one more lady I had to worry about.
“Breeder? If that arrogant girl returns before roll call, make sure you report it to the main building. I’ll be staying at the academy with the headmistress for the time being.”
Benetric furrowed her brow every time Raili’s name came up. She must really dislike that student. Still, what kind of character was this Raili girl? What kind of behavior earned her descriptions like “troublemaker,” “arrogant,” and “insolent”?
“For the time being…? Does that mean you’ll be on duty the whole time from now on?”
“That’s right. With monsters having invaded, I can’t just sit back and do nothing. Night duty on top of everything else—tch!”
“Understood. I’ll report it the moment she returns.”
“Good. You’d better.”
“By the way, Vice Principal? What exactly is Raili like—”
“Breeder, the tea was excellent earlier. I’m busy, so I’ll be going now. We can talk again soon.”
—Shhhk…!
“Huh?”
After saying only what she wanted, Benetric vanished in an instant. She simply disappeared from where she stood. She must have used teleportation. It was the first time I had seen it happen right in front of me. Only her afterimage remained where she had been standing, slowly fading away.
“Tch, I wanted to ask about Raili…”
I hadn’t even had the chance to stop her. Truthfully, I hadn’t wanted to talk with her for long anyway. But to disappear that quickly? If I ever met Raili, I wanted to properly compare which of us was more arrogant and insolent.
‘That aside, what an incredibly convenient ability. So that’s the teleportation the Rift Clan uses…’
If I had somehow won Benetric over, if I had accepted the Rift Dragon’s heart, would I have been able to teleport freely like her?
“If that were the case, escaping this academy would be…”
—Shake shake shake!
Even so, there was no way I could handle that prickly personality. And even if I changed how she treated me through favorability, once connected by a Dragon Heart, she would be able to track me at any time. In other words, forming a pact meant giving up a certain degree of freedom.
‘Haa, forget it. No point thinking about useless things. I’ll just rest properly today.’
After all, today was my last day off. It wasn’t even like some kind of military leave—this three-day vacation had melted away like snow. It hadn’t been a long time, but a lot had happened. Looking back, I hadn’t really rested at all. It felt like I had closed my eyes only to open them and find the return date already here.
—Gurgle…!
“That reminds me, I came here because I was hungry, didn’t I?”
Once her afterimage had completely disappeared, my stomach clock timidly chimed again. Maybe because the tension had eased, hunger suddenly hit me hard.
‘Alright, with the best facilities right in front of me, there’s no way I can just stand around. I’ll get used to the new kitchen while filling my stomach. Time to start cooking.’
—Squelch, squelch, squelch…!
“This should be good enough, right?”
The whisk was coated with a thick batter. It wasn’t the fluffy kind used for bread; this was a slightly stiff batter meant for frying. Even without store-bought frying mix, making tempura batter wasn’t difficult. Mixing strong flour and baking soda in the right proportions was all it took to create frying powder.
But why suddenly decide on fried food? The reason was simple. Because it was delicious. Since I had already missed mealtime by a long shot, I wanted to make something tasty even if it took a while. Besides, the kitchen was now fully equipped. If I put my mind to it, there was nothing I couldn’t make.
So what I had in mind was…
“Tch, I was hoping to have some chicken after so long, but why is there nothing but pork in the storeroom?”
I had originally planned to fry chicken, but somehow the one thing missing was the most common meat of all. I had searched the supply storeroom thoroughly, but it was no use. Of course, I could have asked the ram squirrel, but I didn’t want to waste any more time. Going back and forth to the cafeteria was a hassle too. That was why I was using a different ingredient instead of chicken.
“Black Dragon, did you get all the blood out?”
「Nyoorurung…!」
The wraith answered while draped in a cloth stained red with blood. It looked rather gruesome, wearing something like that. Drops of pig blood fell steadily. Now she finally looked like a proper wraith. Even so, she was still small and insignificant.
“Good. While I slice the meat, could you keep stirring the batter?”
「Nyorong-!」
At my words, the Black Dragon grabbed the whisk and flew off. She followed my instructions without complaint. There was a reason she was being this obedient, unlike yesterday.
—Shing!
It was because I had picked up a kitchen knife for the meat preparation. And this time, it was a freshly sharpened blade. With a knife this keen, it felt like I could even cut through metal.
—Swish, slice…!
The moment I held the knife, my hands moved on their own. Once again, the movements were swift and clean. The chunk of meat in front of me was sliced as easily as tofu. It really felt like control had been taken over. Almost like I had become someone else. Yet strangely, the result was exactly what I had pictured in my mind.
“…It’s clean again, huh.”
The pink pork loin was neatly arranged in long strips. The knife must have been incredibly sharp to leave such clear cuts on the brand-new wooden cutting board.
—Rub rub…!
I didn’t have time to marvel at my own skill. If I stopped to react to everything, I’d be on the verge of starving. I immediately seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, placed it in a large bowl, and mixed it evenly with minced garlic. Adding soy sauce and letting it marinate in the fridge would have made it taste even better, but unfortunately, there was no time for that now.
“Black Dragon? Mix this well too.”
「Nyorong…!」
Soon the batter and pork were combined. The pork was coated in a white layer of frying batter. Each finger-length strip of loin was evenly covered. That was it. What I was making now was tangsuyuk. Since there was no pheasant… or rather, no chicken, I was making sweet-and-sour pork instead.
“Alright, the oil temperature is perfect now. Shall we start frying?”
The new kitchen equipment really did remind me of a professional restaurant. I never expected they would even install a proper deep fryer, small as it was.
—Sizzle sizzle…!
When I dropped a bit of batter into the oil heated to nearly 180 degrees, a heavenly sound that whetted the appetite rang out. It was the signal that I could fry without waiting any longer.
—Hiss…!
When I lowered the battered meat at an angle into the oil, an even more delicious sound echoed. The fried pieces slowly rose to the surface, turning a bright golden yellow. Once the meat floated up, I had to flip it occasionally so it would cook evenly. It was also good to stir them now and then to keep the pieces from sticking together.
After frying for about six or seven minutes…
—Swoosh…!
Once the color looked right, I lifted them out with a strainer. The appetizing fried pork was complete. It was already delicious enough to eat as is. But if I wanted it even crispier, there was still more to do. After letting it rest briefly to let the air circulate, frying it a second time would make it even crunchier. The color would also turn a deeper golden hue.
‘The color came out perfectly. There’s no way this won’t taste good.’
—Shake shake shake…!
Just as I finished the second fry and was shaking off the excess oil—
“Now I should start making the sauce—”
—Knock knock knock!
Another knock came from the entrance.
‘Hmm…? Who is it this time?’
It was my day off, yet visitors kept showing up. Maybe Benetric had come back? Or perhaps it was one of the five girls.
“…The door’s open!”
I called toward the door while lifting the finished tangsuyuk out of the oil. With my hands full, I couldn’t greet anyone right away.
—Creaaak!
The door slowly opened, as if the person had heard me. And at the same time—
“Hmm~ Smells delicious. I wandered all around the dormitory, but I didn’t expect you to be here.”
Once again, a woman’s voice reached me. It definitely wasn’t Benetric. It was clearly brighter and more refreshing than hers.
—Step, step…!
When I stopped what I was doing and looked toward the entrance, a woman walked in with confident strides. A girl with long, straight hair.
“Ah? You are……?”