A Fiery Taste of Home
Fire dragons express themselves in a fiery manner too. “Hwahwa-!” It was a kind of verbal tic of hers. A lively interjection reminiscent of the eastern continent’s dialect had become second nature. That was only natural—she had lived in the east right up until enrolling at the academy. Even dragons couldn’t escape the influence of the place where they spent their childhood. Still, it wasn’t an exclamation she used as frequently as one might expect from a verbal tic. She herself found it distinctive, so she usually tried to hold it back. It wasn’t easy, but whenever plenty of ears were listening, she could grit her teeth and swallow the sound inside. Even so, there were moments when she simply couldn’t contain this unique interjection.
“Hwahwa…? This scent… it really is—?!”
It slipped out whenever she felt a pang of homesickness or thought of her younger brother. Right now, the exclamation had burst forth in an excited tone she hadn’t even realized she was using—almost exactly the way it sounded back home. How could she hold it in when the aroma of hometown cooking and Whitey’s presence hit her at the same time?
Anyway, whenever something stirred those old memories, the tic surfaced on its own. Though she hadn’t lived long, those days were impossible to forget. No—they were memories she must never forget.
“Ah, Miss, you’ve arrived?”
When I stepped closer, Whitey greeted me. Whitey himself was the very catalyst that stirred my nostalgic longing.
“Hwahwa-! Whitey! Did you really make this?!”
See? I couldn’t keep those hometown-flavored exclamations in check at all. As I said, Whitey was the main reason. For starters, his appearance was the spitting image of my little brother. If you ignored the fact that his hair was ashen instead of white, even his dark eyes and overall features were identical. His personality was strikingly similar too. At first I’d only thought he was overly polite, but the more I watched him, the more my brother came to mind. That bright, capable nature was exactly why my sister and I had doted on him so much…
‘…He looks just like my brother, Xiaolin.’
Breeder’s face overlapped with Xiaolin’s in my vision. If I kept staring, I felt like I might burst into tears for no reason.
“Um, Miss…? Miss!? Are you all right?”
“Hwahwaat…?! W-Whitey? Did you call me?!”
“Yes. I’ve been calling you for a while, but you didn’t answer.”
“Haah, really…?”
Whitey looked straight at my face and continued.
“You came in and suddenly froze in place. Could it be that the smell of the food I made was too strong?”
The human servant who looked exactly like my brother gazed at me with a worried expression—while presenting me with a dish that recreated the flavors of home. ‘Xiaolin used to cook simple meals for us even though he wasn’t very good at it…’
I kept sinking deeper into old memories. At this rate I really might cry. I couldn’t let Whitey see me like that.
“Sniff sniff…! It really is properly intense.”
I barely managed to pull myself together and turned my attention to the food’s aroma.
“Pardon? Then did I make it wrong? I thought the spicy smell was a bit too strong…”
Whitey’s eyes widened like a startled wolf pup at my reply. Every time I looked at him, my heart ached as if my brother were standing right in front of me.
“Pfft, that’s not what I meant! It’s actually a compliment.”
“A compliment? I had no idea. While I was cooking, I kept worrying you might dislike it because of how strong the smell was.”
“It’s fine. In fact, I’ve missed this intensely spicy aroma.”
Because it was Xiaolin’s favorite dish when he was alive…
“Ah, then would you like to try it? I just finished it, actually.”
Whitey’s face lit up at my praise. He looked so adorable I wanted to bite him. If it tasted good too, I might actually do it…?
“Of course! You went to all this trouble so late because of me… Thank you, truly.”
“Not at all. Please don’t mention it.”
“Heh, I like your personality too. Anyway, could you get it ready?”
“Yes, please wait outside for a moment.”
Whitey politely guided me to an empty seat in the staff cafeteria.
—Slurrrp…!
Then he ladled the finished dish into a large bowl. Even from a distance, it looked packed with ingredients. Probably sausages and ham like what we had yesterday. I wasn’t particularly interested in the solids, though. I just craved the tingling broth. A single bite of that numbing spiciness would be enough.
—Thud!
Whitey set down the beautifully served soup dish along with chopsticks instead of a fork. The more I watched, the more impressed I was by his sense of style.
‘If only the second-years had even half of Whitey’s perceptiveness…’
—Gulp!
My mouth watered on its own. Just seeing the bright red broth was enough to pass. It seemed he had used the flower I gave him properly.
“Hwahwaaa…”
Whatever. I should set aside unnecessary thoughts for now. I just wanted to lose myself in nostalgia. I wanted to savor the taste of home and sink into memories.
“I should try the broth first, right?”
I scooped up the bright red broth with a spoon. Large chunks came up with it—mushrooms, diagonally sliced sausages, and various vegetables.
—Hoo hoo…!
Even though it wasn’t that hot, I blew on it like a human would. Then, gazing at Whitey’s youthful face, I took a sip—while praying for Xiaolin’s soul, who had been killed by monsters during an outing long ago.
—Gulp, gulp…!
“Kuh? Kraaah…?!”
I had only swallowed a single mouthful, yet a hearty exclamation escaped me. It was a flavor that made my eyes snap open. The spiciness was so intense that I forgot my usual tic and let out a purely instinctive cry. To think I’d get to enjoy a proper dish made with the flowers I’d secretly brought from home whenever I felt homesick… Originally, I had planned to chew the fruits raw one by one whenever the longing hit.
—Slurp…!
Gulp, gulp!
The solids could wait. I had missed that sharp, spicy broth. The stimulating liquid tingled my tongue and throat. The ingredients soaked in the spicy broth added texture and flavor with every chew.
‘It tastes a little different, but the flower’s sharp flavor definitely comes through…!’
Of course it couldn’t match the exact taste of home, but it was more than enough to satisfy my longing. Normally, because of the flower’s toxicity, people avoided drinking the broth, but Whitey’s version was mild enough to enjoy it. Even if it didn’t reach the full fiery intensity of home, the fact that I could drink the broth made up for the difference with its own unique charm.
“Gulp-! Gulp-! Krrgh…?!”
Every time the spicy, tingling broth slid down my throat, it felt like my nerves were being severed. Brilliant fireworks exploded wildly in my once-dark mind. The flower’s toxin seemed to numb not just my taste buds but my very consciousness.
‘U-ugh… dizzy…? I’m a Fire Dragon, yet I’m staggering just from eating spicy soup?’
He had neutralized it enough for me to drink the broth, but I must have gulped down too much at once. The world spun around me. It was far more dizzying than I expected. Strangely, it felt good. Like being drunk on high-proof liquor…
‘Oh no…! If I’d known it would be like this, I should’ve snuck in the alcohol I hid in the dorm…!’
Even without drinking, my vision swayed. I was probably just intoxicated by the sharp spiciness, making my body stagger on its own.
“R-Raylin, Miss…?”
As long as the feeling was good, that was all that mattered. Being worried over by Whitey only made me happier. Seeing his serious, concerned expression made me feel both grateful and sorry.
‘I couldn’t protect him even though I was right there… I really am a useless big sister…’
—Rustle…
As the old memories surfaced, my eyes closed. The dizziness had left me dazed for a moment.
“R-Raylin, Miss…?”
“Whitey… I missed you so much… I’m sorry…”
It was what I had wanted to say if I ever saw my brother again. After finally meeting Xiaolin, whom I had longed for so desperately with the help of the flower…
—Thud!
All strength left my body. I felt like it would be fine to stay by my brother’s side like this.
‘I’m just… so happy right now…’
*
—Slurp…!
Gulp! Gulp…!!!
Raylin’s reaction to the mapo tang was anything but ordinary. For some reason she kept staring straight at me while chugging the broth—straight from the bowl, no less. If she hadn’t liked the taste, that would have been impossible. Yet her reaction after drinking the broth was even more unusual.
—Sway, sway…!
She rocked her body violently left and right as if she had downed strong liquor. Her eyelids and pupils were unfocused, and she looked completely dazed.
“R-Raylin, Miss…?”
Even while staggering badly, Raylin’s gaze remained fixed on me. This didn’t look good.
“Whitey… I missed you so much… I’m sorry…”
—Thud!
I had a bad feeling, and sure enough, it came true. Dragons weren’t exempt from “what ifs.” Before I could even worry, Raylin collapsed to the floor.
‘She suddenly says something incomprehensible and then passes out?’
The situation was already bewildering, but there was still one more thing that would surprise me even more.
—Ding!
Condition-based rapport successful. You have satisfied the target’s conditions!
The target’s favorability has greatly increased!
You have successfully established rapport with a new target!
You have fiery-satisfactorily pleased the nostalgic dragon with your own hands!
◆ Rapport Success List ◆
[Derke (Lv.201) – Worship Relationship]
[Sophia (Lv.660) – Worship Relationship]
[Raylin (Lv.500) – Blind Faith Relationship]
[…3 slots remaining…]
Once again, a success notification appeared the moment the rapport target collapsed. That meant I didn’t have to worry too much about Raylin’s condition. Everyone else had been the same. After resting properly, she would surely bounce back just like Sophia.
“H-Hin… Whitey…?”
“Huh? Are you all right, Miss?”
As expected, Raylin lay on the floor murmuring the nickname like a child. She gestured toward me as if she still had more to say.
“Come… come here…”
“Miss? Shall I help you up?”
I quickly approached Raylin and draped her arm over my shoulder to support her. Even if she was fine, I couldn’t just leave her lying on the floor.
“S-Sorry…”
“Please don’t say that. You’ve been apologizing since earlier. That’s not like you, Miss.”
Just as I managed to lift Raylin, who was about my height, with some difficulty—
“Sorry I couldn’t protect you, little brother…”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about—”
“But I really love you so much, Whitey…”
—Kiss♡
“……?!”
Along with an unexpected love confession (?), something hot suddenly pressed against my cheek. Something incredibly hot and fiery.