The Irresistible Power of "Noona"
Today, the restaurant was once again teetering on the brink of disaster.
1. The word “noona.” It was still somewhat unfamiliar to me. As an only child with no older women around, I’d rarely had reason to use it. But today, I finally witnessed the true power of that single term.
“Could you tell me what Professor Benetric likes, Raylin… noona?”
“Wh-what, what, what, what, what…? Whitey, what did you just—?!”
Raylin’s face turned crimson, as if it might burst at any moment. She looked like a volcano on the verge of erupting. If I poked her with a finger, molten magma would surely gush out.
—Fwoosh, fwoosh!
‘Her hands are burning up.’
Her body temperature had spiked dramatically. The two hands I was holding grew hotter by the second. I wanted to keep holding them, but I had no choice but to let go before they became unbearable. True to her nature as a Flame Dragon, she’d been blazing hot since yesterday. The moment our skin touched, she’d practically cook me alive. Yet even a mighty Flame Dragon like her was powerless against the word “noona.” That single title carried a force even ancient dragon speech couldn’t match.
“Raylin noona? Please help me. I have no idea what to prepare for Professor Benetric. You’ll help me, right… noona?”
I deliberately repeated the word, driving the point home. I even let my voice trail off softly, hoping to stir sympathy. I added a pitiful, pleading gaze for good measure. The act felt awkward, but I’d do anything to achieve my goal. Without Derke here, Raylin was my only hope.
“Hohwaat…? M-my heart just skipped a beat……?!”
“Huh? Miss?”
Hit by the double “noona” followed by my desperate puppy-dog eyes, Raylin suddenly hunched forward, clutching her left chest. She looked like she’d taken a counter punch. I genuinely thought she’d been struck. And then—
—Pshhhht……!
A sudden spray of magma-like nosebleed erupted from her. She even collapsed with a thud.
KO’d by the rapid-fire “noona” and eye attack combo.
—Drip, drip, drip……
Real lava-like blood was flowing from Raylin’s nose.
“R-Raylin, miss? Are you all right?!”
I rushed over with a handkerchief, but she seemed oddly fine.
“I-I’m fine…! Don’t call me miss—call me noona……!”
“Excuse me? In this state, how can I—”
“I-it’s just a temporary surge of dragon blood……!”
“Ah?”
Maybe her high body temperature as a Flame Dragon also meant high blood pressure? Even so, this much bleeding seemed excessive. Wasn’t a blood vessel about to burst?
“Anyway, enough of that…! I’ll help you, so from now on, when we’re alone, call me noona, okay?”
“Of course, noona!”
“Hnn♡ E-every time I hear it, it sends shivers down my spine……”
“Noona? Then would you please tell me now? About Professor Benetric’s preferences?”
I had no problem with that. This was important, after all. Besides, she really was an older sister figure—over 470 years older, to be exact. There was nothing strange about the title. If it meant getting her help, I’d call her noona as many times as needed.
The target’s affection has greatly increased!
Only a little more until the next rank-up!
‘Huh?’
Just calling her “noona” raised her affection? This… I should use it more often. Where else could I find such a cost-effective way to earn favor? Especially with a dragon who already liked me—what harm was there?
“Kuh…! Sniff! Ahem! Fine. I’ll tell you what I know.”
Raylin wiped her nose with the handkerchief and cleared her throat.
—Sizzle……!
The handkerchief I’d given her instantly burst into flames the moment it touched her dragon blood, turning to black ash in seconds. Even her blood burned hot, just like a true Flame Dragon. Sometimes her beautiful appearance made me forget how terrifying she really was.
“…Professor Benetric prefers natural sweetness over artificial sugar in desserts.”
“Natural sweetness?”
“Yeah. That’s probably why she loves fruit the most.”
“Fruit over dessert……”
“Right. She likes that tart, natural kind of sweetness. Especially……”
—Ta-da!
“This Drill Apple!”
She finished her sentence and proudly showed me the Drill Apple she’d taken out earlier. Juice still dripped from the torn leaf section.
“Ah… I see……”
Despite Raylin’s helpful tip, my voice came out weak.
“Wh-what? What’s with that half-hearted reaction? I went out of my way to tell you!”
“It’s just… Professor Benetric asked for a dish, not a dessert.”
“Hohwaat—? A dish? And she asked you, who’s not even in charge of the cafeteria? Why?”
“Tch, I don’t know either.”
“So that’s why you looked like that. You’ve got it rough, Whitey… She’s always been a bit eccentric……”
Raylin looked at me with pity. She couldn’t directly help with this particular request.
“By the way, do you know what kind of food she likes besides desserts?”
“Give me a second. Professor Benetric’s favorite foods……”
Raylin fell into deep thought at my question. It took longer than expected. Apparently, nothing came to mind easily. While waiting, I checked the grandfather clock. There were still three to four hours until lunch. We had time. If I decided on a menu quickly and started cooking right away, I could probably finish in time.
But as with everything in life, things rarely went as smoothly as hoped.
“Ugh…! Whitey, I’m really sorry.”
“Excuse me?”
“The professor always eats outside, so I don’t know what she likes.”
“Wh-what……!”
The thunderous news hit me like a bolt from the blue. A staff member who doesn’t eat at the cafeteria? This was pure abuse of authority. How were the hatchlings supposed to learn from professors like that?
“Still, if I had to say what I do know…! She won’t even touch food unless it’s really delicious. She says she’d rather ruin her palate than eat anything mediocre. I’ve seen her a few times just spreading cream cheese on bread!”
“Haah, is that all?”
“Yeah, sorry. I couldn’t be much help……”
A sigh escaped me at Raylin’s words. She apologized again at my reaction. It was hard to believe this was the same fiery, straightforward Flame Dragon—she was oddly meek in front of me. My sigh had meant something else entirely, though.
“You don’t need to apologize! You’ve already given me plenty of ideas, noona.”
“Huh? Really? Then why the sigh……”
“I was just wondering if the idea that popped into my head was actually good. So don’t worry about it.”
“Oh, that’s what it was?”
“Yes. Thanks to you, noona, my mind feels lighter now.”
I thanked Raylin sincerely, making sure to add “noona” again.
“Wh-Whitey, you……”
Her face had once again turned into a ripe red tomato. At this rate, she’d get another nosebleed. Maybe I should ease up on the “noona” calls for now.
Wait a second……
Did I just say tomato?
“All right, now that I’ve got an idea, I need to gather ingredients right away!”
“Huh? Whitey?”
After forming a solid plan in my head, I let out a cheer. I mentally listed the ingredients needed for the dish and started organizing what I required. The lounge only had basic dessert ingredients on hand—mostly baking supplies. For proper cooking, I’d need a lot more fresh produce.
“Noona? If you have time, would you like to step out with me for a bit?”
“Huh? What…? D-don’t tell me you’re asking me on a date right now—?!”
“It’s not that, but I could really use your help. Ah, if you’re busy preparing for afternoon training, you can go ahead without me.”
I casually tried to rope Raylin in. I wanted as much help as possible. Though, truthfully, I could manage without her—it just wouldn’t be as convenient.
“No! I want to go too! Noona has plenty of time—! Let’s go, hurry!”
“Really? Then……”
—Grab!
“Huh? Noona?”
“A date with Whitey…?! Let’s go! Hurry! Right now……!”
Before I could change my mind, Raylin grabbed my hand and dashed out of the lounge.
“Eek? S-slow down a little……!”
Once again, I found myself being dragged along, my feet barely touching the ground. It felt like being a fragile dog owner helplessly pulled around by an overexcited giant breed. Raylin was easy to handle when she was in a good mood, but once she got excited, calming her down was nearly impossible. She was the type whose actions came before thoughts.
“Ah, right! Whitey? Come to think of it, where exactly were you planning to go??”
“……”
Look at that—she was already running without even knowing the destination. Well, that was part of her charm.
***
2.
—Splash!
—Whoosh……!
A thick T-bone steak was dropped raw into a deep fryer filled with yellow sunflower seed oil.
—Sssssss……!!
—Sizzle, sizzle, sizzle……!
The meat, completely unseasoned and without any batter, began cooking in the oil. It was a steak cut meant to be thick, yet the oil temperature was unnecessarily high. As a result, only the surface browned while the inside remained practically raw.
“Sizzle…! Just like the whole chicken yesterday! This color is perfect…!”
“Got it, Lamb Rat!”
“So we just fry all of them like this?”
“Let’s survive today too! Fighting!”
Lamb Rat demonstrated by pulling out a steak that looked decently browned on the outside and gave instructions to the herbivore beastkin assigned to cafeteria duty. They knew one thing and ignored the rest… It was a completely botched cooking method. No one made gyukatsu like this.
“Right…! Once the meat’s prepped, just throw it all into the pot—!”
“Understood perfectly!”
“Let’s all do our best today!”
The herbivore beastkin cheered in unison, completely unaware of what they were actually doing. They simply followed the orders they’d been given. Since Lamb Rat had helped them survive yesterday, the others trusted him without question. They didn’t realize it was Breeder’s recipe, not Lamb Rat’s skill, that had saved them.
“Dump all the meat in…!”
“Pour it all into the oil without leaving any—!”
“Fry it all at once and we’re done! Cooking made simple!”
Another catastrophe was about to unfold.
“You crazy bastards, stop right there—!”
“Sizzle—?!!!”
Just as another premium steak was about to be dropped into the bubbling oil, a human male’s voice echoed loudly through the kitchen.
“B-Breeder—?! What brings you here today……?”
Breeder had arrived at the perfect moment.
“Hohwa—? Frying meat whole in oil? Have you all lost your minds?”
And he wasn’t alone—he had a third-year powerhouse, a Flame Dragon, right beside him.
“Sizzle—?!”
Lamb Rat and the other beastkin stared in horror at Raylin’s presence. Dragons and professors kept showing up day after day—they were on the verge of developing a neurosis. Especially Lamb Rat, whose eyes widened in panic as he trembled.
‘That Breeder guy…! J-just who the hell is he?! How does he keep showing up with all these ladies?! I can’t understand it……!!!’