The Correlation Between Happiness and Growth

A hundred varieties of buffet dishes were more than enough to leisurely savor over the ten-day voyage through the skies. All I had to do was clear ten dishes a day. Since our travel time to the destination was precisely ten days, the timing couldn't have been sweeter.

"Ah."

"What is the matter, Milady?"

"I just realized there's a trap."

Jona's demeanor shifted instantly. Dropping to one knee to adjust my shoelaces, he lowered his voice to a whisper. "…Pardon my presumption, but could you explain what kind of trap you have noticed?"

"Portion size. If I randomly heap a bunch of dishes together on a single plate, I can't be sure whether every single item will register in the compendium."

"……I do not understand what you mean in the slightest."

The Food Compendium's criteria for what constituted a 'single serving' was a matter of grave importance. What if a messy buffet plate mixing multiple dishes failed the compendium's collection criteria entirely? What if it only counted the single dish with the largest portion?

"T-To think I can't enjoy picking and piling various foods onto my plate… To have to fill a plate to the brim with just one single item ten times over, and repeat that for ten straight days……"

No matter how much I loved collecting, that kind of volume was pure food torture. But wait. Did a plate really need to be piled high to count as a single serving? A buffet was inherently a place where you took as much as you wanted. Even if I scooped up a mere rat's tail of a portion, as long as it was the only item on the plate, it might satisfy the collection requirements.

Clack, clack.

Filled with excitement at the thought of piling food onto my plate, I clicked my tongs together, prompting a somewhat exasperated murmur beside me. "Your mood certainly shifts rapidly."

"Heheh. Look over there. The little lady can't even reach the food trays. Isn't she adorable?"

"Oh my. She reminds me of my youngest daughter back home. Hohoho."

Passing diners who had come to enjoy an affordable meal glanced my way and chuckled. Overcome with indignation and sorrow, my eyes welled with tears as I tugged persistently on my butler's sleeve.

"Jonaaa…… My arms can't reach the food trays……"

"Your mood shifts rapidly in an unfortunate direction as well, it seems."

With Jona's assistance, I finally managed to secure some food.

"Are you truly satisfied with just a single chocolate chip?"

"I wanted to start light."

"A runt like you doesn't know the first thing about eating."

"Ack, the hairy hulk!"

"This is how you eat food."

At the neighboring table, the monkey beastman had piled dishes into a literal mountain and was shoving food into his maw by the handful. Watching his hearty feast felt like spectating a competitive eater or a professional mukbang streamer, and a sudden surge of rivalry flared within me. Still, the experiment came first.

Crunch, crunch.

"……"

"Would you care for more?"

"Yes……"

The cookie vanished in an instant. The next menu item was……

"A chocolate chip again?"

"T-This time I'm going to eat four more!"

Until I had absolute confirmation that a single serving had been registered, I would hammer away at chocolate chips and nothing else! Just as I began to think this had to be enough by any humane standard, a faint throb pulsed in my head, and a notification appeared.

With the chocolate chip cleared, I launched into an individual assault on each dish, filling plate after plate with a single item at a time.

Like a worker ant hauling provisions, I diligently shuttled food into my mouth. Naturally, Jona had to shoulder an immense burden fetching and filling each dish for me, yet he steadfastly piled the plates high with quiet consideration. I felt genuinely grateful.

"Perhaps because you did not train today, you are eating quite well without shattering any dishes."

"If I exhausted myself before my stamina even drained, I wouldn't even be able to swing a sword!"

No matter how sickly my body was, steady training had increased my stamina at least a little bit. Seeing the butler ponder earnestly beside me while muttering something about "adding a two-kilogram weight," I felt both thankful and apologetic today.

"I'm sorry."

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"What is this sudden apology for?"

"Just because."

Jona looked down at me with his characteristic stern gaze, then spoke in a gruff tone. "I am proud of you, Milady."

"Of me?"

Back when I only played burly male characters, I had never once heard praise like that.

"Milady does not complain about side dishes, nor do you whine that training is too hard."

"……Is that supposed to be praise?"

"It is high praise. Considering the daily life enjoyed by children your age, Milady's effort and diligence in preparing for academy admission are nothing short of marvelous."

At the neighboring table, the monkey beastman watched with deep intrigue, while Giselle observed us with an impossibly conflicted expression. Being praised right in front of an audience was a little embarrassing.

"I believe in you. Milady's efforts will never be in vain. The day may come when the Master acknowledges you and calls upon you."

"Ah, about that."

"Do you not wish to meet the Master?"

"It's not that I dislike the idea. It's just, well, a little……"

It was a tedious event, really. Patrons assigned through the Random Papa event tended to branch into chain events over time, such as <Papa's Request> or <Summons to the Main House>. If you received excessive support in the early game, you ended up having to clear requests for your patron during precious weekends, or lose massive chunks of vacation time obeying summons to ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the main estate. The greater the benefits, the lower your freedom became.

Everything in the world had its trade-offs, and an aristocratic father, despite all his perks, suffered from this minor flaw. While a commoner father's request or summons involved nothing more than showing your face, eating a meal, and heading right back up to school, high-society culture was an entirely different beast.

Family-sponsored hunting competitions. Gatherings of nobles matching your social standing. Randomly generated minor and major crises cropping up across the fief. A conga line of time-devouring events was already lining up, waiting to consume my schedule like a ravenous hippo.

"Are you afraid?"

Even so, I couldn't become an ungrateful daughter who discarded a patron who had gifted me a hundred gold coins just because he was troublesome. Putting on a timid expression, I nodded, prompting the butler to retrieve an object from within his coat and place it into my hand.

"What's this?"

"If Milady continues to train diligently, the day will come when you discover how to open this puzzle cube."

"Is it a riddle?"

"Once you open this puzzle cube, your fear toward the Master may subside a little."

Hmm. A puzzle cube, huh. Maybe I should bite it.

"You must not eat it."

"…I was only going to bite it. Just a little. A very, very tiny nibble."

"Putting everything into your mouth is a terrible habit. Even if you were to bite it, this cube is durable enough to break your teeth. Please exercise restraint, Milady."

I got scolded.

"Well, ain't that heartwarming? What's the problem here, Mr. Employer?"

"Things are not always as they appear."

Overhearing the exchange between the monkey beastman and Giselle only heightened my embarrassment at being caught getting disciplined.

"Shall we conclude our meal here?"

"I'm going to train."

To clear my remaining quota of five plates for the day, I needed to work up an appetite through exercise. Well, maybe I just wanted an excuse to flee an embarrassing situation, but since that was equally humiliating, I decided to keep it to myself.

Dinner time arrived. Having completed my grueling training, I returned to the buffet, only to nearly faint from sheer shock.

"Good grief!"

"Are you alright, Milady?"

"H-How could something so inhumane happen?!"

Jona looked at me with an 'I told you so' expression. "Did I not suggest earlier that it would be wise to conclude today's training early?"

"I had no idea the buffet closed at five o'clock!"

"It is exceptionally popular, so it cannot be helped."

"Then what about my dinner?"

"There is an evening restaurant that opens for dinner service. Would you care to visit?"

"…I'm going!"

Missing out on the buffet dishes was regrettable, but if I filled the gap at the restaurant, it would all balance out in the end.

"Isn't Leaf coming with us?"

"She mentioned she has already finished her meal and would scout other onboard facilities that might be of use to Milady."

I felt a twinge of guilt. Aside from the buffet and the training grounds, I had zero interest in anything else, yet there she was, tirelessly searching the ship on my behalf. She wasn't doing it for her own enjoyment; she was doing it entirely for me. Out of sheer courtesy, I decided I should clear an entire day on my schedule to tour the spots Leaf recommended.

"Eeeeek!"

Or at least, that was what I had intended to do—right up until I laid eyes on the restaurant's menu.

"…Jona. Why are the prices like this?"

"It is a late-night surcharge."

"One gold coin for a single meal crosses the line!"

"Calm yourself, Milady. That is the price for a full-course set."

"Ah."

He was right.

"It is common knowledge that services provided at night are inherently more expensive than during the day."

"I'm sorry. The price just startled me for a second."

"Do not fret, Milady. I can cover your dining expenses using the operational funds provided by the Master."

"Really?"

"You may consider it a celebratory gift from the Master in honor of Milady securing a Platinum Ticket."

In the game, spending precious early-game capital on dining out would have made my hands tremble with fury, driving me to wander the streets searching for cost-effective collection fodder. To indulge in such luxury as a player made an overwhelming tide of happiness swell within my chest.

"Jona. I'm so happy right now."

"I, too, hope Milady continues to grow steadily and remain happy."

A sudden wave of mischief washed over me.

"What happens if I don't grow? Will you still stay by my side?"

"…That will not happen. And I, too, pray such a future never comes to pass."

"Why?"

"The Master possesses many scholarship students… no, children. He shows no interest in any child who lacks talent or whose growth proves sluggish."

"Then what about you, Jona?"

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Jona did not answer.