Chapter 8
Chapter 8
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: New Face: Pink Hair (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"You're making some pretty serious dishes, more than I expected."
"I make sure to eat three meals a day myself."
"I figured you ate out."
As I prepared my breakfast using a magic tool similar to a gas burner, Karin—who had shown up first thing in the morning on the weekend—remarked.
When I asked if she'd already eaten, she said she'd only had something light, but her eyes betrayed her curiosity. So I offered her a taste.
"...Just a little."
"Sure. Give me a moment."
I'd originally planned to whip up a quick omelet with whatever ingredients I had on hand, but since I had a guest, I decided to make something a bit more proper.
I resolved to create a full brunch-style plate instead of a haphazard mishmash.
Since there were items that needed to cook simultaneously, I pulled out an extra frying pan and mana burner.
On one side, I lightly oiled the pan and started grilling sausages about a handspan long, scored with shallow cuts. On the other, I soaked round slices of white bread—strained through a sieve to remove any strings after beating the eggs.
I added a touch of sugar to season it, then began French toast by slowly pan-frying the bread over low heat.
While keeping an eye on the toast browning gently over low heat, I rolled the sausages to prevent burning and pulled out potatoes, roughly chopping them and soaking them in cold water in a colander.
Once the sausages were done, I placed them on a cast-iron plate kept moderately hot. I lifted the colander to shake off the water, seasoned the potatoes with salt and pepper, spread them out to drain completely, and mixed in some chopped onions.
In the pan with the leftover sausage fat, I added butter to boost the flavor where needed, switched to high heat, pressed the potato-onion mixture flat, and started cooking hash browns.
Meanwhile, I transferred the finished French toast to the plate. I wiped the bread pan clean—careful not to burn the eggs or bread bits—and cracked eggs into it, shaping them into neat circles for sunny-side-up.
Once one side of the hash brown was done, I flipped it and pressed firmly to shape it.
Since the eggs were sunny-side-up anyway and wouldn't need long cooking, I placed them overlapping slightly with the French toast. Then I wiped the pan clean again and quickly fried some bacon.
I added the crispy, thin bacon next to the sausages, and finally placed the finished hash brown in the remaining spot.
A drizzle of syrup made from sugarcane sap over the toast completed the plate. I sliced a citrus fruit resembling an orange into bite-sized pieces and served it on a small side dish, away from the hot plate, to finish the menu.
Brewing two cups of coffee to go with it wrapped up breakfast prep.
"You look really practiced at this."
"It's been a hobby since I was a kid. My parents yelled at me plenty to stay out of the kitchen."
"And it looks super filling."
"Potatoes, meat, eggs, and bread? Yeah. Most customers come for lunch anyway and eat light, so I make breakfast hearty."
It was modeled after an American-style brunch plate. These hearty originals came from southern farmlands, central mines, steelworkers—meals for industrial laborers doing heavy work. Nothing beat them for satisfaction.
Since it was my usual breakfast, Karin started picking at it delicately, but as it suited her tastes, she ate more and more.
Watching her eat heartily wasn't bad at all. Mages burned energy through mana use, converting fat into mana beyond natural regen or drawing from ambient mana. Eat big and sleep well for faster recovery, they said.
Of course, you could diet by wasting mana, but in a world less abundant than the modern one, that was a luxury for certain nobles only.
"Haa. Delicious. Do you make something like this every weekend if I drop by?"
"Keep coming and the portions'll get sloppier."
"Ehh?"
Who pours that much effort into breakfast every single day? Solo living naturally devolves to one-pot wonders thrown together. Even I, practically self-employed, skimp on my own meals.
A sip of coffee cleared the lingering oil from my mouth, ending the meal.
After filling up on greasy food, she craved more coffee too, so I offered a different brew this time and pulled a dripper from the fridge, sterilizing it with hot water.
It'd been a while since I'd done a pour-over drip like this—it felt nostalgic. Slower drainage and less oil absorption than paper filters let the deep flavors shine.
Longer bean-water contact and less oil filtering brought out the coffee's true essence, same principle as why cold brew tastes smooth.
As I slowly brewed a cup and brought it over, Karin spoke up.
"Did you live like this at the academy too?"
"Too many eyes around—barely any time for this kind of leisure."
"Makes sense. No cooking facilities in the dorms."
"The noble dorms have communal spaces for tea and such, but they're mostly girls' social spots, and no cooking allowed. Bringing tools to your private room risks fire hazards, so they ban it."
"Oh, noble dorms. Never been inside one."
She grinned sheepishly, wiping her hands clean with tissue and purification magic before fiddling with her pink hair.
"So you're definitely from at least a count's family. Only high nobles get noble dorms."
"Trying to guess who I am?"
"Yep. Been digging around the academy for any traces I can find."
"Ah... One bit of advice: asking around about me carelessly could get you in big trouble. Some folks scowl and pull a knife just hearing my name, threatening to know why you're asking."
The messy love entanglements tying me to the original protagonist could turn bloody if mishandled. I'd probably dived on all the bombs to stalemate things, but poking dry tinder into that was dangerous for sure.
Plenty of nasty-tempered people involved.
"Just ask Namei about it. She's one of only two people at the academy I can swear I trust completely."
"And the other one...?"
"Secret."
That person's too soft-hearted—they'd burst into tears if someone even asked about me. I hadn't given back anything to match the interest, care, and effort they'd shown me, so no.
I knew I couldn't fool everyone forever, so I wasn't blocking anyone from learning my identity. But stirring up snakes while digging was asking for trouble—better be cautious.
"But as a noble, don't your family come looking for you?"
"Eh, I wrote a letter. Circumstantially, I should be disowned by now, but who knows for sure."
"Wait—you came here without even knowing if your own family was searching?"
"..."
How'd that letter go again? Rough summary: 'Your son's off on a journey of freedom and self-discovery. Since I'm the black sheep, strike me from the family register and make my little sister the heir. If our paths cross later, we can meet up or whatever.'
I could vividly picture Father's explosive rage upon reading it, but back then, exhausted and furious, I was in full 'screw it' mode and bolted west straight to the Labyrinth City.
"Eh, they'll figure it out. Not like I'm the only child."
"...I thought you were the responsible type, Manager."
"Nah, escaping that hellhole was one reason I bolted."
My childhood was packed with studies and training—nothing left over. Father's lectures on the conduct and mindset befitting a ducal heir responsible for part of the border? I could recite them verbatim even now.
What was that, some military creed?
Swords and magic were fun at first, but aside from emperor studies to lead the ducal house and instrument lessons as noble basics, my entire routine was training. Most intense was eleven hours a day.
Child abuse, that. Who wouldn't want to escape that damn house?
"Hmmm. So no plans to return to the academy or your family at all, huh?"
"Everyone's been asking that lately. Nope."
"Then this place stays open till I graduate?"
Karin smiled happily. Man. 'Long tail gets caught,' my ass—no excuse for fluttering at academy uniforms.
Turning away a customer eager to come? I'd be a failure as manager.
"If it doesn't flop, yeah."
"Guess I'll visit often to keep it afloat."
"More regulars? I'll up the quality then."
We shared a mutual chuckle.
At the same time, the bell jingled as the cafe door opened. Big Sis Mina trudged in, looking utterly drained—another all-nighter at work, no doubt.
She raised a hand to greet me, then froze mid-motion. Her eyes flicked to the plate between Karin and me, then glared at Karin.
"Thieving stray cat..."
"Don't say weird stuff—come on in."
"One pour-over with the Manager's love."
"Love's iffy, but I'll pour in the care."
"...Is this why you had messy girl troubles at the academy too, Manager?"
"...Gotta sterilize the dripper."
"Don't change the subject."
Gazing at the sun climbing toward midday, I thought: two customers already, gonna be a busy afternoon.
Time to keep up the laid-back, comfy cafe life today too.
"This guy's gotta be the type who flirts with girls and gets stabbed in the back, right...?"
Ahem. Wrong.