The Taste of Victory and Mala Rosé Stir-Fried Fish Cakes
I should have known. Why does my ominous imagination never miss the mark?
After the spar ended, the one who found me and Dana sprawled out on the floor was none other than Aria. She cast a bit of healing magic on us, then dragged Siwoo over to carry both of us to the infirmary on his back. By the time I woke up from my blackout, my entire body was wrapped head to toe in bandages.
“Still, Plea has way more injuries than Professor Dana… No matter how you look at it, it seems like Plea lost…”
“We can just ask the professor when she wakes up!”
When I suddenly shouted, the two of them poked Dana’s side where she lay on the bed next to mine, then shook their heads and said,
“We have no choice since the professor is unconscious.”
“Exactly, so when she wakes up…”
“Come on, losing to one of the 5 Greats isn’t embarrassing at all. If anything, you should be proud that you pushed Professor Dana this far.”
After hearing that, I gave up on trying to convince them. From the start, the very idea that Dana could lose simply didn’t exist in their heads. No matter what I said, to them I’d only sound like a sore loser. The best option was to just say I lost for now and explain everything properly once Dana woke up.
“Sigh… Yeah, I guess I…”
At that moment, a groaning voice came from the bed beside me.
“Ugh… My head… How long was I out?”
Dana, who had been unconscious until just now, finally sat up. I immediately swallowed the words I was about to say and improvised.
“I told you I won, right? Since Professor Dana is awake, let’s ask her directly.”
*
“Hmm… So you’re asking about the outcome of the test I had with Plea?”
Dana closed her eyes as she tried to recall. Since she had just woken up from passing out, her memory might still be fuzzy. We waited anxiously for her to speak, and after a moment, Dana smiled brightly and said,
“Of course I won.”
“?!”
What the hell is this bullshit… Wait, didn’t you get beaten like a dog by me and pass out? Did you lose your memory along with your consciousness?!
Filled with that meaning, I tried to slam my fist on the bed, but the cast wrapped around my arm completely blocked even that small act of frustration. I could only stare at Dana with eyes full of betrayal.
“See? The professor herself said so.”
“Lying is not good, Plea…”
“But I didn’t…”
I really did win… right?
…Or did I lose and my memory is wrong? Am I just deluding myself into thinking I won?
But that can’t be. I clearly remember the conversation I had with the director after the match…
My mind was spinning into complete chaos when Dana suddenly burst out laughing with a “Pfft!” and wiped away the tears that had leaked from her eyes.
“Puhuhu… I’m just kidding, Plea. You won, so you can stop making that face.”
“Agh! You confused me!”
Damn it… I worried for nothing. For a second I fell for it because she said it so naturally, but when I thought about it, there was no reason to believe such an obvious lie!
“Professor, you’re saying Plea actually beat you…?”
“Yeah. When I cut my mana in half… Wow, I really couldn’t win.”
“Ah, so with that penalty…”
The two of them wore expressions that said Of course that’s how it went. But there was one part Dana had left out.
“Hey now, you should speak accurately. I also sealed my main technique. You should say we fought with similar penalties on both sides, right?”
“Tsk.”
Even though she’s one of the 5 Greats, why is she so petty… If you lost, just accept it.
“Anyway, enough chit-chat. I won, Professor. Correct?”
“Ha… Fine. You’re the strongest in the academy. Happy now?”
When I nodded, Dana let out a hearty laugh as if she couldn’t help it.
“Here, take this.”
“This is…”
Dana pulled a single sheet of paper from her pocket.
Overall Combat Power Assessment: Perfect Score
“Perfect score… But when did you print this?”
From what I remembered, the event report cards were handed out after the test ended. Yet Dana had been carried to the infirmary with me right after the match. When on earth did she prepare this?
“I know your skills, so I printed it before the test even started. Even if you had lost to me, you’d still get a perfect score, Plea.”
“Is… is that really okay?”
Aria asked cautiously, but Dana answered nonchalantly.
“Who knows? Still, with my name attached, there probably won’t be any problems.”
With a grunt like an old man, Dana got up from the bed.
“Now that I’ve delivered what I needed to, I’ll be on my way.”
“Huh? You’re already fully healed?”
Her injuries should have been similar to mine. Sensing my question, Dana summoned a small flame on her fingertip and said,
“My sacred fire is quite versatile. It has regenerative abilities mixed in too.”
“Whoa…”
I don’t usually envy other people’s abilities, but that one’s pretty enviable. Just how many different powers can branch off from a single ability? In the game, when she fell to villainy she only used brute-force flame projection. Did she convert all those derivative abilities into pure attack power back then?
I clicked my tongue and looked down at my still-throbbing right arm.
“How long will it take for this to heal…”
“When the infirmary teacher came by earlier, she said it would take at least a week.”
A week, huh. That was exactly when the event scores would be finalized… At least I’d be able to check my results.
“Take care of yourself, Plea!”
Dana waved her hand a few times and left the infirmary. Soon after, Siwoo and Aria also said their goodbyes and left as curfew approached.
And so, a week passed.
*
“Ah! Fresh outside air…!”
I was finally done with the sticky medicinal smell of the infirmary. The moment I stepped outside, bright sunlight and refreshing wind welcomed me. I took a deep breath, filling my lungs with crisp morning air, then headed straight for a nearby restaurant.
“One order of mala rosé stir-fried fish cakes, please!”
I had debated between stir-fried pork and mala rosé stir-fried fish cakes, but after eating nothing but bland hospital food, I craved something intensely stimulating and electrifying. So I chose the latter. Back in my old life, I used to think, Why spend money on expensive stuff like mala whatever when cheap, filling stir-fried pork is right there? But it seemed my tastes had changed along with my environment.
Those thoughts lasted only a moment. The moment a plate of bright red hellish fish cakes appeared before me, every neuron in my brain began processing signals for this dish. The sight alone made my mouth water. I stabbed one piece with my fork and popped it into my mouth.
“Mmm…!”
The characteristic tingling of mala spread through my mouth, followed by the smooth, spicy embrace of the rosé sauce that stimulated my salivary glands. And to top it all off, the chewy texture and savory flavor of the fish cakes! The taste was so good I unconsciously tapped my feet while savoring it. It was only natural that I didn’t notice anyone entering the shop until I heard a sharp gasp.
“Kek…! Camilla?”
Startled by the sudden gasp, I nearly choked on the fish cake I was eating. I quickly gulped down some water and looked toward the sound. There stood Camilla, nodding with a thoroughly intimidated expression.
“Y-yes. It’s Camilla. Um… It looks delicious, I suppose?”
“Uh, yeah… I mean, it is delicious, but… uh…”
Why did this feel so awkward? Camilla had probably asked purely out of innocent curiosity. But the male memories engraved in my soul took one look at the current situation and wanted to crawl into a hole. As someone who used to be a man, stomping my feet in delight while eating something like mala rosé stir-fried fish cakes… wasn’t that the ultimate humiliation a guy could feel?
Of course, those thoughts were faint now that I was a girl, but the sense of having been caught doing something embarrassing was still crystal clear.
As I fumbled for some excuse that wasn’t really an excuse, Camilla approached with a curious look and asked outright,
“W-what kind of dish is that?”
“Huh? This is, well… it’s called mala rosé stir-fried fish cakes…”
“It looks really good…”
“You’ve… never tried it before?”
Camilla nodded repeatedly at my question. Given her family background, she had probably only ever eaten high-class cuisine and never had the chance to try something like this.
“You should order one too. It’s delicious.”
“S-should I?”
Camilla glanced at my plate, then quickly went to the counter and ordered the same thing I was eating.
“Hehe…”
Camilla giggled happily as she received her order ticket. What was so exciting about it?
“Oh, right, Miss Plea… Now that I think about it, the event results came out. Have you checked them yet?”
“Huh? Oh yeah! The event!”
Damn it. I’d been stuck in the infirmary obsessing over food and completely forgot about the most important thing. What should I do… Should I go check my scores right now?
While I was worrying, Camilla read my expression and carefully suggested,
“Um… There’s still time. How about we eat this first and then… go check together?”