I drink a cup of warm green tea with the kanpai. The unique astringency and smell of the green tea instantly spread inside my mouth.

  After that, I unconsciously deeply sigh in relief.

  Ahー, the tea that I usually drink is good, but this green tea is also not bad. It makes me want to have some wagashi like senbei.

  Of course, I will buy and bring this home with me, but Elna-kaasan and Nord-tousan are quite peculiar about tea leaves so if I don’t teach them how to properly make this tea, they will likely get angry at me. Let’s ask the proprietress to teach me how to make a delicious green tea later. My repertoire of drinks for after-meal has increased.

  Well now, I’ve quenched my thirst, let’s eat some rice.

  Gently placing my green tea cup down, and when I tried to take a spoon and fork, I suddenly noticed.

  There are chopsticks placed in front of me.

  Ohh, it’s chopsticks. I also have handmade chopsticks at the mansion, but I don’t use them that much. Most foods at the mansion are easier to eat using a spoon and fork after all, so I thought that it would be strange if I start using chopsticks by myself. So I think I will not use them unless something like a grilled fish or zaru soba comes out.

  「I wonder what are those? These two sticks here?」


  「It’s next to spoon and fork, so I think it’s a kind of tableware but………… I wonder how do you use those?」


  Ilya and Aleutia who are in front of me are perhaps not used to it, they tried to only hold one of the chopsticks.

  「I wonder if they are used as a pair like with the knife and fork?」


  With a suspicious look on her face, Aleutia took one chopstick on each hand just like with a knife and fork.

  「Aah, it might be that type of tableware」


  I don’t think she did it on purpose, but if I laugh here then she would look pathetic, but it is interesting to look at.

  I look at the two in front of me while trying not to smile.

  「But I wonder how do you eat the food with this? Do you stab the food with this?」


  「Eeh? But that’s a bit inappropriate, isn’t it?」


  「So, how do you eat then?」


  「「…………」」


  Aleutia and Ilya looked at each other, with complicated expressions on their faces.

  「What’s this? A skewer?」


  Irvine and Mort seem to finally notice the chopsticks - after they finished drinking their cup of ale in the back.

  Roomba and Mort use the spoon and fork to eat without worrying about it. I don’t know whether they don’t want to use something they don’t understand, or that the chopsticks are just not in their line of sight.

  The three people who don’t understand how to use chopsticks looked to us in front of them as they looked uneasy.

  I acted as if I’m oblivious to their situation, and drink the green tea again.

  The person who enjoys this situation the most is Tori, who sits beside me.

  Tori - who always has a nice smile on his face - have been smiling ill-naturedly as his shoulder also shook since some time ago.

  「……geez, it’s enough already, don’t you think?」


  「’s right, huh! I had enough fun anyway 」


  Tori happily answered secretary-san who sits next to Roomba.

  「Naa! Toriela-san, so I take it that you enjoy watching our reaction, right?」


  「You’re so mean!」


  「Noー, I was just interested in how everyone would react to that y’see. I’m sorry.」


  Aleutia and Ilya stared at Tori *jiii*, but he doesn’t seem to be bothered by that as he smiles.

  Thanks to that I also enjoyed their reaction so I have no complaints.

  「Then, how do you use this?」


  Irvine - who was not that embarrassed by his own action - asks with genuine curiosity. On the other side, after some miserable trial and error on their part, Aleutia and Ilya have a bitter look on their face. Probably because they realized their previous, shameful action when they listen to the proper way to use the chopsticks.

  「This is chopsticks, you hold them with one hand, between your fingers, and use it like this y’see.」


  「「Gross!」」


  「That’s cruel!?」


  Irvine and Aleutia’s expressed their frank opinion to Tori, who was asked by Irvine to show an example of how to use the chopsticks.

  As a Japanese person who has seen it many times, I can see them without feeling any sense of discomfort, but for those who saw it for the first time, it might look just like that. And foreigners are often surprised by a Japanese’s dexterous hands.

  ……certainly, we - who can handle the chopsticks like that - might look strange.

  「Look, look, it’s not gross at all, see?」


  「Stop it! It looks like some sort of a bug!」


  Tori stick out the chopsticks while opening and closing it, but then Irvine moved back as if he see something hideous. Well, if you stick out the chopsticks while opening and closing them like that, it would be no surprise if people would think that it’s gross.

  「Toriela-san, gross…… you’re so skilled, huh?」


  「Your way of saying it hurts my feeling even more!」


  Tori collapsed on the table hearing Aleutia’s manner of speaking.

  「Everyone in Kagura uses this to eat, okay?」


  「……really? Are you going to lie and make fun of us」


  Perhaps it’s because they’ve been teased once before, Ilya began to look at him with suspicions.

  「It’s true you know? I can teach you how to use the chopsticks if that’s alright with you」


  「Ahh, please」


  Maybe the proprietress doesn’t want any strange misunderstanding to occur, as someone from Kagura she started to teach the basics to Ilya and Aleutia.

  「So you really hold it between your fingers, huh」


  「Toriela-san was not lying, was he not」


  Aleutia and Ilya move their chopsticks awkwardly while being assisted by the proprietress’s hand.

  Then the sharp-sighted Mort stops shoving the food to his mouth with the spoon, his eyes were glued to the chopsticks.

  After that, Irvine and Mort exchange glances and nod.

  「「Proprietress-san, please also teach us the basics of using chopsticks」」


  The two of them obtained a good reason of being taught the way of using the chopsticks from the proprietress, a strategy that would make their hands held by the proprietress. This is a rather good strategy.

  When you learn how to handle the chopsticks, your hand would naturally come in contact with the other person’s hand.

  「Of course, it’s fine. Well then, Sannosuke-san, please teach them about how to use the chopsticks. Since I will teach Aleutia-san and Ilya-san.」


  「「Not Sannosuke! Change!」」


  However, their strategy is broken fruitlessly, and a young man wearing employee’s clothes called Sannosuke came. When the beautiful proprietress change into a sour-looking Sannosuke, the two’s expression turns into that of despair.

  That’s obvious. The proprietress is currently busy with Aleutia and Ilya.

  「……now then, I will teach you」


  Sannosuke - who came beside Irvine - use the chopsticks to show him an example of how to use them. On the other hand, Irvine and Mort are whispered close to Sannosuke’s ear without looking at the example.

  「Sannosuke! You should be able to understand each other! Go change with the proprietress. If you did that, you can have a good reason to hold those women’s hand as you taught them how to use the chopsticks, you know? 」


  「That’s right Sannosuke. If you change with them, we can both be happy, right?」


  The two start to over-familiarly putting their arms to his shoulder while calling Sannosuke repeatedly.

  Hearing that, Sannosuke’s voice became more and more sullen.

  「……the proprietress is my wife, do you need something?」


  「「……it’s nothing.」」


  Hearing those few words from Sannosuke, Irvine and Mort became completely obedient and asked him to thoroughly teach them how to use the chopsticks.

  「……first of all, you hold it like this, just like when you hold a pen――」


  「Umm, Sannosuke-san? You’re crushing my fingers with your hand you know? It hurts!? I’m sorry!」


  Irvine suffers the attack from Sannosuke the husband.

  I sip on the warm miso soup while I watch them as if enjoying it.

  Sighー, the taste of miso spread inside my mouth.

  Aah, a nostalgic flavor next to soy sauce. Just by adding vegetables, dissolving a little bit of miso and dashi (stock) can make it this delicious, it’s so mysterious, isn’t it?

  「Ahー……, tasty」


  Sighing deeply, I pick up the rice that I dearly miss with the chopsticks.

  「Oh, Alfried-sama can use the chopsticks, huh?」


  「Un, I was watching when the proprietress and Sannosuke-san are showing how to do it, see.」


  I gave such a suitable reason and eat the rice.

  Ooh! Sure enough, the rice we eat at the actual place tastes different. Compared with the rice made back at the mansion and My Home, this one tastes much better. The grain of rice also stood out, and it tastes sweeter than usual. I can also feel the taste of the rice itself.

  In the end, is it a difference in how to cook the rice? I only made a minute adjustment on how to cook rice from the one I often made back in my previous life as a reference, but as expected, I might perhaps be unable to make the best use of Kagura’s rice. I have to ask them how to make this no matter what it takes. After that, there is maybe a difference in the Kamado they use or something.

  When I tasted the rice and miso soup while thinking of such things, Tori said that sounding frustrated.

  「……such thing, you’re even more skilled at it than me. Even though I’ve practiced using chopsticks with the thought of surprising you……」


  No wonder he looks so excessively happy and having the time of his life.

  Secretary-san gently put her hand on the back of the frustrated Tori.

  Tori raise his face while smiling.

  「That person is someone who can control magic so skillfully you know? It’s a mistake to compare him with the chairman. 」


  「……I want you to please console me properly, will ya」


  I’m a bit curious, but just what is the relationship between Tori and the secretary-san?