I stand in the kitchen in place of Lilia-san, who rather than being unable to cook, she has no experience in cooking itself.

  First of all, I quickly sliced the meat of the boar, but this seems to be pretty good meat, as I was able to cut it quite well without the knife getting stuck in its tendons.

  Lightly sprinkling the sliced meat with salt, I put it aside for a while to let it adjust with the seasoning, and in the meantime, I start preparing the vegetables.

  Since I intended to fry them together with the meat, cutting them too small would blur the taste, so I cut the vegetables a little larger and threw them into the pan, starting with the ones that are hard to cook.

  While stir-frying the various types of vegetables, mixing them together, I throw in the meat when it’s time, and the sound of popping oil gives off a fragrant smell in the air.

  When the color of the meat changes, it’s to do the finishing touches…… I took out the “yakiniku sauce” that I bought from a shop and seasoned it a little bit.

  ……This completes the Poor College Student’s Specialty Cooking: Stir-Fried Meat and Vegetables…… No, I didn’t cut corners in any way at all.

  To be clear, improvising with the current ingredients is too difficult for me….. But it should be fine if I fry them all. If I fry it and pour the sauce on it, it should generally be delicious.

  After that, I decided to prepare a soup as well since eating just a stir-fry feels too lonely…… Taking out the “soup Sieg-san made for me” from my magic box, I nonchalantly transferred it to a bowl.

  No, it isn’t like I’m cutting corners…… This is just the best option, given the circumstances. Even if the heavens and earth are turned upside down, there’s no way that the soup that I would make, using ingredients I’m unfamiliar with, could ever be a match for the delicious soup made by Sieg-san. In fact, it isn’t even worth comparing them…… So, this is a decision based on wanting Lilia-san to eat good food, and it isn’t like I’m bad at making soup or anything like that, okay?

  And while I, a Japanese, would like to eat some rice, Lilia-san…… or rather, the people of this world don’t really like rice that much, so I’ll just take out some bread here.

  Of course, the bread I took out are those delicious ones I bought from a “bakery”. No, I won’t bake bread or anything like that…… It takes an awful lot of time to bake, and the last time I tried so hard to bake on my own, I created a demonic substance in the form of a black apple pie. Let’s just leave the baking to the professionals.

  Unnn, I know I was condescendingly saying to leave the cooking to me, but I feel like the only thing I’ve made is just the vegetable stir-fry…… But well, let’s just leave the trivial details behind.

  O- Of course, what I made may be my specialty, but I don’t have all the ingredients I know for making it wasn’t on hand…… By the way, I’m really good at making sandwiches and fried eggs. Saying that makes me embarrassed though……


  [Lilia-san, it’s ready.]

  [Already!? Amazing…… Kaito-san is an amazing cook huh.]

  […………..]

  She started looking at me with honest, admiring eyes!? Just receiving those looks is impossibly making me feel like running away, you know!? I’m sorry, all I did was just the stir-fried meat and vegetables!

  Cooking is something that will require practice in the future, but anyway, now that our meal is ready, I sit down at the table with Lilia-san and begin eating.

  Lilia-san takes a sip of the soup first, and gives me a lovely smile.

  [It’s so delicious. It’s almost as delicious as the soup our chef made.]

  [T- That’s great.]

  I’m sorry, I didn’t make that…… The person who made that was the one who’s a very good cook.

  And next, Lilia-san reaches out for the vegetable stir-fry that I made, and seeing that made my anxiousness reach its peak.

  This is bad, this is really bad…… I mean, no matter how I think about it, compared to Sieg-san’s soup, my vegetable stir-fry is a few steps inferior in taste.

  As a noble, she’s used to eating good food, so it might not be to Lilia-san’s taste…… It’s not that I would be troubled if she found out, but even though I was condescendingly said to leave the cooking to me, I feel embarrassed if she knows that I asked for the help of Sieg-san’s cooking.

  Without realizing my anxiety, Lilia-san brought the fried vegetables to her mouth…… and tilted her head.

  A- As expected, she didn’t find it tasty……


  [U- Ummm, Lilia-san?]

  [……It has an unusual flavor. It’s the first time I’ve tasted something like this.]

  [……Eh?]

  [It’s a little salty and has deep flavors, but it’s really dangerous.]

  [……I- Is that so……]

  Lilia-san had never had yakiniku befooorreee!? Indeed, there are yakiniku shops in this world, and yakiniku sauce is widespread but…… Thinking about it, Lilia-san is a former princess and currently a Duchess…… She’s a full-fledged noble lady, and what should I say…… This might be the first time eating something like this whose flavor is being brought by the sauce.

  A- At least, it doesn’t seem like she dislikes it, as Lilia-san proceeded to eat her meal somewhat happily.

  ……What can I say, unnn…… I feel relieved.

  After finishing our meal and putting away the dishes, I guess it’s a good time for me to take a bath.

  [Lilia-san, would you like to take a bath first?]

  [Eh? A- Ahh, y- yes. I- I- I guess so!?]

  [……Lilia-san?]

  I thought what I said was a very normal thing for me to say to her, but for some reason, Lilia-san looked very flustered and her face was getting redder and redder.

  [……P- Please wait for a bit. M- My heart isn’t ready yet……]

  [……E- Errr…… Yes?]

  She’s just going to take a bath, why does she need to ready her heart?

  Not understanding the meaning at all, I tilted my head…… And with a face so red that it looks like steam is about to come out of her ears, Lilia-san spoke.

  [……H- How about…… K- Kaito-san go in first?]

  [Eh? Huhh…… that’s fine with me but……]

  [I- I’ll try my best…… n- n- n- not to keep you waiting…..]

  [……Unnn?]

  What is this? I really don’t know what Lilia-san is talking about.

  Even though I’m still wondering why, since she asked me to take a bath first…… I don’t really mind that, so I agreed and quickly got ready.

  Meanwhile, Lilia-san looked down with a bright red face and seemed to be mumbling something but…… when I tried calling out to her, she was so flustered that she couldn’t hold a conversation at all.

  So, for the time being, I decided to just talk with Lilia-san after she calms down, while I head for the bathroom.

  It isn’t as large as the one in Lilia-san’s mansion, but it’s large enough for one person to take a bath in. The wooden bathtub has a nice atmosphere, which is very attractive for the Japanese me.

  I’m sure that this wood is different, but it feels just like the bathtub made of cypress wood I bathed in back in Rigforeshia…… How should I say this…… it feels like a wonderful Japanese style bath.

  Washing myself clean, I then soaked in the bathtub and relaxed, stretching my arms and legs.

  Ahh, that feels great…… It feels like lately, I seem to be prone to encountering problems while I’m in the bathroom, so I was always feeling flustered while I’m taking a bath.

  It started with the mixed bath with Isis-san and Kuro…… In Rigforeshia, Rei-san and Fia-san would use all types of strategies just to try and get me and Sieg-san to bathe together…… And in the Divine Realm, that mixed bath with the four Goddesses.

  Well, thinking back on those times again, I don’t know how I was able to endure it.

  However, in that regard, it’s Lilia-san who is with me today…… If it’s the modest Lilia-san, she wouldn’t think of bathing together, even if we’re lovers already, so I don’t need to worry……


  [……U- Ummm, Kaito-san……]

  [Eh? Lilia-san? What’s the matter?]

  As I was thinking about this, for some reason, I heard Lilia-san’s voice from the other side of the door.

  Asking her back, wondering if she had something urgent to say, a brief of silence passed before Lilia-san replied with her voice trembling.

  […..I- I’m sorry t- to keep you waiting…… I- I’m finally ready……]

  [……Ready? Ummm, Lilia-san…… What in the world are you……]

  [E- Excuse my intrusion!]

  [Wha!?]

  As I was having a bad feeling about the conversation that shows unusual signs around it, the door was opened and Lilia-san appeared, a single towel wrapped around her body.

  Eh? What is this? What the heck…… is happening now?

  Dear Mom, Dad——– The first night at the summer resort with Lilia-san, we finished our meals that were seasoned with a hint of deceit on it, and I’m now taking a bath but…… for some reason, Lilia-san also came inside. I don’t really know why, but could it be that it was just as I thought——— Isn’t it that my baths are cursed?

  **********