{Author’s Notes}

  Since there are only 2 more special SS left, I’ll just go with the flow and publish them.

  ※ This SS is related to Volume 2’s colored illustration.

  **********

  As the warm sun shone through the window, I was wondering what I was going to have for lunch today.

  [……Like I said, Kai-chan will be “eating the bento I made”, so you can just go home, Death King.]

  [……It’s Fate…… who should go home…… Do your job.]

  The temperature was especially nice today, and I felt like I could take a nice nap. There’s a place that looked like a lawn in Lilia-san’s garden, and I’d really like to take a nap there~~

  It might be even better lying down there if I have a pet. Napping with a cat on your lap is a situation I’d really love to be in.

  [I can just leave the work to God of Time and Space! That aside, I should be the one questioning you, Death King! Thoughtlessly coming to the Human Realm, don’t you understand the clamor you’re making?]

  [……Don’t worry…… Lillywood…… will take care of it.]

  On such a fine day, it might be nice to eat outside. It would be fun to invite Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san, and have a picnic among the Summoning Bystanders group.

  Well, the place we’d be having a picnic would probably be the mansion’s garden……


  [Kai-chan, you listening?]

  [……Kaito…… which bento…… do you want to eat?]

  [………………]

  Unnn, let’s stop trying to escape reality. Letting out a big sigh, I turned my gaze to the two bento boxes that were offered to me.

  [……I mean, in the first place, why am I in this situation……]

  I’m pretty sure it all started about a dozen minutes ago. As she had promised to do since yesterday, Isis-san came to visit Lilia-san’s mansion.

  Thereupon, Fate-san had come to visit me without an appointment, and before I knew it, they had somehow ended up glaring at each other.

  [You see, the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? That’s why I decided to make an investment so that Kai-chan would support me in the future…… It was troublesome, incredibly troublesome, but I did my best to make lunch for Kai-chan!]

  [……I- Is that so.]

  [……I wanted…… to feed Kaito…… something delicious…… so even though I don’t know how to cook…… I studied…… and made this for you.]

  [T- Thank you very much.]

  I’m not sure what to do…… To be honest, at this point, about 90% of me would rather eat with Isis-san. Compared to Fate-san, whose thoughts were filled with ulterior motives and stressed how everything she did was just troublesome, I felt a genuine fondness from Isis-san.

  At this point, the differences between them were just like the differences between angels and demons, but I also couldn’t ignore Fate-san, who even though she had ulterior motives, did take the trouble to make a bento for me.

  However, both of the bento boxes they offered to me were quite large, about the size of multi-layered lunch boxes. Eating both of them would be too tough for me.

  With that being the case, I could eat half of both bentos…… but putting aside Fate-san’s bento, I don’t feel comfortable leaving anything in Isis-san’s bento. Fate-san’s bento, well, I don’t mind not finishing hers……


  [……Hey, Kai-chan? I don’t know if it’s just my imagination or not, but why do I feel like I’m being insulted in Kai-chan’s mind?]

  [It’s just your imagination.]

  [Kai-chan, a beautiful girl such as I have cooked for you, you know? Isn’t this the part where you cry, overcome with emotions?]

  [It won’t work when you say it yourself.]

  As I gave appropriate responses to the unexpectedly perceptive Fate-san, Isis-san spoke to me with a worried expression on her face.

  [……Kaito…… Are you alright? ……If you’re not hungry…… How about eating it later?]

  [No, I was just about to have lunch. I’m really glad for your concern, Isis-san.]

  [……How strange. There’s an obvious difference in the way you respond to me and Death King, don’t you think?]

  [It’s just your imagination.]

  My treatment towards her may have been sloppy, but of course, I was still happy to hear that Fate-san cooked for me.

  I’m a guy after all. I’m grateful that Isis-san and Fate-san, two beautiful girls, cooked for me.

  [……Ahh, that’s right! Since we’re at it, how about us three eat together? If that’s the case, even this amount……]

  [Alright~~ Putting aside sweets, it’s been quite a while since I’ve had a proper meal~~]

  [……I think the last time for me…… was “about 4000 years ago”……]

  [……Eh?]

  Hearing Isis-san say that this would be her first meal in 4000 years, I couldn’t help but tilt my head. Thereupon, perhaps sensing my question, Fate-san explained.

  [Ahh~~ Kai-chan. Death King and I are a little different from Humans. Eating and sleeping aren’t a necessity for us, they’re more like a hobby.]

  [I see……]

  [Well, leaving that aside…… I guess I’ll start opening up my bento then?]

  Talking somewhat laxly, Fate-san placed her large bento on the table and opened its lid.

  What emerged from inside were only fruits and vegetables of various colors…… and nothing other than that.

  [……Eh? W- Wait, Fate-san? What’s this?]

  [A bento.]

  [……To me, it just looked like a box of peeled fruits and vegetables, thrown in the box raw……]

  [……Kai-chan.]

  [Yes?]

  [Even if it’s just peeling them…… Don’t you think that’s a good enough effort from me?]

  […………………]

  W- Where the heck am I supposed to throw a tsukkomi here? With no ingenuity nor intentions in mind, it seemed like she just threw peeled food in there……


  I don’t understand. I really don’t understand. After showing off this kind of bento, why the heck does Fate-san look so smug……


  [……Fate-san, does this look delicious to you?]

  [Nope, not at all! To be honest, it looks like animal feed to me.]

  [Then, why did you bring this here!?]

  [……I just thought I could get away with it.]

  Where’s her guardian…… Chronois-san? I beg of you, please bring this person back as soon as possible……


  [……Fate…… You can’t…… feed Kaito…… that bento.]

  [To be honest, I was also thinking that I’ve cut too many corners, but then, I also thought it should work with love as its cover!]

  [……I think…… that won’t work.]

  [Kuhhh…… T- Then, what kind of bento did you bring, Death King?]

  [……I properly made…… Kaito’s favorite food.]

  The animal feed…… Fate-san’s bento was removed by Isis-san from the table. And now, in front of me is the bento box Isis-san brought.

  Even so, my favorite food? Is it hamburger steak or fried shrimp? No, but have I ever told Isis-san what my favorite food is?

  With these questions in mind, I took the lid off the bento box…… and saw that it was crammed full of “baby castellas”.

  Eh? What is this? A baby castella bento? This is my favorite food…… No, no, this isn’t my favorite food!!!

  [……I- Isis-san? W- What in the world is this……]

  [……I asked…… Kuromueina…… what Kaito’s favorite food is.]

  It really is that baby castella spirit’s doing!!! Why the heck are you going around telling people that this is my favorite food!?

  [……No, Isis-san. It’s not that I like baby castellas……]

  [……I- Is…… that so? ……I’m…… sorry……]

  [Ahh~~ No, I just remembered! I loved baby castellas even more than my three meals a day! Well~~ I’m really happy, I’ve never seen such a nice bento before~~]

  [……Thank goodness…… I’m glad that…… Kaito is happy.]

  I was going to tell Isis-san that she was mistaken, but when I saw the sad expression on her face, I immediately revised my words.

  Even if they’re baby castellas, it didn’t change the fact that Isis-san did her best to make them for me…… As for correcting the wrong information she had acquired, I’ll just figure out how to tell that to Isis-san without hurting her while we eat.

  That’s right, if it’s to see Isis-san’s smile…… J- Just this many baby castellas is easy-peasy for me.

  [As expected, there really is a difference between the way you treat Death King and I, don’t you think?]

  [It’s just your imagination.]

  After briefly answering Fate-san’s question, I took on the challenge of eating this stack of baby castellas.

  On this day, a new trauma to baby castellas was engraved in my mind.