It was a few days after Freesia's first outing.
　We were accompanying her as she went out to play every day, and we were also going out with her.
　To be honest, I'd like to go hunting for magic stones and making money, but this is also something I'll have to endure until Freesia gets used to going out.
　Today we're on our way home as the sun is already starting to set.

　The hood has been improved by Noor and it no longer comes off when she bounces around.
　He now wears it on a regular basis, and the face he had right after the summons has almost disappeared.
　If you ask any GC player who this is, even Freesia wouldn't know it right away.

"Ehehe, I'm very happy today too!

Freesia is really quite healthy, isn't she?

'Yes!　Thanks for always playing with me, Noll!

Mmmm, it's a small price to pay!　Compared to hunting with Okura-dono, it's nothing compared to hunting with Okura-dono!

　
　Today, we went up to a little hill during our walk, so the two of us and one of them, along with Moffitt, were running around and so on.
　We've been walking around from morning till evening almost every day, but I don't know how they can get tired of it.

We've been running around so much, but they're still going strong. You know, Moffitt is the first one to get tired.

Freesia must be amazing to have as much stamina as Nole.

'Humph!　Not so much!

　Moffoot is hugged in Noor's arms and purring quietly. He looks very tired.
　Even though Moffoot, who is a demon, is tired, it seems that Noor and the others are still not enough.
　Freesia was climbing trees with the speed of a monkey........
　I thought that since he was an archer, his movements would be slow, but that wasn't the case at all.
　With that, it makes sense that Sisha and the others didn't catch me.

　When I arrived at my home and went inside, I found Luna in the living room.
　She was sitting in a chair, zoning out, and when she realized we had returned, her eyebrows were raised.

'Luna!　Good morning!

...Good morning.

'You look as sleepy as ever, don't you? Why don't you come out and play with me next time instead of staying in the house all the time!

No. I don't want to. And I don't like guys like you making noise.

Ugh, don't tell me you don't like me!

　Since that ruckus in her absence, Luna has been acting like this towards Freesia.
　She doesn't completely ignore him, but she doesn't want to get too involved with him because he will follow her around and disturb her restful sleep.
　She also makes invitations to go outside like now, so from Luna's point of view, Freesia seems to be a natural enemy of hers.
　But she doesn't hate it so much that she bites it, so her mood will improve in time.

　I'm sure you'll be able to find a great deal more to say about it.

''Ah, Sisha-chan!　I'm home!

Yes, welcome back. You look like you've been moving around a lot today. I'm ready for your bath, why don't you come in?

'Yes!　Thank you for everything!

　Freesia's clothes are all messed up from running around and all that.
　For her to frolic around like a child without worrying about dirt, Sisja has prepared a bath for her to take as soon as she comes back.
　Sis-ha also fought with Freesia while she was away, but she's not behaving like Luna.
　Rather, I'll get him next time!　What a tense situation.
　

The only thing that's important to me is the fact that I'm going to prepare a meal. If you don't cook quickly, you'll be late. Luna, take care of the moffot.

Mm, I'm on it.

　I handed the moffot to Luna, and Noor was about to head to the kitchen.
　That's where I called out to him to make a suggestion.

'Nole, why don't you and Freesia go take a bath while I make dinner today?'

What, Okura-dono?

'It's so rare to see your brother cook. I've been letting Noll do most of the cooking lately.

What kind of windbreaker is that?　I think it's going to snow.

　Noll and the others are surprised at my suggestion.
　I used to make some of this stuff too, until Noll took charge of the cooking in earnest... don't tell me it's going to snow!

'Nole must be tired from all the moving around, and I thought it would be nice to do it myself once in a while. It's been a while since I've had something to eat, and I'd like to make Freesia a welcome addition.

So Heihachi can cook. Can you eat well?

Excuse me. I'm a professional bean sprout chef.

Sprouts?　I don't know what it is, but I'm looking forward to it if you make it!

　I lived alone in my former world, so I can cook reasonably well, too.
　When it was a hassle, I would go out to eat when it was too much trouble, but when the bills were in trouble, I was forced to cook it myself.
　There was a time when I was addicted to cooking and trying different things, even though I'm a bad side freak.
　Eventually I got to the point where I was able to make simple pasta dishes.

Well then, I'll take your word for it........Freesia, we're going to take a bath together!

'Yes!　Let's go wash up!

　Despite feeling a bit lost, Nol accepted my suggestion and headed for the bath with Freesia.
　I'm always taking care of them, and I'm leaving them to take care of Freesia, so I'll have to take the burden off elsewhere.
　Plus, there were some dishes I wanted to make.
　Freesia doesn't seem to have anything she can't eat, so there's no problem with the food I'm about to make.

'So, what are you planning to make?　Don't tell me you're really going to cook sprouts?

'I'm sorry, but I'm not going to cook sprouts this time.

Oh, what the hell are you making then?

'That's a treat when it's ready I'd like to say, but I don't even know if it's going to be to your taste buds. It's a classic dish from the country I lived in in the original world, in case you were wondering.

'I get nervous when people tell me they don't know if it's palatable but I'm interested to hear it.

'Mmm, I want to try it. But what if it's not to your taste?

'Hee hee hee, if it doesn't work, I'll give you food for the mess at worst. Let me try things out.

　The dish I'm about to make is something that would have been home-style in the country where I lived in my former world.
　The western-style food from this world that the Noles are cooking for us is delicious, but sometimes I miss the food from the world I was from.
　I'd like to have some white rice, but I don't think it would suit Noll and his friends, so I'll hold off on that this time.
　Even if you make it and it's not to their liking, there's no problem as long as you provide them with food from Gacha.
　In that case, you can store the rest in a magic bag and eat it later by yourself.

"Brother, can I help you make it too?

Hmm?　I can make it on my own, I'll be fine.

　The dish I'm going to make this time is not that difficult to prepare.
　There are 6 people in the room, so the quantity will increase, and it will take some time to cut it up.
　So I was trying to do it alone........

''Nole has been teaching me how to cook lately, so I'd like to try it too. And I'd like to cook with your brother........no?

　I put my hands together and tilted my head while Esther asked me to look up at her.
　

Oh, oh. I don't mind.

Yeah, yeah.

　When Esther heard the reply, she gave a happy little gut pose.
　It's kind of embarrassing to be that pleased.
　If I notice, Sisha is looking at me with a silent grin, but I don't care, I don't care.

　I quickly come to the food vending machine in the kitchen to cook.
　The LCD on the front shows 14,800 points, and I can already choose the ingredients.
　I was occasionally putting goblin fangs or something like that into it, and Nol was able to purchase ingredients with this.
　I selected and purchased the potatoes, onions, carrots, and shirataki, which I'll use in the dish I'm making this time.
　I'll also need pork, but I'm going to use oak meat instead.
　The seasoning set, which is also from Gacha, is available, so we have soy sauce and sugar.

　I simply increased the ingredients from one serving to six, but will this work?
　I've never made it for such a large group of people because when I lived alone, I only had to make it for myself. I'm a little worried.

　The ingredients are ready and to start cooking, I put on my apron.
　Estelle also put on the apron in the same way, and perhaps for the sake of cooking, she untied her usual two-sided up-do and put her hair in a short ponytail.
　.........Nole is that thing with the eye mask, but girls in this kind of appearance are so cute.

　First, I peel the potatoes and carrots.
　There's enough for six people, so it's still a large amount, but since we're working with two people, we finished this task rather quickly.

The next step is to cut the ingredients, but... are you OK?

Yeah, I got it. I've been helping Noll out a lot with the cutting.

　I did a decent job of peeling, but I'm not sure I'm okay with cutting the ingredients.
　I asked him to cut the potatoes into bite-sized pieces to see how they were doing.......no problem.
　I lightly grasped my left hand holding the material, my thumb inside my index finger. A cat's hand, as it is commonly called.
　It looks like Noll was teaching him well.
　The way he cuts is too fast and different-dimensional for me to follow with my eyes, so I thought the way he taught it was a bit of a blast.

　Once I was reassured that I could handle it, I grabbed the knife too.
　

''Whoa!　What's with this knife........it cuts really well.

'Noll sharpened it so well, it looks like it's sharp. I saw you chopping up a whole board the other day.

　You know, he's the one who caused all that carelessness in the kitchen.
　This is a high quality knife that came out of a mess, right?　Noll's hand has joined in, and it's looking horrible.......
　The slight surprise is short-lived, and I silently chop up the ingredients with Esther.
　After cutting the potatoes, I soak them in water for a while. If I don't do this, they tend to fall apart when they're cooked.



'That's what happens when you're chopping onions, right? I'll take care of everything.

No, that's okay. I'll take care of that.

　Esther had tears in her eyes as she began to cut the onion into wedges.
　I thought about doing it instead, but she laughed with tears in her eyes and started cutting again.

　Yeah, I wonder. I like this kind of thing.
　I never cooked with anyone in my former world, so it's a very fresh exchange.
　........When I go back to my old world, I guess I won't be able to cook with anyone else like this.

　I finished cutting all the ingredients while looking at Estelle who was doing her best next to me with a slightly melancholy feeling.

'You cut it up pretty big. Are you sure about this?''

Yeah, all we need to do now is fry up some meat and stew up some vegetables and stuff.

I can't believe it's so easy to be good at this.

'Hmm, I don't know. It's easy to cook, but it changes quite a bit depending on your seasoning preferences.

　Once you finish cutting the ingredients, most of the cooking is done.
　However, this simmering part is important.
　As well as the seasoning, you have to be careful not to let it fall apart.
　I like a strong seasoning, but if you're going to feed this to Nol and his friends, you don't want it to be too sharp.
　This time I'm going to keep the seasoning basic, modest in both sweetness and intensity.

　Heat a pan with oil and fry the thinly sliced oak meat.
　Next, throw in the onions, potatoes, carrots, and shirataki (Japanese duckweed) and fry them together.
　When the color of the meat changes, add water and soy sauce, and when it comes to a boil, remove the lye.
　The cooking was done if I put the lid on it and simmer it.

That's about it. I hope this works...

You put quite a lot of stuff in there. It's definitely going to be difficult to season.

　The amount of soy sauce and sugar is really difficult to measure. I tried to measure them with a measuring cup, but will it work?
　There's also some alcohol in it. I don't think the alcohol will fly off, but I'm afraid Nol is going to get drunk.

　When I had boiled down some, I put the potatoes and the cooking liquid on a small plate.

'Esther, would you like to taste it?

Yeah, I'm on it.

　If this looks like Estelle won't, I doubt it will be good for the mouths of Noll and the others.
　I'm getting a little nervous........

Oh my God, it's good. But it's a little bland.

How's the soup?

It's a little dense.

　It's just not yet soaked up the cooking liquid, so it's going to be nice to let it cool once.
　Phew, that's good.

I think it's going to be okay. We'll simmer for a while longer, then we'll turn off the heat and we'll take a bath.

'Oh my God, I can't believe you're in the bath with me, your brother is finally accepting me.

It's separate.

　Estelle put one hand on her cheek and said, her cheeks red with embarrassment.
　I didn't say a word about getting in with her.......but she was still trying to get in with me.
　Then, when the pot was boiled to some extent, they turned off the heat and we decided to go into the bath too.
　And when I got out of the bath, I found Noll and Freesia, who had already finished bathing, screaming about being hungry.

I'm hungry, Okura-dono, I'm starving. Are you hungry yet?

Heihachi, I can't wait to eat.

Oh, I think it's about to get better, so give me a minute.

'It smells pretty good, doesn't it? This is something to look forward to.

Yeah, but it's the taste that counts.

It was good to taste, but I don't know.

　The smell spread throughout the room, and Sisha and the others seemed to be expecting it.
　When I went to look at the pot, it seemed to have cooled down to some extent, and when I chewed on one of the potatoes, it had a nice flavor to it.
　..............................Okay, I guess that's it.

　I reheated them and warmed them up again, then put them on a plate and carried them into the living room.
　While doing so, I also took the carrots I got from the food vending machine in larger quantities.

'Look, no carrots for Moffat.

Mmmm, he's eating like a champ.

　Before placing the food on the table, he handed the carrot to Moffatt, who was on Noor's lap.
　The white furball caught the carrot dexterously with both hands and bit into it, making a poo-pooing, good moody noise.
　Well, now it's time to unveil it.......................I'm nervous to see how it will react.

'Here you go, here's the meat and potatoes.

　I put the dish on the table at will.
　Yes, the dish I made it was potatoes.

Are you sure it's potatoes?

This is a lot of food again. There are carrots in it, but it's mostly potatoes. I feel like my stomach is going to get full just from eating a little bit.

It's more subdued than I thought.

　Oho, it doesn't look like it's getting a good reputation for looks.
　I don't think it has anything to do with whether it's fancy or not to be delicious... but it's a potato dish, did I miss it?

I love potatoes!　Smells good and looks good!

Oh, there's plenty for everyone.

Yay!

　Freesia was the only one who sounded happy, smiled and said it looked good.
　What a great girl!　If you're this happy, I'll serve you plenty!
　Freesia thrust her fork into the pile of potatoes and stuck her cheek into her mouth.

'How's that?'

"...Yeah!　Delicious!

　Oh, thank goodness. Even though Estelle had given me a taste of it, I wasn't sure if they would eat it.
　Seeing Freesia's reaction, Nol and the others also started to get their hands on the meat and potatoes.

''........Oh, this is delicious. The sweetness is surprising, but the flavors are well infused into the potatoes and meat. Is there any sugar in it?　If you knew about these dishes, I wish you had told me.

Hmmm, not bad. Tastes good.

　Noll said it was delicious. Yay.
　Luna says it's not bad, and she's crunching away at it.
　It's not my idea of a dish, but it feels good to be praised for something I made.
　I'm starting to understand how it feels to be praised so often and for Noor to be so happy to make his food come alive.

'It's not a compliment. 'Good for you, brother.'

Yeah, thanks to Esther's help, too.

I'll let you cook for me again.

　Esther seems happy because she helped him too.
　Yeah, these things are good. I'd love to do it again if I get the chance.
　Maybe next time we can do some curry or something........do you have a commercial roux?　I've never tried making it from spices before........
　As I was thinking about this, I saw Sisha raise her eyebrows and make some kind of divine face.

''Sisha?　What's going on?

...hmmm...

　He has a fork in his hand, and apparently he's got his hands on the meat and potatoes.
　Still, he doesn't say anything, just thinks about it.
　When I called out to her, she didn't respond and remained that way for a bit, Sisha suddenly stood up and went to her room.
　Huh.........could it be that it didn't suit your taste?　Or maybe it wasn't really good....

'Nole, are you sure it's good?'

It's really good.

Yeah, it's delicious!

　There is no indication that either Noor or Freesia is lying. That is.

''So it wasn't in his mouth....

　That's right. It's impossible to match everyone's tastes, and I guess meat and potatoes didn't suit Sisha.
　At this rate, there won't be anything to eat, so let's get some food for the mess.......

''No, no. Sisuha would be clearer if he thought so.

　Luna said something like that.
　Surely that guy wouldn't have reacted like that, what is this!　It's not good at all!　I'd say at least.
　And yet, what was that look of serious distress on her face.....

　After a while, the door to Sisha's room opened and she returned to the living room.
　But unlike before she entered, she had a bottle in her hand.
　She arrived at the table again and poured the liquid in the bottle into the cup, then chewed on the meat and potatoes again and giggled at the cup.

''Ngh..........puhaa!　Duh, here it is, here it is!　It goes great with drinks!

'You're an old man.... Does that mean it was good?

Yes, it's so delicious that I can't even believe Okura-san made it. If you can make something like this, you should have made it sooner. Come on, Okura-san, have a drink.

　
　He really is a hopeless priest.
　Some people eat it as a snack, so I guess this is one of the right ways to enjoy it.

　The meat and potatoes were well received by the Nolls, and all the portions we made this time were eaten up and they asked us to make them again.
　It's nice to hear people say that the food you made was delicious. If I have the opportunity to make it again, I'll try to make something else.