Oh.......... This.........!

　Two dishes are lined up in front of me. Both of them come with rice, miso soup, and savory dishes.
　The difference is the main meat dish placed in the center. One of them is pork and the other is chicken. There are two main meat dishes: ginger-grilled pork and chicken nanban.
　It looks like pork with ginger sauce and chicken nanban set meal.
　Chicken Nanban is Japanese food?　I wondered a bit, but let's not get into the details. If I don't understand it, how can the girls in the other world understand it?
　But I've had ginger-roasted pork a few times since I've been here, but it's been a long time since I've had chicken nanban. Huh?　Did I give Lou the recipe for Chicken Nanban?
　It's hard to tell which one of them made this dish just by looking at it. But I couldn't help but look at the chicken nanban, because I thought it would be great if I made chicken nanban after chasing it.
　Because in that maze, I thought it would be great to make chicken nanban with the chickens I was chasing.

"....Looks good, that it does........

　Yae involuntarily gulped at the food served in front of me. How do you like it? What do you think, since we are in front of our daughters, please be moderate.

I've prepared a dish for you and your mother. Don't worry.
'Oh!　You are indeed Lord Lou's daughter, that you are!

　Perhaps sensing Yae's feelings, Aasia and Lou brought a chicken nanban set meal and a gingerbread set meal respectively. It's nice that everyone can eat at ease........
　Well. I can't look at them forever. It's time to let us eat.

Then let's start with this chicken nanban. Let's start with the chicken nanban.

　I just can't help it. I'm curious.
　I pick up the middle one with my chopsticks. The white chicken seen in the foxy batter. And the sweet and sour sauce and tartar sauce on the meat is disgustingly appetizing.
　After the crispy crunch, the juices leapt out of the chicken as I bit down on it. In addition to the flavor of the meat, the sourness of the sweet and sour sauce and the richness of the tartar sauce create a wonderful harmony.
　I ate the white rice while it was still lingering in my mouth. Kuhuu.

Delicious!

　I can't stop chopsticks. We tasted the chicken nanban, enjoyed the rice with it, and then refreshed our palate with savory dishes and miso soup to refresh the taste.
　Yum!　I was pretty hungry, and maybe it's because I haven't been in a while.　Oops, I can't eat it all. We have one more dish to serve.

Then we'll have this one...

　I shifted the chicken nanban set meal to the side of the whole flatbed and now I'll bring the ginger sauce set meal. It also looks delicious.
　Speaking of grilled pork with ginger, it can be divided into two types: fried pork slices and onions, or thinly sliced and sauteed pork.
　This is the former. It is the one made by frying onions and pork slices. This is the one my mother used to make in my house too.
　Take the onions and pork together with chopsticks. I toss it into my mouth, catching it with the bowl of rice so that it doesn't drip the juices that have seeped out of it. It is also delicious.
　I couldn't stop myself from taking a mouthful of rice. The rice, onions and pork were dancing in my mouth. The more you chew, the more the flavor spreads. This is as good as chicken nanban.
　However, I feel that the taste is a little stronger than the gingerbread I usually eat. Just a little bit, though. Could this be the one Arcea made?
　No, no, no, preconceptions are dangerous. You won't be able to make a proper judgment.
　Nevertheless, it is delicious. Even the cabbage that has absorbed the oil that seeped out of the ginger-oyaki is delicious. Even if you compare it to the chicken nanban earlier, it's hard to rank this one.......what to do?
　When I glanced forward, Lou and Aasia were staring at me........staring at me. Ugugu, they're both delicious!
　
　We ate the chicken nanban again, then the gingerbread. We compare rice, then miso soup and savory dishes. Both are delicious, but if you ask me which one I like better........
　I can see that everyone's eyes are on me. Too confused?　Yeah, we'll manage to follow up later, whichever way it goes!

Okay....
Have you decided?

　I nodded quietly at Umina's question. These things are intuition. Just do whichever one you think you like!　It's not my fault!

The gingerbread set menu.
What the f*ck?

　Arthia exclaims as if to cover me. Huh?　Dad, you did it!
　On the contrary, Lou is relieved. You can't see it from Aasia, though.
　So, the chicken nanban was made by Aasia and the gingerbread was made by Lou?

'Why, father!　You used to rave about me like that!
What happened before?
Oh no, don't worry about it. More importantly, why!　Please explain!

　No, I'm not sure I'd call it an explanation.... All I can say is that this was more to my liking. There's no reason for it.

"Arthia. You'll understand why when you try my gingerbread.
What?

　As prompted, Aasia took the chopsticks and took a bite of the gingerbread. She meditated and chewed and swallowed it as if she were slowly savoring it.

''It is indeed delicious........ But my 《I》 chicken nanban should be just as delicious........''

　Arthia shook her head as if to say, I don't know. No, that's why they were both good. It's just a matter of personal preference.

The first thing that comes to mind is the fact that you're not going to be able to get your hands on any of them.
'What?　That was delicious. I thought it was just a little bit stronger than usual, but...
'Strong tasting...?　No way!

　As if she noticed something, Aasia took a bite of the gingerbread set meal and then drank the miso soup that was next to it. Eh, what?

Salt....!
Salt?
'Just ... just a little too much salt. Just enough to keep the flavors in balance, but........ Could it be that this is.........

　Huh?　I'm sure it was thicker than your usual gingerbread and miso soup, but really, just a little?　If I hadn't been comparing food like this time, I probably wouldn't have known.
　Lou, who had been silent for a long time, opened his mouth in response to Aasia.

'Fuyao-sama spent the morning being swept around by slime, swept around by skeletons, and swept around by chickens. It must have been quite a workout.

　Wait, wait, wait, wait!　That's not the right word!　It sounds like I'm going to be left pathetically beaten!　Correction!　Some corrections!

Exercise... oh!
'Yes. If the salt is removed from the body along with the sweat, it's obvious that he will seek it out. Even if the person is not conscious of it, it's something that comes out in action. Therefore, to the extent that it doesn't spoil the taste I added just a little bit of salt.

　In other words, did you want more saltiness than usual for the amount of salt you lost from the exercise?
　Even though I'm getting stronger, I still sweat, and I still have to go to the bathroom. If the exercise goes beyond a certain level, though, the divine energy does the opposite and I stop sweating. I can switch it up on purpose, but I don't usually do it. It's a pain in the ass and makes my senses dull. Well, I was sweating quite a bit this time, and I was tired....
　Did Lou see through that much and make this dish? That's what I subconsciously chose to do........ I felt like I was being rolled on my palm.

''d*mn........I didn't know you were thinking that far....... I'm completely defeated........

　Arcia's shoulders slumped disappointedly. With her daughter at her side, Lou took a bite of one of the chicken nanban that was on the table.

''Huh........!　I see. This is definitely a skill that approaches me. It's no wonder that you are so confident. It's very delicious, Aasia.
Mother....

　Smiling, Lou took her daughter's hand, who also loved to cook.
　Phew. Somehow it all came together, right?　I don't want to be such a stomach-churning judge anymore.

...but...
What?

　Lou's brow wrinkles up at the base of her eyebrows as the smiling smile from earlier remains. .........Ah, that?　Didn't it all come together?

The words you just said, 'You raved about it so much before. Fuyao-sama liked this dish and knew it was a nostalgic dish from her hometown.
Nanocotodeshouka, okaasama.

　Ah, Arthia looked away. Well, I had this in the future, and I raved about it, so Aasiya brought out this dish.
　Hmm. I don't know how many years it will be, but if I ever get the chance to serve this dish to the unborn Aasia, I will have to praise her immensely.

'To use such a cunning strategy, at all!　Listen, cooking is a thing to begin with...!
'Huh?　Lou also hid the fact that Winter Night was working out and sweating in the morning from Arthia, didn't he?

　Lou was shot through by Else's bullet that flew from behind and stopped moving. Else said to Elna, ''Mother........!　'Shh, shh, shh,' she said, poking me with her elbow. ''Erna, your mother unknowingly unleashes an unnecessary word.

''........Mother?''
What's the matter with you?

　Oh, Lou looked away. It's a mother and daughter.

You're a mother too!　If I were aware of your father's condition, I would have tried to find the right amount of salt!
'You can say whatever you want afterwards!　The problem is that I didn't think that far ahead!　You would have known that in a minute if you had asked!

　Everyone proceeded to eat without holding back as they began to jabber and argue.

''You're so close,''
Are we... close...?　It's okay, probably.

　I twist my head slightly at Sue's words, but I'll let it be that way. Thinking that this kind of parent-child relationship is also possible.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇ ◇


'Ah!　It's so frustrating!　Your mother has outsmarted me again!
'No, I think it's more of a carelessness on Ah's part...'

　That night when Aasia arrived. The children had changed into their pajamas and were gathered in a room in the castle. Frey let out a disgusted voice to Arthia, who was taking it out on the cushions in frustration. Beside her, Kuhn opened his mouth to Erna and Lynne.

'So Erna, Linne. I'm going to ask you again, but I'm pretty sure it was Arthia who was in front of you guys when that dimensional quake happened, right?
Yes, that's exactly what happened. You know, when the core flashed, you were the one who stood up for us.

　Kuhn listened to Linne's explanation and was still convinced that his hypothesis was not wrong. I can't believe it's a coincidence. There is no doubt that those who were far from the 'core' appeared in this world in the order of their distance from the 'core'.

''So, Arsia. Who was in front of you that time?
Before?　Well, it was so bright that I closed my eyes. But I think I saw a reed bedrock almost next to me.
Yoshino..... Then you don't have to worry about it. That girl can jump here via [teleportation]. As long as we don't take any unnecessary detours.......

　As a child of cherry blossoms, Yoshino, like her mother, can use non-attribute magic 【Teleport】. Unlike 【Gate】, 【Teleport】 is different from 【Gate】, it can be transferred to anywhere as long as the distance and direction are correct.
　Long distance travel requires a large amount of magical power, but with Yoshino's magical power, he should be able to return to Brunhild with a few transfers even from the ends of the world.
　If there's a problem, it's his personality. Yoshino is quite a moody person, he won't do anything unless he's in the mood, and he won't act on things he's not interested in. It's not surprising that she would think, "I have to go see my family...but I don't mind if I do it later.
　On the contrary, she is the type that reacts immediately to things that interest her, and is fond of new and unusual things. But she's also the type who gets bored easily, and her storage cards are full of strange junk she bought but got tired of. She has a tendency to get hot and cold easily.
　Kuhn sighed that it was unlikely that such a sister would return straight back to the past world, an extremely unusual situation.

''If I'm not good at this, it's possible that big sister Yakumo will come first.
If you're not careful... What's wrong with that?

　Linne, who was lying on the bed, chuckled at Kuhn's words. Erna, who was next to her, tilted her head at Kuhn's somewhat unwillingness to come before Yoshino.

''That's sweet. Yakumo-sama should arrive, and then Yoshino should come in leisurely later. With a lot of unfamiliar souvenirs in her hand, right?
''Ah......... It's definitely going to start a sermon, big sister Yakumo's........

　Erna gave a drawn-out smile, as if she could easily imagine the scene.
　The serious Yakumo and the free-spirited Yoshino are water and oil. They were never on bad terms, but because of their position, they all hated to see their sister Yakumo lecturing Yoshino.

''Yoshino. Hurry up and get here or your sister Yakumo's lightning will strike.......

　Frey mumbles to his sister, who doesn't know where she's eating roadside grass, to one of them. I don't know if Yakumo will be mad at me for stopping by, Frey thinks. But so far, Frey had no intention of stopping his sister's sermon.
　Well, he had thought about following up with her if she brought him a rare weapon as a souvenir, and so on.


　　　　　　　　　　◇ ◇ ◇


All right.

　Suddenly, Yakumo, whose nose was mushy, sneezed like an old man, just like a maiden would.

''Muu........ I wonder if someone is gossiping about it........''

　Rubbing his nose with a giggle, Yakumo proceeded through the town. This is Orphans Dragon and Phoenix Country. It is a counterpart to Yixian, the homeland of his mother, Yixian.
　Yisheng is at the far end of the east and Orfan is at the far end of the west. Yakumo had never come to this country with a terrain that targeted Yisheng entirely to the left and right, until now. Hence, he couldn't go there by [Gate] and had to take a ship from the Rase Armed Kingdom.
　He had to come here in search of the golden powder clue he had obtained in Isengard.
　It was said to be a potion made from the frosted branches of the Sacred Tree, and it was said to cure the Golden Flower Disease.
　Golden Flower Disease is a disease that causes high fever, emitting high fevers and leading to emaciation and suffering and death. The dreadful part of the disease is that the dead person's head would bloom with golden flowers and turn into the living dead.
　Those in the know know that it wasn't a disease or anything like that, it was an evil god's attempt to turn humans into a mutant species. But it is generally believed to be a disease.
　Now that the evil god had fallen, it was not supposed to happen again, but people's fears could not be dispelled. It seems to be a scam to take advantage of that.
　If it was just a scam, Yakumo wouldn't have gone this far. He would have just reported the matter to the Adventurer's Guild and asked them to alert the country's higher-ups.
　However, I can't help but get caught up. There's something about this powder. It makes me feel indescribably uncomfortable.
　Following the clues, Yakumo finally arrived at this place, Orphans Long Phoenix Country, where someone was selling this medicine.
　The Orphans Long Phoenix Country was very similar to Yisheng. The streets are made of wood and bricks instead of stone and iron, and the national costume that looks very similar to a kimono. And yet, the streetlights are made of magical stones and the streets where golem carriages come and go.
　Even the swordsmen and golems on the street have an appearance similar to a samurai. That's right, this country has a "sword".
　For that reason, even Yakumo, who would normally stand out from the crowd, does not stand out here. He is a resident of Orphans itself.
　Yakumo proceeded straight down that street. It was his first time in the town, but the map on his phone showed every detail of the street.
　His destination was an abandoned house on the outskirts of town. That's where this golden pill dealer is said to be located.
　There was no particular strategy. We cut in front of him, take him into custody, and then get him to talk to us. Yakumo was that kind of girl, perhaps because she was too straight, just like her mother.
　The abandoned house on the outskirts of town was apparently a factory of some sort. Rusty steel frames rolled around the premises, and even as I walked into the dimly lit factory, for some reason I didn't sense any signs of human presence. Could this one have escaped?　Something was released from the darkness of the second floor to Yakumo, who wondered.

''Huh?''

　As Yakumo dodged it sideways, three knives stabbed into the ground where she was. Yakumo, who drew his beloved sword from his waist, turned his eyes to the dim darkness of the second floor where the knives flew.

''........Who are you?　You weren't stupid enough to come here for the pills, were you?　My eyes aren't cloudy.

　The one who emerged from the darkness wore a strange iron mask. It had a round spherical head with several round peepholes, also round, and the peepholes were fitted with a lattice-like iron bar. Serpentine pipes extended from the throat on either side, leading to a tank on its back. It was a very strange looking place.
　If Yakumo's father had been here, he must have muttered, 'A diving suit, huh?
　For a moment, Yakumo thought the other man was a golem, but the rest of his body was that of a human, although he had large cuirasses in both hands.

''You're the one who's spreading the Golden Pill around... right?''
How true. So this is Orphans' dog.

　Apparently, he had a self-serving misunderstanding, but for convenience, Yakumo didn't dare to correct him.

''What exactly is this medicine?　It's not just a potion to fool a scam, is it?
Law. That's pretty sharp. Well, this is a sieve, if you will. It's a sieve, you know, to separate the people who are qualified and those who are not.

　Suitability?　You think they're looking for a potential candidate with this drug?　Yakumo tried to think about the meaning of the words, but there was no answer. Then, until he heard it directly.

''[Gate]
Huh?

　He opened the [Gate] to the right side of the man in the diving suit (or not, I don't know if it is). The man in the diving suit received Yakumo's unannounced strike, which moved in an instant, with the hatchet he pulled out from behind his waist.

''!''

　Ghin!　And both jumped back with a sound.
　Yakumo was surprised. It's not just a matter of time before you'll be able to use it. It's a good thing that the other party accepted this sword, which says that nothing in this world can be cut through magical power.
　But for some reason the man in the diving suit seemed to be similarly surprised.

"Did you catch my 'Deep Blue'...?

　He looks at the dull metallic blue glowing hatchet in his hand and appears to be stunned.
　Yakumo does not miss that opening. He instantly closes the distance and slashes the sword up from underneath in an inverted manner.

''Mph!

　The tip of the sword slashes slightly through the serpentine pipe that was at the throat of the man in the diving suit.
　A golden mist leaked from the pipe and drifted around the area. For some reason, Yakumo, who had a bad feeling, jumped back from the spot.

''Kutu...!　 You can report to the Dragon and Phoenix King of Orphans. That in time, our 'Messenger of the Evil God' will return this world to what it should be.
''The 'Messenger of the Evil One'........?　d*mn, I'll wait, that I will!

　Before Yakumo could shout, the man in the diving suit toppled to the ground as if he were diving into the water and disappeared.
　Perhaps it was transference magic. The man was already not here.

''Apostle of the Evil One..... It looks like Grandma Tokie's bad premonition was right, that it was.

　In a small murmur, Yakumo quietly put his beloved sword into its scabbard, as if to calm himself down.