It had been several hours since Melson had flown out of the Imperial Castle, and the sun was fast approaching its end.

'We've scoured the log cabin along the coast, but we didn't see a man who looked like that.
...... Yeah.

　The search continues for the man who decimated the assassin's gang Dabast.

Seven houses are vacant and nine are absent, of which three have signs of dogs.
Then start with those three houses and go over them thoroughly. But be careful not to provoke them too much.
"Ha.

　Melson gave his instructions and lay down on the bed, ready for bed. Thoughts raced around in his head.

　A man with a dog would be a terribly strong opponent. The instructions to the shadows are based on the idea that we would be in danger if we provoked them poorly. However, because of that, it was also thought that the investigation was going to be difficult. Even if they found it, there was a strong possibility that they wouldn't be able to get any cooperation from it.

　If they didn't do it soon, everything would start moving around Seven and the Empire would collapse. It still didn't seem that way to Melson.

　There was no better way to stop it than to do something about Seven as the center.


'Hopefully they'll find us tomorrow: ......

　The faint voice that muttered with a sigh disappeared emphatically into the room alone.



　　◇ ◇ ◇



　Since arriving in this world, Linjia Olingyuan has been living a very comfortable life.

　He had long dreamed of a life of abundant nature and had a vague longing for the term "slow life". This was long before he was reincarnated into this world in the form of a sub-character, in secret.

　But life, funds, society, others, and his body get in the way.

　In his previous life, he could not finally achieve the life he wanted.


　In his previous life, he worked as a so-called "professional gamer". He was a member of a Japanese professional gaming team.

　He is from China, his parents are Chinese, his nationality is Japanese, and his name is Yu Yamamoto. He speaks Japanese with no problems, but his pronunciation has a slight accent.

　As such, his origins are a bit more complicated than those of the people around him. Hence, he has been exposed to more than a little prejudice and has had a hard time since he was a child. Even after entering university, he was greatly troubled.


　Maybe that's why. He gradually turned to online games. In games, race, nationality and sometimes even language are not important factors.

　He had an exceptional talent for gameplay. In no time at all, he became a regular in the world rankings, began to be recognized by others, and lived a fulfilling life. ...... He made a big decision.

　After graduating from college, he became a professional gamer. He decided to make a living doing what he loved to do for a living.


　...... Immediately, he found gaming to be boring.

　It seemed like a common mistake, but he didn't realize the possibility until he was a part of it. To him, the game was just a game. It's a dream come true to turn a game into a career," he says.

　In reality, it's much more than a game; it's a job with constant scrutiny, obligation and responsibility, with no room for negligence and a constant need to win, no matter what. Gradually, the line between life and work became blurred, and I began to spend all hours of the day worrying and worrying about the game and "having to" play it.


　Some of the people around him have come to terms with it well and enjoy it. But he just can't do it.

　What started out as a flirtatious online distribution of games became less and less frequent in order to secure time for practice and to protect confidential information such as strategy, and eventually the distribution has been stagnant for over two years.

　The reality is so far removed from the ideal he had envisioned. He lost his play, free time and mental health at the same time and wanted to quit again and again.

　But once he started doing it, he had a life and responsibilities. If he quit, how would he find another job? I'm not sure of my education or my background. There are too many things to think about. Hence, excuses run ahead of you even before you think about it. It was not so easy for him to quit the job.

　He was probably not suited to it. But he was extremely good at playing, so he kept on playing, just out of sheer inertia.


　During those days, it was always the slow life that I thought of as an escape from reality. I would live in a house by the sea in the midst of nature, fishing on sunny days and reading a book in the house on rainy days. I used to fantasize before going to bed about living a leisurely life like that one day.

　It would be different if he could share those modest dreams with someone else. But he had told a friend about it once in the past, and she had ridiculed him for not fitting in with her character, and he hadn't been able to tell anyone about it since.


　-- the turning point was abrupt. It was the Mövius Online 3,000 cracking incident.

　He was severely annoyed at having his most successful earnings destroyed, but at the same time he felt blown away.

　He had made up his mind. A decision to take this opportunity to try something else.

　Citing mental shock, he asked for a leave of absence for a while and planned to go fishing and camping, something he hadn't been able to do before, even if he wanted to.

　Naturally, he was on his own. I don't have any friends to go with me. He was almost a beginner, but he'd already done some fishing on the bank once a month or so, and watched some camping videos to prepare for it, so he figured he wouldn't have a problem on his own.


　--The fall was also sudden.

　He had gone fishing alone to a rocky shore, a famous fishing spot, when he slipped on a piece of laver and fell into the sea.

　It was his first time fishing from the rocky shore. He didn't bother to buy spiked shoes. The life jacket he was wearing was also very poorly made and cheap. The waves and the swell of the sea were so strong that it was dangerous to have a proper buoyancy in the rocky shore. In addition, this is a place that should always be visited by at least two people so that you can help each other in an emergency.

　As a result, he was rescued by other anglers who happened to be there and taken to a nearby hospital, but it was too late .......


　--Then came the biggest turning point.

　Then came the biggest turning point in his career as a professional gamer, a system he was forced to know all about. I've become a socially powerful person by accident. He had plenty of free time and money to spare, and he would never die from a fall into the sea. He could live his life doing only what he liked, so to speak, in an ideal world (...).

　Yes, for him, too, this was the "best world"....



　　* * * *



　It's been three days since Melson and Nato disappeared from the Imperial Castle. I'm doing the general's work for Nato, so even though I'm getting used to it, to be honest, I'm still busy with the mess.

　Still, Light and I ate a solid meal together at least once a day. It's now a habit.


''-- Look. I made today's lunch, and it's brilliant for a first time, isn't it?　Oh, no, it's not like I made it for you or anything. On a whim, yes, just on a whim, I wanted to try to cook. Don't get me wrong?

　Today's lunch was called out by Light, who seemed to be in a somewhat fluffy mood. When I sat down at the table as prompted, Light started talking about such things quickly in front of the omelet he brought by himself. He speaks rather a lot and doesn't make eye contact at all. Now, this guy is nervous, isn't he?

That's good-looking fried rice.
It's an omelet, you idiot!
Just kidding.
f*ck it.

　Now that's some unraveling.


　...... And yet, I see, it's cooking.

　Somehow, I thought it might be. Since that day when he made me tea, I thought that Wright was interested in "making something for someone else".


　The omelet looks great, frankly. You can tell at a glance that he must have put a lot of care into it.

　With a spoon, I gently brought the dish to my mouth, which was probably the first time Wright had ever made it in his life.

'Oh,'
So, what do you think?
Awesome. It's good.
"Yahhhhhhhh ...... wait a minute, what do you mean by astonished?
No, it's good, it's good, it's just plain good.
What do you mean by that?

　Wright was insanely happy inside, making it look like he was angry. There's no doubt about it because of the grin on his face. Knowing this, the maid also feigned a sullen face, but she couldn't hide her grin.

''It's delicious. The texture is interesting too.''
...... right?　Seven is always a big bite, so I cut the chicken and onions into larger pieces to make them more filling. I also chose a ketchup with a little more acidity. The egg was very mild. I cut the garnish salad into thin slices and used garlic oil to intensify the flavors so that they could be eaten together to change the flavors. Oh, yeah, did you get the secret ingredient?

　When I told him what I thought seriously, Wright began to speak as if he had broken the dam. He said that he made it more elaborate than I expected. What a fun way to talk.

　Hmmm, a secret ingredient. I guess I can actually tell.

'Tabasco?'
'How did you know?　Correct!

　No, you watched me pouring it on the pizza yesterday and you looked so interested in it.

　Yeah, now that I think about it, she asked me if I liked spicy food. Or, "You don't like vegetables? I was asked a lot of questions, I guess.

"Seven, you've got a surprisingly good tongue. I'm impressed with this light.
Stop talking like an Olympian.
Haha.

　He's in a good mood, just look at him. I guess I'm gaining confidence in my cooking.


　...... You're enjoying yourself, Wright.

　I couldn't help but smile when I saw him smiling in a good mood.

　A place in my heart where I can engage with others and naturally smile. If you can find that kind of thing, you won't be as cynical as you already are.

　For what it's worth, he's following my advice to find a purpose in life, and it makes me want to support him in his health.

　The prince is cooking. It's good. What's wrong with that? I don't care what anyone says, I'll be rooting for you. I don't care what they say, I'm rooting for you, even if it's the Emperor.


What the f*ck? Don't laugh.
It was priceless. You should make him one day.
'　Well ......, well, someday?

　His face still twitches at the mention of the emperor, but it's still definitely better than before, when he was depressed and depressed each time.

　That's good, Light. That's good, Light.

　As long as I'm enjoying my life, my cold father and my scary sister are nothing to sneeze at, they're nothing to sneeze at.


Excuse me, sir. Sir, I'd better be off.
Oh, is it that time already?

　As I was mulling over my after-dinner tea, Olympia came to pick me up.

　After this was the strategy meeting with the Emperor? That one was just a Texan, "You're a quintessential Seven! Don't you have any funny ideas? I'm impressed! It's easy for me because I get compliments like that.

　As for me, I hate just thinking about the paperwork afterwards. It's going to take me until midnight again. It's a good idea to have a brainwashed Joe to help you out, and I'd rather throw it all in with Olympia: ...... No, let's not. I'm sure you'll be happy to do it all night long, which is disgusting.

　I mean, I don't know why I'm working so diligently for so many days. Wasn't it a vacation?　There have been no assassinations in three days. That's not what you said, Winfild.


"Phew, thank you for the food.

　I finished my tea and sat up to say a few words to Wright.

　Then Wright nodded shyly, "......n".

　And the moment I was about to walk out the door, "Seven! He called out to me.

　I turn around, and after a moment's hesitation, Wright continues to speak.

'...... Oh, we'll have stew tomorrow,'

　From ......?


So eat a good dinner and get some rest tomorrow night. You'll be up all night again tonight, won't you?

!


　Wright uttered that clearly.

　It was unthinkable before. I'm sure that if this guy was worried about someone else, he wouldn't be able to talk about it, that's what I could assure him.

　It's a good thing to have a place in your heart ...... and it seems to have worked better than you can imagine.


It's a good idea. You're good at cooking.

?

　Please, please keep it going. It's going to be so much fun to watch.


You'd make a good housewife.


　As I left the room with a snide remark, the light's "Shut up!" through the closing door. I heard a cheerful voice say, "I'm not sure.


　I guess we'll be having stew for dinner tomorrow night.

　Well, I must finish the paperwork by then.



　　* * * *



'Is ......?　Omelette ......?

　Inside the luxurious room, Casablanca, kneeling in front of Spica Amrit, who was sitting deep on the sofa, nonchalantly gave a report on today's surveillance (...).

　Hearing this, Spica opened her mouth, looking severely irritated.

'What's that ......?　I ask you every day, right?　But you said you were busy at work ...... and you were eating an omelet without me looking ......?　You said it was good six times?　You only had one when it happened to me.　And what do you think of the texture?　Did you guess the secret ingredient?　Huh?　You can be a good husband, can you? ......?

　With a clatter, the glass in his hand tilts and wine overflows on the floor.


　And when Spica thought she squeezed the glass - with all her strength, she threw it at Casablanca.


'It's your fault!　If only you had explored more of Seven's tastes and cooked for it!　They didn't like me more!　If only you had made an omelette that day!

　As if a child had thrown a tantrum, Spica loudly hit Casablanca hard.

　Spica's words that he had said he had cooked the food himself back then were a downright lie.

'I have money, status and power!　More than anyone else in the country!　If I could get him interested in the food, get him drunk on fine wine, show him my trust by revealing your identity and tickling his ambition, it would have worked!　I could have been with him by now!　And yet!　Your cooking has ruined a thousand opportunities!

　He blames Casablanca for everything, ranting and raving about things he doesn't understand and throwing things on the desk at random.

　But Casablanca doesn't even pretend to avoid it.

　The next thing you know, Spica is getting tired and thrusts her hands into the couch and opens her mouth while staring into the void.

'...... But Seven is Seven too. Why?　Why are you putting that little b*tc* in front of me and not me!　I don't get it!　You could have given me more credit that day!　I'm all about Casablanca and I'm all about the equipment and I'm left alone!　I have this room, this Casablanca, this ring, this jewelry, this equipment, I have it all!　All of them are all mine, all of them are mine!　So why don't you give me any credit for that!

　After hitting the couch repeatedly, Spica just nuzzled her face into the cushions and screamed with tears streaming down her face.

　Casablanca just watched it, silent and expressionless.


'............ no more. I'm going to get my dad (・・・・) to praise me.

　When I thought I had cried for a moment, Spica said that in a sulky way.

'Seven, that's enough. It's time to give up. I'm going to get it, I'm going to get it.

　They also say things that seem contradictory.

'What shall I do... ............ Ah!

　Then suddenly, with a gulp, he looked up from the cushions.

'Oh, I see ...... Oh, what, that's easy ...... I don't know how I didn't notice that .......'

　Muttering to himself, he stands up and smiles, and continues to speak, smiling.


'Just ask your father for help.'

　Because if you touch it, that's all you have to do - and that's all you have to do.



　　◇ ◇ ◇.



　It had already been four days since Melson and the others began their search for the man who had destroyed the assassination organization Dabast.

　They had a good idea that it was probably this house, but the owner of the house had been absent for a long time.

　There was no sign of his return. However, he didn't seem to have been gone for a long time.

　It was time for him to come back. Melson has been waiting in front of the house for four days now, hoping that he will come back soon.


　He has been waiting in front of the house for four days now, hoping that he will come back.

　But Melson is unexpectedly calm.

　Or should I say, he was prepared to leave it to the heavens. Or should I say she left her luck to the heavens?

　The only thing she had left to do was to wait. That was all she had to do.

　She had staked everything on the man who lived in this house.



''-- Your Highness.''

　Nato, who had been waiting with Melson in the evening, whispered.

'Yes,'

　Melson nodded and looked in the direction of the footsteps (...).


　One is unwavering, the other is busy ...... one and one footstep.

　And--.


Who are you?


　--Rinsee-woman Reihime appeared.