At any rate, the conversation was over for the time being…… Though I say that, it’s more like this topic was just postponed for a later date. As I had thought, Kaori-san was quick with her switchovers as she continued with her cooking, and soon after, delicious looking Pork Shogayaki Set Meals were prepared in front of Olivia-san and me.
[Thank you for waiting! Here you go.]
[It looks delicious. The shogayaki smells great.]
The combination of a heaping pile of shredded cabbage, delicious-looking shogayaki, and miso soup is wonderful, and this looks like it would be a great meal.
Not waiting any moment further, I took a bite of it, and it tasted exactly as I had expected. Or rather, it tastes exactly as what a shogayaki would taste.[It’s very tasty. I thought of this earlier as well, but it really seems that the dishes here were all high level, weren’t they?]
[Really? Fufufu, well, I’ve been the owner of a Set-meal restaurant for years after all. I’ve always been confident with my cooking, so with my experience here, I think I end up doing great.]
[Yes, great enough that I really want to eat all the other sets in order.]
[Whoa there, did I just get a nice repeat customer there?]
Her mood seemingly recovering, Kaori-san has a happy expression on her face.
At that moment, I glanced to the side and saw Olivia-san repeatedly holding and setting down her chopsticks.
[……Olivia-san?][Balance sure is a difficult thing to achieve.]
[Ahh, I’m sorry for not realizing it, Founder-sama. We also have knives and forks. If you really want to try using chopsticks, please use this……. a helping aid for those who aren’t used to chopsticks.]
Kaori-san takes out a tool that makes it easier to use chopsticks by attaching it near the handle…… I think that’s a tool used to help children learn how to use chopsticks back in Japan.
Chopsticks are rare in this world, so I guess she prepared them for such people.
[I appreciate your concern. I am not familiar with either utensils, so I will use the chopstick aid.]
Accepting the chopstick aid from Olivia-san, she attached it to her chopsticks and ate the shogayaki, covering her mouth with one hand. While Kaori-san looked at her nervously, Olivia-san moved her mouth so small that it was hard to tell if she was really chewing.
Then, seemingly as if she finished with a bite, she quietly spoke within the heavy silence.
[……It really is hard for me to describe.]
[W- Well, it would certainly be hard when you’ve almost never eaten a meal before.]
[However, I don’t feel displeased eating it, so I think this would be tasty. This is also the taste of the cuisine from the world Miyama Kaito-sama was, another thing that I have learned.]
Seeing Olivia-san lightly smiling as she said this, Kaori-san also looked somewhat relieved as she patted her chest.
From Olivia-san’s comment, or rather, the emotions I could feel from her, I could feel that it was somewhat positive, and I was a little happy because it seemed to me that this was somehow the result of the day’s work.
After she continued eating her set meal and a sip of her miso soup, Olivia-san spoke again.
[I can’t say that I’ve reached the stage where I could enjoy the flavor of food yet. I suppose this will be something I will continue to study.]
[Well, you don’t have to strain yourself about it. You can just take things easy. I think you will find your favorite taste after you have eaten food several times.]
[I see, I suppose so. “This place isn’t far from the Cathedral”, so I suppose “it would be easy for me to come and go here”.]
[ [ …….Unnn? ] ]
Hearing the words Olivia-san said, as if it were a matter of course, Kaori-san and I tilted our heads at almost the same time.
[……Olivia-san, what do you mean by come and go?]
[With today’s events, I’ve come to realize the importance of getting out learning, rather than just staying in the Cathedral. For this reason, I plan to continue to take opportunities to learn.]
Olivia-san responded to my words without any hesitation. No, I think that’s a good idea…… but considering what she just said earlier……
[Errr, Founder-sama? Ummm, does that mean you’ll be coming to dine at my place in the future?]
[Would I be troubling you?]
[N- No! By no means would you be trouble!]
[I would also like to learn the flavors that Miyama Kaito-sama prefers, so I will visit this restaurant often. The next time I have the opportunity to come with Miyama Kaito-sama, I think I will be able to use these chopsticks without any problem.]
[……I- I see…… I’ve got quite an amazing regular…… What should I do……]
The serious Olivia-san will definitely continue exerting effort to do this, so it’s likely she’ll come to this restaurant reasonably often.
Hearing Olivia-san’s words, for the umpteenth time of the day, Kaori-san had a distant look on her face.
<Afterword>
Serious-senpai : [I’m really starting to get the vibe that she’d end up becoming another stomach-aching character again……]
? ? ? : [Lilia-san of the Human Realm, Chronois-san of the God Realm, Lillywood-san of the Demon Realm, and Kaori-san from the other world…… Perfectly balanced, as all things should be.]
Serious-senpai : [In a bad way, that is.]
