Chapter 8 Dinner
After leaving the cafeteria, I tried my best to guide Yuruyana to the shop while listening to his desires for this and that.
Yuruyana used my looks and acting skills to negotiate discounts and get services, but luckily, we both had Arcane Art bags.
This saved us from the awkward stares of 'a woman shopping too much and her porter.'
"Can we use the kitchen at Tsukumo's house?"
"I've tested it out."
"Hmm, then I'll cook dinner tonight."
Yuruyana was biting into a crepe while saying that.
I was amazed he could think about dinner while eating this.
"Can you really cook?"
"Of course! Food is the easiest and closest medicine."
"Oh..."
He said something so serious, it impressed me for a moment.
Despite his flashy and business-like ways, he might be someone trustworthy as a pharmacist.
"Should I wear a frilly apron while I cook?"
"Please don't."
I take back what I said; that might actually be a bad idea.
When we got home, Yuruyana quickly checked the kitchen equipment and started cooking.
Just as he said, he was efficient.
While boiling water in a small pot, he skillfully peeled and cut vegetables small.
Now, he was beating eggs.
"Oh, make a salad too, just whatever is fine. You can make something that doesn't need tasting, right?"
"...That's true."
I thought it was better not to touch food someone else would eat, but raw vegetables didn't matter.
I picked a few items from today's groceries, washed them, soaked sliced onions in water, ripped lettuce, and cut tomatoes into wedges, just tossing them together.
Then, Yuruyana took some of the onions.
He chopped and tossed them into a soup made from chicken and vegetables.
It was a bit messy.
Meanwhile, Yuruyana was steadily making omelets using 2 eggs per person, full of chopped potatoes and carrots.
I boredly made an oil-based dressing when Yuruyana glanced over at my hands.
I understood what he meant, so I nodded.
"Don't worry, I'll measure everything, so there won't be any mistakes."
"I see."
For a dressing, if you measure all the ingredients just like the recipe, it won't taste strange.
So, I sat down at a table with someone after a long time.
Yuruyana eagerly speared the vegetables with a fork and ate them with a big, unrefined bite.
"Oh, the dressing is good."
"An ex-coworker's family runs a restaurant. They taught me."
"That's why it's delicious."
I can smell it, so I can tell the dressing I made after so long turned out well, and probably that the omelette Yuruyana made is delicious too.
But when I put it in my mouth, it's still like nothing, just chewing and swallowing as usual.
"Yup, delicious! As expected of me."
Meanwhile, the annoyingly confident person kept saying "delicious, delicious" all by himself, eating away without waiting for my opinion, and neatly cleaned his plate.
It seemed like the cat, barely covered outside, was off duty now, watching me finish eating while gnawing on a spoon, then suddenly, it opened its mouth.
"Hey, that pan... There's no magic on it, right?"
"Ah, probably just anti-stick and rust prevention. Maybe some non-burn too."
Even after being left for 5 years, when I checked the kitchen, there was no rust or dirt, just a wash and it was ready to use.
"I guess it's got some Arcane Art on it. It's luxurious to have magic on everyday items."
"Is that so? Most of the kitchenware at my parents' place had it too."
Of course, the supplier was my grandfather.
He gave away the things he used in the military to his juniors when he retired.
"...Now I understand why Kreis General Store has such a good reputation."
"Reason?"
"They sold quality Arcane Art tools at prices commoners could afford, and they also took care of making and repairing Arcane Machinery on the side."
A spoon was poked into my face, and I tried to recall my memories.
When Grandfather had free time, he would pick up items from the store and tell me, 'This has this kind of effect,' and he would also teach me how to give them their powers.
He always started by putting magic on the items when he bought them.
Before I went to the academy, I helped him with his work sometimes.
"Now that you mention it, sure, we had normal goods too, but most were Arcane Art tools that Grandfather had given some effect."
"Yeah, that's right. So it's an [Arcane general store]."
"An Arcane general store..."
When he said that, it suddenly clicked.
I always wondered why Grandfather, being an Arcane Engineer, ran a general store instead of a workshop, but he was just using his skills his own way.
"If you don't want to lend me the store, then Tsukumo can be the owner, and you can put My medicine there too. Tsukumo has the skills to carry on what Mr. Momota did."
"I should take over Grandfather's store...?"
When I was little, I had dreams of playing with machines next to Grandfather.
──The chair in the back of the counter is a place no one else can sit, and it's also a place of longing.
"Hmmm..."
"Well, it's good not to easily agree to requests from someone you just met."
Yuruyana stood up with a sly grin and put the dishes in the sink,
"I'll leave the cleaning to you! I'm going to make some sleeping medicine, so please don't peek."
He said something like the crane from the fairy tales I read as a child.
"Can I peek?"
"Sure, just take a warm shower and get ready for bed. Bye!"
The man, who never stays still, said this with a determined face, and he went off to what he calls his 'base'.
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