Chapter 5

I want you to imagine this.

A stainless steel kitchen with the scent of old Showa... No, a scene where a blonde, blue-eyed handsome prince is in the kitchen. And to top it off, an armored knight in silver armor with an apron on top. It’s a mix of awe and some indescribable emotion that makes my chest feel muddled.

By the way, the bathroom issue was resolved when my sister quickly changed and returned, guiding Prince Cain.

"Mr. Jade, so... does the presence of the prince mean we’re having dinner here?"

"Probably. It seems the serving maid is here, and there are more than twice the usual number of soldiers guarding the house..."

At Mr. Jade’s words, I looked towards the living room and saw three older sisters in maid uniforms standing silently.

The living room, filled with the atmosphere of Showa (complete with a low table), now had maids. The sight of maid uniforms on the tatami floor made me feel a bit dizzy.

From the kitchen window, I could see even more intense security. The soldiers with stern faces were staring at me intently.

—Troubling.

Since my parents died, I’ve been doing the housework and cooking for my sister, but I’m just an amateur. I’m not an incredible cook. My cooking is just home-style.

The idea of a maid serving my omelet rice to the prince...?

"Mr. Jade, are you serious? You’re joking, right? Can I run away?"

"I understand how you feel. Yes. But running away is not an option."

Mr. Jade said with a smile.

The moment I felt despair, the electronic sound of the rice cooker rang out, perfectly timed.

While my mind was frantically trying to find a way out, my body moved on its own towards the rice cooker that had just finished cooking. I opened the lid, and steam rose up, revealing the shiny white rice.

—Good.

My stomach growled softly. Maybe because I went to the market in the morning, I was unusually hungry. It’s a bit frustrating that my stomach is growling in this situation.

I stirred the fluffy rice with a rice paddle and portioned out the necessary amount into a bowl.

—I’ll leave the corn soup to Mr. Jade. For the sake of healing my heart.

The heat had dissipated, so I put the mixture I cooked earlier into the blender. Mr. Jade, who was fascinated by this mysterious new tool, was very excited.

Ignoring his curious gaze, I plugged in the power and gestured for him to come closer.

With a puzzled look, he approached. Without saying anything, I pressed the switch for a moment.

—Whirrr!

"Whoa!?"

He was startled and quickly put his hand on the sword at his waist. I couldn’t help but step back, hoping he wouldn’t draw his sword, but I felt a bit vindicated for surprising him.

"Was that wind magic...!? Did you activate it in this small bottle...?"

"No, no!"

Again, it was treated as a magical device. I tried to calm him down, explaining that it wasn’t magic but an electric device. When he tried to interpret it as "thunder magic," I quickly corrected him.

He seemed to understand that pressing the button would blend the contents, though his face showed a mix of understanding and confusion.

He cautiously pressed the button, and the blender whirred, making him very excited.

When the mixture was smooth, I strained it through a fine-mesh sieve.

Mr. Jade, who had also strained the custard through a tea strainer, did it skillfully. Just like with the custard, you can’t cut corners here. Strain it carefully to get a smooth texture. By the way, we don’t have a sieve at home. I should have bought one.

After straining it a few times, I transferred it to a small pot, heated it, and added milk. Since the potatoes make it thicker, be careful not to let it burn. Stir gently with a wooden spatula.

When it became a bit runny, I added the reserved corn, seasoned with salt and pepper, and let it come to a boil. Add dried parsley to taste when eating.

Tasting it, the sweetness of the corn spread in my mouth.

I served a small portion to Mr. Jade for him to taste. The moment he put it in his mouth, his eyes widened. His cheeks relaxed, and his face said it was delicious.

Seeing this, I felt happy and made a small victory pose, making sure Mr. Jade didn’t see it.

The only thing left is to finish the omelet rice.

I heated the frying pan and added bacon.

The sizzling smell was good.

A little smoke rose, and the delicious fat seeped out. When enough fat had come out, I took the bacon out. It shouldn’t be too crispy. The texture is important when it will be eaten with soft rice.

I sautéed the onions in the flavorful bacon fat until they were soft, then added the bacon back.

I mixed the soft onions and fragrant bacon a few times, pushed them to the side, and added ketchup to the empty space.

The ketchup bubbled. The water evaporated, and the flavor concentrated. The acidity also decreased, making it a two-for-one deal.

I added granulated bouillon and sugar to the ketchup, as my sister likes sweet flavors. Then I mixed the ingredients and rice with the ketchup and cooked it a bit.

The result was a soft, shiny, bright red bacon ketchup rice. For those who don’t mind the calories, you can add butter here.

Now, the eggs.

Today, I’ll use a standard thin omelet.

Breaking the eggs with a knife to get a runny yolk is nice, but I’ll go with a regular one.

The reason is that the success rate of the runny yolk is low. I’m not very skilled. If I put on a show and failed, it would be embarrassing. I’ve been educating my sister that runny yolks are for restaurants, so she shouldn’t complain. By the way, I don’t need any consolation.

A small piece of butter in the frying pan, with the heat on low.

Pour the eggs in before the pan gets too hot.

The butter sizzled and released a good smell. I stirred the eggs with chopsticks and spread them in the pan to make them round. I piled more eggs in the center and made the edges thinner.

When the edges were crispy and the center was a bit runny, I added a portion of the ketchup rice in the center.

I folded the front and back parts of the egg over the rice and tilted the pan to the back.

Then, I flipped the omelet onto a flat plate.

The omelet was a beautiful oval shape.

I ignored the professional housewife’s gaze, which was trying to shape it. This is important.

The final result just needs to look good.

...I don’t need any consolation...

◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇

“Where are the maids?”

When I peeked into the living room, the maids who were sitting on the tatami, giving off a strange vibe, were gone. Only my sister, Prince Cain, and the dachshund Leon were there. By the way, the sofa was placed directly on the tatami.

“They were sent home. This is my house. I don’t need the fuss of serving.”

My sister’s eyes were scary.

It seems she had some thoughts from her life in this world. Prince Cain was smiling wryly at her.

...It’s probably better not to delve too deeply.

“...Ah, right. Well, it’s fine. The food is ready, so I’ll bring it in.”

“Okay. Cain, where are you sitting? Let’s go.”

“What, me too!?”

“Of course. I already said, this is my house. If you’re here, you have to follow my house rules! Come on, stand up!”

My sister kicked Prince Cain’s butt lightly.

The shocking scene made me almost roll my eyes. I was chilled by my sister’s bold move. Mr. Jade also looked pale.

But, while we were panicking, Prince Cain, with a slightly troubled look, followed my sister’s orders. “Hinori is hopeless,” he said, but he seemed a bit happy. ...Could Prince Cain be used to this? Has my sister been treating the royal family like this since she came to this world?

...I feel like I should prostrate myself.

—Did I raise my sister wrong!?

I clutched my head and crouched down. Someone patted my back and comforted me. It was kind, but I deserved it. Thank you... When I turned around, I saw the innocent face of our dog, demanding food.

...Damn.

I arranged four servings of food on the low table.

The buttery, golden omelet rice. The other dish was creamy corn soup. The moment I set them down, the living room was filled with the delicious smell.

My sister, who was arranging the food, swallowed hard and urged everyone to hurry.

Mr. Jade, the guard knight, also joined us. This was because we applied the house rules. Food is for everyone to enjoy! My sister, with a proud look, made Mr. Jade a bit uncomfortable. ...Indeed, if I were in his position, I’d rather not eat with the royal family. I can empathize with Mr. Jade.

Despite this, Prince Cain was looking at the omelet rice from above and from the side, seemingly fascinated.

Moreover, sitting on the floor to eat was a new experience for him! He seemed very excited. Well, it is a low table... But I hope he can forgive it since I provided fluffy cushions for the guests.

“Let’s eat!”

My sister declared energetically and eagerly spooned the corn soup.

“Mmm! It’s sweet! This corn is so sweet! It’s like there’s sugar in it.”

“There’s no sugar. Actually, there’s salt.”

“That just means the original corn is sweet. I love the rich texture of the corn soup you make, big sister!”

Seeing my sister happily drinking the soup made me feel it was worth the effort.

I noticed Mr. Jade was also watching my sister with a happy look. He helped a lot, after all.

We made eye contact, and I gave him a small thumbs up. We shared a secret smile.

I took a spoonful of the soup.

The moment it hit my tongue, it was surprisingly sweet. It wasn’t my sister, but it tasted like sugar. However, the sweetness was natural and not cloying.

After a while, the flavor shifted to butter, and I wanted another spoonful.

Another swallow.

Thanks to the potatoes, it had a rich texture. It felt more like chewing with my tongue than drinking. The occasional corn kernels were fun to bite.

“Indeed, this soup is delicious. ...This is the taste Hinori likes.”

“Yeah. All the food big sister makes is delicious! Look, try the omelet rice too!”

“Ah.”

Prince Cain’s gaze on the soup was gentle. He picked up a spoon and took a bite of the omelet rice.

“Rice...? I’ve never had it before, but each grain is infused with the flavor of bacon and the acidity of the red sauce... Yes, it’s delicious. The eggs balance the strong flavors. The butter aroma is also good.”

“Right! We use bacon instead of chicken, which is our style. It’s fragrant and delicious! By the way, the red sauce is called ketchup.”

I also took a bite of the omelet rice.

The center of the egg was a bit runny, and it mixed well with the sweet and sour bacon ketchup rice.

Smooth, fluffy.

The rich, soft rice was occasionally punctuated by the flavorful bacon. The bacon, though cooked and slightly less fatty, still had a lot of flavor. It was cut thickly, providing a satisfying texture. I found myself searching for the bacon as I ate. Finding it made me feel a bit happy.

—Yes, it turned out delicious.

“Ketchup. Is it a seasoning from your world? It seems to go well with both meat and vegetables.”

“Do you not have tomatoes here?”

“Hmm? Oh, is this made from tomatoes?”

“Yes! This is a commercial product, but the ketchup big sister makes is also delicious!”

As we talked, we realized that all the plates were empty before we knew it.

My sister even said, “I want more!”

I prepared green tea for everyone. It seems green tea is rare here, and when I mentioned it’s made from the same leaves as black tea, Prince Cain was very surprised.

The warm cups were perfect for the chilly weather, and we held them with both hands, enjoying the warmth.

Sipping the green tea, the rich flavors in our mouths were refreshed. I thought, “This is perfect after a meal.”

As we relaxed, Prince Cain, after placing his empty cup down, suddenly looked straight at my sister and me and bowed.

“Today, I was treated to a feast. Thank you. And please allow me to apologize.”

“Huh?”

The sudden formal atmosphere made my face twitch.

—A royal apology, this is a big deal!

Surprised, I looked around. My sister was sitting on her heels, looking down, and Mr. Jade was listening solemnly with his head bowed.

“We called you to this world for our convenience and placed a lot of burdens on Hinori. We imposed our situation on her, pushing her to her limits. I am truly sorry.

Aka-san, too. We confined her in the palace and asked her to cook in an unfamiliar world, which was a great burden. I think it was presumptuous of us. However, I want to protect this country. To cleanse the evil that has accumulated over centuries, we need Hinori’s power... Please forgive our selfishness.”

“...”

My sister remained silent.

I couldn’t immediately respond.

Prince Cain’s eyes were serious, and each word seemed filled with sincerity and determination.

As a royal, protecting the country and its people is their duty. They bear a great responsibility, with the lives of tens of thousands of people at stake. They can’t hesitate to do what needs to be done to protect them.

His words were right, at least for this world.

But from our perspective, who were suddenly dragged into this?

Our lives were destroyed and taken away, and we were forced to live in an unfamiliar world.

Forgiving those who summoned us and the prince is easy.

Cleansing the evil comes with risks. To prepare for this, my sister is studying and training hard. For us, it’s a high-risk situation.

My innocent and energetic sister, who I hadn’t seen cry in a long time, came to me in tears, feeling the immense responsibility and pain.

...Moreover, all the risks and difficulties fall on my sister. I can only wait.

I raised my sister like a parent. She is precious and dear to me. I don’t want her to be in danger. That’s my true feeling.

But, because I raised her, I know.

“Cain is... Cain is very serious. Too serious.”

My sister said this with a slightly trembling voice.

“...I pushed myself too hard. If there’s something only I can do, I think I should do it. I’ll study and train hard. If you think I’m being selfish, then protect me properly. ...Eating big sister’s food makes me feel a hundred times better, and I can work hard!”

She said this, sniffing and looking away.

This is my sister.

Even when our parents and grandparents died, and I was crying, she would hug me silently and comfort me.

My precious sister, who is dear to me, is not the type to make mistakes about what she should do. Once she decides to do something, she will see it through.

So, as I have always done.

“My sister is right. I’ve been useless until now. I can’t contribute directly to this world like the holy girl, but you’ve given me a reason to cook.

...I will do my best to support my sister by making delicious meals here.”

I will do what I can for my sister in this house. I will protect her place here.

“Prince Cain, please take care of my sister.”

I said this with a smile, and Prince Cain smiled back, as if seeing something bright.

“...Yes. I swear to protect Hinori with all my heart.”

As we saw him off at the door, he bowed deeply and said,

“I think I understand why Hinori likes your cooking. I felt your kindness in each dish. ...I would like you to treat me again.”

And he left.

As I washed the used dishes, my sister suddenly hugged me from behind, making me stop.

“...Big sister, the food was delicious.”

“Yeah.”

“Can you make omelet rice again?”

“Next time, I’ll make omelet Hayashi.”

“...! I love you, big sister!”

I patted her thin arms around my stomach.

Feeling her warmth on my back, I thought about what to make tomorrow, drifting into thoughts of the near future.