Chapter 42

As Iber left the kitchen with the dinner, the room suddenly began to buzz.

Perhaps it was because the strange tension that had been present while Iber was there had finally dissipated... or perhaps it was the sweet temptation of the desserts left on the table.

“Lina… what are we going to do with the leftover pudding?”

Monica, the hyena, asked with a smile.

Honestly, I don’t want to turn around.

Because… it’s not just Monica, right? I can tell you all are thinking the same thing.

By the way, we made seven puddings, and Prince Egedilus, Prince Schueler, and Iber took some... leaving four.

There are five unbaked French toasts.

There are about twenty people here, though I haven’t counted.

It’s overwhelmingly not enough…

And I don’t have the energy to make more.

“Do you know rock-paper-scissors?”

Lina asked, deciding this was the only way to handle the situation since these people don’t seem to know the word “share.”

“...What is it?”

Lady Rana, the head maid, tilted her head. Everyone else seemed equally clueless, with question marks practically appearing above their heads.

“...Rock-paper-scissors is...”

Lina explained the rules: paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beat paper. After explaining it thoroughly, everyone nodded in understanding.

“...So... that’s what you mean...”

Lina picked up one of the puddings, ladled some of her usual soup, and placed a piece of her usual hard bread on a tray, heading towards the dining room. Monica and the others, not understanding what was happening, watched Lina’s every move, their brows furrowed.

“Huh? ...Lina?”

“What do you mean by that?”

Lady Rana and Chef Rick, who hadn’t expected to be left out, asked almost simultaneously, “What do you mean?”

“I just taught you rock-paper-scissors, right?”

“...Uh...”

“The ones who want the leftovers can play rock-paper-scissors, and the winners can eat them.”

She decided to leave it to them, as she was too bothered to make more. Her enthusiasm had cooled, and she thought she could deal with it another day.

“““Eeeeeeeeh!?”””

A long, loud booing echoed through the kitchen. They were shocked by her sudden delegation, perhaps still hoping she would make more.

“If you want to eat, win at rock-paper-scissors!! That’s it.”

Lina, finding it too troublesome, ignored the booing and started eating her usual dinner in silence, saving the pudding for last.

She decided to enjoy her dinner slowly while watching the battle for the puddings and French toasts unfold next to her.

“Rick already ate the crispy cheese, so he’s fine...”

One person’s comment sparked the battle.

“No way!! That was just a little bit!?”

“But he did eat it... right?”

“No!! ...Besides! Lina said to play rock-paper-scissors, right!?”

“The boss should be the one to yield...”

“Are you crazy!! If you’re the head chef, you need to know the taste!?”

“““We can’t hear you!”””

“...What!?”

Amid the chaos in the kitchen, Lina, with a hollow laugh, thought, “This looks fun...” as she sipped her soup.