Chapter 76

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Good morning.

Today's weather is sunny.

During yesterday's conversation with Degré, I accidentally forgot to ask about the source of the meat.

I remembered this at breakfast, and everyone was feeling down.

Their appetites seemed to have dropped even further.

So, I suggested that we rent the same room as yesterday and make lunch ourselves, and everyone's mood instantly lifted.

Mainly, it will be Jus and Shell doing the cooking!

The others, well...

The prince, the pope's son, and the son of the country's top merchant have no cooking experience.

There will be cooking classes in the second semester to prepare for next year's practical training, but for now, they have no experience at all.

Everyone is excitedly discussing what to make, but the seasonings in this world are limited to salt, pepper, and herbs.

Where are the miso and soy sauce?!

I'm really craving rice.

Even Jus says he's never seen it.

Maybe I should go on a journey to find rice?

According to the fourth son, Shota, in a different world, rice might not be recognized as rice, so it could be found if I look for it. He also mentioned that rice might be used as animal feed, and if I get some, people might be surprised. He also said there must be a country similar to Japan somewhere in this world.

I only half-remember this because I wasn't paying much attention, but it seems worth looking into.

While I was thinking about this, the morning classes had already ended.

Degré rushed to the cooking room as if he was skipping class.

Shell and Jus joined us along the way.

So, what should we make?

After washing our hands, we decided to make pork cutlets since we had pork monsters yesterday.

We don't want to spend too much time, so a simple pork cutlet will do.

We used a root vegetable called Jija, which is shaped like a taro and has a ginger-like flavor, an onion-like vegetable called Onio, and some green papaya that we bought earlier, grated and mixed with red wine to make a sauce.

We seasoned the meat with salt and pepper, seared it over high heat to get a nice crust, and then simmered it over low heat until the sauce reduced and the meat was cooked through.

I did all the seasoning.

Shell was in charge of shredding the cabbage.

Jus was responsible for cooking.

We decorated the plate with tomatoes and boiled broccoli and added some bread to make a one-plate meal.

It's simpler than usual, but I think it tastes pretty good.

The grated Onio and green papaya help to tenderize the meat!

Everyone ate in silence.

I found it amusing that they were tearing up a bit.

Despite cutting the meat into thick slices and giving each person three pieces, they finished it in no time.

They looked dazed as they stared at their empty plates.

"Kaito-sama, you're a genius! I thought the chef's cooking yesterday was the best, but you've surpassed it!"

Degré said this with a serious face.

Everyone nodded in agreement, and Jus chuckled.

If I had miso and soy sauce, I could make it even better, I'm sure.

Though, I'm not sure if they would like it.

Oh, and it's really disappointing that the school's bread is so expensive.

We need to improve the bread, don't we?

The bread at the castle has become softer, so I hope the chef will work on the meat as well.

We ended up making dinner here again and then went to the afternoon classes.

During the class, I was bored and wanted to do something, but I didn't want to cause a commotion, so I took a nap.

The sofa bed is amazing! It's soft, warm, and smells like the sun.

Haku can actually grow huge, so a Haku bed is my hope for summer. It would be cool and refreshing.

For dinner, we made fried chicken.

We seasoned the chicken monster meat, cut into large bite-sized pieces, with salt, pepper, a basil-like herb, green papaya, garlic called Galike, and grated Jija root, and then marinated it in a little white wine.

After letting it sit for a while, we coated it in flour and fried it in oil.

The sizzling sound made my mouth water, but I held back.

Grandma's recipe calls for double frying.

First, we fry it in low-temperature oil to cook it through, and then in high-temperature oil to make it crispy.

I fried a lot, expecting everyone to eat a lot.

We also made a salad and Onio soup.

I don't need the hard bread.

Let's eat!

It didn't turn into a fierce battle, but the bowl of fried chicken, which was so large I couldn't carry it, was finished in no time.

I was full after three pieces, but how many did everyone else eat?

Shell, Jus, and Degré helped with the cleanup.

I fell asleep.

For the next two days, we went to the cooking room for all meals except breakfast.

I was worried about the variety of dishes I could make since most of my recipes use miso and soy sauce, but they requested the same menu for two days.

They seemed to like it, so I guess it's fine.

Good morning.

Today is overcast.

It's a day off, so no morning exercises or vocal practice.

I woke up a bit later than usual, got dressed, had breakfast, and then went to the castle.

Today is the start of winter break.

At breakfast, Yūgram and Degré complained loudly about not being able to eat my cooking for a while.

Shell was laughing, though.

Still, with Degré around, these two should be able to get tender meat.

I hope their family chefs will do their best!

We took a carriage to the castle.

The royal carriage is amazing! The first time I rode it, I was skeptical, but compared to the shared carriages and the school's carriages, it's heaven! Still, long rides are tough.

When I asked Jus if he was going home, he said he was still weaker than his brother, so he didn't need to go.

He has a room at the castle, so it's fine.

As soon as we arrived at the royal family's private gate and got out of the carriage, the twin princes hugged me tightly, followed by Annerose, who squeezed me even harder, and I felt my life was in danger.

Shell quickly rescued me, but when I looked at the three of them again, the twin princes had clearly grown, and Annerose had grown wider.

The twin princes looked healthy, but Annerose had grown wider.

They all said in unison,

"Welcome back, Hein-brother, Kaito-sama, Shell, and Tactis!"

I was happy to hear this, but Arshain carelessly said,

"Annerose, you've gained weight."

So, Arshain was stepped on hard by Annerose and then she ran away.

Jus and I looked at each other in disbelief, and Shell was silently laughing.

The twin princes led us into the castle.

The maids and attendants we passed smiled and greeted us warmly.

It was nice, but their gazes made me uncomfortable.

Even Jus was secretly laughing.

First, we went to greet the king.

The king's office was luxurious but functional.

Everything in there must be incredibly expensive, so I didn't touch anything!

"Father, we have returned from the academy."

"Ah, welcome back. Everyone looks well, and I've heard about your achievements."

The king greeted us with a smile.

Arshain had won the swordsmanship tournament, I thought, and then the king said with a smile,

"I've also heard about Kaito-sama's achievements."

But I don't remember doing anything special.

"At the Raver merchant guild, they announced a revolutionary method of processing meat. I'm looking forward to tasting it! But this might make Annerose even bigger."

He laughed, but that's not my fault, right?

We left the busy king's office and, since lunch was approaching, we decided to greet the others later.

We returned to our rooms for a short break.

I had separated from the twin princes before entering the king's office, so the room was quiet.

Shell had gone somewhere, and Arshain was looking at the documents on the desk.

Jus was spacing out on the sofa.

I was feeling very down.

Compared to the growth of the twin princes, I couldn't see any growth in my own body.

Usually, I don't notice because everyone around me is as big as adults, but in this world, a child's growth over four months should be significant. Why can't I see any growth in myself? Is it because I'm a holy beast? What if I stop growing?

I was so depressed that I was slumped over when

"Hey, Kaito, what's wrong? You look unusually down."

Jus, who was spacing out, asked me.

He seemed to have bulked up a bit over the past four months.

I glared at him resentfully.

"Oh, I get it! You're comparing yourself to the little princes and feeling down, right?"

He asked with a smirk, so I turned away and started petting Haku.

"Ahaha, don't be so down. No one knows the biology of holy beasts, so who knows what will happen? You might grow suddenly, like hatching from an egg."

"That would be creepy."

"………Indeed."

"Kukukuku"

Shell, who had entered the room silently, laughed.

"Lunch is ready."