Chapter 52

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"Hmm, hmm..."

I am now humming a tune while preparing breakfast.

To avoid repeating yesterday's tragedy, I am in charge of cooking this morning instead of Turue.

"Oh, good morning."

"Huh?"

Hearing a clear, resonant voice, I turned around to see the Holy Maiden standing there, apparently just awakened.

"Ah, good morning, Holy Maiden."

Despite being surprised by her sudden appearance, it is polite to greet her properly.

"Um, I've been thinking, didn't we stop using formal language to hide the fact that I'm the Holy Maiden...?"

"Ah, well, yeah..."

"Then isn't it pointless to call me 'Holy Maiden'?"

"…Oh."

Now that you mention it, you're right. Actually, what was I trying to do?

"Um, then, Luna...?"

I desperately try to recall the Holy Maiden's real name, which I was told yesterday.

"Yes, please call me that."

I realize I haven't introduced myself yet, so I quickly do so.

"My name is Anest. Close friends, or rather, most people these days call me Nest."

"Understood. Nice to meet you, Nest."

"Ah, yeah, nice to meet you..."

She calls my name cheerfully, but she is one of the most beautiful people I've ever seen, so I can't help but look away as I respond.

"Um, so what are you doing, Nest?"

We've confirmed how to address each other, and I thought she would leave, but Luna is looking at me cooking with a very curious expression.

"…What, just cooking normally."

I respond, implying that she should have known that.

"…I, I know that much, and I can do it too!"

Luna, seemingly realizing the implication of my words, changes from her cheerful demeanor and glares at me.

"Hmm, then why don't you try?"

I really want to taste the food made by the Holy Maiden, Luna.

I quickly finish what I was making and let Luna take over the cooking area.

"…"

Luna then starts cooking in silence.

…What is she making right now?

Watching Luna cook from behind, I can't figure out what she's trying to make.

There's nothing visually recognizable, and nothing that can be identified by smell.

Thinking that if I watch any longer, I might not be able to eat it when it's done, I quietly sit down and lay my head on the table.

"…Nest, Nest, Nest!"

"…Huh…?"

When I open my eyes, bright light fills my vision.

It seems I fell asleep while waiting for the food to be ready.

"It's done."

Luna places a plate on the table, presumably with the food she prepared.

…What is this?

I couldn't figure out what she was making while she was cooking, and I still can't tell what it is now.

"Let's try a bite."

I take a bite of Luna's cooking, despite my nervousness.

"How is it…?"

Luna asks for my opinion, but this… it's bad… And unlike Turue's, it's not so bad that I can't eat it, which makes it even harder.

"…Luna, have you ever cooked before…?"

"I, I'm sorry. Actually, it's my first time…"

Looking at this food, it's obvious that it's her first time cooking.

"Ha, you should have said that from the start."

"Bu, but…"

Luna looks down, and tentatively takes a bite of her own cooking.

"It really doesn't taste good…"

After one bite, she stops eating altogether.

However, she seems very disappointed with the result, and her face is downcast, as if she's about to cry.

"Ha, Luna."

I sigh and get up from the chair to call Luna.

"…What is it?"

She finally looks away from her cooking and faces me with a tearful expression.

"Hey, if you want to learn something simple, I can teach you. Do you want to?"

This is probably the best I can do to comfort a dejected Luna. Whether she wants to or not is up to her.

"Really!?"

Her face lights up with the hope of learning to cook, and it seems I've succeeded.

"Alright, but first, let's clean up."

"Ah…"

"It's done…!!"

This is after I've taught Luna to cook a few times.

On the table in front of us is a dish that, though not perfectly shaped, is a proper meal.

The smell is also fragrant.

"Let's try it."

We both take a bite at the same time.

We savor the taste on our tongues before swallowing.

"…It's normal."

"…It's normal."

"Does that mean…?"

"…It's a success!!"

Honestly, the taste is average or worse.

But Luna, who had never cooked before, has improved this much.

We both savor the joy of this achievement and finish the rest of the meal.

"Ha, it's good that you can cook now."

"Really, it's great!!"

Luna nods with her biggest smile yet, and this time I can smile back without looking away.

"Then, can I leave the other two's meals to you, Luna?"

"Sure, leave it to me!!"

I stand up to wake the still sleeping king and Turue, but I realize Turue is already standing behind me.

"…"

Turue stands silently.

"Hey, Turue. I was just about to go wake you up, so I was surprised."

"…"

Even though I can hear my voice, Turue remains silent and looks down.

"Um, Turue…?"

I cautiously call out to Turue, who is acting differently from usual.

"…Things that I couldn't do, it turns out, are normal for others to do…"

"…"

Hearing Turue's words, I finally understand why she's acting strange.

Turue is upset because Luna, who has been practicing all along, was easily surpassed by Luna.

She might have been watching us for a while before we noticed.

…Well, how should I comfort her…

If I say the wrong thing, it might backfire.

………………………….

"Turue"

I find the right words to say and gently grab Turue's shoulder.

"…Master…"

Turue looks back at me intently.

The words I need to say now are—

"Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses, so it can't be helped."

Turue was in her room for a while.