Chapter 10

It seems that Yūri's cooking was too delicious.

Alie finished her miscellaneous tasks and headed to the cafeteria for a slightly late dinner. The cafeteria of this hideout is connected to the kitchen. Or rather, it is designed like a public cafeteria, where food can be handed over from the kitchen. The reason for this design is that there are many people living here. The number of tables is also set so that everyone can eat together. ...Well, considering that this is a treasure hunter clan that delves into dungeons, it's not often that everyone is present.

Alie walked, feeling gloomy, remembering that it was the end of the month. Not only had she had a troublesome "find" today, but it was also the end of the month, and it was clear that the food supplies were running low, and they wouldn't be able to have a proper meal. ...Alie suspected that the food was almost gone because, while they were in the dungeon, the foolish apprentices had grilled quite a lot of meat for lunch. Thanks to them, there was probably no food left.

"...Sigh. I guess it's going to be steamed sweet potatoes tonight..."

Yack, currently the lowest-ranking member, is a promising boy who understands the importance of food and the importance of its distribution, having grown up in a rural area. However, he is not the only one in charge of cooking. He has to make do with the food that the foolish seniors have used up, and he has to make the meals with tears in his eyes. Therefore, when Yack is in charge of the meals, it often consists of a set of potatoes, eggs, and milk. It's not that Yack is bad; it's just that these three items and bread are the only ones available in abundance.

While heading to the cafeteria, Alie noticed that there were more people around than usual. People who would normally eat dinner quickly and retreat to their rooms seemed to be lingering. The presence she felt in the cafeteria was about ten people. Everyone who was currently in the hideout, except for Alie.

"...What are they doing?"

While walking, twisting her neck, she thought maybe they were welcoming a new member. Today, they had accidentally picked up an out-of-the-ordinary lost child in the dungeon. He looked like a dull, unremarkable, and somewhat naive teenager. If that were the case, Alie would have felt like she had done a good deed by protecting a child who had lost his way.

But it was the fact that he was so out of the ordinary that made it impossible.

Alie thought, "I shouldn't think about it." She couldn't consult anyone. After all, this was a case that even Alie couldn't handle. If she could consult anyone, it would be the guild master of the adventurer's guild or the top of the appraisal guild, but she didn't want to meet them because she had a bad feeling.

"Ah, Leader! Good work today!"

Yack, who noticed Alie's presence first, seemed to be the only one waiting by the cafeteria door, eagerly anticipating her arrival. The moment he recognized Alie, he disappeared inside, and then a voice was heard.

"Yūri! The leader is here!"

"Got it. I'll start preparing then."

"Thanks!"

Hey, what are you doing?

Alie swallowed the comment that was on the tip of her tongue. She decided to stop worrying about the details. She wished it was a misunderstanding, but unfortunately, Alie had good ears and a good memory. The voice she heard was undoubtedly that of the lost child she had picked up today.

When Alie entered the cafeteria, she was greeted by all the members of "Crimson Lynx" who were currently in the hideout. Everyone. Before Alie could comment on what they were doing, her companions shouted loudly.

"Leader, you can't kick him out of here!"

Especially the lower-ranking members were desperate. When Alie glanced at Brook and Frau, who were skilled adventurers and had been with her for a long time, they smiled wryly. They were smiling, but neither of them reprimanded the others. Alie still didn't understand.

"Well, you'll understand after eating, Alie."

"Huh?"

"Yack couldn't bear to see Yūri struggling, so Yūri helped with dinner. It seems that Yūri did most of the cooking."

"...What is he doing..."

Alie sighed at Brook's explanation. She hadn't assigned him any work yet, so why was he working on his own initiative? However, Alie felt a little hopeful. She knew that Yūri had cooking skills.

Then,

"Sorry for the wait. Be careful, it's hot."

"...Okay."

Yūri brought the meal with a smile. The objects were unfamiliar, but the smell was undoubtedly delicious. There were two types of something that looked like fried food, one with an irregular shape and the other oval. The soup in the bowl was white. Alie narrowed her eyes a little, as she had never seen such a soup before. The only thing that was normal was the bread on the plate.

For a moment, she thought about appraising it, but realized that it would be rude. This carefree boy wouldn't put poison in the food. Also, from the reactions of those around her, she understood that it was edible.

"Well, let's eat."

When Alie stabbed the irregularly shaped fried food with her fork and brought it to her mouth, everyone watched with interest. It had a mysterious texture, crispy and crunchy. When she bit into it, she realized it was a mixture of vegetables that had been fried. The seasoning was probably salt, but the simple flavor brought out the sweetness of the vegetables.

"...What is this?"

"I only had vegetable scraps, so I made tempura."

"...Tempura?"

"It's a dish from my hometown. The seasoning is just salt, but is it okay? I can bring more salt if it's not enough."

"No, it's fine. It's delicious."

"I'm glad."

Alie was impressed by the simple seasoning of the crispy tempura. As he said, a variety of vegetables were used, all cut into thin strips. ...It was probably because they were in such bad condition that they had to be cut that way.

Next, Alie tried the oval-shaped fried object. She cut it into bite-sized pieces with a knife and fork. Despite the golden-brown exterior, the inside was white and soft. She could see bits of brown, which she assumed were meat, and when she ate it, she was amazed by the sweetness of the potatoes and the flavor of the meat, as well as the aroma from the frying. It was a miracle that she even recognized it as a potato, as the texture was somewhat similar to mashed potatoes. The crispy outer layer was also delicious, though she couldn't tell what it was.

"...What is this?"

"It's a croquette made from potatoes and minced meat from the bones. For the coating, I used breadcrumbs made from bread, as we didn't have any breadcrumbs."

"...Breadcrumbs?"

"Yes, breadcrumbs."

Alie decided to ask about the details later. For now, she wanted to enjoy this delicious meal. She had thought there would only be steamed sweet potatoes, but unexpectedly, a delicious meal was served. She should savor it.

While alternating between the bread, tempura, and croquettes, Alie tried the white soup. The chunks floating in it were probably potatoes. ...It seemed that only potatoes were left as proper vegetables, and Alie sympathized with Yack. She also admired Yūri for making such a dish in such a situation.

The mysterious white soup, however, smelled fine, so Alie took a sip. It had a very unique flavor, a combination of the richness of the meat, the smoothness of the milk, and the seasoning of salt, pepper, and herbs. Despite its uniqueness, it had a gentle, warming flavor. When she tried the larger chunks of potatoes, they were soft and had absorbed the flavor, making them incredibly delicious.

In the end, Alie continued to eat silently. It was delicious. It was so delicious that she never expected to eat such a meal in this hideout. It was as good as a meal she would pay for at a restaurant.

When Alie finished her meal, the lower-ranking members shouted again. Or rather, they sat on the floor and pleaded desperately.

"Leader, don't send this guy away!"

"Please, Leader! It would be hard to lose this guy's food!"

"I would also find it hard to give up this meal."

"Me too!"

"...You guys..."

They were completely fed up. Alie could understand their feelings, but as adventurers, she wanted to tell them not to be so easily swayed by their stomachs and beg so desperately. ...But among them, there was a boy who didn't say anything and just looked at Alie with serious eyes. It was Yack.

"...Yack, what's up?"

"Leader, Yūri is amazing. His cooking is incredibly delicious, and he can make meals from leftovers."

"Yeah, I can see that. ...You couldn't have made this dinner on your own."

"Right. ...So, Leader, I want Yūri to stay here. I want to learn from him."

Unlike the others, who wanted Yūri to stay to improve their meal situation, Yack wanted to improve himself by learning from Yūri. Alie thought it was the right decision to bring him into the group. Yack was still young and needed to start building his body, but his eyes and thoughtfulness suited Alie. Indeed, he was the only one looking forward.

Alie ruffled Yack's head. Among the others, who were still foolish, this new member with a keen eye was endearing to Alie. Also, she had no intention of kicking Yūri out. ...She didn't know what he might do if she did.

"Yūri"

"Yes?"

"It was delicious. Thank you for the meal."

"No, no, it was a poor effort."

Yūri's face, which looked like a child's, smiled as if to say he was happy she enjoyed it. If it weren't for the fact that he was so out of the ordinary, it would have been a heartwarming scene, Alie thought. But it was a pointless thought.

"For now, you'll work with Yack on the lower-ranking tasks. We'll teach you various common sense in between."

"Thank you. Working with Yack means cooking and cleaning, right?"

"Yes. ...Yack, this guy doesn't know a lot. You'll have to teach him."

"Okay!"

"Thanks, Yack."

Yūri and Yack, who were clapping their hands in joy, seemed to have hit it off after cooking together. Although Yūri lacked common sense, Alie decided that Yack could handle it. Yack was perceptive and had experience taking care of younger siblings, so he was good at teaching others. Their compatibility seemed good, so Alie decided to leave the details to Yack.

Alie glanced at the apprentices who were happy about Yūri's stay. They were still foolish and didn't understand the importance of food.

"You guys, learn cooking from Yūri thoroughly. Especially how to use ingredients."

"Huh?"

"Every time you use ingredients without thinking, we can't have a proper meal. ...Do you think you can become full-fledged members like that?"

"We understand!"

The apprentices nodded in unison at Alie's words, which she said with narrowed eyes. They knew how scary she could be when she was really angry, even though she was usually foul-mouthed and good with them.

Thus, Yūri began cooking for "Crimson Lynx."

His cooking skills, honed in another world, certainly played a role.

But probably, his cooking skill level 50 had a significant impact...

Still, Yūri's carefree life begins from here...

I look forward to your comments and feedback.