It's not often that I invite someone to Sage-san's house, so it was somewhat refreshing to see Iris-san in Sage-san's house. Until recently, Lexia-san used to come over for whatever reason, but lately, her visits had been decreasing. Well, it's strange for a princess to visit such a dangerous place so often, isn't it?
But Master Usagi, who I trained with every day, had actually never entered Sage-san's house. He's always just training with me in the garden.
By the way, once there was a time when Lexia-san tried to cook in Sage-san's kitchen… No, that can't be considered cooking…? The only thing I remembered was that it was very dangerous…
I was shuddering as I remembered that moment, and Iris-san was looking around the kitchen.
"Ara… it's so well maintained. As Yuti-chan said, you are usually the one who does the cooking, aren't you?"
"Yes, well…"
"Woof?"
"Fugo?"
"Hey, it's time to eat. Hurry up."
As I explained the cooking utensils' places to Iris-san, Night, Akatsuki, and Ouma-san also came to the kitchen.
When Iris-san saw Night and the others, she widened her eyes.
"C-come to think of it… I've been wondering about this since we met at the Regal Kingdom…"
"Oh, I haven't introduced them to you, by the way. This is my family, Night, Akatsuki, and Ouma-san."
"Woof."
"Fugo."
"Hmph."
Night sat up neatly and let out a single bark, while Akatsuki responded at his own pace as his usual self, raising his right paw in a carefree manner. And Ouma-san, needless to say, showed no interest in Iris-san and laid down comfortably on the floor.
As I smiled at the three of them, Iris-san froze.
"Hmm, what's wrong, Iris-san?"
"B-Black Fenrir…?"
"Ah, Night, is it? Apparently, he's from such a race. I heard they're rare and very strong…"
"A Black Fenrir is not something that can be described in such simple terms as rare and very strong, you know!"
"Eh?"
"Affirmative. Yuuya, your perception is a little odd."
"T-that's…"
I've been told the same thing by Yuti, but did I say something so strange? Ouma-san said that if it's only about strength, it's a race that is comparable to himself, but I don't really feel that way about it either.
More importantly, when I see Night in his daily life, he doesn't seem to be as unpredictable as Ouma-san, and he's very smart, so I don't really understand such a statement.
Well, whatever it is, Night is Night, right?
When I stroked Night with this in mind, he narrowed his eyes and rubbed his body against my hand. Mmm, as I thought, he's cute.
Then, perhaps envying Night, Akatsuki slipped under my other free hand and pressed his head against it.
"Buhi. Fugo~."
"Yes, yes, I'll stroke you too."
"…By the way, what's that red pig?"
"Akatsuki? I heard that Akatsuki's race is called… [Mouju], but I don't know much about them. Master Usagi said that they are one of this planet's self-purification mechanisms, and they play a similar role to those of the Holy such as Iris-san and Master Usagi…"
"…..Then, what about the little dragon?"
"Ouma-san is an existence from the legend called the [Genesis Dragon]. I don't know much about the details, but I heard that he is incredibly strong…"
Well, I've never seen him fight. Considering how intimidating he was when I first met him, there was no way he was weak. In fact, it's hard to believe that an existence that has been alive since the time this planet was created would be considered weak.
More than that, when I introduced Night and the others again like this, it made me realize that I still don't know much about these three at all. However, they are still an important part of my family.
When I finished introducing everyone, I looked at Iris-san again, and she had a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"U-um… Iris-san?"
"…Sigh! I am really surprised at how crazy it is… wait, no, no, no! It's just strange!"
"Eh?"
"How can you be so calm? It's Black Fenrir, you know? It's a race that all of us Holy, and even our enemy, the Evil, would be no match for even if we all joined together. In addition, there is also a holy beast that is born with a special power to fight against Evil. And to top it all off, the Genesis Dragon, you say… it's really unbelievable…!"
"Affirmative. Your reaction is just right."
In response to Iris-san's exclamation, Yuti nodded quietly. W-well, Ouma-san is surely an extraordinary existence, but are Night and Akatsuki really that much of a cause for concern? They're just cute and dependable family members of mine.
Then Ouma-san, who seemed to have been listening to Iris-san's words, opened one eye from his prone position and turned his sharp gaze on Iris-san.
"Ho? Little girl. You don't believe that I'm the Genesis Dragon, do you?"
"Huh?"
It does not affect me, but I could tell that Ouma-san was intimidating Iris-san because her complexion instantly turned white, and she began to sweat profusely.
Seeing this, I hurriedly warned Ouma-san.
"Hey, Ouma-san! Don't be so quick to threaten people like that!"
"W-what is it? Yuuya, you say that, but…"
"It would be nice if someone can just accept that Ouma-san is the Genesis Dragon. But, it is a problem if you had to react every time like this happened."
"M-mm… You're right, but…"
"And today's meal will be made by Iris-san. If Ouma-san intimidates her, she won't be able to cook."
"What? I-it would be bad! I'm hungry already! The food must be prepared as soon as possible!"
Ouma-san seemed to have stopped intimidating Iris-san when he replied in a panic to my words, and Iris-san was gasping for air over and over again.
"Hah! Hah! Hah!"
"Iris-san! Are you okay?"
"Hah… Hah… Y-yeah… T-thank you…"
"No problem! I'm sorry, too…"
"It's okay. I also made a rude remark… Ouma-sama… right? Please forgive my rudeness."
Iris-san said and bowed to Ouma-san. Then, Ouma-san snorted.
"Hmph. Just remember that. And there is no need to address me as such. It's annoying."
"…Yes. I understand. Thank you very much."
"The one who can speak strongly against Ouma-san is only Yuuya."
"Looks like it…"
"Eeeh?"
I don't think that's the case… but I do believe that Ouma-san would understand if I explained it properly.
When I thought about that, Iris-san turned her gaze to me once again.
"…As expected, your family's fighting force is crazy. It feels strange for us to be worrying about Evil…"
"W-well, isn't that okay? However, Ouma-san said that he wouldn't participate in the battle against Evil…"
"…Is that so? When it comes to the Genesis Dragon, he probably won't be interested in our fight… But will the Black Fenrir Night be participating?"
"Yes. Night will fight with us. He's still a kid, though, so he's still growing up, just like me."
"No, even though he's still growing up, it's very reassuring to have the legendary Black Fenrir as a companion. Night-chan, please take care of me, okay?"
"Woof!"
Iris-san bends down and gently pets Night. In response to Iris-san, Night barked cheerfully. It's as if he was saying, "Leave it to me!"
"Buhi, buhi, buhi~!"
"Oh, you're going to help too, right, Akatsuki-chan?"
"Buhi…"
When Akatsuki, annoyed by the fact that Iris-san petted only Night, squealed as if to assert himself, Iris-san stroked Akatsuki as well. Then Iris-san, who had petted both of them for a while, stood up and said with a cheerful expression.
"Now, let's make some food to eat. Can I use the ingredients from this house?"
"Yes, please."
I've got many ingredients, from the outrageous vegetables from Sage-san's garden to the monster materials I've acquired from training with Master Usagi and from my personal explorations of the Great Devil's Nest.
When Iris-san got the ingredients, she started cooking, and I decided to watch Iris-san cook for a while.
…No, it's not that I don't trust her, but there are precedents, like Lexia-san. A knife flew into the air at that time, after all…
When I thought about that, Iris-san picked up one of the ingredients I had prepared, the [Godspeed Potato], and threw it lightly into the air.
And then──.
Kiiiiiiin.
"Whoa!"
The potatoes that were thrown into the air were instantly chopped up and fell slowly onto the cutting board. No way, did she use the Sword Saint technique for cooking? Is that okay? That technique is a power to defeat Evil, right?
"───[Thousand Swords]!"
"Not shredded!"
After that, Iris-san took out a cabbage, which, similarly to the potato, she threw into the air and sliced it into strips in an instant. I don't know if it's a good idea to use the Holy technique for mere slicing!
"[Spiral Rotation Slash]! [Unparalleled War Dance]! [Twilight Slash]!"
Peeling, chopping, and slicing thinly… such casual knife work were all done with the Sword Saint techniques. And at the same time, with the effect of my [Evil Den's Eye], I also mastered each of those techniques.
However, I couldn't exactly be happy about it. After all, it was not something that I acquired through training; it was something acquired just by watching a part of the cooking process…!
As I rolled my eyes at the unexpected cooking method, Kuro, who was inside me, woke up with a yawn.
"Fuwahhhh. Did you finish your training? …Ah? Why is the Sword Saint cooking in this house?"
"N-no, um… after the training was over, Yuti told me it was time to eat. Then, in order to deepen the friendship, Iris-san decided to cook for us…"
"Heh? That Sword Saint is going to cook for you…"
Kuro seemed to be somewhat impressed, and he turned his attention to Iris-san's cooking as well as mine.
"…Hey, Yuuya. Did my eyes go crazy? That Sword Saint is using Holy technique for cooking?"
"…It's not a mistake; she's really using it."
"The technique of the strongest of the Holy, the Sword Saint, is used for cooking… and from the perspective of the Evil, this is a complicated feeling…"
I guess so…
Kuro was now a part of my life, but originally he was a part of the Evil's power. The fact that the techniques of the Sword Saint were used in cooking must be an indescribable feeling.
While Kuro and I were talking about this, Iris-san's cooking proceeded, throwing ingredients one after another and chopping them up in an instant. But she wasn't just cutting them up randomly. Each of the ingredients was cut to a specific size.
"This is the way it is prepared… and all the ingredients have a certain extraordinary vibe, and the seasonings are only of the highest quality. How can this be…?"
Iris-san was astonished when she saw the seasonings in the kitchen. W-well, as for the seasonings, they're all from Earth. I've moved them to glass jars from this world so that people won't know they're from Earth though.
After the ingredients were prepared, she started cooking using the frying pan in the kitchen, and the food was finally ready.
Iris-san's cooking skills were nothing to worry about. Although I was surprised that she used the Sword Saint technique at first, I could tell that she was used to cooking regularly.
"I-it's done."
"Hmm. Let's see how good it is."
"Affirmative. Let's see what she can do."
I couldn't understand why Ouma-san and Yuti were acting so high…
While amazed at their behavior, I helped Iris-san carry the food to the table.
"Let me help you."
"T-thank you ─ eh, t-t-this feels just like a newlywed couple…!"
"Eh?"
"I-it's nothing! Come on, let's eat quickly!"
While tilting my head against the suddenly excited Iris-san, each of us took a seat.
"Well then… Itadakimasu…"
I immediately took a bite of Iris-san's food and was surprised by its taste.
"Hmm! It's so delicious!"
"R-really? It's the first time I've served it to someone… but I'm glad it turned out well."
It seemed that we were the first ones to try Iris-san's home cooking.
As Iris-san's cheeks reddened slightly at my words, Ouma-san, who had looked up to me just now, gobbled up the food.
"Ouma-san also seems to find Iris-san's cooking suitable for his taste."
"Ugh… W-w-well, it's not bad!"
Why couldn't he just honestly say it's delicious there…? No matter how I looked at it, it looked as if he enjoyed Iris-san's cooking. Then Yuti, who was also acting high and mighty, distorted her face in frustration and took a bite of the food.
"Defeat. The Sword Saint's food is delicious…"
"No, what were you competing in…?"
I couldn't help but smile bitterly at Ouma-san and Yuti's words and actions. By the way, Night and Akatsuki did not particularly complain from the beginning, and they ate Iris-san's food with relish. These two were so cute and honest.
Iris-san, who was looking at us with some happiness, suddenly opened her mouth.
"That's right. As one of your masters, I'm going to continue to teach you many things… And whenever you train with me, I'll cook for you."
"Eh?"
"If you want, I can do your cleaning and laundry too."
"No, no, no! I can't ask you to do that! I'm your apprentice, after all…"
"That's why. If I do the housework for you, you can use that time to train yourself, right?"
"N-no, that may be true, but…!"
"It's okay. You can leave it to Onee-san! Yuuya-kun should train without worry!"
What should I do? Iris-san is spoiling me so much…!
I've been training with Iris-san for a while now, and I've found that she's been more lenient with me than I expected. Of course, the training was tough, but she didn't push me as hard as Master Usagi; she suggested many breaks and tried to take care of me.
That's very helpful, but if she spoils me too much, I'll become a good-for-nothing…
When I was confused by Iris-san's words, she was somewhat taken aback by the euphoria.
"Oh… my efforts are paying off…! If it keeps going like this… we're going to get married…!"
As I looked at Iris-san, who occasionally departed to some distant world, I pondered how I should persuade her.