"I-I wonder if it's okay…"
The two of them lined up in the kitchen, and I watched them from behind, feeling a little nervous.
In the end, Luna and the others escaped early… but if possible, I also want to escape.
After all, the last time Lexia-san cooked, a knife flew toward me from behind.
W-well, she did say that she had practiced cooking since then, so I guess it will be fine.
"Do you have to measure this properly? Well, it's not like I'm going to put different things in it or anything."
…I-I hope it's okay.
As with Lexia-san, what is unknown is Meiko's cooking.
In the first place, Meiko has been sealed in the underworld for an uncanny number of years.
That is why she has probably never cooked, and since she is from the underworld and her existence is similar to that of a demon, it is likely that she does not need to eat.
Then again, I can't imagine Meiko being able to cook…
"….."
Meiko stared at the knife with a devilish expression, overflowing with spirit, as if she was about to go to war.
U-um… I wondered about that spirit in mere cooking.
But when the time came to start cooking, she was fearful at first of the knife in her hands to cut the ingredients, but she soon got used to it, and from there, the cooking proceeded incredibly smoothly.
And even though she had not followed any particular recipe, from what I could see from the back, it looked like it was a well-made dish.
"Next… I can just cut this up, right? Hah!"
"Oh!"
Surprisingly, just like Iris-san from the other day, Meiko used her spiritual power when cutting the ingredients to complete the process in an instant.
To be honest, I'm not sure about using spiritual power in cooking, but… I-it's okay, right?
What she's doing seemed pretty messed up, but the procedure and the handiwork itself looked pretty good.
C-could this be…?
As I was holding out hope for Meiko's cooking skills, something suddenly passed right by me.
"Huh?"
I fearfully looked to the side and saw a kitchen knife stuck in the wall.
"Ah! I'm sorry! It slipped out of my hand…"
"I-is that so…? Ah-ahahaha…"
It was just a coincidence, wasn't it? Yes, it just happened…
"Well… the color is kind of plain… isn't it! Let's add some blue here…"
B-blue? What on earth is she cooking…!
I had no idea what Lexia-san's cooking was, and I was just terrified.
──After that, I continued to be appalled by the cooking utensils and ingredients that flew in from Lexia-san's side, but the two of them were ready to complete their meal.
"Now, it's done!"
"Hope it suits your palate…"
"Oh…"
"Astonished. It's done."
"This looks delicious."
Luna and Yuti, who were already sitting at the table side by side, were wide-eyed as I carried the dishes they had prepared.
Kuuya-san doesn't know Lexia-san's original cooking skills, so he is genuinely enjoying looking at the food in front of him.
Ouma-san, who had also come to the dining table, was amazed at the food laid out before him.
"Oh? I wasn't expecting much since the girls were going to make it, but… it looks quite tasty."
"Woof!"
"Buhi!"
"Pii!"
"Hahaha, wait a minute."
Night was waiting with good manners, but Akatsuki and Ciel were looking at me as if they couldn't wait any longer, as if they were rushing me.
But still… I wondered what would happen at first, but the finished dishes looked quite delicious, including the one made by Lexia-san.
Meiko looked so skillful during the cooking that I wanted to ask her where she got her skills, and Lexia-san, on the other hand, despite her messed-up cooking, the finished dish in front of me now looked very delicious.
After placing the dishes in front of everyone, they immediately began to eat.
"Now, let's start with the one Lexia made first."
"Fufu! Be amazed by my cooking!"
Luna somewhat provocatively told us and took a mouthful of the beef stew that Lexia-san had prepared.
But…
"Mugu!"
"D-dangerous…!"
"Eh? Eh?"
Suddenly, Luna and Yuti, who had a beef stew in their mouths, turned blue.
Luna swallowed her mouthful and spoke with a shudder.
"T-the moment you put it in your mouth, a pungent smell immediately pierces through to your nose… Y-you idiot! How can such a delicious smell from the outside change so drastically when you eat it!"
"Chaos… Not only does it smell terrible, but the taste is also terrible… it's cooked so well, but the flavors of the ingredients don't blend together; they are just mixed together…"
"Eeehhh!? H-hey! I hope you're not just blabbering nonsense!"
"L-little girl… How can you serve such a dish with such confidence?"
"W-woof…"
It seemed that Ouma-san also ate Lexia-san's dish, and his usual confident appearance changed, and he was somewhat dismayed.
"Let me ask you something. Have you tasted this properly?"
"Eh? Taste? Even if I didn't, it's still delicious!"
"Are you an idiot?"
W-what the heck… Apparently, Lexia-san didn't taste it.
I fearfully put the stew in my mouth, too… U-ugh… this certainly has… a moderately unique taste…!
It's strange, the ingredients are properly prepared from the earth, so it shouldn't be like this…!
"What? Are you trying to say it tastes bad?"
"If you don't believe me, just try it."
Luna told her in dismay, and Lexia-san ate her own stew.
But…
"It doesn't taste bad."
"What the hell is wrong with your tongue?"
"Give up. I tasted it, and the result was the same…"
Lexia-san didn't seem to feel anything special after eating this stew. T-that's ridiculous…
However, I didn't think that Lexia-san's sense of taste was strange.
I've had dinner with her several times, and she said the food she ate then was delicious, so our sensitivities to taste must be the same.
If that's the case… For Lexia-san, the range of delicious dishes may be very wide.
I-I'm so impressed. I had no idea that even though she was a princess, Lexia-san was more tolerant of food than any of us…
While the shock of Lexia-san's cooking was still lingering, we decided to eat the meat and potatoes that Meiko had made.
Then…
"Mmm?"
"Delicious. It's very delicious…"
To my surprise, Meiko's meat and potatoes, which should have been the first time she had cooked them, were very delicious.
Then, Kuuya-san, who had been eating silently until now, opened his mouth.
"Hmm… There's a faint but a trace of spiritual power in it."
"Eh?"
"The spiritual power is originally a power that is despised by people… but apart from that, it can also fascinate people. This dish shows the fascinating aspect of spiritual power. In other words, it is only possible to express the aspect that is avoided by people. Being able to produce a fascinating aspect like this is something only Meiko, who has grown up in the underworld environment for so many years, can do."
"I-I see…"
There were two sides to spiritual power…
"But even if you subtract that power, I think it's still delicious. Where did you acquire such culinary skills?"
"W-well… It may be that one of the sinners from whom I was formed was a good cook…"
"I don't know why, but if they are the source of Meiko, they are very serious sinners. I guess they couldn't use that skill properly. At any rate, aside from Yuuya and me, spiritual power can have a negative effect on the body of a mere mortal. Be careful how you handle it."
"I understand. I'll do my best from now on with just this skill!"
Kuuya-san nodded in satisfaction as Meiko looked somewhat determined.
Then, Lexia-san, who had eaten Meiko's dish, gave a refreshing smile.
"…I'm completely defeated."
"Le-Lexia-sama…"
"Fine! Meiko, I will recognize your culinary skills as a maid!"
"! T-thank you very much!"
"You're talking so high and mighty, but Lexia wasn't much of a contest in the first place."
"Affirmative. The difference between the two is like heaven and earth."
"Hey, shut up! If you're going to go that far, why don't you try it, Luna?"
"Huh? Why should I…?"
Luna frowned at Lexia-san's sudden words.
But Lexia-san continues, unconcerned.
"It's true that Luna is my bodyguard, but you are also my attendant, right? Then, it's not surprising that you and Meiko are competing with each other."
"Even if that's the case, I'm not going to do it."
To Luna, who stubbornly refused to accept, Lexia-san smiled and whispered softly in her ear.
"…I know you're training to be a bride, too, right?"
"Wha-!? W-where did you hear that?"
The color of Luna's face changed at once.
…I couldn't hear them from here, but I wondered what they were talking about?
"Well, what are you going to do? As for me, I can divulge it to Yuuya-sama, you know?"
"Eh? M-me?"
"T-that's…"
"It's okay. Since we are here, why don't we just check out your skill once and for all? Right?"
Luna, who was admonished by Lexia-san, looked thoughtful for a while but then reluctantly nodded her head.
"…Alright. If you insist, let's do it."
"That's how it's got to be! I'm sorry, Meiko, but I'm going to have to ask you to have another bout!"
"T-that's not a problem, but… what are we going to do? We've already eaten and…"
"Then how about a dishwashing match this time?"
""Dishwashing match?""
Luna and Meiko tilted their heads, their voices sounding in unison.
"Yes! If you are an attendant, you should not only cook but also clean up afterward perfectly, right? That's why you're going to have a dishwashing match!"
"H-hah… that's fine, but…"
"And, since there's so many dishes, you're joining too, Yuti!"
Not expecting the fire to fly to her, Yuti's eyes widened.
"Astonished. Why?"
"Because it would be more fun."
"You decide on your own again…"
Luna held her head in this situation, which had completely become Lexia-san's sole domain.
Then, Ouma-san, who had finished eating, opened his mouth.
"I don't know what it is, but you have no more use for us, right?"
"W-woof…"
"Buhi~"
"Pii!"
"Eh? E-everyone!"
Ouma-san quickly went to another room, and Night followed him with an apologetic look on his face.
Akatsuki waved his hand cheerfully, and Ciel squealed cheerfully as if cheering us on and followed Ouma-san.
"Well, I guess I'll go over there too…"
"Even Kuuya-san?"
"The rest of you youngsters can have fun with each other…"
He left with an air of aloofness.
W-what should I do… should I run away before I get involved in something weird too…?
"Ara, everyone has gone… Well, if only Yuuya-sama is here, then it would be fine!"
No, they've blocked my escape route…!
"So, me and Yuuya-sama will be the judges!"
"Fine."
"…Give up. It can't be helped; I'll do my best."
"I'll win the next match, too!"
Meiko and Luna were motivated, but Yuti, who was completely caught up in it, let out a deep sigh.
"Well then… let's get started!"