"Mochi mochimochi~!"
"Mochi sticky!"
"…so delicious, goes with everything."
"Soy Sauce!"
"Zoni!"
"…sweet red-bean paste"
"Wonderful~y~y, chewy!"
"Hey! hey!!"
The little girls were singing an impromptu song with perfect breath and good mood while waiting for the rice cakes to bake on the charcoal grill. So cute.
And En, who was usually so quiet, looked just too cute when she was cheerfully saying "hey, hey!".
"Haha, that's a good song to increase one's appetite. What is your favorite rice cake dish?"
"For me, normal rice cakes! I can't stop eating them because of the soy sauce's taste!"
"Well, the best is still Zoni! There are chicken, carrots, shiitake mushrooms, and fish cakes in it, so you can enjoy them all together!"
"…Mmm. That's something I shouldn't dismiss. Both are delicious, but the justice goes to the red bean paste. It's sweet, chewy, and full of happiness."
The little girls looked at each other.
"…Three factions! This signals the start of war…!"
Iruna took a fighting stance.
"If it's a war, I won't give up! Shii will put her life on the line as a Warrior for the food! Anyone can become a warrior if it's for food!"
"…Shii is still naive. A true warrior fights in the shadows, hides in plain sight, and ensures that they achieve their goals. You two, be prepared."
In response to the young vampire girl, the other two girls strike their own battle poses.
Shii was in the pose of a raging hawk.
En was in a ninja pose.
Shii, that was a little different from what you are trying to represent, you know, that's not the pose of a warrior at all.
The war that was about to break out between the little girls only ended up as an attempt due to the words of the mediator Nell.
"Look, you can't joke around like that when you're eating! You three will not get any rice cakes."
"Oh, no, I'm sorry! You two, let's call a truce for now! Unfortunately, for the sake of rice cakes, we need to compromise on our cause!"
"U~, well…! Shii wants to tell the whole world how delicious the food is! Because the food made by Leila onee-chan is so delicious, I just can't get enough of it…"
"Leila's soup stock can conquer the world."
"Thank you, both of you."
After Leila thanked them, Lew continued.
"Yeah, when it comes to leila's cooking, I think it tastes best. I mean, even if I ate fine food outside, I'd probably say, 'Oh, okay…' since I'm used to the food here." (Lew)
"I'm glad you think so, but you're buying too much into it. Unlike outside, here we always use fresh ingredients and plenty of seasonings. Moreover, they are all the highest quality." (Leila)
"Well… I have spent a lot of time outside, so I can tell you that Lew is right about the quality of Leila's food. It's true that the quality of the ingredients has also played a role. However, Leila's cooking is surely at a level where it would be flourishing with customers if we were to open a restaurant." (Nell)
"Well, I'm not a worldly person, but if they complain about Leila's cooking, they'll never be satisfied with anything in the world, right?" (Lew)
"Yes, if anyone complains about Leila's cooking, I'll do my best to beat them up!" (Iruna)
"If anyone complains about Leila-chan's cooking, I'll do my best to beat them! I'm a Warrior!" (Shii)
"…Nn, strike the evil one right away. A true warrior must also join the fight. I hereby pledge to fight to the best of my ability." (En)
Nell's grinning face turned to Leila when she saw the reaction of the little girls.
"You are a reassuring ally, Leila." (Nell)
"I'm glad to hear that you are all that satisfied!" (Leila)
"Oh, Leila, you're unusually shy, aren't you? You're so cute~!" (Lew)
"Yeah, you're so cute~!" (Nell)
"…So, Lew and Nell don't want rice cakes in their Zoni…" (Leila)
""That won't be a Zoni. That's just soup."" (Nell and Lew)
"Hahaha, well, I'm just kidding." (Leila)
While I was watching our family members chatting and laughing, Lefi called out to me.
"What's wrong, Yuki?" (Lefi)
"Well, I'm just thinking… this sure has ended up becoming our own way of celebrating the New Year" (Yuki)
"Haha, that's right. I guess this is the only place in the world where people can get so excited just about rice cakes. I mean, it's no wonder, since this is the only place where rice cakes are available. And it's just plain delicious." (Lefi)
"Yeah." (Yuki)
Lefi, while talking to me, deftly grabbed the rice cakes that had been baking on the charcoal grill with her chopsticks, transferred them to a plate, and handed them to the members of our family in turn.
"…No one would recognize you as a dragon if they saw you as you are right now."
"Well, I have evolved differently from any other dragon. I would like to be a family oriented dragon from now on."
"I'm happy to be the one to witness it. But what exactly does a home-oriented dragon do?"
"I'm responsible for scolding my husband when he does something stupid."
"You're very precise, aren't you? Also, that hasn't changed much since before, has it?"
"I see. Then, I have always been a homely woman."
"If that's what you think, well, I could hardly disagree with that, could I?"
"You're not a very honest man, are you?"
Lefi smiled after a simple "Oh dear" gesture.
"Yuki."
"Ah."
"This year…no, next year, the year after, and the year after that, and for many more years to come, I'm looking forward to living with you."
"It would be an honor for me too."
Lefi's tail slowly extended toward me and wrapped around my leg.