As the warm sun shone through the window, I was wondering what I was going to have for lunch today.
[...Like I said, Kai-chan will be "eating the bento I made", so you can just go home, Death King.]
[...It's Fate... who should go home... Do your job.]
The temperature was especially nice today, and I felt like I could take a nice nap. There's a place that looked like a lawn in Lilia-san's garden, and I'd really like to take a nap there~~
It might be even better lying down there if I have a pet. Napping with a cat on your lap is a situation I'd really love to be in.
[I can just leave the work to God of Time and Space! That aside, I should be the one questioning you, Death King! Thoughtlessly coming to the Human Realm, don't you understand the clamor you're making?]
[...Don't worry... Lillywood... will take care of it.]
On such a fine day, it might be nice to eat outside. It would be fun to invite Kusunoki-san and Yuzuki-san, and have a picnic among the Summoning Bystanders group.
Well, the place we'd be having a picnic would probably be the mansion's garden...
[Kai-chan, you listening?]
[...Kaito... which bento... do you want to eat?]
[...]
Unnn, let's stop trying to escape reality. Letting out a big sigh, I turned my gaze to the two bento boxes that were offered to me.
[...I mean, in the first place, why am I in this situation...]
I'm pretty sure it all started about a dozen minutes ago. As she had promised to do since yesterday, Isis-san came to visit Lilia-san's mansion.
Thereupon, Fate-san had come to visit me without an appointment, and before I knew it, they had somehow ended up glaring at each other.
[You see, the way to a man's heart is through his stomach, right? That's why I decided to make an investment so that Kai-chan would support me in the future... It was troublesome, incredibly troublesome, but I did my best to make lunch for Kai-chan!]
[...I- Is that so.]
[...I wanted... to feed Kaito... something delicious... so even though I don't know how to cook... I studied... and made this for you.]
[T- Thank you very much.]
I'm not sure what to do... To be honest, at this point, about 90% of me would rather eat with Isis-san. Compared to Fate-san, whose thoughts were filled with ulterior motives and stressed how everything she did was just troublesome, I felt a genuine fondness from Isis-san.
At this point, the differences between them were just like the differences between angels and demons, but I also couldn't ignore Fate-san, who even though she had ulterior motives, did take the trouble to make a bento for me.
However, both of the bento boxes they offered to me were quite large, about the size of multi-layered lunch boxes. Eating both of them would be too tough for me.
With that being the case, I could eat half of both bentos... but putting aside Fate-san's bento, I don't feel comfortable leaving anything in Isis-san's bento. Fate-san's bento, well, I don't mind not finishing hers...
[...Hey, Kai-chan? I don't know if it's just my imagination or not, but why do I feel like I'm being insulted in Kai-chan's mind?]
[It's just your imagination.]
[Kai-chan, a beautiful girl such as I have cooked for you, you know? Isn't this the part where you cry, overcome with emotions?]
[It won't work when you say it yourself.]
As I gave appropriate responses to the unexpectedly perceptive Fate-san, Isis-san spoke to me with a worried expression on her face.
[...Kaito... Are you alright? ...If you're not hungry... How about eating it later?]
[No, I was just about to have lunch. I'm really glad for your concern, Isis-san.]
[...How strange. There's an obvious difference in the way you respond to me and Death King, don't you think?]
[It's just your imagination.]
My treatment towards her may have been sloppy, but of course, I was still happy to hear that Fate-san cooked for me.
I'm a guy after all. I'm grateful that Isis-san and Fate-san, two beautiful girls, cooked for me.
[...Ahh, that's right! Since we're at it, how about us three eat together? If that's the case, even this amount...]
[Alright~~ Putting aside sweets, it's been quite a while since I've had a proper meal~~]
[...I think the last time for me... was "about 4000 years ago"...]
[...Eh?]
Hearing Isis-san say that this would be her first meal in 4000 years, I couldn't help but tilt my head. Thereupon, perhaps sensing my question, Fate-san explained.
[Ahh~~ Kai-chan. Death King and I are a little different from Humans. Eating and sleeping aren't a necessity for us, they're more like a hobby.]
[I see...]
[Well, leaving that aside... I guess I'll start opening up my bento then?]
Talking somewhat laxly, Fate-san placed her large bento on the table and opened its lid.
What emerged from inside were only fruits and vegetables of various colors... and nothing other than that.
[...Eh? W- Wait, Fate-san? What's this?]
[A bento.]
[...To me, it just looked like a box of peeled fruits and vegetables, thrown in the box raw...]
[...Kai-chan.]
[Yes?]
[Even if it's just peeling them... Don't you think that's a good enough effort from me?]
[...…]
W- Where the heck am I supposed to throw a tsukkomi here? With no ingenuity nor intentions in mind, it seemed like she just threw peeled food in there...
I don't understand. I really don't understand. After showing off this kind of bento, why the heck does Fate-san look so smug...
[...Fate-san, does this look delicious to you?]
[Nope, not at all! To be honest, it looks like animal feed to me.]
[Then, why did you bring this here!?]
[...I just thought I could get away with it.]
Where's her guardian... Chronois-san? I beg of you, please bring this person back as soon as possible...
[...Fate... You can't... feed Kaito... that bento.]
[To be honest, I was also thinking that I've cut too many corners, but then, I also thought it should work with love as its cover!]
[...I think... that won't work.]
[Kuhhh.... T- Then, what kind of bento did you bring, Death King?]
[...I properly made... Kaito's favorite food.]
The animal feed... Fate-san's bento was removed by Isis-san from the table. And now, in front of me is the bento box Isis-san brought.
Even so, my favorite food? Is it hamburger steak or fried shrimp? No, but have I ever told Isis-san what my favorite food is?
With these questions in mind, I took the lid off the bento box... and saw that it was crammed full of "baby castellas".
Eh? What is this? A baby castella bento? This is my favorite food... No, no, this isn't my favorite food!!!
[...I- Isis-san? W- What in the world is this...]
[...I asked... Kuromueina... what Kaito's favorite food is.]
It really is that baby castella spirit's doing!!! Why the heck are you going around telling people that this is my favorite food!?
[...No, Isis-san. It's not that I like baby castellas...]
[...I- Is... that so? ...I'm... sorry...]
[Ahh~~ No, I just remembered! I loved baby castellas even more than my three meals a day! Well~~ I'm really happy, I've never seen such a nice bento before~~]
[...Thank goodness... I'm glad that... Kaito is happy.]
I was going to tell Isis-san that she was mistaken, but when I saw the sad expression on her face, I immediately revised my words.
Even if they're baby castellas, it didn't change the fact that Isis-san did her best to make them for me... As for correcting the wrong information she had acquired, I'll just figure out how to tell that to Isis-san without hurting her while we eat.
That's right, if it's to see Isis-san's smile... J- Just this many baby castellas is easy-peasy for me.
[As expected, there really is a difference between the way you treat Death King and I, don't you think?]
[It's just your imagination.]
After briefly answering Fate-san's question, I took on the challenge of eating this stack of baby castellas.
On this day, a new trauma to baby castellas was engraved in my mind.