Chapter 10

“There are some unsettling rumors going around…” “Huh…?” It was a breakfast like any other at Lilia’s household when Edmond spoke darkly. “They concern our queen, Her Majesty Eleonora…” “Your queen, huh…?” The name didn’t ring any bells for Kaito, but they were obviously talking about the most important person in the country. “Yes. Last year, her parents passed away, and Her Majesty Eleonora inherited the rule of the kingdom at just sixteen years old. She had been raised for the throne from childhood and is both a capable and responsible person, but…” Edmond seemed to be having trouble finishing his sentence. “But? What about her?” “It seems she doesn’t think favorably of your pizza.” “What…?” “Nutrition is something she takes almost as seriously as leadership. As a rule, she eats only vegetables and fruits. She claims that’s the proper diet for elves.” “I see…” So, kind of a vegetarian. And maybe an…organic something-or-other? The implication was that she would regard calorie-heavy junk like pizza as a sin. “What I mean to say is, forgive us. You’ve come as our hero, yet you haven’t even been invited to the palace.” “Oh, uh, don’t worry about it.” I really don’t care one way or the other about the palace. Edmond seemed very apologetic, but Kaito didn’t especially like stiff, formal occasions. If the queen decided to try to shut him down by force, that would be a problem, but if she just didn’t like his food, well, that was okay. “Now, with that out of the way, I hear some of Lilia’s friends will be coming over today. Is that right?” “Yeah, we’ll be borrowing the living room.” At Lilia’s request, Kaito was going to treat three of her friends to pizza. Unfortunately, his restaurant wasn’t yet equipped with a seating area, so they had to use the mansion’s living room. “…Lilia has truly found an excellent husband…,” Edmond said, overcome with emotion. Kaito became flustered. “Uh, I don’t… I mean, I don’t think we’ve actually gotten married yet…” “Oh, yes, of course. You’re both so young. There’s no need to rush. Still, though, it does behoove you to keep a certain distance from other women. Observe propriety and all that.” “Um…” Isn’t that basically the definition of being married…? But Kaito couldn’t say anything because Edmond rolled right along. “I know! I know how it is! Hero of the land, exotic looks—every girl in the village must have eyes for you. It’s enough to set a young man’s head spinning!” “Uh, not particularly—” Kaito’s sole concerns at the moment were what he had to accomplish in this world and how best to improve his pizza making. “There’s no need to hide it!” Edmond clapped Kaito on both shoulders. There was an unexpected sparkle in his eye, and his voice was passionate. “We men understand these things. A man is an eternal hunter! But there’s one quarry you mustn’t pursue, and that’s the friends of your wife-to-be. Only agony comes of it!” Edmond’s face stiffened in a grimace of fear. Is he…speaking from experience? “Men always think they can hide these things, but it’s a vain hope! Women have a sixth sense, a sharp intuition, and you’ll soon be discovered. And then—misery!” “Sir, I was definitely not thinking about getting anywhere near Lilia’s friends…” “Yes, of course. I knew you to be a loyal man the moment I saw you! Take good care of my Lilia.” “Huh?” Kaito stood dumbfounded, with the distinct sense that he had dug his hole even deeper than before. “Well, have fun with the girls today. I have a meeting I must attend. See you!” Kaito couldn’t get a word out before Edmond had bustled from the room. Why won’t anyone listen to me…? Kaito felt a wave of fatigue but headed for the shop nonetheless. He had to make pizza before company arrived. “Ahhh, helloooooo!!” “Thank you so much for having us today!!” The girls greeted Kaito with voices that were veritable screeches to his ears, making no effort at all to hide their interest in him. “Hello. Pleased to meet you.” “Goodness, we met at the welcome party!” “Oh, but we haven’t introduced ourselves yet, have we?” “I’m Alisha.” “I’m Elizabeth.” “I’m Charlotte.” “Er, charmed…” All of them had straight, long golden hair; frankly, he could hardly tell one from another. He managed to remember them, though, because Alisha was short, Elizabeth was tall, and Charlotte had a freckle on her nose. “Okay, I’ll cook the pizzas up and bring them in.” “We’ll set the table. Oh, and this is from my parents. For the Honored Hero.” Alisha held out a green vegetable that looked like spinach and something else that seemed like mushrooms. “We grew these in our own field.” “Thanks…” Kaito had been planning on making regular margheritas, but when he saw the proffered vegetables, he changed his mind. It might be interesting to try something a little different… “Oh, Lilia, here’s some apple juice.” Elizabeth took out some bottled juice while Charlotte produced a paper bag. “I brought paper napkins. Don’t you think the owl design is cute? I found them at the Great Market last month.” The pitch of the girls’ chatter rose quickly, and Kaito showed himself out. He might be in another world, and the girls might be elves, but the way they behaved didn’t seem so different from gaggles of girls in his own world. Was this what they called a “girls’ day in”? Kaito had never been a part of such a thing. “Okay! Time to show these girls what I can do.” Kaito boiled the vegetables he’d received and sliced the mushrooms thinly. Then it was time to shape the crust. Judging by Lilia, those girls were likely to have massive appetites. They could probably devour a large pizza with no trouble. He decided to make five, including some for himself. He covered them with tomato sauce, then added the vegetables and mushrooms. “I’ve got a good feeling about this!” Kaito began baking the pizzas one by one. “Sorry to keep you waiting!” As Kaito brought in the meal, Lilia and her friends rose in excitement to greet him. “Woooow!!” No sooner was the food on the table than Lilia and her friends were cooing in admiration. “It looks wonderful!!” “Are these flowers?” “Yeah, they are. Can you see them?” “I can!!” Kaito had arranged the sliced mushrooms to look like petals and the boiled vegetables to look like stems and leaves. The happiness on the girls’ faces told him it was a success. “I thought I’d use the stuff from your garden right away. Thanks for bringing it, Alisha.” “Wow, I’m flattered!!” Alisha burst into a smile. “What is this pizza called?” “It’s called pizza capricciosa. It basically means ‘on the chef’s whim.’ I tried arranging the vegetables Alisha gave me into a flower shape.” “That’s amaaaaaaaazing!!” “Come on now, dig in.” The girls’ ecstatic reactions made Kaito reflect once more on how important presentation was. Food was enjoyed with the eyes first—colors and shapes—before being put in the mouth. Get the appearance right, and people look forward to tasting it even more. One by one, the girls erupted in praise. “It’s delicious!” “Amazing! What a wonderful texture! The tomato sauce is so thick, and you can really sink your teeth into the vegetables. And of course, the crust is so fluffy. It’s like there’s more to discover with every bite you take!” “I will never get tired of this!” Kaito had gotten pretty confident in his pizza-making abilities, but the prospect of entertaining Lilia’s friends had intimidated him somewhat. Now, at last, he felt his worries fading. Thank goodness… The girls gobbled up the large pizza. “How are you doing? If you’re still hungry, I can make more…” “It’s okay! If we eat any more, we won’t have room for dinner.” “…Wow, you’re still planning to have dinner?” So that huge pizza was just a snack? Ah, to be young again… It was then that Kaito noticed how lively the girls seemed. Their cheeks held a slight reddish tinge, and their skin seemed to be shining mildly. Maybe the delicious pizza had filled them with energy. At least, he would be happy to think so. “I heard you were opening a restaurant.” “Yeah. Just takeout for now. We deliver! Be sure to let all your friends and neighbors know.” “How much does a pizza cost?” “One silver coin.” He had determined the price after consulting with Edmond and his family. It was a bit expensive for a meal but, considering the ingredients involved, not too expensive. For the time being, Kaito was getting his ingredients from cards, but if the supply ever stopped flowing, this price would stand him in good stead. And since he was hoping to expand in the future, he would need funds. “Sounds good. I’m sure I’ll order something.” “Tea’s on!” Drinks were brought out for the well-fed girls. “Thank you very much!” “Hey, I don’t know too much about this world, but are you girls all in school?” “Only the smartest kids go to the Academy of Higher Education. The entrance exams are really hard.” Everyone nodded as Charlotte explained, “So I help in my family’s orchard. Alisha works at her family’s store.” “Alisha is the best at sewing! Her mom is a sewing teacher.” “We’re all students of hers.” “I get it. You’re all friends from class.” Suddenly, something occurred to Kaito. Weren’t these girls all the same age as the queen, Eleonora? “Have any of you ever met Queen Eleonora?” “Sure. We pay our respects when she comes to the harvest festival and stuff.” “What’s she like?” Suddenly, the girls’ faces were all beaming. “She’s sooooo pretty—” “—and sooooo cool! Mature! You’d never think she was the same age as us!” “Yeah! She’s on another level!” “I guess that’s royalty for you.” Clearly, Eleonora was the object of some admiration. “It sounds like she’s got it rough, though… She had to take the throne so suddenly, and some people wonder if she’ll be able to maintain our relations with the neighboring countries.” “Ah…” A young, politically inexperienced girl thrown into the realm of international diplomacy? The other local rulers would eat her alive. “Then again, we’ve never been a very powerful country, so maybe things won’t change so much after all!” “We’re the smallest of all the nations around here, and the poorest, too!” The girls were smiling as though none of this had much to do with them. Kaito gave a weak grin. True, the country of the elves wasn’t flush with resources, but time flowed easily here. He could focus on making his pizzas and find a whole day over in the blink of an eye. I never expected to have moments like these. He’d hoped to be an awesome hero, but now he reflected on how difficult it would probably be if he were constantly having to fight. He would never get a calm moment, and all the responsibility would be on his shoulders. He would probably get hurt. People might die. Maybe making pizzas is more my speed. “So, Honored Hero.” Alisha sounded teasing, but her eyes were full of curiosity. Kaito swallowed; he had a bad feeling about this. “How are things between you and Lilia?” “Is it true you’re going to get married?” “You work together, don’t you?” The questions came flying at him, pinning Kaito in place. “Well, uh, you see…” He glanced at Lilia, who had gone red with embarrassment and was stealing furtive glances at him. “Uh, I have to go check on the oven!!” “Oh, he ran off! He’s so shy, that hero…” “His face was completely red! Hey, so is Lilia’s!” Kaito could hear the girls’ laughter behind him as he fled the mansion and headed for the shop.