kscans

Chapter 513 - Mix Them and You Get Peace

"Ah, I totally get it. That tendency to make unnecessarily acrobatic moves is a light warrior staple…—Oh, I'll go rinse these in water."

"Yeah, thanks—though, I mean, no one is quite on your level, you know? I have no idea how you don't get dizzy spinning around vertically and horizontally like that."

"Well, my pointless spinning isn't actually pointless. It's a necessary move for situational awareness…—Can I put all those in the fridge?"

"Ah, could you put them away for me? —I mean, you're actually watching your surroundings while doing those insane maneuvers? I can't believe you do that without thought acceleration."

"I actually got a thought acceleration skill recently, you know."

"Whaat? You're kidding, right? Uh, how many months has it been since you started?"

"Umm, a little over three months—wait, has it really only been three months? Seriously?"

"I'm the one who should be surprised. Could you please stop acquiring end-game skills that are supposed to take years in some incomprehensible amount of time?"

"Don't ask me… oh, sorry. I put away the empty bowl a minute ago."

"Oh, you're on the ball. It's fine—right. I wanted to ask you this too, but is it true you can wall-run without any wall-running skills?"

"'Wall-running skills'?"

"Okay, let's just stop there. Doing that with only an AGI buff makes absolutely no sense. It's a complete mystery to me how you don't slip and fall."

"Wait, hold on. I think I probably have something that assists with jumping on unstable footholds. That would count as a wall-run assist skill, wouldn't it?"

"Every light warrior has that, you know. I'm talking about skills from the gravity-manipulating [Sticking Walk] family and the like."

"'Sticking Walk'?"

"…………Ah, right, right, Acrobat. Yep, Haru, you're not a light warrior, you're an acrobat. I've never felt the system's naming was so on point."

"I-I don't feel like I'm being praised… So what, how do I get this Sticking-whatever skill?—Oh, the plates."

"In the cabinet under there, there should be some large round plates—Well, maybe it's just not spawning for you because you don't need it? That's what you call talent. I'm so jealous."

"I mean, you can never have too many utility skills…"

"That's something only someone with the talent to manage a massive number of skills can say—ah, that is… oh, right, right. Nice, if you think you can handle it, go ahead and plate it."

"Still, in terms of the number of skills I have, I'm probably nowhere near you veterans—Okay, you got it. I'll put my meager sense of style to full use, so please be lenient with your final judgment."

"Huh? Hmm, haha."

"What's with that laugh, it's creeping me out. Be nice to your junior—"

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"………………"

"……………………"

It wasn't quite dinnertime yet. The three women, who had been spending their time as they pleased, were drawn to the unusually lively kitchen. There, they found two men in high spirits, engaged in an endless game of conversational catch.

Chattering away endlessly, they moved around the kitchen in perfect sync, occasionally exchanging glances and confirming instructions. Their coordination was a perfect A-un Breath.

Haru seemed to be assisting Uni with the cooking, and their chemistry was so flawless it was dumbfounding. One would never guess that they had met for the first time in person today—

`…Well, I guess this is what happens when you put two of the same type of social butterfly together.`

"Ah, haha… In the blink of an eye."

"They get along so well."

It seemed that the unlikely event of two people who could quickly befriend anyone repelling each other was not to be.

The two young men appeared to have come to a swift and natural understanding. As the three women sent gazes filled with admiration and other emotions their way, the host, Iris, stepped forward.

"—Uni, Haru."

"Oh. The three of you, when did you get here?"

As his name was called, Uni turned around. In a fluid motion, he handed a large platter with some dish on it to Haru, who took it and glanced back at Iris before carrying it away.

They looked so natural, you could have told me they were a chef and his assistant who had worked together for years.

"I just got a message. The three of them will be here soon, together."

"Oh, really? In that case, I guess I'll start on the grilled dishes—ah, we're going to start right away, right? It's about the right time."

"Yes, I think that's fine… Should I… help?"

To be honest, when it came to cooking, Alicia White's skills were average at best. She could do most things if she tried, but she wasn't particularly skilled or efficient.

Therefore, it was a rare thing for her to be unable to confidently say ‘I’ll help.’ It was simply because she hadn't had many opportunities to cook for herself… but the Southern Faction's second-in-command, already aware of this, shook his head with a light laugh.

It wasn't because Iris's skills were lacking, but because,

"That ‘assistant’ over there is just too good, so we're fine. Could you all take care of setting up the tables and chairs and whatnot?"

—they already had enough hands, it seemed. She knew Haru was a good cook, but it appeared he was not only skilled at cooking himself but also possessed the know-how to support others.

For now, she was relieved that he had met with the approval of Uni, the cooking enthusiast.

"…Mhm, understood."

"Hey, what's with that face—and I heard, Iris, that's just mean. What's all this about my territory? I'm not some crazy guy who gets mad that easily, you know? When Haru first came over, all scared and cautiously asking, ‘Should I… help?’, I had no idea what was going on."

Whether he read the subtle relief that came from her slight apprehension, Uni began to complain with a disgruntled face about the unflattering introduction he had been given. However, she couldn't recall anything wrong with what she had said based on her past memories, and she could only tilt her head in confusion.

"But, two years ago—"

"Yep, I knew it. You wouldn't just make stuff up based on baseless speculation, so I was trying to figure out what led you to that conclusion, and yep, it was that. I knew it."

"…Goldow was hugging his knees, looking dejected."

"I got mad, sure, but it was righteous anger! If some old guy who suddenly gets the cooking bug sticks to you for three days straight, you'd get fed up too, wouldn't you?!"

If anything, I put up with it for three days, and we didn't even get into a fight, he added, doing his best to clear up his leader's misunderstanding based on his feelings and the facts.

Iris, hearing this, reconsidered… and she could indeed recall that while he had been dejected, a few minutes later he had cheerfully gone off to fish.

I see, so it was just a simple misunderstanding.

"I'm… sorry?"

"Well, as long as the misunderstanding is cleared up, it's fine. You know, it takes a lot to make me angry, really—which means the General Commander is really something else."

As he said this, the expression on his face was a smile of half exasperation, half admiration. In short, while it was true that he had scolded him, it didn't seem like they were on bad terms.

She knew that already, but it was reassuring all the same… Just then, the smartphone in Iris's pocket vibrated.

She took it out and glanced at the screen—

"Have they arrived?"

"Mhm, I'll go greet them."

`WE'RE HEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERE!!!!!!!!!!` displayed the notification, a message so energetic it could have been mistaken for a boy's.