kscans

Chapter 437 - The Perfect Young Lady

Five days into the Hestia Festival event, Parfait and her friends were creating original dishes, just as Rick had told them to.

They were doing quite well financially this month. The livestock farming that Rick had suggested had turned into a significant source of profit. It had only been five days, but eggs and milk were selling for surprisingly high prices, so they had already met their quota.

They had a large surplus of cucumbers, which served as pet food, from when they had defeated the Kappa, and a rare item gave them a small amount of cucumbers every day. Pets would get cranky if they ate the same thing all the time, so it wasn't their only food source, but having nearly free pet food was also efficient.

Parfait was already considering whether to get a second cow and chicken, but when she thought about it, she realized her Taming Skill wasn't high enough. The number of pets she could keep at their base was still just two. This lit a secret fire in her to raise her Taming Skill.

In addition, the lumber from Natsu's skeletons' logging efforts sold reasonably well. Wood was used more for furniture than for weapons and armor, but it had the advantage of having a steady demand, so its price didn't crash easily. It wasn't a huge moneymaker, but for Parfait and the others, it was an important source of income right now.

With all that, this month's payments were not an issue. The problem was the food for the event.

"Chris-chan, I really don't think we should add protein powder…"

"But if we don't, our dish will have no selling point, will it?"

"I don't think we have to make protein our selling point, you know?"

"She is right, my friend. We should make a dish with a dark side theme our selling point. Something like 'Stew of the Writhing Stars'. No, perhaps 'Spaghetti of the Screaming Sundial'…!"

"That's why I'm saying, let's compete on taste, okay? Let's start with the basics, the basics."

Why did they skip past application and run straight to originality when they hadn't even mastered the basics? It was like trying to make an omelet without eggs. She wanted to ask what they thought they could accomplish, but unfortunately, Parfait herself wasn't that skilled at cooking either. She had a slight grasp of the basics, and that was about it.

It was fine to register a dish that made you hesitate to eat it for the event. That was for the novelty factor, so if they were aiming for that category, it would be okay. But it would be a little traumatic if the dish they worked so hard on ended up ranking high in the novelty category.

She had tried some of the dishes registered in Azuma that were being sold on the street, and they were so delicious that Parfait had gone back for three helpings. That cheesecake was good enough to eat every day. Parfait suspected that the sweets category would be a highly competitive one.

Parfait had managed to make a few dishes that were presentable, but they were just ordinary, edible fare. They were fine for a regular meal, but it would be difficult to rank high in the event. She was seriously contemplating whether she should ask her father, Hayato, for advice.

But she felt a little hesitant to ask her busy father for advice on cooking in a game.

"I guess we'll just have to count on Ginny-chan…"

"Indeed, Ginny will likely handle cooking flawlessly. It is a shame we cannot be of more help in the event, but everyone has their strengths and weaknesses. That said, we are still inexperienced. I believe we have room to grow if we try hard."

"My friend Chris speaks wisely. Yes, we are just getting started. Let us take this opportunity to learn cooking from Ginny. By the way, has our friend Rick, who always looks at us with such pity, logged in yet?"

"He said he's stopping by Relic-san's and Sonia-san's place today, so he'll be a little late."

"Hmph, is that so. To tell the truth, I also have a small errand tomorrow, so I will be late logging in."

"Oh, really? What kind of errand?"

"Do not gaze into the abyss. That is all I can say."

Natsu chuckled, "Kukuku," but she was looking away quite pointedly.

Parfait watched her, puzzled, but it was Chris who clapped her hands together.

"Ah, it is your tutoring day. It is wonderful that you study regularly, even without a test."

"Huh? Tutoring? Nacchan? This is the first I'm hearing of this."

"Wait, wait, wait. My friend Chris, how do you know that?"

Natsu, looking flustered, questioned Chris, but Chris answered as if it were nothing.

"The information flowed to me from the various networks I have in place. It is a maid's propriety."

"What kind of propriety is that? And don't set up networks to get information on your friends."

"My mother says that information is a maid's greatest weapon."

Parfait had no idea what kind of educational philosophy that was, but she was surprised by the fact that it wasn't particularly surprising. If it was Chris's mother, Silva, it wouldn't be strange for her to say something like that.

The real issue, however, was with Natsu.

"Why were you trying to hide that you were just studying?"

"…It's that thing. 'A talented hawk hides its claws.' That."

"Is that the right way to use that saying? Oh, wait a second. A tutor? Who's the tutor?"

Natsu averted her gaze so quickly that anyone could tell. Parfait tried to follow it by standing in front of Natsu, but the more Parfait moved, the more Natsu's head turned to the side, preventing their eyes from meeting.

"I, I invoke my right to remain silent. It is my right!"

"I know! It's Ruth-san! Your tutor is Ruth-san, isn't it!?"

"It's not. Not at all. Completely off the mark. As off the mark as an asteroid hitting Earth."

"Natsu, is that not on the mark, then?"

Contrary to Chris's calm retort, Natsu was so flustered that her dark side persona vanished.

"By the way, speaking of Ruth-dono…"

"Right. She's a doctor who works at Colony Hospital. She's like Nacchan's father, Mist-san's, apprentice or successor."

"Hmm…? I see, I understand completely. Natsu, love is a wonderful thing. The full bloom of youth, I see."

"It's not like that at all, you've got it all wrong. Also, please don't say embarrassing things like love and youth."

"Calm down, Natsu. There is nothing to be embarrassed about. And listen, love is a battle. Deliver the finishing blow when they are weak. Most men will fall for that. The best time to strike is when they have a cold."

"Chris-chan, Ruth-san's a doctor, so I don't think she gets sick that easily. And did you just make a pun on 'visiting' someone who's sick and 'visiting' an attack upon them?"

"Hmph? Is that no good? In that case, I hear the move of pretending to be drunk and leaning on them is effective. My mother told me so."

"We're underage, you know?"

"Why is it that every single one of my acquaintances is such a blockhead… I told you it's not like that. Listen, this conversation is over."

"But I wonder what love feels like. My heart pounds when I see dogs and cats, you know? Like, that 'kyun' feeling in your chest?"

"I have experience with that as well. When I see magnificent muscles, I get the urge to shadowbox. Apparently, my mother looked at my father and the word 'kyun' just came out of her mouth. Has that not happened to you, Natsu? Like, a wave of darkness is about to burst from your heart?"

"I have realized something. You are all just children!"

As they were having this innocent, or perhaps volatile, conversation, a knock came from the base's door.

"Hello, it's Ginny. Is Parfait-san here?"

Ginny had finally arrived. Her voice was like the tinkling of bells. It was a voice they heard all the time, but its power was greater when they couldn't see her through the door.

Parfait immediately opened the door.

"Ginny-chan, welco—"

Parfait stopped mid-sentence.

A beautiful girl was standing before her.

She had translucent white skin, beautiful long platinum blonde hair, and was smiling while holding a black parasol, dressed in a Gothic Lolita outfit based in dark reds and blacks.

Parfait met Ginny often in the real world, but combined with the young lady-like coordination, she had a look that could only be called perfect. Even Natsu and Chris, who were peeking from behind Parfait, were stunned.

But that very Ginny looked at the three of them and covered her mouth with her left hand. And for some reason, her eyes welled with tears.

"G, Ginny-chan? What's wrong?"

"Oh my god, I can stan this! What, what should I do, this is such a blessing…!"

"Ginny-chan?"

Rather than tearing up, Ginny was looking at Parfait and the others with an ecstatic expression. Then, as if she had reached some limit, she collapsed and sat on the floor. And in a ladylike fashion, she sat with her legs to one side.

"Thank you!"

"Huh? For what?"

"Because, a sister, a military uniform, and a maid…! It's too precious… I want to throw money at this…!"

"Ginny-chan, calm down."

It was business as usual, in a way, but seeing Ginny dressed more like a young lady than usual and speaking in such a tone created a gap so wide it made one's brain short-circuit.

Ginny was still sitting on the floor, breathing a little too hard.

"But, but this… is this heaven? I'm so happy I could die…!"

"It's not heaven, it's just regular virtual reality."

"As always, my friend Ginny is going at full throttle."

"She has fallen to the dark side in a different vector from Natsu."

"Huh? I'm not like that, am I…?"

"Ah, this is bad, seriously bad. I think I'm going to get a nosebleed. I feel like my real self is having a major nosebleed right now. But I have no regrets!"

"That would be a forced logout situation, so you're still okay."

That wasn't the point, but Parfait and the others waited for Ginny to calm down.

A few minutes later, Ginny, while still muttering "This is bad," finally caught her breath.

"I'm sorry, everyone. But telling me not to get excited by this is like telling me not to breathe."

"It's okay. Ginny-chan is always like this when her manga comes out, so we're used to it. It just lasted a little longer today."

"Because it's so realistic…! And you all look so good… wait? Is this legal? I'm not going to get arrested?"

"Don't say such unsettling things. Anyway, the most eye-catching person here is you, Ginny-chan. Your beautiful girl level has gone past the max limit and broken through."

"Hmph, I agree. You look like a noble lady from a work of fiction."

"An young lady completely unrelated to muscles. She looks like she has never held anything heavier than chopsticks."

"Huh? Seriously? As expected from the Black Rose brand. Isn't it amazing that even I can become a young lady?"

She looked like a young lady from any angle, but perhaps her self-esteem was low, because Ginny was the type to get excited about others rather than herself. No matter how you looked at it, it was her own appearance, not the clothes, but they had given up trying to convince her after she refused to believe them so many times.

"Oh, that's right. It's late, but happy birthday!"

As Parfait said that, Natsu and Chris followed suit.

"Thank you—oh my god, that smile is the best. Can I take a screenshot?"

"From the way your right hand is moving, you're already taking one, aren't you? More importantly, let's start the birthday party. I've prepared a lot, so eat up."

Parfait placed a large amount of sweets on the table. Drinks and other dishes came out as well, and the quantity was staggering.

"Ah, I'm so happy. Having my friends in cosplay celebrate my birthday… can you do this in the real world too?"

"We'll go to your house after we log out. We won't be in cosplay though—hey, don't look so devastated."

"Yeah, you're right. It's okay, I'll have the costumes ready. Leave the preparations to me. I've bought enough 'Easy Cosplay Kits' from Mikan-neesama's company for everyone. Oh, it's okay, they're wholesome."

"When I said we won't, I didn't mean because we don't have them—are there unwholesome ones?"

"Sorry, I'm late."

Rick came down from the second floor of the base, dressed in a butler's uniform. When Rick saw Ginny's appearance, he adjusted his glasses.

"It's already started, huh. Ginny, happy birth—"

"Ashley-sama!"

"W, what?"

Ginny stared at Rick with a surprised expression. From the context, she had called Rick "Ashley-sama." But no matter how you looked at it, he was Rick, not someone named Ashley.

"It's Ashley-sama from DokiPan! Huh? No way!? What, did you cross the dimensional wall!? Or did I cross it!?"

"…What is Ginny talking about?"

That's when Parfait remembered.

"There's a demon character named Ashley in the manga Heart-Pounding Pandemonium. If you look closely, he looks just like Rick-kun. The butler uniform, the glasses, the silver hair, there are too many similarities."

"Exactly! It's perfect! Ahh, silver-haired, glasses-wearing, black-bellied, sexy demon Ashley-sama… Seriously, I want you to sweep me away…! Or I want to sweep you away…!"

An unsettling adjective had slipped in, but everyone ignored it.

The bigger problem was Rick, who was making a displeased face. He didn't seem angry, but his brow was furrowed quite deeply. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was the most furrowed it had ever been.

Rick let out a long sigh before speaking.

"Let me make this clear, I'm Rick, okay? Not Ashley or anyone else. I'm not cosplaying either."

"I know, of course I know! By the way, Rick-kun. I have a once in a lifetime favor to ask you!"

"This is the fifth time you've asked for a once in a lifetime favor."

"Please say, 'You just have to do as I say, kitten.' It's a line from volume three, page twenty-seven, second panel. It's a major screaming point."

"Are you telling me to die?"

"I'm not! Come on? Please? Just a little! Oh, can I record it? I'll treasure it! I promise I'll treasure it! Fine! I'll make it a family heirloom! And I'll throw money at you, Rick-kun!"

"Stop trying to get your way with money. And you guys, stop just eating and help me."

"Once Ginny-chan gets like this, it's not going to end for a while."

"This is the first time I've seen this side of Ginny…"

"Ginny-chan usually puts on an act. Several, in fact."

"…She should have kept it on."

"Ah! That's a line from volume eight, page one hundred and twelve! You know your stuff!"

"Rick-kun, it looks like you've drawn your weapon, but if it's PvP, please do it outside."

After that, the verbal battle between Ginny and Rick continued, and somehow Rick emerged victorious, managing to avoid saying the socially fatal line.