Editing Saijaku Muhai no Bahamut:Volume 9 Episode 2 (section)

===Part 7===

「──Yosh」

At the evening that day.

The time slot that has gone past the bath time where most of the students are sleeping.

I’m walking inside the quiet girl dormitory while following behind Lux’s figure.

This method isn’t really smart, but now that it has come to this, I can only ask Lux directly.

The truth is I want to practice cooking while keeping it a secret from Lux, but I have nowhere to go already.

And so, today I stop my daily Drag-Ride development and observed Lux’s action.

「However, that guy is really doing any kind of request huh……. Even though the campus festival had just ended.」

According to Lux, for the present his body fatigue’s is recovered, so he wants to do various works while he can.

The requests from the female students ranged from something proper like consultation of what armaments to choose for their Drag-Ride or skill coaching, until a tea party under the name of life consultation.

Furthermore there were also things like consultation of picking clothes which obviously troubled Lux who is a male.

Things like carrying teaching materials from the Academy, helping with cleaning, paperwork sorting.

In addition he was also made to help with many works from dormitory side like picking up trash, managing material, and so on.

「Fuu, the requests for today are mostly finished now……」

Lux who came out from the public bath muttered that with a relieved face.

As expected from someone who has continued doing life of chores for five years, his work ethic is admirable.

(I’ve got to go easy a bit on him when I make a request too……)

I’m thinking such thinking at the corner of my mind while resolving myself to talk to Lux, it was then──,

「Now then, I should start soon I guess.」

Lux is starting to walk with a fast pace. I stopped the voice that almost comes out from my mouth.

Strange.

Even though he had just said that he has finished working, from his walking pace Lux is obviously not heading toward his personal room in the dormitory that has been newly assigned to him.

For a moment I was wondering if he is heading to the room of other woman, but unexpectedly his destination is the dining hall that is connected to the dormitory.

The time for dinner has finished a long time ago, the Academy’s exclusive cooks has all left.

But, when I saw Lux opening the lock and entered inside the kitchen, it seems he has properly asked for permission.

(However, what is he going to do? Even though Lux has taken dinner already, and the requests for today should be finished──)

I too sneakily enter the dining hall so I don’t get noticed and hide behind cover.

When I’m peeking at the situation with my heart pounding hard, Lux is lining up ingredients and taking a small pot into his hand.

He finely cut meat and onion, fry ingredients like mushroom with olive oil, add in some slight leftover soup, then he boil the pot further.

A nice scent is gradually drifting around. Even I gulp from smelling it.

Some time has passed since dinner. Normally I won’t be that interested with more meal, but the aroma of spices is stimulating my appetite.

「It has been long time since I made it but, does it turn out well I wonder?」

Lux moved the content of the small pot onto a plate and begin eating.

He brought the spoon several times into his mouth to savor it slowly, and before long his expression burst into relieve.

「Yep. As I thought, my skill has decreased compared to when I was doing chores but──I think it will be all right if I practice a bit more.」

After nodding in acceptance of something like that, Lux washed the pot and begins to tidy up the place.

「……-」

Before Lux is returning this way, I quickly exited the dining hall.

And then, I mutter with conviction.

「……Finally, I did it.」

I found it.

Lux was cooking alone late at night secretly from everyone and then eating it.

It’s an action that is really unlike Lux, but exactly because of that there is no doubt about it.

That dish is exactly Lux’s favorite food for sure.

It also fit with what his little sister said, 『a normal cooking that isn’t extravagant』.

I withdraw for today with the memo of Lux’s action and cooking procedure that I took as my prize.

And then, I consult my acquaintance about the cooking’s name and the way to make it, and reproduce the menu.

It seems that it’s a traditional stew cooking that has existed since the era of the old empire, so the cooking method isn’t that difficult.

It will be standing out if the likes of me is practicing cooking with too much exaggeration, but at minimum I want to do better than Lux’s own cooking.

(As I thought, here──I can only ask the master in the field.)

At holiday, I found an elderly cook who is taking out the trash and tried asking him resolutely.

「The trick to make brown stew you say? Ha-ha-ha. This work is really worth doing it huh, to be addressed directly by the princess like this.」

「Enough, just teach me! I don’t have much time……after all I’m not good at cooking even at the best of times.」

I pressed the cook who is laughing in amusement and convey my intention to practice cooking.

After I remind him to not tell anyone about this matter, I persuade the cook, and during several days, I’m learning how to cook brown stew that originated from the old empire era.

Making the soup from zero is something difficult for amateur, so I took some from the cooking at the daytime beforehand.

Lux was doing various things at night, so I made it every day by making time in early morning.

Although at the start there were a lot of hardships, my practice succeeded until the point where I can make one that is quite delicious.

「Oo, princess, your skill has improved. Now you can help out even at our dining hall without trouble. There is nothing that I need to teach you anymore.」

「Isn’t my skill nothing great at all!? Are you making fun of me!?」

When I spontaneously retort like that at the dining call hook who is teaching me for a short while these days, the elderly man scratched his head with a troubled look.

「Oi oi, that’s a misunderstanding. To improve the taste more than this will need more familiarity with the cooking in general and improving the skill in fine detail more. The Drag-Ride that princess and everyone else are riding is also like that right? Perhaps this too is a big matter for princess, but I’ll get fired from my job by the guys above if I caused princess to even make light of this occupation.」

The elderly cook stroked his beard while saying that in wry smile.

Even I understood and accepted it after hearing that.

「……I see. I guess. I’m indebted to you, thanks.」

I accepted the cook’s explanation and said my thanks before leaving.

Recently I was concentrating single-mindedly at cooking practice but, I also got a lot of things that I should od.

Here I should ask Lux to have a taste once without hesitating.

「Yosh!」

I fire up myself and prepare.

And then today, I’ll make my challenge.

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