Episode 200

“Ah, I understand! I’ll just eat it. Thank you for the food.”

In the end, Ricent also brought the skewer to her mouth. With a scared, baby bird-like expression, she trembled and took a bite from the top part of the skewer. Then, she closed her eyes.

Chewing thoughtfully, a rosy color slowly started to appear on her face.

“Oh my, this! What’s this? It’s savory and sweet, and the texture is amazing!”

“Well, who was it that was too scared to eat earlier?”

“Th-that… After causing that mess earlier, you still say that?”

“I’m sorry. I surrender.”

I had nothing left to say. A sinner. A sinner.

It was such a huge mistake, so I had to honestly admit it.

Anyway, the Ma’a thigh was highly praised.

“If this new dish tastes great, it should definitely be popular, right? As long as the judges are fair…”

“So, don’t worry about that.”

“Is it because of the mage?”

“Well, there are various factors? Please just believe me. We’re in the same boat, so what’s with that?”

“I trust you! I’m just saying it because I’m anxious.”

Anyway, the evaluation seems positive among the people here, so I feel relieved. Now, it’s time for the next skewer.

“Anyway, the next dish is…this.”

This time, it’s a dish made with chicken skin.

Chicken skin, where the skin is the essence of the chicken. The skin is peeled off and roasted crispy, which is exactly what this skewer is. In Japan, it’s called “kawa”. This particular one is made by grilling the skin from the neck and adding a soy sauce glaze.

It’s a skewer feast where you can enjoy various textures.

First, you eat the tender chicken breast skewer, then enjoy the crispy texture of the skin, and after that, you can savor the fatty taste of the thigh—it’s a celebration of textures.

For the fourth skewer, I’ve prepared the most chewy part—the gizzard of the chicken. In Korea, it’s also called “dakdongjip”. Once you’re captivated by its chewiness, you won’t be able to eat anything else. The combination of savoriness, chewiness, and the sauce creates a whole new world of flavor.

First, softness, then crispiness, followed by a slightly textured softness, and finally, chewiness.

Next, we wrap things up with a slightly spicy chicken breast skewer, made with authentic Korean peppers.

Honestly, if you pair this with some beer, isn’t it unbeatable?

The next day, the seating draw ceremony.

Any obstacles that weren’t even a real bother were thrown out of the way, and I was planning to throw out any other obstacles without mercy.

At the seating draw ceremony, all the store participants gathered, creating a noisy atmosphere. It felt like the eve of a festival.

“Ms. Ricent.”

“Yes.”

“Let’s just go for the last seat.”

Then, I ordered Ricent to choose the last seat. After all, Ricent would never end up with a prime spot.

If you look at the arrogant expressions of the Le’a-In siblings over there, the answer is clear, right?

Since everything will be decided by the cooking competition anyway, it’s easier to just sit at the last seat, where you won’t be targeted by anyone other than the Le’a-In siblings.

“But the last seat is pretty much like taking the bottom position…”

“I told you yesterday. It doesn’t matter, it’s all the same.”

“That’s true, but…”

“If you’ve decided to trust me, then trust me all the way. The cooking competition will be decided by the judges, so the seat doesn’t matter. If your goal is to win, that is. But for those aiming for a middle rank, I guess the seat is super important, like those people over there.”

When I pointed out those people participating in the draw with expressions like they had bet all their money on a horse race, Ricent finally nodded.

“I understand!”

Ricent rushed off to do the draw. Since the Le’a-In Trading Company is the largest in the region, even if they aren’t the organizers, their influence will be enormous.

As a result, the best spots are being swallowed up by the Le’a-In Trading Company’s restaurant, Merli.

In the meantime, only Ricent’s Merli East branch is being treated poorly. It’s not surprising, though.

“The draw ended up being in the middle, but as you said, I just chose the last seat.”

“Good job. Let’s try to make a miracle happen.”

“After all this, if it fails, you do have to give me all the recipes?”

Ricent grabbed my arm and said with pleading eyes.

“Of course. I’ll give them all to you, if we don’t win. I’m a man who takes responsibility for what I say, after all. Heh.”

“What, what are you saying? Ugh, seriously. Why is it so hot in here?”

Ricent started fanning herself with her hand.

What is this nonsense?

“No, didn’t you choose the last spot?”

And when I stayed silent, feeling displeased, Le’a-In Seren, Ricent’s step-sister, appeared and started mocking me.

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Pfft. Have you finally lost your mind? Or have you finally realized your situation? But it’s too late now. I’ll crush you thoroughly, so just wait. Yesterday, it looks like you got lucky and avoided it.”

Le’a-In Seren, who said this while scanning Ricent from head to toe, abruptly turned her head and disappeared.

“…I’m not even angry about stuff like that anymore.”

Ricent shrugged calmly.

“As I said before, the winner of this festival will be given partial management rights of the company.”

“Father. That’s…”

“You also took the vice president position from your uncle in the same way, right? Competition is natural for the company, so I’m sure you understand.”

“That’s true, but…”

“What’s the problem? If you win, it’s over, right? It’s a fight that’s extremely favorable to you. If you lose there, it’ll only mean you’re worthless. Don’t lose to someone like Ricent. I don’t want to acknowledge some outsider.”

“Father… How could someone like her have the qualifications?!”

“If she has the ability, I’ll acknowledge it. That’s all. On the other hand, if you win by whatever means, it’ll prove that Ricent has no useful skills for the company, so she won’t be needed.”

“That’s true.”

“Right. It’s obvious that my older brother will win, so don’t worry.”

“Hmph. I’m a meritocrat. If someone has my blood, no matter how lowborn they are, I’ll make use of them if they have skill.”

“Understood.”

Le’a-In Deron and Seren faced each other. They knew their father well, so there was nothing more to say.

Anyway, they had confirmed once more that any means were acceptable, so they nodded with satisfied expressions.

In this state, Le’a-In Saint looked at the store spots and tilted his head.

“What on earth is she thinking by choosing the last spot? Did you scheme something?”

“No, I was also surprised by that. Of course, I didn’t intend to give her a good spot, but she chose the last one herself.”

Then, Le’a-In Seren suddenly interrupted the conversation.

“She didn’t seem to be thinking about much. Maybe she’s given up completely?”

“Well, if she’s planning something, that’s a good sign. After all, the company needs that kind of cunning. But if she’s just giving up, she’s really someone you can’t make use of.”

Le’a-In Saint watched with interest before shaking his head. It seemed like there was no real way for Ricent.

This was understandable since Le’a-In Deron had already bribed all the judges.

So, what possible escape route could there be?

And even the spot she could at least compete for was the last one.

“Then she’s really garbage after all.”

Le’a-In Saint muttered while crossing his arms behind his back.

That night.

After returning to the lair, I soaked in the bath for a long time to wash away the lingering skewered meat smell, then, with my body feeling pleasantly warm and sluggish, I returned to bed.

On the other hand, Rurin, who either lay on my back or just lazed around and mostly slept, now lay on the bed full of energy, humming a tune cheerfully.

Lying beside me, feeling the warmth and comfort of the bed, I was tempted to just give in and fall asleep right there.

Rurin quietly approached, climbed on top of me, and muttered.

“Will you give me a massage, my dear?”

The terrifying massage that broke my shoulder a few days ago?

“No.”

“What do you mean, no? You have to do it often to improve!”

“I don’t think someone who exploded and ran off should be talking.”

“That’s because you and you are different!”

“What? What do you mean by that?”

You and you are different? Me and me are different? What is this nonsense?

“If you really have to, I guess I can’t stop you. But I’m good, you know? I think I’ll be grilling skewers all day tomorrow.”

“Ugh! You’re worse than that evil El!”

“Evil El?”

So now, in addition to me being different from myself, there’s this evil El. Did I dream this?

“Why do you sometimes say strange things these days, our Rurin?”

I asked directly, but Rurin squinted and answered firmly.

“There’s something like that. It’s something only I know.”

Ah, I see.

A mysterious woman, huh? Secrets are beautiful, after all. Rurin said this, then, seemingly feeling guilty, quickly got off me and disappeared out of the bedroom.

What even is going on? Ah, forget it.

I gave up thinking. Sleeping is the best in times like this. Let’s just sleep.

Just as I was about to close my eyes, Rurin suddenly ran up, jumped beside me, and firmly declared.

“Fine, I’ll give up the massage.”

“So does that mean I can sleep now?”

Since she’s giving up, I thought I might finally be able to sleep. I asked, hoping to rest for my shoulders and spine—sometimes, you just have to accept when someone offers.

“What are you saying?”

But Rurin looked at me with an expression as if she’d heard the sound of a stomach growling but no food in sight.

“Forget that! This is it. I’m doing this!”

“Huh?”

What’s going on?

For once, the lazy one is full of energy. Her eyebrows are twitching. Her lips are curled in a mischievous way.

If I combine everything, it’s clear she wants to do something forcefully.

Come to think of it, Rurin was holding something in her hand. She was gripping it tightly, her eyes shining as she said she was going to do something.

On closer inspection, it looked like a cotton swab, but no—it was an ear pick.

An ear pick?

I’ve had my ears cleaned a few times before. So she’s probably used to holding an ear pick.

The problem is, why would she suddenly offer a massage, then talk about cleaning my ears? This girl, who usually enjoys receiving things, wants to do something for once.

If she’s doing this out of pure intent, it wouldn’t matter. But, generally speaking, Rurin always has something pushing her when she acts like this.

“Why?”

“What do you mean why? Because I want to clean your ears!”

“Oh, really? You want to clean them?”

She nodded.

She sat down on my stomach, then came down and tapped her thigh lightly. The message was clear: no refusal, come lie down and rest your head.

I wasn’t sure what her final goal was, but I reluctantly laid my head on Rurin’s thigh as she wanted.

The soft, warm feeling seeped in. It was completely different from lying on a pillow. It felt cozy, almost like being in a mother’s embrace, and I began to feel sleepy.

The pleasant scent made this situation even better. Not bad at all.

But this is where the problem lies.

Now the ear pick was supposed to come into my ear. But Rurin was just holding it, exhaling softly, doing nothing.

“Have you started, Rurin?”

“I-I’m going to do it now! Stay still.”

Why is she stuttering? Stuttering only makes things more suspicious. If the goal is just to clean my ears, there’s no reason for her to stutter.