Chapter 74

“Meow.”

On weekend mornings, everyone is sprawled out.

But if plans come up, everyone suddenly springs to life and heads out, though this is the default state.

I’m just resting after doing my thing.

“Meow.”

And for some reason, on weekend mornings, Max crawls into the living room and jumps around between us.

I don’t know what’s so fun about it, but it happens every weekend.

How does he even know it’s the weekend when everyone’s resting?

“Hey, come here.”

“Meow.”

Lately, Max has been weirdly obedient to me.

Ever since I came back from Germany?

Suddenly, he listens well and sticks close, which is a bit surprising, but he’s always been a bit odd like that, so it’s not that shocking.

Still, this level of change is pretty big, so it’s not like I’m not surprised.

He used to do whatever he wanted and then cling to me, but now he just clings. It’s hard not to be surprised.

“…Why does Max only follow you, unnie?”

“Right? Why does he only follow you?”

“Who knows? Maybe he’s accepted me as his owner.”

By the way, Max’s fur is so soft~.

I never knew having a pet could be this nice.

“…Huh? What’s that smell?”

“Yura unnie. That’s curry.”

“…!”

Curry…? Why is Chubby making curry?

And this smell isn’t like the instant 3-minute curry.

Should I get up and check?

“Chubby. What kind of curry are you making?”

“I’m following the advice of the food-making mascots to create a spice blend!”

“Really? You’re making your own spice blend?”

“The Fairy Queen herself is acting as the test subject, so it’s reliable!”

“Ohhh…”

Curry changes drastically depending on the spice blend, and then again based on how you cook it and what ingredients you add.

For Chubby to be making it… I’m kind of looking forward to it.

Plus, Chubby’s cooking skills have improved a lot, so I can trust his sense.

Though, poor guy, due to his body structure, he can only taste a little.

…Wait, the Fairy Queen tasted it herself?

She really has too much free time…

“Anyway, spice blend aside, what kind of curry is it?”

“Lamb curry!”

“Lamb? That’s pretty divisive.”

“There’s a way to make it so it’s not divisive!”

…Well, he’ll figure it out.

Then I should go meet the Fairy Queen while the curry’s being made.

I need to show her that notebook.

Whether it’s a trap or not is secondary.

So I transformed and opened a [Gate] to the Fairy Realm.

Some of the newbies recognized me and greeted me, so I waved back as I trudged to where the Fairy Queen was.

I’d like to just open a [Gate] right there, but the Fairy Realm has specific spots for that, which is annoying.

If there’s prior communication, I can open it right in front, but… that usually only happens if the Fairy Queen summons me first.

“Welcome, Rampage.”

“Hey. Can you take a look at this notebook first?”

“A notebook…?”

As soon as I entered the room, I handed the Fairy Queen the notebook I found under a monster’s corpse.

It’s clear they brought it to leave a clue, but I can’t figure out their intent.

The Fairy Queen slowly flipped through it and gently placed it on the table.

“…Could it be that their original personality is…”

“What’s going on?”

“Rampage. You’ve heard from Meriol why we’re sealing the Demon Realm, right?”

“Yeah. So?”

“Then you know that most demons and monsters were once fairies, right?”

“Sure?”

“Those monsters… some of them might be showing signs of their original fairy personalities awakening.”

Oh, ohhh… That’s kind of interesting.

But does that even matter?

“But aren’t they already corrupted?”

“True. Since we don’t know how long they can hold on or when they might revert, it’s still difficult to change our approach to these monsters.”

“Because we can’t properly examine them…”

“Monsters only send out demons or fragments… It’s a shame we can’t examine them.”

I could storm into the Demon Realm, knock them out, and bring them back, but that’s a bit hard to pull off.

There’s the Pandora issue, and I can’t just waltz into the Demon Realm.

Sigh… This is another tricky situation.

“For now, we’ll look into this further.”

“Okay.”

“Ah, and… thank you for helping Magical Magician awaken her Third Ability.”

“Huh? No, I just gave her a little push.”

“Still, without that small push, her Third Ability might not have awakened.”

“…Well, think what you want.”

“Hehe… You’re cute when you’re like that, you know?”

“Cute? What’s cute about that?”

“Nothing. You can head back now.”

“…Alright.”

After talking with the Fairy Queen, I opened a [Gate] and returned home.

As soon as I entered, my nose was hit with the smell of curry again.

There’s also some unfamiliar drinks and naan.

It’s like a full Indian course meal.

“Ah! Perfect timing! I was just setting the table!”

“Really? Good timing.”

When I got back, both of them were already seated at the table.

Stop staring like that, you two.

You’ll pop your eyes out.

“It’s ready!”

“Alright, let’s eat.”

So, how’s the curry after so long… Oh, it’s delicious.

Way better than the instant 3-minute curry I’ve had before.

Well, instant curry is good too, but this is on a whole different level.

And the lamb in it is amazing.

“You can add sour cream to this curry!”

Sour cream… I didn’t think they’d prepare something like this.

Well, they made a lot of dishes, so maybe it was already there.

“Unnie! Try this! It’s really good!”

“What is it?”

“This!”

Huh? What kind of drink is this?

It looks like there’s some yogurt in it…

…Oh? Ohhh?

“Chubby. What’s this?”

“It’s lassi! I added Southeast Asian mango!”

“Southeast Asian mango? Why’d you buy that?”

“Because it tastes completely different!”

“Really? This lassi is delicious. Make it more often.”

Wow… The curry’s great, but this lassi is amazing too.

Is this why Middle Eastern food is so popular?

I should have Chubby try making more Middle Eastern or similar dishes.

Even though many countries are gone now, their cuisines and histories remain, so it shouldn’t be a problem.

Sigh, why did I reject the Fairy Realm again…

“…Ayun. Sit up straight while eating.”

“Huh?”

“No matter how good it is, who eats like that? At least sit up properly.”

“Ah, okay.”

Diamond Dust is eating everything without any complaints.

Chubby’s really good at cooking.

He used to mess up so much at first, but I guess that’s the difference with a veteran mascot.

…Maybe I should praise Chubby’s efforts once in a while.

“Ah~ I’m so full…”

“Meow.”

“Here, Max. Come here.”

“Meow.”

“Ugh. Don’t climb on my stomach.”

After happily devouring the curry, I sat back on the sofa and called Max over.

Then Yura and Diamond Dust scurried over and started petting Max.

These guys are going crazy over Max.

…Come to think of it, my friends said they’d come over on weekends to see the cat, right?

They must be busy every weekend…

I should send them a message.

[You guys not coming to see Max? He’s super cute lol Plus, he’s a well-behaved cat-dog.]

If I send this… they’ll reply later.

Oh, Jinsu replied right away.

[Ah… I’m dragged to mountains and golf every weekend… I’m dying…]

[Lol idiot]

Wow… Nothing’s worse than being dragged around on weekends.

Jinsu’s having a terrible weekend.

[Oh right… When are we going? Didn’t you say you were watching a kid? Huh?]

Jin forgot about it.

Well, with Yura and Diamond Dust here… Hmm… No, as long as it’s not a drinking party, it’s fine, right?

[Just come. As long as you don’t drink like crazy.]

[Kk next week]

So Jin’s coming next week.

Not everyone’s coming, so a couple of bottles should be fine.

Then lastly… Daeyoung.

[Got a girlfriend, can’t come]

[You bastard]

[Jk, got a weekend raid party scheduled, timing’s bad lol]

Daeyoung’s got an RPG raid party…

Isn’t that every week?

Then he won’t have time to come on weekends until he quits that game.

Sigh… So only Jin’s coming…

“Chubby. Bring some snacks.”

“Sure!”

Come to think of it, I didn’t eat the Fairy Realm’s snacks while I was in Germany.

It’s been a while since I’ve eaten like this, and it’s so good.

…Should I get one more?

I’m a magical girl, so I won’t gain weight. It’s fine.

“Ugh~…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Ever since I started living at your place, everything’s so delicious… Even the snacks are too good…”

“Why’s that?”

“…I think I’m gaining weight.”

“Why are you worrying about weight now, you mackerel? Trying to become a plump, well-seasoned mackerel? You’d make a great side dish.”

“I’m not a mackerel!”

She doesn’t look that different, but why is she so sensitive?

Do girls get stressed over even a little bit of fat?

I’m a girl now too, but since I don’t gain weight, I don’t get it…

“…I won’t gain weight, right?”

“You won’t. You’re basically a fairy since you were halfway through monster transformation. You’ll never gain weight, so don’t worry.”

“Phew~…”

“Ah… I should’ve become a magical girl…”

Tsk tsk… Give up, Yura.

Being a magical girl isn’t something you just do.

I’ll protect you no matter what, so just live as a normal person and take care of your health.

Stop with the unnecessary thoughts.

“…Meow.”

Ah, Max went back to the room.

It’s better to go back to the room than to listen to the three of us munching on snacks.

“Hehehe~…”

“…Hey. Don’t sit slouched like that.”

“Ah, why~.”

“Don’t complain if you get hemorrhoids.”

“Hemorrhoids? That won’t happen from this, so don’t worry!”

“Your spine’s gonna be wrecked too.”

“I’m fine!”

Seriously, she doesn’t listen at all.

But I can see her belly folding a bit like that.

I see… That kind of fat must really bother her.

From above, it probably looks like it’s really sticking out.

“Hey. What did you say about gaining weight earlier?”

“Huh?”

“Then go exercise.”

“No.”

“Then become a piglet. Just doing 50 burpees a day at home would maintain your figure.”

“Too lazy~!”

“……”

Should I just cut her allowance?

She won’t move unless I threaten her allowance.

“…Ah! A Marquis-Class demon! Emergency dispatch request!”

“What? Where?”

“Daejeon!”

Sigh… I’ll leave that pig-mackerel and go do my job.

Alright, let’s head out for an emergency dispatch!