What’s with that joy over something like this?
For some reason, my heart is stinging.
Suddenly, I remember the purple kimchi stew she made.
The cosmic horror flavor that would surprise even Cthulhu, and I recall how I harshly criticized it.
Could it be that she practiced the kimchi stew because of that?
Honestly, that purple kimchi stew was so terrible it was beyond description, but I feel like I might have been a bit too serious about it.
I feel slightly guilty for no reason.
“No, no need to be thankful. Don’t cry over this. Just give me more rice.”
It’s a bit salty, so it needs to be eaten with rice.
Rin wipes her tears away.
She smiles and says, “Ah, I see. Since you said it’s a bit salty, I’ll pay more attention to the seasoning next time.”
Clank.
Another bowl of instant rice is placed in front of me.
Steam rises from the white rice.
“You still have a bit of a cold, so eat plenty, Kim Deok-Sung.”
Rin smiles faintly.
This is similar to something my mom used to say.
Whenever I was sick, my mom always served me tons of rice, claiming it was the best medicine.
“…Right.”
I take a bowl of rice and scoop a spoonful with kimchi stew into my mouth.
It’s not delicious, but it perfectly brings back memories of the world.
I feel unexpectedly sentimental.
“Shinozaki! Little girl wants to eat kimchi stew too! Please give me a bowl!”
Bam.
Evangeline raises her hand from the side.
“Understood. Miss Stewart. Here you go.”
Clank.
In a swimsuit apron, Rin gives Evangeline some kimchi stew and rice with a maternal smile.
“Thank you! I’ll eat well!”
Evangeline brightly greets with a smile.
Clank.
Rin also serves Beatrice, who’s sitting next to her.
“Ugh, the red broth looks super spicy…”
Beatrice whispers, trembling slightly at the sight of the bright red kimchi stew.
Does she usually dislike spicy food?
It’s not mentioned in the lore, so I have no idea.
“It’s super delicious! Truly, Shinozaki! You have a knack for Korean food!”
Thump.
Evangeline clasps her hands like in prayer, her eyes sparkling.
“Ah, no. It’s nothing like that…”
Rin gets flustered by Evangeline’s compliment.
Her face turns red.
It’s unusual for Rin, the cooking idiot, to receive compliments about her cooking.
It’s only natural for her to react like this when it’s not just me, but Evangeline too, praising her.
Hearing the compliment, it was only natural for her to react that way.
“If you have time, you should teach the girl a thing or two. As Kim Deok-Sung’s believer, I really want to learn about Korean cuisine!”
“Huh? Um, if it’s okay with you… I get it…”
Rin blushes with a smile.
It’s a completely different sight compared to her usual serious face, crying, or hesitating with a lack of confidence.
Seeing her genuinely happy and bashful makes my heart feel inexplicably warm and fuzzy.
“Ugh, it looks like it’s going to be spicy…”
Next to Evangelin, Beatrice was still looking down at the Kimchi Stew with a face that looked like she was about to cry.
She hesitates, puffing up her cheeks.
At that moment, Rin’s shoulders slightly droop.
“Come on, Trixie, hurry up and eat the Kimchi Stew before it gets cold!”
“Wait a second. I don’t want to eat… Ugh! Mmm!”
Evangelin force-feeds Beatrice the Kimchi Stew.
“Mmm!”
Beatrice’s red eyes tremble.
Swish.
A spoon comes out of Beatrice’s mouth.
“This is…”
Beatrice’s body shakes with a shudder.
Glug.
Rin swallows nervously.
[It’s making me nervous too, partner.]
The Black Prince makes a nonsensical comment in my head.
“This isn’t too bad. I thought it would be spicy because it’s red, but I was mistaken. At least it’s much better than that terrible noodle dish the contractor made.”
Beatrice quickly shifts back to her original “chuunibyou” mode, raising her nose as she speaks.
Terrible noodle dish? What on earth did he make?
“Hey, human, the Saintess of the Scarlet Lotus personally praised it! Consider yourself honored.”
Swoosh.
Beatrice places her hand on her chest and smiles lightly.
Hearing her backhanded praise, Rin’s face brightens up.
“T-Thank you, Smith. I’m so glad everyone likes it.”
Rin’s eyes well up with tears.
She wipes them away with the back of her hand.
Seeing that, I feel a bit melancholic.
“Stop crying already.”
Honestly, she looks all cool and aloof, but in reality, she’s the biggest crybaby out there.
“Okay, I get it. Deok-Sung. I-I won’t cry.”
She hurriedly wipes her tears and smiles.
A happy smile appears on Rin’s face, blushing pink.
Today feels like I’m seeing so many firsts for Rin.
“Oh my, Trixie! Seeing you enjoy the Kimchi Stew, I bet you’ll love spicy fried noodles too soon!”
“T-That’s not true! D-Don’t feed me that!”
Beatrice jumps at Evangelin’s joke.
Could it be that she’s scared of spicy food because it’s red, especially for a Saintess?
I’m losing it, seriously.
Watching the bickering between Evangelin and Beatrice, along with Rin’s motherly smile, I finished up the Kimchi Stew.
“That was good, Rin.”
I pass her the empty bowl.
Rin’s face turns red as she receives it.
“Uh, um… Thank you, Deok-Sung.”
The moment our fingers touch during the handoff, Rin’s face flushes even more.
“I also enjoyed it!”
“Thank you too, Stuart.”
Rin receives Evangelin’s empty bowl with a smile.
Beatrice, watching her, says while sucking her finger, “Is there no dessert? I prefer sweet things.”
“Is there none? It’s better to open it.”
“Miss Smith, dessert is a luxury in deserted island survival training.”
Beatrice slumped her shoulders at Evangelin’s words.
A luxury, huh?
Seems like something a tea-loving, bulgogi-obsessed British princess shouldn’t say while lugging around scones and tea instead of food.
Rin chuckled at that sight.
“Dessert is right here.”
Really? Dessert?
On a deserted island?
Clank.
Rin placed a tray on the table.
“It’s ice mango made with my gift.”
What she presented as dessert was the mango we had worked hard to harvest from the colony earlier.
She must have used her gift, ‘Frost’, to freeze it into ice mango.
Chill wafted up above the frozen mango.
Evangelin covered her mouth in awe.
“Hawawawawa…”
“Wowww….”
Then Beatrice’s eyes sparkled.
Given that she’s a saint known to love sweets especially, she’s completely mesmerized by the dessert.
“Please eat as much as you want.”
Rin said proudly.
In stark contrast to the anxious and insecure demeanor she had when offering the kimchi stew earlier.
“Shinozaki-sama, I will enjoy it!”
“I shall eat well!”
Beatrice and Evangelin thanked her as they dug into the ice mango.
“Mmm. This is indeed the flavor. You can’t skip dessert after a meal. Right, contractor?”
“It’s delicious! Hehe. Shinozaki-sama is the all-rounder hero!”
Beatrice and Evangelin praised Rin.
Rin’s face turned red.
Her lips twitched.
Rin glanced over here shyly.
“Deok-seong.”
She picked up an ice mango.
“Ah… I-I’ll feed you…”
She looked down, her eyes lowered.
What is this situation?
I thought only Olivia liked this feeding thing. Did Rin like it too?
[Partner. The girl’s arm is about to fall off. Just take it already.]
The Black Prince in my head gave more useless advice.
I was already planning to accept it anyway.
This much isn’t impossible.
I never expected her to prepare ice mango though.
Without saying anything, I opened my mouth, and Rin, with trembling hands, fed the ice mango into it.
The frozen mango melted in my mouth like ice cream.
Chiiing.
It was a bit of a headache, but fine.
It was delicious.
“Um, how is it? Deok-seong. Is it good this time too?”
Rin fidgeted, clutching her apron, glancing up at me shyly.
I nodded.
“It’s good.”
Honestly, it was a dish with no real cooking involved.
With her Frost gift, all she had to do was freeze the mango.
The mango itself was so good anyway.
“…I’m glad. That means you liked everything today.”
Rin smiled, brushing her hair behind her ear.
Her face bathed in the evening glow turned a lovely shade of red.
Seeing Rin like that was too pretty.
For a moment, she mirrored my mother.
I averted my gaze.
Thus, the dinner concluded that day.
*
After finishing dinner and cleaning up the dishes.
Our group prepared to sleep.
We decided to take turns on watch duty among the four of us while we slept.
I would take the first watch.
Bunch of branches.
And right before the unfortunate vigil, there was Beatrice.
“Get up. Get up… Human. What are you doing not waking up?”
That was why Beatrice was shaking me awake from my sleeping bag.
“Ugh…”
Rubbing my sleepy eyes, I finally sit up.
Damn it, another night watch.
I’ve felt it in the army too, but waking up in the middle of a watch shift is no joke.
I thought if I reincarnated in another world, I wouldn’t have to pull night watch like this.
“Human. It’s your turn for the night watch. You need to be diligent with your duties.”
Heh heh.
Beatrice smiles and puts her hand on her chest.
Seriously, with her middle school disease fashion, she sure knows how to pose.
[Partner. Are you a bit more alert now?]
‘Yeah.’
Listening to the Black Prince, I groggily get out of my spot and step outside the tent.
It’s early morning, so even though it’s summer, the chilly air welcomes me.
I can see a crackling campfire.
“Ugh.”
I cross my arms and hug my elbows while sitting in a chair in front of the fire.
[Night watch, huh? I used to stand watch a lot in the field back in the day. Brings back memories.]
The Black Prince speaks like an experienced sergeant going out on duty with me.
The only good thing about the watch compared to the normal patrol is having someone to talk to.
Of course, if you get stuck with a lousy senior or a useless rookie as your partner, that’s a whole different struggle.
But honestly, having someone like the Black Prince next to me is a relief.
At least I don’t have to kill time pointless.
‘Yeah.’
I nod at the Black Prince’s words and pull out some marshmallows from my bag, sticking them on a skewer.
Marshmallows over the campfire are a must.
I’ve always wanted to do this—roasting marshmallows at a campfire.
[Oh. Partner. You gonna roast marshmallows? You know a thing or two, huh?]
If there’s one thing that’s better about this night watch compared to the military, it’s that you can eat while on duty.
Just then, while I was roasting the marshmallows…
“Ahem.”
I hear someone clear their throat behind me.
I turn my head.
There stands…
“The, the delicious smell is wafting through. Human, I shall grant you the honor of offering me a bite of that squishy food.”
The utterly shameless, attention-seeking middle school disease saint was there.
I’m not kidding.
What? A bite? Offer?
I’m at a loss for words.
What have I done that you want mine?
“What are you asking for? This is mine! Why should I give it to you? If you want it, go get your own marshmallows.”
“Gub!”
I lowly respond, and the saint hiccups.
Her face turns pale as she gasps.
“Alright? I’m not giving it to you, so don’t go sipping on your kimchi soup and make good use of your words.”
“Waaaaah… That’s so unfair…”
Beatrice plops down on the floor.
She pouts, cheeks puffed out, like a spoiled child.
Where does she think she’s gonna get anything from?
There’s no way I’m giving her any.
“…”
Glancing over, the saint has sat down, staring with her single red eye at the marshmallow roasting over the fire.
