Chapter 106. The End of the First “Let’s Feed the Heroes Until They’re Full” Party

“Everyone picked some good abilities.”

Hmm… I feel like they lack a bit of long-range attack power, but it’s a well-balanced party overall. I’m sure they’ll move forward steadily.

But… now that I’ve actually seen the heroes in person…

They’re just high school students, right? I mean, yes—I do want them to do something about the Demon Lord, and I was planning to support them however I could. But… can we really leave everything to these kids?

“Hey, Kino-kun. Can your teleportation handle six people?”

“Eh? Uh, yes.”

I see. Then it’s decided. I’ll go with them—not as the sixth hero, but as a teleported companion.

After all, it’s the boss’s job to protect their underlings, right? Though in my case, “protect” probably just means “watch over” and offer a bit of support. Still, I’ve got a feeling there’s a lot of trouble going on…

“Then, is it okay if I come along with you?”

“Big Sis…”

Momose-san’s eyes glistened a little. Let’s see—Midorikawa-kun is a second-year, and the other three are first-years, right? So when they were summoned, Momose-san being the oldest and the class rep, she must’ve been holding herself together this whole time. It must’ve been tough for her.

But then, she suddenly looked taken aback and exchanged glances with the other heroes. They all nodded seriously.

“Saki-san, like me, you don’t have any real attack power, right? Then… we don’t want to lose you. Please stay somewhere safe. And if you could, just every once in a while, – really, just every once in a while, —make us some Japanese food.”

Aoi-kun asks me very calmly and seriously.

“I can protect you with a barrier, but… yeah.”

Midorikawa-kun agreed with Aoi-kun.

“I’m asking you too,”

Akai-kun says also.

“…Ah, I guess five people’s the limit for long-distance teleportation,”

Kino-kun muttered, eyes darting away.

Yeah, that’s definitely a lie.

“As long as you’re waiting for us with curry, Big Sis, I’ll do my best!”

They’re such good kids. Really.

All right.

I’ll be waiting for you anytime. Please teleport back to eat with me. I’ll make plenty of food and stock your storage with it.

And if there’s any way I can help, I’ll definitely come along with you. I’m sure I can bribe Kino-kun with chips and hamburgers if I need to.

At the very least, I want Kino-kun to check in regularly. Because I’ll be worried!

In the end, all the remaining food I’d laid out on the table was neatly devoured by the now-recovered high schoolers while we talked.

Even the three who’d been totally groggy earlier perked up after a short break, saying, “I can still eat! There’s some space now!” Truly, the metabolism of teenagers is something else.

It’s like… a torrential downpour from a typhoon or rain band is rough, but if it’s spaced out intermittently, it’s manageable. Something like that.

“Hey, can I introduce you all to some important people of mine who helped make this dinner happen?”

At first, I thought it might be better if I was the only one who interacted with the heroes. But now that I’ve gotten a good sense of what kind of people they are, I think it’ll be fine.

The heroes exchanged looks at my words, and Momose-san spoke up on behalf of the group.

“Of course. There were people who helped make all this food, right? We’d love to thank them.”

Yeah, I figured they’d realize I didn’t cook all of this myself. In fact, I did do the prep work from yesterday to this morning, and I made the first batch of curry myself. But for the actual finishing touches today—frying, seasoning, and all that—Martha-san handled almost everything.

Martha is so talented. Even with ingredients and seasonings she’s never used before, she understood exactly what I wanted after a brief explanation and just one taste test—then perfectly replicate the flavor. I think she’s divine.

“… your familiars? People?”

Kino-kun asked.

Yeah—Mimi and Kirara helped out too, along with Luna. 

Jude- san is keeping a watchful eye on the surroundings just in case, since the heroes are here.

This house already has a sort of security system because of Luna—anti-eavesdropping, anti-intrusion, that kind of thing. That’s probably why he recommended holding the gathering here.

So anyway—

“This is Jude-san, the owner of the house. He’s helped me out a lot.”

“I’d say I’m the one who’s been helped…”

I gave them all quick introductions like that, and enjoyed watching the excitement that erupted at Luna’s cuteness.

And finally, I introduced the person who has made a great contribution to today’s feast—Martha-san.

“Hello. I’m just getting the rest of the food packed up for you so you can take it with you, so please wait a bit, okay?”

When Martha-san said that with a smile, the heroes’ faces lit up. They all bowed deeply, thanking her over and over.

And so, Martha-san ended up with five new admirers.

As for souvenirs, I’d asked Larry-san to bake me curry bread and sweet bean buns—five portions of each. Martha-san was also packing up the rest of the food so the heroes could take it home, so I hope you will put them in storage and enjoy them at your leisure. 

“Oh, Momose-san, could you come here for a sec?”

I led her into the next room.

“This might seem like favoritism, but—here.”

I handed Momose a bundle of personal items I’d stocked up on whenever I had some spare cash: my own lotions, shampoo, and other essentials.

I don’t have any feminine charm, so it’s really just the basics. I really don’t have any cosmetics. I have a slim eyebrow pencil from the 100 yen store. Because the super-fine tip is really thin and really easy to draw with…Total hidden gem.

Still, since Momose-san’s naturally beautiful, I think even the bare minimum should be fine for her. Definitely.

“There must be something you absolutely need, right? If you tell me, I’ll do my best to get you it by next time.”

“That would really help. The stuff here is, um…”

Yeah, I get it. It’s rough. Call it favoritism if you want—but girls are special. The boys can tough it out a bit, I hope. If I’ve got the resources, I’ll do my best to meet their requests too.

And so, the First “Let’s Feed the Heroes Until They’re Full” Party ended in success.

For now, since I’ve got a direct line to Kino-kun the Hero… let’s make some relief supplies! Let’s stock up on seasonings!