Chapter 97: Feast

As I headed towards the kitchen, I saw Norman-san, who had probably arrived before me while I was conducting the award ceremony. He was sharpening his own knife, looking full of energy and determination.

“Norman-san, thank you for coming today.”

“Thank you for inviting me. The mock battle tournament was really exciting, and I’m so grateful for the opportunity to cook with ingredients from another world.”

“I’m glad you feel that way. By the way, for today, will you be cooking freely with the ingredients, or would you like to try a recipe from another world?”

“Hmm… Someday, I’d like to cook freely with ingredients from another world, but today, I’ll stick to the recipe and cook a dish from this world. We don’t have much time after all.”

“Understood. I’ll share the recipe with you, and we can cook together.”

“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”

After shaking hands with Norman-san, we got started with the cooking.

The theme for today was to make delicious dishes that are easy to prepare.

The ingredients had already been bought the day before, so all that was left was to cook. I handed Norman-san the recipe sheet and planned to help with any parts he didn’t understand.

Although I expected that teaching him would take up some time, since Norman-san is faster at cooking, I wasn’t too concerned.

There were hungry participants waiting, so we needed to work quickly.

About an hour into cooking, even though it was just Norman-san helping, we managed to finish all the dishes at an astonishing speed.

I had thought the teaching process would take longer, but Norman-san grasped things quickly, so it didn’t take any extra time at all. Since he worked in a diner, everything was done at an incredibly fast pace. I only had to make the final flavor adjustments.

I felt a bit guilty for leaving so much to him, but Norman-san’s eyes were sparkling with excitement, and that was the only relief. It seemed that the cooking process was filled with new experiences for him, and he was truly enjoying it.

“Ahhh, that was so much fun. It’s sad that it’s over.”

“Thank you, Norman-san. Thanks to you, we’ve finished cooking everything.”

“I’m used to making large quantities. If there’s ever another event where we cook dishes from another world, feel free to call me. I’ll come running.”

“Yes, I won’t hesitate to ask. Please enjoy the food as well.”

We carried the finished dishes outside and placed them on a simple table set up by Rozzo-san and Sid-san.

There were a total of eight dishes: the main dishes of keema curry and meat sauce spaghetti, along with fried chicken, chicken nuggets, French fries, and a fresh vegetable salad. For dessert, we had vanilla ice cream and pudding.

The desserts were made the day before, as they were easy to chill and simple to prepare. Even though they were just ice cream and pudding again, both were so delicious that I didn’t think it would be a problem.

“Wow, this looks amazing! I would have been satisfied just with the mock battle tournament, but getting to eat Japanese food is just too exciting!”

“If I’d gone a bit further in the tournament, I could have eaten without hesitation… but no, today, I’m eating without worrying about my weight.”

“Exactly! We burn calories from dungeon hunting, so if we’re going to splurge, it should be on food from this world!”

“Right. Calories and fancy talk don’t matter in front of Sato-san’s cooking!”

Ren and the others were as excited as always, and their eyes were filled with hunger. Since I knew that the people who had already been served before would enjoy the food, I wasn’t worried. However, the two new people, who came recommended, were the ones I was concerned about.

Since they lost in the first round, I hoped they wouldn’t leave with bad memories and would instead create good ones with the food.

I had specifically asked Brittany-san to stay and enjoy the food, and I was a little nervous that she might not like it.

“Brittany-san, please feel free to eat as much as you like.”

“Hmm. So this is the delicious food Sato was talking about? It certainly smells nice.”

“It’s not just the smell, I think the taste is really good too. There’s no point in letting it go to waste, so if it’s to your liking, please eat as much as you want.”

“Thanks. I’ll gladly take you up on that offer.”

Brittany-san smiled at me.

Next, I went over to Joel and asked how he was feeling before the meal.

“Joel, are you feeling okay? If you feel sick or anything, please let me know right away.”

“I’m totally fine! It was just a wooden hammer, so the damage isn’t as bad as it looks!”

“I’m relieved to hear that. If you’re feeling fine, please enjoy the food. It should help you feel better.”

“Yes! It looks incredibly delicious! I heard you called in a top-tier chef to make it, is that true?”

“Yes, it’s true. The ingredients are top quality too, so I’m sure you’ll enjoy it as well.”

“I didn’t get to show off, but I’ll eat without hesitation!”

Joel was also looking forward to the meal.

I felt relieved and went to the front to make a short pre-meal announcement. Since everyone was eager to eat, I kept it brief.

“Thank you all so much for today. I think this event turned out to be wonderful thanks to everyone. If we can hold another tournament next time, I hope you’ll all join us again. And now… since the food might get cold, let’s eat. — Itadakimasu!”

“Itadakimasu!”

After our pre-meal cheer, everyone eagerly dug into their food.

The quickest to act was Sheila-san, who had lost in the finals. I had been a bit worried about her, but it was a relief to see her eating so happily.

Watching everyone enjoy their meal made me feel proud of what a great event this was. It was all thanks to everyone who participated and helped, and I was deeply grateful to them all… and with that, I also dug into the delicious Japanese food that Norman-san had prepared.

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