Chapter 35: Chicken Ramen and Former A-Rank Adventurer
A month passed.
The peaceful days in Papel Village continued, and at the moment, I was locked in a fierce battle against Raphiel and Eve’s tag team in Great War Smash Sisters.
“Raphiel, you’ve gotten stronger again.”
I narrowed my eyes at the screen.
“Your counters have improved a lot.”
“…You’re one to talk.”
Raphiel’s expression remained as stoic as ever despite the frustration in her voice.
“You keep countering my counters. Eve, pressure Eight harder.”
“I’m already doing that!”
Eve protested while frantically mashing buttons.
Meanwhile, the living room was as lively as ever.
Luca and Nor, who had come over to play, were sitting nearby watching the match unfold with amazement.
Rio, on the other hand, had Amate sitting on her lap and was hugging her tightly.
“Man, Eight-niichan is on a completely different level.”
Luca stared at the screen in awe.
“I don’t even understand what you three are doing anymore.”
Nor sighed.
Rio ignored the game entirely.
Instead, she buried her face against Amate and inhaled deeply.
“Fuuuh… haaah…”
Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
“Amate smells like sunshine…”
“U-Um, Rio-neesan…”
Amate squirmed shyly.
“It’s embarrassing when you sniff me…”
“Hehe.”
Rio hugged her even tighter.
“You know, it’s okay if you call me Mama.”
She said it with the utmost seriousness.
Amate’s face immediately turned red.
Meanwhile, Rio continued rubbing her cheek against the girl’s neck while taking another appreciative sniff.
Apparently, she found Amate’s reactions irresistibly cute.
Watching the scene, I couldn’t help wondering why Rio was so determined to get Amate to call her “Mama.”
Maybe Amate was simply so adorable that she’d awakened some dormant maternal instincts.
“Looking away during a match?”
Raphiel’s voice suddenly sharpened.
“You’ve got some nerve, Eight.”
“Gotcha, Oniichan!”
Eve lunged in for what should have been a decisive attack.
“Where exactly is this opening you’re talking about?”
My fingers moved instinctively.
“Anyway. KO.”
“!?!!”
Both Raphiel and Eve froze.
The victory screen appeared.
“…”
Raphiel stared blankly.
“…To think you’d counter every single attack without even looking.”
Eve slowly turned toward me.
“Hey.”
“What?”
“Are you secretly some kind of Newtype?”
“What?”
“Do you have eyes on the back of your head or something?”
I laughed.
“It’s just experience.”
Then I shrugged.
“I haven’t gone all out in a while, that’s all.”
Though if I were being honest, things were changing.
Raphiel and Eve had improved significantly.
There were noticeably more situations now where the two of them could actually corner me.
At this rate…
Maybe a year from now, I’d start losing.
“Eight.”
Raphiel immediately grabbed a second controller.
“Continue practicing with me.”
“Ehhh!?”
Eve nearly fell off the couch.
“I wanna play something else for once!”
She began listing titles on her fingers.
“The remake of Dragon Quest One.”
“The new Final Fantasy.”
“Anything but this.”
“Then we shall settle it with rock-paper-scissors.”
Raphiel nodded seriously.
“Best of three.”
Then she calmly raised a hand.
“Miracle of Blessing.”
A faint glow enveloped her.
Eve immediately exploded.
“Using a miracle to increase your luck is cheating!”
The two of them really got along surprisingly well.
Despite being a Saint and a Demon King, they felt more like sisters than mortal enemies.
The sight was oddly heartwarming.
Just then—
“Eight-niichan.”
Luca’s voice interrupted.
“I’m hungry.”
“Hm?”
I glanced at the clock.
“Oh. It’s already noon.”
The morning had disappeared before I noticed.
“Guess I’ll make something.”
“I want that thing!”
Luca immediately perked up.
“Chicken Ramen!”
“You really love Chicken Ramen.”
“Because it’s awesome!”
She answered without hesitation.
Lately, whenever Luca visited my house, she always requested Chicken Ramen.
Honestly, I understood why.
All you had to do was pour hot water over it and wait three minutes.
Quick.
Easy.
Delicious.
The perfect food.
“Eight.”
Raphiel raised a hand.
“Please add an egg to mine.”
“I want extra green onions!”
Eve chimed in.
“Got it, got it.”
I headed to the kitchen.
Taking several packages of Chicken Ramen from the cupboard, I began preparing lunch.
The noodles went into bowls first.
Then I carefully cracked eggs into the small depressions in the center.
The trick was pouring the boiling water slowly around the egg whites without hitting the yolks directly.
After that, all that remained was covering the bowls with small plates.
While the noodles cooked, I prepared toppings.
Green onions.
Ham.
A few other extras.
By the time everything was ready—
Lunch was complete.
“It’s done.”
I carried the bowls into the living room.
The delicious aroma instantly filled the house.
Raphiel and Eve abandoned their game at lightning speed.
Everyone gathered around the table.
Hands pressed together.
“Let’s eat.”
The meal began.
“Slurp…”
Raphiel took a long bite.
“This flavor truly never gets old.”
She looked utterly satisfied.
“The half-cooked egg mixed into the noodles is especially delicious. Very tasty.”
“Eight-niichan!”
Eve waved her chopsticks.
“Pass the chili pepper!”
“Glug, glug—”
Luca drank directly from the bowl.
Then slammed it down dramatically.
“Whoa! The soup is amazing!”
“Wait!”
Nor stared at her.
“Did you already finish!?”
“You’re way too fast!”
“Fast eating isn’t good for you, Luca.”
Rio scolded gently.
The room filled with laughter.
Conversation.
The sounds of slurping noodles.
A perfectly ordinary lunch.
For a moment, I simply sat there and watched everyone.
The warmth of the scene settled into my chest.
“Father?”
Amate tilted her head.
“You’ve been staring at everyone.”
“Hm?”
I smiled faintly.
“Nothing.”
Then I sighed.
“I was just thinking how peaceful things are.”
A brief pause.
“And how things might get a lot noisier soon.”
Everyone in the village already knew.
The Adventurers’ Guild branch would be completed before long.
Which also meant something else.
If the nobles of the Kingdom of Elde summoned me, I’d likely have to travel with hired guards.
Refusing powerful nobles sounded like an excellent way to create new problems.
Honestly…
All I wanted was to spend the rest of my life in Papel Village.
Surrounded by children.
Living quietly until old age.
Then again…
With Raphiel and Eve around, maybe “quiet” had never really been an option.
“Thank you for the meal!”
Everyone finished almost simultaneously.
The chorus of voices echoed through the room.
As they relaxed after lunch, I carried the dishes to the kitchen and began washing them.
Then—
Ding dong.
The front doorbell rang.
I dried my hands and headed for the entrance.
Opening the door revealed a beautiful woman standing outside.
She appeared to be in her late teens.
Long black hair flowed down her back like silk.
Her figure was stunning, with curves rivaling even Raphiel’s.
A gentle smile rested on her lips, giving her the appearance of a saintly mother from a painting.
“Ah, Tifana-san.”
“Sorry to bother you during lunch, Eight.”
Her name was Tifana.
Rio’s mother.
Her husband had passed away from illness years ago.
Because of both her circumstances and her breathtaking beauty, she was constantly pursued by the village’s young men.
To be perfectly honest…
Even I occasionally found myself getting flustered around her.
Every movement she made seemed effortlessly alluring.
She was the very image of a mature, gentle older woman.
“The village chief is looking for you.”
Tifana tucked a lock of hair behind her ear.
The graceful gesture nearly made my heart skip a beat.
“He asked me to tell you to come to the village square.”
“I understand.”
I nodded quickly.
“Thank you for coming all the way here.”
“Hehe.”
Her smile widened.
“It’s no trouble.”
Then she added warmly:
“My daughter is always in your care, after all.”
After exchanging farewells, I headed toward the village square.
The moment I arrived, I noticed something unusual.
Several wagons loaded with construction materials had gathered in the center of the plaza.
Groups of craftsmen hurried back and forth unloading supplies.
“Village Chief.”
I pointed toward the activity.
“Who are those people?”
“I just spoke with them.”
The village chief puffed out his chest proudly.
“They’re from the Adventurers’ Guild.”
He looked around the square with obvious emotion.
“To think an Adventurers’ Guild branch is being built in this backwater village…”
He wiped away an imaginary tear.
“It’s deeply moving.”
Then he nodded to himself.
“Clearly this is the result of my outstanding leadership.”
“…”
I looked at him.
“…I’m not even going to respond to that.”
“Hm?”
The village chief blinked.
“I wasn’t joking.”
That somehow made it worse.
While we watched the workers from a distance, someone approached us.
A woman.
Her black hair was dyed gold at the tips.
She looked roughly my age.
Her outfit consisted of short hot pants and a cropped tank top that exposed her midriff.
Numerous large piercings decorated her ears.
Combined with her confident posture, she looked intimidating enough to make me instinctively nervous.
Women like her had been completely outside my social circle back in Japan.
As I wondered how to greet her—
She grinned.
“Hey hey~!”
Her voice was surprisingly cheerful.
“I’m Kirara!”
She flashed a peace sign.
“Former A-Rank adventurer!”
Then pointed at herself proudly.
“And starting today, I’m the branch manager of the Papel Village Adventurers’ Guild!”
Her grin widened even further.
“So let’s all get along, okay?”
The contrast between her appearance and her personality was startling.
Despite looking tough and intimidating, she was incredibly approachable.
“Oh!”
The village chief immediately bowed.
“How polite. I am the mayor of Papel Village.”
“Haha!”
Kirara laughed.
“You seriously look exactly like someone’s image of a village chief.”
Then her eyes shifted toward me.
“And you’re the famous Eight, right?”
“Ah, yes.”
I bowed politely.
“Pleasure to meet—”
It happened in an instant.
One moment she was smiling.
The next—
A knife was pressed against my throat.
“…!”
My entire body froze.
My mind went blank.
For a few terrifying seconds, I couldn’t even comprehend what had happened.
“W-WHAT!?”
Kirara’s expression remained calm.
“Eight.”
Her voice was suddenly serious.
“You should never take your eyes off someone you’ve just met.”
The knife remained against my neck.
“Especially when they’re armed.”
Cold sweat ran down my back.
“Even if you’re going to have bodyguards, it’s a problem if you don’t have any awareness of danger yourself.”
“A-Ah…”
I swallowed nervously.
“Y-Yes.”
A moment later, she lowered the knife.
Apparently it had been a test.
Just as I was trying to calm my racing heart—
The air changed.
“…”
A terrifying pressure swept across the square.
Everyone froze.
Slowly, I turned around.
Amate stood there.
Her eyes glowed with dangerous intensity.
“…You attacked Father.”
Her voice was quiet.
Far too quiet.
“…You are an enemy.”
The ground beneath her feet trembled.
“Enemies will not be forgiven.”
Kirara blinked.
Then laughed.
“Whoa.”
She pointed at Amate.
“A super-strong-looking little girl just showed up. This is hilarious.”
“W-Wait!”
I immediately threw myself between them.
“Stop! Stop! Time out!”
I frantically waved my hands.
“Amate! She’s not an enemy!”
The last thing Papel Village needed today was its brand-new guild branch manager being vaporized five minutes after arriving.