Chapter 89: Okonomiyaki and Someone’s Will

First, I made the batter.

I put water, Japanese-style granulated dashi, and grated nagaimo into a bowl, added cake flour, and mixed it thoroughly until there were no lumps.

“Then drain the shredded cabbage well and add it…”

After that, I added tenkasu, red pickled ginger, and eggs, then lightly mixed everything together as though folding air into it. The batter was finished.

I heated the electric griddle on the table over medium heat, coated it with oil, and spread the batter into a circle about fifteen centimeters across and two centimeters thick.

I laid slices of pork belly on top. Once the underside had browned, I slid spatulas beneath it and flipped it over—

“There we go.”

“Oh, nicely done.”

“My grandpa loved this, so I made it a lot.”

Then I covered it and let it steam-fry.

Finally, I transferred it to a plate and topped it with sauce, mayonnaise, bonito flakes, and aonori—

“And the okonomiyaki is done.”

“…But why okonomiyaki? I like it, so I don’t mind.”

“I got hungry, and I thought I should make something I could cook while listening to what you have to say, Hijiri.”

“I see.”

I was about to cut the okonomiyaki on the plate with a spatula when Raphiel stopped me.

“Eight, cutting okonomiyaki into pizza slices is a breach of etiquette!”

“Are you from Osaka?”

“I don’t mind, but Kirara would probably get angry if you did that in front of her. She’s from Kansai.”

“Oh, she is?”

Raphiel, Eve, Ryu, Amate, Luka, and the other children happily stuffed their cheeks with okonomiyaki.

“The chewy batter is irresistible. The savory aroma of the sauce and the sweetness of the mayonnaise are utterly delicious.”

“The pork belly is crispy and delicious! Hey, Saintess-chan, pass me the bonito flakes. I’m piling on extra.”

“Oh, I shall do that as well.”

Watching Raphiel and Eve, they looked like nothing more than a pair of close sisters.

Then Mea, who was sitting beside me, speared a piece of okonomiyaki with her fork and held it in front of my mouth.

“Eight-nii, say ahh.”

“Oh? Are you sure?”

“Yeah! You’ve done nothing but cook this whole time, Eight-nii.”

“Then don’t mind if I do—Mm, delicious. Thanks, Mea.”

“Ehehe.”

Mea’s bashful smile was adorable.

“Mrr… Eight-onii-chan, I’ll feed you too.”

“Thanks, Rio.”

Rio sat on the other side of me from Mea and fed me as well, so I happily accepted. It was delicious, of course.

This batch of okonomiyaki had turned out quite well, if I did say so myself.

“Rio-nee, you should hurry and eat your own before it gets cold.”

“Eight-onii-chan’s food tastes good even when it’s cold, so I’ll be fine. You should be eating instead of giving yours away, Mea-chan. You’re still growing.”

“Mea’s body is small, so I get full really quickly.”

“Oh? I see.”

“Ehehe, that’s right.”

I suddenly felt a chill and shivered.

“Winter should still be a while away…”

“…Mm… dense…”

Ryu seemed to say something while looking at me, but I couldn’t hear her clearly.

“So, Hijiri, who made these leaflets? I don’t even remember claiming to be a Hero.”

“That’s still under investigation. Both the king and the Temple have taken an interest in you, Eight-kun, so the entire Kingdom of Elde is literally mobilizing to find the culprit.”

“…Isn’t that a little excessive?”

“Well, slander doesn’t spread as easily in a world without the internet. But that doesn’t mean it has no effect.”

Hijiri spoke while munching on his okonomiyaki.

“You should take this more seriously, Eight-kun. You’ve already been caught in several dangerous situations.”

“Even if you say that…”

To be honest, people slandering me in the royal capital had little to do with life out here in rural Papel Village.

Even if it caused some actual harm, we should be fine.

Raphiel, Eve, Hinoka, Amate, and Ryu all lived in this house.

“It’s rare for me to leave the village for another country like I did with Luresia, and the Village Chief is here too. There can’t be a safer place in the world than this village.”

“…True.”

The Village Chief could fight Ryu on equal terms.

Ryu herself was a monster powerful enough to kill a Leviathan in an instant.

I did not intend to be careless, but no ordinary enemy should be able to do anything here.

“Even so, you shouldn’t let your guard down.”

“Why not?”

“Some of the people who know little about you have taken these leaflets seriously and started making a commotion. Their group is expanding slowly but steadily. I suppose that can’t be helped—in a world with little entertainment, nothing is more entertaining than gossip about someone else.”

“That’s an awful form of entertainment…”

I looked at the leaflet Hijiri had brought while sipping Behi Tea and eating okonomiyaki.

The astringent Behi Tea went surprisingly well with the sweet-and-savory sauce.

“Hm?”

Raphiel suddenly tilted her head.

For some reason, she picked up her plate of okonomiyaki, came closer to me, and peered at the leaflet.

Her generous chest pressed against my arm as she did.

“R-Raphiel? You’re a little too close.”

I still wasn’t accustomed to how defenseless Raphiel could be, and my voice cracked.

“…Mrr. Eight-nii is blushing because of Raphiel-nee’s boobs…”

“M-My mommy is super busty, so I’m sure mine will grow someday!”

“I hope Mea’s get bigger too… At least as big as Amate-chan’s…”

“You’re right. Amate-chan is already super busty, so she doesn’t need to worry about the future…”

“Amate-chan, can you teach us the secret to making them bigger?”

“Huh? Th-They have been like this since Amate was born, so Amate does not know… Hyaah!?”

For some reason, Rio and Mea began touching Amate’s chest. At that moment, Raphiel spoke with a grave expression.

“…As I thought, a very faint curse has been placed on this leaflet. It was so weak that I failed to notice it before.”

“A curse?”

“It is a curse that makes people believe what is written here. Its effect is not especially strong, however…”

Raphiel picked up the leaflet, lit a burner on the kitchen stove, and burned it.

…Please don’t burn things indoors. You’ll set off the smoke alarm.

“This is not mere slander. It bears the will of someone attempting to remove you, Eight.”

“…When you say it so seriously, Raphiel, it does become a little frightening.”

Still, I was curious about who that “someone” might be.

I took pride in having lived without giving anyone reason to resent me, just as my grandpa had repeatedly taught me to do.

So I wanted to believe that no one held a grudge against me…

Just then—

“Emergency, emergency! Everyone, listen!”

Kirara, the manager of the Adventurers’ Guild’s Papel Village branch, rushed inside in a panic.

“Huh!? Okonomiyaki!? You should’ve invited me too!”

“Sorry. You looked busy with Guild work… But why are you in such a hurry?”

“A letter just arrived from the royal capital! The Principality of Zahaba has declared war on the Kingdom of Elde!”

What?