Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 78
“I see, I understand your story. If it’s just you alone… well, yes, we can manage to disguise you as an exchange student.”
“A student…? This country has schools?”
“Yes. There’s an academy called the Academy of Arts and Sorcery, where they teach magic, alchemy, dungeon core analysis, and more recently, a field called genetics that deciphers the information that composes plants in an attempt to tackle alchemy from a new approach.”
“Genetics…? That sounds incredibly advanced.”
“I’ll arrange for you to transfer there as a foreign student. Being one of the academy’s students will provide a certain level of status. You should be able to walk freely around the city without being excessively questioned.”
—
In a certain noble’s mansion…
This was the estate of someone secretly cooperating with Golda, who was harboring the students that had infiltrated from there. In other words, the students were currently under the roof of a traitor.
Among them, Hishida Shuu had taken initiative to negotiate the right to leave the estate freely.
“You won’t need to sneak through ‘that route’ anymore to get into town. Honestly, I didn’t want to take risky moves either. But your skills are far too valuable. If you’re going to gather intel in the city, try investigating the underground again — that’s likely where you’ll find a Dungeon Core Fragment.”
“Understood. First, I’ll check on the status of our captured comrades, but I won’t forget the information you’ve given me. Even a fragment of a dungeon core is something our king has been seeking.”
“Yes, I thought so. Then I leave it to you, Hishida-san.”
The secret meeting ended.
Having secured the right to act separately from his classmates, Hishida smirked.
“…If I’d stayed with the group, we’d be doomed for sure… If Melt is here, then that adventurer — Same — must be somewhere nearby… I have to find him and talk to him no matter what…”
Just like the others with hidden motives, Hishida began to move.
Just as malice isn’t always unified, neither were the students all of one mind—
“This syrup is amazing! It really goes well with fried food. The acidity, the aroma, the fizzy kick… and a hint of something that reminds me of five-spice powder. Lime, lemon, ginger… and cardamom, was it? I can’t believe just adding that could transform it so much… What’s this syrup called?”
“Cola. You can mix it with carbonated water to drink, or people used to mix it with strong alcohol and then add soda water.”
“I see… so, something like ‘Flame Liquor’ or ‘Dwarf Ale’? That actually sounds good… If you can get a strong enough alcohol in a small dose, it won’t ruin the taste either.”
(Memo memo… So “Flame Liquor” and “Dwarf Ale” are this world’s strong alcohols.)
“Huh, so this is how you’re supposed to drink carbonated water? I always thought it was just an ingredient for medicine. It’s slightly bitter and sour — I don’t like drinking it straight.”
“How’s the cola, then?”
“It’s delicious! I want to put lots of ice in it and drink it slowly after a hot bath!”
…That does sound really tempting.
I want to try that too. Better stock up on soda water later.
“Seira, is this girl someone you brought with you?”
“Sorry for acting on my own. But I thought it’d be useful to get a fresh perspective. She’s someone who barely ever ate proper meals before coming to this city.”
“Ah, that’s right. Um… Sorry for coming in uninvited.”
“I see. Sounds like she had a rough upbringing. Alright then — let’s have this girl taste our Dàzhàpái and the other test dishes too. Getting feedback from someone who’s unfamiliar with food might give us some really valuable insights. You guys, get everything ready!”
Looks like everyone’s going to spoil Melt with a feast.
Lucky her. Her belly’s probably going to end up completely round.
“This is so good! It’s way better than the fried chicken I had at a street stall before! And even though it’s so big, it’s easy to eat! Look — just bite the edge like this… mmph… it tears right off!”
“Haha, right? That’s because we followed Seira’s advice — we tenderized the meat properly before cooking.”
“We also adjusted the seasoning. We debated how strong the spice should be and decided to go bold with it. Rather than putting it in the batter, we added it elsewhere so the flavor would stand out in your mouth.”
“I’m really impressed by the potential of five-spice powder. It almost completely masks the smell of fish sauce. This opens up a lot of possibilities.”
Melt was happily devouring a Dàzhàpái — a piece even bigger than her face — in no time at all.
Even though it was pounded thin, she ate it way too fast… terrifyingly fast. If I weren’t paying attention, I would’ve missed it.
“This tastes like happiness. And strangely… I want to eat another. This sweet kind of aroma is really mysterious.”
“That’s probably the scent of Stardust Fragments we got from the Alchemy Guild.”
“Whoa, so they can be used for more than medicine!”
Afterward, she was also made to sample a dish that resembled tortillas — developed by the other chefs. She happily stuffed her cheeks with it, then sat back in her chair and rubbed her full belly.
So round… Her belly popped out like a balloon. What is this fox creature? She looks so blissful.
“This roll is really tasty. Even though it’s mostly vegetables, it’s very satisfying — seems like it’d keep you full for a while.”
“Right? It’s designed as the opposite of Dàzhàpái. The filling is spicy, made with onions, scarlet frills, pumpkin, and winter tomatoes sautéed in pork fat. Almost all veggies, but with a bold flavor.”
“It’s excellent… This could become a hit alongside Dàzhàpái — not just at the school festival.”
“I sure hope so. At the very least, this cola will definitely become popular. Especially mixed with alcohol.”
The other chefs loved the cola too.
…If any of the guests during the festival turn out to be connected to those students — or are the students — this might be a good way to draw them out.
Well, I’m not really expecting anything. My main goal is the inheritance of skills.
“…Still, the main event is yet to come.”
This is just the setup — a hopeful bait, if anything. I still have other methods to lure them out—
Time passed quickly, and the day before the school festival arrived.
That day, I visited the Magic Research Academy with the members of the Cooking Guild.
Apparently, the festival didn’t allow regular outsiders. Only students, their parents, and relatives were allowed — everyone else needed tickets issued by the academy.
Thankfully, I had received extra tickets as an involved party.
Melt had been curious about what kind of place the academy was.
“So this is the cafeteria… it’s quite fancy.”
“Well, of course. Most of the students are nobles. It’s nothing like a public canteen. Because of that, the facilities and seating are top-notch. It makes the standard higher too, but with our food, they’ll definitely be satisfied.”
“I hope so. By the way, what about the regular academy chefs during the festival?”
“…All the chefs here are from our guild. The regular ones? They’re basically walking corpses from overwork — constantly cooking for picky students and handling impossible requests. The headquarters decided to give them a break during the festival.”
“I see… That makes sense.”
“Yup. But here’s the thing — during the festival, our food will be served not just to students but their families too, meaning the noble heads and their wives. There’s a real chance this leads to future work.”
“You’re right… Some of them are sure to hire chefs from the guild afterward.”
“Exactly. So failure’s not an option. We need new flavors and stimulation. Seira, I’m really glad you joined us when you did.”
Being thanked again by the guild master filled me with a strange mix of embarrassment and pride.
And joy. That must be Seira’s feelings shining through.
Even if the personality doesn’t fully emerge, I’ve realized that emotions aligned with their values still come through.
Yeah. I joined the guild out of convenience, but I’m really happy. Happy to be able to share food with so many people like this.
“I’ll probably return to my brigade — the main unit — once the festival’s over. Will that be okay?”
“…I see. That’s a shame. I was hoping to keep working with you. But well, you did say from the start you were a wandering chef from the brigade. It’s sad to see you go, but you’ve left behind great recipes. This will be a turning point. I’ll start checking in with the Alchemy Guild again — see if there are any new ingredients or spices to experiment with.”
“I’m sorry to be so selfish. Please feel free to use any of the ideas I’ve introduced — even the dried tomato one I showed at the beginning.”
“Of course, that’s the plan. Now then — inspections are done, so let’s get started with prep for tomorrow!”
Under the head chef’s call, everyone responded in unison.
…At times like this, when I get to be involved with all kinds of people, jobs, and experiences in various roles, I can’t help but feel grateful. Just how fortunate am I, to be allowed such wonderful opportunities?
It’s not just Melt. I too… have been growing since I came to this place called Lindwurm.
The next day — the day of the school festival.
The academy was originally a place only accessible to a select few, and being a highly exclusive event, the festival was not widely advertised to the public.
Still, even so, the usually quiet upper district was bustling with people heading toward the academy.
From what I heard, the festival also served as a promotional event for the academy — a chance to showcase its achievements to nobles who might become future patrons.
Of course, it was also probably meant to be a reward for the students’ hard work.
“It’s still only nine o’clock, but people are already showing up! The real crowd hits at lunchtime, but don’t get sloppy!”
““Yes, ma’am!””
Inside the cafeteria, we stood ready in front of the prepared meats, waiting for the moment to begin cooking.
I was in charge of frying the meat — in other words, every time I cooked it counted as a ‘dish made’.
And we had already confirmed during the tasting phase that the Dàzhàpái would register as “fried chicken” and trigger the same in-game support effects.
So essentially, today I’d be racking up both dish counts and support effect activations at once.
If I could get through today, I’d be able to fully inherit the Chef skill.
“…Alright. Let’s do this.”
At that same time, in another part of the school…
As Seira was occupied and boosting morale in the kitchen, Melt who had secured a ticket and come to visit the festival, was walking around the school where so many people her age studied.
“Waaah… This is amazing… So many kids all studying together like this…”
In the schoolyard, among the crowds of people, walking past many students inside the building, and watching those who remained in classrooms for self-study — Melt felt something close to admiration.
“Ah, a library. I wonder if I’m allowed to peek inside…”
A huge, enormous library.
She felt a strong desire to enter that space, imagining it to be full of knowledge she didn’t yet know.
Melt approached the reception desk to ask.
“Um, excuse me? Am I allowed to just look inside here…?”
“You’re an official guest of the school festival, correct? May I see your ticket?”
“Yes, here it is.”
“…Confirmed. Yes, as long as it’s just reading inside, you’re welcome. If you want to read a book, please let us know at the desk. Same when you return it.”
“Got it, thank you!”
“…Please remain quiet inside.”
“Ah… right, shhh…”
The school festival featured exhibits of academic results, demonstrations of experiments — all kinds of presentations.
But Melt was drawn first and foremost to the library.
And as she buried herself in several books…
Another person showed up, requesting to use the library as well.
“Excuse me… I’ll be using the library again today.”
“You’re a student, yes? Then please proceed as usual.”
Apparently, she was a student of the academy. So far, she was the only student to use the library on the day of the festival.
She noticed Melt, the only other person there, and watched her with curious eyes.
As for Melt herself—
“Recessive inheritance… I see… So it wasn’t just random variation… there’s a pattern to it…”
She was completely absorbed in a research journal, filled with what seemed to be cutting-edge genetic findings.
“! Oh! So that’s why in that greenhouse… species stabilization is possible… they must have excellent facilities… I’d love to see it for myself…”
Melt mumbled softly to herself as she tried to organize her thoughts aloud.
Her quiet murmuring reached the ears of the student watching her, who cautiously approached.
“Um, excuse me…”
“! Ah… sorry, was I being noisy…?”
“No… are you interested in genetics?”
“Y-Yeah. I was curious about this passage about stabilizing species and identifying patterns of variation. The Florse Orchid is such a changeable flower, but apparently they’ve discovered a way to stabilize and cultivate its variations. I really want to see that flower garden.”
“If that’s the case… the greenhouse is open to visitors today. Would you like me to show you?”
“! Really? I’d love to see it!”
For a moment, Melt almost shouted with joy but quickly clapped her hands over her mouth and quietly expressed her excitement.
“Then I’ll take you there after I return these materials.”
With that, the two of them left the library and headed to the greenhouse located at the back of the academy.
Some time later, another visitor arrived at the library.
“Allheus-sama, may I stop by the library for a bit? There’s something I’d like to look up.”
“Of course, Hishida-san. As of earlier today, you are officially recognized as a student of this academy. I must take my leave for another appointment, but feel free to enjoy yourself with the funding I provided. I hear there are food stalls as well — you might consider picking up a souvenir for your ‘friend watching the house’.”
“Thank you for your kindness, Allheus-sama.”
Yes — it was none other than Hishida Shuu, Shizuma’s Classmate and Melt’s former acquaintance.
Whether by luck or misfortune, on this day, Melt and Shuu did not cross paths.