Chapter 231: Finishing the Conversation with Ivana (Sword’s Point of View)

The biggest relief for me was her not touchin’ upon any topics which would whittle down my mental layers. So, I pretended that I had to send off Indra, and left the inn.

She answered, “As I thought, you’re a kind man,” but I’m merely usin’ that as an excuse to go to Char and grab Indra’s food and booze.

After we left the inn, I tried to ask Indra for her opinion, “…So, what did you think?”

…Ah, I ended up askin’ her on the spur of the moment.

“Hmm. …Quite a formidable woman, isn’t she?” Indra replied.

“…Formidable?”

Where’s that comin’ from? Rather, I didn’t ask her what she thought about Ivana, did I?

“Yeah. Of course, that’s meant as praise, okay? She kinda feels like she’s inversely similar to my sister. ――The sisters lived in an orphanage without having any parents to rely on. And while grateful towards her big sister, who had very likely supported her livelihood, she harbored a sister-complex. She herself is pretty as well, but if I had to guess, her sister was even more beautiful than her, or am I wrong?”

Whoa, she got all that out of this? This girl’s really incredible.

“She had a pretty, smart and shrewd big sister. And she was fully aware that she was only being able to live as she did because of her sister’s resourcefulness, but above all that, she had a sister-complex. Because of that, her sister’s death caused that complex to disappear rather than making her worry what to do with her life. Using that opportunity as a stepping stone, she trained herself and obtained a reasonable level of beauty and livelihood, even if neither is at the level of her sister’s. She also understood her weapons as a woman, and while grasping the things she’s been blessed with herself, she’s boldly or humbly using her own assets as the situation requires. She’s fairly formidable.”

……

What weapons as a woman? Just when and where did she use those!?

“Well, but if it’s a woman similar to your past lover, she might be able to sway your heart.”

“Wait a sec. Up until now I haven’t felt the slightest sway from her. I was just relieved that the conversation with her ended without any issues, so I planned to drink booze and enjoy your homemade cookin’ next.”

Indra looked at me dumbstruck.

“…You’re fine with not going’ to her room?”

“Why would I do that ‘nyway?”

Why is she expectin’ that I’d start ‘nythin’ with Luna’s little sister?

“…Hmm? Didn’t she say, 『I’m going to wait for your return in your room』? You nodded at that, didn’t you?” Indra tilted her head in confusion.

I furrowed my eyebrows, askin’, “So what ’bout it? I’m a guest and she’s workin’ at the inn as a live-in, isn’t she? That’s all there is to it, right?”

Indra shook her head, “No? She’s going to wait naked in your bed once you get back, you know?”

“I’m goin’ to spend the night in Char.”

The hell’s up with that? Why such a honey trap all of a sudden?

＊

Indra told me to go back, but I stayed while stubbornly refusin’ and clingin’ to Indra.

“I’ll take off all my clothes and lie down naked in the bed, okay!?” She told me, probably intendin’ for it to be a threat.

But, I responded with a smile, “I’m used to seein’ you buck naked. Besides, I’m endowed with enough compassion to gently pull the blank over you so that you don’t catch ‘nythin’.”

In response, Indra started to squeal in anger, causin’ me to laugh.

＊

And thus I was now toastin’ my ale with Indra while eating her home cookin’.

“Your truly too soft on women! Or rather, your weak to them! Just like me, you keep fallin’ for honey traps!”

Indra looked my way with suspicion written on her face when I mentioned this, “…Why are you bringing that up now?”

She didn’t deny it. It’s gotta be a mishap that this girl hasn’t been born a man. No, wait. Maybe it’s actually a blessin’?

“Your talented at cookin’. And no matter how much you say it’s because of your otherworld knowledge, didn’t Amato and Scarlet say that they’re unable to cook as good as you? Your cookin’ is awesome. So much so that I can’t eat ‘nythin’ but your food at this point ‘nymore. …And yet, you properly ate Ivana’s cookin’, didn’t you? The dishes from our cooks, too. I heard that you completely finished the food made by our cooks although your cookin’ skills are several levels above theirs, right? The cooks even felt apologetic ’bout it…”

Was that a slip of tongue? Indra’s face got dyed with sadness.

“H-Hey? I’m tellin’ you that I wanna eat your food ’cause it’s great…”

“Hmm? …Yeah, thanks, Sword. …I see, our cooks said something like that, huh? I didn’t have any such intention, though…,” she answered sorrowfully.

“O-Okay? But, that’s inevitable, isn’t it? Your cookin’ is truly awesome.”

Indra acted a bit like a spoiled child, so I stroked her head to soothe her.

“…I mean, I thought that the soup stock of the cooks’ soup might be slightly thin, but I ate it because I still found it to be delicious. I believed that it might be a taste cherishing the ingredients’ flavors because it was the common way of cooking in this world. Sure, because I learned about the mechanism behind it, I know what causes people to think that food tastes good, and so I make food allowing the eater to experience those stimulations. But, I believe that cooking, which is made carefully and with the desire to let others enjoy it, is just as delicious, even without that knowledge.

….Ms. Ivana’s cooking had been prepared lovingly and with a lot of care. She wanted you to eat it and consider it as delicious. That’s what I felt from her dishes. I’m grateful for you enjoying my food as if you had pledged yourself to me, but I’d like you to realize that there are dishes made by others who wish you to enjoy their food. …Otherwise, you’ll delude yourself into considering my food as delicious out of a sense of obligation and obsession.”

“You got it wrong,” I immediately denied her last words. “I like your cookin’ so much that I got jealous of Amato. I think it’s the best. …That’s why it can’t be helped. I mean, your cookin’ is top-tier for me. And, you, as its creator, are my partner and will always make more of it for me whenever I ask you. Even if another incredible cook were to show up someday, I’d eat their food, but still regard your food as the best. But, it’s not like I think so out of obligation or obsession. It’s simply somethin’ that’s been set as an unmovable fact within me, and it’s only natural for this to never change.”

I hugged her.

“Your a cook and you might say all of this because you understand the feelings of another cook, but I wanna eat your food and I don’t think that any food will be more delicious than yours. That’s my feelings on the matter. So, I won’t yield on that.”

“……Oki,” she answered curtly.

This is the answer she gives when feelin’ bashful. She’s always actin’ all high and mighty, but every once in a while, she turns her face away to hide her embarrassment while givin’ short answers.

“…I feel sorry for Ivana, but because of that I wanna only eat your food, and even if I eat other people’s food out of obligation, expectin’ me to feel ‘nythin’ ’bout it is askin’ too much. The ideal cookin’ in my head is your handmade dishes. Of course, the dishes of our cooks are delicious, ‘kay? After all, you’ve personally trained them. But, even then, your handmade stuff is much better. Got it?”

At that point, she just nodded lightly without answerin’. Since it seemed like she’d start cryin’ or go on a rampage, if I said any more, I stopped at that point and stroked her head.