Extra: The Banquet and Meat
After Kehma was honey trapped by the imperial capital big shots (Haku’s party members), Ichika, who had nonchalantly joined in, turned back to the food-laden banquet table with bouncy steps. No matter what, she would have to dine from now on due to her Goshujin-sama’s order. She didn’t dislike it. Rather, she was super enjoying it.
“Oh, Meat-senpai.”
“Nom.”
She called out to Meat, who had nomming on a piece of meat.
With a large bite, Meat swallowed down the meat. After that, she wiped off the sauce left around her mouth with a handkerchief she’d gotten from her Goshujin-sama and turned to Ichika.
“What’s wrong, Ichika? Is there something especially delicious?”
“Mmm, there’s lots of tasty stuff but Goshujin-sama is being popular over there.”
“Goshujin-sama, popular?”
Fufun.
Meat pushed out her chest in pride. It was Kehma. A master’s honor is a slave’s honor.
“Well, he refused ’em all though.”
“Really? It is Goshujin-sama after all.”
“Meat-senpai isn’t going to try? Goshujin-sama might be taken away by some other person~?”
At any rate, since Meat was being used as his hug pillow and how he hadn’t reacted when Ichika made a move on him, she wasn’t worried in the least. It wasn’t a threat to the role that Ichika played after all.
However, Meat didn’t look fl.u.s.tered either.
“I am Goshujin-sama’s hug pillow, so I will continue doing my all to be Goshujin-sama’s favorite. If the time comes that Goshujin-sama doesn’t need me, then I will just have to do my best at that time.”
“Hoh, so this’s a genuine slave?”
But I can kinda understand why you adore Goshujin-sama so much~—Ichika thought to herself.
No matter how one were to look at it, Kehma was the ideal Goshujin-sama. He gave them meals, the meals were delicious, he didn’t use violence, the curry bread was the best in the world, he made no unreasonable demands, but really, that curry bread. That curry bread was too strong. The world’s best.
“I’d be fine bein’ Goshujin-sama’s hug pillow too, but… Don’t you nibble on Goshujin-sama when you’re with him?”
“… Play-biting isn’t… about anger you know? Waking him up is no good though, of course.” [1]
“Hooh, really? Heeh~”
Ichika picked up some food to eat and took a bite… it was great! Even if these were casually cooked dishes, they were things made for a banquet held by the head of an empire (Haku) by the top chefs with the best ingredients. There’s no way they could be unpleasant. In other words, it’d be a waste if there were much of it left over. It’d probably become food for the servants, but she couldn’t let that happen.
“It’s normal to store it in [Storage].”
“I don’t know [Storage] though! Meat-senpai, put it in yours!”
“If you don’t have permission from Goshujin-sama or Rokuko-sama for my [Storage], no.”
“But… what should I do theeeeeeen!?”
Meat was a little amazed at how seriously Ichika looked like she was mourning.
“Haah, it can’t be helped then can it, Ichika? … I’ll teach you right now.”
“Ah—now’s the time for my talent in magic to bloom…! Teach me, Meat-senpai!”
“The incantation for [Storage] is—”
However, even though she was taught the incantation for [Storage] by Meat, there was no way she’d be able to use something she hadn’t been able to this whole time so conveniently.
“There’s no helping it if you can’t. You should just eat what you can, then.”
“No way… then I’ll just have to rely on the s.p.a.ce magic in my stomach…!”
“Oh? Ichika, if you’re saying you want to go home with the leftovers, I could put them in my [Storage] for you?”
Rokuko, who was concerned over Kehma until just a moment ago, suddenly cut into their conversation.
“You were a G.o.ddess!? I’ll follow you for my whole life!”
“O-oh, it is a great meal, but I don’t think it’s enough to be treated like a G.o.ddess over…”
“Food grudges last a lifetime, but so do food debts y’know~?”
“Do they really? Well, if you say it’s alright, then okay…”
Rokuko put one of the big platters sitting in front of her into her [Storage] for now.
Ichika wondered if it was really alright to take the platters as well, but decided there wasn’t much of a need to worry about it since it was Rokuko.
“… Oh? Come to think of it, where’s Goshujin-sama?”
“Oh, right. Kehma fell asleep after Haku Ane-sama got him drunk. Meat, could you carry him to his room? You know the place.”
“Yes, certainly!”
When she looked over to the spot Rokuko pointed to, she saw the red-faced Kehma laying on the floor, asleep.
There was a fluffy carpet, but he would probably end up catching a cold if he was left there.
“I’m off to bring Goshujin-sama to the futon, then.”
“Yeah, I’ll leave it to you!”
Thanks to the golem a.s.sist, Meat was able to easily carry Kehma as she left the banquet.
“… Oh? Didn’t this turn into a huge win for Meat-senpai though? It’s a bit late, but Rokuko-sama, are you sure about lettin’ Meat-senpai do it?”
“Eh? Meat’s a hug pillow, there’s no need to worry… So, you’re not going to eat?”
“Ah—I’m eating, I’m eating! I have my eye on that dessert too~, wanna have some together?”
Ichika wondered what was up with her line of thinking, tilting her head.
But for now, she decided to just focus on eating what was sitting in front of her.
Footnotes:
I don’t particularly get the flow here. Sorry if that’s too apparent here