“Welcome, welcome! You must be the students from the Luminous Academy Cooking Club! Welcome to our humble little village!”
“We’ll be in your care for the next few days, ma'am!”
“Yes, yes, the pleasure’s all mine! You must be exhausted from the trip, so eat your fill and then head to your rooms for some well-deserved rest!”
It was around evening when Yugo and his companions finally reached their destination.
After greeting the inn proprietress who would be hosting them, the group was led straight to the dining hall. There, they began to dig into the feast waiting for them.
“Mmm, so good...! This delicious food is exactly what my tired body needed!”
“This village is famous for its vegetables, you know. The soup made with them is wonderful! Since they were just picked, the flavor is twice as good as usual!”
“I see...! Even so, this really is incredible. I can’t wait to see what you make with these, President!”
“My, my, if you’re going to expect that much, I’ll just have to give it my all! But first, we need to make sure we gather the best ingredients!”
Yugo enjoyed a pleasant conversation with Presia as he happily tucked into his meal.
While the two of them were getting along quite well, Hao found the exchange unpleasant. He cleared his throat and cut into the conversation.
“President Presia, and Yugo. These are the room assignments for the inn. Please take a look.”
“Oh, thank you, Hao. You’re always so helpful!”
“Thanks! ...Hm? Wait, what’s this?”
Yugo let out a suspicious sound as he looked over the paper Hao had handed him.
His companions peered over his shoulder, their expressions quickly shifting to confusion. Melt was the first to voice the collective doubt.
“Is it just me, or is Yugo’s group completely isolated from the rest of us? What’s the meaning of this?”
“A-Ah, well, you see... there were just various factors to consider...”
The rooms were divided into groups of two or three, and for the most part, the members were clustered together. However, the room assigned to Yugo, Marcos, and Fee was located in a separate area entirely.
Questioned by Melt, who was clearly suspicious of the arrangement that seemed to exclude those three alone, Hao grew hesitant and evasive.
“What kind of 'factors'? It’s not like they ran out of rooms near us, right?”
“That’s true, but, well... as I said, there were various factors...”
It went without saying that this was a scheme Hao had cooked up after consulting with Cyan and Egos. Their goal was to sever any contact between Yugo and Presia.
From the two reincarnators' perspective, separating Melt and Anhel from Yugo and keeping them close to their own rooms would make it easier to manipulate them. Their ulterior motives had aligned perfectly with Hao’s jealousy.
However, the blatant act of isolating one specific group from everyone else was obviously strange. Even Presia looked bewildered by her vice-president’s decision.
Melt and the others glared at Hao with growing irritation for trying to shut Yugo out, but it was Yugo himself who threw the boy a lifeline.
“It’s fine, really. I’m sure there were plenty of reasons. If one room had to be separated, it makes sense for it to be us guys, since we aren’t even official members of the club. Don’t worry about it, Vice-president.”
“...My apologies. Thank you for being so understanding.”
Yugo knew perfectly well that Hao didn't like him.
Given his past reputation, it was only natural. It was also understandable that Hao would want to keep him as far away from the beloved Presia as possible.
Once Yugo spoke up for him—viewing this as just another penance for his past life's misdeeds—Hao’s expression softened slightly. He offered Yugo a word of thanks and a formal apology, though he clearly still felt a lingering sense of guilt.
Melt and the others weren't satisfied, but since the person being slighted had accepted it, they realized there was no point in complaining further. As they settled back into their meal, Cyan, who had been sitting a short distance away, called out to the innkeeper.
“Pardon me, ma'am? Do you have a moment?”
“Oh! Is a handsome young man hitting on me? My name is Serel! I’m a widow with one child, but if you don't mind that, shall we get married right now!?”
“Hahaha, you certainly have a sense of humor.”
As if I’d ever hit on a hideous, bloated old hag like you! Disgusting!
Cyan maintained a gentle smile and a polite tone while dealing with Serel, but internally he was hurling vitriol at her. He mentally told the woman, who was well over fifty and quite large, to know her place before asking his real question.
“We’re planning to gather ingredients in the forest near the village starting tomorrow. Is there anything we should be aware of? For instance, have there been any sightings of Magic Armor Beasts in the area...?”
“Oh!? You’re quite well-informed, aren't you? That’s right! Actually, one was spotted nearby not too long ago!”
“What!? R-Really!?”
Presia gasped, her eyes widening.
She grew frantic at the thought that they wouldn't be able to enter the forest for their club activities, but Serel laughed boisterously, waving a hand to dismiss her fears.
“It’s alright, dear! We’ve already taken care of it. The beast has been repelled!”
“Wait... what?”
Now it was Cyan and Egos’s turn to look stunned.
Oblivious to their shock, Serel continued her explanation to the club members.
“The report came in a little while back, but the Security Force was dispatched immediately. They took it down in no time! So the forest is perfectly safe. You can go about your business without a worry in the world!”
“Oh, is that all? What a relief! That’s good to hear!”
“Sorry about that! I didn't mean to scare you with my poor choice of words! ...Ah, but then again—”
Serel, who had been laughing so hard her large frame shook, suddenly stopped.
Yugo and the others watched her suspiciously. She wore an 'oops' expression and gave a sheepish shrug.
“Well, it’s really a minor thing, but a boy from the village ran away from home recently. He’s holed up somewhere in the forest. So, I suppose I can’t say it’s entirely 'problem-free'...”
“What!? There’s a child alone in the forest!? That sounds incredibly dangerous!”
“It’ll be fine! He just got into a fight with his parents and ran off in a huff. He’ll come crawling back once he gets hungry. But, if you see him while you’re out, please try to bring him home.”
“I... I suppose we can do that...”
Even if the monster had been defeated, Yugo felt that a child wandering alone in a forest where a Magic Armor Beast had recently been sighted was a recipe for disaster. Serel, however, didn't seem particularly concerned.
He found her casual attitude strange, but he figured that as a local, she knew the area better than he did. Just as he was about to go back to his food, he noticed Cyan and Egos whispering urgently to each other.
“Hey, is something wrong?”
“No, not at all. It’s nothing.”
“There’s nothing for you to worry your head about.”
Come to think of it, those two were the ones who brought up the monster in the first place. Yugo recalled their questions, which made it seem like they had expected some kind of trouble in the village. However, since Cyan and Egos only gave him curt, dismissive answers, it was clear they weren't interested in talking to him.
Well, they probably know about my past just like Hao does, Yugo figured. They have no intention of playing nice.
Pushing the thought aside, he turned his attention back to his plate, focused on building up his strength for the work ahead.