"Umu, it suits you. Your usual attire is good as well, but as I thought, this kind of attire suits you too, Rei."
The one saying so while looking at Rei with a happy smile was Elena.
Rei's current attire was not his usual Dragon Robe, but clothing appropriate for a party.
Originally, as an adventurer, there would be nothing strange about Rei attending a party in his Dragon Robe. As an adventurer, it could even be called formal wear.
However, for the party taking place today—more accurately, what should be called a dining gathering—Elena's wish was for Rei to attend in formal wear if at all possible.
Participating in a dining gathering in anything less than formal wear could easily invite unnecessary trouble.
No, normally that would not matter at all, but today also served as Rei's introduction. Even if it was only a gathering of family—no, precisely because of that, she wanted to ensure that no one would have anything to say upon seeing Rei's existence.
Making Rei change clothes for that reason was not something Elena was eager to do either. Even so, having the man she loved be told something by her family was not something Elena found amusing.
...On top of that, it was also undeniable that she had the desire to see Rei in formal wear rather than his usual Dragon Robe.
Rei, understanding that his position in this mansion was somewhat unstable, changed obediently despite feeling slight displeasure at Elena's words.
However, the displeasure Rei felt was not that he disliked dressing up formally, but rather dissatisfaction with the fact that the formal clothing was stiff and hard to move in.
"Is it really necessary to wear this?"
It somewhat resembled the suits Rei knew, but looking at the overall structure, there were quite a few differences as well. The sight of his neck area tied with a beautiful cloth could pass for a somewhat unusual necktie.
Precisely because of that, for Rei who usually wore the Dragon Robe and never had his neck constricted, that cloth was not very welcome.
"I tried to select something that isn't too stiff even among formal wear, but... is it no good?"
When Elena said that, Rei had no option to refuse. Rei, who had been spending a lot of time with Elena lately, had a completely numbed sense of values, but being able to have Elena—who was the Daughter of Duke Kerebel and held the alias of Princess General—choose the clothes he would wear was something that normally could not be refused, which was also a factor.
However, in Rei's case, it was not such a pretext; the sole and greatest reason he could not refuse was that Elena was recommending it so earnestly.
"Ahh... right. For the time being, it seems I can manage to endure this uncomfortable clothing for a short time. Besides, Georgima is going to serve delicious food at tonight's dinner, right? Then the option of not participating doesn't exist."
"I heard from Ara. You provoked Georgima, didn't you?"
While feeling relieved that Rei had no displeasure regarding the formal wear, Elena turned a gaze toward Rei that contained a slight smile.
Rei was given a gaze like one reproaching a mischievous boy, but the person who received that gaze opened his mouth, calling it unexpected.
"I didn't do anything like provoking. I merely said that if he serves food that I truly find delicious from the bottom of my heart, I would teach him a dish I know. Even regarding that dish, I don't know the full method and everything, so in practice it would be a form where I teach the general outline and Georgima creates the rest himself."
Even while saying so, Rei had the expectation that he would probably end up teaching Georgima a dish.
The Seafood Okonomiyaki that Rei had spread in Emosion—more accurately, Rei only taught it to one person, so "spread" might be incorrect—was improved and brought to a level one rank higher in taste.
That a cook like that would cut corners in a match with Rei, who was thought to know countless dishes, so many that they were beyond count, was something he did not think would happen. If anything, it was almost certain that Georgima would serve the dish he was most skilled at and most confident in.
(If that happens, I probably should have thought of something in advance, but... hmm, if I had memorized how to make Ramen or something, I think it would turn out pretty nicely.)
Looking at his own attire, Rei thought.
Ramen was originally Chinese Cuisine, but in Japan it had been completely arranged in the Japanese style and had become one of the National Dishes alongside Curry.
In terms of Rei's preferences, he liked rich Miso Ramen, but he knew there were also Shoyu Ramen, Shio Ramen, Tonkotsu Ramen, Tantanmen... and various other types of Ramen, and he had actually eaten them often as well.
Ramen Shops, as one would expect from their popularity, had many shops even in the countryside where Rei had lived. Also, Cup Ramen, Instant Ramen, Fresh Ramen, and so on; being able to eat them casually was also significant.
In that sense, if he taught Ramen, it would definitely become popular. He thought it would become popular, but... Rei lacked the knowledge to make Ramen.
No, of course Rei had rough knowledge. For example, that Ramen was composed of three elements: Soup, Noodles, and Toppings.
The method of making the Soup, if one considered it like when making Kiritanpo Nabe, was not impossible to do. For the Toppings, meat was available in overwhelming abundance and far more delicious than when Rei was in Japan, thanks to magic.
Unfortunately, the Menma that Rei liked—the Bamboo Shoots themselves existed, but since he did not know how to turn Bamboo Shoots into Menma, trial and error would be necessary.
Incidentally, Rei liked not only Menma but Bamboo Shoots in general, but the Bamboo Shoots that grew around his home—more accurately, around his house—were of the types called Nemagaritake and Himedake, not the common Mosochiku variety.
Thinking of that, Rei suddenly recalled a program he had seen on TV. On that program, they had said that Nemagaritake did not require bitterness removal, but for Rei, who actually harvested and ate Nemagaritake almost every year, "What are you talking about?" was his honest impression. At the very least, the Nemagaritake that grew in the region where Rei's house was located required bitterness removal.
...And as he had been thinking about such things, Rei realized his thoughts had drifted and returned them to Ramen.
The Soup and Toppings could be managed to some extent, but the biggest problem was the Noodles.
As far as Rei knew, the Noodles in Ramen used wheat flour, water, salt... and eggs depending on the case, but on top of that, Kansui should also have been necessary. And Kansui was something Rei only knew the name of.
...Rather, the fact that Rei even knew of the existence of Kansui was itself surprising.
At any rate, based on the knowledge Rei had, Ramen Noodles required Kansui, and despite that, Rei did not understand what Kansui was. If he were to teach Ramen, it would also be necessary to teach that mysterious liquid.
Moreover, since the elements of Ramen that Rei knew were nothing more than an amateur's conjecture, it was certain that there were also other things lacking.
(Well, I can just have Georgima figure that part out himself. ...Depending on the case, even if I'm asked what the difference is from udon, I'd be a bit troubled, though.)
Udon and Ramen. If it were Rei—no, if it were a Japanese person, they would normally understand the difference, but if asked by someone who only knew udon, or by someone who knew neither, to specifically explain what differs and how, Rei did not think he could answer.
"Rei, what's wrong? You suddenly started thinking about something... was there some problem with those clothes?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking about what kind of dish I should teach Georgima."
At Rei's words conveying that, Elena floated a small smile and opened her mouth.
"What, so teaching a dish was the premise from the start?"
"After eating the Seafood Okonomiyaki, yeah. Regarding his skill in cooking, I have no choice but to acknowledge that it is undoubtedly first-rate—no, even beyond that. Besides, when I said I'd teach him a dish, that also included my gratitude for him making that Seafood Okonomiyaki."
"Fufu, so Rei also can't win against delicious food, huh."
"Well, yeah. Besides, I also have the desire to have Georgima make dishes from my world. I'm thinking of teaching a Noodle dish called Ramen, which is close to udon, but it requires something called Kansui. Do you think Georgima would be able to understand that sort of thing?"
"Kansui, huh. I do not know, but... considering the passion Georgima puts into his cooking, I think he could manage that much ordinarily. Be that as it may... dishes from the world Rei originally came from, huh. I'm looking forward to it."
Elena was also someone to whom Rei had spoken of his circumstances, so she knew that Rei had come to this world from another world. That was why she was curious about what kind of dishes existed in the world Rei originally came from.
In fact, the dishes that Rei had spread in Gilm—Udon, Nikuman, and Pizza—were all exquisite.
...However, what Rei had taught was only the general outline of what kind of dishes these were, and the cooks who heard those explanations had improved them and refined them into their current taste.
In reality, the Dashi for the udon also differed from what Rei had eaten, and the Nikuman and Pizza also differed in various fine details including ingredients. Even so, the fact that they had become proper dishes that could be described as delicious was surely the result of the cooks' ingenuity.
In that sense, there was plenty of reason to expect satisfactory results even if Rei taught Ramen to Georgima.
(Since Ramen had become an existence called a National Dish in Japan, if I taught Georgima how to make Ramen, when I come to Anesis next time, Ramen Shops might have sprouted up in large numbers, right? Well, that would be a happy thing for me as someone who eats Ramen, though. I should probably teach the concept of Kaedama and such as well.)
Kaedama, which could be called an extra order of noodles, would be a slightly surprising culture for those who did not know Ramen. Even Rei, who knew Ramen, was surprised when he first learned of the act of Kaedama.
"Fufu."
Seeing Rei troubled, a laugh leaked from Elena's mouth. It was a truly happy smile, not the Princess General but a smile that one woman, Elena Kerebel, floated before the man she loved.
"Did something happen?"
"No, it's nothing. More importantly... it's almost time, but is that all right?"
"Yeah, as you can see, I'm fine, but don't you need to prepare, Elena?"
Rei had been made to change into a suit, but Elena, who was talking with such a Rei, showed no particular sign of being dressed up.
"Hm? Aah, I'm thinking of going back to change soon too."
"...Will you make it in time?"
In Rei's impression, there was always the notion that women took longer to get ready than men no matter what. Especially if it was something like a Party Dress, it would be even more so. If it were someone like Marina who normally wore Party Dresses, she would be somewhat accustomed to it and could probably change faster, but Elena did not usually wear such clothes.
...No, rather, it was Marina who was unusual for normally wearing clothes like Party Dresses that had high exposure and were hard to move in.
"Yes, no problem. Besides, today is at its core only a gathering of family. There's no problem even if I don't wear an overly grand Party Dress. Maids are also here, so I can change right away."
"Then why was I made to put on something like this by necessity?"
Naturally, Rei's changing was also done with the help of a Maid. But if it was only a gathering of family, wouldn't it have been fine without going out of the way to change?
At Rei's words conveying that, Elena shook her head with a serious expression.
"No, rather because it is family, it's better to be properly dressed. Especially since my mother is also present today. If you show a strange appearance here, it could lead to troublesome matters."
"Your mother? Now that you mention it, I haven't heard talk of your mother from Elena before."
Elena's father was Duke Kerebel, a grand noble in the Kingdom of Mireana so well-known that there was no one who did not know of him. To that extent, even Rei knew that much.
...No, since he was involved with Elena, the only daughter of Duke Kerebel who also led the Neutral Faction, not knowing that would be problematic in various ways.
Under Rei's gaze, Elena opened her mouth with a serious expression.
"My mother is... um, she has a rather special personality. Most likely, she would definitely take to you, but..."
Saying nothing more than that, Elena spoke ambiguously.
Rei felt slightly curious about Elena's demeanor, but Elena, saying she was going to change, promptly returned to her room.