I started by cutting bamboo.
I set to work producing a large quantity of simple bamboo cups, making use of the natural nodes. The diameter of each cup was about twenty centimeters. Were they actually more like small bamboo plates? No, they were about ten centimeters deep, so I decided they were cups.
...Actually, "small bamboo plates" would do just fine.
The High Ogre Maids washed the plates as I finished them. I felt a bit guilty for making so many at once.
In a corner of the guest room, the Mountain Elves were busy assembling a table. It was a long table that could comfortably seat ten people on each side, for a total of twenty. On top of this table, they installed a lane about thirty centimeters wide and ten centimeters deep. The lane was an elongated O-shape, resembling the track of a horse racing course.
We filled the lane with water and floated the bamboo plates I had made. I had already tested them, so I knew they wouldn't sink. Once we were sure they floated, we removed the plates temporarily.
Lu then installed magic tools into the lane to generate a water current. After adjusting the flow a few times, she gave me the OK sign. With that, I set the bamboo plates back onto the lane. They began to drift along at a pleasant pace. I added more plates one after another, confirming that everything was working perfectly.
It was complete.
"What is this exactly?" one of the Civil Official Girls asked.
"It’s a rotating lane," I replied.
To be precise, it was a rotating sushi lane. While wondering what might make the children happy, I had thought of rotating sushi. The concept might be a bit old-fashioned, but the adults—especially the Mountain Elves—were fascinated, so I figured it would be fine. I planned to serve various dishes on the plates instead of just sushi.
For now, the operational test was a success. Once I asked the High Ogre Maids to prepare the food and called the children...
Wait. Dos, Giral, Progenitor-san, the Demon King, Draim, Lu, Tia, the Fairy Queen, and Beezel were already sitting in the chairs.
It was still a bit early for dinner, wasn't it?
I couldn't say no to those expectant eyes. I suppose I could just consider it a final trial run before the children had their turn.
I explained the rules of the rotating lane. Rule one: You may only take plates from the lane directly in front of you. Do not cause trouble for the people in the seats next to you. Rule two: Once you take a plate, you must eat it. No leftovers allowed. Rule three: You may only hold one plate at a time. Finish your food before taking the next one. Alcohol would be served separately. That was all.
The High Ogre Maids began the cooking, and the experiment started.
"I see, so the food flows by like this... Ho-ho. This looks delicious... No, wait, the next one is—"
Dos followed the passing plates with his eyes, unable to make a move.
"If you hesitate like that, you’ll never get to eat," Giral said. "Just eat what comes your way." He snatched up the plates he spotted and began to eat.
"This is a unique experience, quite different from a normal party," Progenitor-san remarked. He maintained a balanced meal, picking up plates of roast chicken, salad, grilled fish, and fruit.
"It’s fun just watching it. I'm sure the children will be delighted," the Demon King said, focusing his attention primarily on the rice-based dishes that floated by.
"I find myself only eating things I like," Draim noted. Unlike Progenitor-san, he focused exclusively on the plates of simmered daikon. That said, he couldn't grab every single one. He looked on sadly as plates of simmered daikon drifted past while he was still busy eating his previous serving.
"Having five sweets in a row is just cruel!" Lu complained. She glared at a succession of pudding, ice cream, honey yogurt, crepes, and dango, eventually settling on the ice cream at the very last second.
"The seats upstream have a clear advantage," Tia observed, picking up a pudding plate without hesitation.
"I picked the wrong seat," the Fairy Queen muttered. She grabbed a crepe plate, devoured it instantly, and then snatched a dango plate. She was an incredibly fast eater.
"All the sweets stop at the person sitting next to me," Beezel lamented. Being at the very end of the line, he sipped his sake while taking whatever was left over.
Hmm. As I thought, the seats closest to where the food was served were the most advantageous. However, since you never knew what was coming next, it really tested your judgment. The second or third seats were probably the best spots; you could check what was coming while still having a good chance of getting what you wanted.
That aside, it might be fairer to change the food service point occasionally. Also, if we didn't send out three or so of the same dish at once, they would never reach the end of the lane.
Maybe we should decide the seating by drawing lots? I decided to add another rule. Rule four: No giving instructions to others. Do not tell people what to take or what to eat.
As soon as the Mountain Elves saw the adults sitting down, they began constructing another set of tables and lanes.
"We figured there weren't enough seats," they said. They worked quickly, connecting the new sections to the existing lane. The number of seats doubled instantly. Since they were able to connect them so easily without even draining the water, it was clear they had planned for expansion from the very beginning. They were truly reliable.
I went back to producing more bamboo plates. Now that the lane was longer, I had more work to do.
The children’s eyes sparkled when they saw the rotating lane. I proposed drawing lots for the seats, but the Civil Official Girls immediately rejected the idea.
"Why is that?" I asked.
"For example... if Lord Beezel were to sit in Lord Dos's seat, do you think he would actually feel comfortable taking the food?" one of the girls asked, glancing toward Beezel, who was still enjoying himself in his own way at the end of the line.
I suppose that made sense.
"That is simply how things are. Adults have their hierarchy, and children have theirs. To disrupt that order would be..."
I couldn't really argue with that. Personally, I just wanted the children to get along, but I decided to leave the seating arrangements to them.
The children took their seats starting next to Beezel. They sat in the order of Lilius, Rigul, Ratte, Torain, Alfred, Tiselle, Urza, Nart, Hiichiro, and Gral.
However, once they were seated, it became apparent that the children couldn't reach the plates on the lane. This was a major failure on my part. I felt terrible.
The Civil Official Girls, High Elves, and High Ogre Maids stood beside them, picking up plates as the children pointed them out. It was a lot of extra work for them, and I apologized in my heart.
But then, the Mountain Elves arrived with yet another set of tables and lanes. When they connected them, I realized these were special child-sized tables with a narrower width.
"We were a bit careless before. How about this?"
The Mountain Elves were doing incredible work. The children moved to the new seats and resumed their meal. It was clear that picking the plates themselves was far more enjoyable than having someone else do it for them.
"Hahaha. Don't flip the plates over in your excitement! And no playing with the water in the lane!"
The rotating lane was a massive hit. I made a mental note to do this again sometime.
"Hmm? Why don't I sit down and eat too?"
Good point. I decided to join in and sat next to Gral. Even though I was the one who made it, it was quite fun. Still, the one-plate limit was a bit strict. I thought I’d change it so people could take up to three plates at once.
As I was enjoying the meal, one of Zabuton's children came drifting down the lane on a bamboo plate.
"Hahaha. You look cute, but playing where people are eating isn't allowed."
No? It wasn't playing?
The spiderling produced a thread and stopped its plate right in front of me. If it did that, the next plate would crash into it. However, the spiderling gestured with its legs that it was fine, and pointed toward the next plate. It didn't have any food on it.
Instead, the plate held a large iron medal and a letter. The letter was from the children. As I read what they had written, I couldn't help but shed a tear.
Apparently, they had forged the large iron medal themselves while being taught by Gatto. I worried if it had been dangerous, but I was so happy. Still, I'd have to tell them that dangerous work was off-limits.
Engraved on the misshapen medal were my name, the children's names, and the names of their mothers. Even the names of the tiny ones were there. I would treasure this for the rest of my life.
That day, I stayed up playing with the children until late into the night.
In the early hours of the morning, the dwarves were gathered around the rotating lane. Now, the lane was filled with plates carrying cups of sake and various appetizers.
"Putting lids on the sake cups was a brilliant idea," one dwarf said.
"There are so many kinds of sake, I can't decide which one to pick!"
"Remember, you're limited to three plates of alcohol each. Don't overdo it."
"I know, I know. Ghrr, this is a tough choice!"
"You don't have to agonize over it; if you just ask the Village Head, he’ll let you drink whatever you want."
"That’s not the point! The fun is in the struggling to choose."
"I suppose so, but keep it in moderation."
"Right. By the way, is the amount of sake in these cups the same? I feel like this one and that one are different."
"If it’s the same type of sake, it’s the same amount. There might be a tiny difference, but don't sweat it."
"It’s more than a tiny difference. It’s clearly different!"
"Then just pick the one with more in it."
"But that’s not the one I want to drink!"
"You’re being a pain."
The dwarves’ drinking party continued until the sun began to rise.