The lunch barbecue wasn't like the skewer-style meal I’d gone to with Kuro before; instead, it was a spread where everyone could freely grab whatever they wanted from the various ingredients sizzling on the grills and iron plates.
The one handling the cooking was Alice... or rather, one of her clones, and she was wearing a shark kigurumi. I hadn't the faintest idea what sharks had to do with a barbecue.
Still, the ingredients were all top-shelf, and with a cook as talented as Alice handling the grilling, everything was done to perfection. There were so many options I didn't know where to start.
I grabbed a paper plate and some disposable chopsticks Alice had provided and started eating. As I looked around, it was fascinating to see how everyone’s personality was reflected in their food choices.
Sieg-san and Anima seemed to be focusing primarily on the seafood. I remembered Alice mentioning once that fish was quite a luxury in the Sinfonia Royal Capital since it was so far from the coast.
Sieg-san, who was originally from Rigforresia but currently lived in the capital, rarely had the chance to eat seafood, so she was clearly taking this opportunity to indulge.
As for Anima, it went without saying—she loved fish, so that was naturally what she prioritized.
Isis-san seemed to be sticking mostly to the vegetables. It wasn't that she disliked meat, but I got the impression she simply preferred vegetables and fruit.
In stark contrast, Alice’s main body was going all-in on the meat. Alice would eat just about anything, but I always pictured her as more of a carnivore than a fan of greens or fish.
Lilia-san and Kuro seemed to be maintaining a healthy balance of meat, vegetables, and seafood. Neither of them seemed to have a particular bias.
Shiro-san, on the other hand, didn't seem to have any preferences at all. She just grabbed whatever happened to be in her line of sight. It was interesting how even a simple meal could reveal so much about their individual characters.
...That said, there was one person whose complexion looked downright sickly amidst the fun: Fate-san.
She kept darting nervous glances at Shiro-san. She was being so overly cautious that she refused to even touch an ingredient until Shiro-san had eaten some first.
I'd nearly forgotten, but Shiro-san was essentially Fate-san’s absolute superior. They almost never had the chance to share a meal like this. Consequently, Fate-san was eating with a look of pure, unadulterated panic—a rare sight for her.
"...Fate."
"Yes!"
"Feel free to eat whatever you like. This is a rare occasion; I won't fault you for something so trivial. If you keep wearing such a grim expression, you'll only make everyone else feel uncomfortable."
"Ugh... Yes, Ma'am."
Fate-san’s anxiety was so transparent that Shiro-san had stepped in to reassure her before I even had the chance.
Shiro-san has really grown attuned to the emotional atmosphere lately. She's become quite dependable.
After hearing those words, Fate-san reached for the food with a slightly more relaxed face. Seeing this, Shiro-san glanced my way and murmured as if to herself.
"If even one person is too tense to enjoy themselves, it would defeat the purpose of this outing, wouldn't it?"
"That's true."
"By the way, Kaito-san, say 'ahh'."
"Oh, thanks—wait, huh?"
She held a piece of meat out to me so naturally that I ate it reflexively... but wait, that had nothing to do with what we were just talking about, did it?
I looked over at her, but she had already resumed eating as if nothing had happened... though I could see a hint of mischief in her expression.
Well... it caught me off guard, but if Shiro-san was having a good time, I suppose that was all that mattered.
"Excuse me, Kuro-san. That bag you just pulled out looks far too familiar... Put it away this instant."
"Eh? B-But wait, isn't it common sense? When you think of a barbecue... baby castellas are a total staple, right?"
"In what world?! Unless we're in the middle of some unprecedented disaster, a barbecue and baby castellas should never cross paths!"
It seemed something strange was brewing over there while I was distracted by Shiro-san. Actually, I knew exactly what was happening just from the dialogue. It looked like Kuro's particular obsession was rearing its head again.
Now that I thought about it, I'm pretty sure we skewered some baby castellas and grilled them the last time we had a BBQ together.
"Regardless, I will not allow such reckless behavior while I am the one running this show."
"N-No, but Shaltier... this is a golden opportunity to have 'grilled baby castellas'..."
"How have you not realized how insane it is to barbecue something that's already been baked!?"
"B-But, listen... baby castellas possess... infinite potential..."
"I'm not talking about potential right now. Hand them over. They're confiscated."
"Aaaaah! Give them back!"
Alice was remarkably reliable today. There was a real sense of security having her in charge. At the very least, I could be certain that no bizarre, questionable dishes would find their way onto our plates.