After spending some time relaxing in their room, Lilia, Lunamaria, and Sieglinde headed down to the inn's dining hall. Thanks to Machina’s power, this establishment allowed them to summon authentic, high-quality cuisine simply by operating a magical display, but a problem quickly arose.
"Even looking at the names of these dishes, I have no idea what they are," Lilia admitted, staring at the screen.
"That’s true," Sieglinde agreed. "I doubt anything here would be strange, but since we have the opportunity, why don't we try making something ourselves?"
"Good idea," Lunamaria chimed in. "With Sieg and me handling things, we won't have any problems. Lili, you just sit over there and watch."
"Wait... what?" Lilia stammered.
The menu was almost entirely comprised of Japanese cuisine, so the names meant nothing to the trio. Rather than gambling on the display, they decided to handle the cooking personally. With Sieglinde’s natural talent and Lunamaria’s professional training as a maid, plus the detailed instructions Machina had left for the kitchen equipment, they had everything they needed. The ingredients were already stocked and waiting for them in their Magic Box.
"Um, excuse me, but I can help too!" Lilia protested. "L-look, even during my days in the Order of Knights, it's not like I... well, I almost never cooked during encampments, but still!"
"Well, yes. You were the Division Commander, Lili. And even before that, you were a Princess," Sieglinde pointed out gently.
"Besides, you don't have any experience outside the Order either, do you?" Lunamaria added with a smirk. "Didn't Miyama-sama mention a certain gruesome scene during your trip to the Demon Realm together?"
"Ugh... B-but still! It feels wrong to be the only one left out on such a special occasion!"
It was an objective fact that Lilia had zero culinary experience. She had technically tried her hand at it once during her trip with Kaito, but that attempt had ended with her slamming the knife so hard she cleaved through the cutting board along with the food. Still, she felt guilty just sitting around while her best friends worked. She looked at them with expectant, pleading eyes, hoping for a chance to contribute.
Sieglinde and Lunamaria exchanged a look, eventually offering wry smiles.
"Luna... if we supervise her, she should be fine, right? Especially if we help her regulate her strength," Sieglinde suggested.
"I suppose so," Luna sighed. "Teaching her from absolute zero sounds like a massive headache, but she should be able to handle something simple."
"Luna! Sieg!" Lilia beamed, her face lighting up with gratitude.
Lilia was moved by their willingness to let her join in. They divided the tasks, set out the utensils, and began their lesson. However...
"This is... remarkably difficult," Lilia whispered.
"You're even more hopeless than I expected," Luna remarked. "Well, I knew what I was getting into. I guess this is just the standard for someone's first time ever holding a knife."
Lilia was a Former Princess, and even after gaining her independence, she was the Head of a Ducal House; she had never truly needed to lift a finger in a kitchen. Verbal instruction from Luna and Sieg wasn't going to bridge that gap instantly. Or so Luna thought. Then, Sieglinde had an epiphany.
"Lili, I have a suggestion. From now on..."
Several dozen minutes after Sieglinde made her proposal, Lilia was standing at the cutting board. Her movements were so precise and fluid they mirrored those of a master craftsman. She sliced through the ingredients with effortless grace, then transitioned to the stove. She worked the pan with absolute confidence, even performing a light flambé with practiced ease.
"...And, finished! White Fish Meuniere and Sautéed Seasonal Vegetables. Fufu, I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of this."
"Lili." Lunamaria’s voice was flat.
"Yes, Luna?"
"Can I punch you? Just once?"
"Why?! Wait, did I do something wrong?"
"No, quite the opposite. You’re so perfect it’s actually aggravating. Do you have any idea how long it took me to reach that level of knife work? And you just 'caught the knack of it' in an hour? You absolute monster of a genius..."
"N-no, really! I was just 'mimicking Sieg and Luna’s movements.' It’s the two of you who are amazing, not me!"
"Lili, you're the only person I know who can see a movement once and replicate it perfectly," Luna grumbled. "Your level of talent is honestly unreasonable."
"Hmm. I know I suggested it, but even I'm surprised it worked this well," Sieglinde added. "Lili is naturally coordinated. Once she gets a feel for things like force and timing, she’ll be able to apply it to anything. If we do this a few more times, she’ll be a pro in no time."
Sieglinde's suggestion had been simple: stop trying to learn the "how" and instead just watch them cook and copy their physical movements exactly, down to the millimeter. While impossible for a normal person, Lilia’s extraordinary physical intuition made it trivial as long as the task didn't require superhuman powers or exceed her own physical limits. Once she figured out the internal logic of the motions, her growth rate was astronomical. By the time they were done, she was plating dishes that looked like they came from a high-end restaurant.
Serious-senpai: "Well, I guess for someone with Lilia's specs, tracing is easy if she has a model to follow... Vulpecula can do something similar, can't she? Talk about a Cheat Talent."