We arrived at Kaori-san’s shop via Akane-san’s teleportation magic. As soon as we stepped inside, Kaori-san headed to the back for a moment, returning in her signature kappogi-style apron. It seemed she had made it her rule to wear that outfit whenever she was in the kitchen.
She set water and menus down in front of us.
"Kaori-san, isn't today the shop's day off? I don't want to put you through too much trouble, so anything easy to prepare is fine," I said.
"Oh, don't worry about that. I have that large magic box I received from Raz-sama now. Honestly, a high-capacity magic box is an absolute godsend for a restaurant owner. If I handle the prep work when I have a spare moment and keep it in there, I can pull everything together in no time. That’s why I’ve been able to expand the menu so much—making things in advance has become a breeze."
"Ah, I see. Now that you mention it, that makes perfect sense..."
She was right. Since magic boxes preserved food in its freshly-made state, one could prepare dishes in advance without any loss in quality. Even for more complex orders, having the time-consuming prep work tucked away meant a meal could be plated and served just minutes after being ordered.
Utilizing the shop’s downtime to stock the box was incredibly efficient. For any business in the food industry, a large magic box was truly an invaluable asset.
"In any case, I can whip up anything on the menu right now, so order whatever you like."
"Thanks. In that case, I’ll go with... the Tatsuta-age Set Meal."
"Then I’ll have the Miso-katsu," Akane said.
"I’ll have the Vegetable Stir-fry Set Meal," Frau added.
Since it seemed like my order wouldn't be an extra burden on Kaori-san, I simply picked what I felt like eating. Akane-san and Frau-san placed their orders as well, leaving only Megiddo-san.
"What about you, War King-sama?"
"Ah, I don't usually eat much... something light to snack on will do. Also, do you have any booze?"
"Yes. Would some hot sake work?"
"Hot sake, huh? It's been a while... Yeah, that sounds good."
Apparently, Megiddo-san ate more varied food than the other Six Kings, but his diet consisted almost entirely of snacks paired with alcohol. True to form, he’d ordered something he could nibble on while he drank.
However, one part of the conversation had piqued my interest, so I decided to follow up.
"Megiddo-san, you're familiar with hot sake? Since you said it's been a while, have you had it before?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, I think it was called... Japanese sake? Originally, Noin made a small batch for herself, but my Epsilon took a real liking to it. She learned the brewing process from Noin, set up a mass-production system, and now she churns the stuff out. Blossom’s a fan of Japanese sake, too."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Thinking back, Epsilon-san did wear an outfit reminiscent of Japanese-style clothing, so she probably had an interest in the culture, even if she wasn't quite as obsessed as Blossom-san.
I could easily picture Noin-san or Epsilon-san enjoying a cup of Japanese sake... Blossom-san, on the other hand, was a different story. While she looked the part of a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko on the outside, her high-energy personality made it hard to imagine her quietly sipping hot sake in peace.
"Oh, right. Since I'm having hot sake, serve it as... an 'Atsumori.'"
"..."
Kaori-san, Akane-san, and I all froze at Megiddo-san’s words. He’d spoken with the confidence of a man who’d just had a brilliant epiphany. It was a bizarre request. "Atsumori" was a bit of internet slang used to describe a "heated" or "exciting" situation. It certainly had nothing to do with how you served hot sake.
Clearly, Megiddo-san was confused about something.
Frau-san didn't know the term, so she just looked curious, but the three of us shared an indescribable look. Kaori-san shot me a silent, desperate plea for help. Well, I suppose I was the only one in the room who could actually call Megiddo-san out on this...
"Megiddo-san, the word 'Atsumori' did exist in our world, but... it has absolutely nothing to do with hot sake. Where did you hear that?"
"What? Blossom told me that pouring a massive amount of hot sake into a giant bowl was called an 'Atsumori'... Is it not?"
"It’s completely different. Though, I see... you were thinking of it as a 'heaping mound' of hot sake. Kaori-san, just a normal serving is fine."
"Ah, right."
The moment he mentioned Blossom-san as his source, everything clicked. Yeah, I could definitely see her explaining that with a proud Doyaaa Face.
Serious-senpai: "I assumed Alice had been feeding him more nonsense, but it looks like someone else did it this time."
???: "How rude! Alice-chan would never teach someone incorrect—actually, never mind. If it were that gorilla, she probably would’ve done it just to see what happened."