Bright voices echoed through the spacious garden, a place that usually felt far too large and underutilized.
"Hina, are you ready? Gently, now... keep it gentle..."
"Leave it to me! Heave-ho!"
"That was too fast! And too strong! Tone it down a little more..."
With a spirited shout, Hina swung the mallet down. A heavy thud rang out, driven by a level of speed and power that belied her youthful appearance. Even when she tried to hold back, Hina—who excelled at Physical Enhancement Magic—possessed physical abilities that made the average adult male look like a toddler. Aoi, who was acting as the person mixing the mochi between strikes, turned pale at the terrifying speed of the falling mallet.
"Hmm, she’s got a real handle on it. As expected of someone with her talent, her technique is top-notch. I’d probably just get in the way if I tried to help. It might be best to leave the soup to Kaori."
"That wouldn't be a problem at all. I am a professional chef, after all. I’m used to cooking for large crowds, so I could honestly handle a group this size all by myself... Wait, Akane, what are you taking out?"
"Well, I figured I’d leave the soup to you and make some takoyaki instead..."
"Takoyaki at a New Year's party?"
"Why not? Takoyaki tastes good no matter when you eat it. All right, time to put the mochi in..."
In another corner of the garden, I watched Kaori prepare the zouni while Akane pulled out a takoyaki maker she had apparently received from Eden and set to work.
Since it was New Year's, we had decided to hold a celebration for everyone from my home world—the otherworlders and their families. Gathered here in my garden were all the people from Earth currently living in Trinia.
"Seigi, what have you been working on over there?"
"Oh? I figured if I grilled the mochi just enough to slice it, I could lay the pieces on some bread with pizza sauce, cheese, and salami... like a little mochi pizza."
Was he a genius? The idea of combining mochi with pizza sauce had never even occurred to me, but hearing him describe it made it sound delicious.
Impressed by Seigi's ingenuity, I went back to straining sweet potatoes to make kurikinton. While we weren't making a full-scale traditional feast, we were preparing a variety of dishes that captured the spirit of the holiday.
Of course, not everyone was cooking. If every single person tried to help, there would be far too many hands in the kitchen, so I had asked Shigenobu and my parents to simply relax. At the moment, Shigenobu and my father were locked in a game of shogi, while my mother and Hanna watched from the sidelines.
"Guh... W-wait, I take that move back."
"Fufu, certainly. How many moves would you like to undo?"
"Eight, please. Man, Kazuya, you’re really something at shogi..."
Unlike me, my father was gifted at board games in general. When it came to shogi, he had even won a small tournament back in the day. He always claimed he wasn't quite at a professional level, but according to him, he was significantly stronger than most amateurs.
"Hmm, maybe I really should go help the others..."
"Akari, I don't actually know the rules of shogi very well. I was hoping you could explain the match to me..."
"Oh, of course. I can't very well leave you all alone, Hanna."
In truth, that particular gathering served a secondary purpose: keeping my mother as far away from the kitchen as possible. My mother was... well, she was exquisitely bad at cooking. It wasn't that she made things taste bizarre, and she didn't try any strange experimental recipes. She followed instructions perfectly and measured everything to the gram, but she utterly lacked any sense for things like heat control or stirring. She somehow always managed to produce food that was "exquisitely unappetizing."
Hanna, who had likely heard the warning from my father, was doing an excellent job of distracting her every time she tried to drift toward the food.
On a side note, my mother was also incredibly weak at board games. It wasn't that she lacked natural sense for them like I did; she simply struggled with games that required intense mental calculation. She had been an athlete throughout middle and high school, and despite her petite frame, she was much more suited to sports and physical activity.
"All right, I think the kurikinton is about done. Seigi, do you need a hand with anything else?"
"No, I’m just about finished here too, so I’m fine."
"In that case, I'll go check on Noin."
"Understood."
I spoke to Seigi, who had been cooking alongside me, and then moved toward Noin. Since this was a full gathering of otherworlders, she was naturally in attendance.
Admittedly, when I first brought her over, Akane and Mr. and Mrs. Shigenobu had been stunned. Akane had even remarked, "I understand there were reasons you couldn't tell us, but setting that aside, would you mind if I gave you one good wallop?"
Noin was busy grilling a whole sea bream. Because of the equipment she needed, she was working a small distance away from the rest of us. As I approached, I found her wearing a traditional kappogi apron.
"Noin, we're mostly finished on our end. Is there anything you need help with?"
"Help? I've just finished up here as well, so as for help... Ah, but since you're here, would you mind helping me with a taste test? What do you think?"
"It’s wonderful. The meat is tender and the flavor is perfect."
"I’m glad it’s to your liking. It seems we’re all set here, then."
"That reminds me, my mother mentioned something about not being allowed to eat the sea bream on the first day..."
"On the first day? Ah, she must have been referring to the Glaring Sea Bream."
As I helped Noin pack up the cooking utensils, I suddenly recalled my mother's comment and asked for clarification.
"Glaring Sea Bream?"
"Yes. Kaito, your mother is from Western Japan, isn't she? It isn't practiced everywhere, but in some Western regions, there is a custom called Nirami-dai. A salt-grilled sea bream is placed on the table as a decoration for the first three days of the year without being touched. Then, it's finally reheated and eaten on the fourth day."
"Heh, I had no idea there was a custom like that."
"New Year's traditions vary wildly by region, so I'm sure there are many I haven't heard of myself. Now then, let's carry the food over."
"Right. I'll take this... Ah, no, wait. Sorry. It looks like a situation just came up that I need to handle..."
"Ah, I see. Only you can deal with her. Please, leave the rest to me."
I had intended to help Noin with the platters, but I sensed a presence nearby. When I turned, I saw Machina standing a little distance away, looking at the gathering with a desperate longing to join.
What should I do? As someone who absolutely adored her "children," she must have been dying to join a party where all of them were gathered in one place. Was she staying back out of some shred of consideration?
"No, that's not it. After a whole lot of arguing back and forth, Shallow Vernal and Machina made an agreement that neither of them would participate in this party voluntarily. However, it’s a different story if they're invited by you, so she’s just hanging around and staring because she wants you to ask her."
"Ah, I see. That makes sense..."
Alice’s explanation cleared things up immediately. Machina didn't want to break her pact with Shiro, but she couldn't give up on the idea either. I looked at her and felt a wave of sympathy, then turned back to Alice with a wry smile.
"Alice, I’m sorry to ask this, but..."
"Ugh, I know, I know. You’re going to owe me a treat later, okay?"
"Thanks. I really appreciate it."
It would have been too cruel to leave Machina out, but if she were to join a gathering like this without any restraint, she would undoubtedly go into an over-affectionate frenzy.
So, we decided to use the same system we had for the shipboard party. I told Machina that she was welcome to join as Eden, provided she took the same precautions as last time.
Alice would have to be the one to act as the "stopper" for her, which was a burden, but she seemed to want to grant her best friend's wish in her own way. She agreed with a resigned grin.
Akane, Kaori, and the others held Eden in high regard, so they certainly wouldn't complain about her presence. Seeing Machina practically frolic with joy at my invitation, Alice and I shared another wry smile.
Serious-senpai: "W-what?! Seigi actually got lines in such a short span of time?! It’s a New Year’s miracle!"