Shomin no Aji - Chapter 596 (Patreon)

Oh my?
"Yum! What is this? It's incredibly delicious!"

Adry-sama let out these words after teaching him the secrets of Clear magic and hesitantly eating despite being intimidated by the raw eggs.
Adry-sama is quite soft-hearted...

It took him a while to take the first bite, but seeing Sei actually eat encouraged him.
He felt like he couldn't lose once he saw Sei starting to eat comfortably.

Mariel-chan nodded with a loving smile, saying, "Hehe, it's delicious in various ways..." while watching Adry-sama and Sei.

The knight students were captivated, murmuring, "Lovely...", "The saintly smile of the maiden who saves us lost souls... how cute."
But I was already tired of Mariel-chan's usual antics, thinking it's bliss not to know... and I looked into the distance.

Hector-sama, busy eating a beef rice bowl with extra sauce and eggs, exclaimed, "Hey, can't you guys leave promptly after eating? You're bothering the business!" to the younger Knight students.
You don't have to try so hard to gain Mariel-chan's interest... Maybe if you got closer to the male students... I won't say it, though.

Sei and Adry-sama finished eating, and just as we were about to move for the afternoon class, someone came out from the back room.

"Oh...!"

The group walking towards us with clicking heels were the senior female students who had tangled with Alicia-sama this morning.

They seemed to notice us and abruptly stopped in their tracks.

Oh no, what should we do?
It's obvious from the empty bowls and eggshells left on the table what we've been eating.

"Well, you all are just gluttons, aren't you?" They might say something sarcastic.

Recalling this morning's incident, I felt annoyed, and the girl who seemed to be the leader covered her mouth with a fan, avoiding eye contact as she began to mumble.

"L-lars surprisingly turned out to be edible, didn't it, everyone?"

… N?

"Y-Yes! As expected, it's because His Highness enjoyed it."

...What?

"There's no way it could be considered gluttony if it's what His Highness enjoys, right? We had a big misunderstanding."

… Ehh?

"Oh my, Cristea-sama, Alicia-sama. Good day to you. We shall take our leave~ Hohoho."

The young ladies all praised Lars... deliberately and then hastily departed.

"... What was that?"

As I stared dumbfounded, Alicia-sama chuckled softly.

"Upon hearing that His Highness was enjoying the cuisine of those they had mockingly called gluttons this morning, I suppose they were quite surprised and feared how close the two of you have become. It might not have ended well for them if it continued like this; hence, challenging Lars themselves was perhaps a wise move."

"... And?"

"If their misdeeds reach His Highness's ears, wouldn't they also reach Norman-sama's? Or perhaps, he might act even faster upon hearing the information?"

Wait, what actions are we talking about!? I'm scared to hear the details!?

"Actually, when I made a careless remark to you at the salon early on in our school days, my parents cautioned me against making assumptions and lashing out at others based on speculation or misconception. They advised me to behave more like a lady for a while."
"Eh?"
"... Initially, I was furious, thinking your parents had complained to ours, but now I think it was Norman-sama's doing."

Alicia-sama chuckled when I let out, “That’s news to me" in surprise.

".. My overly protective brother and father were rude."
"No, it was my foolishness."

As they glanced at each other, they naturally chuckled.

"What's this? Allie, are you still picking fights with Miss Cristea?"
"N-No way! Cristea-sama and I are friends now. Adry, please refrain from making remarks that could cause misunderstandings, okay!? Geez!”
"I see. That's good."
"... That's none of your business."

Alicia blushed and turned her face away shyly, while Adry-sama pursed his lips.

"Even though you're cute, Allie, sometimes you act all tsundere and ruin it."
"Huh? Wh-What are you talking about⁉︎"
"Because when you're cuddling fluffy animals at home, you're super cute, but when I say anything, you get mad."
"That's because! Ah, it's because you always say something unnecessary! Ugh... Really!"

Oh my? My, oh my?

"Cristea-sama, Mariel-sama, we'll be late for the afternoon class! Let's go!"
"Eh, oh, yes!"

Chasing after Alicia-sama, who was heading towards the exit with a red face and anger, I glanced briefly at the left-behind Adry-sama, who was being lightly tapped on the head by Sei.

Yeah, good job, Sei.

Mariel-chan and I exchanged glances and nodded subtly to each other.

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