Drunken Noel
When Belle asked if rice could help her people:
“Save them?”
“Our territory is far from the capital, hot in summer, cold in winter. We can grow many things, but not wheat… if we could eat rice…”
“Yeah, rice grows best in water-rich, flat land with good drainage and temperature differences. Wheat is the opposite—low rainfall.”
“That’s true… Burst territory is perfect for rice. But, Joan, how do you know this?”
“Uh, past life knowledge? I grew up somewhere similar to the Burst territory.”
“I see.”
“Belle, try some first.”
I handed her rice.
“Okay… wow, delicious! So this is rice? The more I chew, the sweeter it gets…”
“Right? Now try it with grilled meat. That’s a ‘yakiniku don.’”
“Y-Yakiniku don? Oh—this sauce and the rice go great together! It’s so good!!”
“Joan, um… can I have some too?”
“Yes, Young Master Eric.”
“Thank you… munch… it is good. Perfect with the meat!!”
Looks like both Young Master Eric and Belle accept the rice.
“In my previous life, rice was more of a staple than bread. So I know lots of ways to eat it.”
Rice as livestock feed… that’s just wrong.
I have to fix this somehow. But first, the people of Burst need to know how good rice is.
“Joan, can you visit my home sometime? I want to show Father that rice can be a staple.”
“Yeah! I want to visit! I want to spread the love of rice to the Burst territory! And if possible—I want some! I want to buy it!”
“Jo, that last part’s your true motive, huh?”
“Shut up, Vee!”
“Ohh? You’re being feisty with me now?”
“What!?”
“Want me to whisper in your ear while hugging you from behind again?”
“Wha—!”
“Ahaha. By the way, when you and Eric rode Snowy earlier, your face was red too.”
Ugh—so they did notice.
But did he have to say it here!?
“B-Brother Gene, what are you saying?! It was just the sunset!”
“Ohhh, sure. Let’s go with that.”
“Ughh…”
“What’s wrong~? Is Eric your type~? I might cry~”
“… Brother Noel, are you drunk? Your face is red.”
“I’m fine~ So? Is he your type?”
Ugh, please stop with the drunk teasing!
It’s not that I like Young Master Eric specifically—it’s just… I like lean muscle types!
“Jo? What’s a lean muscle type~?”
“Eh? Wait—”
“Ahaha! Jo, you said it out loud!”
Looking around, not just my brothers—Vee, Young Master Eric, even Belle were giving me wry smiles.
“So? Care to explain~?”
“Um… it's someone who looks normal but has nicely toned muscles…”
“Ohh~ So that’s your type, huh~?”
“Ugh, Brother Noel, shut up!!”
I pulled ice from my storage and shoved it down his shirt collar.
“Whoah! Cold!! Jo!!”
“““Ahahaha!”””
---
The BBQ was winding down. Everyone seemed full.
“Ugh, I’m stuffed…”
Brother Gene and the others were rubbing their bellies and groaning.
“Hehehe. No room for dessert?”
“Dessert?”
“Mirange sherbet. There’s lemon too.”
““We’ll eat it!!””
Brother Gene and Vee spoke in unison.
“Oh! Me too,” Brother Noel chimed in.
“Joan? What’s sherbet?”
“It’s a frozen treat made from Mirange juice… Here. Try it. Everyone too.”
“Mm! Cold… but tasty! It’s refreshing after all that greasy meat.”
“Right?”
“““So good!”””
Young Master Eric seemed to like it too.
“What should we do tomorrow? We could take a guild request, train with the guards, or tour the city. Belle, what do you want to do? Or anything else?”
“Hmm… let’s save the city tour for the last day. The guild sounds fun, but so does training…”
“Then let’s do both! Training in the morning, guild in the afternoon!”
“Agreed!”
“Joan, you’re taking guild requests and training… is Miss Belle doing the same?”
Brother Noel asked.
“U-Um… i-is it weird?”
“No, not at all. Actually, I think it’s great.”
“Eh?”
“I mean, Joan has her past life memories, and her actions are far from a noble lady’s. So I figured if Miss Belle is sticking with her, you must be registered at a guild and into training too.”
“Y-Yes. I-I'm registered at Burst’s guild. A-And… I l-like training…”
“That’s great. Joan, you’ve made a good friend.”
“Yes!!”
“Miss Belle, please keep looking after Joan.”
“Y-Yes!”
He says nice things when he’s not drunk…
But still, being able to drink from 16 is awesome. Six more years…
I wanna drink soon too~
What do you think about this chapter?
