Party Preparations
After morning tea time ended, a completely exhausted Joan opened the kitchen door.
"Good morniiiing…"
She greeted them and collapsed onto the worktable.
"W-what’s wrong, Missy? Did you eat something weird in town yesterday?"
"Are you feeling sick? Did you overeat?"
Mr. Abe and Ben asked, concerned.
"Hey~ why do you two immediately assume it’s food-related?"
I narrowed my eyes at them.
"Well, because it’s you, Missy. Right?"
"Yeah, because it's you, Little Joan?"
"Hey, isn’t that kinda rude?"
""Ahahaha!""
"So, what’s got you so drained?"
"My mother gave me a very enlightening talk—also known as a scolding."
""Ah~~~""
"… Little Joan, what exactly did you do?"
"Umm, I made hot drinks at Mrs. Kate’s place, held an impromptu cooking lesson for Mrs. Grace and Mrs. Michelle, and… oh, I just mentioned that I wanted to register as an adventurer."
""An adventurer!?""
"Yeah, because I’m interested! In my previous world, they only existed in stories. There weren’t even any magical beasts… If I ever have to leave here, I was wondering if I’d be able to survive on my own."
""Leave here!?""
"Yeah, because I don’t know what’ll happen, right? I have the Null attribute, so I might not get a good job. Even if it comes to a political marriage, I’d be a weak piece on the board. So, I was thinking, what could I do to survive on my own? I thought maybe being an adventurer could be one option."
"Young lady… did you actually say that to the madam and the others?"
"Yep. And then, not only Mother but also Grandmother and Big sister Juliette scolded me."
""Haaah…""
Mr. Abe and Ben both let out deep sighs.
"What? What is it?"
"Young lady, look… no, forget it. If they already lectured you, I won’t say anything. Just remember that everyone’s worried about you."
"Yeah, I got it."
"Well then, since things will somehow work out, let’s start cooking for the party!"
"Ahaha, ‘somehow work out,’ huh? You’re as positive as ever."
"Well, adventurer registration starts at ten years old, right? I still have five years to go. For now, I should focus on what I can do."
"True. So, what are we making?"
Mr. Abe asked.
"Hmm, let’s see… Roast beef, cream stew, pizza, fried chicken, sandwiches, French fries, and two or three kinds of salad, right? We talked about that the other day."
"Oh yeah, we did."
"Then today, let’s make cream stew. We’ll use the chicken broth from before as the base. First, we cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces, the potatoes into chunks, the onions into wedges, and the carrots into slices—cutting them into fun shapes with cookie cutters. Let’s do our best!"
""Ohhh!!""
"Next, we sauté the meat and vegetables. Once they’re cooked a bit, we add the chicken broth and let it simmer. Meanwhile, we mix butter with flour. Then, we add some broth to that mixture, making sure it dissolves properly… Once the vegetables are tender, we turn off the heat, add the butter mixture and milk… Finally, we heat it again until it thickens and season it with salt and pepper. Done! Alright, time to taste-test."
""Delicious!!""
"Glad to hear it! Alright, I’ll leave the rest to you."
""Huh!?""
"I mean, you guys can handle the rest, right?"
"No, no, no, what about the pizza? We have no idea how to make it."
"Ahh… well, just power through?"
""That’s impossible.""
"Fine, fine. Since making pizza dough is a hassle, let’s do pizza toast instead!"
""Pizza toast??""
"Yep. We spread tometto sauce on bread, add tamons, pippers, sausage, and other toppings, then finish with cheese before baking it. Alright, let’s try it!"
I spread tomato sauce on slices of bread, added toppings and cheese, and put them in the oven.
Before long, a delicious aroma filled the kitchen.
"The smell of melted, slightly burnt cheese is amazing."
"Ahh, this would go perfectly with ale."
As expected of Mr. Abe.
But for me, pizza pairs best with a carbonated drink.
"It’s ready~ Looks good!"
Ben opened the oven for me, and we peeked inside together.
"Whoa, this looks seriously tasty."
"Alright, let’s taste-test!"
[Yeahhh!!!]Huh? That’s a lot of voices?
I quickly turned around to see Noel and the others smiling, while Mr. Abe wore a wry smile. Since I’d been focused on the oven, I hadn’t noticed them coming in.
"When did you all get here?"
"Just now. It smelled so good, we snuck in quietly."
Brother Gene answered.
"Sigh… Alright then, let’s all have a taste."
I handed out the pizza toast to everyone.
I’d planned to make extra to store for later, but… I underestimated my brothers.
[So good!!!!!]The pizza toast was a huge hit.
""More!!!""
Brother Gene and Vee demanded.
"Nope! It’s for the year-end party, so look forward to it then."
""Awwww.""
"Alright, alright, we’ll wait."
Brother Noel calmed them down.
"Okay, then the party food is all set, right?"
"Yeah, we should be good now. Thanks, Missy."
"No problem! I’ll leave the rest to you."
I’m really looking forward to the year-end party.
Since it’s just for family, it’ll probably be like the barbecue we had before—eating and chatting together, having fun.
Still, this year passed by in the blink of an eye.
I wonder what next year will bring.
What do you think about this chapter?
