CH 37

For now, let’s grasp the current situation of the girls’ dormitory cafeteria.

After I was finished eating, I took my used tableware to the return slot.

There was an onee-san at the counter who said she wanted to replace the sautéed chicken earlier, so I called out to her.

“Onee-san, what’s your name? I’m Makoto Kimball,” I said.

“Ma-Marissa, Kimball-sama,” Marissa replied. “Mo-More importantly than that, what will happen to Ilda-san?”

“Is Ilda-san the cook earlier?”

“Yes, wh-what will happen since she yelled at Estelle-sama?”

“Estelle-senpai is kind, so I don’t think it will be that cruel,” I said.

Marissa-san breathed a sigh of relief.

It seems that she was genuinely worried about Ilda-san.

“More importantly, are you okay with cooking tomorrow morning?” I asked. “Do you have enough hands?”

“It-It’s okay, we can serve the usual dishes with the remaining people,” Marissa said.

The usual salty and mud-like porridge.

I looked at Corinna-chan and exchanged frowns.

“Estelle-senpai asked me to supervise the cafeteria for a while, so could you explain the workflow?” I asked.

“This is not a place for an ojou-sama to enter,” Marissa said.

“It’s okay, I used to be the daughter of a baker, so I’m in the same business,” I said.

“Are bakers and chefs in the same business?” Corinna asked.

“We both make things that go into people’s mouths, so we’re in the same business, Corinna-chan,” I said.

After forcibly insisting, I enter the kitchen.

For some reason, Corinna-chan also entered with me.

The kitchen of the women’s dormitory cafeteria, which was about 12 tatami mats in size, was polished to a bright shine and was very clean.

It’s a little surprising.

I was imagining a slightly rougher scene.

“Excuse me, please lend me a three-point headscarf and an apron,” I said.

“Ah, yes here,” Marissa said.

Hygiene is important after all.

I gave Corinna a three-point headscarf and an apron, too.

“Wearing this makes me feel like a chef,” she said.

“It suits you, Corinna-chan,” I said.

“I wonder if you’re used to it, Makoto,” Corinna said.

A large pot, magic stone cold and hot water supply equipment, a large magic stove, a magic refrigerator, heh, they have all the top-notch equipment, as expected of a royal facility.

“There’s even a bread oven, but it doesn’t seem to be used,” I said.

“The-The bread will be brought in by the supplier,” Marissa said.

“By the way, who was making the porridge that morning?” Corinna asked Marissa.

Well, she came because she wanted to solve the mystery of the awful salty porridge.

""

“It-It’s me, I-I beg your pardon…” Marissa said.

It was you…!

“How can you make it so bad? Was it on purpose?” I asked.

“No, um, the thing is… you have to do that, otherwise, it’s inedible,” Marissa said.

“Well, even now it’s too salty to eat,” I said.

“The-There’s more to it,” Marissa said.

“Huh?” I asked.

Marissa took us to the storage room.

There was rolled barley in straw bags.

It’s kind of brown.

I take a little scoop and try to smell it.

It smelled kind of musty and rotten.

“Th-This rolled barley must be seasoned with strong salt, otherwise it will stink and be inedible,” Marissa said.

“Was it already like this?” I asked.

“Ye-Yes…” Marissa said.

“Isn’t this for fodder for animals?”

“N-No, I don’t think so…” Marissa replied.

Because the base material is terrible, is that why the porridge is the way it is?

“This rolled barely is barely even dried,” someone else said.

“Yurisha-senpai!” I yelled.

“Hohoho, my family’s territory is in the southern breadbasket, so I can say something about grains,” Yurisha said.

“No, when you enter the kitchen, please wear a three-point headscarf and an apron,” I said.

“Oh, that’s right, but I’m…” Yurisha said.

“You’re no exception,” I said.

“Okay……” Yurisha muttered.

Seriously, what would you do if you got hair in the food?

Contamination is a food server’s nightmare.

I also gave Yuri-Yuri-senpai a three-point headscarf and an apron.

No matter what you put on a beautiful woman, she will look like a pretty picture, so it’s unfair.

The front of the apron is bulging from her chest.

Damn it.

“Is the rolled barley being sold cheaply?” Corinna said.

“It won’t sell, Corinna-sama, either throw it away or use it as fodder,” Yurisha said.

“In other words, you got the grain for nothing and they put the difference in their pockets, huh?” Corinna said.

“Embezzlement, is it? Yet they have cooks who can make such delicious food,” Yurisha said.

“It’s a misunderstanding, Ilda-san wouldn’t do that!!” Marissa said.

""

“Eh, but,” I said.

“This rolled barley was forced on us by the traders who came and went!” Marissa yelled.

“Why do you have to change the supplier to do such a thing?” Yurisha asked.

“That’s, umm…”

My teeth give me the sense something awful is up.

“Ilda-san’s house runs a restaurant called the Ecliptic Pavilion the downtown area of the royal capital,” Marissa said.

“Ecliptic Pavilion is a top-notch restaurant, isn’t it?” Yurisha asked. “Now I understand why the taste is similar.”

Ecliptic Pavilion was also in the dating options in the game.

If you bring Kevin-ouji or Lloyd-ouji, both will be quite pleased.

“Since her brother will take over the main branch, Ilda-san took over the cafeteria of the Magic Academy girls’ dormitory as a foil to set up another shop…” Marissa said.

Yeah, if you look at the taste of the welcome party, if it’s Ilda-san, no matter where she opens her new shop, it will be a thriving success.

“The aristocrats who acted as an intermediary with the Academy said, umm, to buy from the supplier they introduced at the price they told us to pay for…”

“Aaah.”

“Aaah.”

“Ilda-san also resisted, but if she didn’t do as they said, the Ecliptic Pavilion will be in trouble,” Marissa said.

“Then you won’t make any profit, so why didn’t you consult with the previous year’s dormitory master?” Yurisha asked.

“Um, the previous dormitory master also, um, tacitly demanded a bribe…” Marissa said, biting her lip and spilling frustrated tears.

“Ah, that’s right, she was a person who constantly had bad rumors circling around her,” Yurisha said.

“Ilda-san said that doing business with aristocrats is like this,” Marissa said, “and though she felt sorry for the students of the lower aristocracy, she couldn’t do anything about it, she just had to do the best she could with the skills she had as a chef… ”

…… Oh, this is bad.

I poke my head out of the counter where the food was served.

“Anne-saaan, or Margot-sa~aaan, are any of you here?” I asked.

Those two are intelligence maids, so if you call them, they might come.

“And if we are, Makoto-sama?”

“What the hell?” I said.

They came when I called them both.

Intelligence maids are amazing.

Where have they been hiding?

“It looks like we’ve put the blame on the wrong place, the dormitory knights put Ilda-san from the girls’ dormitory cafeteria in their guard station, so I need you to look after her so she doesn’t talk,” I said.

“Understood,” Margot said.

“Ah, Anne-san, are you okay with Carol’s work?” I asked.

“It’s okay because Ojou-sama has told me to listen to whatever Makoto-sama asks of me,” Anne replied.

Nnn-mou, I wonder how much Carol cares.

I’ll give her a peck next time as a thank you.

Uu-shi-shi.

“It’s okay if just Anne goes,” Margot said, pouting.

“Yeah, I’m sorry for having called you, too,” I said.

“No, Margot, you should go, as well,” Heather-senpai said to Margot, as she poked her head through the other side of the window.

This person also appears and disappears at a moment’s notice.

“Acknowledged, Ojou-sama. Let’s go, Anne, we can’t drag our feet,” Margot said.

“Fuh, impertinent as ever, aren’t you, Margot?” Ann said.

Are they on good terms? These intelligence maids.

“Now then, I want to hear what’s been going on at the cafeteria, too,” Heather said.

“You really want to know everything, don’t you?” I said.

“Because I’m an intelligence noble,” Heather said.

“It would be nice if you could wear a three-point headscarf and apron as well,” I said.

“I would like to hear from you as the dormitory master, so please get one for me, too,” Estelle said.

“Estelle-senpai, too?” I said.

For the time being, I equip the two Takarazuka Ojou-samas who have similar fashion styles and behaviors with headscarves and aprons.

And now Melissa was about to enter with me with a three-point headscarf bandage and an apron, too.

So then, let’s resume the hearing.

When I returned to the kitchen, Corinna worked out something with her abacus and copied it on parchment.

“What are you doing?” I asked.

“I’m writing down a rough estimate of how much money the unscrupulous nobles took out of the cafeteria,” Corinna said.

“As I thought, Corinna-sama is amazing, why don’t you come work for House Appleby after graduation?” Yurisha asked.

“I. Don’t. Want. To,” Corinna said slowly.

A baron’s daughter who can refuse an invitation from a duke is also rare.

Yuri-Yuri-senpai explained to Estelle-senpai and Heather-senpai while showing the numbers Corinna-chan gave.

Estelle-senpai and Heather-senpai in headscarves and aprons look strangely cute.

Melissa-san is cute like a normal town girl.

“The price of bread is also considerably higher than the market price,” Estelle said.

“And yet here, the lower aristocrats were the ones who suffered,” Heather said.

They speak so quickly after the other, it’s hard to tell who’s speaking what.

“With Ilda-san, why didn’t she try to lower the quality of the food of the upper nobility and raise the level of the food of the lower nobility?” I asked.

“That is, umm, she did not want to lower the quality of the food that the high-ranking ojou-samas put into their mouths,” Marissa said. “Ilda-san was already trying to make up for the shortfall herself…”

“Idiot, why didn’t she consult with me or the headmaster?” Estelle asked regretfully.

“I don’t think Ilda-san knew who she could trust anymore,” Marissa said. “Yesterday she said she might have to turn to the saint for help.”

“If she’s going to ask for help, I’d have liked her to approach me properly,” I said. “It would be worse if she asked me to save her out of the blue.”

“I’m sorry, Ilda-san was in such a tight spot,” Marissa said.

Ah, for fuck’s sake.

What a troubled chef.

If you get involved with a corrupt nobleman, consult with a higher person, and if that doesn’t work, better call on the divine.

If she had gone up to Yuri-Yuri-senpai, she would have been able to avoid sidestepping the issue as she had and genuinely improved things.
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