Adam and Yunyun were the last to return.
When they walked into the hall together, they found the dining table laden with a sumptuous feast — nearly every imaginable dish was present, save for those requiring rare ingredients.
What’s going on?
"Perfect timing, you’re back." Darkness erged from the kitchen.
She wore a creamy yellow casual outfit, her long golden hair tied to the side and draped over her chest. Holding a dish in her hands and smiling gently, she radiated the air of an ideal wife and mother.
It made Adam’s heart race uncontrollably.
This perverted crusader, whenever she wasn’t being silly, perfectly matched his tastes. He couldn’t help but get excited!
In more ways than one.
"Darkness, this is...?"
"Ah, this is a welcoming feast prepared for Yunyun." Darkness set the dish on the table, giving the shy girl a gentle smile.
"Eh?! Th-that... I, I...!" Yunyun froze, quickly waving her hands in refusal.
"Co now, just accept their kindness — don’t be so formal, Yunyun." Adam placed his hand on her shoulder and gestured to the table, "Look, they’ve already prepared everything. If you refuse, you’ll hurt their feelings."
"...Y-yes. Thank you so much." Sweet Yunyun, finally being accepted by others, experienced mixed emotions.
"Ah! Adam, Yunyun, you’re back!"
"You two are back."
Aqua and gumin also erged from the kitchen, each carrying a dish, appearing as though they’d helped with the cooking.
But Adam knew better. In the 『Hero』 Party, only Darkness could cook decently. The rest — Aqua, gumin, and even Kazuma and Adam himself — were hopeless in the kitchen.
Clearly, those two had just been sneaking bites.
"Using ’taste testing’ as an excuse to pester Darkness, when really you two were just getting in the way, weren’t you?"
"Exactly! Why not follow my example and sit quietly in a chair? Why cause trouble?" Kazuma said this as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
He felt no sha about not helping and even justified his laziness by claiming that at least he wasn’t causing trouble — thoroughly convinced his approach was correct.
"Crapzuma! You’re just a shut-in who only knows how to make instant noodles and junk food. At least you could help carry plates instead of sitting there like a baby bird waiting to be fed!"
Aqua’s words struck a nerve, making Kazuma bristle.
"What did you say—!"
"Hmph, am I wrong?"
"You idiot...!"
Kazuma was about to retort when Adam cut in.
"Kazuma, it’s Yunyun’s first day with us — let’s not argue."
"...Tch." Kazuma clicked his tongue softly but heeded Adam’s words and dropped the argunt with Aqua.
He knew he was in the wrong, but her taunts made it impossible not to want to snap back.
"Co on, let’s all sit down." Darkness said, ushering everyone to their seats.
They arranged themselves around the table.
Adam, as lord, took the main seat, with Aqua and gumin to his right, Darkness and Yunyun to his left, and Kazuma directly across from him.
By chance or design, gumin ended up seated directly opposite Yunyun.
"Itadakimasu!" x6
After a brief grace, everyone picked up their bowls and chopsticks.
Despite Adam’s noble status and the others’ various ranks, the party’s close bonds as adventurers ant they dispensed with most formal dining etiquette.
Everyone ate slowly and gracefully — except for gumin, who was devouring her food with gusto.
Her enthusiastic appetite suddenly seed conspicuous.
"W-what is it? Why are you all staring at ?" gumin wiped the grease from her mouth, apparently oblivious, and frowned at their looks.
"No, it’s nothing... Darkness’s cooking is delicious, isn’t it?"
"Yes, it’s really good, Darkness!"
"Oh, not at all... hahaha."
Then, gumin resud her hearty eating.
Unlike her fellow Crimson Demon Arch-Wizard, Yunyun displayed impeccable table manners — though she remained noticeably tense and unable to relax.
gumin, perhaps noticing this, decided to speak up.
"Oh, right, right! Yunyun is famous among the Crimson Demons for being the weirdo who’s ashad of her own na!"
She rcilessly exposed her childhood friend’s weakness, making Yunyun blush furiously, leaving her speechless.
Yet what gumin revealed wasn’t even a secret. Crimson Demons were known for their chuunibyou, and their nas were all peculiar. If anything, Yunyun’s embarrassnt about her na made her the only sensible one among them.
But gumin wasn’t finished.
"Back at the academy, she’d always eat alone. Whenever I strutted past lonely Yunyun during lunch, she’d challenge with a smile. That trick worked every single ti..."
There had to be more to this story.
She’d simply seized the opportunity to steal Yunyun’s lunch for sustenance — no wonder she was pleased.
"W-wait! That’s — that’s not true!" Yunyun set down her utensils and gestured frantically, trying to sound convincing.
Her flushed face and wavering voice betrayed her.
"P-probably not... right... Y-yeah! I did challenge you daily, but I’m not a loner, I have friends too! Like, um... Dondon Mushroom, Fluffy..."
Her desperate defense only heightened everyone’s sympathy.
Being the sole normal person in a village of Crimson Demon chuunibyou must have been challenging. Her ordinariness made her extraordinary.
How poignant... Adam could picture the scene vividly in his mind.
"Yunyun..."
"Yunyun, I had no idea about your past..."
"That’s heartbreaking."
"From now on, we’ll be your friends, Yunyun. You can always count on us."
The girls’ spontaneous show of sympathy made the shy, reserved Yunyun even more flustered.
Kazuma, however, turned his attention to scolding gumin.
"Seriously, gumin? You knew how hard things were for Yunyun, yet you still stole her lunch — how could you?"
"I had no choice!" gumin protested, "Her lunch was the only thing keeping from starvation!"
"That’s going too far!"
"But it’s true!"
Thanks to gumin’s ice-breaking antics, Yunyun — despite being the target of the teasing — began to feel more at ease.
Though still sowhat reserved, it was clear she would soon beco part of their close-knit group.
✧✧✧
T/N: Hey! Liked what you read? Support your friendly neighborhood translator on Patreon! Think of it as buying a coffee... or ten!
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