Revived Director Revved Up
Good morning. It's currently 6 AM.
This is tough, I haven't slept more than two hours since yesterday but I'm now cooking for the orphanage.
...I'll have some shut eye after breakfast. So sleepy.
"U-um, are you sure about this? Not only did you save Director, you shared food and now you're even cooking for us..."
"Of course I'm sure. I mean Reina is paying for the ingredients, and I'm helping with the cooking because I want to. I'll excuse myself if I'm in your way though..."
"O-oh no! That's not true at all! You're a big help in fact!"
The kid who's on duty for cooking said that apologetically. This much is nothing to me even with my lack of sleep.
Besides, we gotta feed Director nutritional food.
Even though the venom is no more, her digestive organs must have taken a beating, her Stamina is at single digit too.
<<Director's digestive organs have fully recovered due to Kajikawa Hikaru's life force transfer.>>
Ah, really?
Then maybe we don't have to make a rice gruel for her.
<<...However, with Director Hekimitt's current State of [Hunger (Maximum)], there is a risk of her choking from excessive food intake. It is preferable to prepare an easily digestible yet nutritious dish for her.>>
So yeah, still rice gruel then huh.
Heck I've never seen Hunger (Maximum) State before.
I know she hasn't eaten for several days, but...
"It's rice gruel..."
"Sorry about this kids, I'm only making this since Director can only eat this, but I'm gonna put on lots of garnish so--"
"Awesome, we're gonna eat proper meal, not just potato and bread crust!"
"He's saying something about garnish too! Maybe we're gonna have salted vegetables for once!?"
...What kind of food they usually eat anyway.
Looking at their State, they don't have a lot of Stamina but the nutritional balance doesn't seem too bad.
Maybe they compensate lack of fats and protein by eating lots of grain and vegetable-based diet.
<<Confirming vegetables grown in the garden. They are chiefly [Ryematoes] and [Oxen Potatoes], this orphanage's main diet.>>
I think Ryemato is a type of tomato, guess they've got sufficient nutrients at least.
Oxen potato is also a type of potato I believe. They're shaped more like sweet potato though.
Once I'm done cooking for the children's share as well, I bring Director's portion to her room.
Several children are peeking outside the door, trying to check her condition inside.
I'm sure they all want to go in, but they must be holding back as to not burden Director.
Inside the room, I saw Reina and Farannam, the brown haired acting director boy, sleeping on the chairs next to the bed.
The venom was no more but they were still restless about Direcotr and stayed all night long next to her.
...She's really loved isn't she.
"Oho, good morning... You, must be Kajikawa-san Reina mentioned, are you not?"
"Good morning. Yes, excuse me for intruding, I'm Kajikawa Hikaru."
"My name is Hekimitt, acting director of this orphanage. I'm pleased to make your acquaintance."
She sounded exactly like Reina when she was sleeptalking, but it seems she's using polite tone with guests.
No, I think it's the other way around and Reina got her speech pattern from Director?
"...I am truly grateful for your help. Had it not been for your intervention I... might have died from the venom, and the children would have lost their home."
"Oh please don't mention it, We're just relieved we could finish this commission."
"Not only did you help with the herb gathering, you also dealt with that red haired man when he broke in here, I believe. I won't ever forget this debt..."
"That was my own initiative. I simply twisted their arms for a bit, it wasn't much work at all really."
"A bit? Sounded more like you twisted him real hard..."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
The cooking duty girl, Rinaveze, Rina muttered behind us as she peeked.
That upstart pig didn't die thanks to me healing all injuries with life force control, guy got off easy really.
He kept repeating obvious lies despite all the 'talk' I did to him, prolly to protect himself, so I healed his wounds and said 'Well now that you're all healed up, we can resume this talk all over again'. That apparently broke him and he proceeded to spill the bean on the motive and all evil deeds he did during this incident.
I had him confess to the guards as well, 'It was all me, I did it', so all's left is for the laws to judge him.
By the way, the thug I left outside was a wanted man for the crimes of robbery and murder, the guards took him in too.
Apparently he had been getting by working in the underworld, but it's finally the time to pay the piper.
The man is in for the death penalty as well, so I left his injuries be when the guards took him.
He kept glaring at me while swearing to kill me as it happened, so I sent a death glare back at him loaded with bloodlust and excessively energy buffed, guy ended up fainting as they dragged him away. Lame.
The guards shuddered too as it happened, sorry about the friendly fire.
"Please focus on resting after you've had your fill. The venom may have been neutralized, but you're still recovering."
"You even prepared breakfast for me? ...I can never thank you enough."
"Well, it's just a rice gruel though, do pardon if it's not really filling."
I put the rice gruel on the desk next to Director's bed.
The gruel has a half-boiled egg, fish dashi in paste form, salted vegetable and minced rush boar meat flavored with sugar and mirin as garnish.
It should have a good balance and be easily digestible, wonder if Director will like it?
...Hm?
"O, oo, ooooooooooh!!?"
Hiie!? W-what? Director howled all of a sudden right as I took off the gruel bowl's lid!?
"U-um, do you see something not to your fancy--"
"It's the fragrance of meat ssu!! This brown stuff, could this be the minced breast meat of Rush Boar!?"
"Y-yes it is."
"Foooooo! What a feast! I'm digging in!!"
Where'd her gentle mannerism go, her eyes turned carnivorous as she wolfed down the gruel at tremendous speed.
Does she have a split personality or something? Heck, she's sure chowing that gruel down, it should be pretty hot too. What a sturdy mouth.
I was so dumbfounded as I watched Director ate her gruel, the bowl was empty before I knew it.
...Oy oy, it hasn't even been 30 seconds. Relish it more will you...
"Thank you for the treat. That was truly a delight, warming not only my belly, but even my heart."
And then Director thanked me with the polite tone like that never happened. The whiplash is too much.
"M-my pleasure..."
"Oh Kajikawa-san is flabbergasted alright. Director, nobody is going to fall for that tone now. I mean the way you chomped that gruel down was the spitting image of a magic beast."
"What do you mean magic beast! At least make it human ssu!"
Director gave her punchline to Rina with her normal tone.
Where'd I see this scene before... Ah, it's like how Reina and I usually banter.
Now that she's had her meal, time to have a little talk with Director. A proper talk unlike with that upstart pig of course.
The reason behind that pig's obsession with this orphanage.
And what the future holds.
...My experience in the Hunting Fest might come in handy. No guarantee it'll work alright but not like we have anything to lose anyway, I'm gonna make that suggestion.