Me and Mikron got home almost at the same time as Mashiro, Miko, and Chiiru.
By the time I hopped down from Mikron and she soared back up to the Fenrir cabin, the Mashiro group had returned. “Yo. Welcome back, too.”
“Oh, Sou-suke… yeah, I’m home…”
”…Soudan’s search seems to have gone well, at least. You can tell just by looking at his face.”
Judging by Miko and Chiiru’s expressions, theirs hadn’t gone so well.
Mashiro was good at tracking a scent once she’d caught it or hunting down beasts, but for plant-based things, maybe due to how the humans described them, she seemed to have trouble pinpointing exactly where to find them.
Still, her sense of smell was incredibly useful beyond measure.
“You didn’t come back empty-handed, right?”
“Hmm. I don’t really know what it is, but I grabbed it just in case.”
“I found blueberries instead of strawberries… I don’t hate them, but they’re not the same berry…”
It wasn’t that I was happy about their failed search, but at least my own expedition hadn’t been a waste.
“For now, can I just put these away?”
“Mm. I hope we can eat them, or at least find out for sure~”
“If it’s Shion-chan, she’ll probably turn the blueberries into jam or muffins.”
They stored Masiro away along with the basket she was carrying.
What the two of them had brought back were “muskmelon,” “blueberries,” and a “nectarine.”
“They all seem edible, but let’s ask Fukuma or Shion for the details.”
“Yay~. Thanks to you too, Masiro~”
“Mm. I do appreciate your hard work.”
Masiro seemed a bit downcast, perhaps feeling responsible for the disappointment on their faces, but the moment the two of them hugged her in comfort, she began huffing and puffing heavily.
An easy-to-read Fenrir.
“Welcome home. Master, Lady Chiyu, Child.”
The entrance opened, and Roa came out to greet them.
“Oh, I’m home… Hm? There’s a sweet scent here.”
“Yes. Head Chef Shiin is baking cookies—”
“Cookies!? I want one! I want two!”
“My body is craving some sweetness…”
Zwip… Menoko and Chiyu sprinted through the building at wind-speed velocity.
“A-ah, please refrain from running in the hallways…”
Roar wouldn’t be hearing her warning.
I gave a wry smile at their retreating figures before stepping inside.
“How did the exploration go?”
“Success. Thanks to Roar, I think we can get everyone what they want.”
“I’m glad I was of help.”
“Aa. And about Roar’s shoes, too.”
”…! Y-yes, ma’am. Thank you.”
Roar smiled, her face flushing with a mix of shyness and delight.
“Yum yum!”
I heard Shouko’s voice coming from the living room.
Sōsuke and Roa exchanged a glance and laughed.
“We’d love some cookies too, if it’s no trouble.”
“Right away!”
Drawn by the sweet aroma, we made our way to the living room, where Shouko and Chi-iyu were voraciously eating a plate piled high with cookies.
Fukaho ate them one by one, in restrained bites.
“Oh, welcome home, Sōsuke-kun. Please have some if you like.”
“Thanks.”
I picked one up and popped it into my mouth.
“Mm… they just melt right away. Freshly baked ones really are something else…”
The cookies crumbled delicately across my tongue. The scent of butter and the sweetness of sugar exploded in my mouth, making me crave another one instantly.
“Sōsuke! If we store these while they’re fresh, couldn’t we eat crispy, moist cookies anytime?”
“Ah, that might actually work.”
“Heh, I think it’s a great idea, but today’s batch is going to disappear in no time. We’ll probably have to wait until the next bake.”
Shion beamed with delight at the huge success of the cookies, letting out a soft, suppressed laugh.
Chi-iyu had her cheeks puffed up like a squirrel’s.
I worried that this would certainly dry out her mouth, but she washed the entire down with a stream of sheep’s milk.
“Ecstasy.”
“Sena-san… do you always eat like that? I’m jealous that you don’t gain weight no matter what you eat.”
At Shino’s remark, Miko’s hand stopped dead in its tracks.
“Ah, maybe I should stop around here. L-Look, there’s still dinner to make!?”
Miko tried to brush it off with a deflection. She might have thought she was covering her tracks, but it was undeniable that she had reacted to the comment about gaining weight.
“I’m not worried about it at all. All the nutrients go straight to my chest.”
I don’t think that’s something a normal person would say out loud…
It sounds like one of those lines a big-breasted character in a manga or anime says to another character, doesn’t it?
Since Sena is short and skinny yet has huge breasts, nobody can even bring themselves to point that out.
“A-Ahaha. Anyway, I should probably start dinner soon. Sousuke-kun, could you do me a favor and store the leftover cookies for me?”
“Oh right. But before that, there’s something I want to give everyone.”
I had everyone take their seats and cleared my throat, breaking the tension.
“Taking the liberty of using Roa’s power, I’ve investigated everyone’s ‘desires.’”
I placed a small basket woven from vines in front of each of them. The size of the boxes varied by person, as did their contents.
Upon hearing that I had looked into what they wanted, the only one blushing was Fukaho, whose wish had been ‘underwear.’
I feel a bit guilty for going that far, but please forgive me.
“Does it contain condoms?”
”…No, Sengi’s is what she wanted second.”
“Sousuke-kun, is it okay if I open it now?”
“That works. You can do it now or later. You can show everyone or keep it to yourself. Feel free to handle it however you like.”
Sensi immediately lifted the lid of the box and blinked.
”…! Did you find strawberries? I love you, Sousuke.”
Menoko followed suit, removing the lid with shining eyes.
“Oh~! It’s melon! You found it for me, Sousuke? Thank you!”
Shiine also opened her box.
“Waaah, there’s so much in here. …Wait, ginger? And this is… garlic?”
“Sorry, I wasn’t sure if it was a good gift for you… but I thought these might be things you wanted…”
“What are you talking about? I’m really happy! …! With this, my cooking repertoire expands, which means I can help everyone out even more! Right, Sousuke-kun, there’s so much else here too… for example, what is this?”
The fruit Shion held up was roughly the size of an egg and, at first glance, looked like a walnut.
“Um… that one’s called ‘Nutmeg.’ I think it’s a spice—”
“This is nutmeg?! Wow, Sousuke-kun! It’s one of the Four Great Spices!”
Shion was bursting with excitement.
Apparently, besides going well with meat dishes, it pairs excellently with potatoes and dairy products, and is even used in baking sweets.
“I’m glad you like it. The rest are ‘Cinnamon’ and—”
“Cinnamon?! Oh, no way, are these cinnamon sticks!?”
She must have always been good at cooking, but since becoming the head chef, she was a fish in water.
It felt like her interest in ingredients was accelerating.
Amidst Shion’s excitement bordering on character breakdown as she exclaimed, “Fooh… t-this is amazing, Sousuke-kun!”
Fukami briefly opened the box, then immediately slammed the lid shut, her face burning bright red.
Inside were her ‘underwear’.
There was no underwire, so the bra was a tie-style design, but it should be perfectly fine for use.
I stepped closer to her and spoke in a low voice.
“Sorry I couldn’t keep it a secret. But… uh… honestly, I’d be happy to see you in all kinds of outfits.”
It was a bit embarrassing to admit, but she would probably be happier if I told her clearly.
“S-s-So, that’s nice… It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize for anything. And… um… I’m happy too.”
Fukami smiled shyly, her gaze cast downward.
“Glad you like it. Uh… show me more next time.”
“Wh—! Y-yes, of course. Um, I want you to see… a lot too…”
Being spoken to with such innocence made my heart race.
Well then, the last one is Loa.
She was looking down at the box in silence.
“Loa? I think the size will work out fine.”
“Um, ah, yes. I… was simply admiring them. My master, what exactly did you do to these?”
“We used deer leather for the uppers because it was the most suitable hide we had on hand. Then we stained them with soot and made the soles out of rubber. I couldn’t add any fancy metal decorations since we don’t have any, but please forgive that.”
”…No, they are a magnificent piece of work. Thank you truly.”
I am not someone who is particularly particular about fashion, but I understand that for those who do care, it is something of immense importance.
It is something that can lift one’s spirits, or make them feel put together, or give them confidence in themselves—or conversely, allow them to become a completely different person.
On this desert island, we were cast adrift wearing our uniforms.
And that has been our daily reality for six days now.
It might not be the time or place to talk about fashion, but it is easy to imagine how painful these days must have been for those who value such things.
The fact that maid outfits are within reach suggests that, for Lora, this means even more than I had imagined.
Watching her hold the shoes with such reverence, I thought so.
“My master, may I try on the shoes you gave me?”
“Ah, of course.”
Lora changes from her slippers into the boots.
If she is to move around the house as a maid, boots would surely be more suitable than slippers.
It’s a bit off for Japanese sensibilities, but she’d probably get used to it right away.
“It fits perfectly,” Sozo said.
“Indeed, it suits you very well.”
“I can’t believe I’ve been given something so wonderful… I don’t know how to thank you…”
Seeing Rua look so happy as she expressed her gratitude, Chiyu and the others reacted.
”…Damn it. We should have asked for something that would last a while, just to show off as ‘the childhood friends who cherish what Sozo-kun gave us.’ That would have boosted our approval rating.”
”…! A-ah, should we change what we want now? But asking so late might come across as too bold…”
“Yeah. It’s already hard to pay back the favor he did for us; piling on more requests would be shameful.”
“Y-Y-Yeah, exactly.”
Fuminari nodded in agreement while looking away, but the other women didn’t miss his flustered reaction.
”…Did you get something that lasts too, Minochan?”
“Oh? Tell us what you got, Minolin.”
“While we were hoping for things that would just disappear into our stomachs, what kind of wonderful present did Fuminari-chan get from Sozo-kun?”
“N-No, um… I think we need some privacy, even if it is a party.”
As Fuminari tried to escape to her room clutching her box, the three of them closed in on her slowly.
“Information sharing between harems is standard procedure.”
“Yeah yeah, info-share, Mino!”
“Ugh…”
Shinhou’s face was bright red.
She must have been mortified to find that she alone had received underwear as a gift.
“Everyone, I don’t just want stuff for this occasion. I’ll do my best to prepare gifts whenever possible. Please forgive Shinhou.”
At my intervention, the three of them stopped with reluctant looks on their faces.
Taking advantage of the moment, Shinhou hurried up to the second floor.
Well, since they’re underwear, I assume it’s only a matter of time before people find out she wears them in daily life…
Anyway, I’m glad I could make everyone happy.
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