"Alright, first we're making the noodles."
""We're gonna make lots~""
After putting away the souvenirs, we immediately headed to the kitchen.
As for dinner, I arranged it so that the chefs of the Risner family would handle the main courses, and one dish I made would be added to the table.
"I'll try making fresh pasta—fettuccine. Allen and Elena, could you make some udon to store for later?"
""Okay~""
I had the kids get started on the udon right away. Unfortunately, I hadn't prepared special socks for Radian yet, so he'll have to wait until next time.
With that, I began working briskly on the dough.
"Alright, it's done! Now let's let it rest for a while."
""Nap time¨~""
"Speaking of which…"
""Nniyu?""
I suddenly remembered the soba noodles I'd put off making a while ago.
I figured I might as well try making them now. Soba is trickier than udon or fettuccine, but I won't get better unless I try.
So, I briskly started making soba dough too.
"Thin, thinner..."
"Super thin~"
Once the dough came out nicely, I rolled it thin and started cutting it.
The fettuccine should be just under a centimeter wide, I think?
We won't be using the udon or soba today, but I decided to go ahead and cut them anyway.
"... I wonder if someone could make me a magic tool that flattens and cuts dough?"
"Magic tool?"
"Sol Ojiichan?"
"Yeah, I'll ask him when we go to the capital."
""Let's ask him!""
Once you start making large quantities, it turns out to be surprisingly time-consuming, so now I really want a noodle-making machine.
I'll ask Sol Ojiichan, the old man who runs the magic tool shop in a rundown building in the capital.
"Before boiling the noodles, I need to prep the toppings and sauce. Let's see... for toppings, I'll use squid ears, body, and tentacles, plus some mushrooms. For the squid ink sauce… garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper, and a little lemoné juice should do it."
""Just hearing that makes us hungry~""
"Haha, that's good to hear. But you've never had this kind of dish before, right?"
"Oniichan's food—"
"—never tastes bad!"
"… Whoa~"
They seem to trust me completely, but I can't promise I'll *never* make a bad dish.
Since coming to Aetherdia, I haven't really made anything too experimental, but every now and then, I've gotten a little carried away and made something… questionable.
Honestly, things have just gone too smoothly so far.
Well, I doubt today's dish will be one of those flops.
"Okay, time to finish it up!"
""Yeah~""
"Yes!"
"Hm?"
The kids responded cheerfully to my call, but there was a deep voice mixed in.
"Miss Lyan!?"
"Please let me join in."
"Is the dinner preparation okay?"
"I've finished most of my share and reassigned the rest to others!"
"Hahaha~"
I'd noticed some of the Risner family's chefs sneaking glances over here.
That happens whether it's the Ruven house or the Risner house—if I use the kitchen, a surprise visit from the head chef is practically guaranteed.
And it rarely stops at just a few glances.
"You always show up at the perfect time."
"It seemed like you were about to reach a crucial stage!"
"You're sharp as ever."
Tonight, after preparing things in advance, the actual final cooking and serving will be handled by the Risner family's chefs, while I'll be sitting at the dinner table.
So from here, I need to give instructions.
The head chef perfectly sensed that and showed up at just the right moment—*before* I even called. That's seriously impressive.
"Well then, let's begin."
"Yes!"
Answering Miss Lyan's eager questions, I started by finishing a single serving of pasta.
"Ohh~ it's so black~!""
"That's the color of squid ink. Be careful when eating it—if the sauce splashes on your clothes, it won't come out."
"Oh noes! Will be careful!"
"Also, maybe—your mouth might turn black too."
""Ohh~ that sounds fun!""
I'm not sure if this squid ink is the same as normal squid ink, but there's a high chance it'll blacken your mouth.
If that's the case, maybe this dish isn't suitable for nobles?
"Now that I think about it, would it be bad to serve this dish?"
"I don't think anyone would refuse a dish made by you, Takumi-sama. That said, if it might turn their mouths black, it would be wise to warn them in advance."
"I'll do that."
"Takumi-sama! Wouldn't it be better to test if it actually turns your mouth black first?"
"Well… this is for tasting anyway…"
I always check the taste of the pasta dough and the squid ink sauce.
I'll have to pay attention to whether it blackens the mouth when I taste it.
"Alright, looks good now."
""Wanna taste it~!""
"Me too, please!"
"Alright, alright."
I served a small portion on little plates for each of them.
Despite the dark color, the three of them didn't hesitate and took a bite.
""Ohh~ amazing as always, Oniichan!""
"Takumi-sama, this is absolutely delicious! I want to eat a lot more!"
"I'm glad it suited your taste."
I already knew it was fine from tasting it myself, but it's still reassuring to hear others say it's good.
Also, the squid ink from the Little Kraken had no unpleasant smell and tasted great.
"… Looks like it didn't make our mouths black."
I didn't check my own mouth, but judging from Allen and Elena, their mouths didn't seem to have turned black.
""It's not black?""
"Yeah, seems okay."
I don't think it's just because they only ate a little, so maybe the quality of squid ink in this world is really high.
Or perhaps it's because it came from a monster—if it were from a regular squid, maybe it would turn black.
Oh, I wonder if I could collect ink if I dissect a Kraken? If I'm going to do that, I'd like to test and compare it.
Well, that'll have to wait until I can take one apart in a spacious and private area.
"Alright, Miss Lyan, please handle the rest like this."
"Yes, leave it to me!"
There didn't seem to be any problems, so I left the rest in Miss Lyan's hands.
"The color was surprising, but it's really delicious."
The squid ink pasta was successfully accepted by everyone in Cedric-san's family.
"What did you use to make it black?"
"The toppings were squid, right?"
""It's a Little Kraken!""
"""Ehh!?"""
"So it wasn't normal squid after all. Still, a Little Kraken? That's unexpected."
"Amazing! I'm eating a Little Kraken!"
Thanks to Allen and Elena's sudden revelation, the adults were quite shocked when they found out what the main ingredient was.
When the ingredients were revealed thanks to Allen and Elena's after-the-fact announcement, the adults froze in shock and exclaimed in surprise, but what stood out was how calmly Theodore-kun and Latis-kun accepted it. As expected, the two of them really give off an aura of greatness.
""It's a souvenir from a dungeon~""
"Come to think of it, you did say that."
"Yes, they definitely said that."
It seemed Cedric-san and Patrick-san had completely forgotten about the dungeon souvenir ingredients I'd mentioned. Maybe the impression was weak because I had casually slipped it in while talking about the Water Bear fur and the Bubble Archelon's soap bubbles?
""It's okay, it's okay.""
"We got it ourselves."
"It was free. Free!"
""So it wasn't expensive~~""
""... Hahaha~""
To Allen and Elena's reasoning, Cedric-san and Patrick-san could only let out weak, helpless laughter.
"Father, Uncle, you lose if you let it get to you."
"Since it's delicious, you should focus on enjoying the taste."
To calmly reason with their father and uncle at a time like this—these two boys really are something else.