Cooking class Part 2

Let it simmer at a lower flame for a while, and hold off on the water. Once

it's boiled through, add water to adjust the thickness. Make sure to taste it

frequently. If it doesn't get any better, add broth and simmer for longer," he

advised after tasting the sauce with a teaspoon.

"I see... so it hasn't boiled enough yet."

"Tomatoes lose their sourness when they're heated, after all. It settles the

flavor and brings out the sweetness. Also, if you add too much broth, you'll lose

the taste of the tomato sauce, so make sure to only add a little," Kyle added in

explanation, making Uzura nod in understanding

The cooking class continued smoothly after that. After some time, completed

dishes started to appear amongst the groups.

"All right, I'm sure all the men are hungry by now, so let's move the

completed dishes to the dining room and serve it before they cool. The only

thing left after eating is the cleanup, so please take your time."

At Kyle's order, the groups with finished dishes began moving out to the dining

room. The groups with more experienced women had finished first, leaving

behind the groups formed of mostly younger girls.

However, they didn't appear

to be too far behind. Kyle walked around the tables while cleaning up what he

could, retrieving any leftover ingredients. With no need for an assistant

anymore, he sent Emma to join one of the remaining group, then took the opportunity to

make some food for himself.

He threw some butter and onion into a frying pan, added some finely

chopped chicken this, and sauteed them. Once the onions had become

translucent, he added tomato sauce and mixed it. Then, he added some leftover

butter rice and fried it until it was loose and non-sticky.

The chicken rice was

completed in no time at all.

Next, with some swift and bold — yet precise — movements, he moved a

frypan in his hand and made an omelette. He placed the completed omelette

onto the chicken rice and made a cut down the middle, adding a little tomato

sauce on top for the finishing touch. With that, the thick and fluffy omurice was

complete.

With some ingredients left over, he decided to make one omurice, and

completed it just as the last two groups wrapped up their cooking. The Emma came running over.

"Kyle ,let's eat together."

Emily and the others are eating with that other group, right? I'll be fine, so

you should go eat with them," Kyle replied with a troubled expression toward

Emma's carefree smile. The other group was made up of girls that he had never

interacted with before, so he thought it was best to avoid getting involved as an

outsider.

"Haah , What are you goona do.?"

"I'll just eat by myself."

"But I wanted to eat together with you." Emma whispered under her breadth with a disappointed look on her face.

A werecat girl whose name he didn't know called out to him from the side.

"That's right. Let's eat together, Kyle... Please?"

"Umm, are you sure?"

"Of course! You've been living in this village for almost half a year now, but

you only ever mingle with Lady Emily's group. I've always wanted to talk to you.

Right, everyone?" the werecat said, looking behind her.

A group of girls had

suddenly formed behind her, nodding along enthusiastically. Everyone looked

to be in their mid-teens; probably older than Kyle.

"I understand. I'd be happy to, then." Unable to reject their offer, Kyle

accepted the offer to eat with Emily's group and the older girls. They all moved

to the dining room, lining their completed dishes along a free table.

All the dishes passed in terms of appearance. An appetizing smell wafted

through the air, but the girls' gazes weren't looking at their own dishes, but

rather focused on the omurice Kyle had made.

"Hey, Kyle. What kind of dish is this? We didn't practice making this one," the

werecat girl asked curiously. "It's omurice!"

Omurice was his one the favorite dishes in past life.

"Huh, is this one of the recipes from Norvenia too, then?"

"Yes, though its name varies by area," Kyle lied.

"Yay. Thank you, Kyle!" The werecat girl suddenly clung to Kyle's arm. Everyone

present looked on with widened eyes.

"A-Alexia, why don't we start eating now? It'll get cold," Emily said in a bit of a

panic. The werecat girl was apparently named Alexia.

"Yup, wouldn't want all this cooking to go to waste. Let's eat." Alexia happily

let go of Kyle's arm with a nod. She took the lead and started to hand out the plates of food. Kyle had a strained smile on his face. He had the impression that

she was a whimsical and uninhibited kind of person.Eventually, the food was split between everyone, and they finally started

eating.

"Fuwawah! This omurice is so delicious!" Emma took a bite of Kyle's omurice. "Yup! Not a surprise, considering it's from Kyle!"

Uzura said happily.

"Thanks, you two." Kyle expressed his gratitude to Emma and Uzura for

complimenting his cooking skills.

"Yup, yup. Kyle really is exactly as Lady Emily and the others described," Alexia said, nodding earnestly.

"In what way is that, may I ask? I'm a little curious," Kyle asked.

"Oh, well... You're polite, you're kind, you're cool, you're strong, you're so

smart you learned our language right away, and you're really good at spirit arts.

It was all praise, really!" Alrxia answered clearly.

"A-Alexia!"

Emily and Emma blushed in embarrassment; Emily, in particular, had

been rendered speechless. Having their image of Kyle exposed like this must

have made them feel shy.

"Ahaha. I'm happy to hear that, even if it's just flattery." Kyle interpreted

Alexia's words as flattery and brushed it off.

"No Kyle, it's not just flattery." Alexia seemed just a little exasperated.

But then she grinned and then said. "Actually the way they were describing you it felt they have fallen for you Kyle." After hearing it Emily got so embarrassed that she became spechless. While Emma had just a shy smile on her face.

The lively atmosphere continued after that, allowing Kyle to deepen his

relationship with the girls through idle chatter. Kyle continued his traing with Dragonic after that.

On one particular day, after Kyle's life in the village had passed the six month

mark...

In the western parts of the Wilderness, on a particular mountain range, a lone

griffin was flapping its wings, soaring far up in the air.