The beast tamer exiled from the hero’s party and the cat eared girl from the strongest race meet
There were three figures in the kitchen: Sora, Luna, and Nina.
“Fufufu…”
Sora held a kitchen knife, wearing a fearless grin.
It was a terrifying smile, as if to say,
'Don’t underestimate me.'
“O-oh… my sister, why do you have that kind of smile on your face? Actually, why are you even in the kitchen?”
“Isn’t it obvious why I’m in the kitchen?”
“No way…”
“I’ve decided to make a special dish to shut Luna up, since she still doubts my cooking skills.”
“Please, I’m begging you, don’t. It won’t be ‘wow, I’m impressed,’ it’ll be ‘ugh, I’m dying!’”
Luna, forgetting her usual haughty tone, bowed her head like she was about to grovel on the floor.
Seeing her little sister like that, Sora looked puzzled.
“Why are you so against it? This time it’ll be fine. I’ve been improving. I’ve been practicing every day.”
“The fact that you describe that previous disaster as ‘a little mistake’ is already a huge red flag… Ah, Mother, please forgive me for leaving this world before you…”
“You say such rude things.”
“Mm.”
Nina tugged on Sora’s apron.
“What is it, Nina?”
“Um… could you teach the two of us how to cook… please?”
“Hmm… That’s right. Today isn’t about showcasing my cooking, it’s Nina’s cooking class.”
“W-what, really…? Thank goodness…”
“I shouldn’t be stealing the spotlight. Very well, I shall focus on teaching the secret techniques.”
When Sora put the knife down, Luna’s face lit up instantly.
Then, making sure Sora didn’t see, she gave Nina a thumbs-up as if to say “Nice one!”
Nina responded with a solid thumbs-up of her own.
“Now then, let’s review what we covered last time. Nina, do you remember how to hold your hand when using a knife?”
“Like a kitty’s paw.”
“That’s right. Or, like a bear’s paw.”
“What does that even mean!?”
“What is it, Luna? You’re being noisy.”
“You’re the one saying confusing things, Sister!”
“I’m just teaching the basics of cooking.”
“More like culinary blasphemy, if you ask me…”
“That’s not true. Right, Nina?”
“I’ll… try my best.”
Despite their somewhat mismatched conversation, the three of them continued with the cooking class.
Luna still looked a bit pale, but… it had been a long time since they’d been able to relax like this.
Despite everything, they looked like they were having fun—and every now and then, Luna even smiled.
“Staaare…”
From the shadows, a figure was watching the three quietly.
It was Finia.
She had decided to travel with Rain, but many of the others were unfamiliar faces.
She knew she needed to become friends with them for the sake of the future—but she couldn’t bring herself to speak to them. That was just too scary.
So she thought she’d ask Nina, whom she already knew and who was close in age, to be her intermediary…
“Uu… those two are, um, Sora and Luna, right? W-why are they with Nina…? Ugh… I-I can’t talk to her…”
Her extreme shyness kept her from speaking up.
Every now and then, she tried to summon the courage to take a step forward—but always ended up retreating immediately.
Why was Nina with other people?
Why couldn’t she be alone?
Now she couldn’t ask her for help as a go-between.
Maybe… maybe this was fate.
Maybe she was never meant to be introduced to anyone. Maybe she was destined to be alone.
Even though she had become one of Rain’s companions, she’d never make any friends and would always be alone.
…Caught up in such negative thoughts, Finia’s eyes started to spin.
Just as she was about to faint—
“What’s wrong?”
“F-FWAA!?”
At some point, Nina had walked right up in front of her.
“Wh-when did you get here!?”
“? I just… walked over normally?”
“I-I see… Um, er, um…”
This was a golden opportunity.
Finia braced herself to say she wanted to join them—
“I-I w-wanna… um… c-c-cook with the group too please!!!”
“???”
She tried her best to speak clearly—but completely flubbed it, mumbling so badly that Nina had no idea what she was trying to say.
That’s it. I give up. I’m going back to my room.
Finia turned around, ready to retreat to her sanctuary…
“Want to cook… together?”
“!!!”
“Um?”
“Y-YES! PLEASE! I’d love to! Absolutely, please let me join!!!”
Is this girl… an angel?
With that sincere thought in mind, Finia ended up joining the cooking class too.
“Oh, it’s Finia. You’re joining us too?”
“Come to think of it, we haven’t talked much yet. I’m Sora, a spirit folk. Pleased to meet you.”
“I’m Luna! Also a spirit folk, and this household’s super miracle idol!”
“F-Finia… I-I’m from… Phoenix Tribe!”
Although she was trembling with nerves, Sora and Luna greeted Finia with gentle smiles.
“We’re teaching Nina how to cook right now. Finia, do you cook?”
“Um… s-sorry, not really…”
“Then we’ll teach you too. I’ll pass down Sora’s secret recipes.”
“Please don’t do that…”
“Eep…”
Luna and Nina visibly flinched.
"I shall be the one to teach cooking. Sister, I ask for your support."
"Muu... Well, if you're going that far..."
"Now then, Nina, Finia. My training is strict. Do you think you can keep up?"
"I’ll… try my best."
"I-I’ll do my best, Master!"
"Master!?"
Hearing Finia say that, Luna's expression turned blissful.
"Master… Master… Oh, what a sweet, delicious sound. Very well! Luna shall impart all her knowledge to Nina and Finia! Together, we shall create wonderful dishes!"
"Mm."
"Y-Yes!"
"...Fufu."
While the three were getting fired up, off to the side, Sora wore a suspicious smile.
――――――――――
Two hours later...
Nina, Finia, and—somehow joining in—Sora's dishes were finally complete.
Nina’s cooking, while a little misshapen, gave off an incredibly delicious aroma.
Finia’s dish, on the other hand, was visually perfect—something you might expect to see served at a high-end restaurant.
Sora’s cooking... was the same as ever.
Even if someone claimed it was an unknown substance from another world, you'd probably just nod in agreement.
“Th-this is…”
Staring at the finished meal, Finia was overwhelmed with emotion.
She’d barely known how to cook before, and yet here she was, having made something that looked so delicious.
“Ohh, this is wonderful. Sniff sniff… yes, the smell is perfect too. Quite impressive, I'd say.”
“Nina, you did great too. It looks very tasty.”
“Ehehe.”
“We did it.”
Praised by both Sora and Luna, the two girls beamed with happiness.
“Well then, shall we give it a taste?”
“Yes, let’s. By the way, I will not be eating my sister’s cooking, just so you know. I don’t want to die yet.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what I said.”
The twins locked eyes, sparks flying as they glared at one another.
Meanwhile, Nina and Finia took their seats beside them.
“Itadakimasu!” (Let’s eat!)
They started with Nina’s dish—a slow-simmered meat stew.
Spoonfuls of broth and tender meat were brought to their mouths.
“Mmm. I did a good job.”
“Wow… I-it’s amazing! It’s so good!”
“Ehehe… th-thank you.”
Their hearts warmed by the delicious food, Nina and Finia shared a joyful laugh.
Seeing their smiles, Sora and Luna set aside their rivalry and took their seats as well, tasting Nina’s stew.
“Mmm! This is delightful!”
“Yes, very delicious.”
Receiving praise from both of them, Nina’s face lit up with joy.
Her three fluffy tails swayed gently, like they were celebrating with her.
“Alright! Next up—let’s try Finia’s cooking!”
With such an impressive presentation, expectations were high.
Thinking just that, Luna took a bite of Finia’s dish.
“Hmm… yes. Not bad at all.”
“R-really!?”
“It’s not perfect, but for a first try? It’s quite good. Keep practicing, and you might just go pro. I’m relieved you’re not like my sister—the terrifying torture-chef machine.”
“T-torture…?”
“Since you said all that, maybe you should try Sora’s dish next.”
“Mugh!?”
Before she could escape, Sora angrily shoved a spoonful into Luna’s mouth.
Luna let out a muffled scream—
“…Huh?”
But she didn’t writhe in pain or pass out.
Instead, she chewed, swallowed, and blinked in surprise.
“I-it tastes… normal!? Wh-what’s going on!?”
“It really does… It’s totally edible.”
“Um… y-yeah. It tastes… normal.”
“Fufun. How do you like that? Sora is always improving, you know!”
Sora proudly puffed out her chest.
Luna, however, began trembling all over.
“M-my sister made something edible…? Oh no. Is this… the end of the world?”
“What’s that supposed to mean!?”
“I still had so much I wanted to do…”
“Nina, you too!?”
“Ugh… Mother, forgive me for going before you…”
“FINIA!?!?!?”
Sora quivered, clutching her fists, an expression of betrayal twisting her face.
And then, she let out a voice that echoed through the entire house—
“I finally got it right, and this is the reaction I get!? I refuse to accept thiiiiiiis!!!”
A few days later…
Sora tried cooking again.
The result? Back to her usual strange concoctions.
She knocked Luna out cold, but as Luna fainted, her face looked… strangely at peace.
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