Isekai Yururi Kikou ~Raising Children While Being an Adventurer~

Chapter 501:

Isekai Yururi Kikou ~Raising Children While Being an Adventurer~

Strategy Meeting

"Umm..."

"“Mumu~~~””

"......"

When I told the children that we absolutely would not be going dragon hunting, they pouted in an incredibly obvious manner.

With their cheeks puffed out and letting out grumbles, they looked nothing short of adorable. However, if I let my heart soften and comforted them, I feared we might somehow end up going dragon hunting after all. So, I decided to steel myself and silently watch over them.

"”......””

Moreover, the children kept glancing at me with upward gazes. This was clearly a tactic to make me give in.

"“Hmph... We're going back to our room!”"

When I refused to yield, the children suddenly started walking toward their room, silently and at a quick pace.

"“Oniichan! Call Joule and the others!”"

"Huh? Joule and the others? Well, sure... but first, let's head to the back room."

I wasn’t entirely sure what the kids were planning, but I decided to summon Joule and the others as requested.

Since doing it in the lounge might startle Patrick-san and the others if they came in, I chose the bedroom instead.

(Huh? Oniichan, where is this?)

(A room I’ve never seen before.)

(Is this an inn?)

(Eh~ it’s not a dungeon?)

(Geez~ dungeon crawling is already over!)

(Are we playing now~?)

"This is a ship heading back to the Guardia Kingdom. Everyone, quiet down now."

If you register and pay the fee, you can have contracted beasts board the ship. However, since I hadn’t done so, they were essentially stowaways at the moment. I wasn’t sure if I could register midway, but even if I could, I didn’t plan on letting them roam freely, so I didn’t bother.

"I called you all here because Allen and Elena wanted to see you."

"“We’re holding a strategy meeting!”"

(Strategy meeting? About what?)

"“To convince Oniichan!”"

"Mhm, I see~ Well, that certainly requires a thorough discussion."

It seemed they intended to involve Joule and the others in a discussion to persuade me to go dragon hunting.

"Oniichan, go over there!"

"Oniichan, you can’t listen to this!"

They didn’t even want me to hear it.

Well, it wouldn’t make sense for me to listen to a strategy meeting aimed at convincing me.

"Got it. I’ll be in the lounge, so let me know when you’re done."

Seeing the kids act differently from usual, I felt their growth and decided to leave the room quietly.

(Oh dear, that would leave Niisama all alone. Should I stay with you?)

(In that case, I’ll stay with Takumi Nii! Feat, I want you to listen to everyone’s discussion!)

Then, the kind-hearted girls suggested staying with me so I wouldn’t be alone.

(If the conversation goes off track, Feat can stop it better! That’s why I want you to stay here!)

(Fufu, oh you, Mile. Joule and Bolt can stop the conversation if it goes off track too, you know?)

(That’s right! I can handle that much!)

(I’ll do my best?)

(Joule might join in depending on the topic! And Bolt might get overwhelmed if everyone gets too pushy!)

However, Mile’s reasoning was less about kindness and more about preventing derailment.

Joule and Bolt could only laugh awkwardly, unable to deny her claims.

(Oh my. Well, that’s true. In that case, I’ll stay, and Mile, you can take care of Niisama.)

(Leave him to me!)

"Haha, alright then. Feat, I’m counting on you to handle everyone."

(Yes, you can leave it to me.)

Entrusting the strategy meeting to Feat, I took Mile with me to the lounge.

With Feat there, I felt assured that the meeting wouldn’t go off the rails, and I’d get a proper update later.

(So, Takumi Nii what happened?)

After leaving the bedroom, I headed to the lounge.

"Ah, Allen and Elena, along with Kaiser, said they wanted to go dragon hunting. I told them, ‘I’m not going. If you want to go, take someone else.’ But now they’re trying to figure out how to drag me along."

(Could it be... for the meat?)

"Exactly."

(Oh no! If that’s the case, Vector and Radian would totally be on board too! And probably Joule as well. It was the right call to leave Feat there!)

"Hahaha, true. Mile, good job."

She really did a great job.

"So, what should I do now?"

(Are you going to relax?)

"Mile, is there anything you’d like to do?"

(Hmm... Maybe prepare something yummy?)

"Ah, that sounds good."

Perhaps I could make something sweet for the kids to eat once their discussion was over.

"So, what should I make? Mile, what would you like to eat?"

(Anything Takumi Nii makes is delicious, so I can’t decide! Oh, but I’d like something crunchy!)

"Crunchy... Hmm, how about nuts coated in a bittersweet caramel?"

(That sounds tasty! I want it!)

Instead of a formal dessert, it would be more like a snack or caramel-coated treat perfect for satisfying a quick craving.

It seemed like the perfect choice for Mile’s request.

"Alright, let’s make it."

(Yay!)

Taking Mile to the small kitchen, I gathered the ingredients. I

started by coating individual pieces of Aman nuts (almonds), Koto nuts (walnuts), and Cash nuts (cashews) in caramel.

Caramelizing sugar can be tricky—it’s easy to overdo it or not enough—but that’s just part of the charm!

(Crunchy and delicious!)

I handed a freshly made caramel Aman nut to Mile, who held it carefully in both hands and began munching away.

Watching Mile nibble on nuts like a little squirrel was too adorable for words.

"You can try the Koto and Cash ones too."

(Yay!)

Mile had a much smaller appetite compared to others, so letting her taste-test all the varieties first didn’t seem unfair.

"Next... Ah, this one. Florentine cookies."

I decided to make Florentine cookies—crunchy cookies topped with caramelized nuts.

I remembered there was a recipe in the recipe book I’d received from Marianora-sama.

"So it uses sliced Aman nuts, huh."

The recipe called for sliced almonds, but I opted to use a coarser mix of the three nuts instead.

"“Smell something good!”"

(Takumi Oniichan~, what are you making~?)

While baking the Florentine cookies, the sweet aroma must have reached the kids, as they all came running.

"Did you finish your strategy meeting?”

"“It’s done!”"

(Hehe, technically, it was interrupted. They couldn’t resist the delicious smell.)

"Hahaha~ is that so?"

Apparently, the kids’ meeting was cut short, with Feat explaining that they mostly just decided to keep pestering me.

"I’ll prepare some drinks, so wait in the lounge, okay?"

“““((((((Okay~))))))”””

After enjoying sweet milk tea together, I sent Joule and the others back to the shadow.