Volume 6 Intermission 1 is out!    

TLN:

Hello everyone.

The chapters has been cleaned by Lunati4ko. Thank you!

Enjoy.

(EDN: I am having issues deciding on a tense for the narration. For now I have decided to have past tense for the actions and present for the inner monologue.In the first half I left the monologue as is, while in the second half I put it in apostrophes '' ". Please help me decide which way is better. Making it full on present tense feels really awkward.)

(EDN2: I am super bad at punctuation and english is not my native language so corrections are welcome ???? )

Our Most Priceless Treasure

— Noel —

Two years have passed since I parted with Sirius-sama.

This time, I wonder what that lady has been doing.

Maybe she is acting violently in school. Probably making all the nobles kneel before her.

Emi-chan is probably clinging to Sirius-sama as usual and Reu-kun is making a racket, while full of spirit. (TLN: Emilia calls Reus as Reu, it's not a typo.)

In the previous letter, it was written that Emi-chan got a new friend, that also became a disciple.

She seems to be living a steady life in school. So, I am relieved.

And then, we…

"Onee-chan!" (??)

I came back to reality, when the door was suddenly opened by my only younger sister, Nokia-chan. (TLN: The name in raw is ノキア)

Good grief… since Sirius-sama will worry about me, I was trying hard to be a smart and elegant wife in my own room, but that got spoilt because of Nokia-chan.

"What do you mean by "a smart and elegant wife"!? Don't slack off just because you are having a baby!" (Nokia)

"Eh? But, Dee-san is on a break today and he said it is ok." (Noel)

Whenever I showed my big swollen belly to Nokia-chan, she would shake her head in amazement. What do you mean by that?! Since carrying a baby is difficult, isn't alright to sigh at such bluntness.

"Haa…I can't just spend all my time keeping Onee-chan from goofing around, especially when the baby is about to be born." (Nokia)

"It is alright, you know. When the child is born, I will work hard then. Both at childcare and at work. Because I'm always going to support Dee-san." (Noel)

"It's a wonder that Dee-san accepted such a frivolous Onee-chan." (Nokia)

Hmmm, I mean, I am properly aware that Nokia-chan has a crush on Dee-san. She is gradually reaching pubescence  and it can't be helped that she became dependent on a man who was close by. Even so, even if she is a sister of mine, I absolutely won't hand him over to her.

"What is it, Onee-chan? To suddenly have such an angry look." (Nokia)

"…It's nothing. Leaving that aside, is there something you need?" (Noel)

"Yes, there is something. Gadd-san came just now and he called for Onee-chan." (Nokia)

"Really? He came early this time." (Noel)

"He said that he needed to take care of something important.  There is also a letter from Onee-chan's master, Sirius-sama…" (Nokia)

"Please say that earlier!" (Noel)

"Aah, if Onee-chan rushes like that, it would be bad for your body… Hey!" (Nokia)

Nokia-chan was shouting from the back, but I ignored her and headed outside. Even though she usually says mean things, I really like that she has become gentler now.

Anyway, I slowed down in order not burden the baby. My husband, Dee-san was talking to Gadd  a horse carriage with Galgan's company symbol.

"…So you have come? Is your tummy alright?" (Dee)

"I am fine, dear. Even if you say not to burden the baby, it is not fine if I don't move my body a little." (Noel)

"It is as Noel says. You just worry too much, you know." (Gadd)

"You won't understand such a thing." (Dee)

"Cheh! Fair enough. The me who doesn't even have a woman doesn't get it." (Gadd)

It seems like they are going to start arguing at any moment, but then again these two always give such feeling. It resembles a fight, but it is not. Men are mysterious creatures.

"Rather than arguing, the letter! The letter! Is it true, that a letter from Sirius-sama has arrived?" (Noel)

"That's right. Look, this share is Noel-chan's." (Gadd)

I opened the handed over letter and took out three pieces of paper from inside. The one with the solid handwriting was by Sirius-sama, Emi-chan had cute and round handwriting, while Reu-kun wrote somewhat messily and crowded the letters.

The letters are similar, but they have their own personality and that is interesting.  I will read them thoroughly later.

"And, here is for Dee. Besides the letter, I am also looking after this package for you." (Gadd)

Gadd didn't only bring letters, but also a bunch of wooden boxes in the interior of the carriage.

Is that… maybe!?

"…Aah, I read the beginning of the letter and it says, that I will be taught some new recipes. These are the ingredients for that." (Gadd)

"As expected of Sirius-sama. What kind of recipe has he developed this time?" (Noel?)

"I'm not worried about it. Dee, if you make it, I will try it too." (Gadd)

"Alright! Will you carry that box inside?" (Dee)

"No problem. Don't you need some time to prepare the ingredients? Will it be alright if I came from the front?" (Gadd)

"That's fine." (Dee)

Gadd-san brought the wooden boxes and entered our shop that opened a year ago.

'Erina's Dining Room'

It refers to the name of the most important person for both me and Dee. Our important shop was completed with Sirius-sama financial support.

Right now, there were no customers because of the break needed to prepare the cooking ingredients, but when we open, this place would  fill up with people, because it has become somewhat popular.  The reason being that even the nobles from neighboring town come here for the sake of eating Dee's meals.

It was difficult to get this far, but right now, we are able to live well. Same goes for Sirius-sama too.

The wooden box was put on the table in the dining hall. Gadd-san opened the boxes, when our family had gathered. My four younger brothers and sisters, who are employed in the restaurant, were curiously waiting for the box to be opened.

"…Well, it's open. Come Dee, please confirm it." (Gadd)

"Aah." (Dee)

Dee took out a letter detailing the box's contents.

The content was… some kind of green powder, that was in a container.  Not only that, there was a delicate red fine powder, small long and narrow white fruits… and others. They didn't look like something that can be eaten.

"Dee-san. What on earth are these?" (Nokia)

While Nokia-chan asked a question, my other siblings lifted the container up wondering what was inside it. Dee put down the letter and placed the white fruit from before on his palm.

"This is called rice. According to the explanation, when cooked, it becomes a food that can replace bread." (Dee)

"To replace even bread… isn't that wonderful? So, what are these green and yellow powders for?" (Nokia)

"These seem to be spices to be used in combination with the rice. Since a ratio is written, why not just mix it all the way, I wonder?" (Dee?)

"Hee, to use these together… What is this!?" (Gadd)

From the side, Gadd-san was looking at Sirius-sama's letter, but what did he see that surprised him so much?

"What are these weird characters? Can you read it?" (Gadd)

"Of course. These characters were invented by Sirius-sama and are called 'Nihongo'." (Dee?) (TLN: The word Nihongo is written in katakana)

"As for this, even if a chef finds it, the recipe won't be leaked, since we were the only ones to have received lessons in 'Nihongo'." (Noel?)

"Haa~… to think forward to that extent at  such age, your master is really amazing." (Gadd)

That man holds much knowledge that we can't even fathom, of course he is amazing. I'm proud to be his servant.

"Hmm… it seems the mixing ratio changes depending on the type of meat. Since chicken is what we have left over, the spices called cardamom and turmeric need to be increased…" (Dee)

When comparing the spices that are put inside containers, Dee-san's eyes become like a chef's. Aah… he is so cool as usual. This place is nice, but what I like most is my dear chef's face.

Therefore Nokia-chan, even if you look at him with such innocent eyes, your relationship absolutely can't become anything more.

"Alright… I got it. Alad, prepare them." (Dee) (TLN: The name in raw is アラド)

"Understood." (Alad)

Alad is my third younger brother. He was inspired by Dee-san to become a cook and nowadays, he has become his best disciple and trains day and night. I saw Alad and Dee-san enter the kitchen. I decided to wait for them, while reading the letter they handed over.

"What on earth can you do with that much spices? Won't the taste become ruined?" (Nokia)

This is an important matter! Nokia-chan doesn't believe Sirius-sama. It's not the time to read the letter because I need to explain the splendour of Sirius-sama.

"Nokia-chan! Sirius-sama won't do such things, don't you agree? Since that person is amazing, there is no doubt that it's going to be really delicious." (Noel)

"How many times have I heard about Sirius-sama's greatness? But you know… isn't that person younger than us? (Nokia)

"Yes, he is. He is 11 years old." (Noel)

"…Are you sure?" (Nokia)

This possibly can't be helped, since she never met him, but she doesn't believe it at all. If that's the case, I'll have to rely on Dee-san's cooking. As I was waiting for it, I read the letter.

After a short while, I smelled something really aromatic from the kitchen.

Kuh… it smelled so alluring. I swallowed my saliva unintentionally. It was the same with my younger sister and my younger brothers, they were all attracted to smell and were about to look into the kitchen.

"…It's finished." (Dee)

"It's finished everyone." (Alad)

And then, the meal was finally done.

Dee-san was holding a big saucepan with green soup, while Alad was holding a pot filled with a lot of white grains. Why were there two kinds, I wondered? Those two lined up on the table and after Dee confirmed that we have gathered, he began the explanation of the dishes.

"It seems you can eat it after you pour this green soup on the white rice. It is called curry rice." (Dee)

"They must be eaten together at the same time, right? Leaving that aside, aren't the white things strangely watery?" (??)

It was a little watery, but I have never seen a meal like this before. What came to my mind  was whether it's really delicious or not. The appearance of Sirius-sama's meals was strange, but they were delicious. This time, it would probably be wonderful too.

"Originally, the rice should have been fluffy, but it appears that we didn't get the amount of water and the heat level right." (Dee)

"However, I guarantee the taste. To produce such a meal, Sirius-sama is really amazing!" (Alad)

Alad, who had sampled the meal, had glittering eyes. Huhuhu, yeah, right! Go and submit to his power. This is Sirius-sama's true strength!

"I understand that your master is amazing, but let's eat quickly, ok? I am nearing my limit because of this smell." (Gadd)

"Serve it quickly." (??)

"Alad-ani~, faster~" (??)

"Wah! I'm going to distribute it quickly, so wait for it, wait!" (Alad)

Everyone's eyes became sharp. They looked like they were going to rush Alad with full force at any time. 'That's not good. Sirius-sama's meal is something that you need calmly wait for and solemnly receive. In the olden days, I would have probably rushed to Alad, same as everyone. But, I am different right now. Arrange the plates calmly… calmly…'

"Alad! Serve it quickly to me too!" (Noel)

"Wait a sec, Aneki!" (Alad)

'It seems I can't hold the wild nature in me.' When I got closer to Alad, Dee-san poked my shoulder and handed me a plate.

"Noel's portion is here. Since this cuisine is a bit spicy, I made a less spicy one for you." (Dee)

"Dear…" (Noel)

"It's alright to eat a lot." (Dee)

'Aah, you are the best as I expected! I love you! I'm glad that I married you!'

"Wait Onee-chan!? What are you doing!? Staring suddenly…" (Nokia)

"Oops, it's no good. Well then, itadakimasu." (Noel)

"Aah." (Nokia)

Everyone was given a spoon and we began eating curry rice.

They all solidified with a spoon in their mouth and a short while later they began drinking water in a hurry. Despite that, their faces showed satisfaction.

"This is spicy! But…it's delicious!" (??)

"The taste is hot, but very addicting. Can I have a second helping?" (??)

"I'm sorry, the curry aside, the rice is not enough. It won't be a meal without rice. How about eating the curry with bread?" (Alad)

"That's a good idea, Alad. If we put the curry inside the bread and fry it, the recipe will be called curry bread." (Dee)

"That is also delicious. Since the rice is not enough, bring the bread." (??)

I finished late compared to everyone, but I was satisfied. Dee was right, even when the spiciness is subtler, it's still very easy to eat. If I had to confess my inner thoughts, I actually wanted to eat a little bit more.

"Noel, do you want to eat my share? My share is your share, so it's alright to eat it." (Dee)

"But, how about you my dear?" (Noel)

"Because you are having a baby. It's not good if you are not getting a lot of nutrients and this is the only thing that I can do." (Dee)

'Dee-san is right. A beastkin like me generally eats a lot during pregnancy.'

It's said to be the instinct of a strong child, but I am not sure about all the details. At the very least, the amount I ate in recent days was increasing greatly.

No matter how much I eat, it seems the baby in my tummy snatches all the nutrition and so my tummy often makes a grumbling sound. Dee cooks nutritious meals every time and he cooks like that every time after all.

"There is no such thing, because you help me a lot." (Noel)

"Me too. Thanks to you, I keep holding on." (Dee)

"Dear…" (Noel)

"Noel…" (Dee)

"Onee-chan!" (Nokia)

'It's no good, it's no good, I'm falling in love again with Dee-san.' I came back to reality, because of Nokia-chan's voice, but it was alright even if I dreamt a bit more.

"Gadd, these ingredients are…" (Dee)

"Aah, leave it to me. I will bring larger quantities when I restock next time. So that I can it eat again." (Gadd)

"Of course." (Dee)

We already entered the mass production level, so we confirmed the contents of the contract with Gadd. Our business transactions are usually at a low price, but Dee-san got surprised this time, because it was cheaper than expected.

"…Isn't it too cheap? Your profit is probably too small." (Dee)

"This is thanks to Danna's orders. Danna asked me to give his earnings to you guys." (Gadd)

Gadd explained, that 20% of the sales from Sirius-sama's self-made preservation food and ideas for new toys, will be given to master as remuneration.

It seems that the duration of this arrangement is for one year, but the 20% amount was changed to 10%. So, he said that the remaining 10% will be used to cover a part of our restocking charges. Looking at the size of the crate, Dee-san and I lower our head while thinking of that person who is far away from us.

"Well aren't you still having hard time after opening the shop for a year? So, don't you think you should obediently accept it? That gentleman, your Danna, will be glad too." (Gadd)

"Sirius-sama… thank you very much." (Dee)

'Helping us from such faraway place… I am really grateful. You're being way too good to us. What a wonderful man.'

"…Sirius-san is really great person huh." (Nokia)

"Of course! Nokia-chan finally understands." (Noel)

"That is… wait, I don't understand after all, since I haven't met him yet." (Nokia)

'Oh dear, when will you honestly say he is amazing… he's amazing alright, I tell you.  I wonder what I should write in the next letter, how about some consultation? Don't I understand that Sirius-sama is amazing? Yeah… I somewhat have a feeling, that he is going to say, that it is going to be alright. ' (TLN: about eating a lot during pregnancy)

Oh yes, I remembered about the letters. I won't forget the flavorful taste of curry, but an important thing was written in the letter this time.

"My dear, I remembered something about Sirius-sama!" (Noel)

"Really!?" (Dee)

I handed in the letter, that I had read earlier, to Dee-san.

What we would like to ask Sirius-sama, is a name for our child.

I sent a letter, while being pregnant, saying that I want him to think of a name for our children. However, he declined since it is the right of the parents. Nevertheless, after asking him repeatedly so many times, he finally gave in this time and wrote it in the letter.

'If the child is a boy, his name will be Dylan.' (TLN: The name in raw is ディラン.)

'If the child is a girl, her name will be Noir.' (TLN: The name in raw is ノワール.)

They contain our names and I think the names are splendid.

I gently stroked my tummy and Dee-san talked gently, while touching it too.

"Dylan or Noir… is it?" (Dee)

They are good names. I really want to see our baby's face soon.

"I'm going to give my best to bear this baby. Let's give our best from now on, my dear." (Noel)

"Leave it to me." (Dee)

'Huhu… is it going to be a boy? Or is it going to be a girl?

Since we don't mind whichever it is, please be born soon, our most priceless treasure.

And then, we will serve that person together, with Papa and Mama.'