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After saying goodbye to Master Tao Ran and finishing our shopping in the Canado district, we returned home a little later than we’d planned.

“Is it all right if I use the kitchen with you while we prepare dinner?”

As I stood in the kitchen wearing the apron my mother had made, Estea came over to me.

“Of course. It’ll take some time to make the stock, after all.”
“Thank you. I’ll end up using up one of the magic stoves—will that be okay?”
“That’s fine. I was planning to leave my cooking to the magic oven anyway.”

I’d been told that Estea would be making chicken stock, so I’d bought a whole chicken and had it dressed beforehand. Naturally, I’d assumed she’d need a magic stove to make the stock, so her request was exactly what I’d expected.

Besides, there was something I wanted to talk about with her while we were alone.

“Thank you. Still, Canado Street really is amazing. I managed to get everything I wanted.”

Perhaps to avoid giving me an opening to bring anything up, Estea changed the subject herself. Thinking it would be easier to talk once her tension and wariness eased, I decided to go along with it.

“Yeah. With the New Year coming up, there were way more shops and goods than usual.”
“There were so many people, too. I’m glad I didn’t get lost.”
“I almost did.”

To help her relax, I deliberately chose a slightly lighter topic. Estea blinked in mild surprise, then let out a soft laugh.

“So you make jokes like that too, Leafa.”
“I do, sometimes.”

I couldn’t tell whether it had come across as a joke or whether she’d noticed my consideration, but her expression seemed to soften a little.

Still, it might feel forced to keep up this kind of harmless small talk. The question was how I should bring things up.

Since Master Tao Ran had pointed it out to her directly, there was no way Estea herself was unaware of her worries. And because I had a pretty good idea that the root of them lay with the Zersteller—Canalford Cup, I wanted to avoid any misunderstandings. I just hoped that simply saying I was worried about her wouldn’t come across as unwanted interference.

“……”

Without having sorted out my thoughts, I went ahead and continued preparing dinner for the time being. Since I’d decided to leave today’s cooking to the magic oven, I cut the root vegetables we’d bought at the Canado Street market into manageable pieces and tossed them with oil and salt. I did the same with the large, thick-leaved greens, letting them sit so the seasoning could sink in.

The chicken the butcher had portioned for me was pricked on the skin side with a fork, lightly pounded with a meat mallet, and then soaked in a marinade of milk and lemon. After mixing it with spices, salt, and a small amount of oil and letting it rest for a while, I planned to coat it in a batter mixed with creeper powder—the same kind we’d used to bake cookies at the dorm—and grill it. That should make it crispy on the outside and tender on the inside. I’d been wanting to try my own take on the milk chicken I liked at the cafeteria for a long time, so this was the perfect opportunity. I also made sure not to forget to preheat the magic oven while the flavors were settling in.

“…I’m impressed. You’re really efficient.”

Estea murmured in admiration as she carefully skimmed off the foam rising to the surface with a ladle, tending the pot beside me where she was simmering chicken bones together with the green tops of a vegetable called long onion and several spices.

“I like cooking. It has a lot in common with alchemy, and there’s plenty of room for experimentation. And more than anything—”
“Oh! That smells amazing!”

My father’s cheerful voice cut into my conversation with Estea.

“Being able to eat my daughter’s cooking at the end of the year—this has to be a reward for Daddy!”

Supporting my mother as she came out into the living room from the bedroom where she’d been resting, my father beamed broadly in our direction. The food was still far from finished, so even I couldn’t help giving a wry smile as I met Estea’s eyes.

“That aroma is from the chicken stock Estea’s making, Father.”
“Hahaha! I’m looking forward to that wonderful smell too, but when you’re a dad like me, even just the scent of the vegetables you cut is enough to make me want a drink.”
“You could have one already, you know.”

As she said that, my mother took out a bottle of wine that had been set aside next to the refrigeration magic device.

“No, no. I want to enjoy the best drink together with the best food, Natal.”

Accepting it with an entirely natural motion, Father moved closer, supporting Mother at his side. At a glance her complexion looked good and she seemed to be in fine spirits, but it wasn’t something we could be careless about.

“…Mother, how are you feeling?”
“Just to be safe, I went to see Dr. Ludsef, so I’m fine now.”

Apparently she’d gone to the clinic while we were out. Judging from her voice as she spoke, there was no sign of coughing either, and I felt a wave of relief wash over me.

“I’m glad to hear that. Please take it easy over the New Year—I’ll take care of things.”
“I’ll do just that. It’s a rare chance to really enjoy your cooking, after all, Leafa.”
“That’s right, Natal. If you eat plenty of Leafa’s food, you’ll be full of energy again.”

With Father rejoicing so openly, the sense of guilt Mother had been carrying seemed to ease as well.

“We bought lots of nutritious ingredients, so please make sure you eat plenty.”

Hom said as she spread the tablecloth and laid out the plates and glasses, clearly mindful of Mother’s condition. Seeing her speak up on her own like that, I could tell she truly saw herself as part of the family.

“Thank you too, Hom,” Mother replied with a smile.

As I watched her profile, once again feeling how good it was to have a family, Estea leaned closer to me and whispered.

“Hey, Leafa. About what you said earlier—do you like cooking because it’s similar to alchemy?”
“Yeah. Is that strange?”
“No… I just thought it’s usually the other way around.”

She seemed to mean it as a simple question, but being asked so directly made me flinch. Come to think of it, most people probably encountered cooking before alchemy.

“Well, my mother’s an alchemist. I got interested in alchemy first,” I said, grasping for an explanation.

Estea murmured a quiet “I see…” and lowered the heat under her pot.

I of all people might have let my guard down a bit too much. It wasn’t as though she’d ever leap to the absurd conclusion that I’d been reincarnated with memories of a previous life—but still, I needed to be careful.

“…Come to think of it, Melua is hopeless at cooking, but she’s great at alchemy and absolutely loves it. That might be why it felt strange to me.”

Apparently Estea had been comparing Melua and me.

“Melua isn’t very good with the more time-consuming parts of alchemy either.”
“I see.”

With Melua’s name coming up, Estea’s expression softened noticeably. Even so, I never did manage to bring up what had really been bothering her, and before I knew it, the cooking was finished.

***

The final dinner of the year was spent with the five of us—my family and Estea.

Even Alfe’s father, who was usually swamped with work at the research institute, had somehow managed to make it home on this one day at the end of the year. Because of that, Alfe seemed to have decided at the last minute to spend the evening quietly with her own family.

Perhaps to make up for Alfe’s absence and keep the conversation lively, Father was more talkative than usual, thoroughly entertaining the rest of us as we listened.

Both Father and Mother enjoyed my cooking, and the meal—served with plenty of dishes prepared in advance—became a warm, pleasant time for everyone.

“Leafa’s turnip soup really warms you up,” Mother said happily, her eyes narrowing with delight. It seemed she still remembered the turnip soup I’d made long ago.

“And that new milk chicken was incredible! We’ll have to make that a staple in this house!”
“I agree!”

To my surprise, it was Hom who voiced her approval.

“In my opinion, Master’s arrangement is something that ought to be shared with the dormitory cafeteria as well.”
“Thanks. If even you say that, Hom, I’ll have to make it again sometime.”

I was surprised by the implication that it surpassed the cafeteria’s food, but more than anything, I was simply happy that Hom enjoyed my cooking so much.

“I’d love to be treated to it again as well.”

As I nodded honestly, Estea—sitting beside me—looked down with satisfaction at her neatly finished plate and voiced her agreement.

“As Hom said, it was originally an arrangement of a dorm cafeteria menu, but do they not have anything like that in the noble dorm?”
“The food in the noble dorm tends to be much more formal. That’s why tea breaks with Melua are indispensable as a way to unwind.”

Ah, so it was mostly the kind of rigid, course-style meals nobles favored, running from appetizers to the main dish. That would come with strict table manners, and with so many eyes around, it probably wasn’t an environment where one could truly relax and enjoy eating. Apparently Father had been thinking along the same lines, as he cast a sympathetic look toward Estea.

“Nobles have their own obligations and constraints, I suppose. It must be hard in its own way.”
“Yes…”

Perhaps realizing she’d let a complaint slip unconsciously, Estea replied with a slightly hesitant nod.

Even after clearing away the dishes, we continued chatting idly while drinking warm tea in front of the fireplace, which had been lit for the first time in a while.

Most of the conversation revolved around stories from when Alfe and I were little, yet even Hom—who should have shared those memories—listened with clear interest. Maybe even if those memories were shared with her as “facts,” she still hadn’t fully grasped feelings like the ones I now held toward Alfe.

When the conversation finally reached a lull, the sound of bells announcing the new year rang out from the Dragon Temple.

“Shall we call it a night?”

I wasn’t sleepy yet, but with tomorrow ahead of us, I decided it was best not to stay up too late and stood up. Rising with me, Estea suddenly spoke, looking as though something weighed on her mind.

“…Leafa.”
“What is it?”

I asked reflexively, though I felt a slight tension, unsure of what she was about to say. Perhaps sensing the change in my expression, Estea put on a smile before continuing.

“I’d like to take a look around Torch Town in the New Year.”
“Then shall we head out now?”
“I’ll be fine on my own.”

The way she emphasized “on my own” made it clear she probably wanted some time to think. Still, even with the New Year decorations lighting up the city—Dragon Temple included—I couldn’t very well let Estea wander alone at night in an unfamiliar town.

“If you got lost on roads you’re not used to, that’d be a problem. Would it be all right if Hom went with you?”

I wasn’t treating her like a child—this was just my way of showing concern.

“I shall accompany you.”
“…All right. I’ll take you up on that.”

When Hom stepped forward, Estea accepted my suggestion without protest. Given that she didn’t mind being alone with Hom, it occurred to me that perhaps she hadn’t wanted to be by herself after all—but rather, to talk with Hom one-on-one.