Project Necro is an official initiative by Re:Library.

The next day at lunch break, Ekaterina immediately put her new plan into action.

My destination: the cafeteria—but specifically, the kitchen.
It was the middle of lunch hour, so I felt bad interrupting the busy staff, but I managed to catch one and asked if I could borrow a corner of the kitchen.

Yes—I intended to cook something myself.
In my previous life, I had lived alone since university and cooked fairly often. My friends always praised my homemade meals when they came over, so I hadn’t been bad at it.
…Well, it had all turned into a life of scarfing down convenience-store food once I joined the workforce, though.

Still, the problem was obvious: the cooking implements here had to be completely different from what I knew.
It was probably like those old-fashioned kitchens I’d seen in Kiki’s Delivery Service—no microwave, probably not even a gas stove. How did they even control heat?
Of course, being a noblewoman that Ekaterina is, I had never cooked before, so I had no idea how things worked in this world.
So, I decided to watch and learn firsthand.

The kitchen staff easily agreed.
“There’s an unused counter over there—you’re free to use it. You’ll be sharing it with someone else, though, so get along.”

I wasn’t surprised to hear there’d be “someone else” using the kitchen. If anything, I was relieved.

Looks like I’m on the right route!
In the game, she’d been bullied in the cafeteria, so she ended up borrowing the kitchen and making her own lunches.
That later led to the *feeding event,* too!

“Lady Czerny.”

At the sound of her name, the pink-haired girl turned around, eyes wide.

“Lady Jurnova…? Why are you in the kitchen?”
“Well, actually—”

As I began to explain, my gaze fell upon the basket sitting in front of Flora.
It was a wicker basket with a lid, filled with freshly made lunch items—and they looked delicious.

From the looks of it, they were wraps or savory crepes—thin sheets of dough rolled around salads or omelets, neatly arranged side by side.
The variety of fillings made for a well-balanced meal, the colors were lovely, the portions perfect for easy eating—it honestly looked good enough to sell at a shop.

Yes, exactly this! This is the kind of thing I wanted to make! Onii-sama would definitely enjoy something like this!

Before she knew it, Ekaterina had grabbed Flora’s hands.

“What a wonderful lunch! Lady Czerny, you’re quite the talented cook!”
“Eh—n-no, not really…”
“Please, teach me how to make these! I want to prepare them for my brother!”
“Ehh?”

While Flora stood frozen in surprise, I hurriedly explained—how Aleksei worked through lunch, how he didn’t seem to care much about eating, and how I worried he wasn’t getting enough nutrition.

“I’ve never cooked before myself. But I’ll do my very best! Even if you could just show me once, I’d be so grateful.”

I pressed my hands together in a pleading gesture. Flora smiled gently.

“Lady Jurnova, you really care for your brother, don’t you?”
“Will you lend me your help?”
“Well, this is just commoners’ food… and it’s my family’s recipe, so I’m not sure it would suit a duke’s palate…”

Flora trailed off, then took one of the crepes from the basket and handed it to Ekaterina.

“Um, please try it, if you’d like.”
“My, thank you.”

Yay—I was dying to try one!
I took a bite without hesitation. The filling was potato and bacon—like German-style fried potatoes. The seasoning was perfect, and the spices added just the right kick.

“It’s absolutely delicious. You’re truly talented.”
“Th… thank you.”

Flora blushed faintly and smiled, clearly happy.

Uwooohh…
She’s so adorable.
It’s like flowers are blooming behind her. Maybe even birds are chirping.
That’s the heroine for you.
A far cry from the villainess whose background suits thunder and crumbling castles. No wonder the prince fell for her.
Now *that’s* what a true beauty looks like.

“If you don’t mind, I’d be happy to help.”
“I’m so glad! I’m terribly sorry for asking such a favor.”

And so, the heroine and the villainess enjoyed a friendly little cooking session together.
Honestly, it was genuinely fun.
Flora taught me the mix for the batter and how to use the hearth. We tried different fillings for the crepe(?)-like wraps—potato salad for one, sauerkraut and sausage for another. It almost felt like making hand-rolled sushi.

“You’re very good at cooking the batter.”

Thanks. I used to live in Osaka for a while in my previous life, so I’m confident in flipping okonomiyaki. I even worked part-time at a crepe stand once.

“It’s all thanks to you, Lady Czerny. You’re very skilled yourself.”
“I’ve just been doing it for a long time. My mother used to work, so I took care of the housework.”
“Oh my, from such a young age, you already carried responsibilities. How admirable.”

Yeah, single mothers have it hard no matter the world. Having such a capable daughter must’ve been a huge help for her mom.

“…I also lived alone with my mother until about seven months ago. I wasn’t much of a daughter—never did anything helpful for her, really.”

As Ekaterina murmured that, Flora looked up in surprise.

“Seven months ago? Your mother…”
“Yes, she passed away.”
“My mother too. The same—seven months ago…”
“Oh dear…”

The two girls looked at each other and shared a gentle smile.

I’d known, from the game, that Flora’s mother had died—but hearing it from Flora’s own lips carried an entirely different weight. I hadn’t realized it was around the same time, either.
Ekaterina’s own circumstances had been tragic enough, but Flora—losing her mother while it was just the two of them—must have suffered so much.

Yeah.
Time to revise the doom countermeasure plans!

I’d decided before to stay far away from the heroine—but let’s try getting close to her instead.
We’re both loners in class, so this is practically fate. Plus, staying near Flora would keep the annoying Trio away. In return, I could use my status as a duke’s daughter to protect Flora from bullying with all my might.

Actually, not just for the plan—we genuinely hit it off, after all.
And really, bullying is absolutely wrong. The Yes-YesTrio’s snide comments had been irritating me already.

As long as I stay away from the prince, the doom flag shouldn’t be an issue. Just avoid him at all costs and never talk to him!

.

Flora even helped carry the big batch of lunch we had made up to my brother’s office.

“I feel terrible, having you help after already teaching me so much.”
“I enjoyed it too. If anything, I should be the one thanking you.”

Flowers practically floated from her smile—so lovely.
I invited her to eat together in the office, but Flora politely declined. Well, that made sense; after all, it was full of the duke’s aides—basically a bunch of strangers. It’d be uncomfortable for her.
Still, since Flora might get harassed again if she ate alone, I decided I’d invite her another time.