When I woke up in the morning, Alice, who was supposed to be sleeping next to me, was gone, and a faint, but a delicious smell was wafting through the air.
I wondered if she was making me breakfast, so I quickly dressed and moved to the living room.
[Ahh, Kaito-san! Good morning.]
[Good morning, Alice.]
In the kitchen adjacent to the living room, there was Alice, wearing her usual mask, with a white apron draped on her body.
Alice looked at me and greeted me with a bright smile, so I moved my gaze to the kitchen while responding to her greeting.
Thereupon, I could see a large, unfamiliar magic tool on the floor, from which the fragrant and delicious aroma is wafting.
[……That smell, is that bread?]
[Yes, this is Alice-chan’s special breakfast. Please wait a little longer.]
[Yeah…… It smells good.]
[Fufufu, as I said before, I’ve mastered every single thing…… And that includes my baking skills!]
Come to think of it, she said that she mastered most things, and in fact, Alice was skillful even with playing musical instruments.
I’m really looking forward to breakfast…… However, I’m rather surprised by things other than that.
[……I didn’t know there were so many foodstuffs in Alice’s home……]
[Whoa there, are you slightly dissing me? Well, I actually bought them after I woke up.]
[Eh? It’s still pretty early though……]
[I have a lot of subordinates who run their own stores too after all.]
[I see.]
With that said, from the large magic tool…… this large magic tool probably has functions similar to ovens, as Alice took out a freshly made loaf of bread from it.
It’s like a round loaf of bread the size of around my palm, and with one horizontal swipe of her knife, Alice neatly divided it in half.
[This is a dish I used to eat a lot when I was an adventurer. Well, it isn’t exactly the same, since I used better ingredients and the fillings were made with perishable stuff, things that can’t really be eaten on travels.]
[Gulp…… Was it something like a hamburger?]
[Yes, it’s something similar. It’s more of a sandwich rather than a hamburger. Though hamburgers were originally called hamburger sandwiches…… Well, in Kaito-san’s world’s fast-food chains, it would be something like those with fish fries.]
[……How the heck do you even know my world’s hamburger chains……]
[Alice-chan knows everything, ohh…… Now, it’s done.]
I take a look at the breakfast that seems to be finished already while I was throwing a tsukkomi at Alice, who brought up the topic of fast food chains as if knowing that is something obvious for her.
It’s a simple but delicious breakfast. Fresh vegetables and scrambled egg, sandwiched between beautifully baked bread.
[……It’s been a long time since I’ve cooked for anyone.]
[……It looks very tasty.]
[Yes, I can guarantee its taste. My cooking is as good as Ein-san.]
[Hahaha, I’m looking forward to those words then.]
Wryly smiling at Alice’s bright words, I was prompted to take a seat.
After telling Alice my thanks for the food, I picked up the sandwich and ate it…… It had a wonderful taste that really shows that Alice’s self-confidence isn’t mistaken.
The simply seasoned vegetables and eggs, wrapped in a fluffy, soft and chewy fragrant bread, was spreading in my mouth, as if its natural flavors were enhanced further.
Moreover, it seems that within the scrambled egg…… was surprisingly small dices of meat, and its texture was very pleasant.
The meat, which is lightly seasoned because it’s morning, goes very well with the egg, and is very satisfying even though there should have only been a few pieces of meat in it.
[……Amazing, even though this is just a bit, the flavor of the meat is really enhanced.]
[I first grilled the meat to lock in the juices before it was chopped, so it has a lot of flavor. Spices are kept to a minimum so that the juiciness of the meat stands out.]
[I see…… It’s tasty.]
[Ahaha, if you say it like that, it kinda…… makes me feel a bit embarrassed.]
When I expressed my honest admiration to her dish, Alice scratched her cheek in embarrassment, but unlike yesterday, she is now wearing a mask, so it was hard to read her expression.
Thereupon, I wondered about Alice’s mask and decided to ask her about it.
[Speaking of which, Alice…… Have you been wearing that mask even back in your previous world?]
[Ahh~~ no, I wasn’t wearing this in my previous world. After I came to this world…… Since I’m not the same person I used to be, I started wearing this mask…… After wearing a mask for a large amount of time that having a mask on my face is already normal, I started feeling embarrassed when I took it off.]
[You kept it off all day yesterday though, are you alright?]
[Y- Yes…… well, ummm…… I wanted Kaito-san…… to see me for who I am…… No, I certainly am embarrassed but…… it’s not like I don’t want to show my face to Kaito-san, unlike I do for others.]
It seems that Alice is aware that she is saying something quite embarrassing, as she has told me this while her eyes were swimming about all over the place.
It may be simple, but I’m so happy that she said that I was special.
[……This is only if Alice is fine with this……]
[Yes?]
[Just for the moments when we’re alone together, could you take off your mask?]
[Uuuu, t- that is, errr……]
[I’d like to see Alice just as she is…… Is that no good?]
[Auuuu…… A- Alright.]
The fact that she has been wearing her mask for so long makes it embarrassing for her to take it off…… but she doesn’t mind showing her unmasked face just for me.
True to her word, Alice was embarrassed, but she took off her mask, bashfully revealing her cute face.
[W- Well, now that Kaito-san can see my cute face, you’re happy, right!?]
[Unnn. I think you’re really cute.]
[Nyaahhh!? T- T- T- That’s the part where you throw a tsukkomi, you know!? If you just honestly responded to it, wouldn’t it be embarrassing!!!?]
[Hahaha, no, my bad, I’m sorry…… However, thanks. For listening to my request.]
[Auuuuuuu…….]
When I honestly told her what I thought after Alice tried joking around out of embarrassment…… Alice’s face turned bright red and clearly became flustered.
Seeing her like that is kinda funny and cute…… that smile reflexively appeared on the corner of my mouth.
[……U- Uuuuuu…… You’re definitely having fun huh? I feel like I’m seeing Kaito-san’s true fetish.]
[The heck is that?]
[A- Anyway, I’m embarrassed about things that I’m embarrassed about! Please don’t stare at me that much……]
[Fufufu, roger that.]
While enjoying the indescribable cuteness of Alice’s embarrassed look, I continue to eat my breakfast, feeling this slice of happiness in my life.
I think this kind of lightheartedness is also part of Alice’s charm. That’s why it’s really easy for me to be together with her because I don’t have to worry about things.
As I was reaffirming Alice’s charm, I casually looked at the sandwich in my hand.
[……Come to think of it, we ended up calling off the date due to all the commotions that happened…… Alice, would you like to go on another date today?]
[Eh? Y- Yeah…… A gorgeous food date, right!? Let’s go!]
[Unnn, then…… After we take some break after we finish our breakfast, then we’ll go.]
[Yes!]
When Alice heard my suggestion to redo our date, she gave me a smile as lovely as a blooming flower.
Dear Mom, Dad———– Now that we’ve become lovers, I think my responses to her have changed a bit. However, as I thought, I really like my relationship with Alice where I’m comfortable and free of worries. Well, putting those things aside, because we were interrupted by Eden-san’s appearance last time———— We’ve decided to redo our date.
<Afterword>
The Marvelous Sweetness Carnival opens its gates to everyone!
Serious-senpai: [Aaaaahhhhhhh…… Uwaaaaaaaaahhhhhh!?]
T/N: 31/202