Chapter 163 - 8
The afternoon sun on the beach was scorching. Ziel and the other girls decided to find a quiet place and enjoy their lunch. Currently, Ziel and the others were preparing their lunch spots. Ziel had already made food for their lunch which he kept in his space storage. Besides Clara and the other girls, Ziel invites Dalvin, James, and Rhea. Coincidentally, he saw them on the beach where they had played before.
They laid out a big mat and served their lunch on it. As usual, Ziel served them Japanese food. He tried one by one the Japanese food he remembered and reproduced them. They enjoyed their lunch in a calm and relaxed atmosphere.
"Where did you go after you left me?
" Ziel opened their conversation.
"That is… we went to enjoy the view of this beautiful beach. Right, James?
" Dalvin was surprised that Ziel asked the question suddenly.
"Cough...yes, that's true!
" James choked because Dalvin threw the question at him.
"You pervert! Liar! I saw you flirting with girls along the beach!
" Rhea couldn't stand it and finally joined in after hearing their answer. Even though she had forgiven what they had told her before, she didn't like their perverted nature.
"Eh? How do you know that? That is not what I mean. What I mean is...the girls are part of the beauty of the beach too. Isn't that right, James?
" Dalvin didn't expect Rhea to see them seducing girls, which immediately exposed their lies. They were embarrassed that they were caught lying, especially in front of the prettiest girls in the academy. But Dalvin is still looking for reasons for it.
"That's right!
" James didn't know whether to laugh or cry after hearing Dalvin throw his question at him again.
"Hmph! You're just looking for excuses. Aren't there many other beautiful sights on the beach? Why are you just staring at the bikini-clad girls with your perverted eyes?
" Rhea snorted and grew even more annoyed after hearing their answers.
"That is...
" Dalvin was at a loss for words facing Rhea's question. He didn't know what to say when Rhea knew of their activities to that extent.
"It's enough, Rhea. Isn't it natural for boys their age to do that? After all, they are in the prime of their youth.
" Kalya smiled and glanced at Ziel. She had to stop their argument because she felt there would be a commotion if it continued.
"Miss Kalya is right. A young person should have that kind of spirit.
" Princess Freya agrees with Kalya. Her eyes fell on Ziel, who was quietly enjoying his lunch and pretended not to notice their stares.
"Hmm… you have to be more active to get the girls' attention. So they can't be blamed.
" Princess Aishia nodded slightly, but her eyes didn't leave Ziel either.
"Will such a method be effective? Isn't it if we do it too aggressively, then that person will run away?
" Princess Iris knew who they were talking about right now. Because she saw their gazes fixed on one person in that place, she also subconsciously turned her gaze to him.
"Did you hear it!? Even miss Kalya and the others support what we're doing!?
" Dalvin smiled widely because he felt Kalya and the other girls had defended him. Rhea was also surprised after hearing that. She thought Kalya would also scold them. But instead, she supported them.
"Why do I feel like they're not talking about Dalvin and James?
" Clara tilted her head cutely. She felt that what Kalya and the other girls said was not meant for Dalvin and James.
"They weren't talking about the two boys.
" Lilith answered in a low voice.
"Eh? Who exactly were they talking about earlier?
" Clara became curious after hearing the answer.
"That is… I don't know either.
" Lilith smiled bitterly in response. She couldn't answer that the person they talked about was Ziel, sitting next to her.
While they enjoyed their lunch and small talk, someone called out to Princess Freya from behind.
"Freya, you are here with Miss Kalya?
" Prince Fritz came over to them. He is not alone. Prince Fritz came along with Princess Reina, Princess Rinne, Prince Albert, and the heroes.
"Eh? brother? Are the heroes here too? What are you guys doing in this place?
" Princess Freya was confused by their sudden appearance. As she remembered, his brother would meet Hikaru quite a distance from their lunch spot.
"We already bought some food but couldn't find a place for a convenient lunch. All coastal areas are full of visitors. So we decided to find a place that was a bit quiet. After a long search, we finally found this place and coincidentally ran into you.
" Hikaru answered Princess Freya's question.
"I am also confused by the current situation. Usually, the beach wouldn't be this busy.
" Princess Rinne added Hikaru's words with more information.
"So this beach is busier than usual?
" Princess Freya looks at Princess Rinne. He thought this situation was natural, considering that the beach on this island was one of the most beautiful beaches in the Cirlus Kingdom.
"Yes. The number of people who came was probably double the usual, and the other races who came were also more than usual. Especially from the elf and demon races.
" Princess Rinne explained her observations. King Raghnall had also told her that this had been happening for the past few days.
"Demon race?
" Princess Aishia frowned upon hearing those words.
"What's wrong, Aishia? Did something happen? I didn't think that after parting ways with me, you would join Freya in this place.
" Prince Fritz noticed the change in expression on Princess Aishia's face.
"I met two of their people before. I don't know how people from the demon race behave, but the people I meet have malicious intentions. They even carry magic tools that can negate our ability to use magic or aura.
" Princess Aishia explained her previous experience to them.
"What have you said!? Did they do anything bad to you!?
" Princess Reina was angry when she heard Princess Aishia's explanation. Her personality suddenly changed drastically. For some reason, she doesn't seem to like the demon race.
"Reina, calm down.
" Prince Albert patted her head gently when he heard his sister speak in an angry voice. Prince Albert was also mad after hearing that. But he is better at controlling his emotions than Princess Reina. Princess Aishia and the others were confused by the sudden change in attitude from the two of them.
Prince Albert and Princess Reina were angry after hearing Princess Aishia's words because their mother was killed by one of the demon races. The incident occurred when Princess Reina was still a child. Since then, he harbored a hatred for the demon race. Even so, they didn't blindly attack the demon race once they saw it. That's because they know that not all demon races are evil. This incident was kept a secret by the Rubelia Kingdom, and only certain people knew about it.
"Are you okay, Aishia?
" Prince Fritz asked anxiously.
"I am alright. luckily I was able to escape from them.
" Princess Aishia couldn't possibly say that Ziel helped her and turned the people of the demon race into dust.
"I'm glad you're okay.
" Prince Fritz nodded and breathed a sigh of relief.
"Hey, hey, we came here for lunch. Are we just going to stand here?
" Sintaro joins in their conversation. He looked impatient because he could only be silent and listen to them.
"Ahaha...you're right. By the way, can we join in and have lunch here, Miss Kalya?
" Hikaru asks Kalya. Because according to him, Kalya is a teacher and can immediately make decisions for others. So, he had to ask her permission first than anyone else in the place.
"Of course, I don't mind. But, you should also ask the other people in this place.
" Kalya nodded slightly and looked at the other people who had lunch with her. Hikaru was silent for a while because he didn't think that Kalya couldn't decide that on her own and had to throw his request to everyone there.
"Hmm… I have no problem with that.
" Princess Freya was the first to agree. Furthermore, the people in the place agreed to Hikaru's requests one by one.
"I also agree. Miss Kyouka, miss megumi. You can sit next to us!
" Clara shows the seat next to her and Princess Iris. The mat they used was big enough to hold them all in that place.
"Thank you.
" Kyouka smiled and invited Megumi to sit where Clara had indicated.
Hikaru and the others started to sit down and took out their lunches. Hikaru and Sintaro are a little confused by Clara's previous attitude. Since when did Kyouka become so close to one of the girls there? But they quickly forget about it because the food served on the mat makes them more interested.
"Do you eat this kind of food often?
" Kyouka asked curiously. This was the second time she saw Clara enjoying Japanese food.
"Ah no. We only eat food like this only when Ken makes it.
" Clara answered Kyouka's question honestly. She didn't know why Kyouka seemed interested in that food.
"May I taste it?
" Kyouka became more and more curious about the food served in front of her. She looked at Clara with pitying eyes for her to be allowed to eat the food that Ziel made.
"That's...
" Clara's face became complicated after hearing her request. She looks to Ziel for his approval. Ziel nodded in response to Clara's gaze. Even though Clara is Ziel's master, she doesn't feel good about allowing other people to taste his food without his consent.
"Of course.
" Clara smiled in approval.
"Thank you! Alright then, have a good meal!
" Kalya started tasting the foods one by one. Kyouka began to shed tears while eating the food without her knowing it. What happened to Kyouka made the people around her confused. Only Megumi, Hikaru, and Sintaro know how Kyouka is feeling right now.
"Kyouka, are you okay?
" Princess Iris asked worriedly after seeing her state.
"Ahaha...I'm sorry. I was reminded of my original world after eating this food. I'm sorry if I made you worry.
" Kyouka smiled apologetically. She quickly wiped her tears.
"It's okay, Kyouka. I understand how you feel.
" Megumi smiled and patted Kyouka's shoulder gently. She also felt the same every day since being summoned to that world.
"But, is the taste of the food the same as Japanese food that we know?
" Megumi looked at Kyouka then at the food on her plate.
"I can't say it's the same as it might use a different seasoning than the one used in our homeworld. But, I can say the taste is very close. It seems the people who make this dish know the taste of Japanese food.
" Kyouka looked at Ziel suspiciously.
"You must be joking, Miss Kyouka. I only make food based on the recipe I have given you. I've never tasted the Japanese food you mentioned. if they taste similar, then it's just a coincidence.
" Ziel replied calmly.
"Are you serious about what you said? How could this be a coincidence?
" Kyouka still couldn't accept the answer. The atmosphere in the place became tense due to their conversation.
"Come on, Kyouka. Didn't you hear that it was just a coincidence?
" Megumi tried to calm Kyouka, who was stubbornly asking for an answer from Ziel.
Kyouka realized that her actions made the atmosphere in the place uncomfortable. She looked around, and people looked back at her with complicated faces.
"I apologize. Once again, I've been carried away by my mood. I apologize to you too.
" Kyouka lowered her head slightly and apologized to Ziel. But in her eyes, there is still a desire to find out the true origin of Ziel. If she hadn't seen the food here, she might have forgotten about it.
"You don't have to worry about that, Miss Kyouka. We'd better eat soon. Coincidentally, I made plenty of food, and there was enough for everyone.
" Ziel didn't mind Kyouka's attitude towards him. He understood what she felt because he was once in Kyouka's position.
"Thank you! Then, we won't hesitate! Enjoy your meal!
" Megumi answered excitedly. After that, the other heroes also ate the food made by Ziel. They had the same feeling as Kyouka after tasting the food. They enjoyed the lunch comfortably. However, their comfort was interrupted by the sound of someone's footsteps approaching the place.
"Ooh, are the heroes having lunch in this place?
" The scornful voice of a boy interrupted their lunch.