11 Divine Cat Mii-chan is shocked by Nero’s pun

Leaving the Willa Tool Shop, I returned to the inn. I placed my newly acquired items in my room and headed to the dining hall. I found the innkeeper there and asked if I could use the kitchen again.

“Got another good idea?” he asked.

“Yes, could you lend me a hand?” I replied.

“If it means getting some tasty food, I’ll be happy to help.”

In the kitchen, his son was peeling vegetables.

“Making something again?” he asked.

“Yes, I’ll just be a minute,” I replied.

What I planned to make now was mayonnaise. It’s tricky to make, but the ingredients are pretty common. Let’s see if I can pull this off.

I started by mixing egg yolk with vinegar, salt, and a bit of sugar. Unfortunately, there was no pepper available. I stirred it well, and from here, the success or failure would depend on the next steps. I had the innkeeper continuously whisk the mixture while I slowly added small amounts of oil and occasionally a bit of vinegar.

“Is it ready yet?” the innkeeper asked, clearly getting tired.

“Not yet,” I responded.

“Ugh!” he groaned.

The key is not to add the oil all at once. You have to add it slowly while whisking continuously. It’s tough, but it’s starting to look good.

“We’re done,” I said, relieved.

“Whew, what a tiring process,” the innkeeper sighed.

“If you don’t add the oil slowly and whisk properly, it’ll separate,” I explained.

We made some sandwiches like the ones I had for breakfast, but with an added layer of the freshly made mayo. Those sandwiches were good, but they felt a bit lacking.

I brought the sandwiches to the dining hall, where the landlady was playing with Mii-chan.

“Is it ready?” she asked.

“Yes, thanks to the innkeeper’s hard work, it’s perfect,” I replied.

We all tried the sandwiches, while Mii-chan had her usual cat food.

“This is… incredible,” the innkeeper exclaimed.

“It feels like a completely different dish,” the landlady added.

“But it seems pretty tough to make,” the son noted.

“If you want to store it, be sure to keep it in the refrigerator,” I advised.

I returned to the kitchen to boil some pasta. While the pasta was cooking, I fried some meat and sliced onions.

Once the pasta was cooked, I mixed it with the meat, onions, and mayo. Voilà, mayo spaghetti. I also made a vegetable salad to go with it. I plated everything and brought it to the dining hall for everyone to try.

Everyone dug in, tasting the new creation.

“This is amazing!”

“It’s got an addictive flavor.”

“But it’s a pain to make,” the innkeeper’s son noted, watching us with a mixed expression, likely understanding that he’d be the one making it next time.

“If we had some pepper, it would have a bit more kick,” I said.

“Pepper’s too expensive for us to use,” the innkeeper replied. “It’s great for cooking meat, but it’s just not affordable.”

I sighed. Using it personally might be feasible, but for business, it wouldn’t be cost-effective.

With our stomachs full and some time before my evening job, I decided to take a nap. Leaving the innkeeper and his son to mull over their new culinary challenges, I headed to my room with Mii-chan in my arms.

I set the new alarm clock for three hours later and summoned a can of cat food and a bottle of mineral water. The summoning still felt strange, but I was getting used to it.

As I lay down, Mii-chan curled up beside me. I covered her with a towel. “Goodnight…”

The alarm woke me with a retro buzz. It wasn’t bad. I drank some mineral water to wake myself up completely. Mii-chan, with a puzzled look, woke up too. “Want some water?”

“Mii~,” she replied.

I poured some into a dish for her, and her dainty lapping was adorable. I lost track of time watching her until the clock struck three.

Time to go. I tied a red ribbon around Mii-chan’s neck, picked her up, and headed downstairs. I greeted the landlady before leaving the inn. As I walked out, I heard a triumphant shout from the kitchen. It seemed they decided to use the mayo in their dishes. Good luck with your culinary endeavors, everyone. It’s not just for me; it’s for all of us.

When I entered the guild from the back, Pamir-san grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty room. Could this be a threat to my chastity? Even with Mii-chan here…

“Nero-kun!”

“Please, be gentle…”

“Huh? I’m not angry. More importantly, what did you give Gais-san to drink?”

Oh, that’s all? I got a little flustered for nothing.

“Um, it was a basic universal medicine, so it’s not poison.”

“!?”

Why is she reacting like that? Did I mess up by giving it to him?

“How much did he drink?”

I pulled out an empty plastic bottle from my bag to show her.

“What a strange flask. It doesn’t seem to be made of glass…”

Pamir-san nodded as if she understood something.

“Gais-san came by earlier and asked me to give this to you,” she said, placing a small cloth bag on the table.

Once again, Pamir-san grabbed my arm and pulled me into an empty room at the back of the guild. Could this be another threat to my chastity, especially with Mii-chan still with me…

“Nero-kun!”

“Please, be gentle…”

“Huh? I’m not angry. More importantly, what did you give Gais-san to drink?”

Oh, that’s all? I got a little flustered for nothing.

“Um, it was a basic universal medicine, so it’s not poison.”

“!?”

Why is she reacting like that? Did I mess up by giving it to him?

“How much did he drink?”

I pulled out an empty plastic bottle from my bag to show her.

“What a strange flask. It doesn’t seem to be made of glass…”

Pamir-san nodded as if she understood something.

“Gais-san came by earlier and asked me to give this to you,” she said, placing a small cloth bag on the table.

I wondered what it could be. When I opened the bag, there were ten gold coins inside. What is this?

“It’s the payment for the universal medicine that Gais-san drank. Honestly, it’s still not enough.”

“But… it was my mistake to give it to him.”

“Even so, universal medicine is a valuable item. More importantly, how did you, Nero-kun, come to possess something like that?”

Pamir-san’s gaze was intimidating… but I knew this was coming. I had been thinking about it since this morning.

I decided to tell her a story I had prepared. I explained that I was an orphan raised by an old herbalist woman in the mountains. I trained to be an herbalist but lacked the talent and eventually gave up. Before she passed away, the old woman told me to live in the city where I could interact with many people. Though I lacked talent, I could make the secret universal medicine she taught me. In reality, I had aimed to become a pharmacist and was preparing for a pharmaceutical university in Japan.

“I see… I’m sorry to hear that. It must have been tough.”

“Don’t worry about it. As long as I have Mii-chan with me, I’ve never felt it was tough.”

“Mii~”

“So, you can make universal medicine?”

“That’s the only thing I can make.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better for you to work at the Herbalist Guild?”

“The old lady told me I had no talent…”

“I’m really sorry… Please, take this money!”

“But…”

“It’s good medicine for Gais-san. That man’s daily habits are… mumbling.”

Good medicine for good people. Hehe.

“Mii…”

Huh? Mii-chan, didn’t you find it funny? Or is it just me imagining that you’re giving me a look of exasperation?

“Uh, could you please keep this a secret? I don’t want to be running around making medicine all the time.”

“Why? It could be a good source of income.”

“Those nightmares…”

“Oh, I see. Got it. But please help us if we really need it. Being a hunter is a life-threatening job. Of course, I’ll keep it a secret that you made it. It’ll be just between the two of us. Hehehe…”

“Mii~”

“Oh, sorry. It’s a secret with Mii-chan too, isn’t it?”

“Mii~”

I’ve told a lot of lies, but I think I managed to get through it somehow. I should write this backstory in my how-to book so I don’t forget. We don’t want any slip-ups, do we, Mii-chan?

“Mii~”