"Jhin, the owner of Wild Eats invited me to take part in a food competition coming up soon — why don't we enter as a whole guild?" Pecorine pressed her hands down onto Jhin's shoulders from behind the sofa, and the astonishingly soft sensation traveled up through the back of his head and straight into his brain.
To keep himself from popping a nosebleed, Jhin leaned slightly forward, putting some distance between himself and that paradise of which countless men could only dream: "I don't mind either way. Even if it's just the two of us entering, taking first place should be simple enough."
"Oh~ Very confident, are we."
"Mm. My cooking has improved a fair bit lately." Jhin glanced at his Cooking skill, which had successfully leveled up to Lv8.
Pecorine's hands gave a sudden little tremor, and her surprised face — carrying a faint sweet fragrance — pressed into his field of vision: "Really!? Then we absolutely have to enter this competition."
"Is the grand prize some kind of rare ingredient, by any chance?"
"No — apparently the prize this time is the recipe for a peculiar drink with a taste very close to the cola you let me try before."
"What!? Cola!?" Now it was Jhin's turn to be stunned. He turned back to Pecorine for confirmation: "It really tastes similar to cola?"
"Yes. The organizers had samples of the drink available for people to taste, so I tried a sip when I passed by. It had the same sharpness, and a distinct sourness to it."
Carbonated drinks are naturally sour if you don't add a large amount of syrup — clearly this recipe hadn't been refined to its full potential yet, or it wouldn't be on offer as a competition prize.
An Another World version of cola. I have to have it.
"I'll enter with you. Go ask the others as well — the more of us involved, the better."
"Of course! An event like this is no fun unless everyone joins in together!" Pecorine bounced off happily to find the rest of the group.
It wasn't long before Megumin came downstairs, fully dressed: "Jhin, let's head out."
"Sure. Did Pecorine tell you about the food competition?"
"She did. I never thought anyone on this continent could actually develop a recipe for something like cola. Jhin — can you and Pecorine really win first place?"
"Don't worry. My obsession with cola is no weaker than yours."
"I'd love to fight you for the title of 'Number One Cola Lover,' but Explosion magic holds the top spot in my heart — so it pains me, but I'll have to concede that honor to you."
"You've got some nerve saying that. Who was it that made me hand over every last can of cola, claimed they'd 'keep them safe,' and then drank every single one the same night?"
"Th-that was just an accident." Megumin turned her head away guiltily, tracing little circles on the floor with the tip of her shoe. "I only meant to have one can — I just didn't feel satisfied after finishing it... By the time I came back to my senses, the cola was gone."
"If we hadn't happened to run into this recipe, I don't know what you'd do the next time you wanted a cola."
"It doesn't matter! I'll channel my passion for Explosion magic and purge all such unnecessary cravings from my mind!"
Jhin shook his head helplessly. Her devotion to Explosion magic was genuinely extraordinary — but whether that devotion was enough to suppress her body's need for caffeine was another matter entirely.
They arrived once again at the abandoned castle. The forest surrounding it had long since been razed by the relentless daily bombardment, leaving the castle itself standing alone like a lone commander who'd lost every last soldier — a sight that couldn't help but make Jhin wonder whether there was actually a hidden boss inside after all.
What kind of boss could endure this? Its home getting blown up in its face day after day, taunted and pounded relentlessly, and yet it just sat there swallowing the humiliation, playing completely oblivious.
Unless—
Jhin's expression shifted. A possibility had occurred to him.
Unless this hidden boss was that legendary creature, famed for its maxed-out patience stat and equally maxed-out capacity for self-delusion — the mythical Green-Shelled Crystal Tortoise!?
While his mind was running completely off the rails, Megumin finished her daily Explosion and fell blissfully backward, utterly unconcerned about meeting the hard ground.
And indeed, she didn't have to worry — Jhin's large hand caught her by the back of her collar, and in one smooth, practiced motion he had her up onto his back. The whole sequence flowed without a single pause, as natural as breathing.
"Hm~ hm-hm-hm~ hm~"
Megumin hummed softly in her clear, light voice beside his ear, adding a little warmth to the dull walk home. Thinking about her happy, fulfilling life right now — and the days just around the corner when she could have her beloved fizzy drink every single day — her legs swung with noticeably more energy.
Whether it was because they'd left in too much of a hurry, the bandage on her right leg had worked itself loose during all that swinging, unraveling into a loose tangle across Jhin's forearm.
"Wait — the bandage on my leg came undone!"
"Hm?" At her words, Jhin glanced down to his right side and sure enough, a length of white bandage had slipped free and was draped loosely over his arm. He found a nearby tree and set Megumin down against its trunk.
She slumped to the ground in a boneless heap, cheeks flushed, and said in a small voice: "Um... I don't have the strength to rewrap it myself right now. Could you do it for me?"
"Fine — but don't make a fuss while I'm doing it."
Jhin slipped off her right boot, revealing five perfectly round toes that curled up tightly — adorably so. His gaze lingered for a moment on the top of her foot, then traveled upward: where the bandage had been wound around her slender, elastic thigh, shallow red pressure marks had been left on the pale skin, and the wrapping itself now hung loose.
"By the way — why do you wrap your right leg in bandages in the first place?"
"Because it looks cool, obviously. A bandaged right leg and arm gives the impression of someone who's just fought their way through a great battle, doesn't it?"
"I can't say that reasoning is entirely beyond me."
"Expected nothing less from a kindred spirit. Care to join me in forging a dark pact next time?"
"I'll pass. Doesn't wrapping your leg in bandages make you hot in the summer?"
Megumin declared proudly: "No need to worry — I have breathable summer-grade bandages!"
"You really come prepared for everything." Jhin muttered in dry disbelief, his hands moving efficiently all the while — first unwinding the loosened bandage completely, then rewrapping it according to her instructions.
As Jhin's roughened fingertips moved against her thigh, it would be a lie to say Megumin felt nothing. But what made her heart race even more was the realization that when Jhin rewrapped the bandage, he had to lift her right leg — and the hem of her red dress was nowhere near long enough to guarantee she wasn't showing anything she shouldn't.
Fortunately, whatever his other faults, Jhin had always been remarkably gentlemanly about these sensitive matters.
Except for still sneaking glances at my feet every now and then.
"Done."
"Th-thank you." Megumin's voice came out barely above a whisper.
Jhin dusted off his hands and hoisted her back onto his back, and they continued on their way. Before long she had shaken off the lingering embarrassment, resumed her soft humming, and set about passing the time for both of them on the long walk home.
____
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