"I don't have anything particularly urgent. But are you okay? You suddenly started laughing and then your face turned really bad right after the magic grass pizza..."
Judging by Leonor's reaction, it seemed she didn't look too good.
I quickly changed my expression to a neutral one and said, "I felt a bit dizzy after inhaling the smoke, but I'm fine now."
"That's a relief, but..."
She couldn't hide her doubtful gaze, so I brought up a topic to divert her attention. In fact, this was the main point.
"Actually, I'm joining the cooking club, so if you have time today, could you teach me some cooking? There's something I want to learn."
"Joining the cooking club? That's a good decision. I can teach you how to make anything I know. Still, you could have told me a day earlier. We can't borrow the kitchen today because it's Saturday."
Saturday?
Her words made me realize something was off.
Why am I at school on a Saturday?
Then, a setting I had casually read in the novel came to mind.
Aegis has a system where students must attend school every other Saturday to honor the heroes who fought for six days and nights to defeat the witch.
I had laughed it off, thinking, "What era is this, still having school on Saturdays?"
I had assumed that there would be no school on weekends, but I came to school out of habit when my alarm went off, which probably saved me from being absent without leave.
Is this what they call turning a misfortune into a blessing?
I briefly thought about how it would mess up the friend fees and living expenses, but then realized I couldn't pay the friend fees anyway, so it didn't matter.
"I was going to ask you to teach me at my place. If you're uncomfortable going to a stranger's house, you can refuse..."
"No, no, it's completely fine! I actually wanted to teach someone at their house!"
I deliberately spoke in a dejected tone, and Leonor hurriedly replied.
This person is so easy to handle...
I felt a bit guilty, but Leonor was essential to my plan.
I took a deep breath of the remaining magic grass, which calmed me down a bit.
After burning the remaining stub with my right hand, I took out ten 10,000 gold bills from the envelope in my school bag and handed them to Leonor.
"Then I'll wait for you at the school gate after class. Oh, this is the cooking club membership fee. I only have 10,000 gold bills, so I'll give you the money for the magic grass later."
"You don't have to give it to me... Okay, see you later."
Leonor took the money with a somewhat awkward expression and I left the rooftop.
When I returned to the classroom, the students who saw me seemed to relax a bit.
*
After school, I waited at the school gate, and soon I saw Leonor walking towards me from a distance.
Her striking appearance and considerable height made her stand out even from afar.
I thought I wasn't that small for a girl, but she seemed at least 10 cm taller than me, which made me a bit envious.
"I didn't get to ask, what kind of cooking do you want to learn? What do you want to make?"
Leonor asked me.
"Macarons. Do you know how to make pastries?"
"I do, but how did you know?"
"You just seem like someone who would enjoy that kind of thing."
I mentally added, "I saw it in the original," which would have been the top line in the "lines you shouldn't say" list according to Forbes, and she looked at herself, saying, "Do I?"
It wasn't a lie; she did look like someone who would enjoy pastries.
The problem was that the pastries were cloud pastries.
"Still, macarons? They're not easy for beginners. Do you want to try something else?"
"No, I'm not really interested in anything else."
"Alright. I'll teach you everything from start to finish today."
Leonor smiled and patted my back after hearing my answer.
A personal lesson from a tall, tanned blonde at my place.
It sounded like something that would give me energy.
I took Leonor to a discount store to buy macaron ingredients.
"By the way, do you have an oven at home?"
"No."
"Hmm, then we might need this. Do you have a whisk and a sieve?"
"No."
"Then we'll need these too."
She asked me and put the necessary items in the shopping cart one by one.
There were quite a few tools needed to make macarons, not just the ingredients.
Of course, you can't make them with nothing.
As she started picking out the ingredients, her voice grew louder.
"Do you have any cream at home?"
"No."
"Butter?"
"No."
"Surely you have eggs and sugar, right?"
"No."
Seeing me repeat "No" like a recorded message, she sighed in disbelief.
"At least you should have sugar. What do you have at home?"
"Maybe a pot and a frying pan?"
"Ha! Wow, you can make jokes so deadpan. You look so serious, but you're actually quite amusing. Anyway, we have everything we need now."
It wasn't a joke.
She laughed, holding her stomach, and I took the shopping cart from her and headed to the checkout, picking up a bag of turnips on the way.
At least I could make a proper dinner after coming to the store.
How much would this cost with a full cart?
"70,000 gold."
The cashier's words made me stiffen.
70,000 gold? Is this real?
I thought I had some extra funds, but that was a pipe dream.
I nervously handed over my student ID.
When the cashier tried to pay with it, an "insufficient balance" message appeared.
"Sir, it says you have insufficient balance."
"...I'll pay the difference in cash."
I took out the two 10,000 gold bills left from the membership fee and paid, leaving me with 9,000 gold.
No, not even 9,000 gold...
After paying, I laughed and handed Leonor three 1,000 gold bills as we left the store.
"This is for the magic grass earlier."
"Huh? Oh, right. You're really good at calculations."
Now I had 6,000 gold left.
It was a strangely familiar amount.
I'll have to live in super-saving mode for the rest of the month.
Leonor kept smiling, thinking my earlier joke at the store was funny.
Her smile disappeared the moment I stepped onto the stairs in front of my house.
Her face turned completely pale when she followed me inside and saw me put the ingredients I had bought into the fridge.
You thought the pot and frying pan were a joke?
But, there are always exceptions.
The chocolate the class president gave me, for example.
Thinking about it, I also had cooking oil and oyster sauce.
Oh? I'm richer than I thought?
"Um... I'm really sorry... I heard you don't have a family. But I thought your earlier comment was a joke..."
"Don't worry about it. Just teach me how to make macarons. Can we make them without an oven?"
"...Yeah, I'll show you."
Leonor was almost on the verge of tears.
Seeing her expression, I felt bad and urged her to show me quickly.
Despite the unfamiliar, cramped kitchen, Leonor skillfully made the macaron dough.
Since the kitchen wasn't clearly separated from the rest of the house, it might as well be considered a single room.
I watched as Leonor made the macaron dough.
She placed the shaped dough on a preheated frying pan and covered it, then spoke.
"...Can you tell me why you suddenly want to learn how to make macarons?"
"I want to make macarons for Sylvia."
"Of course... You said she stopped accepting things from you recently. Is that why you're making them yourself?"
It wasn't surprising that Leonor knew.
The daughter of the Astra family would be a topic of conversation, and she was somewhat acquainted with Sylvia.
I nodded, and Leonor asked in a low voice, "Is there a special reason for going to such lengths?"
"Not really. I just want to be friends with her."
Hearing my answer, she let out a sigh that sounded like admiration.
"Wow... You're really dedicated."
After saying that, she quietly took out the risen dough from the frying pan and showed me the rest of the process.
The finished macarons weren't as good as the ones sold, but they looked and tasted decent.
After cleaning up the kitchen, I saw Leonor off.
"Definitely, it will work out. She might be a bit picky, but she's not a bad person."
Before leaving, Leonor said that.
I know.
I nodded silently, thinking that in my head.
After Leonor left, I took out the turnips I had bought and stir-fried them.
It felt like a long time since I had eaten stir-fried turnips. The amount wasn't much, but it was quite delicious.
After showering, I changed into the pajamas I had laid out in the morning.
They were still a bit damp, but I couldn't sleep in my underwear, so I just lay down on the bed.
Thanks to the magic grass or the dinner, I felt more relaxed and fell asleep quickly.
Just before falling asleep, I clasped my trembling hands and remembered what Leonor had said before leaving.