Chapter 1: Battlefield (unaware)
The royal capital Britannia is home to several renowned restaurants.
One of these is [Grand], famous for its delicious spaghetti. It’s known for its excellent taste, charming interior, and attentive staff, making it a naturally popular choice.
The restaurant is beloved by both men and women, but it’s especially famous among men because the staff is known to be beautiful.
“Hey, Fei. How about having lunch together for a change?”
“…Why?”
“Why? Because you always eat ham and lettuce sandwiches for lunch, right? Sometimes you need to switch it up and try some food from a renowned restaurant.”
“…I didn’t mean to criticize the ham and lettuce sandwiches.”
“Fei, you’re a bit of a local celebrity. Everyone knows you as the guy who always buys ham and lettuce sandwiches from the bakery.”
Maria, with a red flower hair accessory, chuckled as she watched Fei eat his ham and lettuce sandwich for breakfast.
“Since it’s a rare opportunity, how about joining me? If you really don’t want to, that’s fine, though.”
“…I’d rather wield my sword than enjoy lunch.”
“I see… then I guess I’ll drop it.”
Fei’s subtle rejection made Maria smile sadly, giving up on the idea of having lunch together. Then, Lele, who was sitting next to Maria, raised his voice.
“Hey! Why don’t you go together! If you only eat ham and lettuce sandwiches, you’ll turn into a ham and lettuce ghost!”
“…Is that so? Well, I’m fine with that. You should go together.”
“I have sword training!”
“How coincidental. So do I.”
“Hmm, but! Maria has wanted to have lunch with Fei for a long time! I think you should go! You need a break to concentrate on training!”
“…You have a point… If it’s during a break, I’ll consider it.”
“Thank you, Lele.”
Thanks to Lele’s earnest persuasion, Maria got the chance to have lunch with Fei, making her very happy. She believed that Lele had responded to her lonely voice.
However, unbeknownst to everyone, Lele saw Fei as a father figure and Maria as a mother figure and secretly hoped the two would get together.
In Lele’s mind, he imagined holding Fei’s hand with his right and Maria’s with his left, going on a picnic together.
Thanks to the pure-hearted boy’s thoughtfulness, Maria won a meal with Fei.
◆
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT gadgetizedpanda.net
After his morning training with Yururu, Fei waited for Maria by the statue of the Holy Knight to have lunch.
With his usual stern expression, Fei stood next to the smiling Maria, adorned with a red flower hair accessory. They walked side by side to a certain popular restaurant named Grand.
“This is it. They say it’s really delicious.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah, that’s why I wanted to come here together—”
Just as Maria was about to say that,
“Huh? Fei…?”
At the same time, someone else was about to enter the restaurant. It was Fei’s sword master, who had been training with him earlier and was supposed to train with him in the afternoon. Her name was Yururu-Garestia.
“What a coincidence. Coming to this restaurant…”
Yururu noticed the woman standing next to Fei.
“Uh, um, who’s this…?”
“Oh, she’s Maria, the sister from the orphanage.”
“Oh, I see. Is she your girlfriend or something?”
“No.”
“I see…”
Yururu sighed with relief, trying not to let Fei notice.
Knowing that Maria wasn’t Fei’s girlfriend filled Yururu with a sense of calm. Maria, on the other hand, had mixed feelings when she saw Yururu.
(Yururu-Garestia… I knew her name and appearance, but… I thought she was just Fei’s master. It seems there’s more to it.)
Maria understood from Yururu’s reaction that she also saw Fei as a special person, just like herself.
“Were you planning to eat here too?”
“Yes. I’ve heard it’s very delicious and wanted to try it… but it seems like I’m intruding…”
“I don’t mind… what do you think?”
“Neither do I…”
Maria hesitated slightly, wishing to spend time alone with Fei, but couldn’t say so in front of his mentor.
Yururu, sensing something, thought,
(Could it be… she’s like me…)
“Um, maybe I should leave… I might be in the mood for a ham and lettuce sandwich instead.”
“Don’t worry about it. Come on in. You wanted to eat here, right?”
“Uh, um…”
“Hurry up. Stop mumbling.”
“Sorry to intrude…”
“No, don’t worry about it…”
Maria and Yururu grew awkward around each other, but Fei didn’t notice and led them inside. Just then, the three of them sit down and the seats are full. It is possible to sit with a complete stranger, but it is rare that anyone does so.
They sat at a large wooden square table, with Maria and Yururu next to each other and Fei alone on the opposite side.
“Um, what should I get… What about you, Maria?”
“Oh, um, let’s see…”
They knew each other’s situations. Maria was aware of the Garestia family, and Yururu knew Maria as a former avenger and an older former Holy Knight. The atmosphere was awkward.
But Fei remained unaware of the tension and acted normally.
(That person’s Neapolitan spaghetti looks delicious. Maybe I’ll have that… The two of them seem uneasy. Ah, they must be overwhelmed by the menu. I’ll let them decide at their own pace. I’m a considerate protagonist, after all!)
(Fei, please say something… I’ve never spoken to Maria before… Plus, we both… like Fei…)
(It’s so awkward… We’re both aware of each other’s feelings for Fei…)
“Wow, the spaghetti here looks really good! Don’t you think so, Maria?”
“Yeah, it looks delicious…”
“…”
Even trying to raise the tension felt forced and ineffective. They were both aware of their mutual feelings for Fei, creating a palpable tension.
(Fei, please say something! Please!)
(Please, Fei. Say something!)
Their silent pleas went unnoticed as Fei stared off into the distance.
(They’re both struggling to decide. They must really be food enthusiasts… Oh, that shrimp pilaf looks good too.)
“I’ll have the meat spaghetti!”
“Then, I’ll go with the Neapolitan.”
“Okay, I’ll have the shrimp pilaf.”
Fei raised his hand to call the waiter and placed their orders, leading to another silence.
“So, Yururu, how is Fei during training?”
“Fei works very hard…”
Trying to keep the conversation going only made things more awkward.
(What should I do? This is so awkward. Fei is usually quiet and doesn’t talk much… And Maria is so beautiful. Unlike my childlike figure, she has an adult charm. Competing against her… I feel so insecure…)
(I see… Fei’s mentor is such a cute person… I feel like an old maid in comparison. She’s kind and seems to understand Fei so well…)
(Feeling so insecure…)
Yururu and Maria sighed in unison. To them, the grass on the other side didn’t just look greener; it seemed golden.
Both liked Fei but couldn’t muster the courage to act. As the silence grew heavier, the door opened, and two new customers entered.
“What? It’s full?”
“…Too bad. Should we find another place, Bowlan?”
“No way, I want to eat here! But sitting with strangers… Oh! It’s Fei and the teacher!”
“…Fei.”
Unexpectedly, Bowlan and Arthur appeared! They spotted Fei and rushed over.
“Hey, can we sit with you? We want to eat here too…”
“I don’t really like noisy places—”
“Fei doesn’t really like crowds, so it might be a problem.”
“…Hey.”
Fei was about to refuse when Arthur cut in, acting like she knew what was going on. And miraculously, she was right. Fei kept his mouth shut.
“But I want pasta!”
Bowlan whined like a child, shaking her head. Despite her age, it was surprisingly not out of place.
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