Translated by Jyzciel

I've been living in the countryside for 33 days now.

Today, it's been drizzling since the morning. I can't engage in outdoor activities, so I'm thinking of preparing something in advance.

But before I do that, I should go check on the condition of that child. I put on my rain boots and grabbed an umbrella as I headed to the scene.

There doesn't seem to be any change at all...

Even though she grew so rapidly, there has been no change since the bud appeared!? The bracts haven't opened at all, and their size hasn't changed either.

"..."

Should I continue watching like this? My dogs, unable to go outside due to the rain, are looking resentfully at the sky from the veranda.

Dogs surprisingly dislike water, don't they? They really don't like getting their paw pads wet. But when I tried to put raincoats on them, both of them flatly refused. After struggling through putting those raincoats on them, they suddenly dove into puddles, got all muddy, and played around.

Well... that's also one of their adorable quirks, though.

Since I have plenty of time, maybe I should try my hand at a more elaborate dish. How about making crab cream croquettes?

I'm pretty sure I have canned crab somewhere! After a quick check of the ingredients.

After a quick check of the ingredients. "First, put some oil in the frying pan and heat it up, then sauté the onions. As a secret touch, I'll add a bit of sugar. Once they become translucent, quickly stir in the crab meat and then add white wine. Then sauté it well until most of the moisture evaporates."

Hmm, even just this step is filling the air with a delightful aroma. Kinako and the others are twitching their noses cutely.

Next is making the white sauce. This is unexpectedly delicate work. In the beginning, I made many mistakes like burning it or making it too powdery. It took a lot of trial and error to get good at it.

"Put some butter in a pot and melt it. Then, briefly take it off the heat and add all-purpose flour, stirring well."

After putting it back on the heat, I'll use a rubber spatula to gently stir while heating it over low heat to avoid burning it, maybe for about 5 minutes or so.

"Oh... it's getting smooth and silky. At this point, I slowly add milk. Maybe a little heavy cream too."

I finished it by simmering for a while and adjusting the taste with salt and pepper. Then, I added the sautéed onions and crab. Once it cooled down a bit, I put it in the refrigerator to chill for 2-3 hours.

For today's lunch, I'll go for an authentic restaurant-style Western menu!

With that thought, I began setting the table when suddenly, that person appeared in the courtyard.

"Hmm?"

For some reason, it seemed like the rain was avoiding that person. Despite the heavy downpour, they remained completely dry.

"Demon Lord..."

In a slightly tired voice, the Demon Lord said, "It's been a while... Are you doing well?"

I invited him inside and served hot wine. "Warm up..."

Saying that, the Demon Lord took a sip, heaved a sigh of relief, and squinted his eyes.

His complexion seemed a little off, and there were faint dark circles under his eyes.

"Are you busy?" I asked hesitantly, wearing a worried expression.

"Well, recently, there's been a pesky issue with the pests around. No matter how much I clean, they keep coming out one after another. It's really annoying."

He's still engaged in battles with magical beasts, as usual. I'm sure Little Bat must be having a tough time as well.

Huh?

Come to think of it, for some reason, Little Bat, who usually perches on his shoulder, isn't there.

"Today, isn't Little Bat with you?"

"Well... it seems that guy isn't feeling well on rainy days."

I recall hearing that bats are sensitive to rain. Their wings get wet, and they expend more than double the energy. Their ultrasonic abilities are affected, too.

Actually, speaking of which, Little Bat... Is he really just a bat? Isn't he like the right-hand man of the Demon Lord. Could it be that his true form is a bat-like beastman?

Well, it's probably impolite to ask for details when he hasn't mentioned it himself, so I'll keep quiet.

While pondering these things, the Demon Lord was gazing at me intently. When I tilted my head inquisitively, he gave a faint smile.

"You still seem to be cooking as usual. Performing such a splendid table setting. I wonder if this isn't a Western restaurant after all?"

"Since it's a rainy day, I thought of making a slightly elaborate dish, and somehow, I got carried away to the point of making something a bit extravagant." I explained while feeling a bit embarrassed and scratching my cheek.

"That's a shame Rinsakura... If this were truly a restaurant, I'd visit every day. That way, I could come to see you without needing a reason." He said as he strangely sat down beside me.

He then lightly raised the corner of his lips, gave a little chuckle, and gently stroked my cheek, as if confirming the contours.

"Hyaa..."

Oh my, the charm of an adult is incredible... Out of the blue, he called me by my name, and then he caressed my cheek.

I blushed uncontrollably.

"Well... it would be a waste to feed this to others." He said, his chin resting on his hand, and he continued to watch with a wicked expression.

"Instead, making it exclusively mine might be even more interesting."

"Th-that's... you're joking, right?" I couldn't stop her face from twitching.

For a moment, the genuine Demon Lord seemed to show his face!! It's problematic when Little Bat, the stopper, isn't around!

"Shall we check if it's a joke or not, hm?" He became even more wicked and gently grasped my chin. I felt as if his beautiful red eyes were ominously gleaming.

"Demon Lord!" I was taken aback and froze in place, not knowing what to do, my eyes darting around in confusion.

What on earth has come over him? The Demon Lord seems to have gone mad.

"Rinsakura..." Being called by my name in such a sweet voice by someone with exceptionally beautiful and terrifying features, I froze even more.

Huh? What? What's going on here...?

This is bad...

While still holding my chin, the Demon Lord moved his face closer.

"Eek!" Anticipating what might happen, I let out a strange cry.

And then, suddenly, the Demon Lord burst into laughter.

"Hahaha - You're still an honest person. If you keep widening your eyes like that, your eyeballs might pop out." Then he proceed to laugh even more. Tears even welled up at the corners of his eyes as he laughed heartily.

He's seriously laughing right now!

"I'm sorry, it was a joke. I got carried away and lost track of when to stop." he said without the slightest sign of remorse.

"That's going too far. Your sense of humor is terrible! I'm going to ban you... seriously." I furrowed my brow and protested to the Demon Lord grandly.

"Don't be so angry. If I can't eat your cooking, I'll die. If that happens, you'll become a hero, and the next Demon King after me will come after your life. Are you okay with that?" He said with a mischievous and wicked smile.

What kind of threat is this. Honestly, this person-

"By the way, what's today's lunch menu? I'm getting hungry."

Is he really planning to eat here after all this?!

I glared at him, but the Demon Lord shrugged his shoulders with an 'no beggie' expression.

No, it's hopeless... Let's just make him eat and send him on his way as soon as possible. I resolved to do so.

"It's crab cream croquettes. I'll start making them now, so please have a seat and wait."

"Very well." The Demon Lord nodded and was about to take his seat.

"Would you like a dry white wine with that?" As I turned to ask him...

The Demon Lord suddenly slumped down right where he stood.

"Demon Lord!" I rushed over to help him immediately, but the Demon Lord was considerably tall and well-built. So, there was no way I could support him.

We both fell to the floor, him ending up on top of me.

"Ugh..." I was completely pinned down.

The Demon Lord remained motionless, still. I needed to somehow crawl out from underneath and then drag the Demon Lord to the adjacent tatami room.

It seemed he had collapsed due to a fever. His face was bright red, and he was sweating profusely. He might be having chills because his body was trembling.

The Demon Lord acting strange might have been due to a fever. His body and mind might have reached their limits. I covered him with a futon and placed a cold pack on his forehead.

For now, I should keep an eye on him until his fever subsides.

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