Translated by Jyzciel

It's been 50 days since I started my rural life.

Today, for some reason, I feel like having a drink. It's still daytime, but who cares?

I've finished cleaning, laundry, and watering the garden. So today, I'm going to drink! There's even that high-end champagne from Carl. I should also open the bottles of sake and wine that were sleeping in the cellar.

Alright, since I've decided! Let's make plenty of snacks for the drinks.

First is avocado and salted kelp. This is such a simple snack. Just cut the avocado and mix it with salted kelp, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. I'm not sure if you can call it cooking, but it's delicious.

The second dish is spicy cod roe potato salad. This is also  very easy! Put potatoes in a heat-resistant bowl and cover them lightly with plastic wrap. Heat them in a 500W microwave for about 5 minutes. Crush them with the back of a fork, then mix cod roe, butter, and mayonnaise. It's done! It might be delicious with chopped nori sprinkled on top.

The third dish is pork and eggplant stir-fried with garlic miso. As the name suggests, it's a quick stir-fry of pork - although i said pork, in this case, its the meat from King Big Sangria - with eggplant and mushrooms with garlic and miso. Might as well throw in those sparkling mushrooms given by His Majesty.

"Something like matsutake, maybe? It has a good smell, but visually... It's coated with something like gold powder." While stirring, I cautiously make a slit into one of them.

"....!!"

Oh my, it's incredibly aromatic. I can almost tastes it like the essence of mushrooms from this world condensed into one.

"Delicious!! This makes you crave rice... Well, there's gold powder floating in the fried sauce, though." Unable to resist, I opened a bottle of white wine. You can't help but drink while cooking. Saying that, I first emptied a glass.

The fourth dish is cheese fry with hanpen. I've loved this since old times. It's a simple dish where you put cheese inside hanpen (Japanese fish cake) and fry it. Today, I'll put camembert cheese inside one. Usually, I use a meltable cheese. And on the other hand, let's add some ham. This is starting to get fun!

Freshly fried is just the best!! As I enjoy the freshly fried snacks with wine...

"You seem to be having fun... day drinking from the daytime?" A genuinely amused voice came from behind.

"Guh..." Unexpectedly, someone appeared, and I almost choked for a moment.

I was seen eating with my mouth wide open, standing in the kitchen, and gulping down wine. Why is he here!?

As if a tin toy had been broken, I awkwardly turned my head back, making a sound like creaking.

"Guh... cough." Cheese hanpen  got into some weird part of my throat! With my eyes rolling, I pounded my chest.

"Are you okay? Sorry for surprising you." That person hurriedly approached.

"Chronos-san..." Hastily drinking water, I managed to recover.

"Sorry, I started talking suddenly."

"It's okay... reth..."

Overwhelmed with embarrassment, I covered my face with both hands and averted his gaze.

"It looks delicious..."

While looking at me like that, Chronos grinned slightly and took a bite of the freshly fried cheese hanpen.

"huff, huff... It's delicious." Saying that, he now stared at me with a radiant smile.

"Are you surprised?" As I looked up at Chronos, somewhat embarrassed, his eyes widened, then burst into laughter.

"Hahahaha... I never expected RinSakura-san to take such a hearty bite."

"Eh... no... umm..." As he gazed at my bashful face he was filled with delight, Chronos wagged his tail and chuckled even more.

"Come on now..." With Chronos joining in, the noon drinking session began in the middle of the day.

"Rinsakura-san, anything you make to accompany the sake tastes delicious." While saying this, more and more food was being drawn into Chronos mouth.

Always such a hearty eater... I fried shrimp and scallops, while the two of us had already finished two bottles of wine.

A bit faster pace, perhaps... I'm starting to feel a bit light-headed, but the mood is really good. While sipping wine, I snacked on a freshly fried shrimp.

On the veranda, the Kuro-mame and Schnappy were also enjoying themselves, enthusiastically gnawing on the bones of the King Big Sangria's teriyaki. Schnappy, as usual, was munching away with gusto

In the midst of all this, Chronos suddenly said.

"Rinsakura-san... What's up with this Amperu Mushroom!?" Ahh~ It's indeed a rare mushroom.

That's right, there's no way it could be a normal mushroom, when its spreading golden powder. Chronos stared at the shining mushroom on the fork with a surprised expression.

"Is it really something rare?"

"Yeah... it's a specimen grown in the Emperor's exclusive greenhouse. It's not something that's commonly available. Let alone a material that appears on an ordinary dining table." He said with a wry smile.

"I had a feeling it was something special from the moment I received it."

"If you eat one, it's said that your lifespan extends by 10 years. It's a phantom ingredient. If someone were to break in to steal it just for the desire, it would be an immediate death penalty." Surprised by this unexpected information, I felt a bit choked up.

"Eh? Wait. Ehhhhh!? What should I do?I received a whole basket of them!" I unconsciously frowned, looking troubled.

"It's fine, isn't it? If it's His Majesty's generosity, you should enjoy it without hesitation." Saying so with a smile, he took one Amperu Mushroom and ate it with sparkling soup, savoring its deliciousness.

"Yeah... that's right. There are many ingredients I've never seen secretly. Not only the cooking methods, but I don't even know what they are. Would you look at them together later?"

"Oh... okay." Chronos nodded solemnly, his face twitching slightly.

After that, I continued to create snacks that pair well with alcohol. Such as Steamed chicken with leeks and Shredded chicken with teriyaki sauce. These were made by mincing King Hyunafleisch.

"It's delicious... I like this one with teriyaki sauce." Saying that, Chronos wagged his tail and devoured nearly 20 pieces.

Especially, he seemed to prefer eating it with the plum placed on top of the tsukune (ground or shredded meat).

"I can't resist this sour taste."

"This is a dish from my hometown, made from something called umeboshi (plum)."

"The taste of Rinsakura's hometown... By the way, it was also in the onigiri, now that I think about it."

The two of us moved to the sofa, sitting side by side, and continued drinking with a platter of cheese and ham as their accompaniment. Before w eknew it, it seemed like we had already finished five bottles of wine.

"Phew..." I breathed out in a pleasant tipsiness. Although not particularly weak to alcohol, today I might be a little intoxicated.

Thinking that, I stole a glance at Chronos' profile. However, Chronos seemed to be completely sober. Chronos, you can really hold your alcohol.

"Chronos-san..."

"Hmm?"

"What was your favorite dish with today's drinks, Chronos-san?"

I didn't know why I asked such a question myself, but it just slipped out of my mouth.

"Well... they were all delicious, so it's a tough question."

"I want you to decide somehow. I want to know Chronos-san's favorite taste..." Saying that, I leaned my cheek against Chronos's shoulder and looked up with moist eyes.

"..."

A faint blush colored appeared on Chronos cheeks as he stared at my face, who was gazing at him.

***

Is Rinsakura getting a bit tipsy and relying on me!? Cute...

While feeling the warmth of Rinsakura on my shoulder, I tried to calm myself, turned forward and gulped down the wine.

Then, swallowing my saliva, I clenched my fist tightly and said, "All the dishes are delicious... It's hard to choose. But more than that, the time spent with you, Rinsakura-san, is the best treat for me... Rinsakura, I... Rinsakura is..."

"..." A few seconds of silence passed.

Rinsakura didn't respond at all. However, it seemed too embarrassing for me to meet her gaze.

"..."

But isn't she too unresponsive?

Oops? Did I mess up again? Was I a bit too cocky? Summoning my courage, I timidly peered into Rinsakura's face, who was leaning against him.

"..." Rinsakura had already fallen fast asleep, completely at ease leaning on my shoulder.

"Phew..." Is my once-in-a-lifetime confession just a dream?

Should I be happy that I'm trusted, or should I be sad that I'm not noticed as a man? I chuckled self-deprecatingly.

I gently put Rinsakura in my arms and carried her to the bedroom.

"Good night." I covered her with a blanket and closed the bedroom door.

"I'm leaving, but I'm counting on you for the rest." I gently stroked Kinako and the others, then disappeared into the depths of the courtyard.

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