It's been 53 days since I started living in the countryside.

Yesterday, by sheer chance, Chronos and the others came to visit. So, I decided to invite them to the famous event activity. At first, the three of them were amazed at the mortar and pestle.

"What's this?" is what their expressions seemed to say... They wandered around, observing everything. When I explained that we could make mochi using these tools, Chronos's eyes widened.

"Is this the mochi from that mochi pizza we had the other day!?" He grabbed my shoulder and happily wiggled his beast ears.

"Absolutely! And let me tell you, freshly pounded mochi is leagues softer and more delicious than what we had before. The possibilities for savoring it are endless..."  Upon hearing this, he broke into a broad smile, and his tail wagged so fast it was almost a blur.

"I'm looking forward to it."

Noam couldn't contain his curiosity. "What's mochi? Captain, have you ever tried it?" Noam fired off rapid questions.

"I have! And it's delicious!" Carl didn't say anything, but he looked quietly pleased. Then, he shyly brought up another question.

"Earlier, the sweet black treat you made, Rinsakura-san, is that the ingredient for it?"

Heh, as I suspected, Carl might be all tough on the outside, but he's got a sweet tooth. His knack for sniffing out sweet stuff is impressive. I chuckled to myself.

"Spot on! That's anko. Remember the dorayaki I shared with you before?"

"Ah, that sweet filling nestled in the soft skin. Right, a unique delicacy from Rinsakura-san's homeland. I... love that gentle sweetness." Carl admitted, a touch of bashfulness coloring his cheeks.

"Anko is a delight. When paired with freshly pounded mochi, it's simply irresistible." As I disclosed this, a distinctive slurping sound resonated from the sidelines.

As a curious sound echoed nearby, I turned my gaze in that direction. There, it seemed like Noam and Schnappy had embarked on a journey to a distant realm of imagination, producing the sound that caught my attention.

"Hahaha! They really are two peas in a pod." I chuckled, and Carl joined in, laughter resonating through the air.

"Yeah." he agreed.

So, it was decided that we would postpone our plans until the day after tomorrow, considering everyone's schedules. Carl mentioned bringing along some young knights to assist—a helpful addition, considering the abundance of manpower.

With a nod from everyone, we reached a consensus with just one response. However, when I suggested having about a dozen of them join us, Carl seemed oddly flustered, and his quick veto left me puzzled.

"Why the hesitation?" I wondered silently. He explained something about not spoiling the members and, more importantly, the trouble that would follow with Chronos afterward.

What kind of trouble, exactly?

Noam vigorously nodded in agreement, his face turning pale. Apparently, Chronos found dealing with the aftermath troublesome.

What's so troublesome?

**Seeing Rinsakura-san surrounded by other men visibly dampened the captain's mood. It seemed impossible due to the strict nature of the captain.

What's with them?

Ever since the curry party, they've all been eyeing the opportunity to visit this house as welcomed companions. There seemed to be dissatisfaction among those who couldn't make it to the party, and with such discussions, a riot could easily break out. A fair tournament might be a solution to avoid complaints.

More than that, the interactions between the young members and Rinsakura-san had the captain on edge, creating unnecessary tension.

Why all this fuss?

To ensure discipline, maybe there was a need for sanctions against those who got too familiar. But turning training into a hellish mode afterward was indeed a problem.

"Come on, Captain, exercise a bit of restraint. That's crucial." I thought to myself, repeating the advice in my mind.

Especially with those who were overly familiar, was this some sort of punishment, or did it escalate into a rigorous training mode, causing problems?

"Captain, you're an adult. Please show some restraint." The situation was becoming genuinely bothersome. Very bothersome. I emphasized it twice, underlining the gravity of the situation.

It seemed like the captain needed to reflect a bit and exercise some self-restraint.

As the vice-captain, please do something.

I really can't stand the grueling training in hell.

I assure you, I'm determined to give it my best shot!

Little did I know, Carl and Noam were subtly communicating with each other through exchanged glances.

So, it appears they plan to impartially recruit participants within the knight order and bring along only the six who successfully advance through the tournament.

Even Chronos seems to reluctantly agree, though I can't help but wonder. Is all this really necessary? A knockout tournament, seriously?

It's just a mochi-pounding activity event, isn't it? That was my initial thought, but... Well, there must be some knight order rules that I'm not privy to.

I couldn't quite grasp it, but I had a feeling I shouldn't delve too deeply, so I simply nodded in silence. In the midst of these musings, I found myself grinding a substantial amount of mochi rice.

This, of course, is a task that needs to be completed the day before. How much mochi rice should I prepare, I wonder? There should be kinako, and I need to make sure we have nori, soy sauce, and sugar. Oh, and I mustn't forget to pre-cut the ingredients for the mochi pizza.

And yes, since the mortar and pestle are made of wood, I made sure to soak them in water the day before. It supposedly prevents them from cracking.

So here I am, contemplating all this while I diligently continues my work well into the evening.

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