It had been 54 days since I started my life in the countryside.

True to their promise, Chronos and his companions arrived early in the morning. As it had become a customary event, the showdown between Schnappy and the Knight Order unfolded.

Today, it wasn't just Noam. An elite squad was the first to face the attack. Some had their tails lightly singed, struggling in the skirmish, but miraculously, everyone reached the veranda unharmed.

"That thing... It's the Gobble Bloom Flower that visited our headquarters the other day, right? Has it gotten stronger since then?" pondered the young tiger beastman.

"My prideful tail..." sighed the young wolf beastman with a hint of tears.

「Gyorororo!!」  Was it a victorious roar of joy? Schnappy bellowed towards the sky.

"I'm sorry for the trouble." Rinsakura apologized incessantly. In response, Chronos, with a ferocious expression, chuckled and said, "Kuku~ It's fine. Being the chosen six, if you were to collapse there, you wouldn't deserve Rinsakura's cooking."

Looking up at Chronos as he said this, he wore a wicked grin. Chronos, it seems, spares no mercy for his members.

The young men neatly lined up before Rinsakura, looking sharp. The tiger beastman, perhaps the leader, spoke, "Thank you for having us today. We'll do anything, so please don't hesitate to ask us."

With that, everyone placed a hand on their chests and bowed crisply, showing respect to their host. And then, the young wolf-beast man took a step forward, presenting a seemingly adorable box.

"What's this?"

"It's a popular treat in the capital city, called Bonbon. As a token of our gratitude today, it's a gift from us to Rinsakura-san." Unexpectedly, my heart leaped at the unexpected present.

Bonbon... probably some candy-like sweets judging by the name?

"Thank you, I'm so happy. I'll open it later! Enjoy a lot of food and have fun today."

With a delighted expression, Rinsakura accepted the gift, cradling it in her arms, and beamed with a radiant smile. And then... everyone's animal ears drooped and blushed at that smile.

But... when Carl's sharp gaze swept over them, everyone quickly reverted to serious and stern expressions. That was dangerous just now... we had almost forgotten what the vice-captain had sternly reminded us before coming.

"Listen up, all of you. There's only one important thing in today's Mochi event. 'Don't fawn over Rinsakura-san.' If you don't want to die, etch it into your hearts... understood?" Carl's words seemed genuinely intimidating...

As expected, it was almost the elite squad of beast people who had come for curry not long ago.

"Rinsakura, where should we start?" Chronos asked, rolling up his sleeves.

"Well, for mochi, we use something called glutinous rice, which is about to finish steaming. Could you help bring it over?"

"Sure, we'll go." The young men, one a rhinoceros beast person and the other a deer beast person, came forward.

"It's hot and heavy, so be careful when carrying it."

"Understood." In the meantime, I explained the method of pounding mochi using a mortar and pestle.

"So basically, you just pound that glutinous rice in this hollow, right?" Currently, there is hot water in the hollow to warm the mortar.

"Yes, that's right. Oh, but be careful not to pound too hard with this wooden mortar and pestle, as they might break."

"Got it."

I'm a bit scared because I don't know how strong everyone's force is.

"Gently or firmly, it's tricky." Chronos muttered and began moving his hands, clenching and unclenching them, a light exercise.

"Pounding mochi is also a race against time. We need to pound the freshly steamed glutinous rice while it's still hot, so please be mindful of that."

"Leave it to me."

"As a demonstration, I'll provide support. Can someone volunteer to be the one pounding?"

Let's team up with Rinsakura-san!! For a moment, the young beastmen were excited, but they quickly returned to reality.

"Of course, I'll do it." Chronos said, gripping the pestle without waiting for approval.

That's right... Thought so. Everyone on the knight's side, except Chronos, mentally commented on the situation.

"Rinsakura-san, the glutinous rice is ready." A young beastman from the rhinoceros tribe brought a large amount of steaming glutinous rice wrapped in a steaming cloth.

"Alright, please put it in this hollow." While others prepared, they all seemed curious about the mysterious white substance.

"Chronos, first put your weight on the pestle and crush it firmly."

"Like this?"

"Yes, exactly. Then, while moving around the mortar, crush it evenly." Chronos diligently crushed the mochi rice as I instructed.

"You're doing great, Chronos-san." After kneading for a while, the entire mochi was neatly crushed, and it was finally time to make the mochi.

"Well then, Chronos-san, please."

"Yeah..." He seemed a bit nervous, his animal ears standing upright.

Without exerting too much force, lift the pestle and use the weight to drop it! Be sure not to hit Rinsakura's hand, and pay the utmost attention!

Chronos took a deep breath. And then, he lowered the pestle.

"There you go."

Plop.

"There you go."

Plop.

WhileI encouraged him, I moved the mochi from the outside to the inside, folding it. After repeating this about a dozen times, the mochi gradually took shape.

"It's quite laborious, isn't it?" Chronos laughed wryly while swinging the pestle.

"Yeah, but it becomes the shape of mochi pretty quickly thanks to Chronos-san's skill."

"Is that so? It's because Rinsakura's way of teaching is good, and our coordination is perfect." Saying that, he happily wagged his animal ears and tail.

Unconsciously observing the affectionate interaction between the two, everyone had turned into an audience for the mochi pounding.

"Now, please speed up a bit for the finishing touches."

"Yeah." I resumed from where I flipped the mochi upside down.

And... The distinct texture of the mochi rice disappeared, and a smooth mochi was completed.

"The mochi is ready." Cheers erupted from the surrounding crowd.

"Captain, you're amazing!"

"So this is mochi, looks delicious." The members applauded, praising Chronos and me.

"Everyone, grab a plate. Let's dive into the freshly made mochi right away."

I carefully placed the mochi into a well-soaked wooden tub. After moistening my hands with lukewarm water, I tore off bite-sized pieces of the soft, glutinous delight.

"Alright, whoever's ready, step up."

"Captain, you're up first, our esteemed hero." Carl said, urging Chronos to lead the way. The other members nodded in agreement.

"You guys..." Something about this... It truly is a remarkable knight's order.

Once everyone confirmed they had their share of mochi, I led them to a long table set up in the courtyard.

"Now, we've got an array of toppings for the mochi. Help yourselves to whatever tickles your taste buds."

"Wow... there's so much variety!" Noam's eyes sparkled with excitement.

"The classic is this sweet red bean paste." I pointed to a large plate stacked with the tempting red concoction.

"And then... Traditionally, you either douse grated white radish with soy sauce or sprinkle on this brown powder, kinako."

"Oh, and if you wrap lightly toasted seaweed around it... And dip it in soy sauce, it's called 'isobe-maki,' and it's absolutely delicious."

Laughter and conversation filled the air as everyone savored the unique mochi feast I had prepared.

"Oh..." The young beastmen let out satisfied sounds, their throats giving a subtle gulp.

I arranged everything in a buffet style so that everyone could freely choose and enjoy. Carl's gaze was fixed solely on the sweet red bean paste.

"Well then, let's take advantage of your offer." Chronos said, and everyone happily gathered around the table.

"Tastes amazing... The mochi pizza from the other day was fantastic, but freshly pounded mochi is truly exceptional." Chronos, too, expressed his admiration while savoring the mochi.

Carl, along with a generous portion of red bean paste, seemed to shiver in delight.

"Grated white radish with soy sauce... so good, so good." The young deer beastman murmured, utterly engrossed in devouring the mochi.

"I go for both kinako and sweet red bean paste!" The young lion beastman boasted, proudly showing his plate to the rhino beastman.

"Hehehe... everyone seems to be having a great time."

Unnoticed, Schnappy had received mochi from Carl and was enjoying it with relish. Seeing the Kuro-mame looking enviously at them, Carl frowned slightly, seemingly troubled. Since it would be troublesome if the Kuro-mame choked on the mochi, Calr had made it clear not to give them any.

"Kuro-mame~ Don't troubleCarl. Look, come over here, and I'll give you some fried chicken." Just then, a loud voice echoed from the depths of the garden.

"Lady Rinsakura!!! This smells of water! Why did you not inform us of this festival? Why?

It was Sir Gladeon, the hawk beastman accompanying His Majesty, along with the chefs and the royal guard, descending into the garden.

What in the world!? How did the information leak? The forest's information network? Or some other network?

I, with a forced smile, could do nothing but freeze as Lord Gladio appeared unexpectedly.

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