Please Bully Me, Miss Villainess!

Chapter 193 : The Magic of Becoming Delicious

Sizzle, crackle, hiss—

In the kitchen of the Buffellotte Restaurant, two people stared intently at each other as if laser beams could shoot from their eyes.

In fact, these two young ladies, both excellent magicians, could actually do just that.

"Who's truly qualified to help Big Sister... Let's settle this right now?!"

"Fine by me, let's have a contest—"

"Um..."

Yvonne found herself caught between Elsa and Shirushi, at a loss.

Come to think of it, in the original story, these two didn't get along well at first.

Shirushi was supposed to be more dependent on Michel in the normal route, becoming a standard brother complex, so she was very displeased with the protagonist who stole her beloved brother, constantly clashing with her.

But in reality, the two magical prodigies actually got along quite well.

Because Yvonne, as a reincarnator who knew the plot, changed the course of this world, Shirushi, who should have been clinging to her brother, now clung to 'Big Sister'.

But anyway... if possible, I still hope they can get along...

This!!

Garth's shipping radar activated!

Could this be... the classic love triangle scenario??

To think I'd get to witness it in person during my lifetime—

Ah... shipping gods... it's so good to be alive!

"You don't have to force yourselves..."

Looking at the two holding kitchen knives, Yvonne felt uneasy,

She didn't want to see either of them get hurt or have any accidents.

""No way!!"

However, the two who had fully ignited their competitive spirit couldn't hear anything anymore.

"—Big Sister, please don't interfere."

"—Evie, just watch from the side!"

The judge is prohibited from participating!!

These two had forcibly categorized Yvonne as the judge.

—'Do something about this!'

Seeing his sister give him such a pleading look, Garth stepped forward,

"If you don't mind, I can help?"

However, his action sparked an even bigger commotion:

"Brother Garth, whose side are you on?"

"Garth, remember that you're a royal knight who swore loyalty to the royal family!—If you dare help the other side, this princess will consider it an act of treason! The consequences will be severe!"

"I..."

Garth was scared.

Following the principle of maintaining neutrality, this young knight chose the middle ground.

Sigh~ There's no other way.

He could only put on an apron, grab a knife, and take over some of the more difficult knife work from his overly worried sister for the two.

Strange... after tasting so many delicious foods... and mastering precise recipes and processes, why can't I make it?

Mustering up the courage to taste the increasingly sticky, strange concoction in her own pot, Shirushi's whole face scrunched up from the sourness.

Why did it turn out like this—

Shirushi felt somewhat deflated,

...With magic, she could learn just by watching once. But cooking was completely different.

Maybe... she didn't have any talent for cooking?

Princess Shirushi... seems to be troubled...

The observant Garth noticed that this young princess seemed to have little experience with cooking.

But thinking about it, it made sense. Being groomed as an heir from a young age, it would be a miracle if she had time to learn cooking.

Although he hoped the couple he liked could be together, as a shipping knight, he didn't want to see another girl hurt in this smokeless battle.

In Garth's view, Princess Shirushi, who was destined to be the loser in love, seemed somewhat pitiful.

"Is something wrong, Princess Shirushi? Do you need any help?"

Garth approached with goodwill, extending a helping hand.

"No... It's nothing!! Everything's going smoothly here!!"

Shirushi blocked the front of the cooking pot, not letting him come any closer.

It was obvious that this princess with her strong sense of pride wouldn't let others witness her failure.

What should be done...

This put the young knight in a difficult position,

Although he very much enjoyed seeing cute girls being lovey-dovey in front of him, Garth himself was quite helpless when it came to girls.

"Hehe~ You probably made some inedible dark cuisine, right? Oh my... You can still admit defeat now, you know?"

With enticing aromas emanating from her pot, Elsa skillfully stir-fried while boasting as if deliberately trying to irritate Shirushi.

Elsa, that girl... can be quite mean sometimes...

If anything, compared to myself, she's more like a villain now.

Damn it~~~~~

Being so mercilessly mocked, Shirushi stomped her foot in anger,

"Who's admitting defeat?! Don't think you've won just because of this!!"

Princess... saying that just makes it sound like you've admitted defeat.

However, it was clear that in terms of culinary skills, Princess Shirushi was significantly inferior to Elsa, who came from a commoner background,

Elsa's dish seemed to be nearly complete. For some reason, Elsa had chosen a wok, apparently preparing a dish that tested one's fire control. Judging from the pungent aroma, it was a spicy dish.

At this rate, Shirushi was certain to lose.

"Um... if you don't mind, let me have a taste."

"N-No way—How could I let you taste something like this..."

Shirushi was very concerned about Garth's opinion of her and didn't want him to see such an embarrassing side of herself, so she fiercely protected her small pot.

Because... this kind of thing is completely unfit to be served!!

"Excuse me."

However, in a moment of carelessness, Garth picked up the small dish he had just used for tasting, dipped his finger into it, and put it in his mouth.

"Wait! I told you to wait~!"

If anything... this pot of ruined cuisine was just a green mush...

Garth carefully savored the taste on his tongue, then realized it wasn't as bad as imagined.

"You used ground cherries for flavoring, aiming for a refreshing taste, right?"

"Yes..."

Shirushi lowered her head in frustration.

Although she wanted to perform well in front of Big Sister and Garth, showing off her feminine charm, now she had undoubtedly messed up,

Cuisine emphasizes appearance, aroma, and taste all together,

Indeed, as a dish, it certainly lacked visual appeal...

But Garth found another possibility.

"With this flavor... it could actually work as a sauce."

"...A sauce?"

Shirushi was quite surprised. She had expected him to politely say it was 'not tasty' or something similar, but instead, Garth had given her a new possibility to salvage this dish.

"May I work with this?"

"...Sure!"

Garth cleaned the freshly caught winter fish, removed the flesh from the bones, and cut it into equal-sized pieces,

"Ah—It's the sun-moon fish!"

Shirushi quickly recognized this fish with its distinctive patterns.

"You even know this type of fish, you're truly knowledgeable."

"Of course~ Isn't this a common fish?"

Shirushi proudly crossed her arms, always receptive to praise.

The sun-moon fish has white, tender, and fresh meat, thick with few bones, clean-tasting and not greasy.

Although the texture is impeccable, compared to other fish, the sun-moon fish lacks a certain umami flavor; simply put, its taste is rather plain.

However, it was precisely this characteristic that made it pair exceptionally well with the green, salty-sour sauce.

"But... what are you planning to do next?"

She was very curious about what actions would be taken to resurrect this originally failed sauce.

Garth had already heated the oil in the pan.

"Like this, coat it in flour and then fry it—If you're interested, you can try too. Please be careful to place it along the edge of the pan to avoid oil splashing on you."

"Hmph... I suppose I'll give it a try then."

Following Garth's example, Shirushi coated the fish pieces in egg wash, rolled them in flour, and then dropped them into the hot oil to fry.

After dropping them in, the flour-coated fish pieces immediately sizzled as they hit the hot oil,

Very quickly, she became hooked.

Surprisingly interesting!!

It didn't take long before the surface of the fish pieces turned a beautiful golden color and started floating.

"Alright, they're cooked now—"

After taking them out, letting them cool slightly and draining the excess oil, he scooped some of Shirushi's sour sauce into a dipping dish,

"How about it? Give it a try."

Garth handed the plate to Shirushi.

Will this combination... really taste good...

Shirushi skeptically picked up a piece of sun-moon fish with a fork, then dipped it in the scary green sour sauce she had made.

The appetizing golden color of the fried batter combined with the green sauce made for an interesting color combination, also making the sauce look less frightening,

Now... all that's left is the taste.

Due to a lack of confidence in the flavor she had created, Shirushi's hand trembled slightly. She was so nervous that she simply closed her eyes.

She put the fish in her mouth and took a bite with a crunch:

"This... This is!!"

After eating it, she felt as if she had opened the door to a new world.

She suddenly opened her eyes, looking at the fish piece she had bitten in half, with the white flesh still steaming hot, with an expression of disbelief.

The fried fish was crispy on the outside yet incredibly tender on the inside,

Although it was deep-fried, the unique sourness of the sauce made the original greasy feeling disappear! What remained in the mouth was only the intertwining of the delicious fish flavor and the refreshing sourness!

"Amazing!! I could eat a whole plate of this—"

Her eyes immediately regained their sparkle,

"Garth, you're a genius!"

"It's nothing..."

Garth scratched his head bashfully, smiling shyly.

"I just didn't want your efforts to go to waste."

Didn't want my efforts to go to waste...

For some reason, hearing those words made Shirushi feel a warm spot somewhere in her heart.

Apart from Big Sister, this was the first time someone had genuinely considered her feelings.

Chewing the deliciousness in her mouth, Shirushi felt a mix of emotions.

But Garth seemed to have misunderstood again, he nervously leaned in,

"Your Highness—Are you alright? Did you choke, or is there a fish bone stuck—Your Highness??"

This dense fool!!

⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱⊰⋆⋅⭑⋅⋆⊱

Finally, it was time for the tasting.

After sampling both sides' creations, Yvonne put down her utensils and slowly raised her head:

"I declare, the winner is Shirushi's team."

"As expected, the goddess of victory and Big Sister are both on my side—Myahaha~~~"

Although she had won, because Garth had helped her so much, Shirushi didn't have the thick skin to further provoke Elsa.

"Wait a minute—Why?!"

Elsa was not convinced, she was certain her cooking wouldn't lose to this princess who had never cooked before.

There must be something wrong here!!

"Evie! Didn't my dish taste good?"

Yvonne looked at Elsa, shaking her head repeatedly and sighing.

"It tasted good... but you added too much chili to make it the way I like it, right?"

"Eh... Is that not okay?"

Elsa was very confused,

"Doesn't Evie like spicy food?"

"Why don't you try it yourself."

While Elsa wasn't paying attention, Yvonne stuffed a spoonful of her red hot fried rice into her mouth.

"—Too spicy!!"

Just from eating a small bite, Elsa felt like she was about to breathe fire.

"So... this is a restaurant catering to the general public, you need to make dishes that other people can accept too."

Not everyone has the same tolerance for spice as I do...

Yvonne smiled wryly as she poured a glass of camel deer milk for her partner who had been overwhelmed by the spiciness.

"Uuu..."

After drinking it down to dilute some of the lingering spiciness on her tongue, she could finally manage to speak.

She must have been solely focused on satisfying Yvonne while cooking.

Whether it's cooking or in bed, she always thinks too much about Yvonne.

"It's alright, leave the cooking to me from now on. Of course, if you want to cook for me, I'll be more than happy to eat it all."

Yvonne patted her head,

Whether it's people or food, she would accept everything.

"Evie~~~~"

Watching Elsa throw herself into Yvonne's arms,

Garth clasped his hands together in their direction.

Sister, just spoil her.

"Garth... are you praying?"

Shirushi was very confused.

"No... I'm thanking the yuri goddess."

Thank you for the feast today as well!

·

"Princess Shirushi! I've finally found you!!"

When the frantic royal knight found this restaurant, it was already evening.

Happy times always pass quickly,

Before leaving, Shirushi seemed to remember something and asked Garth with a serious face.

"By the way... this restaurant offers external services... right?"

Remembering the chef dispatch service Garth had promised her before, Garth quickly bowed.

"Yes, Your Highness, are you giving an order?"

"Then... if I want to eat the food from here next time... can I request you specifically?"

Garth was stunned for a moment.

"D-Don't misunderstand! I just want to eat interesting food like today again... and cooking with you was fun... so..."

Strange...

Very strange!

This is the first time I've felt so nervous...

What exactly is this feeling—

"Of course."

Just as Shirushi was feeling anxious, she opened her eyes to see the young knight in front of her smiling,

"If Your Highness wants to eat, I will come to your side at any time."