Season 2 Bonus Anime Episode "Cats and the Taste of Royal Family" (Part 1)

Season 2 Bonus Anime Episode "Cats and the Taste of Royal Family" (Part 1)

One Sunday afternoon.

The winter air was crisp, my breath a little white. I walked alongside the hero through the shopping district, fiddling with the end of my scarf.

I was wearing my casual clothes after a recording session. A knee-length skirt, tights, a fluffy knit sweater, and a beige coat. My feet were comfortable short boots.

The hero, on his day off, was wearing his usual attire of a casual coat and jeans. His black scarf suited him perfectly.

My goal today was to buy a travel guidebook.

When I met the hero at the beach, he said, "I'm thinking of going on a trip again." However, it had been about three months since then, and he still showed no signs of setting off. At this point, I finally realized.

This guy hasn't decided where he wants to go at all.

Well, I figured I'd just went through a thick travel guide and decide. That's how things went today.

We'd already acquired several guidebooks, but for some reason, the hero only wanted to buy books about places he could return to in a day. It seemed he'd forgotten his sense of adventure in this world.

So I secretly slipped some carefully selected books into his basket. They were all about long tourist spots, with the standard itinerary lasting six days and five nights. He'd be surprised when he got home.

"It's so lively out here! It's like a festival."

Winter sale flags hung at equal intervals in the shopping arcade, and the sweet smell of croquettes and roasted sweet potatoes wafted through the air. I was intrigued and fidgety.

The hero shrugged.

"Well, that's how it is on weekends, isn't it?"

As he spoke, a paper bag suddenly appeared in his hand. He must have bought it when he left earlier, saying "Wait a moment."

...What is that?

But I think it's probably food.

No, I'm sure it is.

I hope so.

As I was thinking about this, a shadow appeared from the side of the greengrocer's.

"Ah..."

A fluffy cat, a mix of white and light brown.

The cat walked straight to my feet and rubbed its head against the hem of my coat.

"Hello. What's wrong?"

I crouched down and stretched my fingers out, and in the cold air, its small body was surprisingly warm. Its fur was so soft, it felt like my palm was slowly melting just by touching it.

The cat narrowed its eyes and purred.

It showed no particular interest in the hero. It glanced briefly, then quickly came lurching toward me again.

"Cats have always liked you, haven't they?"

The hero said in a slightly exasperated voice.

"...I wonder?"

Continuing to stroke him, I tilted my head, and the hero smiled with a nostalgic look on his face.

"You know, there was a time when we was helping out at the inn. They all flocked at you too back then."

"Yeah, that happened..."

I narrowed my eyes as I combed the cat's fur with my fingers.

A small inn in the mountains. The owner seemed busy.

The day we all borrowed aprons and helped out.

The smell of the bustling dining room from that night suddenly came back to me.

My breath turned a little white.

...That's right. There were lots of cats there back then, too.

 ★

It was during our journey to defeat the Demon King.

The sun was just beginning to set when we arrived at a small inn nestled along a mountain road.

A two-story wooden building stood beside a cobblestone road. It seemed they'd just filled up, as a "Fully Booked" sign hung outside. Still, a sense of busyness filtered through the windows.

Apparently, there was a festival tomorrow in a nearby village. No wonder there were so many guests.

"We're short-staffed..."

The innkeeper, coming out to greet us, gave a wry smile, sweat trickling down his forehead.

When I asked, I learned that one of the regular staff members had returned home because his parents were ill. Trying to fill the gap with his wife, he ended up twisting his own arm and wrapping it in bandages. 

Peeking into the dining room, plates were piling up, orders were piling up, guests were waiting, and occasional screams could be heard from the kitchen. It was a small inn, so there seemed to be only about ten guests, but they were remarkably understaffed.

"... At this rate, things will never calm down."

The princess muttered, frowning slightly.

The hairpin loosely tying her golden hair swayed in the light.

As for the swordsman, he silently glanced around the dining room and kitchen.

His eyes were the same as when he was watching the battlefield, assessing the situation.

I made eye contact with the hero.

The hero looked my way and shrugged.

It seemed we were all thinking the same thing.

I took a step forward and gently raised my hand.

"Would you like me to help you?"

The innkeeper's face lit up.

"Really?! That would be a big help!"

As if on cue, the hero, princess, and swordsman all nodded along.

•

•

"Well, would you like to try this on?"

The innkeeper brought out a pale cream-colored apron and a triangular scarf of the same color.

I accepted them with a small, "Ooh," in admiration.

...However, when I actually tried it on, it was a little big.

The waist string wasn't positioned right, and I couldn't reach it to tie it behind my back.

"Hmm... what...?"

As I spun around, the princess and hero both reached out from my side at the same time. Just a moment before me, the princess grabbed the string. The hero looked frustrated for some reason, while the princess, also triumphant for some reason, laughed and snickered, "Heh." 

Then, the Princess tugged on the string and deftly re-tied the excess.

Meanwhile, I rolled up my sleeves to my elbows. I placed the triangular bandana on my head and pinned my bangs in place to stop them falling down. Yeah, I think it looks pretty good.

"What do you think?"

I turned around, my apron fluttering, and the Hero looked as if he'd swallowed his words for just a moment.

"...Well, I guess it suits you."

He said this while looking away.

Hmm. Doesn't it really suit me? Now that I think of it, I might go to the boys' room tomorrow morning in this outfit and wake them up. I'll say something like, "Wake up, dear guest. It's morning."

Meanwhile, the Princess nodded coolly and said, "Not bad," while the Swordsman narrowed his eyes ever so slightly. So kind.

"All right, I'll do my best," I said, clasping my hands together.

And thus began the monumental task of helping out at the inn.

•

•

"So, what role will you play?"

As the hero began, the princess was the first to speak.

"I don't mind serving customers, though."

The moment she said this with a straight face, the hero's expression visibly became awkward.

"Well, wouldn't it be bad to get into an argument with the guests?"

"Hooh~ What do you mean?"

"That's exactly what I meant!"

"Huh? You're right."

Before things could get tense, the innkeeper hastily interjected.

"Um, um, well... if you could help out in the kitchen... I can't keep up with the cooking..."

"In that case, I'll do the cooking. If serving customers isn't an option, that's the only option, right?"

The princess said simply.

The swordsman's eyes widened slightly as he looked at her profile. 

Curious about what was going on, I quietly approached the swordsman.

"Princess, is she... is she a good cook?"

"No, I've never seen it before."

I got a short answer.

I had a slightly bad feeling.

"Um, Princess, I thought I should be the one to--"

"That's fine. I've eaten the best food, so of course I can cook well."

"Eating delicious food makes you a good cook." The princess had come up with a new theory. It was a huge one that could shake the world of chefs to its very core if not properly explained.

R-Really...? I might not agree with that...!

But the princess was full of enthusiasm and headed to the kitchen.

Hmmm. I completely missed the chance to stop her.

Next to the princess, the swordsman silently picked up a knife. The gleam of the blade signaled the start of preparations for the evening.

"Well, I'll go and see our guests."

Half-fleeing, I headed toward the dining room, clutching the hem of my apron. The Princess clearly had never done this before. If it came to this, I'd have to fix it if something came up...!

•

•

Then, about 20 minutes later, the Princess's voice rang out from the kitchen.

"It's ready. Please bring it over."

I gasped at the sight of the dishes presented to me.

Pureed vegetables beautifully arranged on small plates.

Clear amber soup.

Sautéed chicken with its skin cooked golden brown.

In short, the colorful dishes spread across the plate were like works of art.

The aroma was elegant, with soft notes of butter and herbs tickling my nose.

The princess bowed gracefully while lining up the silver spoons.

"Royal Dinner, Autumn Breeze Style. A taste worthy of the royal palace."

"As expected of a princess...!"

I proudly headed off to serve the food.

In the dining room, tired guests were picking up their dry teacups or tapping their fingers on the table to stave off their hunger.

But the moment they saw the "Royal Dinner" on their plates, a murmur rang out in the air.

"Wow..."

"Something amazing has arrived...?"

"This at a mountain inn...?"

A murmur spread. Perhaps because they were hungry, the question of why a royal dinner would be served at a mountain inn seemed low on their priority list.

"Sorry to keep you waiting. Here's today's special dish."

The guests leaned forward with each plate.

Everyone's eyes sparkled, like a child with a birthday cake placed in front of them.

Once the distribution was finished, everyone raised their spoons at once.

Anticipation. Cheers. I could even hear the growling of stomachs.

I stepped to the side of the dining room and secretly picked up a bite for myself. To think that she could make such a beautiful dish for her first time.

Princesses are amazing.

Well, time to take a bite. Aahh... hmm...  huh...?

.....

Silence.

The entire dining room fell silent, as if time had stopped.

The male customer in front of me stared intently at his soup bowl, and his hand, about to take a second bite, stopped dead in mid-air.

The woman sitting across from him frowned and muttered, "Huh?" under her breath.

At another table, a young traveler tilted his head.

A child in the back muttered, "Is it... spicy?"

The mother was confused, "No, it's not... no, wait, now it's spicy...? Huh?"

I understood everyone's feelings all too well.

For the first moment, it was certainly delicious.

The aroma was pleasant, and the flavor on the tongue was not bad.

... But then.

Multiple layers of flavors came flooding into my mouth like a flood.

Sweet, salty, bitter, sour, spicy...

Each flavor used their own unique style as a weapon, attacking the other.

Drinking the soup made the back of my throat burn,

Chewing the meat made my tongue tingle and go numb,

The aroma of fragrant herbs exploded in the back of my nose.

On my tongue, it was a taste where royal pride and violence seemed to coexist.

"... Is it... spicy...?"

"No, it's not... no, but... gah"

"Hey! If you drink this soup, it'll burn your esophagus!?"

Such voices began to ring out from the dining room.

Sweat began to trickle down the foreheads of all the diners in the dining room.

The princess, who had been watching the action in the dining room, brought a spoon to her mouth with a puzzled look on her face - and then, in the next moment, she stopped dead in her tracks.

"....."

She remained motionless for several seconds.

Suddenly, she became restless and stared at her food, muttering, "Huh?"

...You didn't even taste it, did you, Princess?

"They make this every day at the palace...?"

"Kings really are amazing..."

The traveler and the hero next to her muttered in exactly the same tone.

For some reason, they both looked strangely respectful.

As I waited for the right moment to take the food away, the Princess gently placed her spoon on the plate next to me.

And then—with the angle of her face still maintaining a dignified appearance, but her eyes completely wandering, she began to explain something to the customer. I watched nervously next to her.

"Well... this... is... right! It's the result of respecting the natural flavors to the fullest extent..."

"But saying that with respect ends up sounding like an insult to the ingredients, doesn't it?"

"I didn't know this, but chicken's natural flavor is its lethality...?"

"It's not like I forgot to taste it or anything. You know... they say at the royal palace, 'trust your ingredients'..."

"But didn't the ingredients you trusted betray you...?"

"If this is the result of your trust, then next time, you should be suspicious!"

"The heat was perfect... and the presentation was beautiful, right? Well, the taste... you know, 'royal flavor' can sometimes be quite spicy..."

"It certainly reminds me of the battles of my youth..."

"This... This is the taste of determination to live."

"... Stop! That's enough for now!"

I hastily raised my hand.

"P-Put it away! There was a slight mistake! This dish is still in progress!"

"In progress...?"

"No, isn't it already...  finished?"

"It feels like it's already as far as it can go..."

"No! There's still more to come!"

I half-shouted, gathering up the plates.

Then, with the questions and sweaty gazes of the customers at my back, I sprinted back to the kitchen.

Should I force it to simmer with seasonings? No, wait. This is the perfect time to use magic...!

With my wand in one hand, I gently touched the plate.

Smoothing the contours of the flavor, little by little subtracting only the clashing elements.

This magic adjusts the "flavor itself," something that can't be achieved with just adding salt.

And so, "Royal Dinner: Autumn Breeze Ver. 2" was safely brought back into a world that the human tongue could just about understand. 

Unbelievable as it was, blue magic was needed to change the taste. As expected of the royal family.