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Beast Tamer Who Got Kicked Out From the Hero’s Party Chapter 83

CHAPTER 83 DINING TOGETHER

Since it was already dark outside, we went back to the inn for the day.

We signed a contract for the house, but we still had to properly clean it and get it ready, so we couldn’t move in right away.

And then on the next day.

The next day, we all started cleaning the house early in the morning.

We cleaned the house from one corner to another with tremendous force and pace, our goal to not let even a single speck of dust escape.

Finally, the furniture we bought in town was brought in and the move was officially complete.

「Ooohh!!」

When Tina saw the house that looked completely different from what it used to be only yesterday, she let out a voice that sounded really impressed.

「I had no idea that this house was actually so beautiful!」

「Wait…… You settled here even earlier than we did and you had no idea about it!?」

「Well, I mean, it’s hard to move things around when are on your own, you know? Not to mention being a ghost…… That is why I was only performing the bare minimum of cleaning to keep the place somewhat presentable.」

「Oh, I see.」

I guess that’s actually true. There are some things that become really troublesome when you are a ghost.

「But, from now on, we can all share the responsibilities for the household chores. So you are no longer alone in that, Tina.」

「Yeah! You can say that again!」

Smiling brightly, Tina laughed.

***

Then came the first night in our new home.

We all sat around the table and it was time for us to eat.

「Sorry for keeping you waiting!」

「Tonight, I decided to go all out!

Tina and Luna brought the food to the table.

Since the two of them were the most skilled when it comes to cooking, it was decided that we should leave the meal preparations to them.

「Ooohhh!! Oooooohhhhhh! Nyaaaaaahhhhhh~! ♪」

Kanade’s eyes sparkled with joy.

From that kind of reaction coming from her, it was pretty easy to guess just what kind of food our two cooks prepared for tonight.

「This looks amazingly delicious!　Did you really prepare all this all by yourselves, Tina and Luna!?」

「Welp, we certainly did.」

「Umu! Now witness the fruits of our labor!」

「Wow, that’s amazing. It smells so good and it looks so appetizing!」

It was hard to believe that even this morning Kanade was still somewhat afraid of Tina.

But she was no longer afraid right now, and she was talking to her very openly.

The power of appetite surely is great.

…… Or could it be that Kanade was simply easy to manage?

Honestly…… I feel like it’s the combination of both of those factors.

「…… Hm? What’s the matter, Rein?　You’re not going to eat it? Don’t worry, I made sure that Sora would not be able to approach anywhere near the kitchen, so you can rest assured that the food is completely delicious and edible!」

「…… Luna? What the hell was that supposed to mean?」

「Don’t worry about it. It’s a secret.」

「Okay, everyone! Let’s eat before it gets cold! You two, take a seat as well.」

Once Tina and Luna were seated, we all clasped our hands together.
All seven of us chanted “Let’s eat!” in unison and we reached out for the various dishes that were present on the table.

「Oooh!」

For now, I took a sip of the soup right in front of me.

It had a strong vegetable flavor to itself and a gentle taste to it.

「Who made this soup?」

「Oh, that would be me.」

「It’s really good. It’s so soothing…… I could drink it all the time if I was able to.」

「Oh, yeah?　It’s embarrassing to hear you say that…… Hehe…… Hehehehe……」

「This meat! Who is responsible for this meat!?」

Kanade asked while her mouth was all sticky with the meat juices and the sauce that was dripping from it.

Her ears twitched and her tail wagged as if to show that she was in a really good mood.

「Oh, that would be me as well. The key is to dip the meat in the secret sauce and take a long time to cook it, so that the sauce permeates the meat thoroughly.」

「Ohhh! I see! Yes, it’s so good! Oh so good! ♪」

「Hahaha, why thank you.」

「Umm…… Can I please…… have some more?」

「Of course. Here you go.」

Tina made a waving gesture and a plate of meat floated fluffily out of the empty kitchen, with the meat sitting right on top of it.

Kanade shuddered, but her appetite seemed to win out over her fear, and she quickly reached for the meat and began to devour it with relish.

I was a little worried about whether or not those two would be able to get along……

But from the looks of things, it should be okay.

「This salad is really delicious. The dressing, I’ve never had it before…… Is this your doing, Luna?」

「Umu, that’s right. It’s my very own special salad.」

「What kind of stuff did you use in it?」

「Well, it’s mostly made out of wild berries. I added some seasoning to them and arranged them to be easier to eat, and that’s about it.」

「Hee, you’re really skillful when it comes to cooking.」

「I mean, our staple food is vegetables. If you ask me to make you a salad, there is no one who can do it better than me. On the other hand, I don’t like to cook meat all that much. You would be better to ask someone else for that.」

「…… Oh, I see. That’s the way it works, huh?」

「……………」

Suddenly, I noticed that Nina’s hands had stopped moving.

「…… Nina? What’s wrong?」

「…… Huh?」

「Could it be that the food is not to your liking?」

「Oh my, is that so? Hmm, I understand, but Nina-chan, you can’t be a picky eater, you know? That way you will never possibly grow as big and as strong as I am.」

「Luna, you aren’t exactly “big and strong” yourself, you know?」

「And I don’t need you to remind me of that, Sister Dearest.」

「No, I mean…… It’s not that, it’s just…… Uhhh…… I can’t really explain it all that well……」

Nina spoke in a faint tone, as if she was currently looking at something that was absolutely dazzling.

「This dinner…… it’s been so much fun…… It’s been a really long time…… since I last had…… so much fun…… That’s why it feels weird to me…… Not because I don’t…… like the dishes, but…… I’m just happy. I’m happy to have fun…… but it’s just so unrealistic…… because I’ve given up a lot of things before……」

「I see.」

「A-Ahh! N-No, I’m sorry…… I don’t know…… what I’m even talking about anymore……」

「You don’t have to apologize for anything, Nina.」

「Yes. Don’t let those things bother you.」

Sora, sitting next to her, gently hugged Nina.

Nina’s tail twitched and started to wag slowly.

She seemed to be able to gradually calm down.

「Sometimes…… I think……」

「…… Yes?」

「I’m just…… so happy to have…… met everyone… and I feel really…… grateful for that……」

「Sora, too! I feel so happy that I have met you, Nina!」

「Me too!」

「And me as well.」

「Don’t forget about me.」

Everyone started to reassure Nina.

It hasn’t been that long since we have met Nina.

But time has nothing to do with it.

We have been through so much together in that short amount of time.

I believe that we have a strong bond with each other, no matter what.

「Sora knows exactly how you feel, Nina.」

「R-Really……?」

「In some ways, I thought Sora and Luna were similar to you, Nina. The part where Rein saved you and took you to see the outside world. We have been there before. So we do know exactly how it feels.」

「In more ways than one, we owe it to Rein for saving us. Who knows what would have happened to us if we had never met him.」

「Is that…… is that so……?」

Nina’s eyes opened wide in shock as she listened to Sora and Luna’s story.

At this point, she managed to completely calm down.

Right now she was completely different from how she used to be when we first met.

That Nina has come to smile so much……..

Seeing her like that made me feel really happy.

「…… You know what, Rein?」

「Yeah?」

「Uh, well, how should I put it……? T-Thank you…… very much……」

With a slight crimson stain on her cheeks, Nina flashed me a smile.

「It’s thanks to you…… that I was able to…… smile and laugh again…… so I’m really…… grateful to you……」

「I see.」

「So…… You know…… Thank you……」

「You actually helped yourself there, Nina. So no need to thank me.」

「No…… If it wasn’t…… for your help, Rein…… I don’t think I would have…… been able to do it…… That is why…… I am so grateful to you……」

「…… You’re welcome.」

The straightforward gratitude directed at me all of a sudden……

I won’t lie. It was actually pretty embarrassing.

「Rein…… Sora is also pretty grateful to you.」

「Me too.」

Me too, of course……」

「I’m glad you’ve helped me, but also that you’ve brought Sora and the others into the fold as well.」

「That’s how we got to know the outside world. If we had stayed in the forest, we would have remained as shut-in for all eternity.」

「Luna, you really don’t have to drive the point that we were shut-ins across every single time you get the opportunity.」

「But isn’t that basically true?」

「Anyways…… We are all grateful to you. After hearing Nina’s story, Sora and the others just wanted to reiterate that…… So yes, thank you so very much.」

「Thank you!」

「…… Yes. Thank you all for saying that. It means a whole lot to me.」

I feel that there was a bond forming between Nina and everyone present.

You couldn’t really see it, but it was definitely there.」

「Now that sounds really nice…… Think that I can hope to become like this with you one day?」

「Well, for someone being able to cook up such delicious meals, I don’t see why not……」

「What evidence do you have for that?」

「My instincts!」

「It’s not nearly enough!」

「Then it’s my intuition!」

「That’s hardly different from your previous statement!」

Everyone laughed as Kanade and Tania talked to each other.

Just like that, the evening simply flew by while everyone was having fun together.

For a while, there was a bright smile on everyone’s faces.