The next day, Mejiro Ardan arrived as promised. Glancing at the bags of ingredients in her hands, she steeled her resolve.
She'd heard the saying—to win a man's heart, you must first win over his stomach. Though Dream Weaver was a girl, Mejiro Ardan felt the principle probably still applied.
In this kind of remote, deep mountain setting, if she could prepare a truly delicious meal for her, maybe she could breach the other's defenses. Only by opening a dialogue could they ever hope to resolve their differences.
Thinking that these ingredients might be her last hope to break the deadlock, Mejiro Ardan's grip on the bags tightened unconsciously.
Her knuckles turned pale from the force, like a drowning person clinging to their only piece of driftwood, terrified that if she loosened her grip even slightly, the chance would slip right through her fingers.
But when she finally made it up the mountain and caught sight of that dilapidated northern-style mansion, a plume of white smoke suddenly caught her eye in the sky above.
A dreadful suspicion sprouted and grew wildly in her mind, giving Mejiro Ardan no time to think—she just sprinted straight toward the source of the smoke.
Hearing the frantic footsteps behind her, Dream Weaver turned her head in puzzlement. She wasn't particularly surprised to see it was Mejiro Ardan, but she couldn't figure out why the other girl was drenched in sweat and wearing such a strange expression.
"What… are you doing?"
Mejiro Ardan stared at Dream Weaver's dust-smudged face, then at the smoldering earthen mound behind her. For a moment, she was at a complete loss for how to react. Her lips twitched slightly as she voiced her confusion almost involuntarily.
Dream Weaver, however, just gave her a puzzled look in return and stated matter-of-factly, "Cooking. What else?"
Rather than clearing things up, that reply only deepened Mejiro Ardan's confusion. She looked at Dream Weaver—face and hands covered in dust—then at the bizarre, unevenly shaped mud tower behind her, stacked haphazardly from large pieces to small.
She truly couldn't see what any of this had to do with cooking.
"Dream Weaver…"
Mejiro Ardan hesitated, stopped, then started again. After wrestling with herself for a good while, she finally managed,
"I don't think this is how cooking is supposed to work. I mean, sure, fire can cook food, but even for grilling, you need at least some technique…"
"If you just pile everything under dirt, all you'll get is charcoal…"
As she spoke, a pang of sorrow struck Mejiro Ardan's heart.
That's right. No matter how mature Dream Weaver might seem, in the end, she was still just a child. Back with the Northern family, she'd had her grandmother to look after her, and at the Mejiro residence, Mejiro Ardan had been the one cooking for her.
But how was she supposed to manage all on her own?
To achieve such remarkable results on the racetrack, she must have poured all her energy into training and competition. Mejiro Ardan had watched her train from dawn till dusk even before the Spring Tenno Sho—why hadn't she noticed this then?
The thought made Mejiro Ardan's eyes grow moist, and a slight nasal tone crept into her voice.
"It's alright, Dream Weaver. From now on, I'll take care of you! I won't let you eat burnt, ruined food like this ever again!"
Watching Mejiro Ardan—eyes red-rimmed, patting her chest as she made her vow—Dream Weaver was taken aback for a second. Then she gave a faint, somewhat speechless tug at the corner of her mouth.
She stood up immediately, kicked over the burning earthen mound, then picked up a nearby stick, charred black from the fire, and swept it across the pile to flatten it out more evenly.
Seeing this, Mejiro Ardan thought Dream Weaver had listened to her and was putting an end to this farcical attempt at cooking. She quickly wiped the corner of her eye and stepped forward, taking Dream Weaver's hand.
"Come on, where's the kitchen? I'll make you something delicious!"
As she spoke, she gently used her sleeve to wipe the dust from Dream Weaver's smudged cheeks, completely unconcerned about dirtying her own exquisite, elegant dress.
But Dream Weaver didn't respond. Instead, she quietly patted Mejiro Ardan's shoulder, signaling for her to sit down.
Though thoroughly bewildered, Mejiro Ardan chose to obediently follow Dream Weaver's direction.
She figured a girl Dream Weaver's age was bound to come up with all sorts of odd ideas. Their first meeting and conversation had been the same, and now was probably no different.
Mejiro Ardan had full confidence in her cooking skills—she could whip up a delicious meal in no time. So, it wouldn't hurt to humor Dream Weaver for a little while before starting on the food.
In fact, it might even help them grow closer.
Holding onto that thought, Mejiro Ardan sat down beside Dream Weaver with a mind to indulge her.
Watching Dream Weaver stare intently at the collapsed earthen mound, Mejiro Ardan began chattering away, using "how to cook" as her starting point.
She gently pointed out that Dream Weaver's method was likely to burn the ingredients and that building such a fire deep in the forest could be dangerous. But in the end, she praised the other girl's cleverness and creativity in an encouraging tone.
"It's alright, Dream Weaver. When I was your age, I couldn't have come up with such an inventive way to cook."
"We can try it a few more times later, under my supervision, somewhere safe. I'm sure you'll get it right."
As she spoke, Mejiro Ardan affectionately ruffled Dream Weaver's hair.
Dream Weaver didn't resist, allowing her head to be tousled back and forth.
When Mejiro Ardan finally finished talking, Dream Weaver stood up. Thinking she was ready to go eat, Mejiro Ardan quickly rose as well.
But instead of leaving as expected, Dream Weaver used the same stick from before to unearth several blackened, irregularly shaped spheres from the earthen pile.
Under Mejiro Ardan's puzzled gaze, she picked one up and, right in front of her, broke the potato in half.
Peeling away the charred outer shell revealed the golden, plump interior of the potato, roasted within the earthen mound. Its delicate texture glowed with a warm, honeyed sheen.
A wave of steam, carrying a rich, sweet aroma, wafted toward them. The hearty, distinctive fragrance of potato filled the air, drifting straight to Mejiro Ardan's nose.
In a bit of a daze, Mejiro Ardan accepted the potato Dream Weaver handed her. She took a dazed bite, then, guided by Dream Weaver, sprinkled on a bit of salt that had been set to the side.
Even after finishing the entire potato, Mejiro Ardan still seemed stunned. Staring at her hands, now stained black from the charcoal, she muttered to herself in disbelief,
"It's… actually delicious?!"
"There's sweet potato, too."
Dream Weaver dug out another irregular, oblong object from the mound and handed it to Mejiro Ardan. Then, expressionless, she pointed at the still-steaming earthen pile and added,
"And there's a chicken in there, too."
"You didn't really think I was an idiot, did you?"
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
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If you guys wanna check it out.