Huh. It was good.

Yeah.

　Sheila and Asmo, who had finished their gohei mochi and grilled onigiri, said with a satisfied look on their faces.

''Soy sauce and miso, they were both delicious.

Just pouring it over a grilled rice ball or a bowl of rice cake makes a huge difference.

'Just putting some vegetables on the miso would be pretty tasty.

Oh, that's great. If it was a fresh vegetable, it would go well with the strong taste of miso!

　Asmo and Sheila-san have a hushed conversation while me and Thor ponder the upcoming negotiations.

　Sheila-san is still, but Asmo has a look on his face that says he's completely irrelevant.

　Well, that's actually true, but I think it's okay if he shows a little more willingness to cooperate with us.

　While thinking about that, I clear my throat to regain my composure.

'It's time to talk about what we talked about earlier, if that's okay with you?

'Okay. Um, what was it again?

　I say with a revision, Sheila asks me with a sly smile.

　She looks completely satisfied after eating a good meal in a comfortable temperature.

　If Thor or Asmo had laughed like this and said something stupid, I would have lightly shielded them, but the reason why that kind of feeling doesn't occur is because it's Sheila-san.

''........me and Thor's request.

'Oh!　It was!　So what is it that Master Alfried and Thor are asking for?

　Is this understanding and falling in love with it?　Sheila's acting to maintain her dominance?　　

　I can't read any information from Sheila, who wonders but tilts her head in wonder.

　How in the world do we proceed?

　I'm looking at Sheila's expression, and Thor, who is next to me, says with a toothless look on his face.

I'm not going to be able to say that it's a request. You know, just before, me and Al were arguing about it...

'Oh!　That's a bad thing to say about Emma and Lady Elinora!

　Sheila says with conviction.

　After all, she could hear our conversation.

"By asking, do you mean you want me to keep quiet about it?

Well that's what it's all about, isn't it?

　Thor answers for me.

　.........I don't know what it is, but right now I have the feeling that the initiative is being taken by Sheila-san.

　If we don't seize the initiative and keep Sheila-san's mouth shut, we'll probably have the seeds of betrayal later on.

　We want to take the initiative and get the upper hand.

''Even though it's summer, we used ice magic to provide Sheila-san with a comfortable place and served her delicious food with exotic seasonings!

''Well I think it's unfair to say things like that after I've eaten, don't you?

　I say a little high-handedly, and Sheila says with a miffed look on her face.

'It's a matter of negotiation. I mean, it was Sheila-san who proceeded that way. I was originally going to offer you a bargain as soon as Sheila-san took a bite.

Ah!　That means if I didn't shake my head, you were going to take away the grilled onigiri and gohei mochi!

　The brain's ability to guess so much with a single word from me.

　Sheila, who gives the impression of being absent-minded, is also a woman from the village of Koliat. This is something to be reckoned with.

　With my mind raised one level of caution, I said with a relaxed expression

Now, what are we talking about?　But didn't Sheila say that first?　'Just let me stay on the edge,' he said. So I didn't even have to serve you the food, you know?

I helped with the cooking, didn't I?

That was just Sheila asking me to do it for her, so it's none of my business.

　Huh, it's easy to think that just by helping out a little bit with the cooking, I can get myself to cook, etc.

　No one said anything about letting Sheila-san eat the food.

''Mu~, I think I understand what Elinora-sama meant when she said Alfried-sama was sly.

　Sheila-san says while puffing out her cheeks.

　I mean, Elinora-sister, I hope you won't spread false rumors about me being sly or something.......

　Thanks to you, Sheila-san has given me a strange misunderstanding.

''There's something about Al that makes him look like a merchant.

　I'm a nobleman. What does Thor think of me?

'It's true. It's true, he's very cautious and disgusting.

　Does that mean I'm a jerk?

　Anyway, I'll tie up Thor and Asmo later.

'After all the above, Sheila won't tattle on the bad things that me and Thor said about my sister. That's how we can close this deal.

''That favor was all done by Master Alfried, are you sure?

　

　I was the one who used ice magic to make the room cooler, and I was the one who brought Kagura's seasoning as a souvenir. I did most of the cooking, and I guess Thor only grabbed his own rice balls and grilled them?

　I'm beginning to wonder why Thor, who has spent only that much effort, and I, who have worked so hard on so many things, are on the same terms.

'Hey, Al!　Don't be confused!

'No, but if you ask me, you're right and...'

...We're all in this together, aren't we?

　Thor says as he puts his hand on my shoulder.

　I don't think I've ever found those words more annoying than today.

'Ah!　God!　Wake up, Al!　This is Sheila's trap!　He's trying to tear us apart and turn things in his favor!　What's the point of us splitting up here, right?

Yeah, right!

　It's true that Thor is right. There's nothing to be gained by us falling out of favor here.

　Even if one of us or Thor betrayed you, you can betray your sister with a vengeance. The key here is for both of us to survive.

　Although that's what I think in my heart, it's also true that I have a feeling of inexplicability.

　d*mn you, Sheila! You have no idea that a single word can shake my heart to this extent....

　I try to keep my mind strong and straighten up my residence so that I can regain my composure.

It's mostly me, but that's okay. We have a deal, right?

Umm, by the way, are there only enough soy sauce and miso for that jar?

　Sheila says, looking at the soy sauce and miso jars in the kitchen.

'I'm going to give one soy sauce and one miso jar that size to the Thor family and one to the Asmo family.

'We have a lot of people who eat a lot, and it's the first time I've ever had a seasoning that's been tried and true, so I think I need a little more!

　As expected of Sheila, the cold air and the meal that is already over will not move her.

''Oh, you bastard!　You're trying to extort me!

　Thor, who took Sheila's words to heart, leaned forward and exclaimed.

''Huh?　I kind of want to see Emma~

Hey, hey!　That's not what you're talking about, is it?

Relax, Thor. It's time for the next round of negotiations.

What?

　I stopped the furious Thor with my hand to calm him down, and he sat down with a strange look on his face.

　This guy is a genius if you can get him to think of something cunning, but he's not very good at this kind of negotiation thing.

'Why is this the next negotiation?　Cold air and food will take care of that, right?

I do. But they have a definite weakness on our side. It's only natural for them to want to make a little profit.

"d*mn it!　This is why women are.........

　I'm afraid Thor's first words are going to be replayed exactly as he said them.

　It's frustrating, but it's inevitable.

　This is where we're trying to find a compromise with each other.

''Well, what if we add an extra soy sauce pot and a miso pot to Sheila's house?

Hmmm, one more word!

'I don't know if that would be difficult. 'It takes a week in a horse-drawn carriage and a week on a boat,' he said. The price of the soy sauce and miso itself is high, and I don't have the whole quantity. Realistically, all I can give away is what I've just offered.

　The truth is, it can be done in an instant in transition, and over there soy sauce and miso are mass-produced and relatively commonplace prices. The amount I save in the mansion isn't that much, but I'm also saving a lot of money through spatial magic.

　The real fact is that's about it, but I didn't show any of that on my face and made a strong argument.

''........Could this be.......if you think about it realistically, isn't this a huge price to pay?''

　Thor lifted the soy sauce jar fearfully.

'It's important that the people in there properly value it, but if you take it to the right place, it could be worth a pretty good price.

Oh, oh. Thank you for such a delicious and precious gift.

"...It's kind of weird when Thor thanks you for changing your mind about something.

'Nah!　I could at least thank you!

　I can't be sorry, though.

'Sis, please give him a break from all this.

　Asmo, who had been silent until now, finally tried to quiet Sheila-san.

　I mean, if you can do that, do it faster.

　If Asmo had asked sincerely from the beginning, he could have managed it.

''That's right~. And I'm indebted to Alfried-sama on a daily basis.''

　If that's what you think, I wanted you to shut up unconditionally from the beginning.

　What a mind-blowing poke in the eye, let's hold off on that. It's more important that it ends without any worries.

''Well, I guess we have a deal to make!

Yes!

　I extended my arm and Sheila smiled and put her hand on top of mine.

'Whew, that'll keep us safe.

Yes.

　As me and Thor let out a breath of relief, we heard the door open from the front door.

'Hey Thor, Asmo!　You guys still need to take a break!　It's time to get back to work--what a cool place to be!

'What?　Mom, what do you mean it's cooler in the house!



　Afterwards, Murat and sister Emma came in to cool off, but Sheila, who was there, was taking it easy without tipping her off about the bad news.



　◆


''Well sis, you didn't actually hear any of the bad things Al and Thor said, did you?''

Heh, did you get it?　I could hear them shouting something next to me, but I had no idea what it was about.

'I knew it. Because the look on my sister's face when we were negotiating was the look you get when you don't know anything.

But it's good, right?　I have more soy sauce and miso to use at home!　Asmo knew that too, so you didn't tell him, right?

Yes, now I can eat a lot of grilled onigiri and gohei mochi at home.