I Was Caught up in a Hero Summoning, but That World Is at Peace

<Author's Notes>

Happy New Year. I hope you enjoy both this year and my novel.

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In the usually underutilized, spacious garden, lively voices echoed.

[Hina-chan, listen here, okay? Gently, gently now……]

[Leave it to me! EI!!!]

[Too fast and strong!? Tone it down more……]

With an energetic voice, Hina-chan brought the pestle down, creating a loud sound with a speed and power unimaginable from her youth.

Specializing in Body Strengthening Magic, Hina-chan's physical abilities, even when restrained, were far beyond those of an average adult male…… Aoi-chan, who was in charge of mixing the mochi, was pale from the overwhelming speed of the mallet.

[Hou~~ As expected of a pro, you're so skilled. If I helped, I'd just get in the way. Maybe I should leave the zouni-making to Kaori.]

[I don't mind. After all, I'm technically a professional chef. I'm used to cooking for large groups, so this number of people is no problem for me alone…… Wait, Akane-san, what are you taking out there?]

[Well, I thought I'd leave the zouni to you and make some takoyaki……]

[Takoyaki for New Year's!?]

[Why not? Takoyaki is delicious anytime…… Alright, let's add mochi in……]

Elsewhere, Kaori-san was making zouni while Akane-san, who had pulled out the takoyaki maker she'd received from Eden-san, began making takoyaki.

Since it was New Year's, it was decided that we’d take the opportunity to hold a New Year's gathering with fellow folks from the same homeworld. All the Otherworlders living in Trinia were gathered in the garden of my home, the venue for today.

[Seigi-kun, what are you preparing over there?]

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[Eh? Ahh, I'm slicing toasted mochi into smaller pieces and putting them on bread with pizza sauce, cheese, and salami to make a kind of mock pizza……]

……Is this guy a genius? I never thought of combining mochi with pizza sauce, but the idea of a mochi pizza sounded really delicious.

While marveling at Seigi-kun's creativity, I mashed sweet potatoes to make kurikinton. We aren't making a full-fledged osechi meal, but I was preparing various dishes with a New Year's feel.

(T/N: Kurikinton (Candied Chestnuts and Mashed Potatoes) is a staple in osechi ryori, a box filled with a variety of traditional Japanese New Year's dishes.)

Of course, not everyone was cooking. If everyone joined in, as expected, there’d be too many hands. Shigenobu-san and my parents were taking it easy.

Incidentally, Shigenobu-san and Dad were currently playing shogi, while Mom and Hannah-san watched.

[……Guh, w- wait.]

[Fufu, alright. How many moves back?]

[……Eight, please. Man, Kazuya-san, you're strong at shogi……]

Unlike me, Dad was generally skilled at board games, and apparently, he had even won a small shogi tournament in the past. Though not at a professional level, he claimed to be significantly better than the average person. �

[Hmm, maybe I should help out after all……]

[……Akari-san, I’m not familiar with the rules of shogi, so if you could explain them……]

[Oh, right. I can’t just leave Hannah-san behind, either.]

By the way, one of the reasons why my mom wasn’t involved in the cooking was that she had a unique problem with it. She wasn’t bad in the sense of making terrible-tasting dishes or adding strange tweaks, and she followed the measurements correctly but…… when it came to things like grilling or mixing, her sense was catastrophically off. The result was that she always ended up making dishes that were, in some inexplicable way, just not very tasty.

Hannah-san, who had probably heard about this from Dad, was skillfully stopping Mom from getting involved in the cooking.

On a different note, my mom was terribly bad at board games. It wasn’t like me, where I had no sense for it at all, but rather that she just wasn’t good at games that require thinking.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

She had been in sports clubs throughout middle and high school, and despite her small build, she preferred active sports over anything that involved using her head.

[……Alright, I think the kurikinton is done. Seigi-kun, do you need any help?]

[No, I’m almost done here too.]

[Okay, then I’ll go help Neunn-san.]

[Got it.]

After speaking to Seigi-kun, I moved to help Neun-san, who was cooking elsewhere. Naturally, Neun-san was part of the all-Otherworlders gathering.

When I first brought Neun-san along, Akane-san and the Shigenobu couple were quite shocked, but I got told "……I get why you couldn’t tell us before, but can I punch you once anyway?" by Akane-san.

Neun-san was grilling a whole sea bream and cooking a little apart due to the cooking equipment. When I approached, I found her in a kappōgi apron.

[Neun-san, we’re almost done over here. Do you need help?]

[Help? I’m just about to finish things up here, so not really…… But since you're here, how about helping me taste-test…… How is it?]

[It’s great. The flesh is tender and delicious.]

[Glad you like it. Then it seems we’re all set.]

[By the way, Mom mentioned something about not eating sea bream on the first day……]

[Not eating sea bream? Oh, perhaps she was referring to nirami-tai?]

As I helped Neun-san clean up the cookware after taste-testing, I recalled what Mom had said and asked about it.

[Nirami-tai?]

[Yes, isn't Kaito-san's mother from Western Japan? I wouldn't say that this is the case everywhere there, but in Western Japan, there's a custom called nirami-tai, where a salted grilled sea bream is placed on the dining table and not touched during the first three days of the New Year, only to be reheated and eaten on the fourth day.]

[Heehhh, that's an interesting custom.]

[The way people spend New Year's can vary a lot by region, so there are probably many customs I'm not aware of. Now, let's bring the food.]

[Got it. I'll carry this…… Ah, no, sorry. I just realized there’s something else I need to take care of……]

[Oh, I see. If it's her, if it's not Kaito-san…… Just leave this side to me.]

I was about to carry the food with Neun-san, but as soon as I felt a presence and turned my gaze…… I saw Makina-san, looking like she wanted to join, gazing at us from a bit further away.

Now, what should I do…… As someone who loves her children, Makina-san must want to be part of this gathering where her children are all together. Still, maybe she’s trying to be considerate by not suddenly jumping right into the center?

[……No, it's not like that. After having a discussion with Shallow Vernal-sama, it was decided that neither Shallow Vernal-sama nor Makina would participate on their own. However, if invited by Kaito-san, then that's a different matter. It looks like she's giving you a hint that she wants to be invited.]

[……Ah, I see. So that’s how it is……]

Alice explained to me, and I fully understood. It seemed like Makina-san was trying to follow the agreement with Shiro-san, but she couldn’t quite let go of the desire to participate. I gave a wry smile while looking at her and spoke to Alice.

[Alice, sorry but……]

[Hahh…… fine, I get it. Just treat me to something later, okay?]

[Thanks, I appreciate it.]

It would be too cruel to exclude Makina-san from participating, but at the same time, if she joined in this situation, she’d definitely go wild.

So, I decided to handle it the same way we did at the previous ship party, telling Makina-san that it would be fine for her to join as Eden-san, but she’d need to follow the same precautions we used back then.

I do feel a bit apologetic to Alice, who would be the one to keep Makina-san in check if she started to go off the rails…… but it seemed like she genuinely wanted to fulfill her best friend's wish, so despite her wry smile, she agreed.

Well, like Akane-san and Kaori-san, the other Otherworlders seemed to have some admiration for Eden-san, so even if Eden-san joined, there would likely be no complaints.

Seeing Makina-san jump with excitement at my suggestion, I exchanged a glance with Alice and couldn’t help but smile wryly again.

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<Afterword>

Serious-senpai : [W- What!? Seigi-san got lines in such a short time…… So this must be the New Year's Miracle……]