She Buys Meat Skewers

Ponzu easily cobbled together a satisfying spread, which Robin was happy enough to eat standing right in the kitchens. Ponzu finished cleaning up before joining Robin to eat an early breakfast. Before he tucked in, however, he glanced up at Robin with a gauging, hesitant expression.

"Out with it. Anyone with half a brain can see you've got something you want to ask." Robin ordered dryly.

"I've been seen through..." Ponzu chuckled, slightly embarassed. "It's nothing important."

"Obviously, or else you'd have already asked by now." Robin smirked.

"Then...are there many more recipes in your world?" Ponzu asked.

"...Of course there are! But, I wasn't training to be a chef, so I only know the more common recipes." Robin replied.

"These godly recipes are only common recipes!?" Ponzu exclaimed in surprise.

"Mmn. If it uses rare or expensive

ingredients then I didn't learn it. I wasn't aiming to be a chef, after all. Cooking is more of a hobby to me, you see. I enjoy it, but I'm not going to go out of my way to learn recipes that I won't even use." Robin replied.

"Then, comparing the ingredients from this world and yours, which do you think is better?" Ponzu asked.

"This world for sure." Robin replied in a heartbeat.

"Huh? Why?" Ponzu asked.

"While cooking is indeed leaps and bounds away from here, the quality of the food has dropped considerably. There are not many places where the food supply hasn't been tampered with, either using genetic modifications or covering the crops in pesticides that cause harm when built up inside the body." Robin sighed.

"This world, on the other hand, is more pure. Instead of using poison, you use magic wards to keep harmful insects away. Instead of tampering with nature, you work with it instead. This has helped you to preserve and even improve the taste of the foods you eat. They are strong due to that, and will not easily die to plant disease or rot." She explained.

"If that's so, then doesn't that mean that all this time, Teacher has been eating poisoned food!?" Ponzu asked.

"It's only dangerous when allowed to build up." Robin replied. "In fact, among my brother's belongings, there's probably the only natural plot of farming land left. But who knows how long it will last. The poisons used for centuries have already penetrated the earth's crust, poisoning once-pure springs, and corrupting the water table..."

Robin stared off into space, a serious, somewhat helpless expression on her face. "Yet no one sees that the food supply gradually being poisoned. The water supply is no good...at a certain point, even the air will become too hazardous to breathe. But no one wishes to address these problems.."

"Why?" Ponzu asked. "Isn't poisoned food a very serious matter?"

"Because those who own the food are only looking for profit. How to grow more, cheaper, faster, and how to cheaply prevent damages: that is what they are concerned with. They have no concern over whether their produce will be good for others in the end." Robin sighed, despondent, as she looked morosely at her plate. For a moment, she appeared like a weather-beaten adventurer staring dazedly into his mug of beer after a long arduous journey

"Listen, Ponzu. A Hero can protect a country from outside enemies. But it cannot save a people consumed by greed. Until they see the value in a clean food supply, they will not put any effort into changing the status quo."

"Such a shame..." Ponzu sighed.

Robin considered something for a long moment, then looked up. "You wanted to stand neck to neck with the top chefs in my world?" She asked.

"At the very least, I'd like to receive their guidance." Ponzu replied.

"Then..." Robin thought for a moment. She reached over and patted Ponzu on the shoulder. "Once I return, I'll find a way of sending you a professional's recipe book."

"What? you mean it!?" Ponzu exclaimed.

"Yeah. I mean it." Robin replied, smiling fondly before heading out of the kitchen.

Ponzu's face beamed as he danced about in delight for a moment. But his smile faded as the reality set in.

"Once he returns...which means...teacher will not be here then?" He said, in the empty kitchen as he looked in the direction Robin had left.

-----------

Robin slipped out of the house, intending on going for a look around town. So far, she hadn't seen anyone else out and about. So, she was pretty confident in not being noticed...that is, until...

"Ahem! Going somewhere, Young Hero?" A voice sounded from behind her. Robin sighed and turned around.

"Fest, you know you really should stop startling people like that. Those with weak hearts might die of shock, you know." She scolded lightheartedly.

"I am aware. However, aren't you going to go see young master Bastian before you leave?" He prodded, pointedly.

"I'm not leaving. I just wanted to take a look around town for a bit." Robin defended. "Besides, it's really early. It won't be too late to see him after he's had his breakfast." She reasoned.

"You're still avoiding him?" Fest asked, noting Robin's expression.

Robin stood silent, then sighed. "I guess it does look that way, huh..." She muttered, before looking up at Fest.

"You probably already know, but I knew him before. But, I only knew the him that was held captive. While I can't blame him, I also can't ignore my own feelings. For the time being, I want some time alone to come to terms with everything. I am not avoiding him. When I'm ready, I'll come and see him on my own. You can tell him that."

"Then, perhaps while you're out, you could go and see the three who've been waiting for you to recover." Fest suggested, accepting her answer for the time being. Might as well have her reduce the number of headaches Bastian needed to face.

"Three? ...Who?" Robin asked.

Fest smiled. "The Demon guardians, of course."

--------

"Yum~! There is something about cooked food that I just can't seem to get enough of!" Flit gushed as she took another bite out of her meat skewer.

"Weren't you going to go buy souvenires?" Marcus asked. "If you keep eating those, you won't have enough money for even a single toy."

"But I can't help it! They taste so good!" Flit protested.

"Dead food is ...unappetizing." Ruby gave her opinion.

"Geez! All right, fine! This next one will be the last one, okay?" Flit exhaled in exasperation.

"You said that ten skewers ago." Marcus pointed out.

"Et tu, Marcus?" Flit replied with tears in her eyes. Marcus sighed.

"Hurry it up. We've still got to head to Lave Mercantiles after this." He urged. "We've already given you enough time. Any more skewers and you won't be able to fly back to your flock's nesting grounds."

"Fine, fine! I got it..." Flit replied, looking heartbroken. As they were about to leave, a new customer wearing a hat came up to the food stall.

"One set of skewers for me." The person said before turning to look at the three demon guardians. "And three more sets for these three."

"What! Seriously!?" Flit replied, brightening up again. "You're treating us!? Yay~! You're a really good guy, mister!" She said, grabbing onto the person's hands happily into a handshake.

Marcus looked at the person with a somewhat cautious gaze. "Who are you?" He asked. His hand involuntarily drew near to the sword hanging from his human waist.

"Marcus, right?" The person asked. "And you must be Flit and Ruby." The other two widened their eyes in surprise. Ruby shyly shrank back behind Marcus.

"Certainly, those are our names. But, how do you know them?" Marcus admitted, frowning. He did not like the other person seeming so familiar with them while they were left in the dark.

"Now calm down. You and i have certainly never met before. However, I was given your names and description by someone else. I'm glad that my guess was correct and that I didn't get the wrong people."

Marcus put his hand upon his blade. "Do not dodge my question. Speak. Who. Are. You?" He said once again. He had no interest in getting caught up in the foolishness that humanity was known to create.

"Haha, how refreshingly straightforward." The person chuckled, lifting her head. "Hello. I'm Robin. I heard you are looking to meet me?"