Reincarnated in Another World at the Age of 82!? - Chapter 14, Chapter 15, Chapter 16

My Feelings
My feelings...

Are these the feelings of five-year-old me? Or of eighty-two-year-old me?

But no matter which, my feelings remain the same.

"I want to stay here, with the Lampail family. Even as someone with a Null attribute... even if I am oppressed, I want to accomplish something with these unorthodox skills! I don’t know yet what I can do, but... is that not allowed?"

"Alright. Then let’s think together about what you can do, okay?"

"Th-thank you! Father, I love you so much!"

I hugged Father tightly.

This reflexive action must be coming from the 'me' who’s emerged.

As a pure Japanese person, I’d normally be too embarrassed to hug someone like this on my own.

"Jo-Joan. Let’s think together too, okay? As women, we might come up with some unique ideas."

"Thank you! Mother, I love you so much too!"

Another tight hug.

"I-I’ll think with you too! Together, we can come up with ideas that adults might never think of!"

"Thank you, Brother Noel! I love you too!"

And another tight hug.

"I’ll, uh, I’ll come up with something too! Since we’re closest in age, I bet we’d have the most fun thinking together!"

"Heheh. Thank you, Brother Gene. I love you too!"

Yet another hug.

"My Lady, I happen to know things that the others may not. Shall we think together?"

“”””"!!!!!!!!””””"

"Thank you, Gray. I love you too!"

Hugging Gray tightly.

"G-Gray... even you?"

"My apologies."

Everyone is prioritizing my feelings.

What an amazing family I have.

Then... I wonder if they’ll let me cook if I say I want to?

Regret for not speaking up is worse than regret after trying, isn’t it?

Well, I’m sure it’ll work out somehow.

"Um, Father, may I make a request?"

"Hm? What is it?"

"I-I want to try cooking."

"Cooking? You?"

"Yes, is that not okay?"

"Mm~ but it’s dangerous, you know."

"I’ll listen carefully to what Abe and the others tell me. Please."

"Still, that’s a bit~”

"Why not? Let her try.”

Mother chimed in to support me.

"Hm, alright. Then, for today’s afternoon tea, try making something. We’ll taste it and decide after that."

"Th-thank you! I’ll do my best!!"

Yay! I did it~

For afternoon tea, it’ll be sweets, right? What should I make~

Cookies? Cupcakes? Sandwiches? Or maybe canapés? So many choices, I can’t decide~

As I mulled over what to make, everyone watched over me kindly.

----------

Let’s Go
---After lunch.

I immediately headed to the kitchen.

"Young lady~ what are you planning to make?"

Sarah asked me, brimming with curiosity.

"Um, I’m thinking cookies. They’re simple to make."

"That sounds great! I love cookies. Huh? Simple, you say... but have you made them before, Young lady?"

"Oh, w-well, I read about it in a book."

"A book? Do we even have such books here?"

"Well, it’s fine, isn’t it? Look, we’re here now. Excuse me! I’m coming in!"

Phew, that was close. I’m a five-year-old noble daughter—of course, I’ve never cooked before!

"Huh, Young lady? Is something wrong?"

Ah, Annie, the girl I met this morning, is here. How lucky!

"Well, I came here with a request. Is Mr. Abe here?"

"Um, the head chef is on break right now... but the sous-chef is here. Let me call him. Arthur~ Arthur~! Arthur~~!!"

"I hear you already! What is it, Annie...? Eh, Young lady? What brings you here? Did Annie mess something up again?"

"No, Annie hasn’t done anything wrong."

"See~ Why would you assume I did something~"

"Because it’s you. You always seem likely to."

The sous-chef’s words were harsh. Wait, even Sarah is nodding along.

Is Annie that kind of person?

"So, Young lady, why are you here?"

"Um, I have a request... I’d like to make the sweets for afternoon tea myself. I have my Father’s permission, of course."

"”Eh!!””

Well, their shock is understandable.

"So, what are you planning to make?"

"Cookies."

"Cookies, huh. Do you know what ingredients you need?"

"Yes. Flour, sugar, and butter."

"(She knows...?) Alright."

"Really? Then..."

"But there are conditions."

"Conditions?"

"Yes. First, you must tell me what you’re planning to do before you act. Second, if there’s anything you don’t understand, consult with me immediately."

Ah, proper communication and consultation. That’s essential.

"Understood. Thank you. Um, could you tell me your name?"

"Ah, I’m Arthur. I’m the sous-chef."

"Thank you, Mr. Arthur."

"Alright then. Let’s assign someone to assist you... wait, where’d he go? Hey, Ben!"

"Yeah, yeah, I’m here~ What’s up~?"

"Young lady wants to make cookies. You’ll assist her."

"The Young lady? Making cookies? Seriously?"

Thwack.

Oh, Mr. Arthur hit him on the head.

Annie and Sarah, don’t laugh... you’re making me want to laugh too.

"Hehehe. Yes, seriously! I want to surprise my Father and the others! Please help me... uh, Mr. Ben?"

"Ah, yes, Ben’s my name. Let’s surprise your family, Young lady. Now, to the pantry! Let’s go!"

"Ohh~!!"

“”"!!!””"

"Are you sure that Ben is not a bad influence on Young lady?"

"Don’t say that, Annie. I already regret assigning him."

"But Young lady seems happier. She’s smiling so much more than before."

Sarah had known Joan since she was one, while Sarah herself was eight. Their long relationship made it easy for Sarah to notice how lively Joan seemed as she prepared to bake cookies.

When Joan collapsed during the baptism ceremony and returned home, everyone was genuinely worried. They’d heard she was shocked by being classified as having a Null attribute. When she woke up, there were fears she might throw another tantrum.

But things were different. In fact, Sarah couldn’t quite explain it, but Young lady had changed. She ate without fuss, slept and woke early, and treated everyone with kinder words and manners. And now, she’d asked to cook of her own volition.

Even now, Joan headed toward the pantry with Ben, her joy evident even from her back.

Lord and Lady Lampail had instructed everyone to let Joan do as she pleased for now. Sarah followed those orders.

But secretly, she couldn’t help but feel excited to see what this somewhat different Joan would do next. It was a little secret she kept to herself.

----------

Master and Disciple
Entering the pantry for the first time, I was thrilled.

From floor to ceiling, shelves were packed with ingredients.

Glance, glance, glance...

"Pfft. Young lady, is it that fascinating?"

"Well, this is my first time in here. And there are so many ingredients! With all of this, I feel like I could make anything."

"Anything, huh? Like what?"

"Ah... Actually, when I told Father I wanted to cook, he said if I made something delicious for afternoon tea, he'd allow me to cook more in the future..."

"No way! So the cookies you're about to make are like a test?"

"Ah, you're right—they are a test."

"Then you'd better give it your all."

"Yes! For the sake of my future!!"

"!! (Wait, what?! A life-determining test?! No one told me it was this serious!)"

Not just Ben—neither Arthur nor Annie realized Joan was cooking for anything beyond casual curiosity.

"Well, uh, first we’ll gather the ingredients. If you’re serious about cooking in the future, you’ll need to know your ingredients. And not just their names, but their quality too. Being a chef isn’t just about making food, you know. (Ugh, am I pushing too hard? But if she’s serious about this, even as a noble, I need to teach her properly...)"

Despite his casual tone, Ben was serious about cooking. That’s why Arthur had chosen him to assist Joan.

"I understand."

"Alright, then. Let’s start by finding the ingredients for the cookies!"

"Okay!"

Alright, let’s see—flour, sugar, and butter...

The butter must be in the kitchen refrigerator. Sugar—this looks right. But the flour... Hm, I can’t tell the difference between the powders. The packaging doesn’t say anything. What should I do?

Ah, this is a job for my skill! My Assist skill has no incantation requirement, so I’ll just think (Search).

Oh my, oh my, oh my, how convenient~!

Cake flour, all-purpose flour, bread flour, potato starch, cornstarch... Everything’s here!

"Here are the flour and sugar. And the butter is in the refrigerator, right?"

"Y-yes, correct. You’re pretty sharp. (Wait, what?! She can tell the flours apart? I still get them wrong sometimes. It must’ve been a lucky guess... right?)"

"Thank you, Master!"

"M-Master?!"

"Yes! Since you’ll be teaching me all sorts of things, I figured ‘Master’ was appropriate. Would you prefer ‘Teacher’ instead?"

"N-no, Master’s fine. Alright then, my disciple. Back to the kitchen we go! I’ll teach you a lot, but I’m strict. Can you keep up?"

Ben turned out to be a mix of casual, serious, and surprisingly easy to win over.

"Hehe. Yes, Master! I’ll keep up with you!"

Returning to the kitchen, we found the butter, completing the ingredients for the cookies.

"For now, I won’t say anything. Try doing it the way you think is best. But if you get stuck, just ask."

Oh, Master’s casual tone is gone now.

I bet he’s naturally serious but uses his casual vibe to make communication easier. He’s playing the "casual guy" role, like some kind of comedian. And he doesn’t even realize his tone has changed.

"Yes, Master!"

"‘Master?!’"

Arthur, Annie, and Sarah were all startled.

Was it really that surprising...?

"That’s right. I asked him to teach me, so of course, he’s my Master."

"Introducing myself, the Master!"

Ben proudly puffed out his chest.

"You fella~ Just wait till the head chef comes back—"

"Huh? What about me?"

“”””"!!!!"””””

The head chef, Abe, who had been on break, had returned.

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