Chapter 85: A Meal Together
Joa pointed out that they had only just finished eating.
Since this had all been Qiong Xing’s suggestion about the fish dishes, he couldn’t argue back.
If anything, it was his own doing.
He might just have to ask Ato to give up on the idea.
"...Maybe we should just stop—"
"Eh?! You’re stopping?!"
"No way, I want to eat it!"
"I’ll work hard, okay?!"
"I’ll work hard too!"
"I want to eat it too!"
"......."
"...That’s what they’re saying."
Joa sounded exasperated at the desperate chorus trying to stop Qiong Xing, but Qiong Xing felt a wave of relief wash over him.
He had been worried they might resent him for making them do something troublesome.
"You guys are way too quiet. It’s creepy. What happened to all your usual pointless chatter?"
"Hey, that’s mean! It’s not pointless!"
"Yeah! It’s educational!"
"It’s more fun when we talk while we work!"
"Then talk. If you stay silent, Qiong Xing’s going to worry."
"...Ah."
They all turned to look at him at once.
Qiong Xing gave them a wry smile and immediately they rushed over to him.
It seemed they had been so focused on imagining the finished dishes that they hadn’t even realized how quiet they’d become.
"Sorry, we’re sorry," they apologized one after another.
"It’s okay," Qiong Xing replied.
"If that’s the case, let’s talk while we cook this time."
When he suggested that, everyone nodded with bright smiles, and the lively atmosphere finally returned to the kitchen.
When they carried the dishes everyone had worked so hard on into the dining hall, Ato was already seated at the table, waiting.
"Is your work all right?"
"Of course! I finished it in no time!" he replied.
That was a great smile.
He must have been really looking forward to this.
"Please wait just a little longer. Once everything is brought out, we’ll all eat together."
When Qiong Xing told him there was only a little left, Ato eagerly helped carry the remaining dishes.
"This one is lightly fried and seasoned with salt and pepper, and there are also pieces fried with sesame seeds. Over here, the raw fish has been thinly sliced and placed on top of salad, so please try eating it together with the vegetables. The rice was cooked with kelp, and we mixed in grilled and flaked fish afterward. The soup contains fish as well as clams, so it should have a very flavorful broth. Of course, there’s also simply grilled fish, so please try a variety of things."
Usually, the food would be plated individually for each person.
However, since these were all new dishes and Qiong Xing did not know everyone’s preferences, he had arranged each dish on large serving platters this time, letting everyone take as much as they liked of whatever they wanted.
"This is insane, insane! It’s seriously insane! It’s so good!"
Ato’s excitement was on another level.
He shouted loudly, and then, as if even talking was a waste of time, he began shoveling food into his mouth without another word.
"What’s with him?"
"Is he... okay?"
"You’re so noisy."
"It’s delicious!"
Only Cari ignored Ato entirely and happily enjoying the fish dishes.
"There are clams in this too, the ones Cari caught."
"Yeah!"
Perhaps he was happy that he had caught them himself, because Cari asked for another serving of soup.
They had prepared meat as well just in case, but to their surprise everyone seemed to love the fish dishes, and almost all of the food was completely gone.
On top of that, whatever remained at the very end was neatly finished off by Ato.
Just where all of that food was going in his slender body was a complete mystery.
"It was suuuuuuper delicious! I want you to make it again!"
Ato said this after finishing everything, his stomach slightly puffed out.
Qiong Xing could not help but laugh, but he was simply glad that Ato had enjoyed it.
He promised to make it again if there was another opportunity.
"It was great!"
"They were all things I’d never eaten before, but they were delicious."
"You’re amazing."
The three of them were also genuinely pleased, and it made all the effort everyone had put in feel worthwhile.
Cari, who usually did not ask for seconds, had gone back for more, so it was clear he had enjoyed it too.
After cleaning up, they took a bath and then put Cari to bed.
Perhaps because he had eaten his fill and soaked in a warm bath, he fell asleep faster than usual.
As Qiong Xing relaxed on the bed with Leander and the others, he once again found himself naturally placed on someone’s lap why did that always happen?
Leaning his back against Elias’s warm chest fresh from the bath, he felt Leander, who sat in front of him, lift and gently stroke his legs.
"I’m glad everyone enjoyed it. I can only make simple things, so I was worried whether it would turn out well, but it’s thanks to all of you."
It would have been impossible for Qiong Xing to manage all that work alone. Because everyone had helped, the meal had turned out to be such a success.
He felt nothing but gratitude.
"That’s true, but if you hadn’t suggested it in the first place, we wouldn’t have had those dishes at all, right? You should have more confidence."
"Elias?"
Elias suddenly trailed off mid-sentence.
When Qiong Xing turned to ask what was wrong, Elias stared silently at his own hand for a moment before smiling and saying it was nothing.
"Is something wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
"No... I’m fine."
His smile was the same as always, yet for some reason it felt slightly stiff.
Was that just Qiong Xing’s imagination?
"Sorry, I just remembered I had something to discuss with Joa. You all go to sleep first."
With that, Elias left the room without even waiting for a reply.
"...... "
"It’s fine. Like he said, let’s just go to bed first."