DanKatsu Volume 4, Side Story

E-book Bonus SS: Hanna is the Guild Eden’s Cook

My name is Hanna, and I work in production for the guild <Eden>.

My job is 【Alchemist】 — mainly, I make consumables like potions, and I go on dungeon runs with everyone.

As a representative of an ordinary village girl, right now I was greeting some rather lofty people.

"Nice to meet you. I’m Shizu — I serve as Lady Lana’s guard and maid."

"Same here. I’m Pamela, and I’m also Lady Lana’s guard. Nice to meet you, desu!"

"Y-yes! Miss Shizu, Miss Pamela, nice to meet you!"

I’m nervous.

They’re contemporaries of Miss Ester and the guards assigned to Princess Lana. Two new members have joined guild <Eden>, but they turned out to be people who have long served Lady Lana — impressive people indeed.

I wonder if someone as ordinary as me really belongs here… Zephyrus-kun, is this okay!?

But Zephyrus always says with confidence, "Don’t worry — I guarantee it!" in a cool way.

For some reason, hearing that alone makes my anxiety disappear.

"All right, does everyone have a mug? If you don’t have one, get one now! I’ll lead the toast! Let’s celebrate the joining of our new members!"

Zephyrus-kun declared loudly from the dais in the guild room.

Yes, today is the welcome party for the new members.

Technically, the interviews had finished a while ago, but because of the guild’s member limit, onboarding the new members had been delayed.

Just recently, however, guild <Eden> finally ranked up to E-rank.

It’s only one rank above the bottom, but apparently that’s a huge accomplishment.

For a first-year guild to reach E-rank at this time of year is apparently unbelievably fast.

I remember that, aside from Zephyrus-kun, everyone was proud that our promotion to E-rank was the fastest in the academy’s history.

And on top of that, we even managed to defeat one of the academy’s examiners in a guild battle. That was just insane. I could really feel the bonds of guild <Eden> growing stronger after that.

Huh? What about Zephyrus-kun? Well, like me, he didn’t really seem to grasp just how big an achievement it was. He was just plain happy.

In short, <Eden> has some crazy momentum right now.

Because of that, the member limit was finally raised from 10 to 15, and the ones who’d been waiting — Lulu-chan, Miss Cheria, Miss Shizu, and Miss Pamela — were able to join <Eden>.

Of course, in <Eden>, whenever someone joins, it’s tradition to hold a welcome party. So naturally, Zephyrus-kun was all fired up.

"Cheers!!"

""""Cheers!!""""

We raised our mugs and toasted.

Twelve mugs went up at once, and once we all wetted our throats, the party began.

Ah, of course, they were filled with juice, okay?

Today’s main guests of honor are four people. Actually, counting Celestan-san, that makes five.

Celestan-san had already joined <Eden> beforehand for certain reasons, but his welcome party hadn’t been held yet.

So this was also his celebration.

That made seven current members and five newcomers.

With the welcoming side outnumbered, I was a little worried some people might end up left out.

I couldn’t just sit by and drink alone. I had to take the initiative to welcome and get to know the new members.

As I was thinking that, I noticed Miss Shizu standing alone.

She’s a real maid. Normally, she’s the sort of person I’d hesitate to even approach.

But now? Well, aside from me, Zephyrus-kun, and Miss Kalua, everyone in this guild is someone of high standing. I’ve gotten used to it. …No, that’s a lie. I haven’t gotten used to it. But I’ve built up some courage.

So I braced myself and went for it.

"Miss Shizu, would you like to chat with me?"

"Lady Hanna. Yes, I don’t mind. I was just wishing I had someone to talk to."

"That’s perfect. Oh, you can just call me Hanna, if you’d like."

"Then I’ll call you Lady Hanna—"

"…Uh."

"Hehe, just kidding."

"W-what, that was a joke!?"

Miss Shizu teased me playfully. I was so startled.

"Then I’ll call you Miss Hanna."

"Okay, Miss Shizu. Once again, nice to meet you, and welcome to <Eden>."

"Thank you, Miss Hanna. I may still be inexperienced, but I’ll do my very best."

First contact — success.

From here, I just needed to keep the conversation flowing and get closer.

"Miss Shizu, you’re Lady Lana’s guard and maid, right? Since when have you been serving her?"

"Yes. I’ve been serving her since I was seven years old."

"Seven!?"

Um… what was I even doing when I was seven?

To start working as a maid at such a young age… Miss Shizu really is incredible.

"Of course, at that age, I couldn’t do very much. Even pouring tea was a struggle. In fact, I spent more time simply being Lady Lana’s conversation partner. Apparently, that was the real reason I was chosen."

"Hohee. Weren’t you lonely, leaving your family at such a young age?"

"I certainly was lonely, but Lady Lana was there, and there were also many other maids who treated me like family. Thanks to them, I never felt unbearably lonely. I’m truly grateful for that."

I see now. So there’s a reason Miss Shizu carries herself with such calm composure despite her age.

She’s cool, mature, gives off that dependable big-sister vibe, tall, and with an impressively full chest on top of that.

She’s someone I can’t help but admire.

…Or at least, that’s how I felt, until this point.

"What’s your hobby, Miss Shizu?"

"Looking after Lady Lana. She’s a person truly worth serving, and—"

"What’s your dream?"

"To spend my life watching over Lady Lana and continuing to serve her. Despite how she appears, she’s not particularly skilled when it comes to daily life, so—"

"Waah, waah! Let’s stop there!"

"Ah! Forgive me, I got carried away…"

And there it was — the truth revealed.

Miss Shizu really loves Princess Lana.

It’s like her entire world revolves around Princess Lana.

If I’m not careful, she might even start spilling details about Princess Lana’s private life. This conversation suddenly feels dangerous in a whole different way.

That aura of admiration I had for her is peeling away bit by bit.

"Um… is there anything you like besides Lady Lana?"

"Besides Lady Lana? Hmm, well, I’ve mastered everything related to cooking, cleaning, and household chores. My maid training is nearly flawless. But when it comes to something I genuinely like doing… nothing really comes to mind."

"You really do love Princess Lana, don’t you, Miss Shizu?"

"Yes. Of course. I’m Lady Lana’s maid, after all. My eyes don’t wander elsewhere from my mistress."

W-wow… such incredible loyalty.

Come to think of it, I remember Zephyrus-kun saying Miss Ester’s loyalty was so strong it was hard to handle.

Wait. So is it that Miss Shizu and Miss Ester are just that amazing? Or is it that Princess Lana herself is so extraordinary that she attracts such devotion?

…It’s probably both.

"May I ask you something in return? I’ve heard that you, Miss Hanna, knew Sir Zephyrus even before the guild was formed. Could you tell me a little about that?"

"Eh—ehhh!? Um…"

What’s this all of a sudden? The topic just shifted to me and Zephyrus-kun.

Well, I guess that’s fine… If I left her to keep talking, she’d probably go on forever about Princess Lana. Still… me and Zephyrus-kun, huh?

Wait—don’t tell me she’s asking in a romantic comedy sense? Could Miss Shizu also be interested in Zephyrus-kun?

…But before I could get carried away with that thought, Miss Shizu shook her head knowingly.

"No, I was simply curious. Rest assured, I have no intention of pursuing Sir Zephyrus."

"O-oh, I-I see. Yes…"

I’m pretty sure my face turned beet red just now. How embarrassing.

I grabbed my mug and downed the drink in one gulp.

Phew. That calmed me down.

Um… but now that I’ve calmed down, I almost forgot what we were talking about. Right — me and Zephyrus-kun.

But honestly, there isn’t that much to tell.

"Well, Zephyrus-kun and I grew up in the same village, but… truthfully, we hardly ever talked. He was always with the village chief, and we never really had the chance to play together."

"Hm? So you weren’t close?"

"Not that we were unfriendly… more like, we just didn’t know each other well. Looking back now, I think that was a loss for me. If only I’d gotten closer to him sooner…"

That’s… something I regret.

Out of everyone here, I should have had the most time and opportunities to spend with Zephyrus-kun. And yet, I reached sixteen without ever really taking advantage of that.

If things had been different, maybe I could have built a bond with him as deep as the one between Miss Shizu and Princess Lana.

As I said this, my shoulders slumped heavily in regret.

"P-please cheer up, Miss Hanna. Let me refill your drink."

"Ah! S-sorry about that."

Right—this is supposed to be a welcome party. What am I doing, sulking instead of welcoming people?

Still, one more drink should be fine. I raised my mug and gulped down the apple juice inside.

"Back to what we were talking about earlier… So, Miss Hanna, how did you suddenly become so close with Sir Zephyrus? Was it because you’re from the same village? Or because he became a 【Hero】?"

"Oh, that was because of a slime—"

I started to say, then paused to think.

Wait a minute. The reason we got closer really was that slime.

Back when I was being attacked in the forest, Zephyrus-kun appeared out of nowhere and drove it off.

That moment was what brought us together. But… why was Zephyrus-kun even in that forest to begin with? And now that I think about it, wasn’t he a little too forward for someone I had barely spoken to before? Huh?

Questions popped into my mind, but since I couldn’t figure it out, I brushed them off. Probably just my imagination.

"A slime, you say?"

"Yes. The day before we came to the academy, I was gathering potion ingredients in the forest when I ran into a slime—a monster that should normally only appear deeper inside. I was so scared my legs gave out. If Zephyrus-kun hadn’t rushed over and protected me, I would’ve been in real danger."

"So, Sir Zephyrus drove the slime off?"

"No, he actually killed it with the sword he was carrying."

"I see. So he defeated a monster head-on even before having a job. That suggests Sir Zephyrus was already hunting monsters regularly, doesn’t it?"

"Eh? Was he? Ah, maybe that’s why he was in the forest at the time?"

"Recent research has shown that one condition for awakening to a higher-ranking job is defeating monsters. From my own experience, it does seem that slaying monsters before receiving your first job increases the chance of attaining a higher-ranking one."

Miss Shizu’s words connected the dots for me.

So that’s why Zephyrus-kun was in the forest—he really was out there hunting monsters.

I remembered seeing him being led around by the village chief. Maybe he had been culling slimes in the forest for us all along.

The pieces suddenly fell into place. After that, Miss Shizu kept prodding me with questions about that day.

"—So it was that slime incident that brought you two closer, then?"

"Yes. Before then, we were little more than acquaintances, but after that, he suddenly started talking to me a lot. He said it was his ‘final farewell,’ but…"

Come to think of it, Zephyrus-kun didn’t even realize I was already sixteen at the time.

Geez, even though we’re childhood friends. But I can’t say much—back then, I didn’t know him very well either.

After that, though, I made an effort to close the distance between us, and we gradually grew closer.

After all, we were the only ones from our village to enroll in the academy, and we didn’t know anyone else.

"Then, during the entrance ceremony, he invited me into his party. From then on, we’ve always worked together."

"I see. So you and Sir Zephyrus really do have a good relationship. I’ll be rooting for you."

"Wha—!? R-rooting for me!? W-what do you mean, really? Are you sure about that?"

I sneaked a glance at Princess Lana and lowered my voice to ask.

But Miss Shizu simply nodded calmly.

"Of course. Though it’s only in words—I won’t take any action myself."

"Even so, that’s more than enough~."

After all, I’ve got plenty of rivals already.

Our conversation had taken an unexpected turn, but in the end, I felt like I had grown much closer to Miss Shizu.

"Yes, Miss Shizu—once again, I’m looking forward to being with you."

"And I as well, Miss Hanna. Please take care of me."

With our talk winding down, I decided it was time to move on.

This was a welcome party, after all—it wasn’t right to spend it with just one person.

Next, I spotted Miss Pamela, who had just been left without a conversation partner and was starting on her food.

"Miss Pamela, how’s the food I made? Does it suit your taste?"

"Oh, Hanna, it’s all absolutely delicious, desu!"

When she turned to answer me, her cheeks were stuffed full.

Yet somehow, she still spoke clearly without breaking her rhythm. Pretty impressive, honestly.

I tried not to interrupt her meal too much and instead kept the conversation going with small prompts.

"Ahaha, I’m so glad you like it. I put a lot of effort into this one in particular. It’s the rabbit ragout stew I first made on my very first day at the academy. Zephyrus-kun loved it so much—he said it was delicious. I used ragout meat recommended by Professor Phyllis and let it simmer for hours, you see—"

Actually, some of the dishes at this party were ones I had made myself.

That had been at Zephyrus-kun’s request.

Alongside the dishes we had commissioned from the cooking guild, some of the food on the table was made by me, and right now, Miss Pamela was eating one of mine.

Seeing her enjoy it so much made all the effort worthwhile.

"Gulp… mmm, so tasty-desu! Hanna, you’re really good at cooking, huh?"

"Yes. My mother trained me thoroughly."

"I see-desu. My skills were trained for work, but when it comes to cooking, I’m hopeless, desu. I really envy you, Hanna."

We ended up sharing stories about what our parents had taught us.

As for me, I didn’t learn much alchemy from my mother since the materials were hard to come by. Instead, she poured all her energy into teaching me cooking. Being an only child, if I didn’t inherit her skills, they would’ve been lost with her, so I was taught strictly, whether I liked it or not.

My mother was famous in our village for her cooking, so I had no choice but to become good at it too.

After finishing my story, it was Miss Pamela’s turn.

"My mother is a laid-back, easygoing type. She was good at housework, so she taught me sewing, cleaning, and laundry. But when it came to cooking… she was absolutely terrible-desu."

Apparently, whenever Miss Pamela’s mother tried to cook, the result was something lethal.

"I’ll never forget the day I begged her to cook for me. What came out of the kitchen was a black thing. My cousin happened to be visiting, ate it by chance, and collapsed on the spot, desu. As for the rest of the black mass, my father took care of it. To this day, he won’t tell me who he gave it to."

…Was this really a cooking story?

To me, it sounded more like some kind of alchemy experiment gone wrong. But since Miss Pamela’s mother wasn’t an alchemist, I suppose it really was just cooking.

"As for my combat skills, my father drilled them into me. I was even recognized as the best in my clan, desu! Thanks to that, I was chosen as Princess Lana’s bodyguard when I was fifteen, desu!"

"Th-that’s really incredible."

Hearing that made me shiver a little inside.

Miss Pamela might speak in this odd, playful tone for the character’s sake, but she really is a royal guard. That’s not a position just anyone can earn—it takes serious ability.

She must have worked extremely hard. Realizing that, I felt a little embarrassed for thinking she was just someone I could casually relate to.

"But Hanna, you’re amazing too. That 【Hero】 Zephyrus-san trusts you deeply, and your production skills are in a whole different league. You’re much more impressive than me."

"Ehh!? You’re overpraising me. Everything I do is just me putting into practice what Zephyrus-kun has taught me. It’s all just chance!"

That’s something I really wanted to make clear.

If Zephyrus-kun trained others the same way he’s guided me, I’m sure there’d be tons of 【Alchemists】 like me around.

"If it weren’t for Zephyrus-kun’s teachings, I’d probably have stayed unnoticed my whole life."

"That’s not true-desu. I’m certain Zephyrus-san saw your talent! Just look at this dish—it’s exquisite!"

"That’s not an alchemy skill, it’s just cooking!"

"Wahaha! Which means any more modesty would be pointless-desu!"

Miss Pamela really was surprisingly bold—almost heroic.

She was right, though. Maybe it was pointless.

I could say with certainty that I was only here thanks to Zephyrus-kun. But the fact that no one denied my worth also meant I had my own ability, too.

It felt like one more layer of doubt—about whether I deserved to be in this guild—was stripped away.

"Miss Pamela, you’re such a bright, good person."

"Wahh, don’t just say that out of nowhere, it’s embarrassing-desu. But Hanna, you’re a good person too. Talking to you is so fun—it doesn’t even feel like we just met, desu."

"Fufu, flattery won’t get you anything from me, you know. Oh, but if you’d like, how about trying this? One of my specialties."

"Wait, I do get something for complimenting you—your specialty dish-desu!"

Feeling cheerful, I decided to bring out my best.

With an <Item Bag>, food never gets cold since time is stopped inside. That made it easy to whip out freshly made dishes like this.

"Tonight’s specialty is paella. Would you like some?"

"Of course I would-desu!"

I served portions onto small plates for Miss Pamela and myself, then placed the rest in the center of the table for everyone else to enjoy.

Since this welcome party was set up like a buffet, people could freely take what they liked from the platters.

"Mmm~! This is incredible! The flavor of the seafood has soaked right into the rice—it’s bursting with umami! The more you chew, the more delicious it gets-desu!"

"Chomp. Mm, it really did come out nicely."

Taking a bite alongside Miss Pamela, my mouth filled with the rich aroma of concentrated seafood.

Yes. It seemed I’d made it well.

And then—Zephyrus-kun appeared.

"The smell was too good to resist! Hanna, what’s that delicious-looking dish!?"

"It’s paella. Here, give me your plate—I’ll serve you some too, Zephyrus-kun."

"Yes, please!"

I handed him a small plate I had filled, and the moment he took a bite, his face lit up.

"So good!"

"Thank you. Eat as much as you’d like."

"I can’t stop eating!"

Zephyrus-kun always eats a lot. Well, he’s a boy after all.

"Hmm… Hanna, you and Zephyrus-san already move in perfect sync. You’re like a married couple-desu."

"M-married couple!? Oh, come on~, Miss Pamela, that’s way too much. Here—how about some vanilla ice cream for dessert? I’ll even add chocolate sauce on top."

"Another surprise treat! I’ll take it-desu!"

"Oh! Pamela’s not the only one eating delicious things. I want some too! Hanna, may I?"

"Of course, Lady Lana. I’ll prepare it right away."

"I’m so happy! Thank you, Hanna!"

By now, the welcome party was reaching its finale—with dessert.

As soon as I started taking out the sweets, Miss Shizu and Celestan-san smoothly stepped forward, offering, "Allow me to help," and "Permit me to assist." They carried the desserts I pulled from my <Item Bag> and served them beautifully to everyone.

As expected of a professional maid and butler, the presentation was leagues above my own.

I might be skilled at cooking, but presentation had completely slipped my mind. I should take notes for next time.

"Mmm~… this is wonderful. Did you make this too, Hanna?"

"The vanilla ice cream, yes. The chocolate sauce is store-bought."

"Hanna, you can make vanilla ice cream, desu!? Wait—vanilla ice cream is even something you can make, desu!?"

"The method is actually pretty simple. Just measure, mix, and chill."

"Easy for you to say-desu! If I tried, it’d never turn out like this-desu!"

Everyone was happily savoring the desserts.

"This pairing is dangerous. I feel powerless against it."

"Vanilla and chocolate sauce is an unbeatable combination for girls. But we must be careful not to overeat."

"Desu. Vanilla with chocolate sauce is guaranteed to be delicious! And delicious things are always terrifyingly high in calories-desu."

Miss Shizu and Miss Pamela both eyed the bottle of homemade vanilla ice cream.

Maybe I had made too much… Refills were allowed, but still, overeating was risky.

"Hanna-oneechan! Lulu wants more too, please?"

"Sure thing—eat as much as you like."

"Yay!"

Lulu’s adorable ‘please’ melted my resolve, and I accidentally gave her an oversized serving.

She looked delighted, but honestly, that much was far too much for her little body.

Still, it was fine if we shared, right?

Miss Cheria had already whispered to me, "If Lulu can’t finish, I’ll eat the rest, so don’t worry," so I left it to her.

Miss Cheria really was caring—especially toward Lulu, whom she seemed to favor.

"Miss Ester, Miss Sierra, would you like some more, too?"

"Thank you, Miss Hanna, but I’m quite satisfied."

"I’m good as well. It was wonderful, Hanna—I’d be glad if you made it again sometime."

"Of course."

Girls always seem to have a separate stomach for dessert, able to eat endlessly. But the calories… those hit hard later. Honestly, I wouldn’t mind if calories just stayed in another dimension forever.

And so, the welcome party moved along, with everyone looking full and happy.

"Phew~ I’m stuffed! Everything was perfect! I can’t leave this guild now-desu!"

"Yes. Even the dishes that were purchased from outside didn’t outshine the ones you made yourself. Miss Hanna, I’d very much like you to teach me cooking."

"G-Geez, Miss Shizu, you’re overpraising me again. Ah, I also have apple juice and orange juice. Which would you like?"

"Then, apple please."

"Hanna! I want some too!"

"Lulu does as well!"

"Alright, alright~."

"At this point, Hanna’s the official cook of <Eden> Guild. No one can defy her now."

"Indeed. Lady Hanna is remarkably good at getting along with everyone."

"She may even be more like the guild’s mother figure."

Zephyrus-kun, Celestan-san, and Miss Shizu whispered something among themselves.

Wait… Mother figure!? Me!?

"Hanna-oneechan is Hanna-okaasan now?"

"That might be true~."

"That’s totally wrong, Zephyrus-kun! Don’t teach Lulu-chan weird things!"

Really, Zephyrus-kun is always like this.

But before I realized it, I had managed to get along with all the new members.

The power of delicious food really is amazing.

And so, the welcome party ended in great success.

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