The Elegant Dining Table of the Pendragon Family: Satou's Deduction Fails Again Today
Satou Pendragon, former programmer turned adventurer, prides himself on logic. So when the sasakama he *knows* was delivered vanishes from a perfectly functioning refrigerator—with every window locked from the inside—he does what any rational mind would do: he deduces.
Unfortunately for Satou, his deductions are wrong. Again.
Between a household of hungry companions, a fish that may or may not have ever arrived, and a so-called "presence" that turns out to be his own party member, Satou's dete
The Elegant Dining Table of the Pendragon Family: Satou's Deduction Fails Again Today - Heading to the shopping district in search of sasakama! Soluna's hearty laugh and a premonition of a festival
Satou Pendragon slumped face-down onto the kitchen table.
The refrigerator door hung open, glowing white. On the shelf lay a crust of bread and a single wilted leaf of greens. Deeper inside, an empty bottle had rolled onto its side. The sasakama was half-dried out down in the cellar, and the meat was in Tama's stomach.
"…Guess I'll make something different today. I'll manage with what we've got."
He declared it in a mumble, without lifting his head. His voice was swallowed up by the grain of the table and vanished.
And then it happened.
"Nooo, you can't!"
A shrill shriek split the air of the kitchen. Pochi came flying at Satou's back, her brown bob whipping about. Her dog ears stood straight up, and her tail smacked against his ribs.
"I was a good girl all day today so I could eat sasakama! If I can't have sasakama here, my whole life is ruined!"
"Your whole life? That's a bit much…"
Satou sighed as he pried Pochi off his back. His breath sent a quick sweep of dust skittering across the table.
"Tama wants sasakama miso soup too."
At some point Tama had settled at Satou's feet. From beneath her short black hair, golden cat eyes stared up at him. Her tail swayed slowly, its tip brushing his calf at regular intervals.
"You too, Tama…?"
"Sasakama is tasty. In warm miso soup, even tastier."
"You two, honestly…"
Arisa stood with her hands on her hips, looking down at the pair with exasperation. Her long silver hair glowed like fine thread in the evening light. Her emerald-green eyes had gone flat and half-lidded.
"The reason that sasakama disappeared is because you two kept taste-testing and snacking on it. What are you even saying at this point?"
"That's exactly why!"
Pochi hopped down to the floor and puffed out her chest. The floorboards creaked softly.
"First Pochi did a little taste-test, then Tama ate the meat. And that ruined the sasakama. In other words, our mouths are full of the wrong flavors!"
"…The wrong flavors?"
"So we need real sasakama to cleanse our palates! This is—this is destiny!"
"Destiny, she says…"
Arisa pressed a hand to her forehead. A sigh leaked out between her fingers.
"Well, it is a special dinner, and I'd like some sasakama too."
Mia called out cheerfully from the kitchen doorway. An elf girl with flaxen hair tied back in a single bundle. Her shoulder, leaning against the doorframe, tilted softly.
"Lulu agrees too."
Lulu gave a small nod beside Mia, clutching her usual notebook. Her fingertips fidgeted restlessly along the corner of its cover.
"See? Everyone's saying the same thing. Let's go buy some, Satou."
"…All right. Let's do that."
Satou pushed back his chair and rose slowly to his feet.
"Liza, sorry to ask, but would you come with me? It's reassuring to have you along."
"…Understood."
Liza, who had been quiet in the corner of the kitchen, nodded, her deep green straight hair swaying. Her amber eyes narrowed slightly. For some reason, her gaze lingered for just a moment on the base of Pochi's tail.
"Right, then we're all going. The shopping street isn't far."
With that, Satou headed for the mansion's entryway. The sound of shoes being pulled on pattered against the stone floor.
Pochi and Tama bounced along behind him. Pochi's claws made tiny scratching sounds against the floor.
Arisa laughed in disbelief, a puff of breath escaping through her nose.
"Honestly. What a noisy bunch."
The evening air felt pleasantly cool against the skin. The wind at his neck carried a faint hint of water.
They left the mansion and walked along the cobblestone road. Soles tapped against the seams between the stones.
The eastern district of Seryu City was a quiet place lined with old mansions. Along the street, crystal-lamp posts were beginning to light up one by one. Their pale blue glow washed dimly over the cobblestones. Only around the lamps did the air turn faintly white and hazy.
"Hey, Satou, how do you cook sasakama?"
Tama tugged at Satou's sleeve. Her small fingers gripped the fabric tight.
"Let's see. The classic is miso soup. Grilled's good too. As for today… I haven't decided yet."
"Grilled sasakama sounds good too!"
Pochi said it while bouncing up and down. With each hop, the bell at her neck jingled.
"Pochi loves sasakama grilled nice and crispy! The smell of soy sauce is just irresistible!"
"Didn't you just say miso soup a minute ago?"
"Pochi is greedy! Pochi wants both!"
"Yeah, yeah. …Satou, let's make both today—sasakama miso soup and grilled sasakama. These two are going to kick up a fuss anyway."
"Sounds good. That seems like the way to go."
Satou nodded with a wry smile. The muscles in his cheek twitched just slightly.
As they neared the shopping street, the foot traffic thickened. Voices, footsteps, the creak of handcarts—all pressed in on them in layers.
The greengrocer's stall was lined with vegetables of every color. A savory smell drifted from the butcher's. Passing the bakery, the scent of freshly baked butter tickled his nose. His stomach gave a small growl.
"Wow, it smells so good!"
Pochi sniffed eagerly, her eyes darting from shop to shop. A bit of drool glistened at the corner of her mouth.
"Pochi's curious about that butcher shop over there."
Tama stared fixedly at the butcher's storefront. Her golden eyes sparkled. Her feet slowed to a half-stop in front of the smoked goods.
"Hey, you two. Our goal is sasakama, remember. No detours."
Arisa grabbed them both by the scruff of the neck. Her fingers dug firmly into the base of Pochi's ears.
"But, meat…"
"Meat comes after we get home. Come on, let's go."
Dragged along by Arisa, Pochi and Tama trudged forward. Tama's tail swayed lower than usual.
Mia and Lulu giggled behind them. Lulu's notebook bobbed faintly in time with her laughter.
"You're all such good friends."
"…Yeah."
Before long, the group arrived in front of "Muno's General Store," tucked into a corner of the shopping street.
It was a small wooden shop. Pots, brooms, and little luminite trinkets were crammed into the storefront. The sign read "Muno's General Store" in cute lettering. From the back of the shop, a warm orange light spilled out.
"Good evening."
Satou called into the shop. His voice bounced off the shelves in the back.
"Hello, welcome! …Oh my, if it isn't Satou. And everyone else too. What brings you here today?"
A beautiful woman with black hair and blue eyes emerged from the back of the store. Solna Muno—the owner of Muno's General Store and Orion's older sister. She had a gentle face with slightly drooping eyes, but her figure was every bit as voluptuous as the rumors said. The strings of her apron bit tightly into the curve of her waist.
"Actually, it's about the sasakama you delivered to us—I wanted to ask you something…"
"Oh, sasakama? What happened? Don't tell me it went bad?"
Solna leaned forward with a worried look. The wooden counter groaned under her weight.
"No, it didn't go bad. …The thing is, Orion left it in the cellar instead of the refrigerator."
Satou explained what had happened. Each word seemed to be set down carefully, one at a time, on the counter.
At that, Solna stared at Satou's face, blinking in blank surprise. Her blinking stopped for a beat.
And then—
"—Pfft! Ahahahahaha!!"
Solna doubled over, clutching her stomach, and burst out laughing. Her laughter hit the shop's ceiling and scattered in all directions.
"Th-that boy, he's so careless! Just because the fridge and the cellar are both cold places—that doesn't make them the same! Ahahahaha!"
Wiping away tears, Solna slapped her knee again and again. The smack of her palm against her thigh mixed with the laughter. It echoed all the way to the back of the shop.
"…Sis, you're laughing too much."
Orion appeared from the back of the store, scowling. A fifteen-year-old boy. He tended to be quiet and defiant, but right now his ears were bright red. His fingertips were pinching the seam of his trousers.
"But you, making a mistake like that! Mixing up the fridge and the cellar—only you could do that!"
"Shut up! I put it in a 'cold place' like I was supposed to! The cellar's cold too, isn't it?!"
"Listen to you—when someone says 'cold place,' they mean the refrigerator! The cellar isn't cold so much as just damp!"
"Damp or not, cold is cold!"
"Yes, yes, sure. …Ahh, that's too funny. My stomach hurts."
Still unable to hold back her laughter, Solna dabbed at her eyes. Her fingertips traced carefully along the wet lines beneath them.
"Sorry about that, Satou. My little brother caused you no end of trouble."
"No, it wasn't really trouble…"
"It's fine. By way of apology, I'll give you some fresh sasakama. Just a moment."
Solna disappeared into the back of the shop. The hem of her apron fluttered as she rounded the corner.
"…Tch."
Orion clicked his tongue and turned away. There was the soft sound of him gritting his back teeth.
"Orion, getting laughed at by your sister—that's a little rough."
"Shut up. What would you know?"
"Come on, don't be like that. Just be more careful next time."
"…I know that."
Orion muttered under his breath. His voice was swallowed up by the grain of the floorboards.
"Here, sorry for the wait. Take these with you."
Solna came back from the rear of the shop carrying a large paper bag. Its bottom sagged heavily. Inside were several fine sasakama, their tails poking out against the inside of the bag.
"Today it's on the house. Call it my apology—don't be shy."
"Thank you. That really helps."
Satou took the paper bag. Its weight settled heavily into his arms.
"…I'm the one who delivered it, so why's it on the house?"
Orion grumbled, his lips pursed slightly.
"Because you're the one who messed up."
Arisa shot back without missing a beat.
"Guh…"
Orion was at a loss for words. His throat gave a small hitch.
"…Look, uh, sorry about that. I did mean to deliver it properly."
Orion turned toward Satou and apologized in a small voice. His gaze wandered somewhere around Satou's chest.
"Ah, don't worry about it. Just be more careful next time."
Satou answered with a smile.
"…Yeah."
Orion hung his head, looking embarrassed. The red of his ears crept slowly down his neck.
"Well then, Solna. Thank you for everything."
"Yes, come again. Orion, you thank Satou and the others properly too."
"…Thank you very much."
Orion muttered it under his breath. His voice was quickly lost in the bustle outside the shop.
The group took their leave of Muno's General Store.
"Whew. We managed to get the sasakama somehow."
Satou shifted the paper bag in his arms. The bag's string left red marks across his palm.
"Sure did. Now today's dinner should work out."
"Yay! So much sasakama!"
Pochi bounced along, peering into the paper bag. Her nose bumped against its opening.
"Hey, Pochi. Settle down."
"But I'm so happy!"
"Tama's happy too."
Tama smiled brightly beside Satou. Her eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
"…You two really do love sasakama, huh."
Satou gave a wry smile.
"Whatever Satou cooks is delicious, so I'm looking forward to it."
Liza said it quietly. Her voice rode the wind and drifted away.
"…Hearing that makes it worth cooking."
Satou smiled happily. Soft creases gathered at the corners of his eyes.
They passed through the shopping street and walked the road toward the mansion.
The setting sun dyed the western sky deep red. Beyond the rooftops, the color of the sky deepened bit by bit.
"…Hm?"
Satou suddenly stopped. His soles scraped against the cobblestones.
In one corner of the shopping street, a crowd had gathered. A restless murmur pressed toward them like a wave.
He could see people darting about in a fluster. The clatter of crates knocking together surfaced now and then from beneath the commotion.
"I wonder what's going on."
Arisa stopped too, staring at the crowd. Her eyes narrowed.
"Something's going on! Let's go see!"
Pochi
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