At the edge of the ledger, there was handwriting Elena didn't recognize. "Precision of Cooling Magic—Examination of Room for Improvement" Elena stopped her quill mid-stroke during the morning prep work. She traced back through last night's memories. She'd put the caramel for the pudding over the flame, cut citrus peel, confirmed tomorrow's ingredients, and then closed the ledger. Or so she thought. (…When did I write this?) Looking closer, the handwriting was unmistakably Elena's own. There was no one else in Tsukikage-tei. Which meant she had written it. She had written it, yet held no memory of doing so. Elena stared at the ledger for three seconds, then slowly set down her quill. (…Well, fine. It's definitely useful information.) She reached a rational conclusion and resumed her prep work. She pulled eggs from the basket—ones that had arrived yesterday from "Amber Spoon," the ingredient shop on Central Market Street, selected by the proprietor Hannah Müller. Fresh ones with good shell quality. Two eggs per pudding. She planned to prep five today. On the floor of Tsukikage-tei's kitchen, a cooling magic circle glowed faintly. It was a spell Elena had cast using mid-level temperature manipulation magic, used for preserving ingredients. A precision magic circle capable of controlling temperature in 0.5-degree increments—something she'd vaguely recalled during yesterday's conversation with Alphonse. "…Room for improvement, huh," Elena murmured softly, pouring sugar into the pot. She began making caramel. As the sugar dissolved, a sweet aroma filled the kitchen. Elena rather liked this time of day. No one around, quiet, able to work at her own pace. In her previous life at the black company, there had been no such time. Always someone's gaze upon her, always the next task waiting, always insufficient time. Now—there was enough. Now she could cook however she liked. While thinking such simple thoughts, an hour after opening— The door chime rang. Chirin. The person who entered was tall. At least 188 centimeters. Silver hair fell smoothly to his shoulders, and there was a faint scar on his right cheek. Sharp silver eyes swept across Tsukikage-tei's interior in an instant—and fixed on Elena. Sebastian Greyford. Commander of the royal knights' order "Azure Shield"—a 800-member unit of the Fleuresia Kingdom's official knights, organized following a border conflict 120 years prior—and a young commander at that. Twenty-two years old. Said to possess the finest swordsmanship in the kingdom. And the second target of the game's conquest routes. Elena's internal alarm quietly escalated one level. "…I have come to investigate the villainess," Sebastian announced, chest thrust forward, speaking in the tone of a mission report. Elena observed the man for three seconds. Silver hair. Scar. Still wearing the knight commander's sword belt. Whether he'd slipped away from duty or come between tasks was unclear from his demeanor. (Game character number two. Worst possible timing. But a customer is a customer.) "Welcome," Elena said in a perfectly businesslike tone. "…Today's special is spicy ramen. A dish combining noodles with an intense, aromatic spice broth—something you can't eat anywhere else. Three silver coins," Elena continued. Sebastian's silver eyes gleamed. Like the face of a warrior spotting an enemy on the battlefield. "…I shall order it," Sebastian said. Five minutes later, a bowl of spicy ramen arrived. Sebastian sat before the bowl and stared at the steam rising from it with a serious expression for just a moment. Like a warrior before deployment. Then, one bite. His face—turned bright red. It reddened rapidly, his nose glistened, something began to seep from his eyes, and a soundless cry emerged from his throat—"——!!!!!" The next moment, he drained a glass of water in three seconds. The cup hit the counter with a loud clang. "Another bowl!!" Sebastian cried. "…You're still eating the current bowl, aren't you?" Elena asked. "Double spicy!!" Sebastian demanded. Elena retrieved her ledger. She recorded: "Spicy Ramen ×1 (Standard)—3 silver coins. Spicy Ramen ×1 (Double Spicy, Additional charge 1 silver coin)." (The investigation has been completely forgotten. Seven minutes since opening.) She began her internal observation. When the second bowl arrived, Sebastian changed his stance. He straightened his back, adjusted the angle of his chopsticks, and slurped the noodles with the expression of someone facing a serious duel. "Gu…uh…!!!!!" Sebastian groaned. This time the sound was wrung from deep in his throat. His eyes were glistening. But his hands didn't stop. His chopsticks kept moving. "…P-please, another!! A third bowl!!" Sebastian cried, tears streaming down his face. "Does the knight commander dislike spicy food or like it?" Elena asked. "This is…training!!" Sebastian declared, his eyes brimming with tears, gazing into the distance as if seeing something far away. Elena recorded "3rd bowl" in her ledger while silently commenting internally. (That's not training, that's self-harm. I'm developing the urge to file a report.) Still, three bowls' worth of sales were a fact. The numbers in the ledger didn't lie. Elena accepted this calmly. When Sebastian reached for a fourth bowl—the door to Tsukikage-tei opened quietly. This time there was no dramatic entrance. Slowly, but with clear purpose, a figure in a black robe entered. Black hair. Short, with a single red streak running through it. Sharp golden eyes behind glasses, already analyzing the interior of Tsukikage-tei with analytical precision. Leon Ashberry. Chief Researcher of the Royal Magical Academy—a research and educational institution directly under the crown, with 150 researchers and 400 students—at twenty years old. He'd become chief researcher at twenty-one, an unprecedented achievement. Upon entering, he immediately withdrew parchment from his pocket and unfolded it. "For three days, I have detected regular magical fluctuations in this district. I have come for academic investigation," Leon stated. It was a declaration. Not a greeting, but a report. Elena considered for a moment. (I've never seen anyone recite magical measurement values in a café, even accounting for my previous life. Worth documenting.) "Welcome. Please be seated first," Elena said. "I will enter the kitchen," Leon replied, walking without hesitation toward the back counter. "You cannot," Elena said. Elena slid her body into the kitchen entrance at sonic speed, completely blocking Leon's path. Leon stopped. The golden eyes behind his glasses fixed on Elena. They were eyes that revealed no emotion. "It is illogical. The source of the magical fluctuation is the floor of that kitchen. I cannot write my paper without measurements," Leon stated. "The paper is not included in the café's management philosophy," Elena replied. "I said it is illogical," Leon countered. "That applies regardless of the customer's words," Elena said. The two stared at each other. One second, two seconds, three seconds. Elena's mind was running separate calculations. She couldn't let this man into the kitchen. But prolonged argument would negatively affect the other customer—currently just the knight commander on his third spicy bowl. A swift solution was necessary. There was only one option. Elena reached to the shelf behind the counter and retrieved a pudding. "Please try this first, then reassess," Elena said. Leon's eyes shifted to the pudding. There was a moment of silence, as if he were calculating something. Then he took a seat and picked up a spoon. One bite of pudding. In that instant, his golden eyes—sharpened. "…Temperature control maintained within 0.3 Kelvin error margins," Leon murmured in a low voice. "…Impossible," he continued. Still holding the spoon in the pudding, he unfolded his parchment and began writing equations. Muttering rapidly to himself, he continued eating the pudding while completely absorbed in his own world. Elena observed from a distance at the counter. (Eating while calculating. A rare specimen.) At that moment, Sebastian, holding his third ramen bowl with tear-stained eyes, looked at Leon with confusion. "…What is that man saying?" Sebastian asked. "I have no idea," Elena replied. Both their gazes fixed on Leon. Leon didn't notice. He remained focused on his parchment, continuing his flood of equations. "You there!! A court mage, yet so rude in someone's shop!!" Sebastian roared, his face still flushed from the spicy heat. Leon looked up from his parchment. He observed Sebastian for one second. "Quiet. You are disrupting my calculations," Leon said flatly. Then he returned to his parchment. "What did you just say?!?!" Sebastian stood up. He stood. All 188 centimeters of him. The ceiling of Tsukikage-tei was low enough that his head was dangerously close. In his momentum, the spicy ramen bowl began sliding toward the edge of the table. Elena moved at sonic speed and pressed the bowl down with both hands. Thud! Both hands fixed the bowl to the table. The broth sloshed slightly, and the pungent aroma of spices wafted through the air. Elena held it in place while looking between the two men alternately. (This is not a shop designed to manage two people simultaneously. This was a design flaw. Even during my previous life as an office worker, I recognized limits to parallel task management. Major regret.) "…Both of you, please remain seated. Standing and arguing disrupts the cooking," Elena said, her voice calm but brooking no argument. Sebastian sat back down, looking somewhat embarrassed. Leon had never stood up in the first place. At exactly 2 PM, the door chime rang. Chirin. Something in Elena reacted like a conditioned reflex. 2 PM. There was only one regular customer who came at this hour. The person who entered wore a black cape and a wide-brimmed hat. Golden bangs spilled from the hood. And on the cape's chest, the golden emblem of the Fleuresia royal family gleamed proudly. Alphonse Fleuresia. First Prince. Elena's internal disguise rating system began and finished within zero seconds. Alphonse surveyed the shop. Sebastian. Leon. Elena. Confirming all three—his azure eyes widened. "…Why are these two here?" Alphonse asked. "Your Highness!!" Sebastian stood up. He stood again. The bowl began sliding again. Elena pressed it down while extending her other hand toward him. "Please sit," Elena said. "Y-yes…" Sebastian complied, sitting down without question. Elena was momentarily surprised at her own effectiveness. Alphonse walked inside and took his usual seat, removing his hat. Golden bangs cascaded down. "Sebastian, why are you here?" Alphonse asked. "A report, Your Highness!!" Sebastian announced, chest thrust forward, his eyes still moist from the spice but his expression serious. "This shop's proprietress is not merely deceiving the prince!! She is corrupting knights with spicy ramen!! An extremely dangerous individual!!" Sebastian delivered his full report. Elena gripped her ledger while thinking internally. (You ordered it yourself and ate three bowls. I have the records right here. The evidence of self-harm is complete.) "…I see," Alphonse nodded. Then his gaze shifted to Leon. Leon looked up from his parchment and said matter-of-factly, "You are a nuisance. I require silence." "You there!! Chief Researcher or not!!" Sebastian erupted. This was his third eruption of the day. "Both of you, calm down," Alphonse said quietly. Strangely, his voice carried an unusual composure. A true politician, Elena thought. Sebastian fell silent. Leon looked up from his parchment. Silence. Then, after a beat, Alphonse spoke. "…As a regular customer who comes every day, I cannot remain silent about such a situation," Alphonse said. (He mediates and then adds fuel to the fire himself. Structurally catastrophic.) Elena thought this inter