Evocative Cooking: A

Wow, is this where the competition is being held?

This place is massive.

It still doesn't hold a candle to Roswaal's mansion, but it seems to be the closest thing they have here.

That's the place we live in back in our world.

Ram and Rem work inside the mansion, whereas I was there studying for the royal selection.

Hmm...

It's a bit hard to explain... Sometimes he seems weird, but other times he feels reliable.

So great is his majesty, that it is impossible to put into words.

Not at all. There were no issues of any sort.

That's because we had Rem on our side.

Do not underestimate Rem. She is able to handle everything on her own, and can perform her tasks flawlessly.

I can only do so because of Sister's assistance.

And Subaru is also lendind a helping hand.

Ah, yes, we mustn't forget about Subaru. He's working hard.

Right, I nearly forgot about Barusu. We'll have to teach him a lesson when we get back.

You still highly believe Barusu is involved in our being transported here?

There's no way he's not involved in this in at least some capacity.

You mustn't jump to conclusions, Ram. There's no way to know for certain if Subaru has anything to do with this.

Do you think it'll be okay to leave Subaru on his own?

He must be looking for us right now. I hope he's not too sad.

He's probably using this whole predicament as an excuse to slack off. We'll have to formulate an appropriate punishment for that as well.

Rather than Barusu, I'm more worried about Roswaal and Beatrice.

Let's win this competition quickly and hurry back to the mansion.

Yes!

Stop.

Present your invitation.

Identification Chip confirmed.

After passing the hallway, you may proceed straight to the lobby.

Mwahahaha!

Now is my time to shine! Everyone will witness my true villainy!

Yes, today we shall settle the score once and for all, Drake!

Um... how exactly are you two planning on achieving that?

My villainous cuisine will pummel her puny heroic dish.

My heroic cuisine will rise above her execrable villainous cuisine.

... But we're supposed to be on the same team.

And how in the world is food "villainous" or "heroic"?

A villainous dish speaks for itself! Any fool knows that.

And the same goes for a heroic dish. You would do well to remember that going forward.

... Fine. I guess it's my fault for asking.

Do you know them?

What are these things?

They don't seem to have much value. Certainly not enough to be put on display.

They may not be "valuable" in a monetary sense, but they once meant a lot to someone,

so putting them on display like this does have some meaning.

Ade! Good morning.

Hey there.

How've you all been?

The whole squad is here. Maid For You, represent!

Hey Soda, hey Cocoa. What are you all doing here?

How tragic! Yesterday's friend has become today's enemy.

Oh, how my heart breaks!

Enemy...? Us?

Allow me to interpret.

Maid For You is also participating in the competition,

so for today at least, we're in opposition to each other.

Although I of course wish you the best of luck.

We knew we would be participating, so of course we looked up the details.

If you knew we were participating in the competition as well,

would you have allowed me to

show you the ropes when it came to cooking?

You see? That's why I didn't say anything.

I know you're a good person and wouldn't want an unfair advantage.

for being so considerate.

Don't worry about us though.

Working together with you all gave us plenty of time to practice ourselves.

Yeah, we even managed to make some new additions to the menu at the cafe.

You're all so kind. Thank you.

You don't have to thank us.

We've got this in the bag.

Ram, it's time to determine who the real pro maid is.

There can be only one professional maid with pink hair,

so I'm gonna come at ya hard.

Sounds like you're taking this quite seriously.

Very well. Like they say, go big or go home. We've signed up for this competition, so we might as well win.

Agreed. Although I'm not exactly comfortable competing against our friends who have helped us, we didn't come here to lose.

May the best team win fair and square.

Well said!

Good luck, everyone.

Hehe, thank y...

Hello? Can you hear me?

Hmm? Is that a microphone?

Look, someone's about to make a speech.

Can everyone hear me in the back? Yes? Good.

Now that everyone's here, allow me to begin by explaining a few of the guidelines.

Much like the previous events, the gourmet magazine Perfect Cooking has prepared a unique theme for this year's competition.

That theme is...

to create a dish which is evocative of the past!

What a wonderful theme, indeed.

In the morning, each team will decide what dish to make and be given time to prepare their ingredients.

In the afternoon, everyone will gather in the competition hall and finish their dish.

As was previously stipulated, each team member will take turns cooking to complete one singular dish.

The specific criteria we will be using to judge the dishes will be made clear later.

As for now, I simply want to express my gratitude to all of the participants for attending.

And now, let the competition begin!

So this is the kitchen.

Yeah, I've confirmed that

the cooking utensils are all ready to go,

and we've got all sorts of top-notch Splendamin available to choose from.

There won't be an issue on any of those fronts.

For someone who's been a maid as long as I have, you could say it's instinctual.

Splendamin?

Soda explained it to me when we were out grocery shopping.

In terms of texture, it resembles a squishy dough.

It doesn't inherently have any flavor,

The food here is made by kneading together different Splendamin and incorporating other additives to enhance the flavor and aroma.

If you do it right, apparently you can end up with something pretty close to the real thing.

If I'm not mistaken, even fruits and vegetables here are made using Splendamin.

I used them when I was cooking before and didn't even notice. The pimento smelled exactly as it should have.

Come to think of it, Miss Emilia, Sister, do you remember the theme of the competition?

Yes. We have to make a dish that...

Is evocative of the past.

Sounds simple enough, but I wonder what exactly they're asking for?

I presume they mean something that when you eat it, it brings back good memories.

Like all the delicious food Rem made for us,

and Ram's steamed potatoes.

I never can get enough of those spuds, especially when they're dipped in mayonnaise.

Other than that... Hmm...

Does anything come to mind for you?

In this frigid cold, securing sustenance is your top priority.

Look harder, then. There are plenty of top-tier protein sources around us.

Like this little guy, for example.

...

... No.

This isn't right.

You're a human, whereas I'm a Nikke.

You need this way more than I do.

These rations are a precious commodity, so eat them sparingly.

Are you okay, Commander?

I can see the pain in your face.

Clara? How did you get in here?

Hey there, Emilia.

Did you get turned around again?

You can't be here unless you're a participant.

I came because I have something to talk to you about.

Oh?

Yeah, and it's super important!

I'd love to hear it, but we're in the middle of a competition. Is it okay if I listen to it afterwards?

But I've got a secret that'll help you win the competition for sure!

Did you say secret?

I think we ought to hear her out.

I knew you'd be interested!

If you really want to know,

then there's a story I have to tell you first.

You may have heard of it:

The story of the legendary seasoning.

Legendary seasoning?

This stuff is out of this world!

If you put it into your cooking, it'll instantly become delicious.

Really?

So scrumptious that anyone who tastes it will beg for more.

The knight who teamed up with my dad to save the princess,

The Nikke who defeated the large Rapture with my dad,

even the explorer who sailed the high seas with my dad,

they all fell instantly for my dad's cooking.

My dad is a really amazing person!

He's a chef, explorer, knight and all-around hero! *Cough cough*

It's crazy that something so magical actually exists in the world. I'd be interested in trying something made from this stuff.

Me too!

One of my greatest wishes is to taste a dish made from the legendary seasoning.

A magic seasoning which everyone falls head over heels for?

Sounds like a tall tale that Barusu would pull out of his rear.

It's not made up! I've got evidence. Look at this.

This is the day we came back down to the Ark after doing some exploration on the surface.

My dad said he hid the legendary seasoning here. *Cough*

Seems so. This must be where the legendary seasoning is hidden.

Didn't expect to run into you in a place like this, Birdie.

I was moseying on by, when the words "legendary seasoning" hit my ears, and so I naturally had to listen in.

However, I soon realized that I was eavesdropping, which is hardly a virtuous deed, and so I decided to let my eavesdropping be known,

like a true hero should.

Admitting to it doesn't make it any better...

Most strikingly this little girl said this seasoning was used by a great hero,

so I am naturally curious to learn more about it.

I shall make it my mission to see that this hero's legacy lives on.

Off I go!

!! This is bad.

I mustn't let a hero secure the victory!

Everyone, follow me! I'll stop her!

Mwahahaha!

Those fools... they left without even looking at the coordinates.

*Sigh* I knew today was going too smoothly.

Hold that photo still for a sec, will you? I'm going to jot down the coordinates.

Got it. Catch you later, Cutey.

Oh no... that other lady is gonna steal the legendary ingredients!

Did I make a mistake?

You did nothing wrong. Also, it's not as if they eavesdropped on purpose.

They must have accidentally overheard us while passing by.

*Sob*

Clara looks depressed... All right, that's it.

Ram, Rem. Let's go find that legendary seasoning.

We're going to use it to make a dish for Clara.

Getting our hands on it might also increase our chances of winning the competition.

If it'll help tip the odds in our favor, I see no reason not to go for it. However, this is assuming everything that Clara told us is true.

I'm on board as well. Let's hurry and go hunt down that legendary seasoning.

The weather is nice.

It doesn't seem that any Raptures are going to show up, at least not for now.

That initial group that rushed off must have taken care of all the Raptures in the area.

Even so, we never know when a Rapture might pop out.

I'll be on the lookout. Leave it to me.

Okay. I'll leave it to you.

...

*Yawn*

That's because I have full faith in Rem.

Hey!

Miss Emilia, Sister. Do you see that over there?

What are they doing...?

Mwahaha! About time you all showed up.

I've stopped Laplace dead in her tracks, just like I promised.

Let me go!

I can't allow the legendary seasoning to fall into a hero's hands.

That seasoning should be used in a villain's dish.

If all you do is stand here and hold me back,

you won't be able to get the legendary seasoning either!

...

Well, we can't have that.

That legendary seasoning is mine!

Oh no you don't!

Let me go!

I can't allow the legendary seasoning to fall into a villain's hands.

That seasoning should be used in a hero's dish.

... Tsk.

If all you do is stand here and hold me back, you won't be able to get the legendary seasoning either!

...

Well, we can't have that.

That legendary seasoning is mine!

...

I was wondering the same thing myself.

Frankly, I also want to know why they participated in the cooking competition in the first place.

Let me go!

You're the one holding onto me!

Oh... you're right.

I can't allow the legendary seasoning to fall into a hero's hands!

Is it okay to just leave them like this?

It'll be fine. They'll eventually tire themselves out.

*Huff, huff*

*Huff, huff*

I have a suggestion.

Fine, I'll humor you.

How about we find a way to

settle who gets the seasoning first fair and square?

Ha! Do you really think you can beat me?

Very well. You're on.

...

...

Hero... dash!!

Wha... she just took off running! I thought she was supposed to be a hero!

This is bad! We can't let them have the seasoning all for themselves!

Ram, Rem, let's hurry!

Yes!

This is starting to become more trouble than it's worth.

...

I think we should tag along as well, Cutey.

We really screwed the pooch here. At this rate, they're going to leave us in the dust.

You're a commander. I'm sure you've formulated a few ideas to get us out of this situation, right?

No matter. Fortunately for us, Rem's stamina makes up for it. Come now, we have to catch up to the others before they take all the legendary seasoning.

We haven't decided yet.

A dish which is evocative of the past... What would be good?

If we're going on our own memories, I guess it would be something we ate often at the mansion.

Beg your pardon, Miss Emilia, but my opinion differs from yours.

As the one in charge of culinary affairs at the mansion, I have given this matter some serious thought. The meals here have been quite different from those we have in Lugunica.

That tells me that our cooking would not evoke any past memories for the people here.

Precisely.

I've mulled it over,

and I think we should make a dish that

we've eaten together with the people we've encountered thus far.

They did help us create some lovely memories...

Okay, sure! I think that's a great idea.

I have no objections either. And there's one particular dish that we've had a bunch of during our time here.

Yes. We'll be making curry!

This place certainly lives up to its name. It's completely decimated.

It's a desolate place, that's for sure. There are traces of previous habitation, but everything has collapsed...

Did you say that before?

The people of this world had their homes stolen from them by the Raptures.

That's why you're all living underground.

Hearing about it is one thing, but seeing it is another.

How long until we reach the destination?

That's not possible.

Uh?

On that at least, we can agree.

There's no way the legendary seasoning can be fake!

I recognize that voice.

It's the person from before all the commotion. I think we've arrived at the right place.

All right, I'm going to explain this one more time, nice and slowly.

I analyzed the ingredients, and it's just ordinary black pepper, okay?

There's nothing special about it in any way.

Maxwell, there's something you're not taking into consideration.

And what's that?

That's impossible for the legendary seasoning to be just ordinary pepper!

Cutey, can you help me out here?

We've been at this for ages now it seems.

So you found the legendary seasoning!

Yes, but...

You bet we found it!

It seems that this so-called "legendary seasoning" is nothing more than plain black pepper.

So you're saying Clara lied to us?

I suppose, yes.

Impossible! This must be the legendary seasoning.

That's impossible for the legendary seasoning to be just ordinary pepper!

Drake, let's take this opportunity to show Maxwell just what we can make with this:

a fine heroic dish!

That's a fine idea.

You're gonna eat crow, Maxwell.

Once you taste my villainous dish, you'll never want to eat anything else for the rest of your life.

Let's have a match to see who finishes their dish first!

All right, you're on!

Hero... exit!!

Wha... she just took off running! I thought she was supposed to be a hero!

*Sigh*

I apologize for my fellow squadmates' moronic behavior.

I presume this is what you all came here for?

!!

I figured something like this would happen, so I kept some on me.

Those morons don't know the first thing about how to use seasoning.

Considering how much trouble we went through to get this, it might as well be used by someone who actually needs it

Thank you so much! We'll put it to good use.

...

It really is just an ordinary pepper...

Ah, whatever.

Anyway, I better not leave those knuckleheads on their own.

I thought it would be bad if they found it first, but they're kind people.

What was it you guys called this again? Pepper?

Pepper... I wonder what it tastes like?

The smell is...

That's...

...

Achoo!

Emilia, did you bring the legendary seasoning?

We've got it right here.

With this, we'll be able to make you a delicious curry.

Yipee!

Hello? Can you hear me?

Oooh, I think it's about to start.

Can everyone hear me in the back?

Good.

The time given for preparing the ingredients has come to an end.

It's now time to cook using the ingredients that you've prepared.

As mentioned before, the theme of this competition is to make a dish which is evocative of the past.

May all the team leaders please go and wait in the kitchen?

In case anyone did not hear me earlier, I will repeat one more time how the process will go.

The time given for preparing the ingredients...

Ram, you're up first, right?

That's correct.

I hope you make a great curry! I'll be cheering for you!

Leave it to me. Failure isn't in my vocabulary.

That's the time limit.

They haven't allotted each person much time to cook. We'll each have to be efficient.

All right, everyone, start your cooking!

My role is to make sure everything's prepared. That way, Miss Emilia and Rem can focus purely on cooking.

There's not much time. I'll cut the ingredients into small pieces so that they'll better absorb all the seasoning.

That should be enough. It was tough.

Next up, I've got to make a spice mix that will influence the flavor of the curry.

First, some of this, and then this...

This is high-quality petper. What was it they call it here? Pepper?

At any rate, calling it "legendary seasoning" is absurd. Even if it's high quality, it's still just peppa.

All that talk about how one taste would be enough to captivate anyone...

No such seasoning exists.

I knew those were stories Clara's dad made up just to placate her.

Anyway, what should I do now?

The recipe we learned from the Maid For You squad doesn't have any petper in it.

If we want to make a delicious curry, we should stick closely to that recipe...

Ram, Rem. Let's go find that legendary seasoning.

We're going to use it to make a dish for Clara.

...

I can't go against Miss Emilia.

It's a good thing I'm the one to start. She would have had all sorts of trouble handling the spices.

If we use this so-called peppa,

it might be a little spicy, but it's sure to enhance the flavor.

Oh, right. I should also steam some potatoes.

Time's up!

We will move on to the next person.

Well done, Ram. I'm up next.

I've prepared everything, Miss Emilia. I leave the rest to you.

Thanks, Ram.

All right, first up, let's stir-fry the vegetables and the meat.

Just the right amount...

I don't think there's anything to worry about.

She has a complete understanding of

how to adjust the heat,

and the amount of ingredients,

Have you been spying on us in secret? Should we hand you over to the A.C.P.U?

There you are, Sister.

You were amazing out there. I expected nothing less.

I'll do my best to measure up.

I'm sure you'll do just fine.

I only did what was asked of me.

More than that, I think I'm on to something. I'll be back.

Take care of Miss Emilia for me, Rem.

You should know better than to pester a girl about where she's going.

In order to get back to our world,

I need to secure something in this mansion.

If what I heard is true, there is a high chance it could be an item from Lugunica. It must be displayed here somewhere.

How did you...

The fairytale book that was in the mansion... That must be it.

Excuse me, are you lost, by any chance?

...!

I believe you should be in the waiting room, should you not?

I-I just found these items intriguing and was browsing.

Are you interested in my collection?

It's been a long time since I met someone with such good taste.

Most people find my hobby absurd, that I'm collecting useless scraps of junk.

There certainly doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the collection.

If it weren't for your personal interest in them, I doubt they'd be worthy of display. I'm also dubious as to their monetary value.

Haha, I see you don't beat around the bush.

Perhaps, but I don't intend to criticize someone else for their hobbies.

Where did you get this book?

Oh, you mean this? Considering it came from the surface, it's in pristine condition, don't you think?

It's written in characters I've never seen before, so I'm unable to decipher it.

My daughter was terribly curious about what's inside its page, but I was unable to read it to her.

May I ask if you've seen this book before?

No, I haven't.

It just reminded me of something who can't read to save his life.

Very well. Everyone has a right to keep some stories to themselves.

If you're interested, I could share some of the stories behind the items exhibited here.

Oh, that's okay, I...

I obtained that compass there in order to aid in my search for ancient underwater ruins.

If you take a closer look at that bed sheet over there, you'll see one of the ends is slightly burnt.

It ended up this way 'cause I blew up three beds while dukin' it out with the huge Rapture...

Why do you need to detonate beds while fighting with a Rapture?

The knight was attempting to rescue the princess, and just when all hope seemed lost...

Bang! He used this pot!

Used it how?

To knock out a Rapture, of course.

He therefore bought himself some time and was able to rescue the princess safely.

The knight and princess escaped the castle and lived happily ever after.

And that's how the story ends. What did you think?

Sounds like a fairytale for children.

Haha, you caught me.

Now that I've shown you around, we should be getting back.

It's nearly time for the teams to switch members.

Before that, can I ask you something?

What is it?

Ade told me everything.

The items displayed here are things that belonged to people from the past, and were used in everyday life.

They weren't used for something extraordinary like in those adventure stories Clara kept rattling off.

Hehe, you're quite perceptive.

What's behind you spinning all of those yarns?

Why make up all these stories?

The point...

...

I have a daughter.

She's sick, so she can't be as active as the other children.

You don't have to worry, it's nothing life-threatening.

It's just that she has to spend most of her time at home, and so she gets bored easily.

To abate that, I started telling her stories.

It was about that time when I began collecting discarded objects from up on the surface and assigning them these sweeping backstories.

She really took to the stories that I was telling her,

and so she spends much of her time here in this lobby, looking at my collection.

...

Haha.

Yes, the stories may not be true, but if someone enjoys the telling of them,

does that not give them value?

Rather than the strict verisimilitude of the story, I believe what matters more are the feelings put into it.

This is the first time I've ever said this out loud,

but I believe I write for Perfect Cooking

and organize cooking competitions for a very similar reason.

Even if a dish is made from Splendamin, and isn't "real" per se,

as long as someone enjoys eating it, I say there's no difference between it and any other dish.

Does that answer your question?

...

Sister!

I'm back.

It'll be my turn soon, so I better head to the kitchen.

How did Miss Emilia do?

She followed what she's learned, and made some delicious curry.

I'll do everything in my power not to let either of you down.

You big goof.

With your skills, there won't be any issues. Just do what you always do, and you'll end up with something scrumptious.

When you put it that way, everything should go smoothly,

but if we want to get back to Lugunica, we have to win the competition.

The other participants are churning out amazing dishes as well, so I can't rest on my laurels and make the usual.

We need to put our heart into this while we're cooking and think about who will be eating it when it's done.

It's also important that we lavish the ingredients with just as much attention.

However, the ingredients here are all made with Splendamin, as in they're not real. I wonder if we'll be able to produce a meaningful dish...

Yes, the stories may not be true, but if someone enjoys the telling of them,

does that not give them value?

Rather than the strict verisimilitude of the story, I believe what matters more are the feelings put into it.

Even if a dish is made from Splendamin, and isn't "real" per se,

as long as someone enjoys eating it, I say there's no difference between it and any other dish.

Keep your chin up, Rem.

Whether it's real or fake, it doesn't matter.

?!

Dishes made with Splendamin can be just as delicious as any other.

Take the curry that you made while we were practicing. You could truly taste the love and care you'd put into it.

Sister...

So hold your head high.

This time, everyone will be able to sense the emotions you're conveying in the dish.

... Yes!

Not too much, not too little...

Just the right amount.

I've got to envision the people I'm making this for.

I've got to make it delicious for them.

Oooh, I should also make a curry separate from this one. One with a lot of milk.

Smells delicious.

Hehe, all this cooking has made me hungry.

Wait, Rem?

It's time for us to switch.

Wow, the time went by so fast.

I had no idea since I was so focused on my cooking.

How is it, Rem? I worked really hard on it...

It's delicious!

R-really?

Definitely! It's loads better than the one you made before. The spices are spot on.

I'm glad...

In that case, you can take over from here.

I've got this.

I have enough time.

Time to bring this home.

There aren't any fundamental issues with the taste, so all I've got to do is do some minor tweaks with the seasoning.

After that, I'll be all finished. I'll also whip up some side dishes for the curry.

I should use some of those cute plating techniques the Maid For You squad taught me.

All done!

Time's up!

All cooking stops here.

Thank you everyone for your hard work.

Now, let us commence with the judging.

Typically, the evaluation would have been done by myself and the other officials at Perfect Cooking.

However, the theme of this competition is dishes which are evocative of the past, is it not?

In honor of that theme, we have decided to have all the participants and officials gathered here to taste and evaluate the completed dishes.

So, from now on, feel free to wander around,

and both taste and evaluate the dishes made by the other teams and submit your feedback.

That's fine with me. The other dishes look positively mouthwatering.

Of course, but...

Before that, I have a person I want to invite. Would that be okay?

Hello!

Emilia told me today was the day my wish would come true, and so here I am!

Clara, you wanted to try a dish made with the legendary seasoning, isn't that right?

Yep!

Well, here you are, Clara! Curry made with the one and only legendary seasoning.

Whoa, is that a cat? So cute!

This cat is called Puck. He's like a father to me.

A cat who is like father... How intriguing! Can I try this curry now?

Please. We made it for you, after all.

...

...

...

It's delicious!

Phew...

I'm glad you like it.

How could I not? You guys are super awesome cooks!

Oh right,

was the legendary seasoning where my dad said it would be?

Ah yes, I'm sure you're quite curious about that.

Well then, allow me to tell you a story.

It's the story of our adventure on the surface to find the legendary seasoning.

But it's just peppa... what was it you guys called it again... pepper?

Although it's of fine quality, it's just ordinary black pepper. So what's the point in boring her with that story?

Still, it doesn't change the fact that it's a dish you fall in love with after one taste.

That's because Emilia, Sister, and I

all poured our hearts into making it.

Exactly.

Thanks to Ade's teaching, we were able to make a delicious curry! Thank you.

Haha, I didn't do anything special.

Miss Soda, can I try this?

Sure, although omurice isn't exactly my forte...

Hold on, I'll spray some ketchup on it for you.

And for Ram as well.

The curry is delicious.

I followed your advice and thought about the people who would be eating it as I worked on it.

Hehe, the finest recipe of all.

Yipee!

Come to think of it, we have to thank the person who shared the legendary seasoning with us in the first place.

Behold, my villainous dish!

Is this... a cake?

Where did my heroic dish go?

That lump of coal? I threw it away.

Coal?! I poured my heart and soul into that!

Whatever. The important thing is that you need to try my villainous dish.

Absolutely not, who would want to eat such a th... mmph!

Hmm...

It's good.

Naturally! That's because I used some of the legendary seasoning!

...

I'd set out to make barbeque...

How did it turn into a cake?

How come? They seem friendly enough.

They're about to announce the results.

I'm nervous...

Fingers crossed for us to win...

We've just finished reviewing all the evaluations all of you sent in.

Once again, I would like to express my gratitude to everyone who participated in this contest.

And now, onto the results!

...!

I will announce the top five contestants,

starting with fifth place

and moving up.

Congratulations on the victory. The omurice was delicious.

I'll have to try harder next time.

Oh no, that's not... you don't have to...

Well, thank you for congratulating us...

The curry was the best!

Once and for all, I can finally admit it:

You, Ram, are truly a professional maid.

You crafted an amazing dish.

Emilia, you performed particularly well. Your skills have improved by leaps in bounds in such a short time.

A compliment from Ade. I'm so happy!

I guess all that hard work was worth it.

Still... We weren't able to win... it's a pity.

Even if we call out the judges for having messed up taste buds, we can't really change the outcome, can we?

Then, that's just how it goes.

But since we've found our goal, we have to do everything we can to...

If you really want to know,

may I have a moment?

...

I have something I want to say to all of you.

Hello!

Allow me to introduce my daughter,

Clara.

So you're Clara's dad? I had no idea.

Clara enjoyed your curry so much,

that I wanted to personally thank you all.

I apologize if you coming here was any trouble.

No, thank you for telling us she likes our curry.

The reason Clara particularly enjoyed your curry

was that it brought back some pleasant memories for her.

It did?

Yeah! My dad and I used to go camping in the park,

and we'd always make curry when we did.

Haha, that's right.

The fact the curry brought back all those nice memories made it even more delicious.

Dad, can we go camping again?

Of course we can, when you recover.

Okay. I'll get better soon, I promise.

That would make me very happy, my dear.

Clara, Dad needs to talk with these people for a moment.

Can you wait here?

Yipee!

Shall we continue our conversation outside?

I apologize again for calling you all here. I know how busy you are.

I simply had to thank you in person.

I can't recall the last time I saw Clara eat with such relish.

Has she been sick for a long time?

Her symptoms have improved a lot, so you don't have to worry.

The doctors said she'll recover soon.

I'm glad to hear that. All of her coughing fits seemed to be taking a lot out of her, and had me worried.

It's understandable.

Although she's much better than she was before,

it's been years since she last had a hearty appetite.

At first, I thought that if she ate delicious food made in the cooking competition,

her appetite might come back.

But not even that was enough to make her appetite return.

I was on the verge of giving up.

I... I never thought I'd ever get to see Clara act this way again.

So thank you.

Well and truly, thank you.

...!!

Sister, isn't this the fairytale book Subaru used for studying?

I believe so.

I noticed you had your eyes on this before.

Even though you said it was your first time seeing it,

I could tell from your gaze that it meant something to you.

I know it isn't much,

but consider this my repayment for you making my daughter so happy once again.

... I will hold on to it.

I have a daughter.

She's sick, so she can't be as active as the other children.

You don't have to worry, it's nothing life-threatening.

It's just that she has to spend most of her time at home, and so she gets bored easily.

To abate that, I started telling her stories.

It was about that time when I began collecting discarded objects from up on the surface and assigning them these sweeping backstories.

She really took to the stories that I was telling her,

and so she spends much of her time here in this lobby, looking at my collection.

Oh, you mean this? Considering it came from the surface, it's in pristine condition, don't you think?

It's written in characters I've never seen before, so I'm unable to decipher it.

My daughter was terribly curious about what's inside its pages, but I was unable to read it to her.

May I ask if you've seen this book before?

Can I spend some time with Clara?

Certainly.

You said she was curious about the content of this book, right? I can translate.

...!

I would be honored.

... And that's the end of the story. What did you think?

It's always fun hearing a new story for the first time!

Although there were hard-to-understand parts in the middle...

Still, thanks for telling it to me! *Cough*

You should thank Emilia. I was only planning to give a little overview of the story.

Don't mention it. I also wanted to read this book to Clara.

A super big thank you to you!

All right, I'll head back now.

You're leaving already?

Clara, you're not completely recovered yet. The cooking competition today must have worn you out, you should rest now.

It's really late.

We have to go back home now, Clara.

We've been away for a long time. Everyone is probably worrying about us.

I see...

Will we see each other again?

Hmmm... Our home is very far away, so we're not sure when we can come here again.

Still don't worry. We'll always remember you, Clara. After getting home, we'll try and figure out a way to see you again.

There are many more adventure stories you have to tell us, after all.

When that time comes, be sure to have plenty of stories prepared for us.

I sure will! I'll go on all sorts of adventures with my dad and tell you all about them.

Next time, let's bring Barusu too. He gets along with kids.

Okay, but in order for all of this to happen, you've got to rest and become healthy, okay?

Okay, I promise!

That fairy tale book you brought us is emitting a strong concentration of D-Wave.

Just as D-Wave emits from the bodies of those brought from another world,

it seems the same also applies to objects brought from another world.

Correct.

Although to be fair, that might not be of the greatest importance right now.

Based on our investigation of the book,

we've confirmed that the D-Wave emitting from the object points to a set of specific coordinates on the surface.

They seem to be identical to the coordinates where the D-Wave originated.

I'm sure you understand the significance of that.

Yes. It seems the time has come to put an end to this D-Wave anomaly once and for all.

Much like last time, awakening the Gatekeeper should resolve the situation.

I'll send you the coordinates.

I'll leave the rest to your discretion.

So all we've got to do is awaken the Gatekeeper?

Yes. To put it simply,

once the Gatekeeper is awakened, you'll be returned to where you came from.

We're almost there, so keep your chin up!

We'll be arriving soon.

Everyone keep your weapons at the ready.

We've arrived.

That big lug is sleeping as soundly as ever.

That's the Gatekeeper. It's leagues larger than any other Raptures we've seen up to this point.

Don't psyche yourself out too much.

Just think of it as a sleeping Rapture.

I don't think we can approach it further because of the shield.

Master, what should we do now?

A loud "bang" sound?

Uh... it's coming out.

... Gatekeeper.

Commander, permission to engage.

Initiating combat.

Encounter.

Well, looks like it's up now.

It escaped. Just like before.

That means...

Sister, you're shining.

Don't act so surprised. I've always been a radiant person, as are you.

That's not what I meant. You're literally glowing... Miss Emilia too. There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with us physically, though.

Whoa! You're right.

That means you are ready to go back home.

Sorry that you all had a rough time of it while you were here.

Time for goodbye already? How sad...

We put you all through a lot.

At least it wasn't boring.

We had a good time too!

Be sure to think of us from time to time.

We will.

Tell Cocoa bye for me.

And say thank you to Miss Soda.

And Ade and Clara as well.

And Rapi, Anis, and Neon.

Thank you all so much.

It's because of you that we're able to get home.

I will pray that someday

all of you will be able to leave the Ark and go home.

Thank you for helping us. Goodbye!

Everyone, be safe.

I'll be thinking of you.

...

Goodbye.

Let's meet again if the opportunity arises!

Goodbye!

*Sigh* this is the part I always hate.

Well, with every meeting there is a farewell.

...

Let's head back, Commander.

Commander,

welcome back.

Would you like some?

Yeah. There was some left in the kitchen,

along with this letter.

Have a seat, Commander.

We just heated up the curry.

Isn't it? I don't think I'll be forgetting this anytime soon.

That's right.

This curry is second to none!

??