What If the Strongest Villain from the Original Story Became the Protagonist's Ally? - Chapter 41 - Overconfident, and Anxiety

Iris suddenly interjected into my conversation with Nana.

Hearing her proposal—however, I shuddered.

“I-Iris is going to… cook!?”

I broke out in cold sweat from the shock.

When I stared at her seriously, for some reason Iris blushed and became embarrassed.

“Y-yes. I have no cooking experience, but I’ve been thinking I’d like to try it at least once. That… they say to capture the stomach…”

“Iris who might physically grab stomachs!?”

Whose stomach exactly, and in what way, was she planning to grab!?

In my confusion, I lost normal thinking ability, and grotesque scenes played out in my mind.

“That’s too rude, Yuu-san. I’ll stab you.”

“The stomach!?”

“Get away from that topic! Really!”

Hmph, Iris turned away.

Her angry face was cute too, but Iris cooking? She herself dropped the anxiety-inducing information that she’d never made anything before.

“If you say things like that, I won’t cook for you.”

“Then let’s eat out.”

“Yuu-san, I’ll kill you.”

“Why!?”

I just said let’s eat out if you didn’t want to!?

Genuine killing intent dwelt in Iris’s eyes as she looked at me. This was definitely the type who wanted to cook. She should just say so normally instead of holding back.

“Do you want to cook that badly?”

“W-well… you could say that’s not entirely wrong.”

“Which is it?”

“…Please let me cook.”

“But I refuse!”

Whoosh!

A sword imbued with magical power passed right in front of my eyes.

I barely avoided it—safe. —No way!?

“What are you doing!”

“It’s because Yuu-san said something mean. I did something playful too.”

“Do you know what attempted murder is?”

It’s genuinely dangerous, you know? That’s a real sword.

“I’m a princess, you know? I am the law.”

“Suddenly a dictator!? Your thinking is far too violent.”

“Just eat it! I’ll work hard to make it!”

Iris pushed her homemade cooking on me. But I felt a sense of crisis after knowing that she had zero cooking experience. It would definitely be better if I cooked instead.

So I tried to refuse, but when I saw Iris’s slightly sadly downcast eyes, it became hard to say that too.

“…I understand.”

I ended up nodding involuntarily. Then Iris made a fist pump gesture and—

“Yay! Please look forward to it, Yuu-san, Nana! I’ll make the best dinner!”

—puffed out her chest.

Iris’s chest bounced.

I averted my gaze and—

“I’m looking forward to it. Really, please follow the recipe exactly.”

—only made that request. Iris didn’t seem to be listening.

She hid her mouth with her hand and—

“Hehe. First I’ll capture the stomach… ehehe.”

—laughed. That behavior made me even more anxious.

▼△▼

Iris went to the kitchen to cook. Somehow concerned about her retreating figure, I followed behind her.

The kitchen inside the royal palace was quite spacious. Day and night, many cooks prepared food for the royal family.

Iris stepped into that place.

“Excuse me, I’m intruding.”

“Princess Iris!? Wh-why are you here?”

Immediately, a portly man who seemed to be the head chef appeared before Iris. He looked more like a yakuza than a cook… seemed like he’d butcher people rather than ingredients.

“Sorry for disturbing you when you’re busy. Today, I’m thinking of cooking for Yuu-san and Nana myself.”

“P-Princess Iris will!? Yuu-san and Nana—Nana-san meaning Princess Iris’s guard?”

“Yes. That suspicious masked person and the cute girl.”

Hey now.

So that’s how you were introducing me to others. I wanted to go to Iris immediately and demand a correction, but it wasn’t wrong and my tailing would be discovered.

I gritted my teeth and watched her situation.

“Why would Princess Iris cook? If you were to get injured by any chance…”

“I’ll be fine. I’m sturdy!”

That’s not the issue. You’re being muscle-brained here too, Iris.

It’s not about being unlikely to get injured, he said “by any chance.” The cook would be the one in trouble.

“Hmm… I understand.”

You understand!?

“I can’t coldly refuse Princess Iris’s request. You want to serve cooking to that suspicious masked person, right?”

“Ahaha… th-that might be the case? Y-yes…”

“Then this way. I’ll prepare the basic ingredients and knives and such. Princess Iris, please wash your hands.”

“Understood.”

Ah… unfortunately, Iris Kitchen had begun.

Royal family cook, you should have stopped her… that’s a dangerous object with zero cooking experience. Who do you think is in the most danger? —Nana and me.

If Iris demonstrated the unexpected trait of being good at cooking here, we’d be safe, but—

—BANG!

A loud sound was heard. Looking, the onion-like vegetable prepared in front of Iris had been cut.

Along with the cutting board.