If You Would Have Me, I Would Be Your Apprentice

Care to guess why I'm not smiling?

The corner of Asta's mouth twitched.

She had no answer to Stelle's remark.

But considering Stelle's personality, she didn't think Stelle had done it on purpose. It was probably an accident.

After all, what bad intentions could someone who liked trash cans possibly have?

"I'm not unhappy. After trying the fried eggs and Egg Fried Rice last night, I was really looking forward to breakfast today, so I was too excited to sleep much."

"And now that I've just eaten two baskets of buns, I'm getting sleepy."

Asta yawned.

She was telling the truth.

But she was also deliberately letting it "accidentally" slip that she had eaten here at Jiang Yao's twice last night~

And that she had just eaten two baskets of buns~

So we're hurting each other now, are we?

Bring it on!

Sure enough, Stelle was silenced.

Or rather, her toughness bar had broken.

"So you really did have a secret little feast last night!"

March 7th was starting to crave fried eggs and Egg Fried Rice.

They might not have been as tasty as the buns.

But she still wanted them~

No, wait.

How could anything Jiang Yao made possibly taste bad?

March 7th gazed at Jiang Yao longingly. Suddenly, inspiration struck, and she asked, "Oh, right, Jiang Yao. Do you really like cooking?"

How should he put it?

Looking at March 7th's innocent eyes...

He didn't even need to guess. Her little scheme was written all over her face.

Jiang Yao found it rather amusing.

"Yes."

"I really like eating, so I like cooking too."

"Really~?" March 7th scratched her head, then said with an utterly adorable expression and voice, "Then, once we're aboard, how about I give you a chance to do what you love?"

"Sure~" Jiang Yao agreed with a smile.

There was no way he couldn't keep this little glutton March 7th well fed~

Besides...

Jiang Yao licked his lips.

What cat didn't sneak a fish, and what cook didn't sneak a bite?

Rules were rigid.

Aeons were alive.

He had indeed set a rule of three meals a day.

But what if one of these little gluttons got a craving?

As a model Aeon, how could he bear to let them go hungry?

Ahem, for the sake of their health...

And for the sake of their palates...

Wasn't it perfectly normal to taste the food ahead of time to make sure it tasted right?

"Yaaaay!"

March 7th jumped for joy.

Himeko and Welt watched the scene with fond, doting smiles.

Little March really was a ray of sunshine.

It seemed they had her to thank.

They wouldn't have to worry about meals aboard the Astral Express anymore.

Instead, they would have to worry about what to do if they left the train while Jiang Yao stayed aboard.

"Speaking of which, Jiang Yao, why is your cooking so delicious?"

Stelle gazed at Jiang Yao longingly too.

She still found it hard to understand how such ordinary ingredients could taste so good.

Yes, to this day, nobody except Jiang Yao knew that the buns they had just eaten were made with some of the finest ingredients in the universe~

"Nothing special. Just practice. If you want to learn, I can teach you."

Jiang Yao told the truth.

At those words...

The Astral Express Crew grew excited, especially Stelle and March 7th.

Only Asta's mouth twitched.

Right, right, right. Sure, you could teach them.

The question was, could anyone actually learn?

Anyone who could learn that would have to be at least an Emanator, wouldn't they?

Asta wasn't exaggerating.

Jiang Yao could trace an ingredient's origins just by tasting it.

If Jiang Yao hadn't been messing with her...

And what he had said was correct...

Then that was an utterly outrageous ability.

The Aeon of Remembrance should have been able to do it.

Even an Emanator might not manage it, unless they had made Light Cones out of sheer boredom.

The legendary Finality could certainly do it.

And Elio, Destiny's Slave, could probably manage it too.

Beyond that, Asta couldn't think of any other possibilities.

She was hardly lacking in knowledge.

"Wonderful! If you would have me, I would be your apprentice!"

Stelle was interested—very interested.

As for why?

Naturally, it was because Stelle was a little glutton too~

"..."

Jiang Yao rubbed his chin.

Taking on an apprentice wasn't out of the question.

Once his apprentice had mastered the craft, wouldn't he get to enjoy the good life, with meals served right up to him?

But Stelle...

This girl wouldn't end up treating trash cans as ingredients and cooking them for me, would she?

That wasn't impossible.

So...

"Let's skip the apprenticeship. Just watch me cook for now."

Jiang Yao decided to observe first.

Yes, observe~

"Okay! Okay! Okay!"

Stelle's eyes lit up at once.

"All right, Jiang Yao, stop teasing our silly little Stelle."

March 7th covered her mouth and giggled.

"If his cooking is that good, it definitely can't be just practice. He must be incredibly talented!"

"Forget it, Stelle. You won't be able to learn it~"

March 7th really wasn't trying to discourage Stelle.

If cooking a lot could get someone to that level...

They wouldn't have become so hopelessly addicted to Jiang Yao's cooking.

But Stelle merely pursed her lips, folded her arms, closed one eye, and raised an eyebrow as she gave March 7th a sidelong look.

Ever heard of the advantage of being close at hand?

Didn't I know whether I had what it took?

Did you think I was there to learn cooking?

Hah, how shallow!

Think bigger!

I was there to taste-test~

"Hmm, not necessarily. I really don't have much talent. If I had to name one talent, it would only be eating."

Jiang Yao spread his hands.

He wanted to give Stelle a little encouragement.

Sure, watching you all enjoy your food made me happy.

But who could resist living off someone else's efforts?

Yes, Jiang Yao still hadn't realized Stelle's true objective~

"Really?"

March 7th grinned. "By that logic, my talent is eating too~"

"But I don't have your skills."

Asta nodded in agreement. "Exactly. I've eaten plenty of fine food myself, but nobody's cooking has ever surpassed yours!"

Approval from the lead researcher of Herta Space Station and the daughter of an Interastral Peace Corporation board member carried considerable weight.

"Then you just haven't eaten enough~"

Jiang Yao shook his head.

When it came to eating, he wasn't boasting.

Nobody in the entire universe had eaten more than him.

But Asta and the Astral Express Crew clearly didn't believe him.

"So you've eaten lots of things? And you can make lots of things too?"

Stelle's eyes grew brighter and brighter.

Her train of thought and the things she focused on were always unexpected.

"I used to be well-off, so I ate a lot, and I ate well. But the good times didn't last. Some idiot screwed me over. Life got pretty rough, and my diet became rather monotonous."

"So there are some dishes I need to try making before I can tell whether they taste the way I remember."

Jiang Yao told the truth.

It wasn't some unspeakable secret.

Why couldn't he talk about it?

Nobody would believe him anyway, or they would get the wrong idea~

Everyone tacitly agreed not to pry.

Who didn't have a few secrets?

Jiang Yao's past was a mystery.

Then they would let it remain a mystery.

Now, they were companions!

Once it was settled that he would come aboard...

The excited Astral Express Crew chatted a little longer before happily calling it a day.

They each went back to pack their things.

Their visit to Herta Space Station had been unexpected.

But they had gained an unexpected delight as well.

Now that everything had settled down...

It was time to set sail again and trailblaze across the universe!

Of course, Jiang Yao had nothing to pack.

It was just him.

So, while the others packed their luggage and prepared to board...

After confirming how future transactions would work with Asta and getting an interstellar phone from the wealthy young woman...

Jiang Yao secretly did something major.

He roasted the True Sting Pupa.

Well...

Ahem...

Well...

Um...

Could you send a little support out of love?

Please, pretty please, help this humble, pitiful, weak, and helpless author! (In Klee's voice)