The day after a storm is strangely quiet.

In the living room of the vast mansion, only the sound of an old clock ticking echoed.

Outside the window was calm, clear weather.

It was hard to believe the frenzy of yesterday’s decisive battle had even happened.

“...It’s quiet.”

I muttered to myself as I sank deep into the leather sofa.

“Lady Karen and Lady Hibiki went to the studio early this morning. Yū and Ai headed to the market to restock the food that was used.”

Saotome, who had been standing in the corner as if blended into the shadows, replied in a flat voice.

Today, instead of her usual black suit, she was dressed lightly in a black turtleneck and cargo pants that looked easy to move in.

Well, even so, she hadn’t taken off her sunglasses and she was probably still hiding a knife at her waist.

“I see. Sorry about this, leaving only you behind.”

“Ensuring the safety of the protection target is the top priority. Besides...”

Saotome narrowed her eyes slightly behind her sunglasses.

“Today’s ‘guest’ looks like they’ll be rather stimulating.”

I took a sip of the coffee on the side table and recalled last night’s phone call.

Around midnight, while my excitement still hadn’t cooled, I called Reiko.

There was only one reason.

“Can you come over around noon tomorrow?”

“...Eh?”

“I have something to talk about… Alone.”

The way she seemed to hold her breath on the other end when I said that.

And the squeaky, flipped-up voice going, “Y-yes!”

...It’s not like I was planning to eat her or anything.

There was just something I absolutely had to tell her.

Ping-pong.

The chime broke the silence. Right on time.

“She’s here. I’ll show her in.”

Saotome headed for the entrance with efficient movements.

I straightened my shirt collar and composed myself.

A few minutes later. The living room door opened.

“Please excuse me...”

When I saw Reiko Sumeragi appear, I instinctively did a double take.

“...What’s with that outfit?”

Today, she wasn’t in her usual ‘female CEO’ mode.

Or rather, in a sense, was this her ‘battle outfit’?

A pale pink one-piece dress.

A perfectly balanced cut that emphasized her body line without losing elegance.

Her hair wasn’t in her usual vertical drills, but loosely curled and half-up.

And more than anything, her makeup was different.

Not the heavy makeup she’d wear heading into a battlefield, but natural makeup focused on healthy color, even giving off a hint of girlishness.

“D-do I look... strange?”

Reiko fidgeted, swaying her body.

“No, it’s not strange. It’s just...”

I chose my words carefully.

“I thought you came to take a photo for an arranged marriage meeting.”

“Pff—”

I heard Saotome snort behind us.

Reiko shot Saotome a sharp glare, then cleared her throat and turned back to me.

“You told me to ‘come alone,’ Lord Akutsu... so, um, I considered the TPO (time, place, occasion.)”

Blushing, she perched lightly on the sofa across from me.

Her eyes were moist and looked oddly full of expectation.

What is this atmosphere?

If Saotome hadn’t been standing rigidly in the corner, it might’ve felt even more awkward.

“Well, whatever. Sorry for calling you out.”

I poured fresh coffee from the pot and set it in front of her.

“N-no! If it’s a summons from Lord Akutsu, I’d rush over even from the other side of the planet!”

Reiko leaned forward. A sweet perfume scent drifted softly.

“So then... what did you want to talk about?”

She swallowed audibly.

Her eyes sparkled as if to say, So, what kind of words of love?

I set my cup down and looked straight at her.

“About yesterday’s curry match.”

“...Eh?”

Reiko’s expression froze. It was an unexpected word, apparently.

“Curry... you say?”

“Yeah.”

I took a deep breath and replayed yesterday’s battle in my head.

50 to 50. By the numbers, a draw.

I won in the sudden death afterward, making it my victory in the end. But—

“That was a loss for me, no matter how you look at it.”

At my words, Reiko’s eyes went wide.

“W-what are you saying? The result was a draw. And the children who ate your curry were so absorbed they even licked their plates clean...”

“That’s what I call ‘ego.’”

I gave a self-mocking smile.

“My curry is a drastic drug. One bite leaves an unforgettable impact. But it’s a taste that chooses who eats it. Among yesterday’s kids, there were definitely some who rejected it at the first bitterness.”

I recalled the ‘Supreme Golden Ratio Curry’ made by the opposing camp.

That gentleness. That sense of reassurance.

“The curry your development team made was different. A taste that would make all 100 people smile if 100 people ate it. That’s the pride and underlying strength of a food manufacturer.”

I’m a chef.

Leaving a mark, engraving memories, changing someone’s life just a little through what they eat.

That’s how I’ve lived.

But a corporation is different.

Supporting everyday life. Providing the same reassurance no matter when it’s eaten.

Leaving no one behind.

“I used my personal ‘violence’ to dominate the atmosphere on the spot. But in the long run, the ones who win are your ‘love.’”

I took a sip of coffee. Bitterness spread through my mouth.

“Those 50 votes yesterday. They were numbers that taught me the limits of myself as a chef and the strength of your company.”

I lifted my face and looked at Reiko.

She stared back, mouth slightly open, utterly taken aback.

...Hey, don’t make that face.

“Lord Akutsu...”

Reiko whispered in a trembling voice.

“You’re saying that even though you won, you still mean to admonish yourself?”

“It’s just my nature. Tighten your helmet cords after victory, as they say.”

I leaned back against the sofa.

“And besides, I don’t like owing debts.”

“Debts?”

“Yeah. I won in sudden death, so my wish went through. But as far as the main curry match goes, I lost in my own book.”

I planted my elbows on the table and clasped my fingers.

“So here’s my proposal.”

My gaze pierced straight into Reiko’s eyes.

“My wish was granted. So next time... I’ll grant one of yours.”

“...Huh?”

Reiko blinked. She didn’t seem to understand yet.

“Equivalent exchange. I’ll put my body on the line to pay back the loss from the curry match.”

I grinned.

“Say it, Empress. What do you want? If you want me to appear in your company’s CM, I’ll do it for free. Supervising a new product? Or maybe we shoot another showdown video?”

I thought this was a massive concession.

The ‘Demon King’ Akutsu Jō saying he’d dance to a corporation’s tune.

As a businesswoman, it should’ve been an offer she’d want badly.

However, Reiko’s reaction was different from what I expected.

She lowered her head and started trembling slightly.

“...Hey?”

When I called out, she suddenly snapped her face up.

It was red like a fully ripe tomato.

“O-one wish?”

“Yeah. Anything.”

“N-n-n...”

Reiko’s gaze wandered.

She looked at my face, then the ceiling, then her own fingertips.

Her breathing grew rough.

“Anything... really, truly anything?”

“A man doesn’t go back on his word.”

When I stated it firmly, she let out a short squeal and covered her face with both hands.

“W-what should I do... I never thought you’d say something like that yourself... I-I’m not mentally prepared... I did wear my special underwear just in case, but... Saotome-san is watching... But you did say you’d ‘put your body on the line,’ didn’t you!?”

She was muttering something under her breath.

I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but it seemed she’d slipped back into her world of delusions.

I looked to Saotome for help.

Saotome, expressionless, was writing something in her notepad.

Peeking over, I saw, Subject’s mental state extremely unstable. Excitement level MAX. Caution required.

...Caution against what, exactly?

“...Have you decided?”

When I asked cautiously, Reiko pulled her hands away from her face as if she’d made up her mind.

Her eyes were glowing strangely.

But they weren’t the eyes of a ‘predator’ like before.

They carried a wetter, more earnest hue.

“...Lord Akutsu.”

Reiko took a small, deep breath and looked straight at me.

“Then... would you spend this evening drinking with me?”

“Drinking?”

I was caught off guard.

I’d expected a much bigger business-related demand.

“Yes. However... there are two conditions.”

Reiko raised her index finger.

“First... tonight, it has to be ‘just the two of us.’”

She glanced at Saotome.

Saotome said nothing, only giving a slight nod.

“And the second...”

Reiko tilted her head slightly, gazing at me with moist, upturned eyes.

“I want you to make alcohol-pairing ‘snacks’... handmade by you, right in front of me while I drink.”

“...Huh?”

I asked back without thinking.

Handmade snacks? That’s it?

“More than a full course at a high-end restaurant, drinking while listening to the sound of you working the pan, with those drifting aromas as my accompaniment... that’s the greatest luxury for me right now.”

Reiko said it shyly, yet clearly.

Those weren’t the words of a corporate president.

They were the modest but earnest wish of a single woman.

I was momentarily taken aback, then—

“...Hah, hahaha!”

I burst out laughing.

“H-hey! There’s no need to laugh!”

“No, sorry, sorry. I just thought, that’s all it takes?”

I wiped the tears from the corners of my eyes.

To think the president of Sumeragi Foods would ask for my ‘snacks.’ What a cheap Empress.

“Fine. Easy enough.”

I grinned broadly and stood up.

“I’ll make you something unforgettable. Don’t blame me if the booze goes down so smooth you lose your memory.”

“That’s exactly what I want!”

Reiko’s face lit up like a blooming flower.

“Then I’ll excuse myself for a moment.”

Saotome bowed.

“What about security?” I asked Saotome.

“The security of this mansion is airtight. And besides... tonight’s ‘enemy’ seems to be outside my jurisdiction.”

Saotome gave a meaningful grin behind her sunglasses.

...What’s with that look?

Saotome slipped out of the living room without a sound.

In the wide room, only Reiko and I remained.

“Well then.”

I rolled up my sleeves.

“Shall we begin, Empress? Tonight’s going to be a long one.”

“Yes... Please go easy on me, Demon King.”

Reiko smiled happily and met my gaze.

In the living room bathed in the setting sun, a quiet yet heated time was about to begin.