The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent-Chapter 372

Let’s talk a little about food preferences.

Naturally, my own food preferences were that of a typical Korean. I didn’t like anything too greasy, and I preferred food that was moderately salty and spicy.

Even after spending so many years in Azerna, I had mostly adapted to the local cuisine—or rather, to the cuisine of Belvur and Iberia more than the Azerna Empire’s food—but it seemed I still hadn’t managed to completely erase my core tastes.

It was honestly a little amazing that, even though my body had completely changed, my taste buds hadn’t. Maybe taste preferences are tied to the soul?

...Anyway, because of that, I’d been enjoying life lately.

Eating kimchi stew, soybean paste stew, and all kinds of broth-based dishes was really giving me energy.

And this world wasn’t Azerna anymore.

Not only could I eat Korean food, but I could also eat practically every Asian dish that had been so hard to find back there.

Since I probably wouldn’t be able to eat like this again once I returned, I thought, I need to enjoy it while I can.

That said, I couldn’t completely ignore the food preferences of the two people living with me.

Both Claire and Alice had taken a liking to Korean food—but still, I couldn’t just feed them Korean dishes all the time.

Setting aside the local Azerna Empire food, most of which had such unrecognizable ingredients that it wasn’t even worth trying, the foods you could actually eat back there tended to be really greasy.

Instead of using peppers, they preferred tomato- or cream-based sauces, and the noodles weren’t thin like somyeon, but closer to spaghetti.

Well, it made sense. The world was based on the West, after all.

And considering it was Japan’s view of the West, the foods had that exaggeratedly Western feel too.

Claire and Alice were always watching my reactions carefully.

No matter how many times I told them to feel at home, they couldn’t help it.

They were living here without paying a single coin, so if they had normal emotional instincts, of course they would feel self-conscious.

So, even when the food wasn’t exactly to their taste—

"Y-yeah, it’s good. Not too spicy."

—they would say that, wiping sweat from their foreheads.

Or—

"Trying food from another country is definitely worth it."

—they would say, even though they hadn’t even finished half their plates.

Sure.

Trying foreign food for the first time can be exciting.

Maybe even the second or third time it’s fine.

But if you keep eating it... you get sick of it.

That’s why I started trying to make things like spaghetti, and why I went out of my way to find the bakery with the best reviews nearby to buy simple loaves of bread.

I didn’t want my sisters, who were living with me, to have bad memories of this place.

Anyway, judging by their reactions, when we had more Western, mostly European-style food, their eyes would light up, so I figured it wasn’t really a problem.

I figured.

"I trusted you, Claire..."

"Huh!? What’s wrong, unnie? Did I do something wrong?"

You sure did.

After the horror game stream, the number of viewers shot up.

We hadn’t created a separate account for streaming, but the clips and GIFs of me freaking out had gone viral across various communities.

Because of that, more and more people started asking about us and showing up.

Naturally, the donations increased, too.

Feeling a little more secure about our finances, I thought, Let’s treat ourselves to some pizza—

"...What’s this?"

Alice tilted her head in confusion as she opened the pizza box.

And there it was.

Inside the box was a pizza topped with pineapple.

"...I mean, it’s not exactly wrong."

No, technically, it wasn’t wrong.

There’s no country where putting pineapple on pizza is a crime.

Maybe it’s illegal in Italy—but if that’s the standard, then most Korean pizzas are criminal anyway.

Still, it wasn’t exactly to my taste.

"Really?"

Claire lowered her head slightly and looked up at me, seeming unsure.

...Yeah. This wasn’t Claire’s fault.

To these two, every single thing here counted as "foreign food."

Even if we bought fish and chips like the kind we used to eat in Azerna, it would still be "British food," not Azerna Empire food.

Meaning, they didn’t have any baseline for what food "should" be.

Everything they ate here was basically their first time trying it.

I should’ve remembered that.

"Pizza with pineapple, huh. That's... fresh."

Fresh, huh.

More like blasphemy.

"Right? That’s why I ordered it!"

Claire beamed brightly.

Now that I thought about it, wasn't mint chocolate something invented in England too?

...Next time we go buy ice cream, I’m picking the flavor myself.

Seriously.

"Unnie."

I snapped back to reality at the sound of Claire calling me.

She and Alice were both looking up at me from around the pizza box.

"Aren’t you going to eat?"

Claire’s eyes were filled with a little nervousness.

She looked kind of pitiful.

...Right.

It’s not like eating pineapple on pizza would kill me.

I didn’t love the idea of heated pineapple, but still—

The pizza was already here.

I carefully sat down at the empty spot.

Claire, who thought of me as her big sister, and Alice, who thought of me as her younger sister, were both waiting patiently for me to start eating.

There was no need for them to be so tense.

"Alright, let’s eat."

"Yeah!"

"Let’s."

I reached for the first slice.

Pepperoni and cheese melted together in perfect harmony—and sitting atop it all was that pineapple.

I hesitated for just a moment before taking a bite.

The first thing I tasted was the warm, still-soft pizza dough.

One bite, and I immediately noticed the rich, slightly salty, yet buttery flavor of the perfectly melted cheese—

it wasn't too greasy, and it had that slightly savory oiliness I was used to from pizza.

The taste was a little different from the pizzas I’d eaten in Azerna, but honestly, I preferred this style.

When I bit down again, I caught the flavor of the sausage.

That slightly spicy seasoning, unique to pepperoni.

As I slowly chewed and savored that familiar Western taste—

There it was.

Pineapple.

The tropical fruit’s sweet flavor rushed over my tongue.

Honestly, I liked pineapple.

I could open a can and eat the whole thing by myself.

But... pineapple on pizza?

Really? Why?

I did my best not to grimace.

I didn’t want to hurt the feelings of my sisters—especially Claire, who had picked this pizza.

"It’s good!"

"Yeah, it’s really good!"

Right.

It’s good.

Compared to Azerna Empire’s food, it was incomparably better, sure.

And as I kept eating, I got used to it.

If only there weren’t pineapple, it would’ve been even better.

"Eat up."

I finished my slice and grabbed another piece as I spoke.

"Huh? That’s it for you, unnie?"

"Yes, I think that’s enough for me."

"Really? Did you have a big breakfast or something?"

Alice tilted her head.

More like...

I just {N•o•v•e•l•i•g•h•t} didn’t really want any more.

Though I didn’t hate it enough to gag, either.

The two of them finished the rest of the pizza while still stealing glances at me.

...If I’d eaten more, it wouldn’t have been enough for them.

*

"I have something to talk about."

At my words, Claire and Alice exchanged looks and then both knelt in front of me.

"...Why are you kneeling?"

"Uh, well, it’s just... earlier during dinner, you seemed kinda mad, so..."

No matter what, I wouldn’t get seriously angry just because they ordered something I didn’t like.

And it wasn’t like I hadn’t eaten any of it.

"I’m not mad, so relax."

Even though I said that, the two of them stayed kneeling.

I held back a sigh and placed a card in front of each of them.

"Huh."

"This is...?"

"Debit cards."

Basically, the money I’d earned was mine.

But of course, I didn’t intend to spend it all on myself.

Primarily, it would be emergency funds, just in case.

Still, it was only fair that the money we earned from streaming was split evenly among the three of us.

It wasn’t like I earned it alone.

The earnings hadn’t been finalized yet, but we could already estimate roughly how much.

"I deposited an even share of our streaming income into each of your accounts."

The accounts had already been created earlier.

I had opened online bank accounts for both of them, and these debit cards had been ordered at the same time.

"If there’s anything you want, you can use the money within that limit.

If you need something and don’t have enough, I’ll add more."

"Really...?"

Claire took the card with a dazed expression.

"...We’re allowed to spend it personally?"

"I trust you both."

"..."

They both went silent for a moment.

"Sorry for just taking without giving anything back," Claire finally whispered.

"You’re not just taking."

I gave Claire a small smile.

"If I were alone here, I’d just have withered away.

Thanks to you two, every day is lively and fun.

And this money isn’t something I earned alone, either."

"Someday, I’ll pay it all back."

Alice said that quietly.

"I’m already being repaid."

"..."

Claire and Alice went silent again—

and then—

"Eek!?"

—they tackled me at the same time.

Jeez.

If you’re going to do a thank-you hug, at least be a little gentler.

Still, I smiled and patted their backs warmly.