Chapter 28 Rest
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The recipe names had vanished.
Yuuri was already exhausted after two fights on an empty stomach, but since only one person could use the pro kitchen from his previous life, he had no choice. Hoping to at least prepare something light, he checked the recipe—only to find the specific names had completely disappeared, blacked out like confidential information.
”They went too far…” he muttered.
”They are someone unfathomable,” Marina remarked. “But I doubt they do things like this manually. They’re probably set up some kind of automatic system, like with skill activation.”
Marina tugged the hem of Yuuri’s shirt and stood on her tiptoes to peek at the sheet in his hand.
Fortunately, the family restaurant’s back area had been almost entirely reconstructed. Since their dungeon-crawling gear was inconvenient indoors, Yuuri rummaged through the changing room and found full sets of uniforms with the logos removed. They were meant for customer service and were reasonably practical, so by a two-to-one vote it was decided to use them as indoor wear. Ashley, the sole opposing voter, seemed unwilling to remove her cherished maid apron dress. However, this was not Restea Castle. Wearing their best protective gear as daily clothes was unthinkable, so Yuuri ordered her to change into a uniform as well.
”So, how is it? Can you cook? I’m starving too. And someone is definitely at fault for pushing us so hard,” Marina complained.
”Quiet. If I fall in love, I don’t do it halfway… Hey, stop that in the kitchen.”
Yuuri wrapped an arm around Marina’s waist to restrain her as she leaned in, pressing her breasts against him. For a moment, the idea of grabbing her rear crossed his mind, but that would only encourage her further. Even if their intimacy could be framed as beneficial for dungeon conquest, giving in to indulgence would surely lead to ruin. Outside the bedroom, discipline was required.
Holding back a pouting Marina, Yuuri returned his gaze to the recipe. As he pointed to each step, muscle memory resurfaced. His past-life experience was more useful than expected. Fortunately, all the censored items were things that actually existed. The descriptions that had vanished were mostly company-specific terminology. By replacing them with equivalents from this world or newly coined terms, the fragmented recipe could still function.
”Alright, I can manage. I wanted rice, but there’s no time to cook it today. We’ll go with pasta.”
”Oh, I’m excited! I remember it tasted delicious, but I can’t recall the details,” Marina said.
It had been a while, so Yuuri carefully reread the manual before activating the cooking equipment one by one. He avoided time-consuming items like deep-fried dishes and focused on food that could quickly satisfy their hunger, organizing the workflow accordingly. While juggling multiple tasks at once, Ashley peeked out from the entrance to the dining area.
”Sorry to keep you waiting. But… this outfit… isn’t it strange?”
”—Seriously?”
”Oh wow.”
She revealed only her upper body from behind the doorway, clearly embarrassed. Even from that, it was impossible not to notice: her large breasts strained the buttons of the uniform shirt. She had tucked the shirt into her pants—likely following the dressing instructions—wrongly emphasizing her chest even more.
”Ashley, you don’t have to force yourself into something that small,” Yuuri said.
”No, this was the largest size available…” she replied timidly.
The uniforms had been designed for the average build of women from Yuuri’s previous world. On Ashley’s voluptuous figure, the fit was simply too tight. Yuuri should have realized this sooner—his own previous size no longer fit either. Marina, athletic and compact, suited the uniform well, but on Ashley it looked almost provocative.
”You can’t do this, Manager Yuuri! This makes the place look like some seedy establishment!” Marina protested.
”I really don’t suit it… I should change back…” Ashley murmured, ears reddening.
Flustered by Marina’s blunt remark, Ashley tried to retreat back into the changing room, but Yuuri strode over to her.
”Y-Yuuri…? Could you not stare so much…?” she stammered.
Ignoring the protest, he stood directly before her. Their eyes met briefly before she looked up at him again. His gaze then dropped to her chest, on the verge of bursting from the fabric. He slid one hand under her arm and around her back, pulling her close. Her ample bosom pressed firmly against him, creasing the seams of her uniform.
”Ah… um… Yuuri? Do you… desire me like this? I don’t mind…” Ashley whispered.
Heat pooled in Yuuri’s lower body from the overwhelming softness pressed against him. Sensing it, Ashley’s slender fingers subtly caressed the spot between them. He had underestimated Ashley’s allure—she was far too beautiful for him. Her usual maid apron dress suited her, dignified and refined—beauty befitting this world. But the contrast of wearing clothing from his former one strangely amplified her feminine charm, stirring his desire uncontrollably. Feverish, he touched her cheeks and ears; they were warm. Her moist eyes, parted lips, and soft exhalations pulled him closer—
”That’s enough! Stop right there, Manager Yuuri! Just because Ashley looks like some clueless exchange student who’d be taken home on her first day! If you want that kind of vibe, use the cosplay in the bedroom closet! —Ah♡”
Yuuri turned toward Marina, who had rushed forward to stop him. He seized her waist just as he had Ashley and pulled her in.
”Y-Yuuri, no…! If we fall here, it’s over…! We’ll never leave this workshop again… ssu♡”
Marina trembled, pleading desperately. Despite being less affected by the workshop’s influence, she didn’t try to escape his grasp. She clung to his shirt, tension running through her body, her crotch tattoo visible.
—Maybe it was fine to stop everything here.
With that dangerous thought, Yuuri leaned in to kiss her—
A sharp electronic beep pierced the kitchen.
”Whoa! Oh no!”
Memories of death-march shifts resurfaced: invoices piling up no matter how many he processed; the exhausted, pleading eyes of floor staff; machines shrieking in protest like overworked slaves. The meat baking in the oven, the pasta boiling unattended—all sounded their alarms. Yuuri jerked back to the equipment. When that sound rang, it had to be dealt with immediately. It was a habit drilled into him through part-time work.
”That was close…”
He glimpsed Marina collapsing weakly at the edge of his vision, but there was no time for her. He forced all distractions away and rushed to finish cooking.
* * *
Marina was extremely displeased afterward.
”The pasta is too soft.”
”S-Sorry…”
”And the hamburger is cold.”
”My apologies…”
They carried the less-than-ideal dishes to a table and ate. With every mouthful, Marina voiced a complaint, and Yuuri apologized. Yet despite the grumbling, Marina’s plate emptied fast. The same was true for the others. No matter how cold or overcooked, the family-restaurant dishes far surpassed the dungeon rations they were used to.
”That was dangerous this time…! I thought I had a strong will, but if that happens again… Ugh. Isn’t there some girl out there who could restrain us? Someone all the servants would accept?”
Having finished first, Marina clutched her head, muttering a princess-like scheme. Yuuri decided to leave that matter to her.
”Ashley, I’m sorry too. I bragged I’d make something delicious and served… this.”
”No, if this is considered a failure, then I understand why you were so confident. If it had been perfect, I can imagine how delicious it would be.”
Even though her first taste of food from Yuuri’s world was flawed, Ashley’s evaluation was positive. Now dressed in a loose men’s uniform instead of the tight women’s one, Yuuri’s indecent thoughts were quieter. Her graceful knife and fork etiquette suited her well. The way she pinpointed what went wrong hinted at some cooking knowledge—Yuuri felt even more determined to try her cooking one day.
”Enough. Moping won’t fix anything. Let’s decide our next steps!”
With the meal finally calming down, Marina straightened and announced their next course of action: planning the dungeon dive. Countless uncertainties awaited, even with a princess’s foresight. Yuuri, as a dungeon guide, was glad to be relied upon.
”Right. Leave it to me. I trust you, Marina. Ask anything I can answer.”
But she looked at him somewhat exasperatedly. After clearing the table and bringing drinks, they sat down, and Marina began the strategy meeting.
”For now, the two most important topics are verifying our skills and the time limit, ssu.”
Yuuri and Ashley nodded. First, they had to fully understand the Familial Workshop and the divine information Ashley had received, as well as the mechanics of servant-granted skills and blessings. Second, the time limit referred to how much time they could afford to spend on the dungeon. Time didn’t pass inside the Workshop—but their real-world time continued. Spending twenty years inside only to return to bodies aged twenty years would cause chaos and risk revealing the Workshop. And if a whole year passed outside, the political turmoil would settle, reducing Princess Marina to a footnote of history.
Satisfied with their reactions, Marina continued:
”To determine what we need to know about skills, we must first share our understanding of the time limit. As you know, news of my disappearance will spread through the castle in under ten days. We don’t know what the returning Fried-lord/lady will report, but until I am officially declared dead and a funeral is held, political change will be gradual. So I intend to conquer the dungeon before my funeral and seize all authority. I propose a deadline of one month. Is it possible, Yuuri?”
”…If memory serves, based on the prophecy, there are thirty-six floors left until the deepest point you predicted. That means clearing more than one floor a day. Considering there may be extra floors or unforeseen delays, two floors a day would be ideal. From a guide’s perspective… that’s insanity.”
If a client had dumped such a request on him mid-expedition, he would have considered arranging an “accident.” But now, with the Workshop—where time could be stopped—their conditions were radically different. They could rest freely, store everything, and grant new skills to bypass problems. Unless faced with unavoidable instant-death traps, they could always retreat safely to plan. With endless stamina and resources, two floors a day was feasible.
”…My only answer is that there’s a chance.”
Though vague, it was positive enough for Marina.
”That’s sufficient, ssu. Next is how to construct skills for Ashley and myself. By the way, your first skill was ‘Petrification Immunity.’ Is it related to the fifty-eighth floor?”
”Ah, mine was also ‘Petrification Immunity,’” Ashley added.
Of course it was. During their intimacy, Yuuri had been distracted by their bodies—he hadn’t expected the skill he half-considered necessary would actually be granted.
”Yes. The ‘Safety Zone’ on the fifty-seventh floor is the deepest record, right? The party eighty years ago had to retreat on the fifty-eighth due to petrification from a Basilisk. The scout turned to stone just from eye contact.”
Petrification existed on shallower floors, but only rarely and with low success. Paralysis, blindness, and similar ailments also appeared occasionally. Many tourists laughed when Yuuri explained this, calling it bad dungeon design. But when considering the fifty-eighth floor, it was no joke. Possibly, floors fifty-nine and below were home to monsters that inflicted a variety of instant-status ailments. It was the dungeon god’s way of training adventurers gradually—not like a certain goddess who forced them to fumble blindly.
”I see… So we must resist every monster attack you know of, ssu,” Marina concluded.
”T-That means Yuuri will love us more…♡”
That was the implication. Though not unwelcome, gaining skills solely through intimacy felt unsatisfying—Yuuri resolved to create a romantic mood each time.
”The remaining concern is… I can’t gain resistance myself. How do we solve that?”
Even if he stayed behind the others, attacks didn’t always come from the front. A single hit could still drop him.
”Ah, um… that problem is already resolved…” Ashley said shyly. Blushing, she averted her gaze with a troubling expression.
”According to Shelm-sama, skill growth scales with the number of servants. For two people, it becomes a passive shared skill. ‘Petrification Immunity’ should apply to you as well.”
The goddess had arranged a convenient bonus—clearly intentional.
”…Without any ulterior motive, what about a third servant and beyond?”
Naturally, absolutely no ulterior motive. Yuuri had no intention of adding anyone. But predicting that wicked goddess’s tricks was worth asking about.
”She said, ‘It’s easy to understand, so check it yourself….’”
”Hahaha… that woman.”
He felt thoroughly toyed with and vowed payback. Marina clapped her hands.
”Alright. In short, Yuuri will grant us many skills. Then we’ll test them, check our strength on floor fifty-seven, and later scout fifty-eight. Something like that?”
”Yeah… Ah, I’d also like to finish within a month.”
Marina’s summary reminded him of a harsh reality.
”Oh? Why’s that?”
”My rental home has a clause because adventurers use it often. If I’m reported missing, after one month my belongings get thrown out and the contract ends.”
”That’s serious,” Marina said with a laugh. Ashley silently grabbed Yuuri’s arm—likely to encourage him. But after such a chaotic day, he simply wanted to sleep. Yet the look in both servants’ eyes suggested that wouldn’t be allowed.
Notes:
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Ashley – Count’s daughter, royal attendant, has a crush on Yuuri.
• Restea – Yuuri’s homeland.
• Shelm – Wicked Goddess, reincarnated Yuuri, manipulative, wants him to use his power.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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