"Senior Brother."
Sensing a faint trace of Gut's magical energy, Lernen turned and spotted him at the street corner.
"Mm." Gut smiled and nodded at Lernen, then shifted his gaze to the girl standing beside him.
Expecting the socially awkward Lernen to take the initiative and introduce the new junior disciple was clearly a bit too much.
So, Gut went ahead and introduced himself, then looked at the girl, hoping she would understand his intent.
Fortunately, this junior sister wasn't the shy type. Understanding Gut's cue, she confidently introduced herself.
"My full name is Gumieis. Senior brothers, just call me Gumi."
"My hobbies include all kinds of delicious food. As for my specialty—I can eat several bowls!"
"Don't be fooled by how I look, my appetite is huge."
"So please, if you ever find something tasty, make sure to let me know."
Gumi pressed her palms together and pleaded to Gut and Lernen.
Looking at this cheerful, foodie junior sister, Gut couldn't help but smile. She was far more lively than the reserved Lernen.
"If Junior Sister Gumi likes food so much, why don't we go eat together?"
"As it happens, I know a place in the city with excellent cuisine."
"Eh~ really, Senior Brother?"
At the mention of "delicious food," Gumi's eyes sparkled with light, her small hands already rubbing with anticipation.
To prepare for the examination, she had spent her past two days in Äußerst holed up in study and training—she hadn't had a chance to explore the city's flavors.
"Haha, of course."
"That restaurant has been praised even by the Hero and his party in the storyline—even Frieren, who has lived for over a thousand years, remembered it fondly."
Since arriving in Äußerst, Gut had mostly kept a low profile, but in two months, he had still managed to check out the entire city.
Despite hesitating about getting too involved, he had ultimately taken the risk to visit this well-known place.
How to describe the taste? After eating there, Gut felt it had been worth every risk.
The head chef had clearly reached the pinnacle of culinary skill for this era, despite the limitations of tools and ingredients.
Hearing Gut's confident praise, foodie Gumi naturally wouldn't turn down the dinner invitation.
As for Lernen, Gut could tell just by looking at him that he was planning to decline, so he didn't bother asking and just threw his arm around him and dragged him along.
"Senior Brother, you could at least ask for my opinion."
Pinned down by Gut's arm, Lernen replied with helpless resignation.
"Your opinion? With your personality, if you were the social type, we wouldn't even have met under these circumstances."
"Ugh…"
For a moment, Lernen was at a loss for words.
He had already opened up about his past over drinks last night, letting go of his burdens through that one cathartic conversation.
He hadn't expected the emotional boomerang to hit him so soon…
"Hey, Junior Brother, something just came to mind."
With a curious look, Gut asked, "You're bad at socializing, yet how did you and Denken end up becoming close friends?"
The sudden question caught Lernen off guard. Buried memories suddenly bubbled to the surface.
Looking at Gut's arm around his shoulders, Lernen sighed.
"Just like this."
"Every time I didn't want to socialize, Denken would drag me out just like you are now."
"Eventually, I got used to it and stopped resisting."
"I see," Gut said with a laugh, giving Lernen's back a friendly slap—only to make Lernen cough a bit.
"You hit harder than Denken, Senior Brother."
"Hahaha."
Gut smiled awkwardly and let go.
The three of them joked and chatted all the way to the restaurant. Since they were young, they quickly warmed up to one another.
They arrived early enough that the sun hadn't fully set yet.
That meant the restaurant was still relatively empty—no lines, no waiting.
With the server's guidance, they were soon seated and flipping through the menu.
Lernen kept it light for dinner: a salad, half a loaf of bread, and a cup of warm milk. That was it.
Gut, sitting beside him, couldn't help but frown slightly. With a selection like that, he could've just stayed home with a fridge.
But everyone has their own tastes, and Gut respected that.
Gumi, however, was a different story.
She fidgeted excitedly with the menu, eyeing everything with delight.
But after ordering three hearty dishes, she hesitated. As a girl, she felt slightly embarrassed to keep going.
Gut picked up on her hesitation and quickly encouraged her to order more.
He even added that he had been training his body recently and his appetite had grown—what they'd ordered so far wasn't even enough for him alone.
Hearing that, Gumi's eyes sparkled as if she'd seen her savior.
Without further restraint, she began choosing more dishes with enthusiasm.
The server, diligently writing everything down, barely had time to rest his pen.
Even so, Gumi was self-aware—she stopped at her limit, shyly handing the menu to Gut with a mix of embarrassment and satisfaction.
Gut took the menu, added a few more of his favorite dishes, then closed it and signaled for the server to proceed.
"Right away…"
Seeing the long list in hand, the server passed it on to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, head chef Lektüre glanced at the order and paused—was this a group banquet? That's a lot of food!
…
Soon, the first dishes were served.
Unsurprisingly, Lernen's salad, dry bread, and hot milk came out first—they barely needed any prep.
Gut and Gumi's orders would take more time.
While they waited, the restaurant provided complimentary aperitifs—two glasses of white wine.
Gut swirled his glass and inhaled the fruity aroma, nodding in appreciation.
A low-alcohol aperitif not only whets the appetite but also makes the wait more pleasant.
After a few sips, with nothing else to do, Gut opened the system interface to draw today's One Good Deed reward.
[Daily Task: One Good Deed Completed]
[Drawing Random Reward…]
[Draw Complete]
[Congratulations! Host has received Otherworldly Item: Enhanced Memory Bread x100]
"Hmm?"