What Do You Mean I'm The Captain Of A Yandere Mercenary Company? Chapter 803: We’re Betting On When She’s Taking Over The Kitchen

Ah well... Que sera, sera, right?

That's the reason I chose to quit fretting over our little scuffle with that guard and trailed after my companions back to the mess hall.

Sure, I inquired about their pasts before joining us, but Amber merely grinned and advised me to drop it, end of story.

Taking her cue, I let the matter rest as we stepped into the mess hall, which remained astonishingly crowded.

With the late afternoon hour upon us, I'd figured the spot would be deserted by then.

On second thought... Out here in space, 'afternoon' doesn't really apply anyway...

Folks on this station probably operate nonstop, ensuring food's always in demand.

'What do you reckon the grub here's gonna taste like?' I wondered aloud.

'I've got a hundred Credits wagering you'll seize control of their kitchen by tonight, Mistress,' Lea declared flatly.

Seriously?

'Hey now... This is the Inner Colonies... It can't possibly be that awful, can it?' I countered.

'Just so you know, I'm betting the same thing,' Mara chimed in.

Wonderful... Even the ex-noble, who's sampled Inner Colony nobility cuisine, agrees...

I shot them a sharp glance, 'Anyone wanna bet I won't?'

Amber chuckled, 'Ehehehe~ We're all wagering you'll absolutely commandeer the kitchen, Tera~ The only variance is the timing~ Mine's right after your first bite of lunch~'

I'm thrilled to be so utterly foreseeable to you all, I suppose...

Brushing that off, we approached the lineup of counters for placing our meal orders.

The setup resembled a cafeteria, featuring various stalls each specializing in distinct cuisines.

We'd still have to cover our own meals, though staff got a discount at least... And notably, every menu item used real organic ingredients, no synthfood anywhere.

Coming from the Outer Colonies, where I'd spent ages, this seemed downright otherworldly.

Especially spotting organic food prices here matching what synthfood costs out there.

And get this: these were straightforward dishes.

Meaning, no fancy organic preparations hyped as extravagant. Rather, they mirrored the basic synthfoods from the Outer Colonies, but all authentically organic.

Scanning the menu board, I opted for a straightforward choice to start.

So, I picked a plain bowl of noodles, figuring that'd be tough to botch...

By chance, the stall's style echoed eastern cooking from my previous universe.

The noodles arrived thick and bouncy. They landed in a bowl of what smelled like chicken broth, crowned with genuine chicken pieces.

Just basic chicken noodles.

The others grabbed their meals too and we hunted for a spot to sit and dig in.

At least... I hoped we'd truly savor them...

We claimed seats at a lengthy table, and I settled on the bench, eyeing the noodle bowl before me.

Grasping the provided chopsticks, I scooped up a few strands, hoisting them over the bowl, only to notice everyone fixed on me, eager for my initial taste.

For real? They're hanging on my reaction to judge if their own picks are decent.

Alright... No time like the present...

To begin with... The noodles possess that springy feel, so texture's solid at least.

Next, I sniffed them and... Yeah, it definitely carries that chicken noodle aroma at least ?

Deciding I'd stalled enough, I parted my lips and drew the noodles in.

The girls observed as I slurped them, sampling the broth and munching the strands.

Hmm...

They all gazed expectantly, even scooting forward in their seats toward me.

With a sigh, I admitted, 'It's... Edible.'

Amber edged nearer, 'But?'

'But... Yeah... It's far from tasty, obviously. Against Merina's cooking... This falls short.'

That's the Teppan chef we encountered at Talavee station, whom I instructed on condiments... Which seems like knowledge she should've had already...

Rating-wise... Merina's dishes hit a firm seven out of ten. This bowl? Maybe a five, tops.

It's tolerable enough... Like premade microwave fare, or here, 'healthy' instant noodles stripped of all monosodium glutamate.

Yep... Chicken flavor lingers, but faintly... Almost as if the soup's been watered down.

Accepting my verdict, the girls sampled their own dishes.

Their hopeful expressions swiftly morphed into letdowns upon tasting.

Ries groaned, 'Unngghh... Even the fish tastes pathetic... How do they manage to make fish so pathetic?!'

Yep... Ries chose some seafood dish, and the fish bits appeared quite parched from afar.

Supposedly fish, since the meat's blue-hued, leaving me clueless on the species... Likely some exotic space alien fish...

Amber prodded her meal with a fork, 'Ughh... It's surely edible but... It feels so pitiful...'

Spot on...

I shoveled another helping of noodles in, slurping and chewing to reassess.

Yeah... One meal's fine for fuel, but... Daily? No chance...

Setting down my chopsticks, I exhaled, 'Alright, alright... Let's check out their kitchen, I suppose...'

Instantly, Amber and Ries pivoted to the group, who reluctantly pulled out their personal terminals to transfer Credits over.

Apparently, just Ries and Amber predicted it'd happen at lunchtime or similar.

I lifted my tray with the bowl and headed to the return zone.

Given the separate stalls, no single kitchen existed for takeover, leaving me pondering my approach.

When unsure...

I lifted my arm to engage my Codex and dialed Theresa.

It rang twice before connecting, Theresa materializing on my display.

'Miss Tera! No need to fret! We're handling it as we speak!!'

I stared in astonishment, 'Handling it? What do you mean?'

'Eh? Not referring to the--'

Amber popped up next to me, 'Hello~ Relax! We trust your handling! This call's for a different matter!'

Theresa's complexion drained, 'Hold on... More of them?!'

'Nope, nope~ Separate concern~ Involves food this time~'

'Wha... What's wrong with it?'

Amber glanced my way, clearly passing the buck to me for details.

Clearing my throat, I explained, 'I don't intend to slight the hardworking folks feeding the station, but... The cuisine here doesn't meet our expectations, unfortunately...'

'O... Oh... Um... How... How do we... Uh... Resolve that?'

'Actually... No fixes required. I'm merely requesting a kitchen space for our use, so we can prepare our own meals?'

She blinked, 'You... Can cook?'

'Yes.'

'Um... Pardon me, but... Do you hold a cooking license?'

I winced, 'Sadly, no.'

'Ah... Well... That complicates things a tad... Can't allow a stall without one...'

'Oh, no sales planned. Just cooking for our group, nothing for the station. That okay?'

She breathed easier, 'Oh... Then yes, I can scout an empty spot for you~ Give me a moment to locate one! Oh! And if inclined, we offer classes for a cooking license! Tell me if interested!'

Wow... That's handy... Perhaps I ought to consider it?