After we were about halfway through the meal, Grace walked into the living room looking refreshed. Her long hair was loose and uncombed instead of tied in a ponytail.
"I'm done showering."
What startled me, though, was her outfit. She was wearing cute, multicolored polka-dot pajamas, which looked ridiculously out of place with her usually dignified, righteous face.
Jacob seemed completely captivated. The movements of his hands stopped, and his head slowly followed Grace as she walked.
Grace, now seated on the sofa, seemed to sense Jacob staring at her and looked back. Jacob instantly snapped his head back toward the dining table, hurriedly finished his food, and stood up.
"I'm full. Guess it's my turn to shower now."
Based on my many years of experience, his behavior meant exactly what I thought it did. Youth really is something.
"Grrr~!"
Just then, a loud stomach growl rudely shattered my sweet thoughts. It was obviously the sound of someone being hungry. I looked at Grace and asked coldly.
"Grace, was that you?"
"Not me."
Grace looked surprised by the sound as well, but she answered calmly and without hesitation. It really wasn't her.
"Then who was it?"
"Is me."
Ethefelis raised her hand expressionlessly as she answered. We all stared at her in shock. She had already finished eating—how could she possibly be hungry again?
"Didn't you just finish eating?"
"Not enough."
She had eaten the most out of everyone, yet she still wasn't full. The appetite of someone in their growth phase was terrifying. Looks like I'd have to make more food for her.
"How much do you eat in one meal?"
"Five servings."
"Five servings?! Then why didn't you eat that much at lunch?"
At lunch, Ethefelis had only eaten one serving and hadn't said a word. Even for someone growing, five servings was absurd. How could such a small body hold that much food?!
"Shy."
I had paid for lunch, so she probably felt bad asking for more. She really was a shy kid. No wonder she had stared so intently while Grace was killing the fish earlier—she must have been starving.
If she needed five servings per meal, then lunch barely counted as eating at all. And yet she endured it without saying anything. I had no choice but to spring into action immediately.
"Then you must've been holding it in for a long time. I'll make more for you."
"Thank you."
I put down my chopsticks, stood up, and headed into the kitchen. I took the last fish that Grace hadn't eaten and pulled out all kinds of ingredients from my storage hole.
By the time I was preparing the food, Jacob had finished showering. When he saw me cooking, he asked Grace what was going on—and was just as shocked by the explanation.
Dish after dish came out of the kitchen: fried chicken bites, tamagoyaki, breaded pork cutlets, shredded potatoes and radish, green beans stir-fried with eggplant, and fish soup. This much was enough. The table wasn't very big, so each dish came in large portions—there was no worry about running out.
"Wow! This is so lavish! I've never seen food like this before!"
Alice's eyes sparkled as she stared at the table full of dishes. It really was a feast. Letting her just look without eating would be a waste, so I spoke up right away.
"Alice, you can eat too."
"Really?!"
"Hurry up, or there won't be any left."
The moment she got my permission, Alice started eating. Ethefelis took another fresh bowl of rice and began eating again as well. I tidied up a bit and returned to my chair to continue my own dinner.
That was when I noticed Grace staring at the food, rubbing her stomach and swallowing. She clearly had an appetite now. After struggling internally with the words she had said earlier, she finally couldn't resist the temptation and looked at me.
"Um, Mr. Karen..."
"No way."
"I haven't even said anything yet!"
"You said you didn't want any, so there's none for you."
"How could you do this…"
I meant what I said. No food meant no food. Grace lowered her head in disappointment and regret, then turned away entirely, refusing to look at the food. Jacob looked like he wanted to say something, but held back. That was when Alice spoke up.
"Mr. Karen, please let Ms. Grace eat."
"No."
"Please, Ms. Grace must be really hungry."
"No."
"Then could you please let her eat for Fatelis's sake?"
"That makes it even more impossible."
"Why?!"
Asking me to give face to the very culprit? Absolutely not. In this world, the only people I'd ever give face to were Lina and Lani. Anyone else shouldn't even dream of it.
"Ms. Alice, please stop. My stomach isn't hungry."
Grace, the center of the discussion, finally spoke. She wore an expression that showed she had resolved to endure it. Alice looked at her with confusion, then after a few seconds, seemed to understand.
"...I'm sorry. I spoke out of turn."
After that, Alice continued eating. Once I finished my meal, I cleared the dishes, loaded them into the dishwasher, and then pulled over a chair to sit in the kitchen while it ran. Alice went to shower after she finished eating.
Ethefelis was still eating. Her eating speed was only slightly faster than a normal person's—I had expected her to finish everything in no time. At this rate, it would take her quite a while. Thinking about it, how much time did she actually spend eating every day?
Still, maybe the thing I had been worrying about this afternoon was no longer an issue. My funds would probably be wiped out soon anyway by Ethefelis's daily appetite of fifteen servings.
I had originally thought the ingredients in my storage hole would last a month, but now I clearly needed to restock and go hunting as soon as possible. No matter how much food I prepared, it would never be enough for Ethefelis.