“Yuri Sister, do we have fried food to put on top this year as well?”

“Yes, I have everything ready.”

In response to Estoa’s words, Yuri took out a platter of tempura from her <Inventory> and placed it in the center of the kotatsu.

Last year, I was only able to prepare two kinds of tempura, shrimp and vegetable kakiage. This year, I've prepared everything I could think of that would make good tempura ingredients.

There are the usual ingredients such as chicken, sillago, maitake, maitake, eggplant, shishito and shiso, as well as pumpkin, shiso and chili. In addition, I have tried to deep-fry various kinds of ingredients, such as rice cakes, half-boiled eggs, and cheese.

..To be honest, I think some of them are not suitable for dipping in soba sauce. It would be interesting to try them one by one, tasting them as you go.

“Wow, it's a lot of food this year..!”

Estoa shouted happily when she saw the mountain of tempura on the platter.

It was not enough for the six of us here to eat. We can save the remainder and eat it later.

“You can put whatever you want on it.”

“There are so many that it's impossible to eat them all.. Yuri-sama, do you have any suggestions?”

“Hmmm.. I guess. If I were to recommend one that I think goes best with soba―――it would be the chikuwa no isobeage. Then there's the vegetable kakiage and the half-boiled egg tempura, both of which are good, so I hope you'll try them.”

In response to Yubel’s words, Yuri pointed to the ingredients and explained.

I made vegetable kakiage last year, but it didn't turn out so well because some of it fell apart. This year, however, thanks to the skills I've acquired in〔 Cooking IV 〕, I'm proud to say that I was able to fry the vegetables beautifully in the shape I intended.

The same goes for tempura with half-boiled eggs. The eggs are cooked to the perfect half-boiled state in anticipation of the frying process, and it is truly a masterpiece.

“Fufu.. This is fun, isn't it, Master?”

“I'm glad you enjoy them.”

At Sofia’s words, Yuri's face broke into a smile.

One of the main reasons why Yuri enjoys cooking is because she loves to see the look on the girls' faces when they happily eat what she has made.

That's why Yuri was very happy to have the opportunity to serve her homemade dishes to everyone again this year, just like last year.

“..Estoa. It's a little too much, don't you think?”

“Really? But it looks delicious..”

Yuri couldn't help but say that when she saw Estoa securing a large amount of tempura in a bowl of soba noodles.

I'm glad she's eating so much. Tempura is an oily food, so it is not advisable to eat too much at one time.

“I've been eating a lot of it lately, probably influenced by the high priest of Badanterre..”

“Ahh..”

Estoa usually works as a “Saint” in the cathedrals in the cities of Yuritania or Ulysses.

So she probably has many opportunities to meet and share meals with the High Priestess of Badanterre, who is in charge of the Cathedral of Yuritania.

The High Priest of Badanterre is a very old man, but he is a very healthy daredevil, and he usually eats a lot of food and sweets.

Under the influence of such a person, it is not surprising that she has a big appetite.

“Well, you seem to be exercising, so maybe that's okay.”

“Right.. As Yuri Sister said, I dive into the “Labyrinth” actively, so I don't think I'll gain weight.

I'm also earning enough money that I don't have a problem spending more on food.―――Neither Lydina-sama nor Yuri Sister has specifically warned the congregation about ‘moderation’, so I don't think it's a problem if I eat more.”

Estoa is one of the top explorers in the Yuri Empire, and her level is about to reach the 100 mark.

The fact that she consumes a lot of calories on a regular basis is probably one of the reasons why he is eating more. If that's the case, eating a lot of food is not necessarily a bad thing.

“Can I give you one piece of advice, Estoa-san?”

“Advice..? What is it?”

“It's fine to eat a lot of food, but you might want to think about what ??????? you're going to do after this meal.”

The expression on Estoa’s face hardened as she heard Sofia’s words.

What it means to have all the ‘concubine’ gathered together ??????.

This year, several shrines have been built, but not a single temple yet. At the end of the year in another world, where the New Year's bell is not supposed to ring, a night full of worries awaits.

(TN: Not sure what this is supposed to mean..)

“..C-Can I put about half of it back on the plate?”

Estoa, red-faced, asked Yuri.

I don't think my stomach will suddenly grow fat just because I ate a little too much. ―――But now that I'm aware that I'm going to be seen naked by everyone after this, I guess I can't help but feel resistance to eating so much.

“You can't put tempura back on the platter after it's been soaked in soup stock..

You can transfer some of it to my bowl if you want.”

“I'll take some, too..”

“I'll take one of those.”

“T-Thank you, Yuri Sister, everyone..”

We all collected a little bit from Estoa, who was getting a little teary-eyed.

Yuri has a tendency to like anyone, as long as they are a girl. You don't have to worry about your stomach showing at all, though.

“By the way, I have a question for you, Master.”

“Yes? What is it, Sofia?”

“When I met the captain of the <Kuroyuri>, Cassia-chan, yesterday, she gave me this vial, saying that I should drink it right before making love. It looks like some kind of elixir potion.. What exactly is this?”

As she said this, Sofia pulled out several vials of elixir from her own <Maid Bag> skill.

The vials, all filled with a green liquid, looked familiar to Yuri. Recently, when the <Kuroyuri> girl was in charge of the ‘love duty’, she would bring this elixir with her, and she was often seen taking it before going to bed.

“Maybe it's a miracle drug.”

“Revitalizer, right? What kind of elixir is it?”

“When taken, it will nullify the abnormalities of sleep and stun for a long period of time, anywhere from half a day to a quarter of a day.”

“..? Why would you need to take such an elixir before lovemaking..?”

“For the sake of effect, it will be absolutely impossible to sleep or lose consciousness for a while after taking the elixir. ―――Means, that's what ?????? is for, right?”

When making love in bed, Yuri uses【 Bond of Deprivation 】skill to absorb the energy of her beloved's exhausted body into herself.

With this ability, Yuri is able to take on the vanguard girls of the Yuri Empire, who are confident in their physical strength, or all of the girls in the concubine at once. It is possible to love them to the end without running out of energy in the process.

While Yuri is able to recover her strength during the act, the person receiving her love will continue to lose strength throughout the act. The act of making love on the bed is always one-sided from the beginning.

In the end, the receiving end of Yuri's love will either faint from exhaustion or succumb to sleep―――either way, it always ends.

It is physically impossible to fall asleep or lose consciousness if you take the Miracle Drug.

Even when your physical strength is depleted, you are still forced to maintain your consciousness ???????.

Yuri tries to stop the act when the person loses consciousness. On the other hand, as long as the other person remains conscious, she will not stop her attack.

In other words, the reason why the <Kuroyuri> girls prefer to be loved after taking the “Miracle Drug” beforehand. This is because they have a strong masochistic desire to be tortured.

With their bodies incapable of resisting, yet incapable of losing consciousness, they will continue to be played with and driven mad by Yuri's fingertips until one day the sun rises and the night ends.

―――This is the kind of experience the girls are hoping for.

“Fuu, I.. I-I see..?”

As Yuri explained the situation in detail. Sofia, who was dyed red up to her ears, spilled out her words in a very shaky voice.

“Sofia, can I have one of those?”

“..Ah. Y-yes. Of, course.”

“Thank you.”

Yuri opened the vial and poured the elixir into her mouth.

Then―――she kissed Sofia and poured all of the elixirs into her.

Sofia resists for a moment.

She quickly gave up and accepted the elixir into her throat, her eyes slightly moist.

“It's a good thing you’re not working tomorrow, isn't it?”

Smiling, Yuri told Sofia.

Sofia's body trembled with a complex expression of mixed fear and anticipation.

―――The real heaven exists in the deepest abyss of hell.

Sofia the day after that. She was unable to move at all.