Chapter 13 : Mushroom Hate

Ding—

The number above the door hit 17, the compartment stopped, and the door slid open.
The hallway looked flashy at a glance, but up close, that’s all it was.

“Let’s see, Room 1706…”

Left side: 1704, 1703, 1702, 1701.
Must be on the right. Checking, I spotted 1706.

That employee gave me a chip with the credit chip, right?

As I reached for it, Freesia stretched out her hand, and without touching anything, a beep-beep sounded, and the door unlocked.

“Huh? I was supposed to use the chip.”
“…Wanted to, open door.”
“Oh? Well, go for it then.”

Her response was odd, but she’s young, so I shrugged and entered 1706.
The room wasn’t as gaudy as the hallway but still felt overly focused on appearances.

“Freesia, how’s the room?”
“…Cheongdo’s, better.”
“Yeah, this place is flashy, but…”

Cheongdo’s room had a calm, restful vibe.
Still, this beats those rundown motels.

“It’s clean enough. Let’s stay here tonight and wait for that fixer, Luma, to contact us.”

He better not ghost us.
Kang Rimun set this delivery job without giving a contact method, so if Luma doesn’t show, I’ll head back to Cheongdo.

Tap, tap—
“Hm?”
“…Outside, look.”
“Outside?”

Freesia tugged my collar, leading me to the glass window. From the 17th floor, Glimmer Garden sprawled below.

Up close, the signs, lights, and moving holograms were chaotic, but from here, they blended into a shimmering sea of light, replacing the hidden sky.
Among the glow, buildings rivaled or surpassed this hotel’s grandeur, with massive pillars soaring to support Flare Ring instead of the heavens.

…“Looking down” didn’t quite fit, given the towering buildings, pillars, and Flare Ring blotting out the sky.
Still, taking in part of the district slowly, unlike my rushed city overview, was refreshing.

“Quite a sight, even the second time.”
Tap, tap—
“Hm?”

Admiring the dazzling scene, alien to my world, I turned as Freesia’s tiny fists tapped me.

Puff—
“…”

Her cheeks puffed out, staring at me.
…Oh, I teased her after seeing the city last time, didn’t I?

Pat, pat—
“What’s up?”
“…Roland, mean.”
“Oof.”

She must’ve been scared then, still puffing her cheeks despite my petting.

“I said I wouldn’t do it again. Really sorry about that.”
“…Okay.”

Stroking her small head, I glanced out the window, then turned.

“Wanna wash up and rest? We walked all day.”
Nod, nod—
“…Okay.”

I set down a now-deflated Freesia.

After we both washed and dried our hair, I noticed a terminal on the bedside table, embedded in the wall.

“…Like the one in Cheongdo.”

Used it to contact Kang Rimun.

Wondering if I could order food, I picked it up.

Beep—

A strange sound, then silence, followed by a calm voice.

—Yes, guest. How may I assist you?
“Can I order dinner?”
—Dinner… ah, you mean room service.

Room service?
Sounds straightforward.

“Yeah, what’s on the menu?”
—Rubel Lumiere Hotel’s room service menu changes daily. Please inform us of any dietary restrictions, and we’ll relay them to the kitchen.
Perk—
“…! Me, me.”

Freesia’s ears twitched at the voice, and she looked up.
Chuckling, I brought the terminal closer.

“…Mushrooms. Don’t like, mushrooms.”
—Uh, mushrooms? They’re a common ingredient, so excluding them entirely might be tough…
“…No, good?”
Thud—

Her blank face hardened coldly at the reply.
No change in expression, yet it felt like it cracked—pretty amusing.

“Mushrooms are common, huh… Well, it’s fine if they’re included. She needs to eat variety to grow.”
“…!”
Shake, shake—

Freesia shook her head, giving me pleading eyes.

—Oh! If you mean natural mushrooms, those aren’t in Rubel Lumiere’s menu at all.
“Hm?”

I knew about artificial ingredients, but synthetic?
Mushrooms are synthesized?
Is that safe to eat?
If even this hotel only uses synthetics, it’s probably not deadly, but…

Confused, the employee took my hum as a prompt to continue.

—Like other ingredients, mushrooms differ greatly. Natural mushrooms have a unique flavor and aroma absent in synthetics, which only retain texture.
“Texture only?”
—Yes, other synthetics are similar, but mushrooms are especially bland.

The stuff I ate felt like that too.
Mushrooms are the worst, huh?

“Freesia, why don’t you like mushrooms?”
“…Smell, weird. Not bad, but don’t like.”
“Oh? Then these mushrooms should be fine.”
Shake, shake—
“…Texture, texture bad too.”

She shook her head, but I’d already moved the terminal closer.

“Then no need to skip mushrooms.”
—Good to hear. Even without flavor, mushrooms are versatile, so our chef loves them. Most guests at Rubel Lumiere enjoy them.
“Is that so?”
—Yes. Shall I send up two portions of room service, no exclusions?

Two portions… a bit light?
It’s not natural ingredients, but should beat the refrigerator junk.

“Make it three.”
—Understood. Rubel Lumiere uses premium synthetics to mimic natural flavors. Your order will arrive shortly. Anything else?
“Not now.”
—Enjoy a radiant stay.

Beep—

The terminal clicked as I hung it back.
I felt tapping on my thigh.

Tap, tap, tap—
“…Don’t like, mushrooms.”
“Come on, eating variety helps you grow. Don’t wanna get taller?”

Crouching to her eye level, stroking her head, she glared sulkily.

“…Wanna stay, like this.”
“I wanna see you eat well and grow big.”
“…!”

Her eyes widened, then she nodded firmly, though her head, engulfed by my hand, just looked cute.

“…Okay. I’ll grow, stay by, Roland.”
“Yup, so eat variety.”
“…Roland too. Stay by, me.”
“Hm?”

Why the sudden chill?

“…By me.”
“Oh, yeah, of course.”
“…Hee.”

Tilting my head, I brushed it off as she nuzzled my palm, petting her more.

Knock, knock—

Opening the door at the sound, a wide, floating disc hovered.

“Hm…?”

Whirr—

It glided in, transferring its load to the table.

[Enjoy a radiant meal.]

Echoing the hotel’s greeting—heard multiple times already—it floated away.

“How many ‘radiant’ wishes have I heard?”
“…Three.”
“You kept count?”
“…Yup.”

I vaguely recalled three or four, but hadn’t tracked it consciously.

Pat, pat—
“Impressive.”
“…”

Freesia clammed up, shy. I patted her briefly, then lifted her onto a chair.

“Now that I think about it, this might be close to this world’s standard food.”

It can’t be like the refrigerator stuff daily… right?

“…Lots of, mushrooms.”
“You said the smell was the issue. These have no flavor or smell, so you’ll be fine.”
“…Okay.”

The table held yellow ball-shaped fritters, mushroom slices in sauce, steaks that looked convincing yet oddly sculptural, white pasta, mushroom fritters, and cakes—three portions each.
Should’ve asked for one cake.

“Let’s eat.”
“…Okay.”

Cutting steak for Freesia, she chewed slowly.
Trying it myself, I got why.

“Like they maxed out the best of Cheongdo’s refrigerator stuff.”

So that was already high-end?
At least they made it palatable.

Tried the yellow fritters.

“Shrimp flavor?”
“…Fritter, taste.”

Not real shrimp—lacking depth, just fritter coating, as Freesia said.

Next, the mushroom sauce.

“…Not, bad.”
“This… mushroom?”

No flavor or smell, just texture, but infused with a meaty aroma, it felt like a different ingredient.
If it mimicked meat, you’d think it was oddly textured meat.

Then pasta and mushroom fritters.

“…Tasty.”
“Not bad.”

The pasta reeked of oily flour, but since other dishes were decent, it’s likely the ingredients’ fault, not the chef.
Probably toned down from something worse.
Mushroom fritters, flavorless, were just fried—surprisingly a good call.

Finally, the cake.

“Hm… overly sweet.”

Not even sugar, either.
It masked the ingredients’ flaws, but synthetic “flavor” just harms dishes.
Calling these “premium” synthetics? What are mid- or low-grade like?

“…Sweet, yummy.”

Well, Freesia enjoyed it, so that’s enough.
Come to think of it, desserts in my world were this sweet too.