Girl in the Box: Please tell me why I was reincarnated as a mimic monster!

"Ah! I'm sorry I'm late..." Xia Ling bowed quickly after noticing that there were guests, and her habit of lowering her voice unconsciously returned.

"It's alright, it's alright," Li comforted her. "It's good that you're back. I happen to need your help right now."

"Huh? Me...?" Xia Ling's eyes widened in surprise. "Is there anything... I can do to help?"

"Do you still remember how to make potato chips?" Li asked.

"Potato chips? Of course I remember..."

She still remembers most of what Li taught her, but she lacks practical experience. Now is a good opportunity for her to train.

"Come on, give us a hand, we need to make a lot of 'potato chips'."

Considering the four members of her own family, two guests, and the one in Akihabara, she'll have to make a little more potato chips. She's a bit worried about the potato reserves in the other world, since there are two dragons here.

After that, they used all the potatoes in their house to make potato chips. They kept half of them at home and used "time magic" to freeze time and store the potato chips. They took the rest to the store with Negi and the others.

"Hmm, what a wonderful aroma." Negi sniffed the wooden basket filled with potato chips. "I've never seen this kind of food before. 'Time,' you always manage to surprise me."

“It’s not really anything special…but…” Li glanced at the people behind him, “we can’t eat it yet, let’s just wait a little longer…Sarid.”

"Aww... I understand."

Salid had been watching closely since the production began, his mouth watering the whole time. He truly lived up to his reputation as a dragon, his drooling was enough to fill a puddle.

It feels like I've gained a precocious younger sister and a silly younger brother, but in terms of seniority, Li is the youngest of all the Dragon Kings.

After passing through the portal, they returned to the second floor of the "Miniature Garden". Because they were busy with various things, Ri almost forgot about this shop.

Using the magic eye to check the surroundings, the dots on the map were sparse, but one was parked in front of the shop. It could only be her.

"I think we should write up that recipe as soon as possible," Ning said as she walked down the stairs. "Otherwise, it could become a monopoly."

“That’s true…” Li slumped her shoulders listlessly.

She had promised Les Mills and the others that she would write a recipe book a long time ago, but it seemed like she never had the time, so she just left it unfinished.

But it seems we can't just leave it like this anymore. If we continue to monopolize the world's cuisine, things could get out of hand. It might even escalate into a war in a different sense.

The war between humans and demons was already tough enough for Li; if something else happened here, he really wouldn't be able to handle it.

"Oh? A recipe?" Negi was surprisingly interested.

“Well, it’s just some dishes that can be recreated in this world.” Li glanced at her. “Although it’s called a recipe book, there aren’t actually that many.”

The dishes that can be reproduced within the Principality are very limited. The ingredients here are completely different from those on Earth. Spices, seasonings, and other necessary kitchen utensils all need to be sourced from scratch in this world.

In reality, Li can only make a dozen or so dishes, most of which are snacks. But that's only for now; these are just the dishes that can be reproduced within the principality. The world is much bigger.

But right now, what I want most is rice... There are substitutes for most other things. Seasonings would be nice too, but I might have to make them myself.

The possibility of it becoming a monopoly seems extremely high...

To avoid that possibility, let's leave it to a merchant guild outside of Borg for help. That guy Olitto will definitely have some strange ideas.

I walked into the store and turned on the cotton lamp to brighten it up. Although it was already noon, the store was still quite cool considering its location.

After tidying up the wooden basket containing potato chips, she went to open the store door. Because it was an inward-opening door, Kana, who was leaning against the door, didn't have time to react and fell over.

"Oh! Shopkeeper!" Kana, lying on the ground, showed an expression of ecstatic joy upon seeing Ri's face.

"I thought I'd come to the wrong place!" Kana immediately stood up, dusting herself off. "Has the God of Potato Chips descended?! I can smell potato chips!"

"You have such a keen sense of smell..." Li's expression twitched slightly. "There's no such thing as a potato chip god. You can make these potato chips too. Come in and have some. I'll teach you how to make them next time."

"Are you the god who created potato chips?!"

"Are you even listening to what people are saying?!"

The topic seemed to have veered in a strange direction. Ning shrugged helplessly and casually picked up a potato chip and tossed it into Kana's mouth.

"Aren't you going to eat some?" Ning asked, biting into half a potato chip with a blissful expression. "They might be gone in a little while."

"Oh!? Wait a minute, you two brats!? This master wants some too!"

"You're actually using honorifics?! And you two have already finished a whole basket?!"

While Ri and Kana were talking, the two dragon kings, who looked like children, couldn't wait to pick up potato chips and taste them. Salid kept stuffing them into his mouth, while Neki ate them one chip at a time, not slow either.

Now, Kana has also joined the two dragon kings in their efforts to eliminate potato chips.

"Aww...this stuff called potato chips...is so delicious."

"Right! This is my favorite food! Mmm, mmm."

"You two, don't talk while you eat. And this can't be a main meal, can it? It's amazing that it can serve as a snack during the journey. Are there any special requirements for storage? I didn't know that it can be cooked by frying... 'Time' really surprised me."

The three of them sat around the potato chips, eating and discussing them. Salid was just eating, Kana seemed to have developed a fighting spirit and started comparing herself to him, while Negi was commenting on the potato chips.

“It might turn into ‘opium’,” Ning suddenly said.

"Huh...? It's not that serious... is it?"

In short, we now have two more potato chip lovers, so it seems we have to hurry up and start writing the recipes.

Chapter 3: Enough slacking off, hurry back!

"So, don't wait outside the store for days just for something like this," Li said with a hint of helplessness.

She asked Kana if she had been here for the past few days, and Kana replied that she had been waiting here without leaving for several days and had not gone back.

“That won’t do!” Kana retorted. “If it’s for potato chips, I’ll do anything!”

"...Ah, Ning, please help me." Li was at her wit's end and had no choice but to ask Ning for help.

"Just give her some potato chips and let her go home, isn't that enough?" Ning smiled, seemingly enjoying the situation.

Rather, she finds enjoyment in seeing Li agonizing over something strange; it's her hobby.

"Woo... this..."

Li looked at the empty wooden baskets. These three baskets, each about half the size of a basketball, had been filled with potato chips, but now they were all gone.

Of these, Negi only ate one-sixth, and the rest was all eaten by Salid and Kanai. Just making this little bit has already used up all the potatoes in the house.

Salid grabbed the empty basket, turned it upside down, and patted it, hoping to get a chip or two out. He had really finished them all, so he shouldn't be so persistent.

"Ah, right."

Kana suddenly fumbled for something on her person, then grabbed a small bag and handed it to Ri. It smelled of currency, and Ri, being a mimic, would never mistake it.

Although there were some other smells mixed in, you couldn't mistake that smell for gold coins, and there must be at least a hundred of them.

"This is the money I owed from before," Kana said proudly, puffing out her chest. "And the money for the potato chips! Thanks for the treat!"

"Don't give me so much money!? Potato chips are practically worthless! And where did you get so many gold coins!?"

In this world, three Rosends (a potato-like crop) are worth only one silver coin, and one gold coin is equal to one hundred silver coins. This is really too much.

It's only been a few days, but Kana has changed so much. What happened during this time?

"Money?" Kana smiled. "That's the money I earned from doing a little bit of work! Aren't I amazing?"

"Is this robbery?! What job pays this much in such a short time?!" Li tried to calm herself down and then asked, "Where do you work?"

There's definitely something wrong with a job that pays that much in such a short time. That's practically selling yourself, isn't it? Kana is usually alone, so it would be a real problem if something happened to her.

Although this had nothing to do with reason, she still wanted to help Kana because of her personality.

Kana thought for a moment and said, "...? I think it's called Sanko Workshop."

"Sanko Workshop? Ah...that's good." Li breathed a sigh of relief.

Ning had told her before that the princess of that kingdom, Alice, was the owner of Sanko Workshop. Alice was somewhat related to Kana, and she seemed like a nice person; she wouldn't deliberately try to harm Kana, would she?

Thinking about it that way, it makes sense that Kana could come up with so many gold coins; it was probably arranged by Alice. That person couldn't stand seeing Kana living like that, so she gave her so much money.

But Kana doesn't seem to appreciate herself at all... It's really tough on Alice.

"Ah... I'll keep this money for you for now."

Li reluctantly tossed the money pouch into the silver magic circle, which naturally led to the treasure chest inside Li's body. She'd retrieve it for her when she needed it; she felt a little guilty carrying so much money.

"Excuse me, we're here to take this young lady back to work." Two young men walked in. "We're here to take this young lady back to work."

"Hmm...huh?"

Rin glanced at Kana, who had somehow hidden behind Negi, who was seriously blocking her... no, she was just playing around, laughing.

"Don't worry," Ning said calmly. "Those two are from Sangu Workshop. You don't need to worry about them being human traffickers or anything like that. In fact, it's best to cooperate with them."

"Is that so? Then I'm relieved." Li gave a smile that was completely devoid of any genuine emotion. "Please take her back. She's been interfering with business and causing quite a bit of trouble."

"Whoa?! Wait a minute!? Shopkeeper?! Shouldn't you be helping me?! Where's your conscience?!" Kana accused her in a panic.

"Hmm? I'm just taking a lazy person back to where she belongs." He made way for the two young men. "Please."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

The two young men thanked her, then expertly picked up Kana and hoisted her onto their shoulders. It seems Kana is a repeat offender...

"Waaaaah?! Comrade! Save me!"

Kana reached out to Salid for help, but Salid was still obsessed with finding potato chips, and her hand could only grasp at empty air.

"Oh, right." Remembering something, he called out to the young man.

"Shopkeeper...!" Kana's eyes lit up with hope again.

“Please call Her Highness over here,” Ri ignored her, “and tell her that the owner of ‘Hakoniwa’ needs to speak with her.”

"…!" The young man was surprised for a moment, then quickly calmed down and nodded. "I understand. I will pass on the message to Her Highness the Princess."

"Aaaaaaah! Help me! Aaaaaah!"

So, the slacking-off kobold was taken away. It sounded quite pitiful, and the arrogance that usually lingered between the lines was gone. What method was used to make her like this?

Well, that's none of my business.

Li turned his head away, refusing to look at the person being carried away.

"Where is Her Highness the Princess..." Negi licked her lips seductively, "'Shi,' how did you manage to find someone like a princess? Among humans, such a person must be of very high status, right?"

"Uh... well, sort of." Ri looked away. "I guess I'm not a princess anymore..."

"Hmm... I actually taught a princess when I was teaching at the church." Neki said, as if recalling something pleasant. "That child was very hardworking, but where is she now?"

"Hmm...who knows..." Li shrugged.

"Speaking of which, why did you seek out someone like this?" Negi asked curiously.

"Uh, oh, this..."

“That’s Princess Alice of the kingdom. She has considerable influence in various countries. She was in the kingdom not long ago, and now she’s in the duchy. The reason Li wants to find her is simply to learn about the situation in the kingdom, and she’s the best candidate. Am I right?”

"……That's it."

Ning interrupted at an inopportune moment, cutting off the explanation that was about to be given.

"I plan to gather as much information as possible." Golden flames blazed in Rin's eyes. "Before deciding on a side, I need to understand as much as possible what's happening in this world. And tonight, I'm going to have a face-to-face confrontation with the Demon King..."

Therefore, we have to make more preparations.

Chapter 4 The Beginning of the Kingdom's Upheaval

"excuse me."

Alice walked in from outside, her hair looking a little messy, probably because she had rushed over. She seemed to have come alone; she usually didn't bring any attendants.

“Miss Li? I heard from my subordinates that you wanted to see me.” Alice went straight to the point as soon as she entered. “Is there something you need?”

"Please don't use those formal honorifics," Li said with a wry smile. "They sound rather awkward."

Few people usually call her "Miss". Ning and Olito usually call her by her name, while Neki prefers to call her "Shi", probably based on the title of her power. Even Xia Ling can properly call her "Sister Li".

Now, hearing honorifics makes me feel uneasy. I always feel like something bad is brewing somewhere I don't know about. For example, Ning occasionally does some terrible things...

puff!

She suddenly remembered what had happened that night.

"...? What's wrong with you?" Ning noticed that Li suddenly seemed strange.

"No, no, nothing?!" Li answered her hurriedly.

"Are you sure it's nothing?" Ning moved closer to her, placing her hand on her head. "If something goes wrong, I'll be the one in trouble..."

"Waaaah...Σ(°Д°;)"