“.....After you eat, we will depart immediately.”

With a face 4 times angrier than usual, Ai Fa-sama said so.

Well, It’s inevitable because I was the one that made her angry. But still, because you have already hit my head 5,6 times with the knife handle, I would like you to recover your mood.

By the way, the breakfast that was given to me was giba’s dried meat.

Again, this is quite a nasty stuff. Even though it looked like dried shredded squid without any appetizer, after I chewed it and chewed it again, it won’t fall apart. It’s like a rubber with meat flavour.

And it stinked of animal after all. Surely, the bleeding process wasn’t enough.

Ai Fa was leaning at the other side of the wall and let out a “Don’t come near me” aura. I, while chewing giba’s dried meat, was standing alone beside the kitchen range.

While looking at the beautiful bottom of the washed iron pot, I recalled yesterday’s dinner.

Yesterday’s dinner...was the worst.

For me, it was like a moment of torture.

“No matter what I think, that was terrible….”

For a meal that others treated me…I clearly said “It’s bad!”, maybe, it’s the first time in my life.

Supposedly, it’s that thing called spiral of self loathing.

(TL: 自己嫌悪のスパイラル: spiral of self loathing)

It didn’t become like that because Ai Fa had an ignorant face.

“....Meal is neither delicious nor bad.”

Having to heard that 3 times a day, was a verbal abuse.

Maybe, to the families of the people of Morihen meals like that were not the only source of nutrition.

Even so…

Even so, that meal was so terrible.

First of all, giba’s meat.

Giba’s meat was…..hard.

And strangely stinked like animal. (TL : because meat...smell like meat)

No matter how bad the pork quality was, even beef, would not stink like that.

And because it was boiled enough, it’s not that hard to bite it off. The surface was stiff and the inside still had tendon left in it. It felt like a melting rubber….In short, the texture was also the worst.

On the other hand, the onion-like vegetable’s texture was good.

The texture was crispy and pleasant.

But, it’s only that.

My biggest impression was that “As expected onions doesn't go well with food served in hot pot.”

And, the problem was the potato-like vegetable.

What on earth was that?

There was not even one solid remains left. Just a liquid-like cream colored powder. It’s like that thing was just there to destroy the balance.

The strongest image I could think of was “Water with melted flour inside.”

Now, would you like to imagine it?

Slimy soup with melted flour. (TL : doro doro no soup. ugh)

Crispy texture of the onion.

Sticky meat that stinked like animal.

The seasoning...was only black pepper.

Did you think it would be delicious with only this?

Unfortunately, It’s impossible.

And for me, the most severe point was: “Only the smell and the flavour are preeminently good.” Only that one point.

Smell...was the best.

The flavour taste of meat and fat must have been disarranged enough in that cloudy liquid.

Combined with the black pepper-like spice, it had reached the level of foods that could only be eaten because of its smell.

Nevertheless, it’s bad.

When I ate the meat with the soup, the animal stink ended up shattering the flavour.

Therefore….It was like a moment of torture.

While my appet.i.te was being stimulated, something that didn’t match it was invading into my mouth. To be honest, if I didn’t feel any grat.i.tude towards Ai Fa and the ingredients, I could not eat even half of the wooden bowl.

These kind of thing, I was made to eat 3 bowls of it.

In the end, I had to fight my desire to vomit.

Then, even after my stomach was completely filled, my brain kept whispering “So, when will the meal start?” until I fell asleep.

I guess, that’s why I had that dream.

“....What are you daydreaming about. Let’s go.”

When I heard an unfriendly raised voice, Ai Fa had already put her fur mantle on. On her waist hung a big and a small sword. Her preparation for departure had already been completed.

“Ah, wait a minute! My Santoku knife?”

“....Santoku….?”

“The blade that I gave you yesterday.”   

While remaining silent, Ai Fa opened a door to the inner side.

I think it’s the door at the right side. I headed there.

In the end, because Ai Fa and me slept in this hall, I didn’t see the three rooms in the back.

As soon as the sliding door opened carefully….instantly smells exploded.

(Uwaa…..This is amazing)

I had already predicted that this place was a food storage.

There was so many hemp sack placed down, The onion-like and potato-like vegetables were poking out from it.

There were various plants on the wall. One looked like a black shriveled seaweed, a strange long and slender leaf with fresh green color, was hanged in a bunch together.

Furthermore, there was a s.p.a.ce that had been part.i.tioned by a square board with the size of 2 meters. At the inner part of the room, black powders were tightly packed. The height of the threshold was about my knee.

The source of the smell….was that….

That was the spice that looked like black pepper which covered the giba’s meat.

Before I said it’s good or bad, the stimulation from this thing was too strong. It’s dense particles mixed with the air in this windowless room. If you lower your guard, your eyes, nose and throat’s mucus membrane could broke.

(I see...So this is how giba’s meat are preserved.)

But I couldn’t win against my natural curiosity and continued observing with watery eyes.

Giba’s meat was probably sealed inside this mountain of spice.

The meat wasn’t salted, but peppered.

But well, without cooling tools, this kind of method was necessary because raw meat would rot quickly in this area with decent temperature and humidity.

(Hmm...don’t tell me, this hay is a raw material?)

Hanging on the wall were withering leaves. It’s the one that looked like black colored seaweed, when I touched it, the fibers fell apart one by one.

(Hmm Hmm. So when you dried this black leaf, It becomes the black pepper-like spice. It’s like the time of European exploration era. This is the reason they attracted with joy.)

When I thought about it, I was called from my back: “You, what are you doing?”

At the entrance of the food storage, Ai Fa’s silhouette that’s lighted by the morning sun confronted me.

She leaned on the wall while folding her arm and bending her neck. Her eyes said don’t act suspicious anymore.

“Blade, here. Go out quickly, else the aroma will fade.”

“Ah, my bad. I got interested with various things.”

When I was asked by Ai Fa to get out from the room, the morning sun was awfully dazzling. And there I got the feeling I got sprinkled by pepper after 10 seconds.

(TL : because he was in a room with that spice for too long)

“Uwa. my nose hurt! That spice is too strong.”

“....Are you an idiot? What is so enjoyable looking at ingredients that can’t be eaten?”

“It’s enjoyable. Didn’t I said it yesterday?  I am a son of a cook.”

“...Something like a cook, doesn’t even exist in Capital of Stone. If you are aiming for something like that, hurry up and learn about this world quickly and get out.”

While saying that in bad mood, Ai Fa shoved the santoku knife to my chest.

“Even if you say that, aiming to become a cook in a world where I don’t even know left and right is impossible...By the way, why did you keep my knife in that pungent room?”

Although spice won’t cause knife to rust, I was a bit afraid the knife would smell.

“......Because that room doesn’t have windows. Of course there is no others like Diga Sun that shamelessly smash the lattice and sneak into somebody else’s house. That food storage is the safest place here.”

“Ah, so that’s what it was. You really took care of it properly...Thank you.”

The middle of Ai Fa’s forehead furrowed.

Maybe she wasn’t accustomed to receive grat.i.tude.

“.....We have wasted some time. We will collect piko leaf and firewood until sun rise in the middle.

If you don’t want to be a freeloader, then be useful, even if it’s only a little.” (TL : ピコの葉: Piko Leaf, 無駄飯 : mudames.h.i.+ : freeloader)

“Aye aye sir!....But before that, I have a request. Will you hear me out, Ai Fa?”

Naturally, Ai Fa’s face had a very unpleasant look.

It really spoiled her beauty.

“What kind of problem are you intending to give me any more? You are unexpectedly an impudent man, Asuta.”

“No, I really want to help you with your problems even if it just a little bit… Tonight, can you leave the dinner to me?”

Though Ai Fa had a bitter face, after listening to my words, her face became like a pigeon that was eating a pea.

That kind of expression was a little cute.

“What is that? Preparation for meal isn’t that much of a problem. Even a 10-year old children can do something like that.”

“Ah. It’s not that. Can I take it over...Is it not okay? I want to try my world’s cooking method to know if it can be done with this world’s ingredients. I want to try it a little bit.”

Ai Fa looked puzzled and lowered her eyebrow, then she looked at me from top to bottom.

She looked like as if she had encountered a dog walking with two feet.

Although it depended on preference, I thought I was quite cute.

“I don’t understand...Something like “Cook”, Is it a way of thinking?”  (TL: 料理人 :cook)

“In the end, I am only just an apprentice. But maybe, “Cook” is a feeling of wanting to learn to cook.”

“.....Do what you want. Something like food preparation is trivial to me.”

After making that remark, Ai Fa directed her step to the door’s entrance.

While chasing that slender back, I took a relieved breath secretly.

This was like declaring “Your cooking is bad so let me do the cooking.” So, when I said it, I steeled my mind because maybe...she would point that knife at me again.

But apparently, Ai Fa really thought meal as “It doesn’t matter” thing.

It’s not glad or sad, but a very complicated feeling.

“But well, my challenge spirit is burning now. It’s my true feeling.”

The dissatisfaction and depression feeling of last night.

I wanted to clear it.

Giba’s meat, should have been a more delicious ingredients.

wasn’t it blasphemy to eat something that smells so good in such a bad state?

I hadn’t found the way to capture the flavour of that potato-like and onion-like vegetable yet.

At the very least, I had a firm believe that giba’s meat potential hadn’t been drawn out.

I knew the cooking method of boar meat, but there was just one thing. How much power could be draw out from giba’s meat when I applied that to it. When I imagined it, my chest throbbed and I became hungry.

(And…) while looking at Ai Fa who was wrapping leather belt-like footwear from the tip of her toe secretly, I thought.

I also wanted this person to eat my cooking.

The cooking that I could do as an apprentice, was only a few.

For Ai Fa who didn’t have any love towards food, this might be just a trivial thing. But there was no one who didn’t like to eat good foods.

This girl that always had a sullen face, if I could just make her makes a happy face a little bit. Let’s do it.

With a cooking from giba’s meat, I would make my benefactor happy.

When I spoke that with an extreme way of speaking, I thought that with this I could also have a purpose in my life. As I thought like that, the dark clouds that pent up in my chest was pierced by a little sunlight.

“.....Come to think of it, is your foot’s condition okay?”

Ai Fa suddenly asked about it after finished wrapping her footwear.

“Ah. It’s okay for me to walk normally….Thanks for worrying about me.”

And with an especially sulky voice she said: “No one is saying about worrying about anything. If you say you can’t walk anymore after you enter the forest, we will immediately go home.”

“....That’s why, if you feel something wrong, don’t force yourself, immediately say it.” She added.    

(TL : This tsun is a good tsun after a while)

She was really a benefactor who was worth the repayment.

“Roger that.” I said. Then I took my first step into the dazzling morning light in the different world.