Chapter 1: The Worst Dinner Imaginable

1

And so, that brings us back to the present.

I shook free from Reina and the firefighters and dove into the crimson blaze, so what exactly was I doing laying here like an idiot in some forest I’d never even seen before?

I had pushed my way through the roaring sea of flames and managed to make it all the way to the kitchen. Then I hastily grabbed my old man’s knife, but in that instant, the building collapsed with a tremendous cacophony of noise. I should’ve been crushed flat then, scorched by the flames and smoke as I held the knife tightly.

And yet, I couldn’t find a single burn or even so much as a scorch mark on my body. And on top of that I was holding my old man’s knife, which should’ve burned up along with me.

“I... guess this really is the afterlife, huh?”

I gave my cheek a pinch to check, and sure enough, it hurt.

Guess that makes sense. Whether this is the afterlife or whatever, it was at least clear that this was no dream or hallucination.

The smell of grass in the air was so strong it felt almost stifling. There was a humid, lukewarm breeze blowing. I could feel the sweat rolling down my cheek.

The knife’s white magnolia sheath felt smooth to the touch.

There’s no way this was some dream or hallucination...

“So then I really did die...?!” I yelled out to no one in particular, then collapsed back to the ground.

Well, guess it’s no surprise that I died. I mean, I went and dove into that sea of flames, so I suppose that’s the natural result.

Still, a fact remained that I couldn’t just turn a blind eye towards: The whole reason I had gone and done something so idiotic in the first place was because I didn’t want to see that hopeless expression on my old man’s face. But there was no point if I didn’t just lose the knife, but my life on top of it!

10 years ago he lost his wife to illness. Now he lost his shop, and his son, and even his precious Sakaki knife... So just what did he have left to live for?

I clutched the knife in its sheath tight with both hands, squeezed my eyes shut, and ground my teeth. If I didn’t do all that, I would have collapsed into an ugly, sobbing heap.

I’m sure Reina must be crying about now, too...

We’d grown up together like we were siblings, but now I’d never see her or the only family I had left, my old man, ever again. Just like my dad, I’d lost anything and everything.

What was even the point of my life...?

Just as that painful question flashed to mind, I heard a rustling from the nearby brush. This was followed by the unmistakable bellow of a beast. I slowly looked in that direction, still laying on my side. On the other side of the brush, in the dim darkness, two burning red glints shone back at me.

What’s that...? Is it some sort of demon or devil?

This place looked like a southern paradise, but maybe it was actually hell rather than heaven...

The animosity in those eyes was strong enough that I couldn’t help but think so.

Come on, give me a break... I didn’t do anything that bad back when I was alive, did I?

I got up nice and slow, so as not to provoke whatever it was that was staring at me.

And then... it finally showed itself.

Whoa...

It was a boar. Or well, something that looked a lot like one. The thing was a four-legged beast that looked just like a boar, and must have been about 200lbs. Its hard, wire-like fur was a brown so dark it almost looked black, and its hair stood up running from its head down its back like a mohawk. Its legs were short, but its thighs were quite thick. It had a squashed snout, with three sets of sharp tusks jutting out. The small eyes staring at me were fixed on the sides of its face. Its large body was short, stout, and round looking.

No matter how I looked at it, it looked just like a boar. And yet, it couldn’t be one... That was because there were two splendid white horns growing from its forehead, as if to form a pair with its tusks.

“Whoa...!”

When I saw it kicking off the ground with its hind legs out of the corner of my eye, I took off running as fast as I could. The boars I knew could apparently go upwards of 40 kilometers per hour, but what about this guy? And the boars I knew were omnivorous but didn’t tend to go after live prey, but would that hold true here?

While pondering such questions in the back of my mind, I ran desperately as fast as I could. I ran a whole lot back when I was alive, and now I’ve got to do it in the afterlife, too?

Maybe I didn’t have anything to fear now that I was already dead, but I’m sure getting stabbed by those horns and tusks would hurt a whole lot more than pinching my cheeks did.

And so, I ran as fast as I could. I may have had enough leeway to turn around, but instead I leapt over underbrush, shoved past branches, and darted between trees. I ran, and ran, and kept on running... And then, another disaster befell me.

“Waaah!”

Suddenly, the ground fell out from under me.

It was a pitfall.

The world was spinning, and I felt a dull shock running through my head and back. I had reached the bottom of the pit before I even knew what was going on.

“Owwwwww... Damn it, what the heck is going on here?!”

Now sprawled out on the bottom of the pit, I looked up overhead. I could see a circular cutout of the forest scenery. From eyeballing it, I’d guess the hole was around 3 meters deep. If this was manmade, it must have taken quite a bit of effort to put together.

“Damn it! Give me a break, already...”

Fortunately, it didn’t seem likely at this point that the boar-looking thing would fall in after me, so I stood up and tucked the knife into my coat. But then, a sudden hot pain shot through my right ankle. Looks like I must have sprained it when I fell.

I was thrown into the depths of this forest without even knowing what was going on, and was chased by some unknown creature, and then to top it all off I fell into a pit. And as a bonus, I even went and sprained my ankle!

Ugh, this is just the absolute worst. It’s so bad all I can do is laugh.

“No wait, this is no laughing matter!”

I couldn’t just laugh at the matter, so I got mad instead.

“Damn it! I don’t know if it’s a god or a devil doing this, but what’d I do to deserve this?! Did I really screw up that badly in life?! My death may not have been anything to brag about, but I can’t imagine I earned such a malicious punishment. Even if you’ve got some sort of problem with me, you could at least pick a bit nicer of a hell to throw me into!”

“You sure are a noisy one...”

That sudden voice was as much of a shock as getting hit in the head with a metal bat from behind. Suddenly, a dark silhouette appeared in my circular view of the sky overhead.

“What are you doing causing such a ruckus in a place like that...?” It was a young woman’s voice, but there was a masculine tone to it. It was a bit husky and blunt, but still had a pleasant sound to it. The sunlight filtering through the trees only provided backlighting, so I couldn’t quite tell what she looked like.

I decided to try to strike up a conversation, feeling truly relieved to find that there were people in this world.

“As you can see, I seem to have gotten caught in a pitfall. I don’t know who made it or why, but it sure is an awful prank on their part.”

After a short bit of silence, an unfriendly voice shot back, “I’m the one who set that trap...”

“Eh?”

“That trap was meant for catching giba, but a human won’t fill my belly... Do you have any idea how hard I worked to prepare that?”

“Huh? No, well you see... I’m sorry...? Wait, am I the one who should be apologizing here?”

There was no response.

“Right. But yeah, it was my bad, ruining all that hard work. I’m sorry. I’m apologizing already, so won’t you please help me out of here?”

“It shouldn’t be so deep that you can’t climb out on your own...”

The silhouette looked like it was about to leave, so I desperately called out, “No, wait! The thing is, I twisted my ankle when I fell! It’s nothing too bad, but it’s enough to keep me from climbing out of here! Sorry, but could you please lend me a hand?!”

“...That’s your issue. Just go ahead and take a dirt nap.”

The silhouette disappeared from view.

“Hey, hold on! That’s way too heartless! Come on, save me!”

There was no response.

Is she really going to leave me to die?

“Heeeey! I’m begging you! If you leave me here I’m gonna starve to death! If you have a heart, then come back and save me!”

“You truly are a noisy one...” the voice replied, still out of view.

It was then that a strange object suddenly dropped down and dangled in front of me. It was made of the vines that I had seen here and there about the forest. The thing was made out of five or so of them bundled together, and when I went to pull on it, it felt plenty sturdy.

“Hurry up and climb already.”

Oh, so she intended to save me from the very start, huh? What a mean-spirited woman. Is this what people call a tsundere?

At any rate, I let her mercy wash over me. The bizarre circumstances I found myself in just made me feel all the more grateful. I placed a foot on the wall while thinking how once I was out of here, I’d give her my wholehearted thanks.

My twisted ankle throbbed, but it wasn’t bad enough that I couldn’t bear it. At any rate, I desperately pulled myself up, the black soil crumbling beneath my feet as I went.

Still... I’m only getting more and more confused as to what’s going on here.

If this was hell, then it was awful strange for a savior to come rescue me from that predicament. Plus, my senses felt like they were working just like they did before I passed away, so the fact that I was dead just hadn’t quite sunk in.

Well, I’ve just got to do what I can, I guess, I thought as I wrung out the last of my strength to reach the surface.

And with that, I’d safely escaped the pitfall.

It had grown a good bit darker, so I figured night must be fast approaching.

“Owwwww... Ah, thank you. You really saved me!”

I flopped down on the ground, then bowed to my savior. She stood there staring at me imposingly, then without a word, she thrust what she was holding right in my face. It was the shining silver tip of a savage-looking blade.

2

“Now then, just who are you?”

The shining, savage blade remained pressed up against the tip of my nose. It sure did look sharp. The length looked to be about 80 centimeters, while it was approximately 10 centimeters wide. The whole thing was rather thick like a machete, but even so, the edge of the blade was certainly plenty sharp. Something like that could hack through the flesh and bones of any prey.

Hey, wait, this isn’t the time to be getting all impressed by something like that!

“W-What the...? What’s with the violent greeting?! I already apologized for the pitfall!”

“Cease your chattering. Just hurry up and answer the question.”

The girl seemed to have calmed down... but that actually just felt all the more frightening.

I looked back and forth between the face of the girl and the tip of the blade, then gave a sigh.

“Before that, just where exactly am I? It doesn’t quite have the feel of the afterlife, somehow, but...”

“This is the forest at the foot of Mount Morga.”

“Mount Morga?”

“In the territory of the Western Kingdom of Selva, ruled over by Duke Genos... Just where the hell did you come from?”

I seriously had no idea what was going on. But still, considering the circumstances, I saw no option but to answer truthfully.

“I was born in a country called Japan. The Chiba Prefecture, to be specific. Do you know of it?”

“Japan... Chiba...?”

Yeah, she hadn’t heard of it. Of course she hadn’t.

In all likelihood, this was a world completely removed from the country known as Japan in every sense imaginable. I mean, in the world where I was born, there weren’t any boars with horns, nor were there any girls who walked around with such huge blades.

And besides, this girl looked different than anyone I had ever seen before. Her skin was dark, like a sort of creamy chocolate color. And yet, her hair was a dull blond. And on top of that, her eyes were a deep blue. Her golden-brown hair seemed to be quite long, but she had it done up in an unusual manner using a leather strap. Her blue eyes shone with a strong, sharp shine about them, even in this dim light.

As far as her facial features went, well, she was definitely good-looking. Her slightly arched eyes were reminiscent of a wildcat, and she had a thin, perfectly formed nose and petite lips the color of cherry blossoms. She had nice, soft cheek lines, giving her face just a bit of a childish look, but she must have been around the same age as me.

Yeah, she was a pretty high-level beauty. Actually, maybe it would be better to call her an unparalleled one, at that. At least on a personal level, I couldn’t help but find that combination of dark skin and pink lips incredibly sexy.

Still, what was with that outfit...? She had a thick, blackish-brown fur cloak draped over her shoulders. Underneath that, she had some cloth of a stunning hue wrapped around her chest and waist... and nothing else on. There were complex, beautiful patterns on the fabric, and it didn’t look shabby in the least. But still, that getup was just a bit too stimulating.

As for the rest of her outfit, she wore a necklace made of numerous white horns or tusks and a bracelet made of nuts strung together, and she had a small knife in a leather sheath dangling from her waist. And so, her smooth, dark skin was quite generously exposed. Ah, and she had what looked like leather belts wrapped around to up past her ankles, which must have been some sort of footwear.

Faced with such a stunning, excessively exposed beauty, though, the only thought that ran through my mind was, Wow...

Her facial features may have been adorable, but the expression on her face was ferocious. Her eyes burned with the intensity of a real wildcat, and her lovely lips were firmly pursed. She was rather tall for a girl, and had a slender frame. However, there wasn’t even a hint of weakness about her. Her bare arms, legs, shoulders, and stomach were all taut like a leather whip, without even a bit of excess fat. On top of that, she also had white scars scattered here and there, telling of how rough a life she lived.

She was a girl who seemed to be full of some sort of primal energy and strength, the sort that modern man had lost in relying so greatly on science.

Still...

Just what is this smell? I’d been wondering that ever since I stood face to face with this strange girl. It was an incredibly complex scent. It was sweet, like overly-ripe fruit. A gentle fragrance like flowers about to bloom. Refreshing, like dried herbs. Just a bit powerful, like strong spices. And that overwhelmingly delicious aroma of animal flesh and fat...

All those scents were melding together in a complex manner to positively tantalize my nostrils.

Not to brag, but as someone who had trained to be a chef since childhood, my sense of smell is definitely above average.

At any rate, it was a scent that strongly aroused my hunger... And acting in concert with that thought, my belly let out a growl.

The girl’s blade wavered, as if showing a bit of hesitation.

“Just what are you intending?”

“Hey, it’s got nothing to do with my intentions... I’m just hungry.”

My stomach added a gurrrgle.

Yeah, I wasn’t exactly looking cool here...

The girl’s well-shaped eyebrows rose in a rather dangerous-looking manner.

“Hey, stop messing around! Are you trying to make fun of me?”

“I’m seriously not messing around. I mean, I can’t exactly control my physiology, can I? My stomach just naturally reacted to that delicious smell all over you.”

“What are you talking about? I don’t have any food on me, and I didn’t catch anything today, thanks to you.”

“Right, like I said, I’m sorry for wrecking your pitfall, but still...”

The end of my sentence was accompanied by a grrgrooowl!

My stomach really was being way too noisy.

Ah, that’s bad. The look on the girl’s face was growing more and more dangerous, and her shoulders had even started shaking.

Was I seriously about to die for a second time for such a stupid reason?

“At any rate, I didn’t have even the slightest intention of messing with your turf. I mean, it’s a real issue for me too, being thrown out into a place like this with no idea as to what’s going on. But if it’s a problem, I’ll leave as soon as I—”

Groooowowowowl!

...I’m done for.

No matter how sincere of an apology I may offer, my stomach will just butt in and ruin it.

It was then that the girl suddenly looked to the side. While she kept the blade in her right hand trained on me, her left hand went to cover her mouth. The trembling of her shoulders grew more and more violent.

“What’s wrong...?”

Groooooowl?

The blade fell to the ground, tip-first.

The girl’s face was beet red.

“Hey? Are you feeling sick or something?”

Groowl? Grooooowl grooowl?

It was then that a “Pfft” snuck out in a sort of strange tone.

The girl’s eyes were filled with tears as she looked at me.

“It’s alright... Don’t talk...”

Her voice seemed weak, somehow, making me feel all the more worried.

“Come on, even if you ask me that...”

Growl. Grooooooooooooooooooooowl.

The girl had been using her blade as a cane, but now she suddenly fell down on her rear.

And then, she let loose a, “Bwahahahahaha!”

Ah, she’s super cute when laughing, too. Oh, but wait, she was just trying to hold back her laughter?

After that fit of laughter, the girl stood up while wiping the tears from her eyes, then pointed the blade at me once again. Then, she simply said, “...You’re dead.”

“Why?!”

I hurriedly tried to retreat, still seated on the ground. However, waiting behind me was the pitfall I had just climbed out of.

The metal tip steadily drew near my nose.

“This is the most shame I’ve ever faced in my whole life... I swear I’ll kill you.”

Even in the darkness of night, I could clearly tell that her face was beet red.

She’s embarrassed? So she really is a tsundere? No wait, that’s not right!

At any rate, I can’t let myself get killed over something like this!

When my hand finally reached the edge of the pit, I raised my hands up in a plea to hold on.

“If this rude stomach of mine has hurt your pride, then I apologize! It’s my hunger that’s at fault! And now that I think of it, I haven’t eaten anything since lunch today!”

She stood there silently.

“I seriously am in a bind! I don’t know what sort of place this is, or why I’m here, or anything! If I get killed by you now, without knowing a thing, then just why did I...”

Why did I risk my life by diving into those flames?

When that thought crossed my mind, my words suddenly got caught in my throat.

I couldn’t think of anything else to do, so I stared intently into the girl’s eyes. The girl’s deep blue eyes somehow had a look about them like they were looking at some sort of mysterious, unknown creature.

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”

The tip of the blade lowered just a bit.

“Don’t you come from the city of stone?”

“City of stone? Like I told you before, I’m from a country called Japan.”

“...I’ve never heard of a country by that name. I suppose for now, it’s at least safe to assume you haven’t lived under Genos’s rule,” the girl said, finally lowering her blade. However, the suspicion and distrust in her eyes remained. And yet, I could sense a complex mingling of emotions beyond that dangerous glint in her eyes.

“Could I hear a bit more of what you have to say...?” the girl asked in quiet tone. “Come to my dwelling. If you don’t wish to do so, though, I can simply leave you here instead.”

“You’d go and invite a complete stranger into your home...?”

“It’ll be nighttime soon. There’s not any more time to be hanging around here asking you questions... Let me just tell you that if you stay out here in the forest at night without so much as preparing a fire, you will die.”

She picked up the leather sheath at her feet and returned her blade to it. I placed my hands on the ground and stood up as I watched that elegant maneuver.

“Got it. I’ll follow your lead, then. Ah, by the way, we still haven’t introduced ourselves yet. I’m Asuta Tsurumi.”

“Asootasoo... Roomy?”

“No, Asuta Tsurumi.”

“Asoot Aroomy...”

Well you sure are a cute one, aren’t you?

The way that her facial expression was totally serious only made her all the more adorable.

“Right. Well, if that’s too tricky, then just call me Asuta. What’s your name?”

“Ai Fa,” she let slip in a low voice, then spun around so her back was to me.

She may have had a slender and tall build, but sure enough, she wasn’t actually taller than I was. She must have been 167 centimeters or so tall at most.

So how was it that someone so slim, of such an average height, could swing around such a stupidly big blade with one arm? Maybe the people here were built completely differently in terms of muscle strength and bone density...

Ah, as I was nonchalantly pondering such matters, I got shot a sideways glare.

“What are you doing? You injured your foot, didn’t you? Grab onto my shoulder.”

“Huh? You don’t mind?”

“We’re short on time. Hurry up and grab on.”

I put my right arm around Ai Fa’s right shoulder, feeling a little awkward about it all the while.

Suddenly, her elbow came flying right into my solar plexus.

“Who said you could put your arm around me? I just told you to grab my shoulder.”

“Gah... Right, so that’s it, huh?”

I rubbed my solar plexus while grabbing Ai Fa’s left shoulder with my right hand.

I wasn’t all that injured in the first place anyway, so this was more than enough support to walk on. And besides, she had on a thick fur cloak, so my hand couldn’t feel anything but the stiffness of the fur.

“Is that a blade that you have hidden there near your chest...?”

“Huh?”

I froze in place.

When I tried to wrap my arm around her, my chest had touched her back. But still, she managed to figure that out through that thick cloak? That was far scarier than the blow I had taken to the solar plexus.

“I-I’m surprised you figured it out from just that instant... Of course I don’t mean you any harm, though, so don’t worry about it.”

“Why should I need to worry? If you wish to take a swing at me, then please, be my guest,” Ai Fa said, shooting an incredibly chilling sideways glance back at me. “When you do, my blade will simply slit your throat even faster. If you think I’m lying, then go ahead and test it out whenever you wish... Asuta.”

3

And so, I ended up leaving that twilight forest alongside Ai Fa. It seemed it really was almost nighttime, as it was getting pretty dark out.

“We wasted a lot of time thanks to you. We should pick up the pace a bit until we’re out of giba territory.”

I asked, “Giba?” while unsteadily walking along, holding onto Ai Fa’s left shoulder to help take the weight off my injured right foot. “You made that pitfall to catch one, right? Is that what you call those boar looking animals?”

“Boar...?”

“Right. It was black, and round, and they had horns growing around here...”

“That’s a giba. You saw one?”

“I did. Actually, it’s more that I was chased around by one. And that’s when I ended up falling in your pitfall.”

“What a fool. Everyone knows that if you’re attacked by a giba, you should climb atop a tall tree.”

“Yeah, well like I said, I’m not familiar with what goes for ‘common sense’ around here.” As I said that, my eyes drifted to Ai Fa’s left shoulder.

“Hey, is this fur cloak made out of a giba pelt, then?”

“Of course. I’m one of the people of the forest’s edge. We make a living by hunting giba, eating their meat, and selling their tusks, horns, and pelts.”

She shot me a displeased look as she carefully pushed her way through the thicket.

“And the people from the city of stone mock us people of the forest’s edge, calling us ‘giba eaters.’”

“Hmm? But why? Boar meat is delicious.”

This is nothing to brag about, but during winter break of my second year in middle school, I participated in a farming camp held by a local hunting club, so I had experience handling boar and deer meat. The boar stew I had back then was truly delicious.

“But we’re discussing giba, not this ‘boar.’ Giba meat is tough and has a strong odor. And so, those of us who eat it also stink.”

“You don’t stink. In fact, you’re positively coated in the most delicious scent.”

The displeasure in Ai Fa’s deep blue eyes grew all the greater. Hmm... It sure is difficult to handle girls this age.

Oh, and for the sake of Ai Fa’s honor, she wasn’t just giving off the scent of animal flesh and fat. The smell of sweet fruit and refreshing herbs was actually stronger about her, and those scents were blending splendidly with the tantalizing fragrance of meat and seriously stimulating my hunger.

“No, I’m serious! I’ve got a pretty good nose on me. Those giba are definitely delicious! I’m sure of it!”

“...When it comes to food, there is no good or bad taste.”

Hey, that hurts! Are you trying to pick a fight with me, as a chef in training?

Still, though, it wouldn’t do any good to go flinging about my personal values from my own world, considering the situation. I focused on keeping myself from saying anything I shouldn’t as we walked onwards in silence.

15 minutes later, we exited the forest and my field of view opened wide.

The sun had already set about 80% of the way. And what that orange fading light shone down upon was a rustic village in a valley.

Ah... so there really are people living here in this world.

For whatever reason, I got a lump in my throat.

It was hard to tell due to the dim lighting, but there were small wooden buildings dotted about the rugged rock faces that almost made it look as if a mountain had been cleaved in two. And from those countless red lights drifted up the smoke from dinner being prepared.

See, isn’t that a nice smell...?

The scent of animal protein and what was likely some sort of herbs or spices was wafting through the air. It took all my effort to hold back my stomach from growling, so I wouldn’t anger Ai Fa again.

“It’s nice and calm out here, outside of the forest. About how many people live here?”

“I don’t know... Well, at most it should be around 500, I’d imagine.”

“500? That’s pretty big. It doesn’t look like that many houses from what I can see, though.”

“...The people of the forest’s edge have settlements from north to south, spread between Mount Morga and Genos’s lands. It would take nearly half a day to walk from where they start to where they end.”

Hmm. So it was a really long, spread out territory, huh? It made sense that the population density was low due to everything being stretched out, but still, I don’t know if it’s really fitting to call it a “settlement.”

I had wanted to try to dig more information out of her, but it was then that an intruder suddenly butted into our conversation.

“Hey, Ai Fa. What’s the deal with the seedy-looking kid?” called out a deep, masculine voice from alongside us. I was just plain surprised, but Ai Fa gave a small “Tch” with her tongue.

“It’s none of your business, Diga Suun.”

“Of course it’s my business! The Suun family rules the people of the forest’s edge.”

The large figure arrogantly strode up to us. He was a young man with a very similar look to Ai Fa about him. And he was tall, probably about 180 centimeters or so. His frame and muscles were solid, and he looked to be around 80 kilograms. His blackish-brown hair was cut short, his skin was dark, and his eyes were blue. Aside from his hair color, he looked very similar to Ai Fa.

He wore a fur cloak and cloth vest over his massive body, and at his waist was a thick longsword and small knife. Even more fangs and horns dangled from his neck than Ai Fa’s.

The man stood to block our way, not even trying to hide the way he was looking me over.

“Hmm... You’re a strange looking one, aren’t you? Where do you hail from?”

Despite his deep voice, he had a dull, unpleasant way of speaking. And despite his eyes being the same color as Ai Fa’s, they looked far muddier.

He was the second person I’d met after being thrown into this world, but I couldn’t say I had an overly positive impression of him. And yet, customer service had been a part of my life for as long as I could remember. If someone like this was enough to get on my nerves, I never would have made it as a merchant’s son. With that in mind, I prepared to be as courteous as possible, but...

“I said it has nothing to do with you,” Ai Fa butted in before I could say anything. “I’m not at all indebted to the Suun family, and getting involved with folks like you is nothing but a pain. It’s annoying just having to speak with you, so hurry up and get that stupidly huge body of yours out of my way, Diga Suun.”

“Why, you...!”

The man looked flustered, but Ai Fa kept going.

“If you have a problem with me, then I’ll take you on whenever you wish. But otherwise, don’t show yourself before me. You’re a real eyesore, Diga Suun.”

And with that, Ai Fa started walking off. Since I was leaning on her shoulder, I had no choice but to follow along. As we passed by the young man trembling with anger, I gave an unassuming nod.

“You damn obstinate stray of a woman! You better take care that nobody mistakes you for a giba and bashes your head in from behind!” the young man yelled out, clearly having lost his cool. It seriously ruined the idyllic scenery.

“Um, I realize it may not be the place of an outsider like me to give an opinion, but... wouldn’t it be smart to treat your neighbors a little nicer?”

“...That man, Diga Suun, he tried to make a mockery of me by sneaking into my bedroom the night that my father passed. And so, I beat him till he couldn’t stand, then I threw him in the river.”

That shut me right up.

“Ever since then, nobody living here will have anything to do with me, because I brought shame to the next head of the family. You’re telling me to treat him nicer?”

“I take back what I just said. And I shouldn’t have bowed to him, either. Hell, I want to slug him one, too!”

When I stopped and took my hand off Ai Fa’s shoulder, she went and grabbed my wrist really hard. Her strong, slender fingers dug firmly into the skin of my wrist.

“What are you saying? There’s no merit in hitting a man like that.”

“No, but still, it’s totally unreasonable for them to make you feel all isolated like that.”

“I can’t say I ever particularly felt that way. Dealing with people who aren’t family is just plain troublesome, so it’s honestly been refreshing, actually.”

She was shooting me an angry glare, far fiercer and colder than that of the man from before.

“But if you were to harm a member of the Suun family, I will be found entirely responsible for having been the one to invite you here. And if that were to happen, then this time I may well be exiled from the village... Do you intend to tell me to live out in the wild?”

“Ah... I see. Sorry. I wasn’t thinking about the position you were in. I guess I was just being a little quick-tempered due to hunger.”

And then, as if to chime in in agreement, my stomach offered a grooowl.

Ai Fa’s shoulders started to quake again, her grasp still firmly on my wrist.

“...Are you doing that on purpose? Should I take that as you wanting to be thrown into the river, too?”

“I-I’m not skilled enough to make my stomach growl on command! And wait, if you want to laugh, then just laugh!”

“Quiet, you!”

Ai Fa thrust away my arm, and started walking away in long strides. I hurriedly reached out and grabbed onto her left shoulder.

And as I admired her beet red ears and neck and whatnot, the aimless thought that kept running through my mind was the people of this world really are warm to the touch, just like back home.

4

Ai Fa’s home was less than a ten minutes’ walk away. Just like the others, it was an isolated wooden building constructed on a flat cleared-out area with only a bit of shrubbery left to it.

Even just from our journey here, I quickly noticed how spaced out the houses were. The area around Ai Fa’s home in particular was so desolate that it felt almost eerie.

Still, considering Ai Fa’s outfit and the name “people of the forest’s edge,” I’d expected a much more primitive dwelling. But looking at it up close, it seemed to be rather splendidly made.

“Huh. You sure do live in a pretty nice place, don’t you?”

It didn’t quite have the quaint appeal of a log cabin, but still... The evenly-cut boards and logs were all well assembled, and besides, it was just plain impressively large. Heck, it may not even lose out to the Tsurumi Restaurant in terms of plot size.

It had gotten pretty dark out, so I couldn’t quite make out the details, though... At any rate, it had a rather unique structure with the roof slanting slightly from right to left, and it looked to be made entirely using woodworking, without any nails or screws. There was a moat about half a meter deep dug out around the house, with a log crossing over it at the entranceway. I figured it must have been for keeping animals away, or maybe directing rainwater.

“What are you doing...? Hurry up and head inside.”

“Ah, right, sorry.”

The door at the entrance slid to the side, reminding me of the type we had back in Japan.

Following after the home’s owner, I nervously entered into the dwelling.

“Pardon me...”

It was even darker inside. But still, I could tell that it really was spacious. The floor, meanwhile, had dark, reddish-brown pelts laid out over it.

As soon as I saw Ai Fa taking off her leather sandals at the earthen-floored entrance, I hurriedly started doing the same. I worried about what to do with my socks, but I ultimately decided there would be no harm in just taking them off. The feel of the stiff fur actually tickled my bare feet a bit.

Then, I heard a heavy clang from behind me.

Ai Fa had placed a large bar across the door in the entryway.

Now even if I scream or shout, nobody will come save me...

Well anyway, I gave the room another look over while praying that such actions wouldn’t be necessary to start with. It looked to be around 20 square meters. There were large windows cut into the walls to the left and right, and though they didn’t use any glass or anything of the sorts, they had vertical wooden bars set in them spaced about 8 inches apart.

Looking at the far wall, I spied three doors.

The ceiling, meanwhile, was fairly tall, but the beams were exposed and showed that the roof indeed slanted down to the left, just like I had seen from outside. I figured it was built that way to endure the wind and rain, but I wasn’t really sure.

To be honest, though... my attention was more on what my nose was picking up rather than what my eyes were seeing.

It seemed that three of the ingredients in the complex aroma surrounding the girl were strongly filling the space. In particular, they were the smells of meat, herbs, and spices.

“Does your foot still hurt?”

“Huh? Ah, no, it’s nothing that serious. It feels sort of warm, but it’s not really swelling or anything. It should probably be better by tomorrow, even if I don’t do anything to treat it.”

“I see...” Ai Fa had walked to the center of the room, and now looked like she was thinking something over. “I want to hear what you have to say as soon as possible, but I’m hungry as well. So for now, I’ll start preparing the food.”

“Go right ahead... Um, I don’t have anything to offer in exchange, but will I be allowed to partake, too?”

“Do you really think we could hold a conversation while your stomach is making such a commotion...?”

Come on, you don’t have to grit your teeth and get so angry...

Still, I was certainly grateful for the chance to eat a proper meal free of charge. I mean, if I had to sit in a room filled with this delicious scent as she ate alone, I may have ended up passing out.

So, the time came to prepare dinner. Of course I had only just set foot into this house for the first time, but I could see a setup near the window on the right hand side that looked to be for that purpose. It was the only place that didn’t have fur carpeting, instead having small stones laid out in a square that was about 2 meters on every side. There were also yellow rocks arranged neatly into a trapezoidal shape. That waist-high pedestal had a hole open wide in the front of it, and enshrined atop it was... a large, shiny, black metal pot.

It was just a bit primitive in nature, but this was clearly a cooking stove. Off to the side was what appeared to be a thin pile of kindling. Did that mean this huge hall also doubled as a kitchen? Maybe they had a custom of everyone helping cook and then eating together...

And yet... the only one I could see right now in this huge room was Ai Fa.

“Now that I think of it, where’s the rest of your family?”

“...I already told you that my father passed away, didn’t I? And my mother died even further back,” Ai Fa bluntly stated while ladling water from the jug next to the stove into the pot.

I had no idea about the logic or common sense of this world, so all I could say was, “I see...”

Meanwhile, Ai Fa had lit the stove. Just what sort of ignition technique had she used? I wish I had seen...

At any rate, the room gradually brightened up.

“What are you standing there like an idiot for...? You’re being an eyesore, so hurry up and sit down already.”

“Ah, right, um... Where should I sit? I’m sorry, but I really don’t know anything about the culture or customs of this land.”

Ai Fa got up from the stove and shot a puzzled look my way.

“Who the hell needs culture to tell you how to sit down? You truly are a strange man...”

When I noticed the light from small flames coming from each of her hands, that diverted my attention a bit. She was holding onto the handles of little candlesticks on saucers. They were the third bit of metalwork I’d seen since coming to this world, after Ai Fa’s blade and pot. On top of that, they were definitely made with tallow, as they were filling the room even more with a scent that incited my appetite.

Ai Fa went about the room setting the candles in front of the windows, then she gently removed the fur cloak she had draped over her shoulders. The room brightened up significantly, bringing Ai Fa’s slender limbs into clear focus... and then my heart suddenly skipped a beat without me even thinking about it. I mean, she didn’t have anything on anywhere but her waist and chest, and then that necklace. She was every bit as exposed as if she would be if she was wearing a swimsuit or just her underwear. And I mean, no matter how unsociable she may be, she was still a woman, and quite a beauty at that. She had a carefully tempered body despite her slenderness, giving the impression of a flexible leather whip, which combined exquisitely with the elegant, womanly contours of her body, and how should I put it...? She was just plain beautiful and charming. That fact only hit me all the harder now that she had removed that unrefined cloak.

“Hey...”

“Yes! What is it?!”

“Don’t go yelling like that... Hand over that thing you have hidden near your chest.”

Ai Fa shot me a glare as she hung her fur cloak on the wall and propped up her large blade beneath it.

“It’s not as if some pale little man like you could do me harm even with a blade. But still, it’s the custom of the people of the forest’s edge that when you visit someone else’s home, you entrust your weapon to the master of the house.”

I was at a loss for words.

Ai Fa approached me, her eyes narrowing in an ever so slightly dangerous-looking manner. And she still had a knife dangling from her slim waist...

“Do you need me to say it again? If you intend to abide by the customs of the people of the forest’s edge, then hand over that blade.”

“Hold on a second, please! That’s gotta be meant to display your trust in each other... right?”

Ai Fa silently held out her left hand.

After three seconds of hesitation, I made up my mind.

“Alright. But this is incredibly valuable to me. And it’s more delicate than the sort of blades made for hunting, so could you please handle it as carefully as possible?”

“...Are you mocking me? None of the people of the forest’s edge would ever handle a blade improperly.”

“No, that’s not what I meant. It’s just that if the edge gets chipped or anything, it’ll be really difficult to repair. As long as you understand all that, then it’s fine.”

I pulled out the knife that I had previously stashed away near my chest and offered it to Ai Fa, handle first. This time it was Ai Fa’s turn to stop in her tracks, as she stared at the ebony handle.

“...Is this blade a memento from your family?”

“Yeah, well, something like that...”

I was actually the one who went and died, but it was still true that we would never see each other again.

Ai Fa took the knife from me and held it close to her chest, then walked further into the room.

“None of the people of the forest’s edge would ever treat family improperly...” she whispered quietly, then opened the door farthest to the right and disappeared inside.

When she reappeared, Ai Fa was carrying a mountain of ingredients in place of my knife. As I watched with great interest, she approached the stove. Looking closely, the pot was actually pretty sizable, with a diameter of around 60 centimeters and a depth of 30. It was deep with a rounded bottom, looking just like someone had lopped off the top of a sphere. And the water that filled that sphere up halfway was already boiling.

“What do you want? It’ll still take some time before it’s ready, so just have a seat already.”

“It’s just that my family works in the food industry, so I can’t help but be interested in this world’s cuisine.”

Though Ai Fa shot me a seriously doubtful look, but rather than complaining any further she simply deposited the ingredients she was holding by her feet.

“Hmm... This sure is looking pretty luxurious.”

There were two different sorts of vegetables there that I had never seen before in my life. One of them was a seriously vibrant green color, but it otherwise looked just like a large onion. Just what exactly was the other one, though...? If I was forced to say what the lumpy little fist-sized sphere resembled, I’d have to say it was sort of like a potato. And yet, it was a sort of cream color, plus it utterly lacked the eyes you would expect from one of those. Maybe it didn’t grow underground...?

Overpowering all of that, though, was the lump of meat sitting there.

In all likelihood, it was from that pseudo-boar, the giba.

The leg looked like it had been used a bit already, but there was still plenty of meat around the thigh. The meat alone must have weighed at least 5 kilos... The pelt had been smoothly peeled back, revealing the red flesh underneath, which had been dusted with what looked almost like some sort of black wood shavings. Considering the powerful black pepper smell wafting through the air, it must have been some sort of spice used to preserve food.

The hunk of meat alone was placed atop a large, smooth leaf that reminded me of the ones on an Indian rubber tree. The vegetables, meanwhile, were placed right on the floor.

Looked like this dish was going to have some serious volume to it...

“Luxurious...? You really don’t know anything about how we people of the forest’s edge live, do you?” Ai Fa said without a hint of amusement on her face, as she started things off by grabbing the meat. She held it out over the steaming pot with an underhand grip, holding it just below the hoof. I worried that she may be getting ready to chuck it in as is, but she instead drew the knife that was at her hip and started slicing off pieces of giba meat. The way that she was shaving away at the surface of the meat reminded me of someone running a kabob stand. The thinly sliced cuts of meat fell down into the boiling water, then almost seemed to dance about inside the pot. Apparently she was prioritizing the spiced parts of the meat, as more and more of the red underneath was getting exposed.

No matter how I looked at it, that was clearly a hunting knife, but it actually seemed to be pretty darn sharp. It was around 20 centimeters long and about 8 millimeters thick. The back of the blade was jagged like a saw, giving the whole thing the feel of a survival knife. Just like that savage blade from before, it had leather wrapped around it to prevent slipping, but it lacked any sort of guard.

And now, that hunting knife was slicing off chunks of meat. What a wonderfully... rustic way of cooking. But I mean, I was the heir to an eatery myself. I didn’t have any interest in the hoity-toity cooking of the culinary world’s pompous elites, and I didn’t mind how something was prepared, just as long as it was sanitary.

When it comes to cooking, the only thing that matters is whether or not a dish is tasty. Heck, the only reason I care about presentation is because it makes a dish feel tastier. And keeping sanitation in mind is important because there’s just no point if your dish harms somebody, no matter how delicious it may be.

In other words, what I’m trying to say is... Watching Ai Fa heartily shaving off the meat with a practiced hand was seriously rousing my hunger.

“What are you looking so happy about...?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s just that it looks like it’ll be really tasty.”

“...When it comes to food, there is no good or bad taste.”

After uttering those harsh words once again, Ai Fa lowered the lid on the pot. Well, I say “lid,” but it was more just a square board. And then she placed a large, flat stone on top of it, probably as a weight.

Ai Fa returned the leftover red giba meat to the pantry, checked the temperature, and gave a satisfied nod. Then, she turned and looked at me.

“It will take some time for the meat to cook... Do you mind telling me your story while we wait?”

5

“Right, well it’s not a very easy story to digest. But I guess we should get this pain out of the way, huh?” I replied. Ai Fa gave a “hmph” and sat down beside the stove, one leg upright with the other crossed behind it. It was a truly manly pose; rather unfitting for such a scantily clad woman.

“You mind if I make myself a little more comfortable, too...?” I asked. After getting a small nod, I loosened the strings of my apron.

The temperature around here was probably about the same as it was in early summer back in Japan. And with the stove lit, that meant it was starting to feel pretty hot in this room. Still, now that I’d taken off my apron and exposed the t-shirt underneath, the night air blowing in through the windows was feeling real refreshing.

“What a strange outfit you have on... I’ve never seen anyone dress like that, even in town.”

“Yeah, well, I guess that makes sense. And I mean, this is my first time seeing anyone dressed like you, too.”

I took a seat too atop the stiff fur rug, directly across from Ai Fa.

“So, what do you want to ask me? To be honest, I don’t really get what happened myself, though, so I don’t know how good of an explanation I’ll be able to offer.”

“Where did you come from?”

That was the second time she’d asked me that question. I suppose we wouldn’t get anywhere if I just answered that I was from the Chiba prefecture in Japan again...

In the dim light, I stared straight into Ai Fa’s wildcat-like eyes and said, “Ai Fa... You saved my life, and invited me into your home. I had nowhere to go, but you took me in and treated me kindly, which I’m just so, so grateful for. That’s the absolute truth.”

Ai Fa tilted her head as if to say “and?”

“So I want to tell you everything. And then you can make your decision afterwards.”

And so, I ended up telling her the whole of what had happened to me, even though I didn’t understand it myself.

I told her that I lived for 17 years in a relatively peaceful country. That one day tragedy struck, and I ended up leaping into a fire. That I thought I had died, only to wake up in that forest before as if none of that had ever happened. And that this place was a lot like the world I had come from, but seemed fundamentally different somehow.

“I suppose there’s still the possibility that I just got flung to some unknown part of my own world. But that wouldn’t solve the biggest issue of how I’m alive and kicking when I was supposed to be dead. Too much stuff just doesn’t match up...” I admitted, voicing the doubts that had been swirling around inside. “For example, take the words we’re talking right now. You’ve never even heard of Japan, right?”

“I don’t know it.”

“Right, that point alone is utterly incomprehensible to me. I mean, back in my world it’d be unthinkable for someone who didn’t know of Japan to speak Japanese so fluently. So how exactly is it that we’re able to converse so smoothly like this?”

Ai Fa just sat there in silence.

“So, it’s not just you people of the forest’s edge living in this world, right? There’s also that ‘city of stone’ and ‘Western Kingdom,’ yeah? About how big are they?”

“I have no business with the city of stone. I’ve only ever gone as far as the town on the outside of the stone walls in order to sell giba horns and tusks. Anything else I could tell you would be more hearsay,” Ai Fa quietly responded after a bit of contemplating. “I’ve heard... that Duke Genos rules over thousands within the stone walls, and the citizens ruled by the Western Kingdom of Selva outnumber the very stars...”

“Hmm... Yeah, that’s pretty big... Do you know what sort of god the people in the city of stone worship, and stuff like that?”

Ai Fa shot me back a dubious look in response. “Obviously the people of the nation of Selva worship the western god, Selva. There are four great kingdoms on the Amusehorn continent, each with their own principal deity. Without the divine protection of the gods, the people of Amusehorn could not exist. After all, a man without a god is little more than a beast... You’re not trying to tell me you don’t even know that much, are you?”

“Unfortunately, that’s the case. I’ve never heard of any continents, kingdoms, or gods that went by those names in my life,” I said with an awkward smile as I scratched my towel-wrapped head. “There was still a slim chance that maybe I was dense enough to never have heard of a tribe of 500 hunters or that there were boars out there with horns, but... there’s just no way. Looks like I’ve got my answer there.”

Well, I figured that possibility was a real longshot from the start and had pretty much given up on it, so it wasn’t exactly much of a shock at this point. Still, it did mean acknowledging that there wasn’t even a smidgen of a chance left that I’d ever see Reina or my old man ever again.

I looked straight into Ai Fa’s beautiful blue eyes and stated, “Let me voice my present conclusion... Be it through a godly whim or whatever, I was sent here from another world. And maybe it’s the work of some unseen force that we can communicate, too.”

“...”

“Whether it’s the distant past, the far off future, a parallel world that evolved differently, or just one in some different dimension... At any rate, this isn’t the world where I was born and raised.”

“...”

“I’m a visitor from a different world,” I awkwardly forced out as my shoulders drooped. “Either that, or I’m just a giant idiot who hit his head or something and started thinking all that was the case. Those are the only two ideas I’ve got...”

“So you admit that you’re crazy...?”

“Not in the least. To me, those 17 years I’ve lived are everything I’ve got. If all that is just a lie, then where does that leave me?” I forced out while holding back a sigh. That was all I could say on the matter. “Just to be sure, there aren’t any other people like me out there, are there? Like if all people who died in my world were reborn here...”

“As if such a stupid thing could be true.”

“Yeah... I mean, if that were how things worked, this world would be absolutely overflowing with the dead.”

I copied Ai Fa by lifting up one knee, then rested my chin on it.

“Anyway, that’s all I’ve got to say. I leave it up to you to decide what to do with me.”

“...Understood.”

Ai Fa shot me one last glance and then gradually stood up.

“...Well then, it’s about time.”

“Hmm?”

“The meat should be just about ready.”

With that, Ai Fa took off the stone weight and the lid to the pot, causing white steam to billow forth.

“Man, that smells tasty!”

I stood up myself and excitedly peered over Ai Fa’s shoulder into the pot. The water and bits of meat were positively dancing about in its rounded bottom. And the steam was impressive, but so was the way that it was foaming up. It was like someone had thrown soap in there or something...

“...Hey, food is important too, naturally, but are we seriously done talking?”

That question earned me a glare from up close and personal.

“You’re a visitor from another world. Either that, or a crazy person who thinks so. I understand all that.”

“So you believe my crazy story?”

“...At the very least, I can tell that you aren’t trying to deceive me.”

Ai Fa suddenly averted her gaze, reached down and picked up the onion-esque vegetable by her feet, then started to chop it up while still holding it in her hand. And though the inside was every bit as vivid green as the outside, it really was otherwise just like an onion.

First Ai Fa peeled off the thin, dry outer layer and chucked it into the pot. She then followed that up by simply slicing the vegetable in two and throwing the chunks in as well.

“You’re not some massive liar. In other words, you’re probably just crazy.”

Splash, sploosh.

She threw in around five or six of the pseudo-onions in total.

While gazing at that sight, like some sort of boiling pot out of hell, I muttered, “Thank you...”

“What are you thanking me for? Are you somehow happy to have me call you a madman?”

“Yeah. Or at least, it’s better than being called a big fat liar. I mean, it means you believe what I said, more or less.”

“I really don’t understand you...” Ai Fa said, sounding a little ticked.

Next up, she grabbed one of those cream-colored pseudo-potatoes. She didn’t even peel the skin off this time, instead just giving it a single slice through the center and then plunking it on into the pot.

The pot itself was pretty darn deep, but the foam was bubbling up to the rim.

As she stirred the concoction with what looked like a thick wooden pestle, Ai Fa shot me another hostile glare.

“So, what do you intend to do next?”

“Hmm? What do you mean?”

“I mean, how do you plan on living your life from here on out? Are you going to look for a way back to your old world?”

“I don’t know... I mean, even if there is a way back to my old world, it may just throw me right back into the middle of that inferno. And if that was the case, I’d just be going back to get immediately burnt to a crisp.”

If there was a chance I could get my old man’s knife back to him, maybe it’d be worth risking my life. But if I ended up as a pile of ashes, so would the knife.

“Well anyway, I still haven’t got it all figured out just yet. And hey, it may not have anything to do with what I want, and I may just suddenly get dragged back to my old world. At any rate, I’ve got no clue what caused this crazy phenomenon in the first place, so pretty much nothing else that could happen would surprise me at this point.”

“I see...”

“If you’re regretting having picked up such a pain in the butt, then just go ahead and say it. I’ll leave here right away if I have to. The climate around here seems pretty well suited for camping outdoors, fortunately...”

“If you spend the night outside, the giba will trample you to death and the mundt will ravage your corpse. By morning, only your bones would remain,” Ai Fa bluntly stated in response. “And on top of that, Diga Suun saw you and me together. You’re clueless about even things like the fours great gods, and if you go and unwittingly break some sort of serious taboo, the responsibility will fall squarely on me.”

“Huh? But that’s not...”

“For the time being, make sure not to leave my sight,” Ai Fa warned me in a rather displeased-sounding voice as she stirred the boiling pot, looking just like a witch out of a fairy tale. “At the bare minimum, I’ll pound the basics of this world and the laws of the forest’s edge into that head of yours. After that, you can go ahead and die in a ditch for all I care.”

“Got it. Seriously, thank you Ai Fa...”

“Hey! Why are you bowing your head like that?! Do you like being told to die in a ditch or something?!”

“I mean, it’s better than being told to get the hell out,” I replied, taking care to make sure I didn’t sound overly serious. On top of that, I also took a step back from Ai Fa. I somehow got the feeling that I’d end up unable to stop myself from hugging her if I kept looking at her from so close. I was just that concerned about my future. I was despairing just that greatly from having lost it all. And Ai Fa had been the one to tell me to stay with her, and say that I was no liar.

Even though I was stuck shouldering this ridiculous fate, I was seriously eternally grateful that the first person I met in this world was this kind, stubborn woman.

“It’s done cooking...” Ai Fa muttered, still sounding a bit angry as she turned her back to me.

This time she went through the middle door, and when she came back, she had two sets of deep bowls and something that looked akin to Chinese soup spoons, plus an elliptical ladle. Naturally, all of these were wooden.

Ai Fa used the ladle to scoop up the contents of the pot, which was now pure white inside thanks to all the steam and foam, then poured it into one of the bowls and handed it to me without saying a word.

“Thanks.”

I may have been full of emotion, but my stomach was still running on empty. And so, I happily accepted it, then took a seat down on the fur.

As Ai Fa prepared her own portion, I excitedly observed the contents of my bowl. It was a thick, white soup that looked just like clam chowder, but it had the distinctive smell of boar stew. And here and there across the white surface, I spied brown chunks of meat and green vegetables. The bits of the pseudo-onion looked to be just about the right size, but the pseudo-potato was nowhere to be seen. Had it seriously gone and disintegrated in such a short period of time? Now that I think of it, the broth was actually the same sort of cream color those pseudo-potatoes had been...

Well, they may look alike, but they aren’t actually onions and potatoes. Just what exactly do they taste like, though...?

I was a little concerned by the fact that she hadn’t skimmed off any of the scum despite how much had bubbled up, but well, when in Rome... And I mean, while so-called “scum” can be an off-flavor that ruins a dish, it also can be a real bundle of flavor too. It wouldn’t be right to say it was the sort of thing you should always be sure to get rid of.

And besides, this place must have its own cooking methods. It would be awful presumptuous for someone from another world like me to butt in.

While I was thinking through all of that, Ai Fa also took a seat.

“Why aren’t you eating? Did you decide that you really aren’t willing to eat giba after all?”

“Not at all. It’s just the custom in my world that everybody should eat together. And this looks absolutely delicious, seriously!”

After shrugging her shoulders and looking like she didn’t care in the least, Ai Fa muttered something under her breath, then started eating. With that, I said “thanks for the meal!” and took my wooden spoon in hand.

I scooped up the brown chunks of meat and white soup together, kicking off my first dinner in this new world.

I brought the spoon to my mouth, giving thanks to the abundance of this world and Ai Fa for cooking the meal. And then, I screamed out, “Gross!”