Munch munch.
With her cheeks stuffed full of food, Lia was busily devouring a pork cutlet larger than herself, yet still had barely made a dent.
She pondered as she observed her half-eaten meal.
In any case, she had resolved the chef’s dilemma.
So?
Now, how do I escape this place?
Recalling how the Outsider’s troubles had vanished, she thought the chef might be in a similar situation.
Yet, the chef’s restaurant continued to thrive.
Could it be that their desires differ?
No, after all, if someone enjoys the meal, isn’t there another person involved?
I glanced at the woman slumped over the table.
A strange lady who comes back to life even after eating, for now, let’s call her the Undying Woman. I watched her as the chef prepared food for her, and saw her smash her head into the table while joyfully devouring the meal.
The chef loves cooking for others.
But she cherishes it even more when they enjoy her food.
Surely, the Outsiders would adore her dishes.
But what about humans?
Now that I think about it, didn’t the chef mention something about capturing humans and force-feeding them, resulting in a terrible state?
What if that statement had a slight distortion?
“…Boss.”
“Yes?”
At my call, the chef walked over.
It was a line of reasoning I’d rather not discuss, but to escape this place, I had to speak.
In case anything were to happen, at least the escape method I was considering was the only option I had.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Yes, what is it?”
“…Did you want all beings to find your food ‘tasty’?”
The chef’s eyes widened as if she realized the implication of my words.
“What do you mean…?”
I didn’t feel the need to respond to her question.
I just hoped she would mull over my words a few times.
The chef’s pupils began to tremble, and then she smiled a sorrowful smile as she spoke.
“…I see, I’ve been figured out, haven’t I?”
Surely, things couldn’t be that simple.
“The first time I encountered humans was in a raging snowstorm.”
The infamous lost Knights from the Hearth City.
They were petrified by hunger and fear.
So they made a prayer they shouldn’t have.
Hoping for salvation from the God that violates all rules.
“In that blizzard, I found them all starving and tried to save them.”
Yet even in that moment, humans were arrogant.
The divine food from the deity of this world was something they couldn’t handle.
The chef bore an expression rife with guilt.
“Other friends told me my food was the most delicious in the universe. I had my own sense of pride. But you humans could hardly endure it. Initially, I wondered if you were already cursed, but even healthy humans couldn’t stand my food. That was when I first felt despair. A food that some cannot eat. With that, it can’t be considered perfectly delicious.”
It wasn’t a meal meant for just one person.
The chef’s food was for everyone.
What anchored her was the hope that many could eat without dying through the meals.
The chef handed me a sheet of paper.
Technically, I shouldn’t have been looking at the Outsider’s notes, but am I a typical person?
A notebook filled with various ingredients.
The neatly written recipes on the paper reflected how much thought and effort she had put into this.
“What is this…?”
“It’s evidence of my research on how humans can eat my food. Yes, this place was created for me to conduct my research alone. And I hoped that lost wanderers would find some warmth here.”
As she spoke, the chef set down a cup of instant coffee and a mint candy on the table, both of which I hadn’t even noticed her preparing.
I took a sip of the instant coffee that appeared to be much easier to consume.
It tasted just like the savory flavor from the meat restaurant.
How does she know my palate so well?
If she weren’t an Outsider, I would have wanted her to prepare my breakfast every morning.
“I worked hard on my research. I wanted a meal that you humans could eat to gain strength. But… it was the same. There was certainly nothing wrong with the ingredients…. Yet humans still couldn’t endure my food. So I lost my temper… and threw all the food I was researching in a fit of rage. The outside was a mess, wasn’t it? I’m sorry; it’s all my fault.”
So, was that how the food fusion originated?
The dishes that were less infused would merely fly away while maintaining their form.
Even a dish made for humans could kill a person; so one infused with the anger of an Outsider must be extremely dangerous.
That’s why Lia warned against eating it.
“I was going to give up… But then, that person arrived. We couldn’t communicate, but even after dying three times from just facing me, she was fine.”
Dying three times just by facing her?
And still mentally holding on?
“When her stomach growled, I gave her something to eat for the time being. She looked so hungry—how could I ignore that?”
With a tone mixed with emotion, she wiped away a tear.
“At first, she refused, but when I spoon-fed her, she said it was delicious…”
To others, the chef’s food might not even look like food.
What did it look like for her to refuse it?
She seems to have adapted now, though.
“At first, I cried. Oh, I did make food that humans find delicious. But in the end, they can’t endure it, right? They can’t survive without resolving their hunger, so they have no choice but to die…”
So that’s when I came.
I realized that unique quirk and ate without any problem.
Then, what exactly is the issue?
Eating while maintaining the original form seemed harmless.
But when I crushed that form with a spoon, humans couldn’t handle it.
In the end, it could only be seen that the chef was attempting to ‘mimic’ food that was safe for humans to eat.
Although the end product was the same, because the process was different, if that perfect form couldn’t be maintained, the balance couldn’t be sustained either.
That was the feeling.
However, when I observed the cooking process, nothing seemed wrong.
It looked like ordinary stir-fried pork.
No, wait.
If this space were to remain as it is, I’d never be able to get out of here.
It would be better to hasten the cessation of the cooking and make this place disappear.
But my overzealous instincts wouldn’t allow it.
How could I simply pass by this story?
“Boss.”
“…I’ve taken too much of your time. I’m sorry. If you need to escape this place, I can help you.”
Even if she let me escape, the anchor that bound the chef wouldn’t disappear.
Even if I could release her from those shackles, she would undoubtedly despair at the sight of her own chains.
“Thank you, but now…” (Chef)
“No. Why don’t you just try doing as I say?” (Tanton)
At my words, the chef tilted her head.
#
The chef’s cheeks flushed, and her movements grew sluggish.
Soon after touching something, she let out a sound in surprise.
“Hmm, ah…”
“See, so here like this…”
“Ugh, it feels warm…”
“That’s just how it is at first. I’ll go slowly for you…”
“Little by little… it feels like I’m getting used to it…”
While holding both of the chef’s hands, I moved slowly.
The chef began to sync with my movements, and it felt like we were becoming one.
Seeing that, I felt a sense of satisfaction.
“…But it’s surprising that this is your first time. I thought you had done it at least once…”
“…Don’t say that!”
The chef closed her eyes and squeaked.
“When I do it myself… the food just ends up getting squashed…”
“It’s alright. Food has its own charm, even if it’s rustic and rough.”
“Is that so…?”
Seemingly convinced by my words, the chef, with renewed determination, began to chop the tomatoes herself.
After all, since she was an Outsider, wielding a knife wouldn’t lead to injuries, yet she still seemed anxious enough to ask for my help.
So here I was, assisting her while maintaining our proximity.
What I found troubling was the fact that the chef was using her ‘abilities’ to cook.
Of course, that would allow for quicker preparations, but those dishes would have been influenced by the Outsider’s powers somehow.
In this world, the laws operated in a highly significant manner.
So, while there was no issue reading inscriptions made by humans, the same could not be said for those made by Outsiders.
So if the Outsider cooked not with their powers but with tools meant for humans, couldn’t they create it like a human would?
It’s not that humans cannot withstand the Outsider; rather, the Outsider cannot withstand the humans.
Well, that’s what it was about.
“Indeed, that’s a reasonable thought. It’s a solution that wouldn’t come to mind unless one really thought about it.”
“Ugh… I want to eat it too.”
Since it was a well-founded idea, even the gardener was impressed, which seemed to further solidify the idea.
At last, the spaghetti, stir-fried in a frying pan, glistened as it was plated.
Compared to the stir-fried pork I had eaten earlier, it looked infinitely pitiful and somehow clumsy.
“…Ugh, the food looks so unappetizing…”
“Let’s just give it a try.”
I handed the spaghetti to the Undying Woman.
She quickly took the bowl, starting to frantically crush the noodles with her spoon and shove them into her mouth.
Considering she never seemed full even before I arrived, she was a remarkable foodie.
I could see the chef swallow hard, as if she had just gulped down dry saliva.
After some time had passed, the Undying Woman, who should have collapsed by now, finished all the food without a single falter and held out the empty bowl.
“Fresh taste! One more bowl, please!”
“Make sure to include dessert.”
The final offering from the chef was an iced Americano recommended by the Record Keeper.
And on top of that, a cake.
Especially the iced Americano, which should be cold, was bizarrely ablaze.
Could it be? The legendary warm iced Americano?
What audacious culinary abomination is this? Truly, Outsiders are something else!
But how did she manage to make it without me watching the process?
“By the way, what ingredients did you use?”
“Umm… do I really have to say?”
Since she had made this without my assistance, I was merely asking out of curiosity, but the chef blushed and hesitated to respond.
Just what kind of ingredients did she use?
“Just know that I used something precious to me.”
…That was a decidedly unsettling answer.
Fortunately, the Undying Woman remained in one piece as she consumed it.
Whatever it was, it didn’t seem to have caused any issues during preparation.
Lia took a bite and gave a thumbs-up, clearly enjoying it.
Good, Lia’s reaction was positive too.
Could it be that my method really was working?
The chef looked overwhelmed by the sight of the Undying Woman, covering her mouth with both hands.
“Not yet.”
I had to eat it myself for definitive confirmation.
I purposely messed up the remaining food in the frying pan, took a deep breath, and popped it into my mouth.
This was where potential problems would arise.
I began to chew thoughtfully.
Soon, what came to mind was…
It was delicious.
So delicious.
It tasted good enough to die for, but somehow, it felt like I could be full without actually dying.
“…Congratulations. You’ve managed to create food that’s safe to eat regardless of how it’s consumed.”
At my words, the chef rushed over and hugged me tightly.
She seemed genuinely happy.
“Thank you. Because of you, I was able to fulfill my wish.”
I get that she’s grateful, but can you not squeeze me so tight?
While I tried to avert my gaze as much as possible, the chef gently grabbed my cheeks, forcing me to look at her face.
“…Uh, um?”
“But I think what brings me the most joy is seeing you enjoy it.”
With that, she smiled, softly patted my chin, and stepped back.
“I’ll develop the techniques you taught me so you can enjoy it even more.”
So, you want me to wait for that?
Watching her say that made my face heat up.
I get what she’s saying, but the word choice…
Get a grip, Leydan Tanton!
She’s an Outsider!
Am I going insane?
And with party favors, I’ll be seeing her again soon, but hearing her say such things hardly felt real.
I bet she doesn’t think I’m going to call her again anytime soon.
How could I give up on stir-fried pork and pork soup? Hehe.
Anyway, with those words, the chef and the shop—or rather, the space—began to gradually disappear.
And before I knew it, it was just the Undying Woman, Lia, and me standing under the snowstorm.
It seemed we’d randomly landed outside of the distorted space.
The only fortunate thing was that the ‘warm’ iced Americano we had consumed was warming me up.
I could feel the chef’s intent not to let us freeze.
“Hey? Where are we? Who are you?”
…There was no time to ponder the aftermath as thoughts raced about what to do with this Undying Woman.
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