Zelos and the other reincarnators were setting up camp by the side of the highway leading from Hasam to Santor.
While the road here was paved, it was far from smooth. Even the passengers in Ado’s suspension-fitted kei car felt a lot of vibration.
Seeing as the group had a heavily pregnant woman—Yui—with them now, they couldn’t travel as fast as they had previously; they were taking it nice and slow. But with the sun starting to set for the day, they’d decided to play it safe and set up camp right in the middle of a plain.
Zelos, for his part, had started preparing dinner. And as they saw him go about it, the others remembered something important...
“So, Zelos,” Ado started. “About this karaage...”
“I’ll be going for a bit of a curry flavor, if that’s your question.”
“Uh, no. It’s not that. It’s...”
This was promising to be one luxurious camp meal.
Zelos was preparing vegetable soup and nice soft bread, plus some karaage for a good old taste of home.
Just looking at it was enough to whet everyone’s appetites. The problem, however, was in the ingredients.
“H-Hey, guys... Where do you think that meat’s from?” Ado whispered to his party members.
“After it’s been cut up like that, I don’t think we have any way of knowing,” Shakti muttered back.
“I-I’m scared... Thinking about eating his cooking again scares me...” Lisa said.
The vegetable soup? The bread? They didn’t have a problem with those. Those made sense.
But they had no idea what sort of creature the mystery meat came from, and they couldn’t help but feel suspicious of it.
“Oh, don’t worry about all that!” Zelos called out to them. “Come, my pretties! Dig in! I’ve made plenty, just for you! You’ll love it!”
“Why are you talking like that?! It only makes us trust you less!” the trio replied.
Zelos had a particularly sinister grin on his face, as if he knew exactly what they were worrying about.
The trio picked up their chopsticks with trembling hands. As they lifted their plates, they waged an internal battle: the courage to eat versus the fear of the unknown.
“Ooh! This is delicious!” Yui exclaimed.
“Y-Yui?!” the other three reacted, looking on in shock.
“See, kiddos?” Zelos said with a smug look. “What’d I say? C’mon—karaage’s best when it’s piping hot, so get it in your gobs!”
Yui was eating with gusto. She hadn’t been traumatized as Ado, Shakti, and Lisa had.
The slight spice of the coating, the mild sweetness of the meat juices, the perfect flavor and texture; they all reminded her of home. She felt like she was back on Earth, eating at a table with her family.
“Gaaah... Damn it!” Ado shouted, clearly torn.
“Okay, fine! You want us to eat it, right?!” Lisa said.
“Well, I suppose it’s not a problem as long as we can’t make out its shape,” Shakti mused. “This should be safer than the tempura don, at least.”
The karaage smelled delicious. They didn’t know what meat Zelos had used, but it really did look delectable. Ultimately, the trio’s hunger won out, and they ate their fill. There was no resisting piping hot karaage—even if the addition of a little curry powder gave it a slightly unusual aftertaste.
“In the end, we ate the whole lot...” Ado commented.
“We did, didn’t we?” Shakti said.
“So in the end, Zelos, what did that meat come from?” Lisa asked, unable to stop herself.
“Chicken,” he replied. “Or...something close to it, at least. Anyway, don’t worry about it.”
Lisa really should’ve stayed quiet. They would’ve been much happier not knowing.
Now that she’d asked, though, it was time for a repeat of that nightmare.
“Actually...” Zelos said, having clearly changed his mind. “So you want to know, do you? They say ignorance is bliss, but, well, if you insist... Heh, heh, heh...”
“Y-You know what? On second thought, I’d rather not know,” Lisa said.
“Y-You know how sometimes you get the urge to look at something you know you’d rather not see?” Shakti panicked, trying to cover for her. “It’s like that, but...”
“I didn’t ask, okay?!” Ado shouted. “Don’t tell me! I don’t wanna hear it!”
“Frankly, the way you’re reacting only makes me want to tell you more, whether you want me to or not,” Zelos smirked. “So here you go! Okay, so I got a...”
The trio’s screams proceeded to echo throughout the plains.
Without saying exactly which creature the meat had come from, it was clearly outrageous enough to leave Ado, Shakti, and Lisa miserable.
But at least Yui was happy.