After a while, we returned home when it seemed like Zelos and Merlyn would be feeling better. Luna and Elga were pleased by how many fish they’d caught. Luna was so happy to have caught her first fish that she had even given some of them names.
“I hope she doesn’t cry when it’s time to eat them,” I said.
“So do I,” Reina said. “By the way, can I ask you a question, Arata?”
“Y-Yes?”
Right now I was sitting on my knees on the floor and looking up at Reina, while the satisfied Elga and Luna were off to the side. She was looking at me with a beaming smile on her face. Yep, a beautiful woman’s smile is always a sight for sore eyes. I’m sure any man who sees her would fall for her at first sight. So...um, well...please forgive me.
“You only went out for a walk, so why did you bring back something that looks like trouble?” Reina asked.
“I’m telling you, it’s not my fault. I was just leisurely fishing, that’s all. And then...uhh...I sort of...got a bite,” I said, averting my eyes and telling only the truth.
I hope she understands why I got quieter as I went on. Because... I mean...her smile is scary.
“At least you seem to be aware that what you’re saying is strange.” Exasperated, she let out a quiet sigh, then looked at the girl sleeping in the bed.
Luckily, though the girl had almost drowned in the river, she was breathing normally, and there hadn’t been any need for me to perform mouth-to-mouth resuscitation for the third time since coming to this island. Even if it was to save a life, I wasn’t very eager to steal a kiss from an unconscious woman. Had it come to that, I probably would have asked Merlyn instead, but she’d been feeling under the weather from mana sickness, so it was a good thing the girl had been all right.
“You just went out for a short walk, and you brought back this... Well, maybe I should have expected it from you.”
I got the feeling that Reina had just bluntly said something quite harsh just now, but if that was what it took for her to be satisfied, then I wouldn’t dwell on it. Glancing up at the sky, I saw that the sun was starting to get redder. It wasn’t quite dusk yet, but night fell surprisingly early on this island. If we delayed any longer, it would be completely dark.
“Anyway, let’s get dinner started. I’ll put my all into helping you!” I said, raising my voice to change the subject. Reina shot me a withering look. However, it seemed like she was about ready to forgive me, and she returned to her usual self.
“All right then, you’d better work hard today. It looks like Luna and Elga are going to eat with us, so we’ll have to make a bit more than usual.”
As Reina added the two Divine Beastfolk into the count as if it were only natural, I smiled awkwardly and got up from the ground. However, I lacked the skills to help Reina out, especially where cooking was concerned. Once I was done getting the ingredients ready and doing whatever else she told me to do, I would probably be better off just setting the table and waiting quietly for her to finish. Also, Luna was here today, so I had to play with her. If I didn’t, she would instinctively try to snatch the food before it was time to eat, earning herself a scolding from Reina.
“Since you guys caught fish today, why don’t I use that for the main dish?” Reina said.
“Hey, that sounds good!” I said.
We had to keep consuming the rest of the Emperor Boar, which meant that Reina’s repertoire had been centered around meat dishes. It became more of a priority, especially because Luna and Tailtiu liked meat more than vegetables. Sure, meat was incredibly delicious, but as a former Japanese person, there were also times when I wanted to have fish.
“Oh, that reminds me,” I added, “I just got some new meat earlier...”
“New meat?” Reina asked.
“Yeah, it’s—”
“Nooo!”
The moment I was about to take the Shantak out of my Storage spell to show it to Reina, Luna rushed over while raising her voice in a panic.
“I haven’t shown it to Tailtiu yet, so you can’t eat it!” she said.
“Oh, that’s right. Sorry,” I said.
“Jeez! We’ll all eat it together after I show it to her!”
She looked quite cute as she raised both hands and sulkily puffed up her cheeks. I stayed silent, knowing that saying so would only make her pout more, but I could see Reina holding back laughter. It seemed that she found the sight of me being scolded by a child funny. Honestly, I probably would have felt the same if I wasn’t the one being scolded.
“Pfft, ha ha... All right then, I’ll get dinner started, so you go play, Luna,” Reina said.
“Are we gonna eat the fish I caught?” Luna asked.
“Yes, we will. You caught them for us, after all.”
“Ohhh... So we’re gonna eat them... Hawk, Falcon, Albatross...” Luna looked at her fish, enthralled. Inside the carved stone bucket, small fish that resembled sweetfish were briskly swimming around. After giving them curiously cool names, would she be too attached to eat them?
“Luna...”
Even if she did, that seemed all right to me, in its own way. She was still mentally like a kid, and this would also be a good opportunity for her to learn about the value of life, so—
Slurp.
“C-Can I wipe that drool off for you?” I said.
Apparently she’d been imagining how they tasted.
I’d like my emotions back, please. Also, after this, I’ll get her to tell me why she named her fish after birds.