Chapter 6: Dream of the Past

That night, I had a dream.

I was participating in the Hunting Club’s Farm Camp, and we ate shishinabe.

That shishinabe, was really delicious.

Enoki and shiitake, chinese cabbage and carrots, burdock root and taro, with a bit of white miso, I didn’t feel a hint of the rumored bad odor.

The time is, December. It was in the middle of winter vacation.

What it meant for a cold body to be warmed up from the core, I was able to fully realize that.

Before the meal, I was allowed to work on a wild boar.

Up until then, I had only had the experience of handling chickens and ducks, I was nervous, I was excited.

It was a very ordinary impression, but it reminded me what it meant to eat meat.

Unfortunately, the processed meat had to be left to cure for a few days, so I ate the meat that the oji-sama¹ at the Hunting Club had prepared in advance.

Even so, it was delicious enough to die for.

It was a three-day overnight camp, and on the night of the second day, my old man and Reina came to the camp to visit us.

(Well, I don’t get the chance to cut up wild boar meat in my shop)

My old man said, as he laughed.

(I wanted to try the meat that Asuta-chan worked on)

Said Reina, as she laughed as well.

Probably, I was laughing too.

The Farm Camp, I wondered if it was worth taking a three day break from the shop, I was a bit skeptical at first. But, it was a very fun and meaningful three days.

“……oi, get up”

When I bragged that I was going to work on deer the next day, Reina was surprised to see her wide eyes open up even wider.

(Can you eat deer? It’s a bit pitiful don’t you think?)

(Why? Even though I ate so much wild boar, don’t say something unfair)

(eh一? Because wild boars, are like pigs²)

And so on, puffing her cheeks.

So, I advised her that that was unfair.

(You, have you ever properly looked at pigs and wild boars? If anything, I think they have a cuter face than deer)

(Stop stop! I won’t be able to eat pigs!)

I wanted to tell her that there were some meat cultures overseas that were even more difficult for a japanese person to accept, but I felt bad so I stopped.

“……Oi, how long do you intend on sleeping? Wake up!”

Noisy.

Ahh, but that shishinabe was really good.

Because it had a fairly strong miso taste, I also wanted to try a cooking method that lets you savor the taste of the meat itself.

If you were to make a dashi stock from the wild boar’s bone marrow, wouldn’t that be the best?

“I told you to stay here, but I’m not letting you waste food! Oi!”

Ah, she’s shaking my shoulders roughly.

Anyway, I probably, like strong meat.

I thought that sheep meat tasted pretty good, though I’ve only eaten it a few times. To begin with, I love the smell of meat and fat. I think that I was a carnivore in my previous life.

It’s the same with ramen, tonkotsu with soy sauce is my favourite. Of course, if the ramen is just greasy, then no thanks. When I took over the store, I was secretly making a plan to try to add tonkotsu ramen on the menu as a limited item.

“Oi……if you keep messing around, you’ll get hurt”

Yes, it’s that smell.

The Giba stinks, who said that?

Nn? No, was it called a Giba?

Anyway, it smells really good.

I just ate a shishinabe, but now I’m hungry again.

Last night’s dinner was terrible.

Don’t linger on last night’s dinner.

Oh well.

Anyway, my stomach is empty so itadakimasu.

The meat has a tender texture.

The next thing I knew, a white spark exploded in the back of my eyes.

◇

“……huh?”

To grasp the current situation, it took a bit of time.

Stimulating my nasal cavity, was the smell of meat and spices.

Beaming in from the window, was the early morning sunshine.

The feeling of stiff fur.

Wooden walls, a ceiling with exposed wooden beams.

Ah.

Right, I had just spent my first night in another world.

This isn’t my room. One of the people of the forest, this is Ai-Fa’s house.

Right now, the one standing in front of me, is that Ai-Fa.

She had her left hand on her neck, her beautiful face bright red, and she was pointing her sword towards me, the same Ai-Fa who saved my life.

“Wa, wait a second! I don’t taste good, probably!”

I got up right away, and then I sunk back down as I backed up against the wall behind me.

The steel blade, glistened in the morning sunlight.

As Ai-Fa swung her arm up, I was violently trembling without being able to stop.

“……kill”

“But, why! Why are you already so trying to do something so noisy so early in the morning……”

And, while I was yelling, the top of my head tingled.

Nn? Come to think of it, I feel like someone hit me in my dream too.

“Ah, could it be that you were the one who hit me? That’s meannn. Hitting the head of a sleeping person, what kind of concept is that?”

“……ask your own chest”

Ai-Fa’s face, maybe due to anger, had turned bright red.

Just like yesterday, even though she’s cool (note: クル) she has a low boiling point, this girl.

However, on the other hand, I don’t think she’s the type to get angry for no reason.

Perhaps, did I do something bad?

“Sorry. Did I do something? I was asleep so I don’t even remember anything. If I’ve done anything rude to you, I apologize”

“……at”

“Nn?”

“Me! You tried to eat!”

Yelling in what was probably the loudest voice since we met, Ai-Fa re-tightened her grasp on her sword with both hands.

Until now it was hidden by her left hand, but on her smooth neck一一clearly, a really healthy looking bite mark was engraved.

“ohh”, I said as I clasped my hands together.

“I remembered. In my dream, I was eating something. And, because you’re letting off a delicious smell, I wonder if I bit you by mistake?”

“……kill”

“Uwa wait wait! It was my bad! It was honestly my bad! I apologize from the bottom of my heart! Please at least spare my life……”

“Shut up!”

Thus, the second day of my life in another world, had a seriously noisy start.

Fortunately, it is a fact that I never awoke to cannibalism, it’s at least a silver lining that I’d like to mention.

___________________________________________________________________________

1. Middle-aged man/uncle.
2. Reina uses -san at the end of pig.