NOVEL NEXT Episode 22: A Girl Named Chigusa
“I left behind the bear I killed earlier, but I guess it would be better if Chikusa brought it to me…”
“Ah, actually, I thought it would be a waste, so I secretly put it in there…”
Chigusa, a high school girl who can do anything in the shadows and a dark magic cheat (?), is immediately helpful.
“Great”
“Heh, hehehe…”
When I heard the compliment, Chikusa seemed embarrassed.
“Oh…!”
Chigusa seems to be unable to bear the smell of blood, so she burrows towards the river.
“No, if you can’t do it, you don’t have to try.”
“Ah, it’s been a while since I saw a butcher scene, so I was just scared…!”
Are you saying that’s impossible?
The bear that Chikusa brought was being butchered by me.
Chigusa, who offered to help, removed the internal organs and found herself vomiting into the river.
That’s why you can’t eat demon beasts.
Well, there was a bit of a struggle, but I decided to throw the bear into the river.
Once the meat has cooled down, let’s continue dissecting it again.
“Chigusa, are you okay?”
“Ah, don’t worry, please…! I-I haven’t been eating much lately, so all I can produce is gastric juice!”
Chigusa’s eyes were rolling and she clenched her fists while liquid dripped from her mouth.
“Thank you. Please rest.”
“Yes…”
Chigusa is sitting doing gymnastics.
Ukatama approaches her.
“Huh! Ah, w-what is it? Ah, um!”
Ukatama is pulling on a high school girl’s cloak.
“It’s okay. You can follow Ukatama.”
“U-Ukatama-san? Senpai? I-I understand…!”
I followed along, feeling a bit scared.
It looks like Ukatama will take care of you.
You’re surprisingly caring, Ukatama…
I’m making soup in an iron pot.
It is iron. It’s not stone or bark.
Even in this forest, the tools of civilization have finally appeared. I’m really happy to be able to use what I bought right away.
Add river fish, watercress, other wild plants, herbs, and salt, and simmer well.
It’s a camp dish that lets you enjoy fish soup.
Chikusa was taken by Ukatama and returned after collecting wildflowers. It is a meal using it.
“It’s like a proper dish…! It’s been three years…!! The steam is already delicious…!!!!!”
Chigusa was crying in front of the soup.
“It’s been three years…? Would you mind telling me a story while we eat?”
“Ah, yes. Itadakimasu…!”
According to Chigusa, who talked to me while eating, the food was similar to that of medieval England everywhere, even in the imperial court.
It’s like boiling fish until it’s exhausted and then discarding the broth, which loses its flavor.
A whole roasted chicken that was roasted until black was piled on the plate.
It is said that fruits are the most delicious, so everyone flocks to a few fruits.
The high school girl looked angry and had no choice but to complain about the food, which she had never been able to talk about to anyone.
“It was terrible… Ugh… It’s delicious… It’s delicious… Oh, oh, can I have another helping?”
“You’re young, please eat a lot.”
Chigusa ordered two refills. I’m glad I cooked it well…
Just looking at Chigusa chewing on her food with such happiness made my heart feel full.
“T-that’s tough, Onii-san!”
“what up?”
“T-this toilet doesn’t smell bad! It’s spacious! It’s clean! Moreover, the toilet seat is very smooth and looks familiar!”
“Yeah, I made it.”
“It’s more comfortable than an aristocratic house, though!?”
Don’t get embarrassed when you say that.
By the way, I’m currently making a triangle out of bark sheets and branches.
This is Chigusa’s temporary home. An A-shaped tent is set up.
The A-shaped tent is an easy structure that can be completed by setting up poles at both ends and covering it with cloth.
Unlike a dome tent, the fabric and bones are made up of straight lines, making it easy to make and set up, so I chose this one.
A proper hut requires new felling and leveling of the land.
It looks like things will be half-finished at this time today, so I’ll leave the hut work until tomorrow.
“I’m sorry it’s just a temporary thing, but is this tent okay for today? I can’t make a bed, but Musubi will make me some fur and blankets to put underneath.”
“It’s totally fine. That shelter was amazing. It’s like I don’t feel cold even when I sleep there.”
“The cold comes from below, and the heat comes from above. That’s why you have to sleep on insulation, using mats, boards, or anything else you can spread on.”
It’s the basics of camping.
“Hey!”
And Chigusa, who doesn’t even know the basics, opens her mouth.
“…What have you been up to until now?”
“Ah, I used dark magic to summon a black mist, and then I sat down and slept with a blanket wrapped around me.”
“I was so young and reckless…”
When I was a teenager, I was fine with being a 2-timer.
“What about your brother?”
“Yeah?”
“Oni-san, you don’t look that old, but did you get some kind of bonus when you were reincarnated? Actually, you’re around 30 years old?”
That’s sharp.
“Me…I’m an old man, so if I let you talk about yourself, it would take a long time.”
“Ah, that’s perfectly fine. It’s unfair that I’m the only one talking…”
After saying that, Chigusa looked away.
“I mean, it’s been a while since we talked too much, so if possible, I’d like to just say it out loud…”
The vocal cords are too weak.
“There is no choice……”
That day, while making dishes for Chigusa, we talked about things before and after coming to the other world.
Chigusa was listening to me as she carved the wood on the cross table, staring at her hands with her mouth open.