Chapter 49: Conversations in the Night
“This dried meat and…”
“Dried apricots…”
“How about some wine?”
“Smoked trout…”
“We have cheese as well.”
Food is being offered from hand to hand.
“No way, I can’t eat all that,” I decline.
“We’ve got grilled trout too, so just eat one piece normally,” Retze says. Originally, our job was to carry food on the way there and materials on the way back. Even though I heard they were bringing their own, I still ended up carrying extra for Dean and Chris, along with my own share.
We’re supposed to be the errand boys, but Dean and Chris, being silver-class, work hard, and they hardly complain or order anything, making it easy for us.
“As long as you catch some game normally,” I say, holding up a nicely grilled trout.
I only caught one, but everyone else caught three or four and shared some with me, so I get to enjoy both herb-grilled and salt-grilled trout. I won’t be the one to refuse after receiving their generosity.
“Yeah, I’ll catch plenty!” Dean says cheerfully as he grabs a slice of pizza, and the others follow suit.
I brought a good amount of smoked meat, dried vegetables, and plenty of flour and seasonings. I scouted the area with Teleportation and checked what was growing in the forest, knowing Dean and the others were planning to hunt meat. I hope they do their best.
“Delicious!”
“Tasty, isn’t it?”
“Really good!”
Good, good. I hope they keep discovering more delicious things and share them with me. Once you’re captivated by something tasty, you can’t help but seek out even better flavors.
“…Delicious,” Ash says after finishing his meal.
“The salt flavor is nice. It seems like it would be good with different ingredients,” he adds.
“Yeah, it would go well with tomato sauce,” I reply while munching on my grilled trout.
“Tomato sauce, you say?” The butler gives me a slightly puzzled look. What’s up with that?
The innards were cleaned out nicely, and I grilled it from the back. Since it’s a lean fish, I grilled it slowly over indirect heat to keep the fat from escaping. Thanks to that, the skin is crispy, and the flesh is tender.
“Ugh! The trout that Jean grilled looks more delicious than my river fish,” Dean says, gripping his skewer tightly, but I’m not trading!
“You’d make a fine wife… What a shame, Lord of Dusk,” he adds with a smirk.
“Stop lamenting over someone’s gender,” Chris says, sounding serious, which makes it feel a bit uncomfortable.
“By the way, Jean, what’s your type? My sister wasn’t your type, right? Is it the chest?” Dean asks.
“Stop lifting your own chest!”
“Hmm… Dean has quite the impressive chest,” Ash says, looking down at his own.
“Ash…” I don’t even know how to respond! That’s not a chest that women should be envious of! It would be a hassle to have!
The butler next to me has a slightly awkward expression, but I probably look the same way.
“I’m not bragging, but I’m still figuring out how to interact with humans, so I’m not really sure. For now, romance comes after that,” Dean says, sounding serious.
“Are you distrustful of humans?”
“Well, yeah. Also, I was confessed to as a prank,” I confirm Dean’s question. It’s not that I distrust humans; it’s just that the only ones I could trust were the dangerous types.
“Oh, so someone told you later that it was just a joke?” Retze looks at me with pity. He’s right, though.
“I can’t imagine Lord of Dusk pulling that kind of prank,” Chris says, looking puzzled.
“Well, I confessed, but then I got teased and felt embarrassed, didn’t I?” Dean adds, looking confused along with Chris.
Ash and the butler remain quiet. Considering their gender and age, they probably can’t join in on this conversation.
“The first time was when I was about six. The second time was at ten, and the third time was at fourteen. All different people.”
“Whoa! Three times? Are you cursed or something?” Dean makes a disgusted face.
“Three special cases in a row. Not all women in the world are like that, you know?”
“Yeah, I know. I’m aware I’ve had some unique experiences, so I’m trying to adjust,” Retze says, looking genuinely worried, but the root cause is my sister.
The first time, it was definitely my sister who instigated it, and the second time, she wasn’t around, but the girl was the younger sister of one of her friends. Since I was ten, my sister was around fifteen, and back then, my interactions were limited, so it was easy to figure out. The third time, my sister’s presence wasn’t there, but she must have been involved somehow.
After the first time I got caught, I realized it was my sister’s doing, so I just pretended to fall for it during the second and third times. My parents are the same, but I don’t understand why my sister assumes I don’t remember anything from kindergarten. If I hadn’t remembered, I might have fallen for it.
Speaking of which, my sister’s friend from the Fireworks Festival was the one who confessed to me the first time, along with her brother. Since she’s been dating that sister for a long time, she must either be really dull or just attract similar people. From what I’ve seen when I occasionally run into them, it’s definitely the latter, and I want to avoid them at all costs.
For now, I’ll just go to Dinoss’s place and receive some genuine affection from his child to heal my heart.
“Cheer up, okay?”
“Thanks, Chris.”
I’m fine, really. The one who was pitiful was my past self, not me now. But before that, can you do something about that spirit that keeps rubbing my chin and make a serious face?
Even though I’m getting used to its presence, I still think that gap is unfair. I can’t maintain my serious face!