part2 · 105-ep105
Episode 105: Cooking for the First Time
The next morning.
Ren woke early, as usual.
He got up from the bed and headed for the living room.
"...Morning, Ren."
"...Morning."
Mizuki was preparing breakfast.
Ren turned his eyes to the thing placed on the table.
On it—
was the cookbook they'd bought at the bookstore yesterday.
"......"
Ren picked up the cookbook.
"That's the one we bought yesterday?"
"...Yeah."
He opened the pages. Photos of food. Ingredients. How to make it.
It was written in detail.
"...Cooking."
"Interested?"
"...Yeah."
"Want to try making some?"
"......"
Ren thought for a moment.
"...I want to try."
"Really?"
"...Yeah."
Mizuki smiled happily.
"Then shall we try making it together today?"
"...Is that okay?"
"Of course."
◇
After finishing breakfast, the two went outside.
"First, let's buy the ingredients."
"...The supermarket?"
"Right."
They headed for the supermarket.
Inside, all sorts of ingredients were lined up.
Vegetables. Meat. Fish. Seasonings.
"...There's a lot."
"You think so?"
"...Yeah."
Ren walked while looking at the shelves.
Ten years ago. When he'd lived on the surface, he had seen this many times.
But—
now it felt somehow fresh.
"What are we making today?"
Mizuki looked at the cookbook.
"Shall we go with this?"
What Mizuki pointed at—
was pork sauté.
"...Meat."
"Do you like it?"
"...Yeah."
"Then let's go with this."
Mizuki picked out the pork. Ren looked at the meat.
"...So this isn't monster meat."
"Huh?"
"...Ordinary meat."
"Heheh."
Mizuki laughed.
"That's right."
"...I see."
Ren looked at the meat with a slightly puzzled expression.
In the dungeon. When it came to meat, it was monsters.
Choosing what was edible. Butchering it himself. Cooking it over fire to eat.
It was work necessary to survive.
But—
now it was different.
He just had to buy the meat lined up in the store.
"...Ordinary meat, huh."
"Yeah."
Mizuki smiled.
"Let's cook this today."
"...Got it."
◇
After finishing the shopping, they returned home. They laid the ingredients out in the kitchen.
"Then, first let's cut the vegetables."
"...Yeah."
Mizuki handed him a knife.
"Can you use this?"
"...I can."
Ren gripped the knife.
And then—
he started cutting the vegetables.
—Chop, chop, chop.
A steady rhythm.
"......"
Mizuki looked at Ren.
Cut. Cut. Cut.
The sizes were almost all uniform.
"...Ren."
"...Hm?"
"You're good with a knife."
"...You think so?"
"Yeah."
"...Because I've used knives for a long time."
"A long time?"
"...In the dungeon."
"Ah..."
Mizuki was convinced.
Ren had lived in the dungeon for ten years. In that time, he had butchered edible monsters himself many times.
Of course, now it was different. Ren's current Item Box had a function that automatically butchered monsters. So now, there was no need to butcher them himself.
But—
that function had been added much later.
Until then. He'd had no choice but to butcher the monsters he obtained himself.
Strip the hide. Cut up the meat. Take out the edible parts.
He had repeated that over and over.
Years of accumulation.
That was why—
Ren's knife work was so skilled it couldn't be compared to an ordinary person's.
"Then, next is the meat."
"...Yeah."
Ren placed the pork on the cutting board. He put the knife to it.
Movement without hesitation. The thickness of the meat was almost uniform.
"......"
Mizuki couldn't help but stare.
"...Ren, you're really good."
"...You think so?"
"Yeah."
Ren tilted his head.
To him, it wasn't anything special.
It was just—
a skill he had acquired over ten years to survive.
◇
The prep was finished.
"Then let's cook it."
"...Yeah."
He heated the frying pan. Placed the pork in it.
—Sizzle...
The sound of the meat cooking rang through the kitchen.
Ren looked at the frying pan. He stared fixedly at the meat as it cooked.
"...You don't have to watch it that seriously."
"...Because it's a dish you're going to eat too, Mizuki."
"...Hm?"
"...I don't want to fail."
"......"
Mizuki's movement stopped for just a moment.
"...I see."
Mizuki gave a small smile.
"Then I guess you'll have to do your best."
"...Yeah."
Ren nodded. And then he returned his gaze to the frying pan once more.
Before long the meat was cooked through, and he poured on the sauce.
"Done."
He plated it.
Pork sauté. And a side of vegetables and soup.
"...Finished."
"Yeah."
Mizuki smiled.
"Then let's eat."
"...Yeah."
The two sat at the table.
"Thanks for the food."
"...Thanks for the food."
Ren brought the pork sauté to his mouth.
"......"
He was silent for a while.
"How is it?"
Mizuki asked with a slightly anxious expression. Ren took another bite.
"...It's good."
"Good."
Mizuki smiled.
"For your first time cooking, it turned out pretty well."
"...Because you taught me, Mizuki."
"...I see."
Mizuki smiled, looking a little happy.
Ren took another bite of the pork sauté.
"...I'll make it again."
"Yeah."
Ren thought for a moment.
"Next time... alone."
"...Yeah."
Mizuki nodded.
Ren looked at the dish for a moment.
"...And then."
"...?"
"Next time... I want you to eat it, Mizuki."
"......"
Mizuki's movement stopped.
"...For me?"
"...Yeah."
Ren nodded.
"...I want you to eat it, Mizuki."
"...I see."
Mizuki's cheeks relaxed just slightly.
"Then I'll look forward to it."
"...Yeah."
Ren nodded a little too.
"Then next time, how about you do the seasoning too, Ren?"
"...Got it."
◇
They finished the meal.
Ren picked up the cookbook.
And then—
he began searching for the next dish to make.
He turned the pages. One. Then another.
Many dishes he hadn't known until now were listed there.
Things that hadn't existed in the dungeon. Things that hadn't been necessary to survive.
But—
To the Ren of now.
they had gradually become necessary.
Eating together with someone. Living together with someone.
And then—
Making something himself.
Ten years. To Ren, cooking had been work for the sake of survival.
Finding what was edible. Butchering it himself. Cooking it over fire to eat.
That was all.
But now—
Choosing what to eat. Making it together with someone. And thinking about what to make next.
Ren turned the pages of the cookbook.
And then—
he found the dish he wanted to make next.
"...This."
What Ren pointed at—
was hamburg steak.
"Hamburg steak?"
"...Yeah."
"Want to try making it?"
"...Yeah."
Mizuki smiled.
"Then next is hamburg steak."
"...Yeah."
Ren nodded a little too.
Ten years. Cooking had been work for the sake of survival.
But now it was different.
Choosing what to eat himself. Making it together with someone.
And then—
thinking about having someone eat it.
Holding the cookbook, Ren gazed at the next dish.
Just a little.
Looking happy.