Chapter 24: Summer Event / Padron Awakens

Oh, I see. I see. So that's the kind of people you are.

Riiight. I get it now.

I finally understood.

So Kizuna-kun and the rest of the WF protagonist party were actually the protagonists of one of those good old-fashioned RPGs. You know, the kind of protagonists who, under the pretext of going on a journey to save the world, casually enter other people's houses without permission and rummage through their pots and trash cans. That's what they were, huh? I finally understand now.

"Saving the world" isn't a universal get-out-of-jail-free card, you know.

Well, I knew that was just one of those convenient game mechanics, and personally, I absolutely love that kind of system.

I always end up checking every trash can and dresser I come across. The joy of discovering a hidden item without looking at a strategy guide is simply indescribable.

But is it just me, or have there been fewer games with systems like that lately? Maybe people have criticized them or something. Though when I say "lately," I mean before I came to "Chaos," so it feels like an awfully long time ago now.

Anyway, I've gotten sidetracked.

What I'm trying to say is this.

Rene, who had blown away the water of the lake right at the beginning of the day, had caused another incident.

Right in front of me was Rene, sitting properly on her knees in the formal seiza position.

And in the direction my finger was pointing was a gigantic crater.

Wait a second. Is watermelon smashing actually some kind of post-apocalyptic activity where you're supposed to make craters??

"Rene. You understand what I want to say, don't you?"

"I'm sorry..."

And so, the investigation and lecture began.

Though, unlike the diving incident from earlier, this one was relatively easy to understand. I still couldn't accept it in the slightest, of course.

The simple explanation was that Rene had gotten fired up about smashing the watermelon, unleashed a full-power strike, and punched a crater into the ground.

Once again, I was reminded that common sense in another world was completely broken. I want to go back to Earth already.

The watermelon itself was unharmed. That was because Rene had swung her weapon in completely the wrong direction.

For the time being, I made it very clear to her that there was absolutely no need to use magic or any other supernatural power for this.

Even though Rene was the shrine maiden of World Eater, her raw physical strength was still limited. No matter how much optimization was applied, she couldn't escape the limitations of her flesh-and-blood body.

Rene wasn't the only one. The superhuman strength and explosive speed displayed by the beings of this world were possible precisely because they reinforced their bodies with magic.

This time, I really wanted to believe everything would proceed peacefully and without incident.

It was time for lunch.

I hadn't seen what happened because I had been preparing lunch, but apparently there hadn't been any particularly major problems.

Rene's wild swing had struck Padron-kun, the stick that slipped out of Pahal's hands had crashed into Padron-kun, and then Piska, mistakenly thinking that was how the game was supposed to work, had deliberately tried to hit him, apparently resulting in a fight between Piska and Padron-kun. But compared to the crater, those were trivial matters.

Oh, and apparently Kizuna-kun, while blindfolded, collided with Piska and got himself involved in a classic lucky-pervert situation.

...Well, I can understand Kizuna-kun, but Piska wasn't blindfolded. She should have noticed him coming, right? She deliberately didn't avoid him, didn't she?

Apparently there had been all sorts of other events like that, but they were all in the past now. It was lunchtime... the long-awaited barbecue time.

Thanks to Tetoma, preparing the barbecue was incredibly easy.

Using the components it had gathered, Tetoma prepared a grill grate and stand that were perfect for barbecuing, and it also cut all the ingredients into uniform sizes.

Tetoma was catastrophically incapable of dealing with subjective things like "a little," "an appropriate amount," or "eyeballing it," as well as improvisation and original recipes. However, when it came to things like cutting everything into identical shapes or heating everything evenly, it performed perfectly. Truly, the kind of convenient appliance you'd want to have in every household.

When I explained that everyone would cook the food themselves and showed them the ingredients, the youngsters' eyes sparkled. I understand that feeling. There's something strangely fun about barbecue, even though all you're doing is cooking and eating together.

Only Padron-kun looked a little disappointed as he muttered:

"Barbecue...? You mean we're supposed to cook these prepared ingredients ourselves? It's not food you made, Tierra-san...?"

"Hehe, Padron-kun, you're saying such lovely things. I prepared the meat beforehand, after all, so it should be quite different from ordinary barbecue in more ways than one."

"Really? Then I'm looking forward to it."

Did he really think I would cut corners just because it was barbecue?

I'd already seasoned everything during the preparation stage.

I had marinated the meat together with various ingredients—fruit, vegetables, alcohol, and all sorts of other things—in carefully optimized proportions.

Honestly, it had taken an absurd amount of work. Meat in that condition would taste unbelievably good even if you simply grilled it.

Just surrender yourself to the overwhelming power of meat...!

Tierra-san had said she'd prepared everything beforehand, but honestly, I was still skeptical.

Cooking includes the degree to which something is cooked and how it is presented. If amateurs are the ones deciding how long to grill the meat, and everyone simply eats whatever they feel like eating, then it barely qualifies as cooking.

Precisely because I knew how skilled Tierra-san was, I couldn't help but be skeptical.

Still, I did as instructed and placed the meat on the grill.

Sizzle, sizzle...

The appetizing sound filled the air. White smoke contrasted against the red flames, with the meat caught between them gradually changing color.

Hmm. Is it about time?

When I judged the timing to be right, I lifted the meat and dipped it into the sauce Tierra-san had given me. There were several different sauces prepared, so we could probably enjoy the differences between them as well. It was only grilled meat, but that was certainly a nice touch.

"...!"

The instant I brought the meat toward my mouth, my entire body entered combat readiness.

It was supposed to be nothing more than grilled meat. Grilled meat—the very definition of commoner's food... no, if you wanted to put it more bluntly, you could even call it barbarian food. No matter how many times I confirmed it, that fact remained unchanged.

And yet, what was this?

As I brought it closer to my mouth, the fragrant aroma of meat reached my nose. It was a familiar scent, almost as if it were casually greeting me with, "Yo, buddy! How've you been?"

"Meaty" was truly the perfect way to describe it.

And yet, something was different.

The friend I had reunited with after such a long time was clearly different from how he used to be. His violent, rough nature was still there. But his movements had become refined, and more than anything, there was something different about his eyes. That thoughtful gaze... perhaps "more mature" was the most accurate way to describe it.

I could continue examining it through its aroma alone. But that would be nothing less than an insult to the ingredients. How could there possibly be any choice other than immediately putting this freshly grilled, piping-hot meat, still sending up wisps of white steam, into my mouth?

Therefore, there was no hesitation.

I immediately put it into my mouth and savored my reunion with my old friend—

"T-This is...!"

Tender, with not a trace of unpleasant odor. And the flavor had incredible depth. This absolutely wasn't the taste of meat alone.

...I see, my friend.

I understand. I understand you now.

You've found your beloved partner, haven't you?

The fresh, bursting aroma of fruit and the gentle flavor of vegetables chosen with the person eating them in mind evoked the image of a delicate, homely woman. At the same time, the fierce passion hidden within the spices was fascinating. And above all, the refined, mature flavor of the alcohol spoke of someone who had been raised well.

All of these disparate elements had come together for one purpose: to enhance the star of the dish—the meat.

Their willingness to support the man from one step behind... how wonderfully old-fashioned.

And yet, perhaps that was precisely why it possessed such an indescribable charm.

My friend, you've met your destined partner.

It was truly like the legendary "Hiyoku"—the inseparable pair spoken of in old tales.

How did such a refined young lady meet such a rough man and eventually come to share her life with him? It pained me that I would never know their story. I sincerely hope you'll invite me to the wedding.

"This is way too good!? Did I actually have a talent for cooking!?"

"It's delicious! Piska, you're really good at grilling!"

"I'm glad you think so, nya. The next piece is ready, nya."

"Good, good."

"Um? Rene-san? That was the meat I was grilling..."

"I've got it! This is the perfect degree of doneness!"

Not one of them understood even half of the effort that had gone into this meat.

But perhaps that was for the best. A wedding between my friend and his beloved partner would be better suited to a lively ceremony filled with smiles than some solemn affair.

There had clearly been an enormous amount of work involved. But precisely because that effort was never flaunted, this scene was possible.

Everything had been done for one purpose: for everyone to gather around a single grill, cook whatever ingredients they wanted, eat, and smile.

For the people eating to smile. For the dining table to be filled with cheerful voices...

That was all this food had been made for.

If that was the intention of the person who made it, then I would follow along too.

For now, I decided to borrow one piece of the meat Piska was concentrating so hard on grilling.

"Nya!? I wasn't grilling that for you, nya!"

"That's for hitting me during the watermelon smashing. Consider us even. ...Huh. Not bad for a barbarian. You actually grilled it pretty well."

"I'm not a barbarian, nya!"

This time I ate it with a different red sauce than the first one, and it was wonderful as well. The sharp spiciness went perfectly with the meat. I wanted to try every single sauce.

Come to think of it, Tierra-san had called barbecue a summer-like meal.

That meant we'd be getting food unique to summer throughout these three days.

In that case, I had to savor every last bit of it!

Father! I really was looking at things far too narrowly! The unknown world was waiting for me right there on the plate!