Chapter 56

"Cluck, a~h, cluck, a~h♪"

It seemed that I had been singing this off-key song without realizing it. Surely Rada must have been looking at me and shouted,

"Stop singing that creepy song and hurry up and deal with that!"

Let me backtrack a bit.

I had gone hunting for birds for dinner. Normally, I would have bled them on the spot, but I sensed other monsters around, so I hurried back. Now, I’m in the middle of butchering them in the yard.

I had cut off the heads and set them on a plate while I dealt with the innards. I must have kicked the plate while I was flailing around.

The heads, along with the plate, were flying through the air.

The heads landed in a corner of the yard and... stood up on their own.

Moreover, they were standing side by side, facing me.

No, what is this? It’s scary... The three of us in the yard were completely frozen. They looked as if they had grown out of the ground, or even been buried alive.

Now, let’s return to the beginning.

No, no, when things get too creepy, they start to become amusing. I was having so much fun that I ignored them and continued butchering the meat until I was scolded.

"Alright, alright. I’ll clean them up."

Humming to myself, I headed over to the heads. They didn’t look particularly terrifying, so I could look at them normally. I squatted down and examined how well they stood.

...They’re not moving, right?

I poked them. Yeah, they’re fine.

"Raito, stop staring and pick them up."

"Okay."

I grabbed the heads and lifted them. Of course, there was no body attached or anything strange. There was nothing.

The heads were ice-cold in my hands.

Alright. I’ll make a grave for you. This is a kind of bond, isn’t it? What? No? It’s someone else’s yard? But I remember I disposed of a lot of things before... Since Kokushin said no, unfortunately, you’re destined to be eaten by the slimes in the garbage dump. So, back to the innards.

I plucked the feathers.

I didn’t start out like this, you know.

The first time I killed a bird with my own hands, I threw up, and I threw up again when I butchered it. In my previous life, I had only ever cleaned fish, never strangled or gutted anything. But if I didn’t do it, I would die. Unfortunately, there was no one to do it for me.

That doesn’t mean I’ve stopped respecting death. I don’t think so, but maybe I’ve just gotten used to it. No, sometimes I get a weird reaction from Kokushin and the others, so maybe I am a bit off.

Ah, don’t worry. I don’t have any urge to kill indiscriminately.

While touching on these dark thoughts, dinner preparation continued.

"Hey, you’re singing again!"

Oh, no. The bird heads won’t leave my head. They’re stuck in my head, repeating over and over.

"Raito, I’m going to throw these away, so lend me yours."

Kokushin must have thought it wouldn’t do to leave the source of the problem there, so she volunteered to take out the trash.

"Do slimes ever get attached to things?"

As I saw Kokushin off, I asked Rada about something that had been on my mind.

"What’s up, all of a sudden?"

"Hmm? Well, adventurers, whether they’re hunting or gathering, always end up with waste after butchering. They burn it or bury it, but wouldn’t it be easier if they had slimes?"

Rada stopped the hand she was using to make mayonnaise.

By the way, Rada is making mayonnaise right now. I remember making homemade mayonnaise for breakfast in my previous life, so I know how to do it. She seemed interested in the emulsification process I explained, so she volunteered to do it. She’s using chopsticks, so she’s probably regretting it now.

"Do you want to keep one? But I wonder if that’s a good idea. Slimes have such a fast digestion rate, don’t they?"

"Oh. Ah..."

I wonder. The last time I saw one, it was slowly crawling over the garbage. I had imagined it would gobble things up in one bite like in manga. No, that’s not possible. If it dissolves things slowly and elegantly, it’s useless.

I rubbed salt, pepper, and herbs to remove the gamey smell into the bite-sized pieces of meat. Today’s main dish is fried chicken. I’m splurging and frying it in vegetable oil. I coated it with flour and kneaded it. It might be better to let the flavors meld, but I’m frying it today. I poked it with chopsticks... yeah, it’s probably about right. I have no idea about the temperature.

"Alright, go ahead!"

I dropped one piece in. A satisfying sizzle echoed. It’s good, it’s good. The sound alone is making my stomach growl. I dropped in two more. I want to keep adding them, but I have to be patient. The temperature will drop. Oh, I can see the temperature with appraisal. But it’s fine. I was pretty casual about it in my previous life too. I don’t even know what temperature is best for frying.

When it turns a golden brown and the sound changes, it’s done. I’ll put it on a plate that absorbs the oil, just like with pork cutlets. Oh, there’s double frying too. It’s fine. I’ll put in the next batch and try the first one in the meantime. I cut it open. It’s fine. It’s cooked through. Let’s dig in.

"Mmm, mmm. Yum~"

The oil is seeping out. The meat is delicious, so it’s tasty even without much effort.

"Hey, that’s not fair, what are you eating!"

Rada noticed.

"I was just checking if it was cooked. How about yours?"

Alright. This is good enough. Time to put in the next batch.

"Are you trying to fool me? Well, whatever. It looks like this."

Rada, looking suspicious, picked up her chopsticks. A pale yellow substance clung to the tips of the chopsticks.

"Wow, it looks done. Wait a moment, let me put this out and then... Rada, taste it, put a little on your hand."

I took the opportunity to get a little on my finger. I bit it.

"Mmm. Mayonnaise~"

The flavor is a bit different because of the oil or the vinegar, but this is definitely mayonnaise! It’s so delicious. I held out my finger for more, but Rada hugged the bowl and said, "No."

"If it’s gone, we can just make more."

"That’s not the point! It took quite a bit of effort to mix it."

I guess I do need a whisk. I want to make meringue or whipped cream. A whisk... Can I make one with my makeshift plastic?

I diligently mass-produced the fried chicken while trying to recall its structure. Hmm, does it move, or is it fixed? How many prongs does it have?

"Hey, Kokushin isn’t back yet."

"Come to think of it. But I think he’ll be fine unless he’s been caught by girls."

I’m almost done frying.

Kokushin won’t be able to eat it hot if he’s not back soon.