Chapter 3

"I thought this kind of knowledge wouldn't be useful for a while, but you never know."

Yuu, who had returned to the base, was setting up a makeshift hearth and starting a fire. The fire starter was a wooden stick and plant fibers, using the so-called 'bow drill' method. This was a skill he had learned at a fire-starting event. What was considered 'useless knowledge' in Japan turned out to be useful, and Yuu chuckled.

Sighing at the warmth of the fire, Yuu picked up the pet bottle that had been turned into a trap. He took out a small crustacean from inside and observed it.

"But... it has an interesting shape, doesn't it?"

Looking at the small crustacean he had caught, Yuu sighed in admiration.

First, the crustacean had small pincers. While they probably wouldn't sever a finger at this size, their strength was unknown. Yuu continued his observation, pressing it down with a stone. The shape of the crustacean was cylindrical, like a stack of coins. The well-formed cylindrical shape was something rarely seen in nature on Earth, and Yuu felt that this was indeed a different world.

However, this description was still not entirely accurate. The crustacean, pressed down by the stone, seemed to try to escape the pressure and extended its body. ...This shape is telescopic. Telescopic refers to a telescoping structure where cylindrical objects are stacked in order of size. It can be extended or retracted, and is commonly used in telescopes and fishing rods. What Yuu was seeing now was exactly that. The shell of the cylindrical crustacean consisted of several independent parts stacked together, and it seemed to extend and retract as the creature inside moved.

"Amazing... This really is a different world, isn't it?"

The structure itself is not uncommon in Earth's technology. Many machines use this design, and it is used in everything from hobbies to weapons. However, to the best of Yuu's knowledge, no living creature on Earth has this structure.

Still, he couldn't just marvel at it. Eating a creature with such artistic rationality was a bit daunting for Yuu, but being alone in nature, he had to eat something to survive. Judging that the threat was minimal, Yuu began to prepare the crustacean, which he named 'tube shrimp.'

"Does it have a vein...? If so, pulling out the head would be best..."

With this structure, if he grabbed the tip, it might retract and take his finger with it. It would be a waste, but he decided to crush the extended head before cooking. Having decided on this approach, Yuu pressed the tube shrimp down with a stone and held a slightly smaller stone in his free hand. The tube shrimp was still trying to escape the pressure by extending its head. He aimed the stone and swung it down!

However—

"Ugh!? It's hard!?"

Despite the dull sound of the stone hitting the stone, the head of the tube shrimp remained unbroken. The exposed eyes were crushed and the creature was likely unconscious from the impact, but it was (probably) still alive. Yuu, amazed by the abnormally hard shell, shook his numb hand.

"Ugh... What should I do with this? ...There are a lot of things to consider, but I guess I'll have to cook it alive?"

The shell of the tube shrimp, as far as he could tell, was extremely sturdy everywhere. Reluctantly, Yuu gave up on the preparation and decided to throw it into the fire alive. The idea was that if it cooked and died, the heat might make the shell brittle enough to break. Yuu, who was in the middle of making a bed, took out a large leaf he had prepared for this purpose. He would wrap the tube shrimp in the leaf and cook it.

With the fire ready, this was a simple cooking method even in the mountains, known as 'leaf wrapping.' He arranged the tube shrimp on the large leaf and wrapped it. All that was left was to roll it and place it in the fire, and the leaf-wrapped cooking was complete.

However, when the tube shrimp fell onto the leaf, Yuu stopped moving.

"...What is this feeling..."

There were nine tube shrimp on the leaf, including the first one. But from two of them, he felt a sensation he had never experienced before.

"...I have a bad feeling."

This was a feeling that was neither fear nor disgust, but a genuine 'premonition.' He felt something unpleasant. It was as if black mist was emanating from the shrimp, a sensation so strong it seemed almost like a hallucination. Visually, there was nothing unusual about these two, but Yuu couldn't shake off the premonition. As a precaution, he selected these two and wrapped them in a separate leaf.

...Once they were in the fire, all he had to do was wait. Leaf-wrapped cooking, especially when considering parasites, takes time. As he waited, Yuu's interest in the ingredients of this different world was rekindled.

He occasionally checked the time on his smartphone. Without a way to recharge it, it would eventually stop working. He only turned it on for a moment. If Yuu had been more calm, he might have turned it off each time, but in his excitement, he didn't notice. Even if the smartphone still worked, it wouldn't help with rescue efforts, so it wasn't a problem.

...Normally, even in a different world, waiting would be boring. But Yuu wasn't bored. Influenced by his father, who loved the outdoors, camping had become a habit. So spending time like this wasn't unusual—

"The stars... they're so beautiful. There's no exhaust fumes or anything, right?"

The sky in this different world was truly a fantastical scene. The large, white celestial body, along with the stars, strongly indicated that this was a different world. It was a celestial show that would be a miracle on Earth. The waiting time passed quickly.

"...It should be done by now."

Using a branch, Yuu skillfully removed the leaf from the fire and slowly opened it. At that moment, warm steam and a sweet aroma rose. The aroma came not only from the tube shrimp but also from the large leaf.

The smell made Yuu's mouth water, but the real challenge was just beginning. To eat it, he had to deal with the shell that even a stone couldn't break. Removing the shell while it was still hot would be impossible. In the mountains, where convenience was limited, the heat was a luxury. Losing it would be a waste.

"Damn... Can't I do something...? Hmm?"

Yuu, as if confirming the heat that was gradually dissipating, picked up the tube shrimp. The question arose at that moment.

"...It's soft!"

The shell of the tube shrimp, which had been so hard just a moment ago, was now soft enough to be pressed in with his fingers. The heat must have done the trick. The softness was so unexpected that Yuu let out a delighted cry. Pulling the legs, the shell came off with a satisfying sound, separating from the body. The body, which had been trapped inside the shell, was steamed and emitted a burst of steam. This suggested that the flavor was well-contained.

"...Itadakimasu."

The red and white striped body, similar to shrimp or crabs, was a taste no one on Earth had ever experienced. Dominated by a mix of excitement and a slight fear, Yuu brought the body of the tube shrimp to his mouth. First, the strong sweetness common to crabs and shrimp spread in his mouth. Biting into the plump, elastic body, the muscles used for extending and retracting burst, releasing a burst of savory juices from the cut parts.

The taste was similar to shrimp, but the intensity was incomparable due to the long, retractable body. The aroma was also good, with a gentle flavor like roasted chestnuts. Overall, the taste was quite good.

"Delicious...! ...But"

However, as he chewed, a grassy taste mixed in. This was due to the inability to remove the vein. If he had been more calm, he might have dug out the vein of the steamed tube shrimp, but even then, some of the odor would have spread to the body during the cooking process. Additionally, the harm of not removing the shell before cooking was still present.

"The texture is bad... It's gritty..."

Gravel that had entered the shell and impurities from the vein were interfering with the smooth, elastic texture of the muscles. Despite this, Yuu was satisfied. The taste and aroma were far superior to Earth's shrimp. The issues were mostly due to the cooking method. The body, small but substantial, was heavy and satisfying in one bite.

In the end, the satisfaction far outweighed the issues. Yuu finished the second and subsequent tube shrimp, roughly removing the veins, and greedily ate them. He then clasped his hands together.

"If I knew the proper cooking method, it would have been even better. Itadakimasu."

In terms of quantity, it wasn't much, but Yuu felt an unprecedented sense of satisfaction. ...If only he could ignore the two tube shrimp he had set aside.

"But I can't ignore them, can I..."

He glanced at the two tube shrimp he had set aside for separate cooking. Even now, after cooking, these two still exuded an unusual presence. He needed to determine what was causing this. Taking one of the two, Yuu observed it carefully, even changing the angle. There was nothing unusual.

However, when he peeled the shell, a clear difference from the other tube shrimp appeared.

"These little bumps... are they eggs?"

He found yellow grains gathered under the legs of the shell. As he had suspected, these were the eggs of the creature he called tube shrimp. The only difference so far was this. Still, the 'bad feeling' grew even stronger.

"Can't be... can't be..."

Yuu had a hunch about this premonition. It was the possibility he feared the most when it came to wild ingredients. He placed a single egg on his finger and dropped it onto his tongue. He fixed it with his lips and tongue and bit it with his teeth.

If his premonition was correct, it would be—

"Ugh!? Ugh, ugh, ugh, ugh! Bleh! Bleh!"

A substance harmful to the human body. In other words—poison.

"Poison! This is poison! Ugh, ugh, ugh, my throat, it's rough!"

To reduce the amount absorbed, Yuu spat out all the saliva in his mouth. However, when the contents of the egg mixed with a little saliva reached his throat, an indescribable roughness spread. It was more unpleasant than pain, like sandpaper on his throat. He quickly rinsed his mouth with water from the pet bottle he had filled, and finally took a breath.

"Ah... But now I know. ...That bad feeling was reacting to the poison."

An abnormal sense of foreboding about 'food.' It was a reaction to detecting poison.

"Is this a new ability I gained from coming to this different world...? ...I should test if I can feel it with other things."

The 'ability to detect poison.' Yuu, who was calmly verbalizing his experience, was not surprised by the abnormality of the situation. As someone who enjoyed subculture, he felt that gaining some ability when transported to a different world was not unusual. In a sense, he had developed a resistance to the supernatural. Compared to the absurd superpowers and the situation of finding oneself in a different world after thinking one was dead, this was within the realm of common sense.

"But—what a dream-like ability! Maybe I can make it work!"

Yuu, with a smile full of joy, felt that this ability, which allowed him to detect poison in food, was a godsend. Among the various protagonists in adventure tales, this ability, while subtle, was a dream come true for Yuu.

There are millions of plants and animals in this world. Among them, there are likely many unknown flavors that humans have never tasted. But to taste these flavors, one must overcome several obstacles. In the pursuit of unknown flavors, poison is a common obstacle.

It's obvious. Eating poison is bad. Therefore, it is dangerous. Few people would risk eating something they're not sure is poisonous. However, there are certainly people who find the unknown flavors appealing. For them, the unknown is the enemy in the pursuit of new flavors.

Food nourishes life. In a world where safe ingredients are abundant, it makes no sense to risk one's life for food. Therefore, if there were a way to determine whether food is poisonous, it would be incredibly appealing to those seeking new flavors.

...If he didn't have this ability, Yuu would have to eat things in this different world without any knowledge, each time playing a game of Russian roulette. Each time he ate, he would be taking a risk. Now, by coming to this different world and gaining this ability, he had a stroke of luck.

"I might be able to survive..."

Yuu was aware of this fact. That's why he was making a fuss and pretending not to notice.

The more trials you take, the harder it becomes to avoid the inevitable. Eventually, it would happen. It's the same as slowly moving towards death by eating to survive. Yuu had just removed one 'bullet' from the revolver's chamber.

...Before he knew it, the sky had darkened, and the mountains were getting colder. Exhaling, the warm breath turned red and illuminated the night sky.

"From tomorrow, I'll be busy. I think I'll go to sleep now."

The problems of bedding and food were solved, but there was still a lot to do. He quickly got into the bed he had made and closed his eyes. The mountains were not completely silent. The sounds of insects and unknown animals, and the rustling of grass and leaves, created a chaotic symphony. In this, he felt a stronger sense of loneliness than in silence.

But Yuu had to become one of them for at least a while. With renewed determination, he began to snore.

...Survival in a different world. It might not have been a gentle environment, but Yuu, with hope and expectation in his heart, took his first step on the foreign land.