Chapter 8

"Hey, I'm back!"

Yuu, who had returned to the base camp, said the first "welcome home" greeting since he came to this world.

Until now, it had been unnecessary. No matter how many times he called out in the empty camp, the only response was silence.

"Oh, Yuu...! Welcome back!"

But now it was different. The silver-haired girl, Clara, greeted him with a beaming smile.

If he greeted her, she would respond. The sense of normalcy that he had lost made Yuu feel a warmth in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'm home!"

His enthusiastic response made Clara smile gently.

For her, there was still a place to return to nearby, but the time she had been stranded was actually slightly longer than Yuu's. The sense of security from not being alone was even stronger for her.

"Since the timing is good, let's make a meal. I'm really pumped today."

For someone other than himself. The thought of it made him put more effort into gathering food. ...Well, he had always done that, but still.

Yuu took out the ingredients from his bag and laid them out.

"Wow... This is amazing, can we really eat all of this...!?"

"Yeah, probably. I don't know why, but I can tell if food is poisonous or not."

Yuu, looking proud, and Clara, who was examining the ingredients with shining eyes.

However, Clara's eyes stopped on something. Her expression was one of shock.

"What's wrong? Did you see something unusual?"

"Y-Yeah... this blue leaf..."

Clara's eyes were fixed on the blue leaf.

Yuu, feeling a bit smug, thought she had good eyes.

"Wow, really? Is it famous here too? It's delicious, sweet and sour, and has a nice smell..."

"Huh? Oh, it's sweet? I've never eaten it before. It's called Mana Herb, and it's a very valuable thing."

Clara's reaction to Yuu's description of the taste was quite different from what he had imagined.

He had expected empathy, but Clara's expression was one of awe, as if she had seen something untouchable.

"...Is it that serious?"

"Yeah... If we have this much, we can probably live for half a year...?"

When he heard that ten leaves were worth about the same as a family living for half a year, Yuu was taken aback.

He imagined it to be around a million yen. Considering the word "family," it would be close to that amount.

That would make each blue leaf worth about 100,000 yen. The realization made Yuu shudder.

"Wow... Really? Why is it so expensive?"

Yuu, holding up a single leaf of Mana Herb, asked Clara casually.

Clara, raising her finger, began to explain lightly and thoughtfully.

"Yeah, thanks for listening. As the name suggests, it contains a lot of mana. Mana is the essence of magic, and eating it speeds up the recovery of magic. So, Mana Herb is a very important leaf for mages. When boiled down, it becomes a potion for magic recovery."

Clara, who had been timid when they first met, was actually bright and active, though her self-evaluation was extremely low.

Because of her low self-esteem, she was also very caring and enjoyed being relied upon.

Being needed and recognized while being taken care of made her feel as if her value was gradually growing.

"But, as I said before, Mana Herb is very valuable. There are similar poisonous plants, and it changes color when a mage approaches, so it's hard to notice. There aren't many of them to begin with... Finding this many is amazing."

"Wow... It's that rare, huh..."

Yuu, who had seen the Mana Herb for the first time, stared at it intently.

He had a unique sense of smell and the ability to find "ingredients." The fact that something he could find if he tried was so valuable was hard for him to grasp.

The idea that it might be a form of camouflage to hide from predators that need it for survival crossed his mind as he handed the Mana Herb to Clara.

"Since it's a good opportunity, let's eat it together. If it can restore magic, it would be good for you too, Clara."

"Eh, eeeh? But it's so valuable... I shouldn't eat it..."

"That 'I shouldn't' is not allowed."

Yuu held out his palm to Clara, who had brought up her own existence as a reason for not being able to accept the valuable Mana Herb.

Caught off guard, Clara swallowed her words along with a breath.

"I've said it many times, but I'm grateful to have Clara around. I can learn new things and living with someone nearby is fun. ...So, please don't think 'I shouldn't.' Okay?"

"Y-Yeah..."

Yuu's tone was strong, almost angry.

Still, Clara was happy to hear his words. Being recognized while being with Yuu made her feel as if her value was gradually growing.

"Alright then. Here, let's eat! It's sweet and delicious~?"

Clara, confused, reluctantly accepted the Mana Herb that Yuu had thrust at her.

But even one leaf was worth an exorbitant amount, and she couldn't bring herself to put it in her mouth, looking up at Yuu for help.

The only response she got was a nod of approval.

Clara wasn't that she didn't want to eat the Mana Herb. It was more out of politeness, having just been saved and now being offered such a luxury.

However, Clara was actually quite a food lover, though not as much as Yuu.

"Umm... Can I have another one...?"

Clara, who had gained a bit of confidence from Yuu's attitude, spoke up for the first time in a while.

"Sure, but let's wait until after the meal. It would be nice as a dessert, right?"

Clara's face lit up with a bright smile at Yuu's words.

For Yuu, the meals in this different world were new and interesting. But seeing her smile, he realized something was missing.

Eating with someone was better.

It was a matter of feeling, but now Yuu could feel it deeply.

"Then... let's start with this one that doesn't seem to last long."

For that reason, he naturally put more effort into cooking.

The star ingredient for today's meal was the shellfish he had found on that rocky shore.

"Oh, that's Saltroll."

When Yuu picked up the shellfish, Clara, who had been looking at the Mana Herb, said a word he didn't recognize.

It was probably the name of the shellfish.

"Is this it?"

"Yeah. We sometimes eat it around here. It's only found a bit away from the village, so it's more like a snack for hunters."

Yuu let out a surprised "Oh" at Clara's explanation of the shellfish.

It seemed to be a fairly common ingredient. Yuu was a bit disappointed that it wasn't an unknown flavor that no one knew, but he reminded himself that it was still new to him and regained his composure.

"How do you usually cook this?"

"Well, it's often grilled in its shell. You can eat it raw, but some people get really sick, so I wouldn't recommend that..."

"What about seasoning?"

"It's naturally salty, so it's usually eaten as is. Some people drizzle it with garum for flavor."

"Garum!?"

Yuu, hearing the word "garum" picked up by the translation magic, couldn't help but show interest.

Garum was the name of a condiment used in ancient Rome. It was a fish sauce made by fermenting fish entrails with salt. Japan's "shottsuru" is also a type of fish sauce.

The fact that the condiment Clara mentioned was translated as "garum" rather than "shottsuru" suggested that its method of production and ingredients were closer to garum.

Yuu felt a surge of excitement at the realization that this world had a well-developed food culture. The anticipation of encountering a new food culture made his face flush.

But for now, he put that excitement aside and decided to think about how to cook the Saltroll.

From what Clara said, it seemed to be a type of shellfish. However, it was found on a rock with salt, so it was likely to be quite salty.

"It's like it's already seasoned..."

Yuu continued to analyze the shellfish called Saltroll.

"Alright, I've decided!"

In the end, he decided to boil it simply. He took the Saltroll out of its shell and cooked it with some nameless wild herbs in an aluminum lunch box with water, adjusting the saltiness with rock salt.

After a while over the fire, a mysterious "mountain scent" like that of cooked mushrooms rose with the steam. It was obvious that the scent came from the Saltroll rather than the wild herbs.

After simmering it thoroughly, it was complete.

"It's done. A mountain broth."

What he had made was a broth with the shellfish as the star and wild herbs scattered on top.

It had some similarities to the one-horned soup from the previous day, but in terms of aroma, it was a completely different dish.

"Wow, it's so clear! It looks delicious..."

Clara let out a warm sigh at the shellfish soup she had been given.

As she said, it smelled quite good. The closest scent was probably that of mushrooms. The broth was promising.

Suppressing his eagerness, Yuu analyzed the dish. This was a habit of his.

"..."

But. A faint, low sound, like a cat's purr, came from somewhere.

It was clear where it was coming from, seeing the girl in front of him turn red.

"Hehe, let's eat then."

"Ah... Yeah..."

Clara, who affirmed with a weak voice that seemed to convey disappointment, made Yuu chuckle as he clasped his hands together.

"Let's eat."

"Let's eat."

The pronunciation might be different, but there seemed to be an equivalent to "itadakimasu" in this world.

Yuu felt happy about it.

But in front of his appetite, even that couldn't stand. In the tension, Yuu took a sip of the broth.

"..."

It was a taste that made him feel inexplicably nostalgic.

Despite using a strange shellfish with a name he had never heard of, living in the mountains, it definitely had a Japanese aroma.

The fragrance, carried by the steam, gently seeped into the back of his nose. There was no sharp smell of the sea, but it was a gentle, comforting scent.

The first thing that came to mind was the aroma. Not just the smell, but the intense and rich aroma that spread in his mouth when he put it in.

The rich but not oily, penetrating flavor was truly that of "mountain bounty."

"Wow... It's a comforting taste."

Clara, who had tasted the "soup," commented on it. The simplicity made it a familiar and comforting taste. Indeed, both of them felt a sense of comfort from the taste.

But the important part was what came next. Skipping over the wild herbs, which he had eaten several times and were easy to find, Yuu picked up the star shellfish with his chopsticks.

The plump flesh, when lightly shaken, was so fresh that it could bounce off the juice clinging to it.

With a cautious air, Yuu slowly bit into the Saltroll.

The pleasant elasticity that resisted his teeth. Even with some force, it didn't break easily.

A tempting sensation that made him want to test how far his teeth could go. But at a certain point, it snapped, releasing a burst of umami.

He crushed the broken flesh without hesitation. The firm texture of the shellfish, which was enjoyable to chew, released a rich broth with each bite, making the act of chewing enjoyable and pushing his appetite forward.

When he swallowed the mouthful of juice with a gulp, Yuu murmured with a blissful expression.

"Delicious..."

The absence of sand, which he had been concerned about, only enhanced the flavor.

As expected from something found on rock salt, the flesh was indeed salty enough. The rich flavor that permeated to the end only increased his interest in the next bite.

But what about this? The pale beige flesh was different from the black liver part, which he tossed into his mouth.

...This was also a different taste from what he had expected. The liver, which crumbled softly, released a fresh, vegetable-like aroma, different from the mushroom-like scent of the flesh.

A gentle scent, far from the "algae smell" of pond-dwelling creatures. When rolled with the heat, it was filled with a flavor that made his cheeks relax.

The slight bitterness also helped the flavor to flow smoothly.

Overall, it was delicious. Compared to the other ingredients he had tried, it was clearly different.

"Delicious... Really delicious..."

Before he knew it, Clara was also exhaling a calm breath.

A "comforting taste." That was the taste of the Saltroll broth.

Satisfied with the taste of the mountain shellfish, the two of them embraced the warmth that permeated them for a while.

◆

"Alright, let's have dessert. Here you go."

"Thank you, Yuu!"

After the aftertaste of the Saltroll broth had faded, the two of them decided to have dessert.

They decided to pick the Mana Herb like a snack and chat after the meal.

Since they had taken care of the necessary minimum, Yuu had no plans for the day.

He felt that chatting was a very fulfilling way to spend his free time.

"Mmm~"

Clara, suppressing the sweetness that made her cheeks puff up, wore a happy smile. When Yuu bit into a leaf, the sweetness and sourness were well balanced, like syrup.

"This would be delicious as a syrup if boiled down. If cooked with fruit, it might become a jam... I'd like to try various things."

"Ahaha... It might be too precious to do that, but it does sound delicious."

Clara chuckled as she moved the leaf back and forth, listening to Yuu's ideas for cooking.

It was almost the same as a mana potion, and she didn't know how much Mana Herb would be needed to make jam.

One bottle would probably be worth a fortune. Thinking about it, Clara's face turned as green as the Mana Herb.

"Hmm..."

Hearing that, Yuu looked at the Mana Herb thoughtfully, pondering something.

What he was thinking about was a "sensory mismatch."

Even on Earth, Yuu's senses were slightly off. He had a strong interest in food but not much in other things.

The mismatch