NOVEL WEB Chapter 78 - Nighttime Appearance
Nighttime Appearance
As I was talking with Fuu-chan and Homura-kun, it seemed that night had fallen. There was a knock on the door and Gil-san’s voice. I answered, “Coming!” and opened the door. Gil-san patted my head.
“Have you been in the room the whole time?”
“Yesh! I was talking with the spirits!”
“Hmm… studying?”
Gil-san seemed impressed, so I put my hands on my hips, puffed out my chest, and answered:
“I thought of shome magic that might make me usheful in battle!”
“Oh, that’s impressive. What kind of magic?”
“It’s a secret for now!”
I giggled, and Gil-san smiled a little and said that was a shame.
“Well then, I’ll look forward to the reveal.”
“Please do!”
To be honest, it was far from complete, and I hadn’t even experimented with it yet, so I wasn’t confident enough to show it off.
“Shall we go have dinner? How are you feeling? You seem to be moving normally now.”
“It hurts a wittle, but I’m fine! I can even change clothes by myshelf…!”
I remembered the incident where I couldn’t change clothes when I woke up and felt dejected. I never want that to happen again…! Gil-san, seeing me trembling as I tried to overcome my embarrassment, seemed to understand and simply said, “I see,” before smoothly inviting me to the dining hall. That’s the difference with a capable man…!
Dinner was the grilled fish set that Leo-jii had mentioned. As we approached the dining hall, the aroma of grilled fish made my stomach growl, but that’s just between us.
They prepared a special chair for me and brought the food. On my kids’ plate was grilled fish cut into easy-to-eat pieces with something like grated radish. There were also side dishes of green vegetables and simmered pumpkin. With the freshly cooked rice and miso soup, it was a perfect Japanese meal. Well, the vegetables and fish were probably from this world, so I wasn’t sure if they were exactly the same!
“Time to eat!”
“…Let’s eat.”
Well, let’s eat while it’s still hot! I clapped my hands together energetically and started eating with Gil-san. Mmm, the fish had all the bones removed, so it was child-friendly! Leo-jii had said he’d remove the bones. I’m grateful… it would be difficult with these small, clumsy hands. It’s similar to salted mackerel? It’s fatty and delicious. That’s why the grated radish goes so well with it. Yummy!
I took a sip of miso soup and savored it. Ah, Japanese food is the best. As I was thinking that, something occurred to me.
“Ah.”
“Hmm…?”
Could it be that this Japanese food… was spread by my father? Yes, that makes sense! He might have recreated Japanese cuisine using the ingredients available in this world. Maybe he even found rice, miso, and soy sauce on his own…? It’s possible. My love for Japanese food is the same as my father’s. With that passion… he would definitely do it. No matter how difficult it was, he’d do it. I was certain of that.
Well, this is all just speculation. Hmm, I’d like to confirm this with Lasch-san. Maybe I’ll ask him next time we meet?
“What’s wrong?”
“Ah, um… I was wondering if this Japanese food… is what Lasch-san called food from another world? Since it seems rare…”
Gil-san asked me, probably because I had unconsciously spoken out loud. I didn’t think it was something I needed to hide, so I answered honestly. Gil-san was about to say something… but stopped. Then he stared at a point with a peculiar gaze. What’s going on? I followed his line of sight and…
“Ah, huh…?”
There was someone I’d seen somewhere before. I think I’d seen them recently, but… if it was such a beautiful person, I should remember… Hmm…
“Miko. …It’s rare to see you here.”
Gil-san called out to the beautiful person approaching us. Miko? Miko! That’s right! It’s Mikolasch-san! They look exactly the same as Lasch-san, but their fluffy short hair is silver instead of gold, and their eyes are crimson instead of black. There’s not a trace of the timid demeanor, instead a confident walk. Even with the same appearance, people can look so different with different colors and bearing. Oh, but Lasch-san and Miko-san are separate people. It’s complicated.
“I wanted to talk to the little lady too. I was planning to go out, but I didn’t have any plans… Or would you like to keep me company tonight, Gil…?”
Miko-san put her arm around Gil-san’s shoulder, brought her face close, and said this with an incredibly seductive atmosphere. After finishing her sentence, she blew gently into Gil-san’s ear. Fu, fuooooh! So seductive! Sexy!!
“No matter how many times you ask, I will never accept that invitation. And stop it in front of Meg.”
“Aww, what a shame. I’d love to pin down a handsome man like Gil and make him moan, just once…”
Wh-What the…! The idea of Gil-san being the “bottom” is so… No, no, this person is just too seductive, I’m blushing just watching!
“…Miko.”
“I’m just joking, don’t make such a scary face. Aww, you’re blushing, how cute, little miss?”
“Hyaah…!”
I was suddenly addressed with a sidelong glance, so my response came out strange.
“I’m M-Meg. Nice to meetchu.”
“Eh… You’ve met Lasch, right?”
“? We met.”
When I managed to greet her properly, Miko-san’s eyes widened in surprise, and she asked this. Was there something strange?
“But you just said ‘Nice to meet you’.”
“Yes. I’ve heard about you, but this is the first time I’ve met Miko-san… right?”
Even if their bodies are exactly the same, if the contents are different, they’re different people, right? I think it’s correct to say “Nice to meet you.”
“…I see. I’m happy. It’s rare to find someone who accepts us like this from the start.”
As she said this with a smile, it wasn’t her seductive one, but a genuinely happy, innocent face. I realized that she must have had a lot of unpleasant experiences because of their unique condition.
“You’re an interesting child. Such a good kid.”
“Isn’t she?”
Gil-san answered with a somewhat proud tone, which made me a little embarrassed. But I’m happy!
“I want to be friends with Miko-shan too!”
“I’m so happy. Me too. Nice to meet you, Meg-chan.”
As we said this, we shook hands. Miko-san’s fingers were long and delicate-looking, but surprisingly firm. Ah, maybe I should ask Miko-san about that question from earlier? She might know about the person who spread Japanese cuisine. With that thought, I decided to ask Miko-san about my earlier question.