Sunshine Conch, Black Tray Clam, Club Trumpet.
These three were the representative specialties of Edlen village.
"The Club Trumpet needs to be purged of mud…."
"You'll bite into mud if you just eat it."
"That's right. Iseur, would you help me?"
"Yes, of course."
Iseur skillfully took the basket filled only with Club Trumpets and began the purging process.
Perhaps because it had been so long, he fumbled a bit, but his hands soon found their way and continued the work.
"We do a similar process on Earth."
"Ah… is that so?"
"Although there are some differences."
These representative specialties would only spit out mud if they were purged using the freshwater of Edlen village.
With water from other regions, the clams would wither, so it was slightly different from the purging method on Earth, where you just had to match the salinity of the water with salt.
Iseur nodded as if surprised.
"They spit out mud even though it's not the water from that region."
"That's right, I think they just go with it and spit it out as long as the salinity is right."
"Perhaps their ego is weaker than that of the clams from the Edlen region?"
"Let's not attach an ego to the clams we are about to eat."
The basin full of Club Trumpets was soon covered with a black cloth.
"Now we just need to leave it until the stew is done."
The Club Trumpet, the pride of Edlen village, was famous for being purged quickly.
Perhaps because its entire body was closer to a lump of flesh than innards, the amount of mud it swallowed was small, so it only needed to wait for a minimum of 30 minutes to at most an hour.
"It would be better to change the water in between…."
"I will take care of that. Would once every 10 minutes be enough?"
"Hmm, that's right. Please do."
Once every 10 minutes was a bit excessive, but there was no harm in being cautious.
'There is nothing that makes me angrier than biting into sand while eating.'
Wasn't he Jio, a self-proclaimed gourmet and a glutton?
He aimed for a thorough cuisine that would not be disturbed in any way during consumption.
If one felt displeasure while eating, it was not qualified as a dish.
"Then now for the stew…."
Simply put, a stew was a Western-style soup.
"You just throw everything in and see."
"I know the recipe too…."
"So, did you make it for yourself?"
"..."
"Quietly listen to my lesson."
Sometimes people asked about the difference between stew and soup and it was easy to think of the main character of a stew as the ingredients, and for soup, the broth itself.
In a word, stew was a dish where liquid was added to boil the ingredients.
"Will you follow me?"
"Yes? To where…."
"To the vegetable patch."
And so, Iseur saw Jio's vegetable patch.
"Tadah."
"…A vegetable patch?"
"Yes, what is the problem?"
"No, a vegetable patch…."
"It is a vegetable patch."
"…I understand."
Iseur accepted it.
"You never farm in an ordinary way."
"What did you say?"
"As expected of the smiling tyrant of the sea village…."
"Tyrant?"
"I did not say anything. What could you have heard?"
"You even know how to give lip service now, how admirable."
He really did accept it.
"Now, there are cherry tomatoes in there…."
"In my eyes, I only see pumpkins imitating tomatoes."
"Your eyesight must have gotten worse, don't be complacent just because you are a mermaid, get some glasses."
"I am not sure if it is a problem with my eyesight."
Unable to bear it any longer, Iseur asked.
"Why on earth is this a vegetable patch?"
"It's small and charming, isn't it? Then it's a vegetable patch."
"It only looks relatively small because the crops are so large, and not a single crop is charming."
"Our Elizabeth the 32nd might get her feelings hurt, so I would appreciate it if you would be careful with your words."
"Who in the world is Elizabeth the 32nd…."
Creeaak—.
At Jio's words, the leaves of a tomato, as large as pumpkin leaves, curled up with a powerful sound.
At the sight that looked just like a clenched fist, Iseur finally lost his smile.
"…You are going to eat this?"
Realizing the gravity of the situation, he became as serious as when he watched his sister's research process.
"This?"
"They are all sacrificial and good kids, even if their personalities are a bit overflowing."
"I feel like it will grab my uvula while I eat and refuse to go down to my stomach."
"They are not that rebellious. They are very gentle, I tell you."
"That…."
Iseur nodded his head.
"I understand."
"You do, right?"
"Probably…."
"Then follow me."
"If I were to die, I would prefer the sea."
"Don't say such strange things."
Jio greeted the crops in the vegetable patch, with whom he had become friendly through their communications, and approached his target.
The tomato, shining in a vivid red, seemed ripe yet was still firmly connected to its stem.
"Now accepting cherry-toms who wish to board the basket~"
At Jio's words, a few tomatoes hanging on the stem expressed their intention by swaying slightly from side to side.
As Jio placed the basket right underneath them, a tomato the size of a small watermelon landed with a thud.
"..."
"Wow, it worked. So easy, right?"
"…Yes."
And so, Jio was able to harvest a basketful of tomatoes in an instant.
"Personally, out of all the stews, I like tomato stew the most. It's partly because it's what I always ate in Edlen village, but it's also much easier on the stomach than cream stew."
"Ah… that's right, I remember you liked it because it didn't give you heartburn even if you ate a lot."
Iseur, who had regained a smile resembling Giovanni's, continued.
"You also said it was the best food to cook a lot of and eat for a long time."
"You remember all of that."
"It is difficult to forget things about you, Teacher."
"To think I was such an easy person to figure out, I will improve further."
"Please… don't… how much more are you going to improve from here…."
"No one can stop me."
"Please let someone be able to stop you."
"You couldn't stop me even when I was an ordinary priest."
"Teacher."
"It will be even more so now."
Even if he was just a teacher in name, he didn't want to be a human whose development was slower than his mermaid disciples.
Jio was a bold adult who did not set limits for himself.
"The reason tomato stew is easy to eat is probably because it's mostly vegetables. Iseur, a strong and vigorous young man, might not know, but…."
"Ah, are you still considering me a young man? More than a thousand years have passed, though?"
"The family tree is getting tangled, so please be quiet. Anyway, when you get a bit older, having an upset stomach is really tough. It's an especially harsh ordeal for someone like me who loves to eat."
"That is at least an ordeal that the Sun God has never bestowed."
At the mermaid's jab, Jio frowned as if genuinely hurt.
"Where has my student Iseur, who used to just smile shyly even when I spouted nonsense, gone?"
"…It's been… a while… since he's been gone…."
"Do not worry, Iseur. People can always regress."
"What are you planning to make of me?"
"A plump pig?"
"..."
Iseur chuckled.
It was more mature and neat smile than Jio's.
"You really have not changed at all. Including how you are different at home and outside."
"…Uh…."
"You used to tell a lot of funny jokes like this when you were with people you were comfortable with. Very different from your public image as the Saint of the Sun."
"..."
"When I was young, I didn't even know that was a sign of trust from you, so I was always just flustered. I still remember it vividly."
Who are you?
Where did my little kid go?
Who is this unfamiliar gentleman?
'Why did he grow up so much at that time?'
It was an epic joke that I expected him to laugh awkwardly at like before or be disgusted like Honey, so when it suddenly turned nostalgic like this, it was a bit difficult for Jio, who had no intention of getting nostalgic at all.
"…Well, anyway."
"You are avoiding it because you are at a disadvantage."
"You do not reminisce about the past before a meal. That is how the meal becomes uncomfortable."
Jio, who had firmly cut off the nostalgic sentiment, continued.
"Even if it does not contain meat, tomato stew has a very outstanding umami taste, perhaps thanks to the main ingredients being tomato and onion. It also goes well with various types of side ingredients."
Tomato stew went well with any kind of meat.
Slicing some beef and adding a little wine gave it a mature flavor, and adding chicken created a harmonious flavor combined with the juice of the tomato.
"Lamb is not bad either."
"Isn't the smell a bit strong?"
"That is why I could not cook it often when I lived with you all, since you disliked strong smells so much…."
Not just these siblings, but the mermaid race as a whole avoided strong smells.
A light sprinkle of pepper or adding some fragrance was fine, but they hated it enough to run away if the smell became the main feature.
"Come to think of it, I, who was rotting, must have had a strong smell too, but you managed to eat me. Were you unable to help it because you were drugged?"
"..."
"…Th-that, yes, I think I was in the wrong this time. I did not mean anything by it, so please do not make that face…."
"…Yes…."
"I am sorry that your teacher lives so thoughtlessly."
The ruined atmosphere was barely restored after a long while. Jio said with an awkward smile.
"The lamb on Earth does not have that strong of a smell, would you like to try it later?"
"…My tastes have changed a little since then. There is no problem even if the smell is strong."
"Ah, has it changed?"
"Well, a lot of time has passed…. Humans too, they can eat things as adults that they could not as children, things like that happen."
"It seems even mermaids cannot withstand the passage of time."
Giovanni spouted nonsense with the noble face peculiar to a priest.
"You are growing old with me."
"Ah…."
After thinking, Iseur replied.
"That is not bad."
"I told you not to, but you keep being nostalgic, don't you? I do not like that kind of thing."
"Ahaha…."
Iseur, who had laughed awkwardly, asked.
"Then were you planning to put meat in the stew this time? I expected you to put in clams or fish since you said you were making Edlen stew…."
"I am planning to make two types. The deer meat and sausage I have in storage are leftover, so I am planning to use them when I have the chance. Not bad, right?"
"That's nice, I might feel full for the first time in a while."
Mermaids immediately convert the food they eat into nutrients to maintain their strong and flexible bodies.
Even without consuming nutrients orally, they can maintain themselves through their skin when in the sea, but their stomachs tend to empty easily when they eat food.
"Tomato stew also pairs especially well with bacon or ham that has some smoky flavor. It also goes well with hard, dried meats that are difficult to eat raw, and especially since you can add various vegetables, it's easy to season in many ways…."
Jio held a tomato from the basket up to the sunlight.
"It is certainly different from the ones on Earth or in Edlen village."
"…I ask again, but is that really a tomato…? It is very different from the ones I know from Edlen or Earth…."
"I planted seeds from Earth to grow it, so it should be a tomato for now."
The cherry tomato lord that Jio had grown, no, that had grown on its own, was a little different from the ones on Earth.
It was as large as a small watermelon and slightly oblong like a grape tomato, it was strangely transparent so that light passed through it, and its taste was a cross between savory and sweet.
"I do not like sweet stew."
"Me neither."
"But we will have to make do with the ingredients we have, so I will have to solve it with other ingredients."
"Ah, like adding more salt?"
"We already have sausage that is salty and flavorful. Let's use that for now, and hmm. What else should I add beyond that…."
Jio voiced the thought that had suddenly come to him.
"It would be fun to make bacon."
"Your homemade bacon is excellent, Teacher."
Iseur nodded.
"It was to the point where the villagers would gather and look forward to receiving a piece."
"That is me. The genius priest of the sun who can do anything."
"That evil one who, despite receiving the grace of such a person, could only do foolish things…."
"Calm down while eating a tomato."
Perhaps because he had seen the robust ego of the cherry tomato earlier, Iseur, who had hesitated a little, soon bit into the flesh.
"Oh…."
"It's delicious, right?"
"This is the first time I have eaten such a delicious tomato."
"I am this good at farming too."
The highly elastic tomato had a part that was slightly springy like jelly.
And yet, the distinct crushing sensation of a tomato with firm flesh was vivid and while it had a tangy taste like a citrus fruit, the subtle sweetness that soon enveloped it was harmonious.
"Now that I touch it, it is also soft like a slime."
"Isn't slime going a bit too far…?"
"The texture is fun."
His disgust was brief, and it seemed Iseur quite liked the tomato.
It was because Iseur had seen too many things over the long years to be genuinely disgusted by a moving tomato.
"Then what else should we harvest? In fact, I think it is quite strange to use the word 'harvest' in a place called a vegetable patch, but anyway…."
"I am planning to put in various things."
Indeed, a stew was best eaten as a hodgepodge.
"Carrots are the most standard choice. The unique, mild sweetness and faint, bitter aroma of carrots go very well with tomatoes."
"What about potatoes? When you put potatoes in the stew, Teacher, I really liked that stew that became slightly thick from the starch that came out. I still remember it."
"Then let's add potatoes too. The starch that naturally comes out of the ingredients is not too gooey or slimy but has a gentle sweetness like bone broth, so it is excellent."
"And when they are cooked to a fluffy texture and soak up the broth of the tomato stew, they mash softly. I would really appreciate it if you would add potatoes, Teacher."
Iseur held the tomato basket and smiled a faintly excited smile.
"Cabbage does not seem bad either. Cabbage cooked thoroughly in hot soup is both crunchy and soft, so the texture was really good."
"It really is, isn't it? When the juice of warm, cooked cabbage fills your mouth, it's truly ecstatic in the winter. If you cook it until it's completely soft and mash it with your tongue, that's fun in its own way too…."
"..."
At this mundane and ordinary conversation, Iseur could not help but recall memories of the past.
"…It feels like we are at the market."
"I think it is similar."
"I see…."
He wondered if he was dreaming.
It was empty and frightening.
-x-X-x-
By the time the harvest was all done.
"..."
"Now, let's go wash them."
"Excuse me, Teacher, this is a bit…."
"There is no time."
Jio and Iseur carried the harvested crops and headed to the stream.
"It's convenient having a stream right in front of the house, isn't it?"
"Ah, it's freshwater… right?"
"There's no way there would be seawater in the middle of a forest like this."
"That is true, but I feel that common sense rarely applies here."
"This is quite common-sensical."
They washed the dirt off the crops.
A basket of tomatoes that would be the main ingredient, of course, as well as six firm onions, potatoes, and sweet potatoes each, a head of cabbage, ten pea pods, one small pumpkin and three carrots.
"..."
"..."
Each one was large, and gathered together, they formed a small hill.
"…Was it a bit much?"
"I was about to tell you that this seemed a bit much."
"You enjoyed it too."
"That… that is true."
Because it reminded him of the old days, Iseur only realized that something was going strangely much later.
And by the time he realized it, the hill was already nearing completion.
It was too late to regret.
Iseur laughed awkwardly.
"At this rate, we'll get three large pots out of this."
"You must be joking, it will be one pot at most, no matter how much there is."
"..."
"…I feel like it might increase a bit while cooking…."
Since Jio enjoyed the type of cooking where he threw in various things by feel, rather than cooking thoroughly by measuring the exact amount of ingredients, the quantity often increased absurdly during the cooking process.
Aria used to see that and say, 'The stew is multiplying.'
"…Hmm…."
I was unabashed.
"Once I make it, I can eat it over time or share it with the neighbors."
"I'm not sure, but where are the neighbors here? Beyond this forest?"
"Iseur's 'Temple of the Deep Sea' can also be called my neighbor."
"The range of your neighborhood is truly wide. I am impressed by your inclusiveness."
"You might not see them now, but if you go in front of the picture frame, sometimes neighbors will appear."
"Ah, in that way…."
Iseur, who was nodding, froze for a moment.
"…Did you share it with humans?"
"Are you displeased?"
"I can't say that's not it, but to those weak humans who melt when they are put in seawater?"
"Is there a problem?"
"That is…."
After hesitating, Iseur said.
"…I think such a gift is too much for humans."
"Do humans not even deserve to eat my cooking with me?"
"It sounds a bit strange if you put it that way, but wouldn't that be the case?"
"I told you that you shouldn't discriminate against people with food, didn't I, Iseur?"
"…Of course, what you said is also right, but…."
Iseur stopped talking and mumbled his lips.
'…Food made by a god can't possibly be an ordinary gift to humans.'
Iseur still did not know exactly what kind of being Jio was.
However, he was the one who had inherited the divinity of the Sun God, the so-called 2nd Sun God, and even without that characteristic, he was a being of a remote dignity that seemed to be based on a 'portrait.'
'Can an ordinary dish come out when such a being cooks?'
Ordinary people would look at such things and call them holy relics.
Moreover, if it was an edible food, not just an ordinary object that could only be appreciated or touched… humans would call it a divine selection.
It was the making of Saints and Saintesses.
"..."
"Iseur?"
"…Well, since it is in the form of tomato stew, it would be ambiguous to say anything."
"Stew is stew, is there anything more to it?"
"No, it is food, anyway. Everything you say is right, Teacher."
Even when he was human, Giovanni often did things that transcended common sense and limits.
There was nothing strange about him now handing out tomato stew, which was close to a holy relic, to the people of Earth.
"But I am still jealous. The fact that humans receive such kindness from you, it twists my gut."
"Is sharing some food something to get your gut twisted over?"
Giovanni shrugged.
"This kind of thing happened often when I lived in Edlen village."
"Those evil ones who took that delicious food and ended up betraying you…."
"Have another tomato."
As a mermaid who was bound to be a glutton due to his physical structure, Iseur did not refuse the food Jio gave him.
It was a truly delicious tomato.
"But it still seems like the amount will be a lot."
"If there is anything left after sharing, shouldn't you all be the ones to take care of it?"
"Why… why should we take care of it?"
"..."
I looked at Iseur intently.
"..."
"…Excuse me…."
"You are indeed too skinny."
"Teacher, most mermaids have this body type."
"Seeing you so scrawny makes this teacher's heart feel unwell."
"I am not scrawny."
Giovanni couldn't stand to see people go hungry in the past, but for some reason, it seemed his big-heartedness had grown even bigger since he last saw him.
Iseur recalled Giovanni, who had smiled wistfully, saying, 'I wish everyone would become a pig.'
'How can a person not change this much? No, I think it's gotten worse….'
Leaving Iseur to his thoughts, I began the next task.
"Now we must chop. Iseur, if you don't mind, could you check the state of the Club Trumpets now?"
"…Ah, yes. I will change the water once and then go to the kitchen."
"Take your time."
I shouldered the hill of numerous vegetables and entered the cabin.
"..."
"Oh, Aria. Have you been resting well?"
"…What on earth are you trying to make? Are you trying to donate stew for famine relief?"
"No, we are going to eat it."
"Jio, I say this every time, but we are a race that cannot become pigs. A mermaid's body cannot change easily. It's difficult even with my research."
"You must not be bound by your own limits like that."
I, who had encouraged my old student who had returned to her adult form, placed all the vegetables on the kitchen table.
The amount of ingredients was so large that not a thud, but a rumbling sound echoed in the cabin.
Dana, who was being adored by the teddy bear, jumped onto the table.
"Jjonjjon?"
"You want to eat it now? It's not cooked yet, you might get sick."
"Jjonjjonjjonjjonjjom?"
"Ah wait a minute, no."
"Mmgng."
Dana ran away with a sweet potato in her mouth.
"…You have a clear sense of purpose, my daughter. You will grow up to be a fine hunter."
Soon, Honey flew over and sat on his shoulder.
"Kkurururuk?"
"Did you come to steal ingredients too?"
"Kkung."
"Right, it's better to eat it cooked."
I, who had nodded once, began to prepare the ingredients.
"First, it would be good to sauté the onions."
The way to make stew varied from house to house.
Some houses would sauté the meat for the stew first, while others would start with onions to bring out the umami.
And some would reduce the tomatoes first to create a deep flavor, but I preferred to sauté the onions in butter first.
"That way, the umami of the onion is fully brought out."
"Kuruk?"
"The meat? If you sauté the meat first, the fond sticks to the bottom of the pot and the flavor of the broth really comes alive, but I think it's similar if you just sear it in another pan and then add it… I put the onions in first."
Especially in the case of a stainless steel pot, there were times when the bottom would burn before it reached a satisfactory state.
As I was not a professional chef, I was bound to make mistakes from time to time.
"The onion and butter combination is certainly the most stable."
The same went for the tomatoes.
"Even if you don't reduce the tomatoes first, the moisture evaporates while boiling, and I'm going to add the tomatoes after the onions, so I don't see much of a difference."
"Kururuk, kuruk."
"Ah, of course, if you want the flavor of sautéed tomatoes, it would be more reasonable to put them in first. But you can always add that later if you have pre-made tomato paste."
"Kkururu?"
"…I don't have any pre-made paste right now."
Tomato paste was, simply put, a sauce with a very strong tomato flavor.
Usually, you would make a thick and rich paste according to your family's taste and then dilute it for later use.
"..."
I nodded my head.
"I have more to make."
"Kkuk."
"When you have things like paste made, it feels like the pantry of your heart is full."
Pickles and sauces were the more the merrier.
If you made them well just once, you would be plentiful for a year.
It was fine to chop the onions small just to bring out the essence of deliciousness, but it was also good to chop them a little larger to help with the texture.
Well-cooked onions in a stew had a fun texture that was soft and mashed smoothly.
I, who had chopped the onions to a suitable size, put butter in a large pot and melted it.
"The more butter you put in, the better."
"Kkuk?"
"Should I call it a pig-rearing machine?"
The more butter and the more meat that went in, the more delicious the stew became, that was the law of stew.
Even those who liked it for being healthy said that it had to have something bad for the body to be delicious.
"And then add all the onions…."
Iseur, who had returned after changing the purging water, asked.
"Are you perhaps planning to make onion soup?"
"Onion soup is good too, but today, tomato stew is the main character."
"Aha…."
"Please stir."
"Yes, Teacher."
I, who had entrusted the pot to Iseur, telling him to stir so that the onions wouldn't burn and would turn a delicious brown, continued preparing the ingredients.
Next, of course, was the tomato.
'It's certainly softer than the tomatoes on Earth.'
It felt strongly like an elastic jelly, or pudding.
When I pressed the blade down, it pressed in like cutting a large jelly, and then slowly and stickily split, hinting at its viscous texture.
"The chopped tomatoes are going in."
"It feels like the pot is going to overflow already."
"Then let's add one more, a pot."
"It will end up multiplying to three…."
"I will try to finish it with two."
"I ask you."
Iseur did not say any more and simply added one more pot.
"I believe in you."
"I will repay your trust."
"May it not overflow."
When I offered a prayer with a short Sign of the Sun, the teddy bear that was playing with Dana in the living room flinched.
Naturally ignoring that sight, I continued with the preparation.
The potatoes were peeled and diced into bite-sized pieces.
Half of the pulled sweet potatoes were cut into long stick shapes, and the other half were washed well and placed on a sieve.
"I plan to roast these sweet potatoes over a bonfire later, isn't that nice?"
"Kkurururururururururururu."
"You're like a fine pig, you are indeed worthy of being my son."
I, who had nodded with the noble smile befitting a high priest, continued with the next preparation.
For the cabbage, peel off the outermost leaf, then use the core inside.
If you turn the cabbage over and poke the knife into its root part, swoosh, swoosh, swoosh, swoop, in a circle around the center, the core will pop right out.
"Once the core is removed, just quartering the cabbage is roughly a good size."
Next, the peas.
"Sweet potatoes and peas are not often used on Earth, but Edlen stew is characterized by its variety of vegetables. Especially since the tomato we're using this time is quite sweet, it would be fine to add soft ingredients like this."
Adding beans to a stew gave it a nice popping texture along with the broth.
Above all, wasn't the pea a crop that offered a mild sweetness and a deep, savory taste once cooked?
Seo Jio was particularly fond of peas among beans.
"And the pumpkin too."
"Kuruk."
"This one is also different in shape from the ones on Earth."
The pumpkin he had harvested was an old pumpkin with low saturation and a yellowish color, commonly known on Earth, but its size was as small as an Old pumpkin squash.
It wouldn't be very sweet, but it would add the unique soft taste and texture of a pumpkin.
"I wonder if I can find a beehive if I wander around this forest."
"What are you planning to make, Teacher?"
"The pumpkin from the vegetable patch isn't that sweet, but its soft and savory taste is excellent. It would be quite delicious if steamed well and eaten with honey and butter on top."
"That sounds good, honey and butter…."
"A little sprinkle of salt will deepen the flavor even more."
After replying to Iseur, I began to prepare the pumpkin.
The pumpkin, with its seeds scooped out and all its skin peeled, was also cut into suitable sizes.
It might be an unfamiliar combination to people from Earth, but surprisingly, pumpkin in a tomato-based broth tasted quite excellent.
"Peel the carrots and chop them too…."
The vegetables were prepared.
"Next will be the clams and sausage."
"The Club Trumpets are still spitting out a little mud."
"Ah, are they?"
"But I think they will be done purging in about 20 minutes."
"Then shall we prepare the sausage and other clams first?"
I brought the ham and sausage made from the previous Tree-Horned Deer meat from the storage.
Some parts that had been cured whole had become excellent ham and the sausage that he often grilled boasted the same deep aroma as before.
"First, I need to remove the hard parts…."
The ham, with its hardened rind, had its entire outer layer cut off, and only the inner flesh, which had hardened to a bright red due to the curing, was cut into small cubes.
For the sausage, he decided to use the inner minced meat part after removing the tough intestine casing.
"…But since it takes a lot of work, it feels like a waste to throw away the casing too."
"Kurukkururururururu."
"The more you chew, the more savory the grilled small intestines …."
In the end, he decided to cut the casing appropriately and add it to the stew as well.
It was a bit tough since it was dried, but after being boiled vigorously in the hot stew, it would quickly regain its chewiness.
This casing was exceptionally resilient.
"How is the stew coming along?"
"I think it will need some time for the vegetables to cook."
The stew, boiled with various vegetables and the groundwater of Edlen village, was characterized by its thoroughly cooked texture.
It seemed it would need another hour, so I nodded.
"Then let's add the prepared meat to one of the pots."
"It seems the stew needs to be constantly watched so the bottom doesn't burn, should I just add the meat as it is?"
"I will sauté it, so please keep an eye on the pot."
After quickly sautéing the cured meats to bring out their aroma, I put them all into one pot.
After being simmered for over an hour, he would be met with tender meat.
And in the remaining time, he prepared the clams.
"Sunshine Conches and Black Tray Clams are most delicious when grilled… so I'll just scrape out the flesh of a few, and leave the rest as they are for now…."
Especially the Black Tray Clam cooked easily even on low heat, so one had to be careful with the heat control.
I called Aria, who was standing near the kitchen watching him cook, and asked for her help.
"Aria, could you help with the grilling preparations?"
"…Should I prepare a bonfire like before?"
"I would appreciate it if you could also build a wall to place the wire rack on."
"Not difficult."
Aria went outside the cabin with the teddy bear tucked under her arm.
"…? Why Father…?"
He had no idea why she had dragged the Sun God along, but it seemed like an interesting happening would occur, so he decided to ignore it for now.
I brought the purged Club Trumpet clams, washed them clean once, and split the shell, similar to a razor clam's, to take out the flesh.
The large, soft flesh, like a long adductor muscle, was revealed.
"..."
"Kkuk?"
"Nice."
This was it.
"It's delicious even as sashimi."
I cut away the chewy parts with a knife, and then sliced the flesh to a thickness of about 1 cm.
Putting the light yellow flesh, neither too thin nor too thick, into his mouth….
'This is romance, this is Shangri-La.'
The sweet and springy taste that melted in his mouth was no joke.
"Ah…."
Can't I just eat this as sashimi?
A sweet slice of sashimi with a clean clear rice wine.
To Giovanni, a 30-something-year-old man who was officially dead, it was an unbearably strong temptation.
(Excuse me?)
-x-X-x-
A bonfire was lit.
"Is this the right way to do it…?"
In the center, charcoal was placed.
"It's not the charcoal I used when I lived in Edlen, but the aroma is nice."
On the side, a device was set up by building a wall to grill the clams.
Made from suitably flat stones, it looked uneven and not very stable.
Lost in a strange sentiment, Aria muttered softly.
"It might have been better if there were bricks…."
The mermaid, recalling memories from her childhood and comparing them to the current bonfire, looked down at her charcoal-stained hands.
"..."
After a long while, Aria murmured.
"…It's different from back then."
It was so difficult back then to prepare a bonfire with that small body.
"It's always been the case that I think of the old days, but feeling this peaceful is a very unfamiliar experience."
Suddenly, Aria was seized by the delusion that she was dreaming.
The cold-blooded sage.
The incarnation of the sea.
The adjudicator of all seawater.
The master of the world called the deep sea and the game board itself, there was no way she would be making such a small and shabby bonfire again.
To be repeating the actions from the most peaceful time in her life with these hands, so full of the stench of blood….
"It doesn't feel real at all."
She had never even imagined this would be possible.
There was no reason for it to be.
"It feels strange, too."
In truth, all of this might just be the creation of a single mermaid, unable to erase her old habits, who had fallen into a long sleep.
She had such dreams sometimes, so it wasn't entirely strange.
Gazing at the flickering flames, Aria soon muttered.
"Well, it doesn't matter…."
She did not rashly try to distinguish what was true and what was false in the current situation.
It was an uncharacteristic act for Aria, who had always disregarded illusions and faced only reality.
But if it was a dream like this, the delusion was well worth enjoying as a delusion.
"Jio."
Dragging the hem of her dress, which was quite out of place here, Aria headed to the cabin's kitchen.
"The place to grill the clams is ready. We just need to put a wire rack on top."
"The preparations are all done. The stew is almost finished too."
"Then are we planning to eat outdoors?"
"We have the bonfire, and the weather is nice. Wouldn't that be much more enjoyable?"
"You are right."
It has been like this so many times.
They would go to the bustling marketplace and choose the ingredients that appealed to them most that day, and Jio would cook with the ingredients the mermaids liked.
He was the only adult and the cook in that small house.
Aria and Iseur would stand by his side, looking up at their tall teacher, learning the wisdom of humans or chattering about trivial things.
An untidy atmosphere.
At times like that, their teacher would ask for help.
"Will you help me too, Aria? The teacher is short on hands…."
"Give the clams to me."
Taking the tray full of prepared clams from Jio, Aria continued.
"This is my role, after all."
Grilling clams was always Aria's responsibility.
"I'll grill them well, so you don't have to worry."
"I feel reassured with you here, Aria."
"…Is that so?"
"I will look forward to the delicious grilled clams."
"..."
Aria's lips moved slightly before she went outside again.
Back then, Aria had been weak in stamina and frail in body, but she was more greedy than that.
Jio's cooking felt like the very essence of wisdom that humans could display, so she had insisted on being given a role.
'Back then, I tried so hard to get the role of lighting the bonfire from the teacher as well. Even if I was helping with the cooking, he rarely entrusted me with anything that had a high risk of injury….'
She had even been sulky, wondering if it was because he didn't trust her competence.
Giovanni tried to take on all dangerous tasks, big and small, himself.
That had seemed like proof of his distrust.
It was only after he died that she finally realized.
The teacher had simply cherished his young mermaid disciples so much that he didn't want them to get hurt.
It was a matter separate from trust.
"..."
The young mermaid who hadn't even known that had eventually managed to get the role of lighting the bonfire, though.
"How funny."
The fact that such a trivial role still remained made her feel detached from reality, as if floating.
It was an unfamiliar sentiment.
Although she had never discarded it herself, she thought she would never take on this role again, even in death….
"..."
"Kkuu?"
"…I told you not to act so friendly, Mister."
"Kkukukuku."
"Does it not bother you at all?"
The teddy bear sitting next to the bonfire, just clapping its hands, was truly pathetic.
It was a question in a flat tone, devoid of any particular emotion, but Aria's inner thoughts as she looked at the worn, faded doll were not so.
"Does it really not bother you at all?"
Aria had covered the sun with the sea.
"I put in a lot of effort. I hated the sun, so I left all your children to be submerged in the sea. I didn't even have the courage to touch Jio, who had melted like water…."
"..."
"Yes, I lacked courage. I, who felt the emotion of anger for the first time in my life, was not in my right mind and could have caused his remains to be lost in some way, so I was just being cautious."
"..."
"You are the one who lost warmth, who lost all your children, due to the desperate struggle of a mere mermaid who cannot even live on land… but seeing you so carefree now, it is so absurd and laughable."
Everything was like that.
"Why is it so peaceful?"
This forest, its owner Jio, the insignificant creatures he kept by his side like family as if playing house and even the colossal existence were all just idly peaceful.
Aria looked down at the fluffy doll that stably contained a great dignity.
"Do you not resent me?"
"Kkuu."
"This is why the kind known as gods are so repulsive."
One should not expect emotions or interaction from them.
A priest offering sacrifices to a god was almost the only way for humans to communicate with a god.
That was how much one couldn't converse with, face, understand, or exchange emotions with gods.
So it would not hold a grudge against a mere mermaid.
"Emptier than a monster like me."
And yet they spoke of mercy and love; what ill-fitting fellows they were.
"Harassing the sun is not something anyone can do, so can't you show a more rewarding reaction? Being sad, resentful, annoyed… there are many possible reactions."
"Kkukukuku…."
"Are you laughing?"
It was annoying.
"..."
Though it was of a considerably different nature from her brother's, which felt almost noble, Aria nevertheless maintained a gentlemanly smile and muttered.
"I didn't resent you either."
It was true.
The brilliant mermaid knew clearly who was at fault.
The fools blinded by greed and honor had caused the accident and she and her brother, along with Giovanni, were just unluckily caught up in it.
So if she were to be angry, the target would have been only the nature of humans, who so easily change and betray.
"That world was just too horrible."
Not a single human showed eternity.
She herself had turned into anger and yet she despised it.
"To the point where I could only endure it if the sea covered everything up to the sky…."
That's why she did it.
"..."
"Yes, Father."
A fact she had learned long after, even as a mermaid.
"The God of the Sun and the God of the Deep Sea were one body, weren't they? In the end, you were my father too."
"Kkuukku."
"No, since you are a divided being, should I call you uncle, technically? What would you prefer I call you?"
"Kkuru."
"Uncle? Good heavens, how creepy. I was just saying that."
It was a disgustingly peaceful word.
"At this point, I'm losing my mind too."
It was a truly rare occurrence.
She, who had lived her entire life with a clear mind, had been thrown into confusion exactly twice.
The first was when Jio took her side, a non-human, instead of the humans and the second was when she identified Jio's corpse, which was mangled beyond recognition.
And in this dreamlike situation, Aria was experiencing confusion once again.
"I feel like this isn't where I'm supposed to be…."
A scornful laugh escaped her.
"..."
The rustling spring breeze was gentle.
"…Stop being so ticklish."
"Aria, are you ready?"
"Yes."
This place was inside the belly of their gentle teacher.
That fact was a little dizzying.
***
"How is it?"
"It's cooked well, isn't it?"
After tasting the stew for seasoning, Jio continued.
"It's a little bland for my taste."
"The teacher used to like spicy food…."
"I just eat it without any trouble; it's too embarrassing to say I like it."
Perhaps because the tomatoes used were much sweeter than usual, it had a bland aspect.
Taking out the dried Milky Way Mary from the cupboard, Jio finely ground it and sprinkled it over a portion of the stew.
"This is just right."
It was moderately spicy and moderately stimulating.
There was a savory sweetness, the saltiness from the cured ham and thanks to the vegetable broth from various vegetables like carrots, a classy bitterness was added.
"Ah."
Rustle.
Clatter, clatter.
Swish….
"Looks like they like it."
Perhaps because the Milky Way Mary sparkled, or maybe because it was also a fruit.
A few water birds that flew in from the nest snatched a few Milky Way Mary berries.
Jio turned a blind eye to his friends' petty embezzlement.
'They're cute, so it's fine.'
As long as they didn't go stealing from other houses, it was fine.
Jio patted the splish-splashing water birds and opened his mouth.
"I was a little worried since it's been a while since I made it, but it turned out to be a very satisfying stew."
"Have you not cooked it separately during that time? You enjoy cooking, teacher."
"I was dead, so not really…?"
It was quite recently that 'Giovanni' had been overlaid on Seo Jio, after all.
"..."
"I misspoke, Iseur. Please relax your expression."
"No, it is I who…."
"Calm down."
There was a slight commotion, but anyway, the stew was truly satisfying.
"The one with clams is good, and the one with meat is good too. I wonder if Iseur prefers the one with seafood?"
"…It's hard to say now that I don't really have much of an appetite, but yes. If I had to choose, I think I'm much more used to the one with seafood."
"For someone with no appetite, you ate that pumpkin-sized tomato just fine."
"That was…."
Iseur, who seemed at a loss for words, thought seriously for a moment before replying shamelessly.
"The tomato was delicious."
"I grew it."
"As expected of the teacher."
"Indeed."
Whatever the general preference of the mermaids may be, Jio slightly preferred the one with meat.
'When I lived in the village, it was certainly difficult to get meat from land animals.'
Being a seaside village on the coast, meat was much more expensive than seafood.
Even as a noble, he was the youngest son who received no support and what little he had was spent on medical equipment or donated, so he couldn't live extravagantly.
Thus, meat like this was quite a welcome sight.
The contents of the sausage, with its casing removed, became suitably soft as they were thoroughly cooked in the stew, and it seemed the texture would become much more tender if simmered at a lower temperature for longer.
"Perhaps because the dried meat is dried meat, it doesn't soften easily."
"I like it just the way it is, but…."
"Well, I think the preparations for dinner are done with this."
With Iseur's help, Jio carried the two large pots out to the yard.
Thanks to someone setting up a suitable wooden chair and table, the atmosphere was instantly elevated.
"Alright."
The stew pot was settled next to the bonfire.
"Let's eat."
"Kuruk."
"Honey, don't think about getting inside the pot."
"Kkungkkungkkung…."
"I have no intention of drinking water you've boiled in."
Jio scooped up the stew with Honey, who had plopped into the pot and poured it into a bowl, placing it near the bonfire.
Honey began to absorb the stew while still in the bowl.
It was so thoroughly soaked that it was hard to tell what was stew and what was Honey.
"Dana, don't steal your brother's stew, let's eat a fresh one."
"[An inquisitive sound]?"
"That's right."
Dana, who had been sniffing at the bowl Honey had melted into, trotted over elastically at Jio's call and settled in front of her bowl.
The stew seemed to suit the two animals' tastes, as the amount of stew was gradually decreasing.
"For those who want to add more flavor, I'll leave the pepper here, so add it as you like."
When he placed the finely ground Milky Way Mary on the table, Aria tilted her head.
"Pepper?"
"Yes, it's pepper."
"Isn't it completely different?"
"The taste is similar."
"It is edible, I presume?"
"Would I ever recommend something you can't eat?"
"..."
"Aria?"
After a moment of silence, Aria nodded.
"You weren't one to play with food, but…."
"Why do you say something so obvious so seriously?"
"Sometimes, your actions are unpredictable, teacher."
And it wasn't that she was puzzled by that bubbly charm of Jio's.
'It doesn't look like an ingredient.'
It wasn't that it looked inedible, but it exuded an aura that suggested it would be used as a precious medicinal herb rather than a casually used ingredient.
In some dimensions, they called such things elixirs.
"…You find such things so well."
"They bloom all over the forest."
"Ah, all over?"
"Is there a problem?"
"..."
Aria looked around and shook her head.
"No, what problem could there be."
It was a world filled with things so precious that humans, whose very nature was not bold but terribly greedy, would lose their minds if they saw them.
If this place became accessible to anyone, there would surely be problems.
But no matter how limitless the evolution of humans, they would not be able to crawl into this terrifying dimension with just vulgar greed.
'They wouldn't even be able to approach this dimension without a greed close to conviction. In the first place, the mere thought of humans coveting the teacher's home makes me nauseous… but it's unlikely to ever happen.'
Aria considered the possibility of Giovanni being persecuted by humans again and accepted the stew her respected teacher was serving.
The wooden bowl was very warm.
Warmth spread to the fingertips holding the bowl and a faint tickle blossomed like a sprout.
"..."
"It's seafood stew, is that alright?"
"Yes, I prefer this over meat."
There was an aroma that stimulated the appetite.
She hadn't thought she was particularly hungry, but smelling the distinct, stimulating scent of the tomato stew made her feel empty inside.
She wanted to fill this empty stomach with the stew before her.
It had been a very long time since she had felt like eating something.
Her complicatedly spinning brain began to slowly unwind.
'…Strangely, even if Jio's cooking has a strong aroma, I don't dislike it. My preferences have faded now, but still, for some reason….'
The clattering sound of the tableware, imbued with a gentle warmth just enough to warm her fingertips.
That peaceful and simple murmur tickled her heart so strangely and carefully.
'Is it because I've returned to my hometown?'
Strictly speaking, this place, not even the deep sea, was not her hometown, but perhaps because Giovanni was here, she felt a strange nostalgia and ambiance.
It was a feeling hard to define.
Even though she belonged to the place, she felt a step removed, and though they were spending time together, it felt empty and elusive, making her yearn.
It was a truly unfamiliar emotion, one she hadn't even felt in that deep, dark sea.
'…This person probably hasn't forgiven us either. And yet he shows such kindness. To say it's because he was twisted by gaining divinity, Giovanni… was always a strange fellow like this.'
She felt a tingling sensation from the unfamiliar feeling, enough to make her clench and unclench her hand a few times.
"..."
It felt like it shouldn't be this comfortable.
She became chillingly lethargic, unable to escape this peaceful atmosphere.
-x-X-x-
Jio had no thoughts.
"Mm…."
As he took a bite of the stew, warmth spread throughout his body.
'This is it.'
Jio nodded his head.
Thinking about anything other than the food at the dining table was an insult to the food and no different from a declaration of war against pigs.
Above all, while having such an amazing meal, he couldn't even think of anything else.
'It's a really good dish to eat when your body is cold or weak.'
Even as a Priest of the Sun who always lived with warmth by his side, it wasn't as if he never caught a cold or a body ache.
At times like that, Giovanni would cook and eat a stew like this.
The charm of a warm dish like stew was especially more appealing when one was sick.
"It's delicious."
"Kkuu."
Of course, it was delicious even when eaten while healthy.
'This is why I eat stew.'
The inherent acidity of tomatoes brings out a deeper flavor when it embraces warmth.
It produces a complex aroma, like the sticky and sweet broth of chicken feet simmered for a long time, and the pulp, which gently crushes with just the tongue, has a somewhat elegant sweetness.
"It goes well with the carrots too."
"That's the good thing about Edlen Stew, it goes well with anything you put in it."
"That's also a characteristic of tomato stew, though."
The carrot's unique bittersweet and sharp, stimulating aroma was subtly infused into the stew.
Without being so assertive as to be off-putting, the carrots, blended with various ingredients and soaked in the broth, revealed a texture with a special quality.
"And… I think it was a good idea to add potatoes too."
When it came to soaking up the broth, potatoes were indispensable.
"Iseur recommended it, right?"
"We used to… put them in our stew often."
"That's right, it reminds me of the old days."
"It's cooked really well."
"It's thanks to Iseur stirring it well. I can tell the heat was distributed evenly."
The potatoes, having absorbed the deep juices of the vegetables in addition to the red flavor of the tomato, were so tender they could be mashed with the gums.
The unique, crumbly texture of the potato added weight to the stew, which felt like it might float away with its acidity and sweetness.
'Is it because the other ingredients have such strong characters? When you add an ingredient that gives a simple taste like this, the flavor of the stew deepens significantly. And there's no ingredient that fits that role as well as the potato.'
Besides, the potato didn't just play the role of a blank canvas.
"I can taste the aroma of the ingredients just by drinking the broth."
The starch released from the potatoes also served as a stepping stone, binding the various vegetables together and gently sublimating their juices.
Jio looked at Iseur and smiled slightly.
"Your arm must have hurt from having to stir so many ingredients."
"That's… embarrassing. I'm past the age where my arm would hurt from something like this."
"Is that so? To my eyes, you still look so young, this is quite a problem."
The cabbage that was casually mixed in was also quite good.
"The cabbage is cooked very well."
"Kkurrrr."
"Yes, I like this kind of cabbage the best too."
Cabbage that had soaked up plenty of the tomato-based broth.
The cabbage, mottled with the color of the broth, seemed to give a strange elasticity when chewed, but quickly disintegrated, releasing a simple juice.
The even warmer broth that spread throughout the mouth was different from that of the stew.
"Oh, right."
Jio looked back at the bonfire where the clams were cooking.
"I think we can start eating the clams now."
"krukrukkruu?"
"You have the qualities of a pig too, just wait a little."
As he stroked Dana's small, round head once, the cat's distinctive triangular ears folded back and then returned.
The way she flattened her ears even before his hand touched them was very cute.
'I must serve and cherish her for the rest of my life.'
Just the feel of the small, precious skull that fit perfectly in his hand made him full without eating.
His heart felt as warm and reassuring as a bowl of bone broth soup.
This is how you raise your life's satisfaction level.
"Let's see…."
Most of the clams were cooked, so Jio placed them on a tray and brought them to the table.
The clamshells made a clattering sound as they hit each other.
The unique sea scent of the clams, infused with the aroma of the charcoal fire, combined with the forest's gentle spring breeze to create a pleasant smoke.
"I think they're all cooked."
"Will you shuck them for us?"
"No, you're all grown up now, so you have to shuck them yourselves."
"The clams you shucked for us yourself seemed to taste better, so that part is a little disappointing."
"Disappointing, my foot… ah, hot."
"What??"
Iseur was flustered.
"Is it hot for you?"
"Would it be hot for you?"
Aria, who chided her brother as naturally as breathing, then looked at Jio in disbelief.
"What kind of tantrum is this, for someone who holds the divinity of the sun, teacher."
"It's natural for freshly grilled clams to be hot, so I couldn't help it."
"Is it possible to not shed human habits even after deification…?"
"It could be possible, why are you doing this to me? It would be good to abandon your prejudice."
"Prejudice? How unfair. I'm saying this because it doesn't make sense."
"A person must always live with an open mind."
"Is this something that can be solved by opening your mind?"
"You shouldn't have such narrow-minded thoughts."
Jio, who had broadened his student's world, began to shuck the clams with his characteristic noble, and to some, shameless smile.
The properly cooked clams each boasted their milky white flesh, emitting the sweet and savory aroma unique to shellfish.
"Becoming the 2nd Sun God has its perks."
"…Shucking clams with your bare hands?"
"It was always a shame to let them cool down to eat, so this is great."
"Is it okay to use divinity in such a way?"
"Is there any reason not to?"
Leaving the mermaids flustered by the unexpected blasphemy, Jio and the teddy bear were just enjoying themselves.
Their stomachs were still far from full and there was plenty of room for grilled clams.
The teddy bear was waiting for the clam meat with an excited face.
Jio handed the flesh of a Black Tray Clam, steaming hot and full of rich juice like fresh sea urchin roe, to the teddy bear.
"Here you are, Father."
"Kkuuuu."
"How is the taste?"
"Kkukukukukuku…."
"I'm so glad you enjoy the taste of clams."
The teddy bear clapped its cotton paws.
Jio was proud and the mermaids looked dumbfounded.
Honey stealthily hid in the stew pot again and Dana, after eating all of her stew, flopped over and lay down.
'A peaceful mess.'
This could be called a summary of a true life.
It was gratifying and proud.
As expected, there was nothing he couldn't do.
Jio picked up a new Black Tray Clam.
It had a shape similar to an abalone, but its shell was much blacker and smoother and the flesh cooked over the charcoal fire boasted a white and soft appearance.
'Compared to this, abalone is closer to yellow.'
The Black Tray Clam was a clam that boasted such a vivid black and white that it hurt your eyes to look at it for too long.
The whiteness of its flesh was different from an abalone.
It was also different in that its edges were not bumpy at all and were perfectly round.
But its taste and texture were certainly reminiscent of an abalone.
"..."
Chewy.
"Oh."
The insane springiness struck Jio's brain.
'It's nice to eat it after a long time.'
His salivary glands threw a fit at the crazy umami.
It was truly a natural seasoning.
The flesh of the Black Tray Clam, which felt full of strong life force, was soft to the point where its elasticity was not unpleasant and the taste, which became more savory the more you chewed, was like fire-roasted nuts.
'Maybe because I didn't grill it for that long, it's also tender….'
Should I say you can feel the grain?
The flesh, which scattered smoothly like silk, broke apart helplessly when pressed firmly with the teeth, giving the pleasure of chewing.
The generously flowing juice of the clam felt similar to the clam soup one eats on a winter day.
"..."
Because the clam meat was not small, it filled his mouth.
It was a while later that Jio opened his mouth.
"It's so delicious."
"…So it seems."
"This is life."
"Your appetite has grown since I last saw you."
"And yours has disappeared."
"Haha…."
Iseur gave a calm smile that resembled Giovanni's.
"Since there's no need to eat, I just don't find myself eating regularly."
In truth, that wasn't the only reason.
It was Iseur who had eaten Jio when he was still breathing.
Perhaps because the sensation of those living, moving muscles, wriggling in his mouth, still remained.
Since then, Iseur hadn't put anything in his mouth unless it was a necessary situation.
"Still…."
"This is delicious, right?"
"…Yes, it is delicious."
For the first time in a long time, he truly felt like he was eating 'food'.
"I feel good."
It was to the point where he had the illusion of having become human.
"The Sunshine Conch… are you going to use the shells, teacher?"
"I plan to grind them finely later and make paint out of them."
"I see."
Giovanni used to paint pictures using the shells of such clams.
He especially liked to paint the sea, and his paintings always had the scent of the sea.
"I should collect them, then."
"Please do."
Regardless of whether Iseur was lost in his sentiments, Jio this time picked up a Club Trumpet clam.
The clam, which had a round surface as large as the adductor muscle of a pen shell, had already split half its shell, revealing its flesh.
"..."
Munch.
His teeth sank right in.
"…It turned out really soft…."
"Because I grilled it."
"Excellent, Aria. You really have a talent for cooking."
It was a characteristic of clams to become tough when grilled for too long, but in the case of the Club Trumpet, one could experience extreme softness if it was cooked at the right temperature and for the right amount of time.
Its tenderness, with the delicate grains melting away, was even softer than the sashimi of a pen shell adductor muscle.
'To think you can feel this kind of texture from a warm grilled clam.'
It was a texture that Giovanni could taste without difficulty, but for the earthling Seo Jio, it was an unfamiliar and exciting sensation.
Come to think of it, Giovanni's favorite clam was also the Club Trumpet.
"I think it would be delicious if we grilled it with butter…."
"That's a dish we never tried when we were in Edlen village."
Aria smiled slightly.
"Butter wasn't such a precious ingredient there."
"Rather, it was being avoided."
Butter was cumbersome to make, and there was a strong perception that it was a residue of milk.
Moreover, in a seaside village right by the coast, it was difficult to raise cows, so there weren't many dishes that used dairy products.
"But it would really be delicious grilled with butter."
"…We can try making it later."
"Sounds good."
The Sunshine Conch was a bit inconvenient to get the meat out of.
You had to use a special skewer and twirl it around for the meat to pop out and its texture was quite similar to the conches on Earth.
However, its sweetness was exceptional.
"..."
This deep sweetness infused into the flesh itself and a bitter stimulus that somehow reminded one of the scent of medicinal herbs.
The Sunshine Conch had the effect of warming the body, so much so that there was a superstition that eating it when you had a cold would make you better.
'…I see, so they use it as medicine because it feels like this….'
He also had the funny thought that maybe even the shellfish were a little blessed because it was the Sunshine Conch from a nation that served the Sun God.
It had a sweet and salty taste that seemed perfect for making a spicy sea snail salad.
"I remember the mermaids couldn't handle spicy food well, how are you now?"
"We've come too far to consider such things now. In terms of eating, there's nothing that can be called a problem anymore."
Iseur, who was cutting and eating the flesh of the Club Trumpet, continued.
"So, I think I can eat anything if I want to. My preferences have also faded a lot, and my biological characteristics have changed from when I was a mermaid living in that sea…."
"Then can you eat something a little spicy?"
"I haven't particularly sought it out, but yes. Is the next dish you're making for us a little spicy, perhaps?"
"It won't be that spicy, but…."
"Remembering the teacher who liked experimental dishes doesn't reassure me."
As he said that, Iseur was smiling.
"Will you let me have a taste test before the meal?"
"I can bestow that much mercy anytime. If you'd help me a little with the meal preparation."
"That sounds good."
Iseur muttered.
"…Really good."
He couldn't shake off the strange feeling, and in the end, he asked a similar question to his sister.
Why is it so peaceful?
-x-X-x-
How miserable it is to have to live a lifetime on a memory of a single moment.
That was the fate of a mermaid.
It was like a disease one was born with.
The most intense emotion engraved on the soul left a mark so severe that it could not be overturned no matter the circumstances.
For Iseur, that mark was the human named Giovanni.
"Good night."
"…You too, teacher…."
This place is peaceful.
"Have a peaceful night."
It is comfortable to the point of being chilling.
It's an unbelievable sensation. It was not a sensation that a mermaid, that Iseur, could permit.
Even the quietly blowing spring breeze and the rustling murmur of the forest approach with a charm that cannot be shaken off.
Iseur was given a bedroom in Jio's cabin.
"..."
The floor his bare feet were treading on was made of wood.
From the glossy floor, walls and ceiling of the cabin, a bittersweet scent that made one's mind drowsy emanated.
The large window of the terrace was wide open, full of the forest air, and the moderately sized bed, neither too big nor too small, felt softly warm.
"..."
When he lay down on that texture.
"…Is this…."
Iseur couldn't hold back and spoke.
"Does this make sense?"
In this peace, Iseur felt a terrible void and loss.
"Where am I right now…?"
In the mermaid's memory, Giovanni was dead. He had died a terrible death.
Bearing wounds unbelievable to have been inflicted by the children of the sun who embraced warmth, seeing that rotting skin and the festered stems that flowed between the empty eye sockets, what had Iseur thought?
'…Even though I was high on drugs, that doesn't mean I don't have the memory of that time.'
Rather, the situation at that time was all too vivid.
No one would know what thoughts had driven him to eat him.
At that time, our peace met its death.
The dead should not return, so what in the world is this comfortable space?
Where am I feeling this tranquility right now?
"…It's frightening…."
It felt as if his once-full stomach had suddenly become empty.
"..."
It would be filled with rotten flesh instead.
"…I feel nauseous."
He didn't feel well.
He felt like he was getting sick. He felt a sensation of his brain shaking.
His vision was blurry yet clear and the voice of the silent forest grew louder.
The mermaid's memory was frozen at Giovanni's death and the sun's ruin, so there was no way this tranquility wouldn't be unsettling.
Iseur had become more accustomed to blood and screams.
"Ah…."
That was Iseur's fate.
"..."
The mermaid lived in a sea of blood.
To be given such an unbelievable gift now, he had become a pathetic adult who felt fear first.
"..."
It was a long time later that the mermaid spoke.
"…I think I'm going to have a bad dream."
I didn't know the place I lived in was a nightmare.
Lying here like a corpse, I finally realize it's hell.
***
"..."
A strange sensation woke Jio from his bed.
"…Hmm…."
The feeling of wanting to take a walk.
'Should I go out?'
Jio was not one to think deeply about the source of his desires.
He left the sleeping Honey and came out of the room.
As he stepped on the soft-textured wooden stairs and came down to the living room, for some reason, he could see the teddy bear lying on the living room sofa and the cat, Dana, beside it.
The two looked up at Jio, emitting a faint light as if they would soon go out.
"I'm going for a walk."
"..."
"Dana, want to come with me?"
Dana, who had been staring at the black-haired Jio, soon stood by his side.
Her footsteps were silent, as if she were a ghost.
The teddy bear did not stop the two as they left the cabin and simply watched.
Wearing his usual black cape, Jio walked the path without any particular meaning.
He had come out barefoot, but the rustling grass was soft, so it didn't hurt.
Anywhere he stepped in this place felt good to the touch.
It seemed that was why he walked around without shoes even more.
The joy of taking a walk was great.
"The forest is quiet."
The forest at this time always maintained a strange silence as if it were asleep.
"Dana, do you like the forest?"
"..."
"How about the trees? The scent of the flowers?"
"..."
"The weather is really nice."
Rustle, rustle….
The sound of soft grasses swaying.
"The moon is shining brightly."
There is a sun and a moon here.
But they were clearly different from those of Earth or other planets.
They boasted a color like transparent jewels and did not shine so painfully that it seemed one's eyes would go blind just by looking at them.
It just felt like looking at a brightly drawn picture….
"Look."
Above their heads floated a jewel-like moon with a light as cold as a glacier.
"It resembles you."
"Meow."
"That's a different cry from usual."
It was a cry that seemed to be imitating a cat.
"You are a cat, but…."
He was about to say something but didn't want to ponder it any further and turned his gaze away.
It resembled that cold moon floating in the night sky.
"It's shining."
"Meow."
"Thanks to it, it's not dark."
The round moon was large, and like the swarm of jellyfish he had seen in the deep sea, a milky way was draped across this sky.
They maintained the stillness with a dry sparkle that felt devoid of any life force.
The moon cast down its light.
The milky way formed a curtain.
A cold cat stood at his feet and the forest that should have been dark became secretly bright, making the only shadow here Jio himself.
He was the only black person here.
"Even though the scent of the trees is so strong…."
His steps soon came to a halt before a radiant spring.
"There is the scent of the sea within it."
"..."
"Aria."
He saw his student, her pale bare feet dipped in the collected spring water.
"Can't you sleep?"
Looking at the black cape in the shadows, whose face was completely hidden, the mermaid showed her usual experienced smile.
"How could I fall asleep in a place like this?"
"Did you not like the bed?"
"Everything was so much to my liking it was chilling."
"But you do not run away."
"Because I hope that one day you will accept us."
The pearl-colored eyes took in the black cape.
"If I take responsibility, will you forgive me too? Will you love me like you did back then?"
"You do not need my forgiveness. It is not my place to resent and hate you."
"…We have so much time."
Aria's voice was as clear and calm as usual.
"I never thought it would come to be felt as such great terror."
She asked Jio.
"Do you know what this spring is?"
"There is no reason to know, so I did not try to find out."
"Do you know what this forest means to you?"
The mermaid continued to ask.
"Why you were placed in this situation, why you were revived in a grotesque form that is neither resurrection nor anything else, with what intention and context the world is flowing this way…."
"I'm not curious."
"An answer befitting you, teacher."
The mermaid's voice had a smoothness like a pearl.
"Benevolent and indifferent."
That was why it also had a rough side.
"Are you aware that this place is inside your belly?"
"This place is a painting I drew."
"It doesn't seem all that different."
"If you say it is a part of me, then perhaps so."
Jio was the one who created this place, and at the same time, he was a portrait.
"I was aware that this forest reflects my mindscape."
"Still, can you be called human?"
"I have never once deviated from being human."
"..."
"I was always human."
It was a matter of course, without any need for deliberation.
"It seems like a good night for a conversation. Is there anything you wish to ask this teacher?"
"..."
At the voice that had changed its tone in an instant, Aria fixed her eyes on the jet-black cape.
"…I can't see your face…."
The inside of the cape was completely invisible.
"Do you even exist?"
"I have never disappeared, Aria."
"What do you look like right now?"
"I haven't looked in a mirror, so I wouldn't know."
"But I can't see you either."
If that's the case.
"How can you prove that you exist?"
How could one distinguish whether there was a human, the God of the Sun, a painting, life, or death inside that jet-black shadow?
If it was a shadow whose appearance was unknown until someone defined it.
"I have something I'm curious about, teacher."
"I promise to give you the best answer I can."
"How can I be certain that you will not disappear?"
"Nothing is eternal. Both the living and the dead are bound to change continuously."
"It's true I haven't seen the limits of humans. The humans I know constantly grew stronger, evolved, and sometimes became gods or nature itself."
But.
"You are of a different grain than them."
A jet-black canvas that could become anything.
"…If I were to feel fear and loss from that, would you understand?"
"I think it's natural to feel a sense of distance as much as I have changed."
"Distance? That's not what I was trying to say. It's completely different."
As long as he was 'Giovanni', she had no intention of growing distant.
"Why would I try to distance myself from you? I already had to feel that emptiness for long ages, staring only at a void sea that was neither a coffin nor a grave. Now that I know this isn't some absurd nightmare or miracle that came upon me in an instant, I don't feel any trivial sense of distance."
Therefore, the emotion Aria was feeling right now.
"I…."
"..."
"…Teacher."
It was closer to misery or desperation.
"Why are you always at the center of fate?"
It's terrible.
"Wouldn't it have been fine if you were just an insignificant person passing by? To be born into an ordinary family, live an ordinary life, and die an ordinary death. Who else could suit such a place as well as you, teacher? Among the tens of thousands, and even more humans I have seen, why is it that you are not included… is what I wonder."
One can tell by looking at this forest. No.
"I can tell just by looking at you."
To not know even after seeing those eyes was no different from being unable to see the world.
"It wouldn't have mattered if you had died, teacher. It was an expected situation. I would have been satisfied even if it wasn't a very peaceful and tranquil death."
"..."
"If only you had been just a little more ordinary, common enough for everyone in the world to just pass by, if only you had died just like that, how wonderful it would have been."
From beneath the jet-black hood, within the deep shadow where nothing could be seen, a voice flowed out.
"You wished for my happiness."
That was clearly the voice of 'Giovanni'.
"Is it difficult because the person that is I am too special, too much to handle?"
"I want to think it's an excess of self-consciousness, but it certainly seems that way."
"And you don't think it's a very cute complaint?"
"..."
Just how many voices could flow out from within that shadow?
"…Unfortunately, it's not such a cute situation, is it…."
It would have been very nice if she could have laughed it off.
"…Since when were you a portrait?"
"I'm not sure myself."
"What do you think of yourself as?"
"I am Jio."
"Your happiness is no longer what's important."
Giovanni did not meet an unhappy death.
"I know it was a death that was to your liking."
So what was important was the fear and loss of those around him, of the mermaids, of Aria.
Because no matter what moment came, Jio would make the happiest choice for himself.
"You will live a life to your liking. No matter what becomes of your surroundings later, you will take the best possible action you can at that time. Don't you think that's terrible for being so idealistic?"
"It seems Aria thinks it's terrible."
"That's right, it's terrible. Because I know it is the best, and I know it is the ideal. Having respected that aspect, I can't now tell you to fix it. Because I have already lived too deeply immersed in it…."
What is the essence of this portrait?
Its name is 'Jio's Portrait'.
It is a person and a painting at the same time.
It is only a painting, but it is also a painter.
He was the master of his fate who painted his own life and he was like a great nature that would come to embrace many more fates.
Was it because he was a portrait from the beginning that he came to repeat the name 'Jio' endlessly?
Or was it that at some point, because he was Jio, he became a portrait and came to embrace countless 'Jios'?
"Right."
Aria finally defined why she was so anxious.
In the very distant past, in the future, and even at this very moment….
"…Teacher, you will be special for your entire life."
This person could not be ordinary.
Not even once, had he ever been.
"..."
"..."
Now, what should she look at and condemn as cruel?
"…Teacher, do you believe in humans?"
"There is happiness that can only be obtained by believing."
"You have no intention of giving up."
"Just as you, Aria, have not given up on your anger."
"Yes, then…."
Aria smiled with a drained face she had never shown before.
"I'll take care of my own share."
Among the shadows beneath that jet-black cape, how much can I have?
She only prayed that she wouldn't have to let it flow into the sea once more.