"If you're having an outdoor dinner, you still need barbecue, right? Barbecue is the way to go!"
As he spoke, Noa took out a large barbecue grill along with a wide assortment of ingredients that had already been marinated and skewered in advance. The preparation was clearly not something done on a whim—everything was neatly organized, as if he had expected this moment from the start.
He quickly set up the grill, arranged the charcoal, and lit the fire. Soon, the faint crackling of burning coals filled the air.
As the skewers were placed over the heat, a soft sizzling sound followed. Almost immediately, a rich, mouthwatering aroma spread outward, carried by the breeze. The scent alone was enough to make one's mouth water.
"Not ready yet? I can't wait anymore."
"Do it faster, do it faster!"
The girls gathered around almost instinctively, drawn by the smell. Their eyes followed Noa's hands closely, watching every turn of the skewers as if they were witnessing something far more important than a simple meal. All of them looked like they were waiting for a feast to appear at any second.
"Just wait," Noa replied casually. "It'll be ready soon. If you're bored, you can try grilling some yourself. There are plenty of ingredients here."
Hearing that, the girls exchanged glances and then curiously picked up a few skewers. They began mimicking Noa's movements, trying to rotate and position them over the heat just as he did.
As for the result—it couldn't exactly be called masterful cooking, but at the very least, no one triggered the legendary "dark cooking" talent and created something disastrous. That alone could be considered a small miracle.
Fortunately, the ingredients had already been carefully marinated by Noa beforehand, and with his occasional guidance, the cooking process was simple enough. As long as they didn't completely burn everything, the end result would still be edible.
In the end, however, most of the skewers they grilled still ended up being "tested" by Noa himself.
And they, in turn, happily ate the ones he prepared.
It became a cycle—Noa grilling continuously, and the girls steadily consuming everything as fast as it came off the fire.
His cooking speed couldn't quite keep up with their eating pace.
But seeing how satisfied they all looked, Noa didn't mind at all.
Eris was the only exception.
She grilled her own skewers and ate them herself instead of joining the others in feeding Noa. The main reason was simple—watching the girls casually feeding Noa skewers felt far too intimate for her liking, and she stubbornly refused to participate in that atmosphere.
After trying it once, she didn't attempt it again.
At the same time, however, she had to admit something internally.
Noa's cooking skills were genuinely impressive.
It even made her slightly revise her impression of him. Her evaluation quietly shifted—from a hopeless pervert to a surprisingly useful pervert.
There was no helping it. She was, quite literally, soft-handed from accepting food and soft-mouthed from eating it. His skewers were simply too good to criticize properly.
Even though she had initially resisted out of suspicion—worried he might add something strange or suspicious into the food—she eventually gave in.
There was no resisting it.
Noa's barbecue was just too delicious.
In the end, Eris found herself reluctantly enjoying it, eating more than she had intended, while still trying to maintain her composure as if she wasn't affected at all.
However, the peaceful outdoor dinner did not last entirely undisturbed.
From the surrounding forest, faint rustling sounds began to appear.
At first, it was subtle.
Then it grew louder.
Before long, multiple figures emerged from the nearby terrain, drawn by the strong aroma drifting through the area.
Monsters.
Giant frogs with slick, glossy skin. Lizard runners moving low and fast across the ground. And packs of white wolves with glowing eyes, silently surrounding the area.
They appeared in groups, far more numerous than usual, all seemingly attracted by the scent of roasting meat.
The relaxed atmosphere shifted slightly as their presence became impossible to ignore.