Chapter 20: Fishing and Bento Boxes
The day after Eve arrived—
“Eight,” the village chief began slowly, narrowing his eyes, “Tetsu told me he heard enormous explosions coming from the mountain behind your house last night. You wouldn’t happen to know anything about that, would you?”
“…I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about.”
I answered with a perfectly straight face.
The Demon Lord was said to rule over the Demon Continent far beyond the northern seas—the king of monsters, feared across the world.
If people found out that such a being had casually moved into my house, there was a very real possibility I’d get yelled at.
Especially since the village chief had apparently fought against the Demon Lord’s army long ago.
Nope.
Absolutely not.
I was going to play dumb to the bitter end.
“…Really?”
“Really really. I never lie.”
“Quit stalling and confess already. Otherwise, I’ll spend the entire day doing naked cartwheels around your house.”
…I immediately confessed everything.
Because the way the old man suddenly widened his eyes was terrifyingly similar to how my grandfather used to scold me.
Also, the idea of infinite full-nude cartwheels around my house was horrifying beyond words.
“Hm,” the village chief muttered thoughtfully after hearing the story. “So the Demon Lord herself came to visit, eh?”
“S-Sorry. For the village’s safety, I should probably convince her to leave immediately, right? I’ll talk to her somehow—”
“No, no. I don’t mind.”
“…Huh? Really?”
The village chief nodded calmly.
“If she can fight the Saint head-on, then she’s the genuine article. From what I hear, the current Demon Lord is a surprisingly peaceful one. Apparently she only attacks people who pick fights with her first.”
“…Where exactly are you getting this information?”
“When you live long enough, your hearing may fade, but your connections grow wide. Like that slime I once traveled with long ago.”
“…R-Right. Of course.”
That somehow raised even more questions.
“Well,” the chief continued casually, “if she harms anyone in the village, I’ll personally lead the effort to slay her.”
“Ah, I think that part’s fine.”
Last night, after dinner, I had firmly explained to Eve that if she caused any damage to my house or the village, I would never cook for her again.
The moment I said that, Eve had stiffened and immediately responded in complete seriousness.
“G-Got it!! I absolutely won’t kill anyone in the village!! And I won’t break the house either!!”
She’d nodded over and over while making the promise, so I doubted she’d rampage recklessly.
After hearing my explanation, the village chief chuckled warmly.
“Ohh, I see, I see. Then there’s no problem.” He grinned. “Now then, Eight.”
“There’s more?”
“Wanna go fishing?”
“That came out of nowhere!?” I stared at him in surprise. “…I mean, sure, I don’t mind.”
And so, the village chief and I headed toward the forest near Papel Village.
“Eight-niichan!! Over here, over here!! You walk way too slow!!”
“You’re the one moving too fast!! Slow down and match our pace a little!!”
“Haaah… haaah… W-Wait for us, you two…”
The children had come along today as well.
Luca marched proudly at the front while Nor and Rio followed slightly behind him.
“Hey, Eight-niichan,” Nor asked curiously, “why isn’t the Saint with us today?”
“Ah… Raphiel-san is currently having a friendly little scuffle with a girl named Eve in the mountain behind my house.”
I coughed awkwardly halfway through the explanation.
“Fuhhhn? So the Saint actually has friends!”
“N-Nor-chan,” Rio said with a strained smile, “that’s maybe not the nicest way to put it…”
Kids really could say savage things so casually.
Oh, and Hinoka and Grana had stayed behind at home.
At first, Hinoka had been just as hostile toward Eve as Raphiel was, but eventually she declared:
“If Eight accepts that creature, then I have no reason to dispose of her. Though if she makes even the slightest suspicious move, I shall crush her myself. Rest easy.”
According to Hinoka, Raphiel and Eve were evenly matched in combat ability.
That was why their fights never ended before dinnertime, apparently.
I’d tried warning them that fighting to the death wasn’t healthy behavior, but neither of them listened in the slightest.
And there was no way a completely ordinary person like me could stop a serious battle between those two monsters.
So I gave up and accepted the village chief’s invitation instead.
“Oh! Eight-niichan!! Grandpa!! I can see the lake!!”
Luca shouted excitedly from the front.
The place we arrived at was a massive lake hidden deeper within the forest.
Today’s plan was simple.
Fishing.
“This time, I’ll definitely catch a big one!!”
The village chief proudly cast his fishing line into the water.
Beside him, I unpacked the slightly expensive fishing rod I’d bought online.
“Well then, we’re gonna go play in the water!!”
“Don’t go too deep, alright?”
“We knooow!!”
The kids immediately sprinted toward the lakeshore.
Watching them run brought back memories.
Back when I was little, I’d once gotten so excited during swimming class that I sprinted around the poolside and got scolded by my teacher.
…Nostalgic.
It hadn’t even been ten years ago, but it somehow felt like a memory from another lifetime.
“Alright. I’m aiming for a huge catch too!!”
“You’re awfully fired up,” the village chief laughed.
Well, I was way too old to get excited over splashing around in the water.
Fishing, on the other hand?
That was perfectly acceptable.
“…Nothing’s biting at all.”
“That’s fishing for ya. Gotta take it slow. Patience, patience.”
“Patience, huh…”
I waited.
And waited.
And waited some more.
But not a single fish seemed remotely interested in my bait.
Eventually, the sun climbed directly overhead.
“Eight-niichan!! I’m hungryyyy!!”
“Hm?” I glanced upward. “Oh, it’s already lunchtime? Guess we should eat the bento.”
“Bento!! Eight-niichan’s bento!!”
“I can’t wait!!”
Honestly, their expectations were making me nervous.
I spread out a picnic sheet and pulled a large lacquered lunch box from my backpack.
The instant I opened the lid, the children’s eyes sparkled.
“Whoa!! So much fried chicken!!”
“All the rolled omelet is mine!!”
“Ah, octopus sausages… ehehe, they’re cute.”
“Three rice balls per person, okay? Share nicely.”
“““Okaaay!!”””
This time, the lunch was filled almost entirely with classic bento staples.
Fried chicken, rolled omelets, octopus-shaped sausages, meatballs, mini hamburg steaks…
Most of it was frozen food.
The fishing trip had been sudden, after all.
Frozen food really was humanity’s greatest invention.
“This fried chicken tastes a little different from the stuff you usually make, bro, but it’s still super good!!”
“That’s because brilliant people back in my world spent years refining and improving it. Of course it’s delicious.”
“Really? I think the fried chicken you make is tastier.”
“W-Well, I think both are delicious!!”
Hearing such honest opinions from children made me unexpectedly happy.
“The world you came from certainly values food highly,” the village chief observed.
“Hm? Yeah, I suppose so. Especially Japan… the country I came from.”
“But your hometown eats weird stuff too.”
“Weird stuff?”
“You know. Rotten beans, raw fish… and grasshoppers.”
Ah.
Natto, sashimi, and candied grasshoppers.
I remembered the horrified expressions Luca and the others had made the first time they saw me eating them.
As if they’d witnessed some unspeakable horror.
Even though natto, sashimi, and inago no tsukudani were all delicious.
Still, I guessed they seemed bizarre in a world unfamiliar with them.
“Hey, Eight-oniichan.”
“Hm? What is it, Rio?”
“Um… ahh…”
Rio shyly speared an octopus sausage with a fork and held it out toward me.
I leaned forward and took a bite.
“Mm. Thanks.”
“Ehehe.” Rio smiled bashfully. “I-I actually like natto and sashimi, you know?”
“Oh? Really?”
“Yeah.”
The way Rio smiled shyly after saying that was honestly adorable.