Chapter 5: Offering One’s Life

“It’s too much, seriously! And you don’t need to call me -sama or use honorific speech!”

Even after I said that, she remained kneeling on one knee and began speaking slowly.

“I’ve lived in this other world for one reason alone—to save my little sister. I kept having the same nightmare over and over again… that by the time I returned to Japan, my sister and my parents would already be dead. Now, at last, I can live without being haunted by that nightmare. It’s all thanks to you, Kakeru-sama!”

A nightmare…

With her sister suffering a cervical spinal injury from the traffic accident and the older sister suddenly disappearing, I suppose there really had been a worst-case scenario. Their parents, unable to bear it all, might have chosen to die together with their injured daughter…

Imagining such a possibility, these past two years—knowing she had no way of returning to Japan—must have been hell for Yuuka. A kind of suffering someone like me probably couldn’t even begin to understand.

…That said, saying she’d devote her life to me was a bit much. She’d spent two whole years in this fantasy world, so maybe she’d simply become accustomed to its customs.

“Honestly, I don’t know what to do with someone saying they’ll dedicate their life to me. Just stick to our agreement—protect me for a while, get paid, and that’s enough. And please, no -sama or formal speech.”

Yeah… the more I thought about it, the more ridiculous this arrangement sounded.

What kind of sugar-baby contract was this…?

Still, someone like me, who had absolutely no combat ability, desperately needed someone to protect me.

“You’re really kind… All right, I understand. I’ll be counting on you from now on, Kakeru!”

“Yeah. I’m looking forward to working with you too, Yuuka-san.”

“Just call me Yuuka, okay, Kakeru?”

“…O-Okay.”

Calling a woman who was effectively almost ten years younger than me by her first name without honorifics felt strangely embarrassing.

But when she looked at me with that dazzling, radiant smile, I simply couldn’t refuse.

Now that her lingering worries about Japan had disappeared, the contrast between her current expression and the emotionless face she’d worn when we first met was incredible. She looked like an entirely different person.

“Whoa… this is insanely delicious…! So this is dragon meat! I’ve never eaten meat this good—not even back in Japan!”

The rich juices, the melt-in-your-mouth tenderness, the incredible flavor unlike even the finest wagyu…

It was unlike anything I’d ever tasted, in either this life or my previous one.

Dragon steak—the meal everyone dreams of eating at least once after coming to another world.

Who would’ve thought I’d get to eat it this soon?

Yuuka smiled happily.

“Hehe, I’m glad you like it. Japanese meat is delicious too, but the meat in this world is amazing as well, isn’t it?”

“Yeah. Japanese wagyu has been selectively bred for years to suit Japanese tastes, so it’s surprising that the meat of a wild creature could be this good. I wonder if magic has something to do with it?”

“Probably. It’s not just monster meat—vegetables here are often tastier than the ones in Japan too. Apparently there were even Blessed people who researched the connection between magical power and flavor.”

“I see. I guess there are probably people with Unique Gifts like ‘Analyze’ or ‘Appraisal.'”

Naturally, Yuuka had cooked the dragon steak herself.

The Magic Bag she carried stopped time for anything placed inside it, allowing ingredients to remain perfectly fresh.

…If Japan had magic tools like that, food distribution would be revolutionized overnight.

To celebrate her sister’s full recovery, she’d prepared what she called the finest meat she owned—a steak made from Black Dragon meat.

The raw meat’s dark crimson color had made me wonder whether it would actually taste good, but once cooked, it turned out to be the best steak I’d ever eaten.

I looked at what Yuuka herself was eating.

“…Are you really okay with that?”

“Of course! It’s been so long—I missed this taste!”

Instead of dragon steak, she was happily eating cup ramen and drinking cola—the things I’d bought at a Japanese convenience store.

Of course, Japanese instant noodles were delicious.

But compared to this dragon steak, they looked pretty underwhelming.

Even so, Yuuka ate them with obvious nostalgia.

Since she was an S-Rank adventurer, perhaps luxurious dishes like dragon steak had become ordinary to her.

“My mom was really strict about instant food. The only times we got to eat cup ramen were when Dad—who couldn’t cook—made it for us once in a while. My little sister and I always looked forward to it. It brings back so many memories.”

“I see.”

So that was why she’d unexpectedly requested junk food.

It wasn’t the taste itself she wanted—it was the memories attached to it.

Now then…

Between buying a portable battery to charge my smartphone and paying the train fare, we’d spent almost everything that had been in the wallet Yuuka had brought from this world.

Fortunately, we’d also taken the piggy bank from her room, which gave us at least a little Japanese cash.

Since she’d only been a high school girl back then, it contained just over 3,000 yen.

Still, it would serve as enough starting capital for now.

Along with thinking about what would happen to Yuuka’s sister and her family from here on, I also needed to figure out one important thing:

How could I legally earn money in Japan without any form of identification?