Haruto underwent three days of training and began to realize his growth was astonishing compared to other students. He found that he could enhance his stats through simple exercises and acquire skills by performing basic actions. For example, when he cooked the horn rabbit, he gained skills related to cooking such as "Dish Customization," "Proper Cook," and "Roasting." These skills were at a low level and associated with the Cook job.
Yesterday, I discovered for the first time that monsters could be eaten. In that moment, my expression changed completely; my eyes no longer held a lazy demeanor but instead burned with intensity, igniting a fire within me. Unconsciously, drool escaped from the corner of my lips. The reaction of the other students was one of disgust as they distanced themselves, finding the idea of consuming monster meat repulsive. However, Haruka-sensei, Mio, Ichika, and Hinata wore smiles on their faces. It seemed as though they understood my thoughts. Despite feeling embarrassed, I gathered my courage and took a step forward toward the seniors, who watched me with eager anticipation.
Asuka's eyes sparkled as she gazed at Haruto, as if she had found a kindred spirit. A true food enthusiast, Asuka had tasted a wide array of dishes in her lifetime. Yet, when she sampled the meat of horn rabbits for the first time, its flavor filled her with euphoria. In that moment, she realized that an entire new culinary realm awaited her, brimming with dishes she had yet to savor. Since that day, Asuka had been braving encounters with monsters to satisfy her culinary cravings. However, when faced with creatures like "Lizard Soldier," "Goblin," and "Orc" that bore human-like structures, she made a vow to herself to only indulge in dishes crafted from animal-like monsters.
Encountering someone with eyes akin to hers sparked excitement in Asuka and made her feel a sense of closeness to him.
"What's his name... he has the same eyes as me, I can see it... he's eager to eat the monster meat! Even for me, a lover of food, there was some hesitation... eating meat from a monster. ...Oh! I remember his name...! Yoshikawa Haruto, the students despise him a lot... Is he a bad person? I can't judge what kind of person he is just by looking at his face! Well, whatever, let me get closer to him first," Asuka murmured quietly, making a decision for herself.
Asuka's comrades, Ai, Hiroshi, Hikari, and Jiro, observed Haruto with fascination, finding his actions amusing. Embracing the concept of monster meat as a meal proved challenging for them; their primary focus was on engaging in battles with monsters to enhance their levels. Consequently, they paid little heed to those who appeared delighted while consuming monster meat. For the first time, they experienced a sense of longing for the food they could not partake in, with the alluring aroma igniting their hunger pangs. While the notion of sampling some did cross their minds, they exercised restraint. Nevertheless, the idea lingered in their thoughts for days, eventually leading to a surge in the number of individuals indulging in monster meat consumption. Unbeknownst to them, their companion Asuka had already sampled it before joining their ranks.
On one occasion, Ai and Hikari observed Asuka attempting to conceal her presence as she hastened away. Intrigued, they opted to tail her discreetly. Following Asuka's every move cautiously, they halted when she arrived at a food stall. Ai and Hikari were taken aback; it had taken them merely a minute to walk to the stall, yet it had taken them fifteen minutes to tail Asuka there. They realized their error in failing to survey their surroundings before following her, as they would have recognized the location. The stall was closer to their camp, and they had wasted valuable time. Watching Asuka enjoy her meal of monster meat, they couldn't help but feel their own hunger intensify.
Ai and Hikari felt a sense of betrayal upon witnessing Asuka indulging in the hornrabbit skewers with evident delight. Their gaze remained fixated on the fragrant and appetizing meat, their mouths watering uncontrollably. Unable to resist any longer, a surge of determination welled up within them, prompting them to communicate silently through eye contact and devise a plan. Seizing the opportunity while Asuka was engrossed in the pleasure of her meal, they moved stealthily and clandestinely snatched some skewers for themselves.
However, their covert operation was unexpectedly interrupted when they noticed Hiroshi and Jiro also partaking in the skewers. Eyes widening in astonishment, they exchanged shocked glances, never anticipating that they would all find themselves here, pilfering skewers from Asuka's stash. Without a word spoken, they signaled each other with their eyes and proceeded to devour the skewers eagerly, their expressions alight with newfound delight as they consumed the savory delicacy with the fervor of starving individuals who hadn't tasted food in days. Once they had completed their meal, they turned their attention to the remaining skewers in the packet. Unbeknownst to them, Asuka was observing them with fury in her eyes. She was so enraged that she nearly erupted on them then and there but managed to hold herself back. Instead, she found their behavior amusing and swiftly recorded their squabble over the remaining skewers.
As a culinary enthusiast, Asuka harbored a strong desire to consume the last of the remaining skewers. However, she resisted the urge and instead opted to document her friends' antics. After stowing her phone away, her initial anger resurfaced, prompting Asuka to leap into action and engage in a scuffle with her friends on the ground. Their squabble over the leftover meat attracted the attention of bystanders, who found the scene amusing and erupted into hearty laughter.
Despite her friends ending up covered in dirt from the scuffle, Asuka wore a proud expression as the victor. After cleaning themselves up, they hastily departed from the scene, fleeing in embarrassment towards their camp. Over the next two days, they remained secluded at the campsite, consumed by shame over their behavior.
Upon later reflection, Hikari, Ai, Hiroshi, and Jiro felt deep remorse for their actions. Their attention then turned to Haruto, as they were intrigued by his fascination with monster meat. They observed him closely, hoping to glean some insight.
Haruto felt a slap on his back, almost causing him to lose his balance. He turned to see Asuka laughing beside him, leaving him perplexed.
"Oops! My bad, I may have used a bit too much force there... Anyway, Yoshikawa-kun, are you here for the monster meat? I can sense your excitement! Are you after ingredients from the other world?" Asuka's face drew close to Haruto's, almost touching, as she enthusiastically discussed her experiments with hornrabbit meat. Unaware of her proximity, Asuka's cheeks flushed red as she continued to describe her various recipes, delving into the flavors and nutrients of each. Haruto couldn't help but notice Asuka's intense passion for food, evident from her flushed cheeks and rapid breathing.
As he listened, a thoughtful expression settled on Haruto's face. He realized that it might be wise to keep his distance from this person, lest his peace be disturbed and he find himself with no time to himself.
Hikari and Ai, having devoted considerable time to observing and understanding Asuka's diverse habits and traits, approached their petite friend with the intent of intervening and guiding her away from the situation. However, as they were about to lift her, Haruto's voice broke the moment. He grasped Asuka's shoulders, gently pushing her away to maintain a safe distance between them.
Upon pushing Asuka aside and establishing a bit of distance, Haruto turned his attention to her. As Asuka regained her senses, she gazed at him with a confused expression, silently conveying with her eyes, "Why did you stop me? Couldn't you have let me finish what I was saying?" Unable to grasp Asuka's confusion, Haruto responded, "Well, of course I'm intrigued by monster meat. In MMORPG games, I used to collect loot dropped by monsters, and meat was one of the consumable items that boosted my character's HP when my health was low. So, I was wondering if it works the same way in reality. However, my interest lies solely in horn rabbit meat. Other monsters closely resemble humans, and it's psychologically challenging for me to consume the meat of humanoid creatures. Do you understand what I'm trying to say... um... Watanabe-senpai?"
Meanwhile, I expressed my thoughts, concealing my desire to taste horn rabbit meat. My throat involuntarily tightened as I contemplated the dishes Watanabe-senpai had mentioned.
Asuka, Ai, and Hikari exchanged glances, their smiles betraying a shared understanding, as if they grasped the essence of Haruto's expression. Haruto, however, found himself bewildered by their reaction and simply shrugged in response. Soon after, Hiroshi and Jiro approached him, with Hiroshi taking the initiative to address the situation.
"I apologize for Asuka's behavior. She tends to get carried away when something piques her interest, often dominating conversations without giving others a chance to speak. It's quite unusual to see her engage so enthusiastically with someone she's just met; even when we first met, Asuka wasn't one for idle chatter. Nevertheless, knowing Asuka, it won't be long before Jiro, Ai, Hikari, and I accept you as part of our group. I look forward to that time, Yoshikawa," Hiroshi remarked thoughtfully, offering Haruto a comforting pat on the shoulder.
"Yes, I understand Hiroshi's point may seem surprising to you," Jiro acknowledged, casting a thoughtful gaze over his companions. "But it holds truth. Before we met, each of us was engaged in our own pursuits, and we weren't even friends at that time. Reflecting on it now, it took us quite a while before we formed the kind of bond where we could openly share our dreams with each other."
As Jiro's words resonated with them, memories flooded back, causing them to drift momentarily into the past, reminiscing about their days as high school students. Despite Haruto's reluctance to disrupt their reverie, he couldn't ignore the palpable animosity emanating from his classmates, causing him to tremble under their glare. Their disdain for him was unmistakable.
Mio felt a surge of happiness as she watched Haruto surrounded by the seniors, engaged in lively conversation. It brought her relief to see him accepted, considering he had been ignored and scorned by their classmates because of her. However, Ichika's contentment was tinged with frustration at the hostile glares directed towards Haruto from their peers. She clenched her katana tightly, trying to suppress her mounting irritation. On the other hand, Keisuke's mood soured as he watched the seniors he had just begun to bond with flocking to Haruto's side. To Keisuke, Haruto epitomized aimlessness, merely taking advantage of Mio's kindness. In Keisuke's eyes, someone like Haruto had no right to infiltrate their friend group, especially when it came to Mio and Ichika. Fuji, being more straightforward in his thinking, didn't see anything wrong with the situation and remained steadfastly by Keisuke's side, pondering over his combat skills.
Haruka's fists came crashing down on her former students, figuratively shattering their dreams in the process. Observing Haruto's dilemma, she felt compelled to intervene. The behavior of her current students filled her with embarrassment; they harbored animosity towards a classmate merely because he had captured the attention of a beautiful girl. Reflecting on the state of this generation, Haruka couldn't help but wonder what had gone wrong. With metaphorical bumps on their heads, they sought an explanation, with Asuka leading the inquiry.
"It's been two days since you gave them combat training. Now, it's time to explain or demonstrate the benefits of consuming monster meat," Haruka declared, disregarding Asuka's explanation and shifting the focus of the students. Asuka and her companions quickly nodded in agreement upon hearing Haruka's words, which also grabbed the attention of her students. With that, Asuka gathered everyone close enough to see as she lit a campfire. They were positioned far from the area where monsters gathered on the surface, ensuring their safety beyond the monsters' range. Ai, Hikari, Hiroshi, and Jiro began to prepare the horn rabbits by cutting them up and breaking down the meat into strips.
Haruto eagerly stepped forward, longing to experience the authentic process of dismantling a monster, a sensation he had never encountered in any game. Asuka welcomed him with enthusiasm, taking his hands and guiding him through the intricacies of dismantling. In that moment, he gained knowledge and skills that set him apart from the others.
[ Skill ] -
It brought to mind the day I first obtained the
With my assistance, the task of cutting the horn rabbit's meat was swiftly completed. Now, I was prepared to aid Asuka-senpai in cooking as she imparted lessons to the students on the benefits of consuming monster meat. They listened attentively to her and her companions' explanations regarding the stat boosts and enhancements it offered. After her concise lesson, lasting about five to six minutes, Asuka prepared a simple dish of meat skewers, and I lent a hand, subsequently acquiring new skills:
[ Skill ] -
[ Skill ] -
[ Skill ] -
The enticing aroma of the horn rabbit meat skewers I expertly roasted permeated the surrounding area, captivating the senses of all present. The collective rumble of hungry stomachs echoed through the space, and in a flash, the skewer I held vanished from my grip. Nearby, the rhythmic sounds of chewing filled the air, prompting me to glance over and witness Watanabe-senpai thoroughly enjoying my culinary creation. Her trembling form and flushed cheeks suggested a sensation akin to post-exercise euphoria, adding an intriguing element to the scene. For a moment I almost thought she was doing something shameful.
The stir caused by my culinary creation, aided by my newfound skills, served as a reminder for me to exercise caution. It was on that day, or more precisely, the day before, that I discovered the extent of my skills. The initial two days were spent in physical training and battling monsters, learning the art of combat and harnessing our abilities. Then, on the third day, we delved into the advantages of consuming monster meat and the rudiments of survival cooking—a fundamental skill. And now, on this day, we were poised to embark on our inaugural dungeon expedition. Although our two days of training may pale in comparison to those who have spent years honing their weapon skills, our objective wasn't to conquer the dungeon. Rather, it was a journey of exploration—a chance to fortify our mental fortitude and acquaint ourselves with the denizens of the dungeon.