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I entered the tent carrying a dented pot filled with stream water.
In one corner of the tent was a small stove for brewing tea, which also served as a fireplace in the winter.
I lit the stove and placed the well-dried dandelion flowers into the pot.
Just a few minutes of boiling, and the dandelion tea, capturing both health and taste, would be ready.
Dandelion tea, as delicious and nutty as green tea.
Would the girl actually like the tea I brewed?
Worryingly, I stared at the vigorously boiling pot until I was startled.
There was no reason for me to worry about the girl's assessment.
'If she says it's not tasty, I'll just drink it all.'
It would only be a loss for those who refuse something good because of taste.
After pouring the finished dandelion tea into cups, I stood there blankly.
When would the girl come?
Just as I felt frustrated with the cooling tea, familiar footsteps approached from outside the tent.
"Gyeoul, can you come out for a bit?"
"Yes."
I walked out of the tent holding two cups of tea.
In the girl's hands were several unfamiliar items.
"Look, I've bought lots of barbecue supplies."
"Barbecue?"
"Yes. I thought it'd be nice to grill meat while listening to the stream."
"Ah..."
She might have a strange personality, but she knows romance.
I was worried about the expense of the items she brought.
If it was for her own satisfaction, then I had nothing to say.
"Can you help me set it up near the stream?"
"Yes, but the tea is getting cold..."
"Oh. Right! Let's drink the tea first."
She took one of the cups from my hand.
Her adventurer-like demeanor of drinking the hot tea without blowing was impressive.
"How is it?"
Looking up at the girl with the cup's rim at my lips, I felt a mix of anticipation and worry.
It was the first time someone tasted the tea I brewed.
"Mmm... It's nutty and sweet. You brewed it really well?"
"Really?"
I thought she was just a foolish witch.
Does she know enough to appreciate the taste of tea?
I felt an inexplicable relief and blew on my tea.
"Mmm."
Dandelions are indeed delicious.
As I savored the tea with my eyes closed, the girl suddenly let out a strange exclamation.
"Huh? Gyeoul, this..."
"Yes?"
The girl, with eyes wide as a horned rabbit, fidgeted with her hands.
Wondering if there was some problem, she checked herself over.
"Why does this have a doping effect...?"
Doping?
Isn't that what athletes secretly take before a competition?
As I tilted my head in confusion, I sensed someone approaching from the nearby forest.
Thud-Thud-
Through my sensitive ears, I could hear the heavy footsteps of a four-legged animal.
The sporadic grunting confirmed it was the creature that had tormented me for years.
I needed to run away quickly.
But what about the girl?
In a panic, I stamped my feet and shouted at her.
"A-a pig! A pig!"
"A pig?! I'm quite slim, though...?!"
"No, not you! A wild, fierce wild boar-!"
Perhaps my explanation was too poor, as the girl's mouth fell open in shock.
She even patted her own stomach, looking down.
"Uh, I am strong, but not to the extent of being called a wild boar..."
Was she playing around in this critical situation?
I'm angry at her playful attitude, but given the circumstances, I hastily grabbed the girl's hand and dragged her to a shelter inside the tent.
'This is bad.'
The shelter could only accommodate one person.
Only one of us, either the girl or me, could enter it.
In the frantic situation, I opened the lid of the shelter and pushed the girl's head inside.
"Hurry, get in!"
"Uh, okay?"
The girl entered the shelter without resistance.
Just as I was about to close the lid, she stuck her head out and hit it.
Thud-!
Despite the loud noise, she blinked as if nothing had happened.
"Gyeoul, what's happening?"
"A wild boar is coming!"
The wild boar was getting closer.
I wasn't sure of the exact distance, but it was probably about three hundred meters away.
As the distance to the creature decreased, my whole body trembled more intensely.
"A wild boar? I didn't feel anything."
"I heard footsteps about three hundred meters away."
"Three hundred meters?"
The girl's eyes turned towards my ears on top of my head.
Reacting to her gaze, my ears fluttered uncontrollably.
"Wow, Gyeoul, your hearing has improved so much?"
Even in a critical situation, she was intent on investigating my transformed body.
She truly was a crazy witch.
A bit angry, I used my whole body to press her head down.
"Stay hidden here until the pig leaves. I can escape up a tree."
"Gyeoul, wait a moment."
Ignoring my pressing, she suddenly stood up from her spot.
The rubber container of the shelter was so big that her upper body wasn't fully out.
"Why, why? It's dangerous..."
"It's okay. I'm much stronger than a wild boar."
"Really...?"
Wild boars in this world are as strong as elephants, right?
In surprise, I looked her up and down and realized.
She was one of the strongest beings in this world.
'Oh no.'
Maybe because I had been troubled by wild boars for so long.
I was so frazzled that I forgot who she was.
Feeling embarrassed, I just clutched at my clothes, while she lightly jumped over the shelter.
"If a wild boar shows up, I'll catch it. Don't worry too much and let's have a barbecue party."
"Really...?"
"Yep. I can take down a wild boar with just a flick."
To think she could knock out a wild boar as strong as an elephant like that.
Just how powerful is she?
The fact that I was caught by a being even stronger than the wild boar that had tormented me for years was terrifying.
I could only nod weakly in response.
"Yes..."
Next to the stream where the water flowed, I set up the barbecue equipment the girl had brought.
I put charcoal in the newly bought grill, lit the fire, and placed the meat on the grate.
Sizzle sizzle-
Just watching the meat cook made my mouth water.
I decided to eat only ten thousand won's worth.
To do that, I needed to find out the price of the meat.
"Excuse me, what kind of meat is this?"
"This? It's Naru meat."
"...Naru? What's that?"
I had never heard of a creature called Naru in my previous life's memories.
Maybe it was a meat animal exclusive to this world.
"Gyeoul, have you ever eaten Naru meat?"
The girl looked down at me with an expression of astonishment.
The meat she was holding with tongs fell under the grate.
"No. This is my first time eating it."
"That so? I bought plenty, so let's eat to our heart's content today. Okay?"
"Yes..."
Why was she reacting so dramatically to the fact that I hadn't eaten Naru meat?
Confused, but I couldn't afford to have such thoughts in front of meat.
I sat quietly on a barbecue chair the girl had brought, waiting for the meat to cook.
"Gyeoul, you can eat this."
She placed some meat on my plate.
It was undercooked, with red layers still visibly uncooked.
"Isn't this undercooked...? You can get food poisoning from raw meat...?"
Was Naru meat similar to beef?
Or was the girl just playing a trick on me?
Not knowing anything, I just looked up at her.
"It's okay. Naru meat can be eaten undercooked."
"Really...?"
Perhaps surprised that I hadn't eaten Naru meat before, she offered a forced smile.
"Yeah. It's going to be really tasty. Want to try a bite?"
"Yes."
When I poked the meat with the fork she gave me, rich juices flowed out.
'Wow.'
Had I ever eaten such incredible meat since coming to this world?
I couldn't recall anything like it as I thought back.
I decided to remember this monumental day and pushed the meat into my mouth.
Munch
After just one bite, my eyes widened in astonishment.
My tail and ears shot up, quivering with excitement.
"!"
My whole body trembled as if convulsing with the pure taste of the meat that I had forgotten for eight years.
"How is it? Tasty, right?"
"It-it's very good-!"
Could I really be allowed to eat such amazing meat?
I hesitated to eat more meat the girl offered, just watching her cautiously.
"You don't have to be so cautious. It's not that expensive, so eat as much as you want. Remember, you bought me a burger before."
"Yes, yes..."
Well, okay then.
I had bought her a hamburger and made her dandelion tea, so a few more pieces of meat should be fine.
I set aside my worries for a moment and devoured the meat.
"Yum."
I tried the meat alone, dipped it in salt, and even experimented with an unfamiliar seasoning sauce.
Naru meat was an overwhelmingly delicious meat, no matter how it was prepared.
"Gyeoul, you should eat some vegetables too."
"Yes. Should I go pick some dandelions?"
Dandelion leaves might taste good with it.
Just as I was about to rush off to pick dandelions, the girl blocked my path.
"Um... Let's just eat meat today."
"Why?"
"Just, I want to focus on the meat today."
She pushed the vegetables on the table far away.
Left were only the basic condiments like salt sauce.
Thanks to that, I could fill up entirely on meat.
Yum.
I thought as I dipped the well-cooked Naru meat in salt sauce.
It would probably taste really good dipped in ssamjang too.
"Excuse me, should I make some ssamjang?"
"Ssamjang? What's that?"
"Eh..."
She doesn't know what ssamjang is?
Could it be that this world doesn't have ssamjang?
I looked up at her in surprise.
"You don't know ssamjang...?"
"Uh, no. Is it like a seasoning from another country?"
"Cough."
It really doesn't exist here.
It seemed I had to introduce her to a taste from my homeland.
"Just wait a moment!"
"Okay!"
Salt, doenjang, sesame oil, garlic, etc.
I mixed a few ingredients and hurried back to her with the mixture.
"This is ssamjang, have you really never seen it before?"
"Uh, no. It's my first time seeing it."
Was she nervous that this unfamiliar sauce might not taste good?
Such a needless worry.
"This is really tasty."
I handed the ssamjang to her with a triumphant expression.
Maybe now it would be okay to eat a bit more meat.