"Wow, Eris, what kind of bird is that?!" I ask, my eyes wide as I stare at the colossal drumstick in her hand.
"Oh, this?" Eris points to the giant piece of meat.
The thing is gigantic—easily over 2 kilograms per drum!
"Yeah!" I nod. "I've never seen anything that big before!"
Eris grins. "Oh! It's from a wild Filoan chicken, a staple meat around here. There's plenty of them in the nearby forests, so people hunt and eat them every day. But… you don't remember that either?"
"Ah…" I stammer. "Y-yeahhh… That's why I was so surprised…"
"I-I see… That's really sad." Eris's smile falters for a moment. But then, her expression brightens again, and she beams at me. "Well, on the bright side, you now get to try new food again!" she says with excitement and hands me a drumstick. "Come on, try it!"
I'm about to refuse, feeling guilty about taking her food. But before I can even form the words…
The aroma hits me.
The scent of perfectly grilled chicken wafts into my nose—charcoal-kissed skin, coated with caramelized honey, seasoned with with fragrant herbs.
Ohhh!!!
The smell is intoxicating, so good that it makes my head spin, and my mouth waters uncontrollably.
I'm losing my mind!
"I-Is that okay?" I ask hesitantly.
"Why? Of course!" Eris says cheerfully, pushing the drumstick toward me with a grin. "Eat up!"
Now holding it, I can feel the heat radiating from the meat. The smell is absolutely irresistible.
"Let's take a bite at the same time! Cheers!!!" Eris exclaims, raising her drumstick high with a bright smile.
"C-cheers!!!" I echo, mirroring her action and tapping my drumstick against hers in a playful clink.
"Alright, together on three!" Eris says, her voice brimming with excitement. "One, two… THREE! NOM!"
Eris takes a big, hearty bite, and I follow suit, sinking my teeth into the crispy, golden-brown skin.
The second my teeth break through to the tender, juicy meat underneath, a flood of savory juices explodes in my mouth—a burst of liquid heaven.
WWWWWWWWWWWWOOOOOOOOOOOOWWWWW!!!
It's SOOOOO GOOD!!!
My mind explodes with flavor.
My taste buds are dancing, every sensation lighting up in pure bliss.
Saliva rushes out of my mouth as I savor the bite, unable to hold back the wave of pleasure surging through me.
My eyes roll back slightly, my whole body trembling in delight.
I'M TRANSCENDING REALITY!
"MMMMMMHHHHHHMMMM!!!"
I can't stop myself from making a series of embarrassing, satisfied sounds.
But I don't even care anymore!
Nomnomnomnom…
I savor each chew, letting the rich flavors linger on my tongue before finally swallowing the bite.
As the warm, flavorful meat slides down, a comforting heat spreads through my body.
It feels… amazing.
"Wow…" I murmur, breathless from the sheer joy of it all.
This is the best thing I've eaten in my entire life!!!
It's so incredible!
Isekai life, heck yeaaahhh!!!
But then, I glance at Eris…
And I freeze, absolutely terrified.
What… the actual—!?
My jaw practically hits the floor.
In front of me, it's not Eris anymore—it's a freaking monster!
She's devouring that meat like a wild beast unleashed!
CHOMP!!!!
With a bite, her sharp teeth tear into the flesh savagely. Her eyes narrow with primal focus. Then, her neck and hand move in opposite directions, pulling the meat apart as if it were nothing! The ferocity is unreal. Absolute animalistic!
The meat juices splashes everywhere, drip down her chin. She just wipes it with her napkin. And then, with another swift, brutal motion, she rips another chunk of meat from the bone, chewing vigorously like an apex predator.
And just like that, Eris's whole body is moving—leaning into the feast with fierce hunger, her fangs flashing as she attacks the drumstick.
In the blink of an eye, all the meat on that drumstick is gone!
But Eris isn't done yet.
She gnaws on the bone… CRACK!!!
It shatters like glass, splinters flying as the sound echoes, popping like popcorn!
And then, slurp!!!
She sucks out the bone marrow with a loud noise.
Finally, she attacks the cartilage, ripping it from the bone's head, chewing through it crunchily.
Then, as Eris picks up another drumstick and gazes at me, unblinking.
Everything clicks.
Oh my god.
THAT'S the reason why!
I was wondering why Eris and Lilly looked at me like I'd done something absurd when I placed my order—something utterly stupid.
And it turns out… I was!
Eris is a catgirl.
I'm a catgirl too.
And as catgirls… WE DON'T EAT VEGETABLES!!!
"E-Eris…" I murmur in embarrassment, realizing just how ridiculous I was. "D-do catgirls eat vegetables? You only eat meat, right?"
Eris finishes chewing and swallows, wiping her mouth with a napkin.
"Well, you do!" she says with a teasing smile.
"No! I mean… does anyone else, except me, eat veggies?" I clarify, feeling my face heat up.
"Well, I've never seen anyone else like that!" she replies, laughing.
….
Fuuuccckkk…!!!
I feel so utterly stupid right now…
"Aaaaa!!! I see!!!" Eris suddenly exclaims, as if something just clicked. "Don't tell me… you even forgot what your diet was?"
"Ah… y-yeah, apparently so," I admit sheepishly, scratching my head.
"AHA! That explains it!!!" Eris bursts out laughing. "I was literally thinking, what the hell were you doing, ordering food like little rabbit? Well, now that you remember, eat up! And let's go for another tray!"
"Y-YEAHHH! Let's go for another tray!"
I yell along, still feeling stupid, but well, more food is coming, and I can't wait!
In the end, we devour three Filoan bird drumsticks each.
It was feral. It was wild, messy but amazingly fun! It took me a while to get used to eating like a real catgirl—turning off all my etiquette and unleashing the ravenous beast inside.
But once I did, the food just tasted ten times better.