Chapter 233: "Takeout" Has Been Delivered. Want an Extra Dish?
"Wait, I'm a little hungry."
Inside the study, Ryohei Tanaka held up a hand to stop Lucoa as she pressed against him, retrieving his phone from his spatial storage.
"You're hungry?" Lucoa tilted her head, then patted her chest with a bewitching smile. "Then hurry up and eat me!"
"Come on, baby!" she added, beckoning with her finger.
"My stomach is hungry!" Ryohei retorted, exasperated.
He glanced at his phone: 1:55 PM. No wonder he was hungry.
"Eh?" Lucoa's face clearly said, 'Oh, you meant that kind of hungry?' She retrieved the blueberry-milk lava cake that Pino had baked yesterday, placed it on her own body, and said with satisfaction, "Come on!"
"...I want something hot."
Ryohei glanced at the small cake, put his phone away, and rubbed his stomach. When he was truly hungry, he didn't like eating cake or cookies; he preferred something warm, preferably piping hot.
He raised a hand and pointed toward the bathroom, "Let's call it a day for now. How about we take a shower, and then I'll make something to eat?"
"Ehhh? Fine!" Lucoa drew out the word, a look of disappointment on her face. She could have easily gone another 300 rounds. Literally 300 rounds.
But since Ryohei had said so, she had no choice. She picked up the small cake from her body and devoured it in two or three bites, then followed him to the shower.
...
Half an hour later, deep in the mountains.
Since he was in another world, he had to try the local specialties. Ryohei Tanaka was currently studying a gray, oval-shaped fruit that looked like a rugby ball.
"This is 'Rice Fruit.' The seeds are very similar to rice, both in composition and taste," Lucoa explained, taking the fruit and breaking it open along its seam for him to see.
Inside were milky-white seeds, packed tightly and neatly, much like a pomegranate.
"This is good stuff!"
Ryohei's eyes lit up. He took it, interested, and held it under his nose to smell it. He caught the distinct, grain-like aroma of rice.
He looked up at Lucoa. "I remember seeing a large bamboo forest on the way here... Lucoa, go cut down two stalks for me."
On a whim, he decided to make bamboo-tube rice.
"Okay." Lucoa agreed without asking why and vanished on the spot.
Ryohei took a clay pot from his storage and scraped the "rice seeds" into it. He tossed the husk, took the pot to a nearby stream, and rinsed the seeds. He poured the "rice water" into a basin, then refilled the pot with fresh stream water to soak the seeds.
With that done, Ryohei turned back to the barbecue grill, flipped the ingredients on the grate, and basted them with more oil.
...
A three-meter-tall, six-meter-long orange "cat" with a pair of sharp tusks padded silently and gracefully up behind Ryohei.
Just as it was about to pounce, Lucoa returned, carrying two stalks of bamboo.
With a single glance from her, the giant cat froze, unable to move. A drop of cold sweat rolled down its massive face.
"Ara! Looks like 'takeout' has been delivered... Ryohei-kun, want an extra dish?" Lucoa dropped the bamboo and walked smilingly toward the giant cat.
Ryohei, seeing her approach, assumed she was the "takeout" she was referring to. Although tempted, he couldn't help but say, "At least let me get a few bites to eat first!"
"Hmm?" Lucoa stopped, tilting her head in confusion.
"..." Ryohei also paused, equally confused.
'What are you looking at? Did I say something weird?'
Then, sensing something, he turned his head.
"What the hell!"
When he saw the giant, tusked cat crouched just a few meters behind him, Ryohei jumped and cursed out loud.
The cat, still bound by an invisible force, heard Ryohei's "yell," and the terror in its eyes deepened.
Lucoa, however, covered her mouth, a sly smile on her face. "Ryohei-kun, what did you mean just now?" she purred. "The 'takeout' I meant wasn't me. It was this... kitty..."
She pointed a finger at the "kitty."
"...A misunderstanding! That's what it was!" Ryohei's mouth twitched, looking at her with slight embarrassment.
Lucoa just shrugged, tilted her neck, and changed the subject. "Of course, I can be the 'takeout,' if Ryohei-kun asks nicely!" she said, opening her left eye playfully.
"This is exactly why I misunderstood! You're always like this!" Ryohei shot back.
"My fault?"
"..."
His stomach growled loudly. Ryohei decided to eat first. He rolled his eyes at Lucoa and directed her to cut two sections of bamboo, making sure both ends were sealed by a natural joint.
He himself turned to the immobilized cat. Ever since acquiring the [Glowing Cuisine (Gold)] trait, Ryohei had an amazing intuition for ingredients—whether they would taste good, how they should be prepared...
This giant cat did not seem appetizing.
"Let this thing go," Ryohei said to Lucoa as she returned with the two bamboo tubes. "It doesn't look like it'll taste good."
"Oh, okay." Lucoa released her control.
The cat fell to the ground with a thud, then scrambled away, tail between its legs, disappearing in the blink of an eye. Ryohei chuckled at its desperate will to live.
Lucoa held up the bamboo. "What are these for?"
"Bamboo-tube rice."
Ryohei, now energized, began instructing Lucoa on how to prepare the tubes while he prepped the other ingredients, all while keeping a careful eye on the barbecue to make sure nothing burned. The two of them got to work.
~~~
Get early access to 20+ advanced chapters on Patreon!
https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
~~~
Every 5 new reviews = 1 extra chapters
Every 150 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter