Magical Explorer
CHAPTER-23: A Beautiful Night View
Silence enveloped Hanamura house.
The maids earlier in the day might be the cause. An army of maids moving around tends to be noisy. Compared to that, the current atmosphere is exceptionally quiet. Everyone in the dining room maintains silence except for one.
How did it come to this, you ask? Well, let's not dwell on such foolish questions. The real reason is clear to everyone.
Anyone who must be here will undoubtedly keep their mouth shut.
I glanced at the object of our collective misery.
As I gazed at the colorful dishes arranged on the table, I wished I could avert my eyes. The dishes displayed a vibrant array of colors, much like a light show in a theme park. Let me reiterate, it was akin to the night view of a theme park.
The only saving grace was the white rice, the sole item on the table that appeared remotely edible.
I surveyed the room.
"………"
Ludi, her face visibly pale, remained silent. Upon spotting me, she turned her trembling lips towards me, but all I could do was shake my head.
"M-My, this looks delightful!"
Marino-san chimed in with a forced smile. Marino-san, who had made a swift exit from the scene of the creation of these culinary monstrosities, was, in fact, the primary cause of this tragedy.
"I'm rather confident."
Nee-san declared, her expression entirely devoid of emotion, while puffing out her chest. I couldn't help but wonder where she derived such unwavering confidence.
The reason for Claris-san's absence from the table was likely her ongoing recovery process. Roughly thirty minutes earlier, we had discovered her sprawled in the kitchen. There were telltale traces of something emerald-green (which also glinted in the light) around her mouth. I knew immediately what had caused it. It would likely be some time before she was revived.
As a result, I had missed my opportunity to return her panties. Now, they would have to be stashed away as my secret treasure.
"Now, let's eat."
For some reason, Nee-san's words sounded like a death sentence.
I averted my gaze and noticed that both Ludi and Marino-san were watching me. Though they hadn't vocalized it, it was apparent they expected me to taste the horrors first.
I grabbed a spoon and scooped up the mysterious substance before me. It had a texture akin to pudding. But why? Why did its color shift depending on the angle at which I viewed it, as though I were looking at oil slicks on water?
"It should be delicious since I cooked the meat thoroughly," Hatsumi-neesan commented.
Had that meat undergone a chemical transformation?
I silently prayed for it to be palatable and placed it in my mouth.
Suddenly, voices echoed from somewhere. It wasn't just one voice; it was a chorus of women beckoning me. They promised there were many beautiful girls waiting for me there (all looking like high school students but over eighteen, of course). They urged me to open wide so they could feed me fruits. Moreover, they said I could enroll in an all-girls' school despite being male. What a splendid place it must be. I was ready to go there immediately.
As I decided to cross over, I felt a pain in my left leg.
"Ha!!"
Ludi had frantically struck my leg, snapping me back to reality.
"How is it?"
Nee-san inquired.
"Y-Yeah, it appears you still need more practice," I replied. Consuming this dish required a level of resolve equivalent to facing certain death in multiple ways.
"Uh!"
Suddenly, a sound emerged from behind. When I turned to look, I witnessed Marino-san, who had been assured that the white rice was safe, clutching her throat.
"Hatsumi, don't tell me you washed the rice with detergent?"
"Yes, it seemed strong, so I used it."
"Is that so? You see, Hatsumi, rice should be rinsed with water, not detergent."
It seemed the rice had been a deadly trap.
"I'm sorry; I'll be more careful next time. Ludivine-san, feel free to eat anything except the rice."
Ludi, who was still stunned by our exchange, suddenly jumped in surprise.
"Eh, umm."
She gingerly picked up her spoon with a forced smile.
I averted my eyes from her and forced the rest of the dish into my mouth while suppressing my trembling hand.
The taste was an assault of bitterness, sourness, heat, and pain. The texture was akin to salmon roe, disintegrating with each chew, and I couldn't help but grimace. Furthermore, every time I bit into it, the bitterness and acidity spread throughout my mouth. The warmth only accentuated the overall unpleasantness.
Upon the dish's initial entry into my mouth, the bitterness and sourness had spread, lingering even after I swallowed it.
"AaaaaAAaaaaaaAAH………………○×■＃★〒‡▼※"
I heard a strange scream coming from beside me—it was Ludi's.
Immediately after her inexplicable scream (which might have been the death throes of her body), she stood up and hastily left the room.
Hatsumi-neesan sadly lowered her gaze, and Marino-san, having witnessed this, nervously remarked, "M-My my, I wonder what happened to Ludivine-chan. Maybe she's experiencing morning sickness or something."
Marino-san's behavior seemed rather strange, and I didn't have the time or energy to respond. However, I couldn't bear to see the dejected expression on Nee-san's face, so I forcibly consumed the remainder of the dish.
Before I knew it, I was back in my room, collapsing in front of my desk. On the desk lay a note with the message "Form is emptiness, Emptiness is form." Had I just glimpsed the ultimate truth of the universe? I couldn't decide if my inability to remember was a good or bad thing.
(TLN: For those interested in learning more about Buddhism.)
Knock, knock—I heard someone rapping on my door. It couldn't be Marino-san or Nee-san; they would have called out to me. So, which of the other two was it?
"Please, come in."
The door slowly opened, and Ludi's face appeared. Her elf ears, usually standing tall, drooped, and her face remained pale. It was evident that she had not yet recovered from the earlier ordeal.
She entered the room without a word, settling into seiza posture on the carpet. Then, she finally spoke.
"…Hey, are you still alive?"
She seemed genuinely concerned. I realized that not too long ago, I had been in a similar state to hers.
"…That's something to be happy about."
"Happy?… What are you talking about?"
At that moment, her stomach let out a cute "KuuU~~" sound. However, she hardly reacted to it. If this were an eroge, her face would have already turned crimson, and she might have stammered, "It's not what it looks like! It must be some kind of conspiracy!!" or come up with a similarly unconvincing excuse. But now, she simply placed her hand on her stomach.
I offered her a cup ramen without saying a word. It was the most expensive one I had bought at the convenience store.
However, she remained motionless after receiving it. It seemed she didn't know how to prepare it. I took the cup from her and poured mineral water into the electric kettle in my room. After showing her how to prepare it, I handed it back.
I also gave her a pair of chopsticks, and she began eating slowly.
Tears welled up in her eyes.
"Uuu, it's delicious, so delicious…"
She began to cry. I understood how overwhelming this experience had been for her.
However, seeing her cry affected me in ways I hadn't anticipated. It made me lose my composure.
She wasn't the type to cry easily. True, I had seen her cry on occasion, like at the hotel, but that was the extent of it. In the game, I had only witnessed Ludi cry during the climax of the battle against The Evil God Cult. There were no other instances.
Yet, here she was, crying.
Seeing her crying face while eating cup ramen was something I hadn't expected to witness.
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