episode_0128

Experiencing New Things

Four hours had already passed since we arrived at the underground facility and began our investigation. Realizing from his watch that it was already evening, Dio V Runner placed the papers he was holding onto the table, stretched, and spoke to me.

“Whew… How about we stop the investigation here for today, Zeke? It’s already almost 8 PM.”

“Has it gotten that late already? Phew… Well, I guess time had to pass that quickly. Even when we find papers, only Dio V Runner-nim can interpret what’s written on them. Sigh… I wish I had learned this language too…”

“If I had known, I would have borrowed a translator from those R.S guys. Anyway, we’ve moved around a lot today, so I think it’s best we rest now.”

“Indeed… Ugh… I’m starting to get hungry. I didn’t even realize I was hungry while investigating…”

“Hehehehe… So, it’s my turn to step up! Just say the word! Any dish is no problem…..”

“Wait!! Don’t light a fire!!!”

The moment Aria, realizing I was hungry, placed twigs on the ground and was about to light a fire, Dio V Runner hastily stopped her. Aria’s expression turned serious as she spoke to Dio V Runner.

“Zeke-nim said he was hungry. And you dare stop me from making a dish full of love for such a Zeke-nim?”

“Lighting a fire carelessly anywhere can lead to big trouble. Especially here, it’s full of dust, so we don’t know what might happen! So don’t light a fire carelessly!!”

Dio V Runner hastily stopped Aria, who was trying to light a fire, explaining that this place was full of dust and lighting a fire carelessly could lead to an accident. Aria then sighed deeply and pointed at the flamethrower attached to Dio V Runner’s arm, saying.

“So, are you saying we should cook and eat using that?”

“Phew… I just found something, so everyone follow me. We can cook safely using this.”

“Launcher-ssi had a reason for stopping you, so let’s follow him for now. If Launcher-ssi shows us a safe way to make a fire, then you can cook to your heart’s content.”

“Tch… Alright.”

When I coaxed her by asking if she could cook to her heart’s content once we found a safe way to do so, Aria replied, slightly sulking, that she understood. Hmm… It seems she really wants to cook right now… I hope Launcher-ssi doesn’t guide us too far…? Here…

“Isn’t this… where the machine called a refrigerator, where we store meat, is?”

I was bewildered when I realized that the place Dio V Runner led us to was where the refrigerator, where we stored meat, was located. Dio V Runner then fiddled with a shelf-like machine next to the refrigerator, which had a grill-like top surface, and began to explain.

“Refrigerators are usually found near tools that can cook ingredients. And… if you press this second button and put fire inside…”

Dio V Runner pressed a button and then sprayed a small flame from his flamethrower into the grill, causing the flame inside the grill to burn fiercely. Dio V Runner then took his hands off the machine and spoke to Aria.

“This is a machine that can safely make fire. It’s a device that preserves fire. So with that….”

“You mean I can cook?! I’ll do it right now!!!”

“The surroundings are dusty, so first… Huh?”

As Dio V Runner briefly explained how to use the machine, Aria immediately took meat out of the refrigerator and was about to start cooking. Just as Dio V Runner was about to suggest clearing the dust first, Aria, at incredible speed, already wiped the shelf clean with a water-soaked cloth, placed clean leaves on it, and began preparing the meat, leaving him greatly bewildered.

‘Did you want to make food for Zeke that quickly, Aria…’

“Launcher-ssi will get used to it soon, so you don’t have to be so flustered.”

“….To say that, it seems you haven’t fully adapted to Aria yet either, Zeke.”

“Ahem….”

When Dio V Runner couldn’t adapt to Aria’s actions, I advised him not to be flustered, as he would get used to it soon. But then Dio V Runner pointed out that I didn’t seem to have fully adapted to Aria myself, and since it was true, I couldn’t say anything and just cleared my throat. As Dio V Runner said, I hadn’t yet adapted to everything about Aria…

“Hehe-hem~ Hmm~”

“Still, she seems to be good at cooking. Where on earth did she learn such cooking skills?”

“She said she taught herself…”

“….It was talent.”

When I told him Aria had taught herself how to cook, Dio V Runner replied as if dumbfounded. Well… that’s possible. She’s good at fighting, good at cooking… I don’t even know how many talents Aria has… Sympathizing with Dio V Runner’s reaction, I noticed he was pondering something and asked him.

“Launcher-ssi, you look unwell… Is there something you’re worried about?”

“Sigh… Well… I’m sensitive to food from other worlds… So I usually get by on canned food. That’s why I’m not sure if I can eat Aria’s cooking…”

“Whew… Please try it first and then tell me, Launcher-nim. I’m happy as long as Zeke-nim eats my cooking, but since Launcher-nim needs to be Zeke-nim’s guide, I think it’s best you eat something that will make you healthy.”

Aria placed a pot of stew on the table, took out a bowl, transferred some stew into it, and encouraged him to try it. I was greatly astonished that Aria had offered her cooking to Dio V Runner… Aria was finally offering her food to someone else?!

“What’s gotten into you? Why are you offering your food to someone else, of all people…”

“Living here with Zeke-nim forever isn’t bad, but… I also need to formally greet Zeke-nim’s parents. I realized I can’t stay trapped here forever. If I can’t even have a formal meeting of the families… I won’t be able to formally marry Zeke-nim!!!”

“Your mind really works fast when it comes to things like that, Aria…..”

As Aria explained that if she couldn’t leave here, she wouldn’t be able to meet my parents, and therefore, she absolutely needed him as a guide, Dio V Runner looked bewildered and accepted the bowl of stew Aria offered. He then picked up a spoon, stirred the stew for a while, and then sighed deeply, saying.

“Phew… It certainly looks like a delicious stew to the eye… but I wonder if I, being sensitive to food, can safely eat it… Still, since she even made some for me, I should try it… Let’s see…”

Dio V Runner recalled that although Aria had made it with care for me, she had also made a portion for him. Taking a slow spoonful of stew, he put it into his mouth, despite his food sensitivity. At that moment, Dio V Runner froze, dumbfounded, and I, seeing this, exclaimed in great alarm.

“La… Launcher-ssi, are you alright?! What did Aria put in this stew?!”

“I just put in what I normally put in, though?”

Then, could it be that Dio V Runner-ssi was completely incompatible with the food of Krentid World?! As Aria said she hadn’t put anything special in and had used the same ingredients to make the stew, I was greatly astonished and shouted, looking at Dio V Runner, who was frozen with a spoon in his mouth.

“Aaaah! Launcher-ssi froze!! What on earth is this…”

“Impossible… This… This taste… How on earth did she create such a flavor…?!”

“Huh?”

Dio V Runner suddenly wondered how such a taste was created, took another bite of the stew, and then gazed at it in utter astonishment. He then fished out each ingredient from the stew, his expression bewildered, and said.

“Vegetables, meat. Did she cook using these two ingredients along with various spices and seasonings…? The meat is tender and delicious, and the vegetables are so soft they go down like meat, with no crispiness at all… Moreover, this stew is packed with various nutrients… Did she develop an ideal dish for an explorer because Zeke is an explorer?”

“Hehehehe… For Zeke-nim, making healthy and delicious food is easy now!”

As Aria triumphantly declared that making healthy and delicious food for me was now easy, Dio V Runner gazed at the stew again. Then, he let out a dumbfounded chuckle and began to lavish praise on Aria’s stew once more.

“Ha… Indeed… This taste is comparable to the food of a person named Hirugen at the R.S. restaurant. Beyond its nutritional value, it’s strongly seasoned to revive a tired body. But it’s not overly strong… Zeke, it seems you are truly fortunate to have met Aria…”

“Hehehehe!!! Have you finally realized that Zeke-nim absolutely needs Aria, and Aria absolutely needs Zeke-nim, Dio V Runner!”

“It’s *that* good…?”

Dio V Runner did not hold back his praise for the stew, even remarking that I was truly fortunate to have met Aria. Aria, even more triumphantly, declared that she and I were inseparable, leaving me bewildered. Well… thinking about it… I had never gotten sick from Aria’s cooking so far… Wait. So Aria had learned to cook by herself and cooked for me without ever having done it before… and I was perfectly fine after eating those dishes… What on earth is Aria…? Realizing just how incredible Aria’s cooking skills truly were, I was greatly bewildered, unable to summarize her talent in a single category.

“Here, Zeke-nim, please eat up~ This is food I made with all my heart~!”

As I stood bewildered, Aria handed me a bowl of stew. Realizing there was no need to delve deeper into Aria’s talents, I ate her stew. Yes, well… It’s good if Aria can do many things. To think I had such a versatile companion by my side… I knew it, but even knowing it again, I couldn’t stop being amazed… So, without thinking further, I finished the meal with everyone. Then, as Aria was cleaning the dishes, she suddenly recalled something and asked Dio V Runner.

“Ah, Launcher-nim. Earlier, I found several things… but there was one item that gave me a certain feeling, so I brought it along.”

“Hmm? What is it?”

“It’s this.”

“!!!”

When Aria said she had found an item that gave her a certain feeling while investigating the facility earlier, and took it out of her pocket to show him, Dio V Runner was so surprised his mouth hung open, then he suddenly turned his head to me. Wh… Why is he acting like this all of a sudden…?

“….Uh… that… that’s….”

“….Hmmm… As expected, Launcher-nim knows something, right? Tell me honestly, Launcher-nim.”

“Ugh… Hmmm… I… I’m sorry, Zeke…”

“Huh?”

Dio V Runner, who seemed to know the identity of the square object Aria took out, hesitated greatly under Aria’s pressure, then suddenly apologized to me, leaving me bewildered. Dio V Runner then stood up, approached Aria, and began to operate the object she was holding while explaining.

“This is an object called a camera. If you use this, you can capture a scene in this device. But whether it will turn on…! Hmmm…”

“Oh my. Something’s starting to appear on this, it’s turned on, right?”

‘….Wait. A scene…?’

As light appeared on the device and something began to show, Aria asked if it had turned on, and Dio V Runner’s expression grew even worse. I then recalled Dio V Runner’s explanation and remembered that the device in Aria’s hand could capture a scene. An ominous feeling began to creep over me, and at that moment…

“Ack!”

“Oh? Light is coming out? Could this be what you mentioned… Ack?!”

“???”

From the device called a camera, a cylinder slowly began to rise towards me, then emitted light from its side. Then, with a click sound, the light turned off. Aria asked Dio V Runner about it, and Dio V Runner sighed deeply, operated the device, and showed something to Aria. When Aria was so surprised she couldn’t close her mouth, I, with an uneasy feeling, looked at what Aria had seen. I, too, was greatly astonished, and Dio V Runner, as if resigned, sighed deeply and explained to us.

“You can check what’s visible from the front through the screen on the back. And… Sigh… if you press the button… the lens on the front of the camera captures the scene in front. And the captured scene… the photo, can be checked by pressing the button on the side of the camera.”

“Oh… oh my… To think such a thing exists in the future… But it’s a very good item for exploration, so why did you apologize to me, Dio V Runner…?”

The camera device Aria had found was clearly a tool that could greatly aid in exploration, so recalling Dio V Runner’s sudden apology to me, I asked him why he had apologized. Dio V Runner said nothing, his expression serious, and turned his head away, ignoring me. And then…

“……”

“Hehehehe… So this is that kind of tool…? Hehehehehe…”

“…..Ah.”

When I heard the sinister chuckle from beside me, I finally understood why Dio V Runner had apologized to me. Ah… I see. If the camera had fallen into my hands, I would have used it usefully during exploration… But if the camera had fallen into Aria’s hands…?

“I knew I felt something about it… but to think it would be a tool beyond my expectations… I’ll use it well, Dio V Runner… Thank you for telling me…?”

“Ah, it had no battery. It turned off because it had no power.”

Aria, who had been rubbing the camera with her hand, was greatly flustered when the rear screen, which showed the front view of the camera, suddenly turned black. Dio V Runner explained that it had turned off due to lack of power. Phew… What a relief… While there’s a slight feeling of regret, since it turned off due to lack of power, Aria will probably give up, right…?

“That’s a shame, Aria. The camera turned off, so…?”

“Huh?”

Suddenly, Aria silently took the camera and went somewhere, then squatted down and began to do something. Dio V Runner, curious about what Aria was doing, approached to check, and seeing his back twitch, I asked in great bewilderment.

“La… Launcher-ssi? Why are you suddenly acting like that…?”

“It’s blinking, is it working?!”

“…..What?!”

Aria suddenly turned her head and showed an orange light blinking in the upper right corner of the camera’s back, asking if it was working, and I was greatly astonished. Then, I saw something connected to the camera, and following that connection, I saw the wire connected to a small thermal power generator, which greatly bewildered me. Dio V Runner let out a hollow laugh and said to Aria.

“Ha… Haha… How did you figure out how to charge the camera’s battery?”

“It’s intuition~ Well… then… Hehehe… The journey seems like it’s going to get a lot more interesting…”

As Aria instantly understood how to charge the camera’s power source, Dio V Runner chuckled in utter disbelief. Aria then said she figured it out by intuition and began to let out a sinister chuckle, declaring that the journey would be even more enjoyable… What am I going to do now…?