Kyaru reluctantly accepted the mug — the one that looked like Jhin had painted it with nothing but ill intent, its design shifting depending on whether liquid was inside or not. "I have a feeling you were up to no good from the very mont you picked up the brush."
She wasn't wrong. Jhin had specifically asked the shopkeeper for that special kind of mug, then painted those two particular designs just for Kyaru — purely to tease the cat-eared spy and see how she'd react.
So far, Kyaru showed no aningful difference from any ordinary mage. She hadn't gone out of her way to fish for information, and her reactions to his occasional provocations were perfectly normal for a girl her age.
Still, the most reliable thod would be to see whether I can draw a Void weapon on her. At the very least, that would confirm she isn't a puppet being controlled by [Thanatos].
"Hey! The giant frog legs are done!" Pecorine called out from beside the wok, then fished the legs out of the oil one by one.
Encased in a brilliantly golden crust, the giant frog legs were enough to make mouths water on sight alone. Between the gaps in that fish-scale-like shell, fat oozed slowly out like rich, savory at juices and dripped down onto the white plate below — a soft, steady patter that seed to urge everyone to co eat, already.
Jhin had cut the claws off each frog leg, leaving a clean length of bone as a natural handle. He picked one up and bit straight into it. The crust shattered with a satisfying crack, and beneath it — plump, juicy frog at, not entirely unlike chicken, flooded into his mouth.
He chewed slowly. It had none of the tough, chewy resistance of ordinary at. Instead, it was almost marshmallow-soft — barely any pressure at all, and the flesh dissolved into a rush of savory broth that slid warmly down his throat.
Crunch.
The batter crackled with every bite, its unique fragrance blooming under the heat of the fry — a perfect complent to the silky frog at beneath. That crisp snap at the mont of each bite was its own seasoning, the best kind, and it made it impossible to stop at just one.
It wasn't until Jhin's teeth t the smooth surface of clean bone that he realized he'd already finished an entire frog leg. He tossed the bone aside, smacked his lips — they'd gone a little dry — and reached for his mug to pour himself so carrot juice.
The carrot juice produced by the Carrot Moles carried the clean, natural sweetness of carrots without any of the raw, grassy edge. It was close to the kind of vegetable juice you'd find at a grocery store, but smoother, more refined, and far more refreshing.
No real complaints about the taste — but sothing was still missing. Jhin stared at the orange-red liquid for a mont, then let an idea take shape. Ice elents gathered and condensed, and a neat cube of ice dropped into the cup with a soft clink.
He took another sip. With the ice, the sweetness sharpened and brightened. Jhin gave a satisfied nod.
Yeah. Ice-cold drinks are the only way to go in a mont like this. It's a sha the cola supply is running low — that would've been the real thing.
Jhin reflected that even without access to high-powered attack magic right now, having this kind of casual, everyday convenience in every corner of his life really wasn't so bad. And once his skill levels climbed high enough, sheer volu of output alone would be a perfectly valid way to grind enemies into the dirt.
gumin, who had been happily working through her fried frog legs, suddenly felt a wave of quiet grief pass through her heart — as if a wallet stuffed full had been abruptly emptied out. Her little mouth, already open and poised to bite, froze in place and stayed there.
What is this feeling? Did I get food poisoning?
She glanced around at her companions in confusion. Seeing nothing amiss with any of them, she dismissed the thought and went back to enjoying her al.
Kyaru, afflicted as she was with a cat's sensitivity to heat, could only stare longingly at the freshly fried food. Fortunately, Jhin had thoughtfully cut her frog legs into smaller pieces so they'd cool down faster. Even so, the fried giant frog legs were still a touch too hot for her.
"Do you all want so ice in your carrot juice?"
Kyaru stuck out her scorched tongue and raised her cup toward Jhin. "Yes please — this fried frog leg is still way too hot."
Jhin tapped a finger, and a cube of ice dropped neatly into her cup.
"I take back what I said earlier," Kyaru said. "Forget architect — you'd make a better chef."
"Maybe I'll think about it once I'm done being an adventurer." Jhin smiled at her jab and went around adding ice to everyone else's cups as well.
Of the group, only Jhin and Pecorine had the grip strength to eat the frog legs straight off the bone. The other three had cut theirs into pieces and were eating from plates — so by the ti Jhin and Pecorine had each polished off their fifth leg, the other three were still working through their second.
Pecorine finished her sixth fried frog leg and reached for her seventh. She set the golden, chili-powder-dusted leg in front of her, then looked over at Jhin with a curious tilt of her head. "You're done already?"
"Mm, I'm full. The rest is all yours — try to finish it if you can. Fried food only tastes its best fresh out of the oil."
"Got it, leave it to !" Pecorine declared cheerfully, seized the frog leg, and bit into it with a resounding crunch. Her eyes curved into happy crescents. "The chili powder really does go perfectly with it."
"More carrot juice?"
"Yes please!"
Pecorine noticed that Jhin's own cup sat off to the side completely blank — no design on it whatsoever.
That won't do at all. Jhin drew sothing for all of us, but his own cup is completely empty. I'll have to find a mont to bring it up with everyone and figure out what to do about that.
"Here you go."
"Thank you."
Pecorine took the cup he offered her, then let out a soft, dopey little laugh — which made Jhin curious. "Pecorine, what's got you giggling all of a sudden?"
Kyaru rembered seeing the sa thing happen at lunch. She sighed and muttered, "Isn't she always like that? She gets giddy whenever the food is good."
"Well, of course eating sothing delicious is worth being happy about..." Pecorine's smile only grew wider. The firelight made her long orange hair glow like embers. She looked around at all of them — gathered together, sharing a al — and said, with genuine feeling: "But eating together with everyone like this, just like family... it's really warm, isn't it?"
"Oh, quit being sappy." Kyaru muttered under her breath and stood up, heading inside.
"Kyaru, are you done already?"
"I'm full. Going to wash my hands. The rest is up to you."
"Oh! Leave it to !" Pecorine answered brightly, and dove back into her battle with the remaining frog legs.
But Kyaru didn't go straight to the sink. She stopped just inside the doorway, leaning against the door fra, expression complicated, listening to the noise outside — ssy and warm all at once. Her right hand tightened around the collar of her blouse, pressing hard against the feelings rising in her chest.
Family... Don't go dragging into your little ga of house.
By the ti she'd composed herself and stepped back outside, Pecorine had already eaten every last remaining frog leg — and yet her waist was as slender as ever. One couldn't help but wonder if everything she ate just migrated straight to her chest.
Final tally: twenty-eight giant frog legs. Jhin ate six, Kokkoro and gumin had three each, Kyaru managed two and a half, and Pecorine demolished thirteen and a half — and still looked like she could've gone for more.
Kokkoro sighed admiringly: "Truly, no one runs out of room faster than Pecorine."
____
👻🔥Walnut-chan🔥👻
🔥 New history: Danmachi: Summoning Ruri Gokou, And other Chuunibyou Brats
🎯 100 Powerstones = 1 Bonus Chapter for everyone
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