I had never tried goat meat before. It reminded me a bit of lamb, certainly a far cry from beef. Though it was red meat, it was surprisingly tender, and just as I'd been told, it lacked any strong gaminess. It was genuinely good.
The aftertaste was quite clean, making it easy to eat even with a rich barbecue sauce without feeling heavy. Come to think of it, doesn't Okinawa have goat dishes? I’ve never been there, so I’ve never had the chance to try them, but...
"It’s more tender and delicious than I imagined."
"As expected, Master has a sharp eye for quality! This is God-spec goat meat! And the best part is... it's delicious! Beyond that, it has absolutely no special side effects whatsoever!"
"Ahaha, well, since it's food, being delicious is the most important thing. If anything, I think it would be harder to enjoy if it had some strange, powerful effect."
Certainly, with Canalis's power, she could probably produce goat meat with effects similar to the Fruit of the World Tree, but I didn't need any of that for a casual meal. If it tasted good, that was plenty.
Shifting my gaze to the others, I saw Tiana eating elegantly from a small plate rather than a skewer. Electrone, on the other hand, held a skewer up—and a moment later, the meat dissolved into light particles and was absorbed into her.
"Outputting impressions... <The flavor is certainly excellent. There is no trace of an odor; it was clearly raised with care.> ...The texture is also quite pleasing."
"...Electrone, can I take that to mean you're actually eating it?"
"Outputting affirmation... <Yes! I am enjoying it immensely. Since I am an Electronic Body, I experience the taste by taking the matter in via Electronic Information Transformation.> ...It is only natural that it looks different from those who ingest food orally."
"I-I see..."
She was literally eating data. Since she seemed to grasp the taste and texture, she must have been converting the meat into highly sophisticated information, but it was still a bizarre sight.
Marveling at the strangeness of it all, I looked back toward Tiana and noticed a vegetable on her plate that I didn't recognize. At a glance, it looked like a tiny cabbage, but...
"Tiana, what’s that vegetable? Or rather, is it even a vegetable?"
"Oh, this? It’s an ingredient from my world. Compared to things here... well, it might be faster if you just taste it yourself. Here, aahn."
"Eh? Oh, thank you."
She offered it so naturally that I reflexively took a bite. Part of it was because it was the perfect bite-sized piece, but as for the flavor... it tasted like a sweet potato. Despite looking exactly like a cabbage, the texture and taste were those of a sweet potato. Ingredients from Tiana's World were definitely strange.
"Outputting violent protest... <Haaaah?! An aahn is crossing the line, you jerk! How can you do something so enviably scandalous so nonchalantly?!> ...I protest that this constitutes a sneaky move regarding Forbidden Matters."
"Now, now... it was merely a matter of efficiency. Rather than taking out a new one and grilling it, it was much faster to give him what was already on my plate."
"Couldn't you have just placed it on a small plate and handed it over? This is a situation where even I cannot remain silent. I can't help but wonder what the very person who used to beat us up out of jealousy thinks she's doing."
Things were starting to get a bit tense. Electrone was railing against Tiana, and Canalis had jumped in to support her.
Come to think of it, I’d been trying to ignore it because it sounded like a joke, but... I’d heard rumors of a fan club, Electrone often talked about her Oshi activities, and Canalis claimed I was popular with various Otherworld Creators. Was that actually... for real?
"U-Um..."
"Master, there is no need to worry. They will maintain some moderation while they bicker. If you leave them alone, they will settle down eventually."
"I-I see."
"More importantly, Master, how about this?"
"Hmm? Is that... bacon?"
"Yes. It’s bacon smoked with wood chips from my World Tree. It’s a masterpiece I perfected through much trial and error alongside Illness and Canalis!"
"That looks delicious. If it's okay with you, Nebula, I'd definitely love to try some."
"Yes!"
I was a bit concerned about the others, but if Nebula said it was fine, it probably was. So, leaving the three glaring goddesses to their standoff, I decided to partake in Nebula's smoked bacon.
It had a faint sweetness and the deep, rich flavor of the smoke. The more I chewed, the more the savory umami seeped out. This was an incredible piece of bacon. It was to be expected given that Nebula made it, but it might have been the best bacon I’d ever eaten.
"...This is amazing. As expected of your masterpiece, Nebula. It's the best bacon I've ever had."
"It wasn't my achievement alone, but I am glad Master likes it!"
Watching Nebula beam with a lovely smile at my praise warmed my heart. I glanced back at the three who had been glaring at each other and realized they had drifted off into the distance. It had turned into a two-on-one confrontation: Tiana against the combined forces of Electrone and Canalis.
Then again, Tiana was supposedly overwhelmingly strong. I wondered if the two of them could even win together... or rather, I had a feeling they wouldn't even stand a chance.
Extra Chapter: Stomach Pain Chronicles
The Absolute One Who Even Suppresses Stomach Pain: Nebula
The sole Natural Enemy of the Stomach Pain Devil—who commits every imaginable atrocity—and the Absolute One who easily dismantles Stomach Pain Flags. Hearing that alone makes her sound like a Messiah for the Stomach Pain Warriors like Lilia and the others, but that isn't entirely the case.
The reason is that Nebula's self-identity is fundamentally that of a "Resident of Kaito's House," so she generally ignores any events or visitors at Lilia's estate.
In the previous instance as well, she didn't particularly care that Electrone and Tiana were visiting Lilia. She only reacted after hearing the word "souvenir." Therefore, it's not as if she will cancel just any stomach pain for them.
Furthermore, she currently lacks omniscience, and since her range of activity is narrow—limited mostly to the grounds of Kaito's Home—she essentially only cancels stomach pain related to Otherworld Creators.
However, unlike Alice, who won't help unless someone is truly at their breaking point, Nebula provides fundamental countermeasures at a very early stage when she does decide to help. Thus, her effectiveness when she takes action is immense.
That said, since her top priority is Kaito, she can be quite lenient when it comes to Kaito's own actions, sometimes overlooking Stomach Pain Flags entirely.