Thirty-eight hours had passed—a grueling stretch of time that felt less like cooking and more like an elaborate scientific experiment.
A rich, heavy fragrance now permeated the Sperm Whale, a scent so potent it practically defied description.
The sweet-and-salty aroma of soy sauce and sugar was sharpened by the refreshing zing of ginger. But more than anything, it was the dense, carnal scent of the giant creature’s collagen—broken down by the heat and dissolved into a thick broth—that stimulated the appetite to an almost unbearable degree.
Beep, beep, beep...
The electronic chime of the commercial steam convection oven signaled that the mission was complete.
"...That took forever."
I let out a long, weary breath and reached for the oven handle.
Right then—
Whirrr...
Accompanied by a low mechanical hum, a small maintenance drone wobbled its way into the kitchen.
Usually, this rugged machine spent its days hauling crates in the cargo room, but its movements now were strangely organic. Its camera eye pulsed with a rhythmic red light as it nuzzled against my leg.
"...Pumpkin? Is that you?"
『—<< Affirmative >>... << Fragrance >>... << High Energy Reaction >>...』
A synthesized voice crackling with static leaked from the drone's speaker.
It seemed the bio-core in the engine room had hijacked the drone to serve as its avatar. Even for a fusion of plant and machine like him, the aroma escaping during the cooking process must have felt like a premonition of "nutrition" that simply couldn't be ignored.
One of the cleaning drone's sensors had probably picked up the unique chemical compounds in the air. Since Lucia and the bio-core shared management of the ship’s drones, it wasn't surprising he could hitch a ride.
"You're one greedy vegetable. ...Fine, stay there. I’ll give you a front-row seat."
I gave the drone a playful nudge with my foot and pulled open the oven door.
Whoosh!!
A cloud of pure white steam erupted, momentarily veiling my vision.
As the mist cleared, a shimmering, golden, quivering mass of meat was revealed.
The eighty-centimeter eyeball had been carved into several large blocks, each one so tender it looked ready to collapse under its own weight. The ocular muscles, which had once been incredibly tough, had unraveled into individual fibers, and the thick layers of gelatin had turned a translucent, beautiful amber.
"...Incredible. President, look at that. It’s so jiggly it doesn't even look real."
Behind me, Mina let out a sharp intake of breath.
I carefully reached out with a pair of tongs. If I applied even a fraction too much pressure, the meat would simply disintegrate. I gently transferred a portion to a plate and drizzled it with a generous ladle of the "sauce"—the simmering liquid that had been reduced to a thick, savory glaze.
"It’s done. 'Vacuum-sealed Slow-cooked Star Tuna Eyeball'."
As I carried it to the table, the dish already seemed to transcend the very concept of seafood.
At a glance, it resembled an expertly braised pork belly or stewed oxtail. Yet, its luster and transparency radiated a presence unique to "food from another world," unlike any ingredient I had ever known.
"I-I'm diving in..."
Everyone took their seats. The bio-core's drone managed to secure a spot at the edge of the table, fixing its camera eye on the plate.
Mina was the first to move.
She tried to spear a piece of meat with her fork—and stopped.
"Eh... It won't stab. It’s just... sinking...?"
The weight of the fork alone was enough to slice through the meat. She scooped up the piece and brought it to her mouth.
"......!!"
Mina froze. Her eyes went wide and began to tremble, and her rat ears stood straight up.
"...What... is this...?"
She covered her mouth, staring at the plate as if she were witnessing a miracle.
"I didn't even chew... it just vanished. The second it touched my tongue, the meat turned into soup! It’s like a concentrated ball of umami just detonated in my mouth!"
"Hmph. Is it truly that impressive?"
Professor Stein didn't even bother with a knife. He cut a piece with his fork and brought it to his lips.
Actually, he didn't even bite down; he simply pressed it between his tongue and the roof of his mouth.
"...I see. This is quite extraordinary."
The old professor looked toward the ceiling and let out a deep, heavy sigh of satisfaction.
"Normally, a gelatinous material of this density would either become as tough as rubber when heated or melt away into nothingness. However, this dish miraculously teeters right on that 'boundary line.' While it maintains its solid form, its melting point is almost perfectly calibrated to the temperature of the human mouth."
The Professor continued his lecture with an ecstatic expression.
"The moment it touches the tongue, the gelatin’s mesh structure collapses. The Star Tuna’s energy fat—trapped inside alongside the deep savory notes of the dashi—becomes a torrent that ravages the taste buds. ...This is not 'eating.' Nor is it 'drinking.' Describing it as 'fusing' with the palate would be more appropriate."
"...Ah... mngh..."
As for Emulgand, they had abandoned the idea of a review entirely. With teary eyes, they shoveled meat into their mouth, swallowed, and immediately reached for more. It was a mechanical, repetitive motion, as if they couldn't spare the mental resources for speech while their brain was being flooded with pleasure chemicals.
I tasted my own portion.
—It was heavy. The sheer mass of the flavor was on a different scale.
The sweet-and-salty glaze, the fragrance of the ginger—the overwhelming membrane of collagen wrapped it all together. The ocular muscle sections unraveled into tender shreds, releasing a burst of concentrated juice with every bite. The gelatinous parts clung to my tongue with a decadent silkiness, leaving an alluring sweetness as they disappeared.
The only thing capable of standing up to this was alcohol—or rice. I tossed a spoonful of synthetic rice into my mouth. The dry starch mingled with the rich fat, sublimating into the ultimate carbohydrate experience.
"...Not bad. No, it’s the best."
As I groaned in appreciation, the drone beside me began to blink its light frantically. It swung its work arms around, pointing insistently at the plate.
『—<< Request >>... << Sample >>... << Ingestion >>...!』
"I know, I know. Here, you can have the 'end piece.' That’s where the flavor is strongest."
I placed a small portion of the meat on a saucer in front of the drone. Its arm grabbed the dish with surprising dexterity, and the machine immediately spun around, scurrying out of the kitchen. It was likely taking the shortest route back to the engine room to deliver the prize to its main body.
A few seconds later, audio played through the drone's speaker.
『—<< High Efficiency >>... << Optimization >>... << Excellent >>!!』
There was no mention of the taste, but in terms of energy efficiency, it seemed to be the highest possible rating. If it was happy, that was all that mattered.
"Haha. I guess even a plant thinks it’s delicious."
Lucia was also quietly finishing her meal. In her case, her expression remained stoic, but the air around her felt noticeably softer.
"Master. Through the ingestion of this ingredient, the definition of 'Happiness' within my emotional emulator has been updated. ...I feel a profound sense of fulfillment."
"I'm glad to hear that."
In that moment, all thirty-eight hours of effort were rewarded.
The eyeball, despite its massive size, was rapidly disappearing from the plates.
All that remained were the sighs of full stomachs and a lingering touch of loneliness as the feast ended.
Author's Note: Are people who like to eat the eyes of simmered fish a minority...?
If you enjoyed this chapter, please hit the "★" button! It might just upgrade Akito's dinner for tomorrow. Thank you for your support!