The 28th day of the Month of Wind. That day, I found myself in the depths of despair.
I had always suspected a day like this might come, but the moment had finally arrived.
It happened during dinner at Lilia-san’s mansion. I set my fork down on my half-finished plate and let out a quiet sigh, shaking my head.
"……Kaito-senpai? Is something wrong?"
"Ah, no… I just don't have much of an appetite, I guess."
"Are you all right, Kaito-san? You look a bit pale…"
"No, really, I'm fine."
Hina-chan and Aoi-chan, who were sitting nearby, spoke up with concern. I did my best to force a strained smile, but I couldn't quite hide the unpleasant sensation crawling through my gut.
That was when Lilia-san noticed. She rushed over to me in a total panic. This was my greatest miscalculation.
"Kaito-san?! Are you okay? Do you feel sick somewhere…?"
"No, it's not that…"
"I was being so careless! Even if your Blessing prevents actual diseases, it won't stop a collapse from sheer exhaustion… Luna! Arrange for a doctor immediately!"
"Wait! No, that’s not—?!"
This was bad. Things were spiraling out of control way too fast. Lilia-san was being way too much of a worrywart—calling a doctor just because I wasn't hungry was a massive overreaction!
But what was I supposed to do? How did it even come to this?
"Milady, it is quite late, and Miyama-sama's condition doesn't appear to be that critical. For now, why don't we have him rest for the night and see how he feels in the morning?"
"Y-Yes! Exactly! I think that's for the best."
For once, I wanted to give Lunamaria-san a thumbs-up. What a perfect save. Surely Lilia-san would—
"No! What if Kaito-san 'dies' while we’re waiting?!"
"I’m not going to die! Am I really that far gone in your head?!"
The overprotective Lilia-san was not easily swayed. In the end, even I—the one supposed to be resting—had to join Lunamaria-san in soothing her.
Eventually, Lilia-san relented. I was ordered to remain on absolute bed rest for the night, with the understanding that we would call a doctor if I hadn't recovered by morning.
Later, lying in my bed with a damp towel on my forehead, I stared at the ceiling and sighed.
How did I get myself into this mess? I couldn't tell them now. I couldn't possibly admit that there was actually nothing wrong with my health at all.
Then again, I never actually said I was sick, did I? I just said I wasn't hungry, and suddenly I’m being treated like I’m on my deathbed. Seriously, why…?
As I was wallowing in my self-inflicted misery, my bedroom door flew open with a bang.
"Kaito-kun?! Are you okay?! I heard you collapsed and came as fast as I could!"
"……Where are you getting this news…?"
"Shaltier told me! Oh, right! I brought fruit! Do you want some?"
"Wait, Kuro—thanks, but that’s way too much! What is that, a whole harvest?!"
Kuro burst into the room looking like she was in a total state. She reached into her black coat and pulled out enough fruit to literally fill half the room. Leaving the mountain of snacks behind her, she rushed to my bedside, looking flustered and frantic.
"Are you okay? Does it hurt anywhere? Should I change the towel?"
"No, really, I'm fine…"
"I-Is that so? Thank goodness…"
Hearing my reassurance, Kuro let out a long sigh of relief and sat down on a small chair she had conjured next to the bed.
"But falling ill so suddenly… you must have been pushing yourself too hard. You have to rest properly."
"……Actually, Kuro…"
"Yeah?"
"The truth is… I'm not really sick."
"……Eh?"
My conscience couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was because it was Kuro, but I couldn't keep lying. I slowly began to explain the actual situation.
"……U-Um… so, to summarize… Kaito-kun just didn't want to eat something he disliked, and when you said you weren't hungry, everyone just assumed the worst?"
"……Yes. Exactly."
I wanted to vanish into the floorboards from pure shame. Yes, in the end, that was the root cause of this entire disaster.
The truth is—and I know it's childish and pathetic—I absolutely hate green peppers.
I’ve never been able to handle them. Maybe it’s because my childhood memories of hating them were so vivid, but my body just has a physical rejection to the taste.
I’d been worried about this since I arrived. I knew this world had ingredients like Riple Fruits that were basically just Earth foods with different names. I’d been on guard, thinking green peppers might exist here too, but since I hadn't seen them after all this time, I’d let my guard down.
Then, without realizing it, I’d put a piece of green pepper from tonight's dinner into my mouth. The second that hated flavor spread across my tongue, I knew I was in trouble.
In hindsight, I should have just been honest and said I didn't like them. But admitting I couldn't handle green peppers in front of two younger girls and my own lover was just too embarrassing. My petty pride had tripped me up.
……I'm sorry, Aoi-chan, Hina-chan. I only looked pale because I was trying not to gag.
……I'm sorry, Lilia-san. I only lost my appetite because I didn't want to take another bite of those peppers.
"H-Hmm. Lilia-chan jumping to conclusions is a problem too, but… Kaito-kun, you caused everyone a lot of worry, so you have to apologize properly, okay?"
"……I know."
"Well, anyway, I’m just really glad you’re okay."
"……Kuro."
Kuro looked exasperated for a second, but her expression quickly melted into a gentle smile.
A moment later, her coat rippled and transformed into something resembling a cooking station, while Kuro herself suddenly appeared in an apron.
"If you didn't finish your dinner, you must be starving. Just wait a second. I can't make anything too fancy, but I’ll whip something up for you."
"Ugh, thanks, Kuro."
"Hehe, I am your lover, after all."
She gave me a beaming smile and started cooking with meat and eggs. There was no point in me lying down anymore, so I sat up and watched her work.
Kuro moved with practiced ease—she was definitely more skilled in the kitchen than I was. Soon, the room was filled with a mouth-watering aroma. Something about seeing her in that apron felt so… domestic. It was a good look for her.
Before long, she set a plate in front of me. It was an omelet filled with small cubes of meat. The eggs were perfectly soft and runny, and the meat looked beautifully seared.
"There you go. Dig in!"
"Thanks for the food."
Since I’d skipped most of dinner, I was actually pretty hungry. I put my hands together and took a bite.
The tender egg wrapped around the meat perfectly. With every chew, savory juices flooded my mouth. It was absolute bliss.
"This is delicious…"
"Really? I'm so glad!"
The flavors were in perfect harmony. The eggs brought out the savoriness of the meat, and the meat highlighted the gentle sweetness of the eggs. It was incredible. The meat, in particular, was fantastic—it was like beef but had a deeper, cleaner finish.
"Kuro? This meat is amazing. What is it?"
"Hmm? Oh, it’s Giant Mantis meat."
"Pffft—?!"
"Kaito-kun?!"
Wait, back up. What did she just say? Giant Mantis? As in… a praying mantis? Like, an insect?
The moment my brain processed her words, I broke out in a cold sweat.
I-I can't do this anymore. I thought I’d adjusted to this world, but I think the food culture is still going to take some time.
"Did you eat too fast? You have to take smaller bites…"
"Y-Yeah…"
Now what? The moment I realized I was eating a giant bug, my fork felt like it weighed a hundred pounds. But Kuro had gone out of her way to make this for me. I couldn't just leave it. Did I really have to finish this?
Dammit, I should have finished the whole plate before asking…
As I was trying to steel my resolve, Kuro suddenly clapped her hands.
"That's right! I almost forgot… Shaltier told me about a way to eat this that would make Kaito-kun happy!"
"……Eh?"
"W-Well, it’s a little embarrassing, though…"
Advice from Alice? Oh no. I remember this. She did this with Isis-san, didn't she? Does that mean she’s going to do the "Ahn" thing? I mean, I guess I can handle that much…
I was bracing myself for her to hold the fork out, but instead, Kuro cut a small piece of the omelet and put it into 'her own' mouth.
Wait, what?
Before I could process the unexpected move, she leaned in close, reached out a hand to cup my face, and pressed her lips against mine.
"Mnh…"
"Mph?!"
Her lips overlapped with mine, and a second later, I felt my mouth being gently pushed open. She slid the omelet into my mouth with her tongue.
Th-This was—mouth-to-mouth feeding. My brain felt like it was turning into mush. For some reason, everything in my mouth tasted incredibly sweet.
"……U-Um… how was that? Was it good?"
"Eh? A-Ah, y-yeah."
I felt bad for her, but I couldn't even taste the food anymore! I mean, Alice?! Of all the things to suggest, why this?!
"I'm so glad! There’s still 'plenty' left! My mouth is small, so I can only do a little at a time… but I’m going to make sure I feed you 'every last bite'!"
"……"
Looking a little bashful, Kuro gave me a death sentence wrapped in an adorable, blushing smile.
Heaven and hell had collided right in front of me. What was I supposed to do? There was no escape. The door was literally blocked by a mountain of fruit, and Kuro was fully committed to feeding me the rest of that bug omelet lip-to-lip.
Dear Mother, Father—a tiny bit of pride has led to a monumental disaster. I’ll have to apologize to Lilia-san and the others tomorrow, but for now… I have to survive this heavenly hell.