The Grateful Carnival Chef

Are you some kind of menhera? Knock, knock, knock, knock. The knocking echoed with precise rhythm. It had been going on for a while now.

'…What do I do?'

Pretend I'm not home…? …No, that only works on fellow humans. The visitor already knows exactly where I am—that's why she's here. Hiding won't do a thing. Ignoring her like this is probably worse. If the neighbors get involved, it'll turn into a huge headache….

With no choice, I stood in front of the front door.

"Wh-who is it…?"

"It's me, Lady Mayuri. What did the humans call me…? Human flesh chef? Ah, Carnival Chef, wasn't it? Do you know the name?"

"…Why are you here?"

For now, we talked through the door. Should I call the cops…? No, that's a bad idea…. If the Foundation or Special Task Force finds out about the Carnival Chef during a police investigation? The Foundation might be okay—they'd drag off the girlified chef for research. And then they'd take me, the one who girlified her, for experiments too…. But if the Task Force gets wind of it, they might try to kill us all.

…Ugh. So what the hell am I supposed to do…?

"D-did you come for revenge…? Because I turned you human…?"

"Revenge? Ahaha, so it really was you, Lady Mayuri, who turned me human?"

The woman's voice from beyond the door carried a hint of laughter. She sounded almost… delighted.

"Humans seem to misunderstand me. I have no intention of harming them."

"If not revenge, then why are you here…?"

"To learn more about humans? Or perhaps… to learn more about you, Lady Mayuri?"

"……."

Don't answer a question with another question….

I even considered jumping out the window and running, but this was the fourth floor. …Too high for my place. No matter how I thought about it, opening the door seemed like the only option. Best to meet her and resolve it through talking. If worst comes to worst, maybe I could use Ari's cognition-lowering ability to… handle it.

"Ari, can you open the door for me…?"

"Yeah."

I cautiously pushed Ari toward the front door. …I was too scared to open it myself.

And so, the door swung wide open. Beyond it stood golden eyes. Those familiar golden eyes stared right at me.

She was entirely white. Not in a holy or pristine way—just literally made of white. Aside from her eyes, there was no color to speak of. Her skin was ghostly pale, her hair pure white. She even wore the signature white chef's uniform.

A smile played on her face, but it sent chills down my spine.

"Have you eaten, Lady Mayuri? If not, I'd love to cook for you."

"…No thanks."

"What a shame. But I smell oil—were you cooking? If it's all right, may I try what you've made? I've been dying to taste your food."

The beautiful girl spoke with remarkable politeness. The creepy vibe lingered, but… she didn't seem hostile. If anything, she radiated intense curiosity and interest. At least she wasn't here for revenge.

Haa. I let out a small sigh.

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

"…Come in."

And so, I let this new beautiful girl into my home. And I stir-fried some rice.

…What was this déjà vu? It felt like last time I'd brought a girl home and fed her fried rice….

"Let me ask… you don't resent me, right?"

Not sure if it'd give me the upper hand, but… I dropped the formalities and went with a firmer tone.

She tilted her head.

"Resent? What do you mean? Why would I ever resent you, Lady Mayuri?"

"Because I turned you human…. You're basically ingredients now…?"

The Carnival Chef saw humans as ingredients. Sure, she only used murderers, but from a human perspective, she was no saint. Like how chefs show respect to pigs or chickens as ingredients and avoid needless killing. She just didn't kill humans unnecessarily.

So in her shoes, it'd be like waking up as a chicken. Wouldn't she resent the one who ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠turned her into poultry?

That's what I thought, but…

"Not at all. If anything, I'm grateful to you, Lady Mayuri."

"Grateful…?"

"You lied to me, didn't you? Sweet-talked me, showed consideration, deceived me?"

"Th-that way of talking is kinda scary, so could you stop…?"

I took a small step back. …Had she figured it out? That I hadn't touched her food…?

"You didn't need to lie. You could've just said it tasted bad. I like honest humans more."

—Or so I thought she'd say, but that's exactly what the Carnival Chef said.

…?

She's misunderstanding something….

In the end, the Bond Effect had barely awakened in time. With its power to deceive a monster once, I'd tricked the Carnival Chef. I hadn't touched the food, but convinced her I had.

And she truly believed I'd eaten it.

…How? I hadn't laid a finger on it, yet she was utterly convinced. The Bond Effect was even stronger than I'd imagined.

But it seemed limited to that one deception.

I fooled her about eating it, but not about the taste critique afterward….

Just one fact at a time, huh. Powerful, but with heavy restrictions. I'd have to use it carefully from now on.

"So I thought: Does a chef who makes tasteless food even deserve to exist? Shouldn't I die? Vanish? Cease to be?"

"Th-that's a bit extreme, don't you think…?"

"Lady Mayuri, isn't a chef defined ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠by their cooking? If they can't cook, they're no chef. And if it's not delicious, what's the point? So I decided: I should die."

"……."

You're such a menhera.

The words rose in my throat, but I barely held them back.

Of course. She's a beautiful girl on the outside, but inside, she's still a monster. No way a human like me could understand monster logic. Better not to try—just go with the flow….

"And right then, as I thought I should vanish from this world, I became like this. The moment my reason for existing crumbled, standing on death's doorstep. So you could say I was reborn? Given a new chance?"

A new chance…?

"A chance to become human, to learn, explore, study, and judge humans. If I understand them better, I can make even tastier dishes…! Becoming an ingredient myself lets me comprehend them deeply! Ahh, do I even deserve this overflowing happiness?!"

"Y-you're…."

Insane….

To put it in analogy: 'I turned into a pig myself, so now I can research delicious pork! I'm so happy!'

"That's why I'm deeply grateful to you, Lady Mayuri. For giving me this unparalleled opportunity."

"…If you're happy, that's what matters."

"How can I express this gratitude, this reverence, this joy…? One day, I want to treat you to a delicious meal. After I understand humans more deeply! With food more perfect than before, I'll make you happy."

"Aigoo, my head…."

My head throbbed. It felt like hearing: 'Thank you for turning me into a pig! I'll repay you someday!' Trying to make sense of it in my right mind made everything fuzzy. Was this mental corruption or something…?

One thing was clear: the Carnival Chef was a menhera psycho. But she was friendly toward me. Super friendly, even. The direction was a bit off, though….

…At least she wouldn't try to kill me. That one fact let me relax a little.

…So.

"So, what are you gonna do now?"

"Personally, I'd love to work at a human-run restaurant. I'm curious if I can satisfy them with this form."

"Can't let you do that."

"I can't?"

I nodded. Through Ari, I'd learned the truth. Even girlified, she retained some monstrous power. Which meant her food might still drive humans mad.

…Couldn't let her work in a restaurant recklessly.

"Plus, you're an illegal immigrant without ID anyway."

"ID? It must be important for work. Understood. Then I won't work at a restaurant, as you say. Instead—won't you keep me by your side?"

…Huh?

I blinked.

"I know so little about human society. I have nowhere to rely on, and as I said, I want to cook for you, Lady Mayuri. So teach me more about you? Let me serve you? Give me the chance to understand you deeply? Yes? Lady Mayuri? Yes??"

"Look…."

That speech pattern is scary….

I sighed for the umpteenth time.