A Date
"Hmm-hmm~ Hmm~ Hmm, hmmm~"
Meria clung to my side, humming happily to herself. I had no idea what had put her in such a good mood.
Honestly, a part of me wanted to ask how long she planned on following me around, but I wasn't cold-hearted enough to say that to a girl who was so clearly thrilled to be by my side.
"So, what's the plan now? I'm not sure a city crawling with adventurers has much to offer someone like you."
For me, since I planned on adventuring, it was the perfect spot. But for Meria, whose sole mission in life seemed to be hunting down gourmet food, I doubted it held much appeal.
"Hmph! Do you really think a foodie of my caliber would wander into a place like this without doing some research first?" she huffed, puffing out her chest.
For someone who loved eating so much, she had a remarkably slender build.
It wasn't just her chest, either.
She wasn't particularly tall, and her overall silhouette was decidedly petite and slender.
She leaned far more toward cute than sexy, but if she actually put some effort into dressing up, I bet she could easily turn a few heads.
Wait, her body type wasn't the point right now.
"Why are you staring at my body like that? Don't tell me you were about to say I'm too flat for someone who eats so much."
"I was just wondering if there are actually any good restaurants in a place like this," I cut in quickly.
Meria glared at me, clearly unsatisfied with the deflection.
Sure, every town had at least one decent place to eat. But choosing a sweaty, adventurer-packed hub over a bustling metropolis, a famous culinary capital, a merchant city, or a popular tourist destination... Well, maybe "sweaty" was a bit biased.
Still, why choose a town that seemed to have so little to offer?
"Hmm. Well, those towns are always full of pretty, lonely girls who are exhausted and stressed from risking their lives every day."
"..."
I'd felt this before, but she might not actually be joking.
"I'm kidding! I'm not that much of a creep. It's true that it might pale in comparison to a major tourist spot or a capital city, but think about it—it's a city packed with adventurers. And adventurers are human too! Where there are people, there are businesses, and where there are businesses, there's bound to be good food. It's not this specific town, but there are plenty of adventurer hubs that boast restaurants with a 4-star Haberi rating. Of course, it'd be nice to eat at places like that every day, but you'd probably get tired of it eventually, right? One day..."
She really could go on forever once she started talking about food.
Then again, since my family ran an eatery back home, it wasn't like the topic bored me.
"Especially Rugensed, which is famous for being a massive culinary hub. It's actually an independent city-state. It sits right on the border of three different nations, and it's famous for being completely free of racial discrimination."
"I think I've heard of that place before."
"Mm, there was a time when Rugensed nearly fell into ruin. There was this serial killer who wanted to create the ultimate, unprecedented dish. He kidnapped people, cooked human flesh, ate it himself, and even fed it to others. At first, he only used monsters, but then he started secretly abducting travelers. Elves, dwarves, humans, vampires... He targeted every race imaginable. The victim count must have been in the hundreds."
I was pretty sure whatever I'd heard wasn't nearly that grim.
Wait, weren't we just talking about good restaurants?
"It caused an absolute uproar because he was a highly celebrated chef at an incredibly famous restaurant. But well, it happened hundreds of years ago, so it might just be an exaggerated legend or a ghost story."
"So, what happened to the killer?"
"Whether he actually succeeded in creating the ultimate dish remains a mystery, but he committed suicide before he could be caught. Rumor has it they found a note detailing how to prep human meat and recipes for matching sauces. It had different cooking methods and sauces tailored to specific parts—bones, blood, flesh, organs, you name it. He kept doing it for nearly forty years, right up until he killed himself at the age of eighty."
"He didn't get caught for forty years?"
"I know, right? On the outside, he seemed like a cheerful, pleasant guy. He insisted on absolute cleanliness while cooking, shaving every single day to look like he couldn't even grow a beard, and keeping his hair in a neat, short bob. As for why he killed himself, unfortunately, there are too many rumors to know the truth. Some say he suddenly regained his sanity, others say he was satisfied after completing his ultimate dish, and some think he just gave up because he knew the authorities were closing in. So it's hard to say."
I wondered if she remembered all this because it was food-related, or if it was just because the incident was so shockingly horrific. Either way, she had an impressive memory for weird trivia.
"Wait, how did we even get onto this topic? Anyway, uh, anyway... my point is that there's plenty of good food in that city too. Yep."
Meria wrapped up her explanation, having genuinely lost her train of thought. Then, for some reason, she suddenly looked downcast, as if something had upset her.
“Should we go grab something delicious once we arrive?”
“A date?!”
Meria instantly perked up, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
What did she even see in me to make her look so incredibly bright and happy?
“Sure, sure. Let's go on a date.”
“Yay~!”
"Cigarettes?"
She shook her head.
"Alcohol?"
A brief silence.
Then, a vigorous nod.
Did she consider alcohol a part of gourmet dining, did she just like to drink, or did she prefer dishes cooked with alcohol?
"How long are you planning to stay in this town?"
Seeing how she clearly intended to stick by my side even after our date, I gave up on trying to shake her off. Instead, I decided to ask how long she planned to stay, just so I could get an idea of when she might leave.
It wasn't that I hated her company, but I needed to know her plans to coordinate mine.
"I don't really have a set plan. For now, I want to check out the famous restaurants and do some sightseeing nearby. Even if a place isn't famous, every town has its own unique local dishes. It'd be such a shame to miss out on something just because I didn't know about it, right?"
So she was going to be tagging along for a while.
Why did I feel like some kind of villain trying to shake off a needy kid?
Then again, as an adventurer, I'd probably spend a lot of time alone. I might find myself craving human contact eventually, so having her around for a bit might not be the worst thing.
"So, um... if you don't mind, would it be okay if I traveled with you for a bit longer?"
Unlike her usual puppy-like, cheerful self, Meria hesitated, looking up at me tentatively.
To be honest, traveling with someone I'd only met a few days ago felt a little awkward, but maybe I could just treat it like babysitting. She didn't seem like a bad kid, and she kind of reminded me of the children I used to look after, which wasn't a bad feeling.
"Of course, we'd get separate rooms! Sharing a room with someone you just met is awkward, and you might worry about me stealing your things."
"I wasn't thinking that far ahead, but..."
I wasn't a gourmet, but at least having someone else handle the daily struggle of deciding what to eat would be nice.
"In exchange, leave all the restaurant hunting to me!"
"Sure, sure. I'll leave it to you."
Without thinking, I reached out and patted her head without even looking back, just like I would with a child. I flinched a moment later when I realized what I'd done, but pulling my hand away abruptly would only make it weirder, so I let my hand drop as naturally as possible.
"Ehehe... ❤"
Was it just my imagination, or did that sound a little too suggestive...?
“Come on! Let's go find an inn first!”
Like a dog eager for a walk, Meria trotted ahead with quick, light steps, and I did my best to keep up with her.
The room we ended up with was surprisingly spacious, but...
There was only one bed.
“I-I'll sleep on the floor.”
“Don't be ridiculous. Just sleep on the bed. It's plenty big enough.”
“O-okay.”
I hadn't thought much of it, but seeing her fidgeting and blushing next to me made me feel self-conscious too.
When I used to cuddle up and share a bed with Mirael, I never thought twice about it.
“It's nice and soft.”
Exhausted from the long carriage ride, I forgot all about my hunger, collapsed onto the bed, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
“……”
Meria slipped onto the bed beside me, turning to face me. I naturally extended my arm to her.
“For someone who's never even been in a relationship or kissed anyone, you're surprisingly good at this.”
“I do this kind of thing all the time. Though I guess I'm a bit less affectionate with guys.”
“You're the worst.”
“How is that bad?”
Meria rested her head on my arm and sighed.
“The fact that you have no idea how much your actions make people's hearts flutter. Honestly, have you ever made a girl cry before?”
“No... Well, maybe twice, but that wasn't my fault.”
“People who make girls cry always say that.”
I wish Lord Eral had felt his heart flutter for me too.
“But the person I actually liked didn't feel the same way about me. Maybe it's because I didn't do things like this back then?”
“An unrequited love? Who?”
“There was one when I was a completely clueless kid, but that doesn't count. The other was an upperclassman I met at the academy. It ended as just a one-sided crush.”
“So you really do prefer guys, huh...”
“I don't really care either way.”
I was only thinking of Lord Eral, and even that wasn't strictly romantic. Besides, it wasn't like I was harboring feelings for some guy right now.
To begin with, I hadn't given romance a single thought since then.
“That vague answer is so unfair.”
“Listen to you, we barely even know each other.”
“You said it was a date, but you won't even let me have this.”
“Fine, fine. Come here.”
Feeling a bit guilty for shutting her down when she was trying to set the mood, I opened my arms again. Sure enough, Meria snuggled right into my embrace, a silly, happy grin spreading across her face.
I never would have guessed I'd end up looking at that smile from the same bed...