Everyday Life with Sora
* Chop chop chop chop, chop chop chop chop chop chop — the sound of my puppies tearing into their boneless chicken echoed through the bunker on this late afternoon. It was that time after a meal when you'd start feeling sleepy. Sora, who had been refusing to leave my lap, finally sat down at the table. Of course, after switching to her human form. She couldn't properly enjoy chicken in her cat form, after all.
The first chicken has to be bone-in. That's an ironclad rule. Sure, you could switch to boneless someday, but the inaugural experience demands a whole bird. Buying and serving the chicken had gone smoothly, but...
"Um, Sora? Is the chicken not to your liking by any chance?"
She'd been holding the chicken for ages, just sniffing it.
Why isn't she eating? Wondering if something was wrong, I asked her directly.
"Pardon? No, not at all. The aroma of the food is so captivating that I was simply savoring it for a moment."
Phew, good to know there was no issue.
"Glad to hear that. You were staring at it so long, I got worried."
"I apologize if I caused you concern. Might I take a bit more time to appreciate it? It's a dish I've been looking forward to, and I'd like to enjoy it slowly."
Just like with that grape-flavored candy. Guess I should wait.
"Sure, no problem. Take your time."
"Thank you, Rain."
With that, she turned her gaze back to the chicken. What can I say? She was like a curious yet composed cat—wait, tiger, so yeah, cat family. Anyway, if I wolfed mine down alone, she'd feel rushed, so I decided to browse the gallery and match her pace.
The gallery screen, far more vibrant now than when I first saw it. Time to check if the gallery users were making good use of the new features—starting with the real-time popular comments list.
Two posts caught my eye: complaints about the limited beer purchase amounts and thanks for the restrictions. I clicked the one that bugged me first.
[Thanks for the 2-pack weekly limit, Mod]
The gallery users were bickering, as expected. Booze is something even the end of the world can't take away. Relieved that their livelihoods weren't ruined, that peace didn't last—my worry exploded into reality. But I'd predicted the backlash like "Why should I suffer for their jobs?"
I had plans for that too. First, some investigation, so I stopped the fight and bumped it down the priority list. A short timeout wouldn't hurt. Limits were already in place, and I knew they'd buy booze while cursing. They'd just scratch each other lightly in the gallery to vent. The gallery had been too clean before; to me, these brawls weren't half bad.
A full-on brawl gallery? Totally my jam. As long as it didn't go too far—it was entertaining.
And the standout post was from WorldTreeGuardian, the likable elf. No sarcasm—she was genuinely charming. Even with elves mostly hibernating, she filled the gallery like they were everywhere.
Seems her work wrapped up nicely; she left a joyful post.
[So jealous of the elves heading to the Imperial Capital...!]
Under the joyful post, her squad begged to "devour" their captain. I'd pegged WorldTreeGuardian as prime pillar material, but maybe I needed to rethink.
"Hmm... but no other elf nick gallery-spams as hard as her..."
She was the busiest top brass, got eaten by her team, and gallery users mimicked her speech to tease nonstop.
"Is something troubling you?"
Maybe she noticed my expression. Sora paused her chicken inspection and asked.
"Ah. WorldTree—WorldTreeGuardian, my pillar pick, feels iffy for the role now."
"So WorldTreeGuardian was a pillar candidate. It may be tough short-term, but long-term, I think it's not bad."
Sora calls her that too. Curious about her reasoning.
"Mind elaborating?"
"Of course. She's currently the top commander, so full pillar duties are hard now. But when elves wake from hibernation, she'll just lead the army. Elves favor elite few, so workload should ease. Then, an outstanding elf talent aids gallery management. Of course, no immediate gain, so seeking others is fine too."
True, an elf captain's skills must be top-tier. Her speech quirk made her seem lacking, but that's surface-level.
"Hmm... Keep her on the list for now, decide if another nick pops."
"Glad I could help, Rain. Shall we resume eating?"
So that was eating, not observing. Swallowed my question, watched her. She was about to take a bite.
I nibbled chicken casually to not stare, then—finally! Chicken to mouth. Eyes wide for her first reaction (memories forever), GIF-ready.
She bit, savored, closed eyes, chewed slowly.
...Why's eating chicken a masterpiece? Imagined my sloppy self vs. hers. Some mukbang flashed—felt unjust. But she loved it, good enough.
Her pace quickened; right hand chicken, left cola. Classy eater. Admiring, I sped up too.
Huff huff huff, huff huff huff huff—puppies finished.
"Want more, staring like that?"
"Woof!"
Got it.
> [Boneless Chicken - 22P x2 purchased.]
"Eat hearty, heroes."
"Woof!"
Couldn't say "eat lots" to endless eaters—they out-ate me.
"Rain? Might I have more?"
Oh? Sora wants seconds! Hit the spot.
"Of course. Try seasoned this time?"
I grinned, offering new fare.
"A new dish. Most welcome."
She smiled faintly.
Bought seasoned chicken and wet wipes, set before her, checked time. Soon, gallery users would freak.
Bet they'll lose it. Reactions incoming—can't wait.