I Picked Up a Wild Outer God (3)
I had been basking in the warmth of the Outer God's embrace for quite some time when a sudden sound made me jolt and pull away. Krrrrrk. The noise came from right in front of me.
"Oh my, how embarrassing."
Her words said one thing, but there wasn't a trace of embarrassment in the Outer God's demeanor. If anything, she was smiling faintly.
"Ah… If you're hungry, I can go prepare something—"
Krrrrrk.
"……"
This time, the sound came from my own stomach. Realizing I hadn't eaten anything in nearly half a day, I scrambled to my feet.
"I'll go get something right away!"
The Outer God caught me as I shot up.
"Stay seated. I'll prepare it."
"No, I can do it—"
Her long finger pressed against my lips.
"Shh. Just wait comfortably. I'll take care of everything."
With that, she vanished in the blink of an eye. No matter how I looked around, there was nowhere she could have hidden. Staring blankly at the spot where she had stood, I felt my face gradually heat up.
"Kghhh…!"
I must be insane. A grown man acting like a child, melting helplessly in a woman's arms. Shame washed over me late, making my whole body twist and squirm. Then I froze.
Her gentle smile and warm embrace rose in my mind again. My heart began to pound on its own.
'It felt good…'
An undeniable fact. If she opened her arms right now, I felt like I would dive straight into them. Being captivated by that warmth I had never known before was an irresistible force.
I lifted myself slightly and looked at the place where she had stood.
'This isn't a dream, right?'
I hoped it wasn't. Because if I could stay with this god, even a life outside the academy seemed like it could be happy.
I stood up fully and looked around the room. Academy dormitories varied wildly depending on rank and grades, and I was at the very bottom in both. Even so, befitting an academy sponsored by the imperial family, even the smallest room was quite spacious. It even had a small kitchen attached, enough for simple cooking. Since I didn't own much and liked keeping things tidy, the room was reasonably neat. Still, I decided to clean it once more.
Even if she's an Outer God, a god is still a god. No god dislikes cleanliness, right? I didn't particularly expect her to notice… but the thought that she might notice and praise me made me want to do it.
——
"……"
Creak, creak. The wooden chair was shaking. Of course, it wasn't doing so by itself. The cause was my own legs trembling on top of it.
"…Why isn't she back yet?"
The thorough cleaning was finished. Not wanting to just sit and wait blankly, I had gone to the bathroom and fiddled with the kitchenware for no reason. Yet the Outer God still hadn't returned.
Shake, shake, shake…
I froze. A sudden thought made my body go rigid.
"…Was it really a dream?"
The story was so unrealistic that I began to doubt whether it had all been a dream. My heart pounded irregularly with anxiety. Unconsciously, I brought my hand to my lips. That soft sensation I had felt upon waking from the dream, that warm breath. Even the joints of the fingers I had felt at the very end.
"…There's no way all of that was a dream."
I tried to calm myself, but my heart was still beating wildly. This was originally a dormitory where I lived alone. It was also a room that was too big for one person to begin with. Yet right now, the room felt far too empty. In just a brief moment, someone had taken a place in my heart. And now that the spot was empty, I felt colder than I ever had before.
Creak, creak, creak. Just as the chair was shaking precariously and I was letting out a pained groan—
"I'm back~"
The Outer God appeared in the exact spot she had vanished from, just as suddenly as before.
"Sorry for making you wait so long… huh?"
Seeing me while holding something in both hands, the Outer God's eyes widened into circles. Huh? Why is she surprised? At that moment, I felt something flowing down my face. Unconsciously reaching up to wipe it, I saw a transparent liquid like water.
'……Tears?'
Was I crying? The Outer God dropped what she was holding and rushed over to me with a pale face.
"A-Are you okay? Does it hurt somewhere!? W-Where?"
Watching her examine me anxiously, something welled up inside me. The sight of her genuinely worried about me. I never thought I'd see something like this in my life.
"No… I was just relieved."
"Hm?"
"I'm glad it wasn't a dream."
"……"
The Outer God stared at me silently for a moment, then pulled me into her warm embrace once more. Stroking the back of my head, she spoke softly.
"I'm not going anywhere. I'll stay by your side. Because…"
Using the hand that had been stroking my head, she gently lifted my chin to meet my eyes and continued.
"We're family now, aren't we?"
The warm meaning contained in that single word "family" made my chest ache. Only now did it truly sink in. The fact that I had truly become family with this Outer God, not in a dream, but in reality.
"You must be hungry. Let's eat."
With a hint of reluctance, I stepped out of her arms and my gaze fell on the "ingredients" she had brought. And they were…
"…What is that?"
"Hm? Food ingredients. Don't you like them?"
"……"
No, this didn't seem like a matter of preference… The things rolling on the floor were clearly not "normal" meat or "normal" vegetables or any kind of "normal" food ingredient. They were shapes I had never seen in my life… and, astonishingly, they were still wriggling.
"Ah, don't worry. That's just rigor mortis. They're tough enough to cross universes, so their vitality is stubborn too."
"……"
They crossed universes? And she killed them?
"…Then how do we eat that?"
"Just grill it."
"……?"
Didn't you just say they cross universes?
"Just sit still for now. I'll take care of everything."
"Ah, the kitchen is over there—"
Whoosh. At the Outer God's gesture, fire appeared in midair. Just like the light I had seen in the dream, it was pitch-black yet emitted radiance. The flames flickered like the tongue of a starving beast.
"Don't worry about the furniture. This fire only burns what I want it to."
As she said, the flames occasionally touched the ceiling or walls, but no scorch marks remained.
"Hehe~"
Humming a tune, the Outer God reached toward the ingredients. Her hair stretched out, picked up the ingredients, and tossed them into the fire. I didn't know how hot it was, but if it could cook a cosmic lifeform, a human like me would melt down to the bones without a trace.
"There, done. I call it Old One Roast~"
So that's what an Old One is. The steel-like (probably even harder) outer shell covering its massive two-meter body had cracked from the heat, revealing the flesh inside. The bat-like wings spread to either side were completely dried and stiff as if fried, and what I assumed was the lower body—a bundle of tentacles—was…
"Hup!"
The Outer God tore the whole thing off and burned it in the fire. Then she placed a knife and fork in front of me.
"You eat the flesh that's exposed between the outer shell."
"……"
Is this… really edible? I glanced at the Outer God, who was watching me with a bright smile, waiting for me to eat.
…There shouldn't be any poison, right? Seeing my hesitation, the Outer God's expression gradually darkened.
"…Why? Don't you like it?"
"No, it's not that I don't like it, it's just…"
"Hm?"
Looking back and forth between me and the Old One Roast, the Outer God seemed to realize something and smacked her own knee.
"Aha! You want me to feed you, don't you?"
"…Excuse me?"
Her face brightening again, the Outer God ignored the utensils entirely and plunged her bare hand into the Old One's shell. Tearing off a generous piece of reddish flesh, she brought it to my mouth.
"Here, open wide~"
Alternating my gaze between her expectant face and the piece of meat in front of me, I squeezed my eyes shut and opened my mouth. Her fingers entered my mouth. Feeling the large piece of meat fill it completely, I took a big bite.
"!!!"
"How is it? Good?"
The taste of this cosmic lifeform I was eating for the first time was…
"…Whoa!"
It was truly exquisite. The flesh, cooked with just the right amount of heat, had a springy texture, and the flavor from the juices (…they were juices, right?) whetted my appetite. The aftertaste was slightly fishy, but that didn't change the fact that it was delicious. Seeing my reaction, the Outer God smiled happily.
"Hehe, I'm glad it suits your taste."
In fact, it was the best food I had ever eaten in my entire life.
"It's incredibly delicious. I've never tasted anything like this before."
"Hehe, there's plenty more. Eat as much as you want."
"Okay!"
From then on, I picked up the knife myself and ate enthusiastically. The food was so delicious that any aversion to eating an unidentified cosmic lifeform had long since vanished. Since I had been starving, the food kept disappearing without end. When I started feeling thirsty in the middle of eating, the Outer God somehow noticed and handed me a transparent glass. The liquid in the crystal glass was clearly not water. It certainly wasn't wine either. The brilliantly shining golden liquid reflected light dazzlingly from every angle.
"……"
Seeing my doubtful gaze, the Outer God told me it was good for the body and to drink it all down.
"If you want, should I feed you this time too?"
…I considered asking for a moment, but soon lifted the glass myself. And the moment the liquid touched my tongue, I cursed my past self for ever doubting her. A sweet aroma filled my mouth, and a slight carbonation stimulated my tongue. Usually such sweet drinks have a slightly astringent aftertaste, but this one was clean all the way to the end, leaving my mouth feeling purified.
"What kind of drink is this?"
"It's called Golden Mead… It's a beverage that strengthens the body."
To think something this delicious was also healthy. Was it some kind of divine nectar? Indeed, after the drink went down my throat, I felt vitality returning to my body.
After devouring the meat in a frenzy, I was finally able to look at the Outer God once my stomach was somewhat full.
"…Aren't you going to eat?"
"Hm? Ah, I don't really eat this kind of food."
I felt a bit embarrassed, as if I had been the only one eating. Her stomach had definitely made a sound earlier too. That meant she was hungry…
"Then what do you eat?"
"Well, that's…"
In that instant, the Outer God's atmosphere completely reversed. Until now, she had felt endlessly benevolent and kind, like family. But the Outer God approaching me now carried a somewhat… suggestive air.
'Did I say something wrong?'
"Are you done eating? Can I… eat now too?"
"What are you going to eat…"
A chill ran down my spine at the sight of the Outer God approaching with slightly unfocused eyes. Unconsciously, I tried to back away to create distance, but—
"No. You can't go."
Her hair rose like a wall behind me, blocking any escape.
"Um… Outer God?"
The Outer God finally reached right in front of me. Stopping at a distance where our breaths would mix, she spoke softly.
"Not Outer God… Call me Lilith."
"L-Lilith? Could you at least tell me what you're trying to do?"
Chuckling as if my reaction was cute, Lilith cupped my face with both hands.
"Aah, I'm so hungry. I've been holding back quite a bit, you know…"
Lilith's face drew closer. The sweet and suggestive scent in her breath made my head spin.
"Lilith… Wait a moment—"
"Don't worry. It'll only take a moment. Just a moment will be enough. Yes, just a moment."
She was wrong. Her eyes were completely unfocused now. There was no way anyone could stop her.
"Then, I'll eat well~ Haa-eup."
"!!!!!"
Lilith's lips overlapped with mine.