This Is Called Tasting
“Huh? Brother?”
I paused at her call and turned around, responding.
“You said you were hungry just now, right?”
“Yes. It’s almost dinnertime too. I can’t gather any strength unless I’m full, so I must eat properly.”
“That meal… You don’t mean a person, do you?”
Eve widened her eyes briefly, then broke into a mischievous smile and answered.
“Oh my, you’re very quick on the uptake.”
……Lately the newspapers have been full of reports about students from Luin Academy disappearing. It must have been because of this girl.
“Wow, you almost got caught. No matter how much of a monster she is, even Eve couldn’t swallow a person without leaving a single trace.”
“Mm. You’re right, Brother. I usually drop food everywhere and get scolded by Mother a lot.”
But right after that, Eve smiled brightly and continued.
“So Mother gave me a gift. It’s a small item, but she taught me how to gather all the spilled bits and turn them into tiny beads. I’m on my seventh now. No one’s noticed yet.”
“……”
Eve said it without the slightest hint of guilt or remorse, as if casually revealing that she had killed people.
I realized that she had completely left behind not just her body but also moral human standards.
“Ah, Brother. Just in case, let me warn you: reporting this would be pointless. No evidence remains at the scene, and even if suspicion falls on me and they assign a tracker, that’s easily evaded. Many of my companions share our abilities, and there are plenty that are useful.”
Eve spoke the truth.
Even if I exposed the truth to someone from Luin Academy, with no evidence left and Eve slipping away, they probably wouldn’t suspect her at all. And even if they tried to restrain her, she could escape in an instant.
Even if she hadn’t reached 8-star yet, Eve was Eve.
Then was I really just going to watch as she harmed innocent people?
—Do you have any worries? It’s someone unrelated to me.
—It’s the same result whether people die now or later.
—It’s pointless to take risks…
Stop it, you girl!
After the last incident with Andres was resolved, things had been quiet for a while, and now here she was again.
Of course, Shion’s voice urging caution was also wrong.
The people being sacrificed by Eve might currently have no connection to me.
But if I continued letting her act like this, sooner or later her claws would reach my precious people too.
Instead of regretting it later after the ground is dug up, wouldn’t it be better to take just a little risk and stop her?
“Eve, have you ever tasted anything besides humans?”
“Huh? Of course~ Brother. You must think I’m a savage. When people are on the menu, there are demons and other living beings, and I eat everything without picky eating?”
“No, that’s not what I meant… But even if you eat non-human things, you still get full, right?”
“That’s right.”
I rummaged through my pocket. I had brought my wallet.
“It’s fortunate I’m hungry too. How about sharing a meal with me?”
“The meal you’re talking about… I suppose ordinary human food?”
Eve tilted her head curiously.
“You don’t mean you’ve never tried normal food before, Eve?”
“Yes. Mother said those foods would be useless no matter how I ate them.”
Oh? Maybe I could actually tempt her.
“Then how about this time you try it once? Even if you don’t eat a single person, it’s not that big a loss, is it?”
“Um… Mother told me not to eat them…”
Eve stuck out her lips slightly and fiddled with her fingers.
This was when I should encourage her.
“Eve, do you know the word ‘indulgence’?”
“Indulgence…?”
I bent my knees to meet her eyes, raised my index finger, and said.
“All living things gain a thrilling sense of pleasure by breaking from daily repetition. And that pleasure is the driving force that keeps every creature alive and moving. From my perspective, Eve is lacking in pleasure.”
“Oh…”
“So today, won’t you indulge with me? You’ll definitely have a lot of fun.”
“H, but Mother…”
“Originally, before Mother, one should experience various things. Imagine how happy Mother would be to see a more grown Eve who has tasted many foods.”
“That’s…”
Eve looked at the ground for a moment, then continued hesitating.
But soon she raised her head, met my gaze, and answered with sparkling eyes.
“It makes sense!”
Eve grabbed my hand and urged, “Let’s go quickly, Brother! Hurry!”
“Haha, if you’re so eager, I’ll have to exert myself this time.”
I smiled as best I could and led Eve to the most expensive restaurant I knew.
I had no intention of taking her to a tteokbokki place. It was a normal food she was trying for the first time, and I didn’t want to disappoint her.
When we arrived at the restaurant, I ordered something that I knew wouldn’t be too controversial.
And shortly after, the ordered dishes were brought to the table.
Eve stared at the food as if mesmerized, then reached out with her hand—
“Eve, you can’t eat like that.”
“Huh? But if I do that I can’t eat…”
“You hold the fork and knife and slowly savor the taste.”
I picked up the fork and knife, and like demonstrating, took a small bite of my own portion.
The aroma of the perfectly cooked meat was an art.
“See? It’s okay if you’re clumsy, just follow slowly.”
“Then… Chewy. Oh.”
Eve nodded, grabbed the fork and knife, and crumpled them like paper.
“……Use the cutter this time. Grip a little softer.”
“Okay, Brother. Gently, lightly…”
Eve received the cutlery and carefully sliced the meat this time, putting it in her mouth.
And when she chewed the meat—
“…………!”
Her pupils widened beyond belief.
“This… This is…”
Yes, I understood the reaction. A girl who had grown up eating only raw meat all her life couldn’t possibly be unmoved by properly seasoned food.
“This… There’s no way. How can such flavor exist in the world?”
Eve cut a large piece of meat and stuffed it into her mouth.
“Haha, I thought you’d like it, Eve. How is it? Doesn’t your heart race with every bite, and doesn’t your mood lift?”
“!!”
Eve nodded vigorously while stuffing meat into her mouth. Even as a monster, such pure joy was impossible to ignore.
By now Eve had finished all her own portion.
“……”
She stared at my plate without a word.
“You still seem hungry. Shall I give you mine too?”
“…..! Of course, Brother! How did you see through my heart again!”
No, if you look at it that way, it’s even stranger that you couldn’t tell.
I smiled awkwardly to cover up her excitement and slid my plate toward her.
Then Eve ate the food with the blissful expression of someone who hadn’t eaten for days.
‘Based on the reaction, it seems to be working perfectly.’
If I kept buying delicious food every time Eve got hungry, maybe I could stop her from eating people.
“Eve, how about making one promise with me?”
“A promise?”
Eve chewed while asking me.
“At least promise not to eat people at Luin Academy. Then whenever Eve gets hungry, I’ll keep buying delicious food for you.”
“If I don’t eat people… you’ll keep buying these foods?”
“Exactly.”
“Um……”
Eve paused briefly and murmured.
“……As long as Mother doesn’t find out.”
According to plan.
I smiled faintly, took several gold coins from my wallet, and handed them to Eve.
“Here’s your allowance. If we can’t contact each other, use this gold to buy the food you like yourself.”
“Hehe, thanks, Brother. Brother is the best!”
Seeing Eve stretch her arms in joy made my heart warm undeservedly.
But I couldn’t forget.
This girl, if she wanted, could turn this entire area to ash.
I didn’t want to call Eve and Eva Cardena evil.
Good and evil were subjective concepts that depended on the observer.
From Megan Astorius’s perspective, Eve and her mother were the greatest evils in the world. But from Eve and Eva Cardena’s perspective, they themselves were good, and Megan Astorius might be the greatest evil.
Therefore, I couldn’t distinguish them as good or evil, and I didn’t want to either.
But one thing was certain.
“Pua! Delicious. Brother, order more!”
“Just say the word. I’ll feed you until you’re full.”
No matter whether they were good or evil, they were my enemies.