Chapter 45

I was good at everything.

"So I'm good at cooking too."

" "

"Please exclude swimming."

To the Sun God's question that poked at my weakness, I, as Giovanni, politely but firmly shook my head.

How could a two-legged human who can only breathe outside of water also be good at swimming?

"Although for someone like that, I am breathing underwater right now…."

Was it because 'Giovanni' was already a dead figure in this world, or was it because although I was synchronizing, my essence was that of a 'portrait'?

I was able to breathe just fine even in the water-filled 'Breathing Sea'.

"Is this water itself structured to allow humans to breathe?"

" "

"It has indeed become a special sea. I suppose this should be seen as one of Aria's accomplishments as well."

And yet, there was a sense of emptiness.

"It feels like I am not bound by the rules of this world. Is it because I am no longer an inhabitant here? My current physical state doesn't seem much different from when I was in the Painting Forest…."

" "

"I see."

The Sun God affirmed it as well.

"That's a shame."

Giovanni gave his characteristic kind and light smile.

It was a neat smile, no different from before.

"Should I say it feels like I've lost a hometown."

" "

"It's a little sad, but I'm sure it will get better over time."

Right now, it was time to eat rather than talk like this.

"I didn't think you enjoyed spicy food either, Father, so I've prepared mainly mild dishes. I thought you'd be upset if the meal got wet, so please create a space for us again this time."

'Create a space' was a request to make a large air bubble in this world full of water.

The Sun God had lost all his followers except Giovanni and his power had weakened, but for a short while, it was possible for him to bestow such a miracle.

"……."

Though using that miracle to have a meal might seem a bit absurd to others.

"No, but a person has to eat to live. Is there a rule that says gods can't eat?"

" "

"If anyone says anything about this, please entrust that insolent person to this son. I will give them a stern scolding."

" "

"The one who nags you for eating is the strange one."

The Sun God was very happy. He was definitely a pig god.

'Can gods gain weight?'

The thought suddenly occurred to me, but I soon shook my head inwardly.

It seemed too shameless to wish for an intangible being, who lacked even a voice let alone a physical form, to gain weight just from eating a bit.

Anyway, the old man who was at first completely dispirited and listless, even refusing to eat, was now setting the table as if demanding to be served right away, which made me feel very good.

Giovanni smiled brightly with satisfaction.

As the Priest of the Sun, a warm light shimmered around him.

"Thanks to Honey working so hard, our meal today has become very plentiful."

At my compliment, Honey entered the air bubble and puffed out its chest majestically.

It was a look that wanted praise not only from me but also from the Sun God.

"Kurururururu."

" "

"Kkurukkureukkureuk!"

Soon Honey's body, for a very brief moment, shone brightly.

"You praised it."

"Kkuruk."

It resembled the sunlight.

'Perhaps because Honey is an animal that evolved by drinking the juice of the Rurupu, it's particularly fond of the Sun God.'

The Rurupu that grew in the spring of the Painting Forest was a flower that grew under the moonlight and sunlight.

Strictly speaking, it was born from the sun and moon, so it was understandable that it liked the Sun God.

'It's just like a grandchild showing off its talents in front of its grandfather.'

Anyway, it's cute, so that's all that matters.

I watched affectionately as Honey followed the cluster of light that could be called the Sun God's touch, wiggling its bottom or flapping its wings.

Thanks to Honey's particular display of affection, the Sun God's wariness was easily broken down and I was able to be accepted by him again.

"……."

Communication with the Sun God (1/1)

"Then shall I get the meal ready?"

Thanks to the Sun God evaporating some of the water with heat, the food didn't get wet when I brought it over.

What I made today was an assorted sashimi platter and sushi, a warm fish soup and rice to go with it and fried fish to be served as a side dish.

The fried fish was fried plainly so it could be eaten with a sweet and sour sauce and a spicy sauce prepared separately, so I expected little opposition from the two who couldn't handle spicy food.

"Let's start eating, the preparations are done."

"Kururururu!!"

Honey was the first to fly over combatively, flapping its torso-sized wings.

Then it stood in front of the whole fried fish I had set aside for it, but the fish was 10 times the size of Honey.

"It really is big."

Honestly, it was a rather funny sight.

"Then, Father, you should come down too. It's best when it's warm."

" "

The Sun God's power, affirming my words, soon spread out somewhere.

The warm cluster of light reached a platinum-white teddy bear that was placed demurely near the picture frame that was my entrance.

And soon, the teddy bear, a little smaller than a child, began to move.

"Kuuu."

"Welcome."

The Sun God had descended.

To eat.

'Pigs.'

It was cute.

"Kuuu, kku…."

"Shall I help you?"

"Kku."

Perhaps because it had been placed in the water, the teddy bear couldn't walk properly and just flapped about.

It seemed difficult for the old, worn-out teddy bear's body to escape the water pressure and resistance.

I willingly put my hand under the teddy bear's side and lifted it. Then I placed the teddy bear, in which the Sun God resided, in front of a bowl.

"Kuuu."

"I'm glad you seem to like it."

It was very cute, but from the perspective of his son, Giovanni, it was also a little pitiful.

'Your power has weakened to the point where entering a mere doll doesn't strain you.'

Of course, this wasn't the Sun God fully inhabiting it either; he would have put just a part of himself, enough to be able to eat.

But seeing the Sun God's ego being expressed through the teddy bear, an important power that served as the god's heart, or brain, must have entered the doll.

Even so, the doll did not explode, and the Sun God did not feel any discomfort.

With only Giovanni as a follower, it seemed inevitable that his power would weaken compared to his peak.

"……."

Though it was a miracle in itself that the Sun God was avoiding annihilation with just Giovanni alone.

"Let's eat then."

"Kuuu."

"Kururururuk."

One human, one water bird, and one teddy bear began to eat without anyone going first.

The teddy bear, which should have been filled with nothing but cotton, opened its mouth wide and popped the fried fish in.

I was once again amazed.

'How curious.'

I saw it every time, but I couldn't figure out what structure it savored and digested food.

"Honey, does it taste alright? Is the fish cooked well?"

"Kkururuk."

"Good, just avoid this sauce. It'll be a bit spicy for you."

I had placed the spicy sauce in the middle of the table just in case, but I was confident that no one would touch it.

This sauce was made exclusively for me, anyway.

"……."

Let's see.

'Should I start with the sashimi?'

Honey, having already feasted on fresh innards, aimed for the fried food first and the Sun God, following the tastes of the humans who used to serve him, didn't eat raw things well and was drinking the rice and fish soup.

For some reason, I felt the urge to try what others weren't having first.

'And sashimi is best when it's fresh.'

I immediately picked up a piece of sashimi.

"…Hmm…."

I had seen it a lot while preparing it, but it still had a peculiar appearance.

'It's strange how it has the same color as salmon and is soft like salmon, but unlike salmon, the flesh has a firmness to it. Thanks to that, it wasn't as heavy as salmon when fried either.'

When I dipped it lightly in soy sauce and ate it, I could feel the flesh being chewy yet melting softly in my mouth.

"Delicious."

"Kkul."

"Kku."

Seeing everyone being happy on their own, my heart felt good too.

Perhaps Honey, wanting to finish the hunt quickly, had snatched up a whole school of fish that were swimming together, as all the fish Honey had brought were these flounders in the guise of salmon.

But because its taste and texture were so special, I didn't get tired of it.

'It's not like it has no fat at all.'

What was unusual about this fish was that it was oily when eaten as sashimi, but all the oil drained out when heat was applied, such as by frying or boiling.

Thanks to that, even the fish stew, which had few ingredients, could have a profound flavor.

"How is the stew?"

"Kuuuuk."

"This priest is delighted that you are pleased."

I looked at Honey again.

"Honey, you're…."

"Kkuung."

"Yes, you're eating well and enjoying it."

It's a good sight, you pigs.

'As for me... I should eat the cold things first and then the others.'

Thinking about having dessert later, I felt my stomach should be a bit warm to enjoy cold jelly.

I decided to finish the sashimi and sushi I was currently eating before trying something else.

The sashimi, with a moderate amount of oil flowing out like juice, went well with the sushi without clashing.

'The rice grains in flounder sushi felt separate.'

It wasn't that I disliked flounder sushi, but I always felt that the uniquely firm and chewy flesh of the flounder and the plumply rolling grains of the sushi rice were too overpowering.

That was why Seo Jio preferred salmon sushi, which was so soft it went down your throat on its own after just a few chews, over flounder sushi.

But this sushi was different.

The sushi, with air delicately incorporated, spread out like a net as soon as it entered my mouth, and the sashimi on top resisted my teeth for a moment before melting softly.

The combination of the rice seasoned with sushi vinegar and the slightly oily sashimi was excellent.

"Mm."

I ate all of my share of sashimi and sushi.

If the other family members left any, it was all going to be mine.

'Next, the fried fish.'

Thanks to the Sun God's consideration, it was maintaining a non-humid state, but no matter what, the crispiness of fried food collapses easily.

I chose the fried fish as my next opponent after the sashimi.

"…The portion was so large I was worried it would be too much, so I didn't use a separate batter. It's fried in oil anyway, and the fish flesh is plump…."

To me, who was making an excuse that wasn't an excuse, Honey and the teddy bear shot a look that said, 'What are you talking about while we're eating well.' I, who was in charge of the cooking, felt my heart instantly ease.

'There's nothing that warms my heart as much as a well-eating pig.'

They seemed like the type to eat deliciously even if given lye, as long as it tasted good.

As the person who cooked, it was a situation where I couldn't help but feel pleased.

"Sorry for interrupting. Let's just eat."

"Kuuu."

"Kkurukkureuk."

"……."

Come to think of it, was the teddy bear's cry modeled after Honey's?

'I've felt it every time, but they're quite similar.'

I was too hungry to think about it any further.

"Ah, hot."

Fortunately, the fried fish was still maintaining its warm and crispy state.

It was thanks to the consideration of the Sun God, who generously sprinkled the grace of the sun; I didn't know if it was just so he could eat deliciously, but it was good anyway.

Basa-sak—!

"Oh."

As expected of the Sun God, he doesn't tolerate a single bit of moisture.

'The crispy fried skin and the moist juices inside are exquisite.'

Since it was a burden to prepare all 33 fish individually, I fried them whole, and perhaps because of that, the inside was filled with glistening juices.

The oil that had been in the flesh had drained out and stayed on the skin, which made it feel like eating chicken.

'Maybe because it's fried, the flesh has become much chewier too.'

It wasn't an unpleasant elasticity, but a resistance that felt just right.

When I chewed without much force, I could feel the grain unraveling softly like silk threads on my tongue.

"……."

It's delicious even without dipping it in sauce?

'Is it because the skin is salty?'

The seawater seemed to have seeped into the skin of this fish particularly well.

After removing the moisture, what remained was the saltiness, so I didn't know the principle, but even after being fried once, the seasoning was exquisite.

'The inner flesh is mild to the point of being almost sweet, but it's rich in juices, and the skin is especially oily and crispy… they go very well together.'

Dipped in the spicy sauce, it was a taste that made rice go down smoothly.

"……."

Slurp.

The fish stew, boiled like a doenjang soup, was also very good.

"…I get to try things like this because the fish is fresh."

"Kkururuk."

"You're right, this is better than I thought."

It wasn't like I had added any amazing sauce.

I just put some well-prepared fish in water with some dissolved doenjang and added some radish and green onion on top.

Despite that, the deep, umami-flavored fish stew was like drinking a long-simmered bone broth.

'If the fish had been even a little bit fishy, I couldn't have made it like this.'

That's why when people think of fish stew, they usually think of spicy fish stew . Because unless the fish was freshly caught, it was never not fishy.

Especially when boiled in a stew, the fishiness of seafood intensifies, so people usually cover it up with spiciness.

But for me, who had what was essentially a sea inside my cabin, there was no need for that.

The freshly caught, wriggling fish was incredibly fresh, and I was able to complete a stew with a deep flavor with just a bit of doenjang.

"Hooo…."

My stomach was so warm that if I fell asleep like this, I felt like I wouldn't wake up until dinner.

"Nice."

"Kkuuk?"

"Yes, I'm full."

Ah, right.

"I'm boiling the bone broth, I'll come again when it's done."

"Kuuuuu."

"Yes, it must be your first time having bone broth, Father? It has a much deeper flavor than this fish stew…."

A characteristic of foodies.

They talk about food while eating.

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