Chapter 45

Jio was good at everything.

"So I'm good at cooking too."

" "

"Swimming doesn't count."

At the Sun God's question, which struck at his weak point, Giovanni shook his head politely but firmly.

How could someone born as a two-legged human who could only breathe outside water possibly be good at swimming too?

"Though, considering that, I am breathing underwater right now..."

Was it because "Giovanni" was already dead in this world, or because, even though he was synchronizing, his essence was that of a "portrait"?

Jio could breathe perfectly well even in the water-filled Breathing Sea.

"Is this water itself made so that humans can breathe in it?"

" "

"Indeed, it has become a special sea."

"This, too, should be counted as one of Aria's accomplishments."

Even so, there was a hollow feeling.

"It feels as though I am no longer bound by the rules of this world."

"Is it because I am no longer a resident of this place?"

"My current physical state doesn't seem very different from when I'm in the painting forest..."

" "

"I see."

The Sun God affirmed it as well.

"What a shame."

Giovanni gave his characteristic kind, light smile.

It was a neat smile, no different from before.

"I suppose I should say it feels like losing a homeland."

" "

"It is a little sad, but I will gradually get better from here on."

Now was the time to eat rather than talk about such things.

"Since Father did not seem to enjoy spicy food either, I prepared mainly plain dishes especially for you."

"I would be upset if the meal got soaked, so please make a space again this time."

"Asking him to make a space" meant asking him to create a large air bubble in this world filled with water.

The Sun God had lost every follower except Giovanni and had grown weak, but for a short while, granting that much of a miracle was possible.

"..."

Using that miracle to eat a meal might seem a little absurd to others, though.

"No, but still, people need to eat to live."

"Is there some rule that says gods are not allowed to eat either?"

" "

"If anyone comes along and complains about this, please leave that insolent soul to this son of yours."

"I will scold them sharply."

" "

"Someone who harasses another person over eating is the strange one."

The Sun God was extremely happy.

He was definitely a pig god after all.

'Can gods gain weight too?'

The thought suddenly occurred to Jio, but he soon shook his head inwardly.

Hoping that an incorporeal being without even a voice, let alone a body, would gain weight just from eating seemed far too shameless.

In any case, the man who had at first been so dispirited and wilted that he even refused food was now setting out the table as though demanding it be served at once, so Jio felt very pleased.

Giovanni smiled brightly in satisfaction.

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

"Thanks to Honey working hard, today's meal has become very plentiful."

At Jio's praise, Honey entered the air bubble and puffed out his chest with magnificent dignity.

He looked as though he wanted praise not only from Jio, but from the Sun God as well.

"Gurrrrrr."

" "

"Gurgle gurgle gurgle!"

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

"He praised you."

"Gur."

It resembled sunlight.

'Maybe because Honey is an animal that evolved after drinking Rurupu sap, he especially likes the Sun God.'

The Rurupu that grew in the spring of the painting forest was a flower raised by moonlight and sunlight.

Strictly speaking, he had been born from the sun and the moon, so it made sense that he liked the Sun God.

'He looks just like a grandson performing tricks in front of his grandfather.'

Anyway, he was cute, and that was enough.

Jio looked fondly at Honey as he wiggled his rump or flapped his wings after the cluster of light that could be called the Sun God's hand.

Because Honey had been especially charming, the Sun God's wariness had also crumbled easily, allowing him to accept Jio again.

"..."

"Then shall I prepare the meal?"

Because the Sun God had evaporated some of the water with heat, the food did not get wet even when brought in.

What Jio had made today was assorted sashimi and sushi, warm fish soup with rice to match, and fried fish to serve as a side dish.

The fried fish had been fried plainly, and he had prepared both a tangy sauce and a spicy sauce for dipping, so he expected there would be little opposition from the two spice weaklings.

"Let's eat soon."

"The preparations are finished."

"Gurrrrrrr!!"

Honey was the first to come flying over aggressively, flapping wings as large as his own body.

Then he stood in front of the whole fried fish Jio had set aside for him, and the fish was ten times Honey's size.

"It really is big."

Honestly, it was a pretty funny sight.

"Then Father, please come down as well."

"It tastes best when it's warm."

" "

At Jio's words, the power of the Sun God, having affirmed him, soon spread somewhere.

The warm cluster of light touched the platinum-white teddy bear that had been demurely placed near the frame that served as Jio's entrance.

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

"Coo."

"Welcome."

The Sun God had descended.

To eat.

'Pigs.'

They were cute.

"Coo, coo..."

"Would you like some help?"

"Coo."

Perhaps because the teddy bear had been placed underwater, it flailed and could not walk properly.

It seemed that, in the body of an old and worn teddy bear, it was difficult to escape the water pressure and resistance.

Jio readily slipped his hand under the teddy bear's side and lifted him.

Then he placed the teddy bear possessed by the Sun God in front of a bowl.

"Coo."

"I'm glad it seems to please you."

He was extremely cute, but from the perspective of Giovanni, his son, he was also a little pitiful.

'You have grown so weak that even entering a mere doll is not too much for it to bear.'

Of course, this too was not the Sun God entering it completely; he had probably only placed enough of himself inside to make eating possible.

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

And yet the doll did not burst, nor did the Sun God feel any discomfort.

Since Giovanni was his only follower, it seemed inevitable that his power had weakened compared to his heyday.

"..."

Though the fact that the Sun God was avoiding extinction with nothing but Giovanni alone was a miracle in itself.

"Then let's eat."

"Coo."

"Gurrrrrgle."

One human, one waterbird, and one teddy bear began eating without anyone going first.

The teddy bear, which should surely have had nothing but cotton inside, opened its mouth wide and stuffed fried fish into it.

Jio was newly impressed.

'How extraordinary.'

He saw it every time, but he could not understand what structure allowed it to savor and digest food.

"Honey, does it taste all right?"

"Is the fish cooked well?"

"Gurrrgle."

"Good."

"Just avoid this sauce."

"It will be a bit spicy for you."

He had placed the spicy sauce in the middle of the table just in case, but he was certain no one would touch it.

This sauce had been made exclusively for Jio anyway.

"..."

Let's see.

'Should I start with the sashimi?'

Perhaps because Honey had already eaten a whole round of fresh innards, he went for the fried fish first.

And the Sun God, following the tastes of the humans who had worshiped him, did not eat much raw food and was drinking rice and fish soup.

For some reason, Jio felt like trying the thing the others were not eating first.

'Sashimi is also best when eaten fresh.'

Jio immediately picked up a piece of sashimi.

"... Hm..."

He had seen plenty of it while preparing it, but it was still unusually shaped.

'It has the same color as salmon and is soft like salmon, but unlike salmon, the flesh has elasticity.'

'That really is fascinating.'

'Thanks to that, even when fried, it wasn't as heavy as salmon.'

When he dipped it lightly in soy sauce and ate it, he felt the chewy yet softly melting flesh in his mouth.

"Sho good."

"Gur."

"Coo."

Seeing everyone happily reacting on their own made Jio feel good too.

Perhaps because Honey, who had wanted to finish the hunt quickly, had scooped up an entire school of fish gathered somewhere, every fish Honey had caught was this flounder disguised as salmon.

But because the flavor and texture were so distinctive, he did not get tired of it.

'It isn't completely without fat either.'

One peculiar thing about this fish was that when eaten as sashimi it was fatty, but when heat was applied by frying or boiling, all the fat drained out.

Thanks to that, even a fish soup with very few ingredients could have a deep, rich flavor.

"How is the soup?"

"Coo-ooh."

"I am glad it pleases you, as your priest."

Jio looked at Honey again.

"Honey, you..."

"Gurrr."

"Yes, you're enjoying it well."

What a nice sight, you pigs.

'For now... I'll eat the cold things first, then eat something else.'

Thinking of the dessert he would have later, it seemed that if his stomach was a little warm, the cold jelly would be pleasant to eat too.

For now, Jio decided to finish the sashimi and sushi he was currently eating before trying anything else.

The sashimi, whose moderate fattiness flowed out like meat juice, paired well with the sushi without clashing.

'With flounder sushi, the rice grains feel separate.'

It was not that he disliked flounder sushi, but he thought the uniquely firm, chewy flesh of flounder and the plump, rolling grains of sushi rice were both too assertive.

So Seo Jio preferred salmon sushi, which was soft enough to slip down his throat on its own after only a little chewing, over flounder sushi.

But this sushi was different.

The delicately aerated sushi rice spread wide like a net the moment it entered his mouth, and the sashimi laid on top resisted his teeth for a moment before melting softly.

The vinegared rice and the sashimi with a slight sheen of fat made an excellent combination.

"Mm."

Jio ate all of his share of sashimi and sushi.

If the other family members left anything behind, it would all become Jio's.

'Next is the fried fish.'

Thanks to the Sun God's consideration, it was staying free of moisture, but even so, fried food easily lost its crispness.

Jio chose the fried fish as his opponent after the sashimi.

"... Because there was so much, I didn't coat it in batter, in case it became too much."

"It is already fried in oil, and the fish itself is plump too..."

Honey and the teddy bear looked at Jio, who was making excuses that were not really excuses, as if asking what he was talking about when they were eating just fine.

Jio, who had been in charge of the cooking, instantly felt his heart ease.

'There is no being that warms my heart like a pig that eats well.'

They seemed like the sort of people who would eat even lye with relish if it tasted good.

As the person who had cooked, it was impossible not to feel satisfied.

"Sorry for interrupting."

"Let's just eat."

"Coo-ooh."

"Gurgle gurgle."

"..."

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

'I feel this every time, but they are quite similar.'

He was hungry, so he did not think any further than that.

"Ow, hot."

Fortunately, the fried fish was still warm and crisp.

It was thanks to the consideration of the Sun God, who had generously scattered the blessing of the sun over it, though Jio did not know whether he had only done it so he could enjoy it himself.

CRUNCH!

"Oh."

As expected of the Sun God.

He does not tolerate even a speck of moisture.

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

Since there had been thirty-three fish, a number too burdensome to prepare one by one, he had fried them whole, and perhaps thanks to that, the inside held glossy juices.

The fat that had been in the flesh had drained out and remained in the skin, and thanks to that, it felt almost like eating chicken.

'Maybe because it was fried, the flesh became much chewier too.'

It was not an unpleasant level of springiness, but a resistance just pleasant enough to feel good.

When he chewed without biting down hard, he could feel the grain unravel softly like silk threads against the inside of his mouth.

"..."

It's delicious even without dipping it in sauce.

'Is it because the skin is salty?'

Seawater had seeped especially well into the skin of this fish.

Once the moisture was removed, what remained was saltiness, and though he did not know by what principle, even after frying it once, the seasoning was exquisite.

'The flesh inside is so plain it almost tastes sweet, but it is rich with juices, and the skin is especially fatty and crisp...'

'They go extremely well together.'

When dipped in the spicy sauce, it was the sort of flavor that made rice go down effortlessly.

"..."

Slurp.

The fish soup boiled like soybean-paste soup was also very good.

"... Because the fish is fresh, I get to try something like this."

"Gurrrgle."

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

It was not as if he had added any particularly impressive sauce.

He had simply put well-prepared fish into water with some soybean paste dissolved in it, then added a little radish and green onion on top.

Even so, the fish soup with its deep savoriness felt like drinking bone broth that had been simmered for a long time.

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

That was why, when people normally said fish soup, they thought of spicy fish stew.

Unless the fish had just been caught, it was rarely not fishy.

Especially when boiled into soup, the fishy smell of seafood rose even more, so people usually covered that fishiness with spiciness.

But Jio, whose cabin was practically containing a sea inside it, had no need to do that.

The fish, freshly caught and still flopping, was exceedingly refreshing, and with nothing more than soybean paste, he could complete a deeply flavorful soup.

"Hooo..."

His insides were so warm that if he slept like this, he felt he would not wake up until evening.

"This is nice."

"Coo?"

"Yes, I'm full."

Ah, right.

"I'm simmering marrowbones, so I will come again when they are done."

"Coo-ooh."

"Yes, Father, this must be your first time having bone broth."

"Its flavor is even much deeper than this fish soup..."

A trait of gluttons.

They talk about food while eating.