A Distant Reverie

Chapter 3

...

What is this?

Vesper grimaced at the disturbing scene before his eyes. He was sitting by a makeshift campfire. Beside him was Marine, her beautiful face bright and exuding a childlike excitement. It would have been a pleasing scene for the eyes—if not for the grotesque and, frankly, disgusting sight beneath her.

"Um, Ms. Houshou..." Vesper tried to comment on the pirate's actions, but she was unfortunately too preoccupied. Wielding her sword like a butcher's knife, Marine was diligently skinning a detached torso and cutting it into chunks of meat. The torso, of course, came from the corpse of the monster that they had just slain earlier.

"Alright!" Marine exclaimed as she stabbed a wooden skewer through a chunk of meat and lifted it over the campfire. A faint sizzling sound could be heard—the meat cooked surprisingly fast, and soon enough, there was an oily aroma that permeated the air.

"Mr. Noir, for slaying the beast, you get the honor of eating the first piece!"

You seriously want me to eat that?! Vesper stared at the browned meat with hesitation. The sight of the horrific monster, bloodied and charred, still remained fresh in his mind. And that same horrific monster which made the earth tremble and left senseless destruction in its wake...was now suddenly diced into chunks of skewered meat. His mind, sullied by the convenience of civilization, couldn't comprehend eating something that was just alive minutes ago.

"I, uh..." He wanted to refuse, but Marine's radiant expression made him feel guilty. The pirate did spend quite amount of time turning the monster corpse into something edible. Thankfully, Marine seemed to have noticed his reservation.

"Hmmm, if it's food safety you're concerned about..." she instantly took a bite of the cooked meat.

"Mmmm!" Her cheeks puffed out as she chewed, her face brimming with a genuine satisfaction that one couldn't help but smile at.

Dammit, why does she have to make it look so delicious?! His stomach began to protest its emptiness as the fragrant oils of the cooked meat spread to his nose. Abandoning his reluctance, he grabbed one of the skewers and sunk his teeth into dead monster.

It's...actually not bad? The meat was soft, slightly charred at the edges. He chewed. The buttery taste coated his mouth with a rich and intoxicating flavor. In an instant, the meat was gone, leaving behind a lingering sweetness that made him yearn for more.

"Hmmm? Not hesitating anymore?" Marine said smugly as she held out another skewer towards him. Vesper frowned, before reaching out to accept a second round of meat. His pride was slightly wounded, but his stomach was satisfied.

It's a shame we don't have some salt or pepper... As he was busy with his thoughts,

"Ahem!" Vesper and Marine turned to the new voice that was trying to get their attention. A young lady with blue hair with a dark blue patterned coat was staring at them with anticipation. Then suddenly, young lady suddenly prostrated herself.

"Thank you for saving me!"

...Right, we saved someone. He felt bad for forgetting. Vesper quickly placed the blame on his empty stomach and the unexpectedly delicious meat.

"Haha, no worries. It was the natural thing to do, right Mr. Noir?" Marine laughed as she flashed Vesper a grin, "So, what's your name, young miss?"

The young lady immediately got to her feet. With a salute and a devilish smile, she introduced herself, "It's your shooting star, diamond in the rough, Suisei Hoshimachi! I'm an idol!"