A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World

The Goddess's True Colors

"Why... Why can't I make it right?"

Naruto mumbled to himself. He was sitting while resting his head on the edge of the table inside of Wiz's magic item shop.

He roughly remembered how to make the noodles, and even knew most of the ingredients by heart. Heck, miso soup was reasonably common in this world. Yet, Naruto just couldn't quite get it.

So far, Naruto was able to make a decent soup, and his noodles were getting there in firmness. But whenever he tried to put it all together with vegetables and meat, the flavors were always wrong!

Also, the vegetables in this world were sentient for whatever reason and a real nuisance. Naruto had been socked in the face by an onion when he first went grocery shopping. They made a complete mess of his kitchen.

"You'll get it next time for sure! I just know it!"

Wiz sportingly said before getting back to tearing through her third bowl of Naruto's "failure" ramen with great haste.

"But I don't think this is bad at all, Naruto-san is quite talented! More please!"

"Thanks, Wiz... Here you go."

Naruto absentmindedly said and pushed the fourth and final bowl over to her without looking. He ended up making quite a bit of ramen that morning and they were at least edible by his standards, so he decided to bring the extras to the store for Wiz who had returned from her business trip. So, they closed the store for a lunch break.

"You sure were hungry... It's like you haven't eaten solid food since you left."

Naruto jokingly said and Wiz flinched.

"Y-yes... It was quite a long carriage ride, and I forgot to bring snacks. How careless of me!"

The Lich responded in a monotone voice.

Naruto looked up and narrowed his eyes on the gluttonous girl who suspiciously slowed down.

"I thought you said you couldn't get to that village on a carriage? Don't tell me... Have you not eaten anything since you left?"

Wiz gulped her food down hard before sighing.

"Naruto-san saw right through me, huh... Because the business isn't doing too well, I've been cutting back on things to save money. I've been skipping out on one or ten meals a week..."

So Wiz's financial situation was worse than he thought He'd have to think of some ideas fast or-

Naruto blinked.

"Wait, did you say ten!? Wiz, you can't seriously have been starving yourself, have you!?"

Wiz frantically waved her hands dismissively.

"I-it's not a big deal! Honestly! Because I'm a Lich, I won't die even if I starve! Though, I would eventually lose all my flesh..."

That last part unnerved Naruto as he imagined the woman in front of him turning into a skeleton, but he quickly dismissed the thought and returned to the matter at hand.

"But you still feel hunger, right? The feeling of being hungry all the time... I can't let the kind and honest to a fault Wiz feel like that! Besides, if Wiz's body withers away and turns into a skeleton, how else are we going to attract customers to the store?"

"I appreciate your concern, but are you complimenting or insulting me?"

Wiz asked with a crooked.

Naruto laughed at the girl's expression, then stood up and gathered the empty bowls on the table. It was then an idea came to him.