Hitsugi no Chaika Volume 1

Chapter 2: The Sister's Decision (Part 1)

Chapter 2: The Sister's Decision
Part 1

The sound of tableware clinking together could be heard.

"..."

Despite the many astonished looks focused on him, Tohru continued his meal without saying a word.

He wasn't by nature a polite eater, but this was far worse; he ate as if he was being cornered. It definitely didn't look like he was enjoying eating his meal.

Cram in a mouthful. Chew. Gulp it down. Take a swig of water, then cram more inside. Repeat.

Over and over again, as if he were performing a simple mechanical operation.

It wasn't delicious, nor was it disgusting.

There was probably no greater insult to the chef that made it, but Tohru wasn't even tasting the food. He was eating for the sole purpose of replenishing nutrients.

"..."

It had only been a little over three hours since then.

While gathering wild plants in the forest, he had come across a girl who was all by herself, and then came face to face with a Feyra unicorn. He had ran around trying to protect the girl from the unicorn, buying time so she could use her magic while losing quite a bit of blood and stamina in the process, and then on top of that used a technique that he hadn't used in about two years, "Iron-Blood Transformation".

In particular, this "Iron-Blood Transformation" consumed a bizarre amount of stamina.

To be honest, after all that it was a miracle he had managed to keep from collapsing. He had dragged all the natural strength out of his body by force, and was now walking the tightrope called "limits".

As a result...Tohru found himself to be ferociously hungry, and the instant he had set foot back in Del Solant, they headed to a diner. By now, there were enough empty plates stacked on top of each other in front of him to hold portions for more than five people.

It was already afternoon, so business was booming.

At first, the people around Tohru didn't pay him any mind, but after a while they could no longer ignore the fact that a young boy was downing all this food, stacking plate after plate without a word.

"...Chef."

After cleaning his sixth plate, Tohru raised his head and spoke.

"One more just like that."

"...Yeah, yeah."

Through a small window that connected the kitchen with the dining room, the chef nodded, though he looked annoyed.

But...

"Eat, too much," muttered the silver-haired, purple-eyed girl as she furrowed her brows, looking at Tohru.

Chaika Trabant.

That was what she had told Tohru to call her. He did not yet know her background, but right now the important thing was that she had said she would pay for the meal. Tohru didn't have an ounce of pride, and he was completely penniless.

"Unreasonable. Eat, too much. Stomach, shocking."

"More importantly, you have money, right?"

"..."

Chaika gave a nod, but didn't look happy about it.

"Then there's no problem. I did some work, and I got hungry afterwards. That's all."

"..."

Well, she had said she would treat him to breakfast if he guided her this far. But she was probably also thinking that not precisely confirming the amount, or rather, the budget beforehand was a mistake.