[Part 3/4]
After a while, I finally confird that the resistance from whatever was at the tip of the spear was weakening, and I pulled it out. Then... I threw it toward Hisa on the ground!
"Eh!? Eek!!?"
"Nice catch!"
The object released from the spear, thrown high into the sky, was caught by Hisa, who, despite her agitation, held it close with both hands. I whistled in approval.
"Nice, right? Uh, what is this... a fish?"
Hisa was puzzled by my words, but her attention seed more focused on what she was holding. She hesitated but eventually voiced her thoughts uncertainly.
"You're right. This is unusual for a fish to be this big here at this ti... maybe it failed to spawn in the spring?"
What I had speared, instead of a harpoon, was a close relative of salmon. In my previous life's Japan, it was the largest freshwater fish. It was called itomi or itou (Hucho perryi/Japanese huchen). It was known as a mythical fish because it had beco critically endangered in modern tis. It had a lifespan of twenty years, and its peak season was during the plump winter. It was delicious.
"Portable rations are boring on their own. ...Make sure to keep this a secret from the others, alright? They might get mad. Food grudges run deep."
"Hahaha... Eek! It's still moving!"
Hisa burst into laughter as she imitated the laughter from when Yun-shoku had treated to this fish in the past. At the sa ti, the itou struggled, perhaps not wanting to be traced all the way back to this point.
"Woah!? Woah!? Woah!? Woah!? Woah!? Woah!? Woah!?"
"What are you doing... Don't drop it in the river! Over there! Throw it over there!"
"Hwaaa?!"
Hisa, struggling to hold onto the thrashing giant ito, swayed unsteadily. I order her to do so as I head toward her. In a confused state, Hisa throws the fish toward the inland ground as instructed. But...
Slip!
""Ah!""
She slipped and plunged into the river at the sa ti.
"Cough, cough!!?"
"I don't know what you're doing..."
Hisa got up from the river. Her black costu was completely soaked.
"Change of plans. I'll take care of the cooking. You're all sweaty; take your ti and have a bath. ...Squeeze your clothes properly to dry them, alright?"
"...Yes."
In response to my instructions, Hisa replied in a barely audible voice while shrinking away. Her face remained lowered, making it hard to read her expression.
The itou, stranded on land, continued to bounce incessantly, *flap flap flap*, and so on...
* * *
"Uh, um... I've properly hung it up to dry!"
"Hmm, good job."
As I worked in front of the campfire, a timid voice I had beco accustod to hearing sounded from behind. I responded without bothering to turn around.
"So, um... what are you doing?"
"Cooking. It'll be ready in a bit longer."
Glancing at the fish being stead on hot stones over the campfire, I smiled confidently. Naturally, Hisa seed unaware of what was going on. This should be fun.
"I think it'll take about half of the ti left over low heat..."
I estimated the elapsed ti based on the position of the sun. It needed to be heated thoroughly to the core, hence the long cooking ti.
"Sniff, ...what's that sll?"
Hisa, who seed to have noticed a bit late, sniffed the air and tilted her head. Her attitude was more perplexed than displeased, more like curious. That's good; if she said she didn't like it, it would have been disappointing... At this rate, it seems she won't have any issues when it's ti to eat.
"There's a bowl right there for , right? Pass yours over too. We'll serve it up in a bit. By the way, do you prefer fatty or lean at... seems like prefer the fatty part."
I gave instructions to Hisa. Without hesitation, she handed the bowl, and as I reached for it... she inadvertently muttered.
"Huh? Um, I actually prefer lighter flavors..."
"...I'm talking about myself. Don't worry about it."
"Oh, okay..."
I cut the conversation short in a matter-of-fact tone, directed at the puzzled Hisa. Calmly, I ended it.
(Am I losing my mind...?)
It's not huge or massive, but considering her age and diet, it's surprisingly well-developed. Is it genetic? Hina still seem better for eating, though...
(And... I don't know where to look.)
It might be for ease of movent, but the combination of a sleeveless, skin-tight undershirt with a nearly mini skirt hemd up to the knees was a perverse combination that looked like sothing out of an eroge. And it's wet, too. It's subtly revealing and peeking at the cleavage.
"...?"
Moreover, based on her youthful features and expression, she herself doesn't seem to notice much or, rather, has a thin guard, which is even worse. I wish she'd take so self-defense asures. She might fall into the hands of a bad guy.
"Um, is there sothing... you don't like?"
"No, it's not about that. ...Well, let's eat first, shall we? Alright, this one..."
There's no point in digging a grave with lengthy conversation. It's alti now. As planned, I removed the fish from the heated stones. I placed the well-cooked whole fish on the prepared stone table.
"First, we remove the string."
"String?"
"Yes, the string."
Without further ado, I cut the string that had sewn up the fish's belly, or to be precise, the string that had stitched up the fish's belly.
And I'll show it off. The contents inside.
"Whoa... there's stuffing inside?"
As I opened the belly, Hisa let out an admiring sigh at the aroma spreading around her. What I had prepared could be described, in a sowhat pretentious manner, as a farce. It consisted of dried at soaked in water after partially removing the internal organs and bones, along with dried rice, mushrooms, and leafy greens collected nearby, all cut and crushed. Then it was heated together with the fish. A French-style stuffing...
"I'll cut it for you. ...There, be careful of the bones, okay?"
"Yes!"
I served the ingredients and fish in the bowl and handed it to her. Hisa cheerfully responded to my warning and picked up a mouthful, blowing on it cutely to cool it down. She took a bite, and her eyes widened in surprise.
"Is this...!?"
"Doesn't taste good?"
"No, it's... incredibly flavorful like soy sauce and... with?"
"Butter... the best part."
I said, showing her the empty bamboo tube.
Butter itself is relatively easy to make. It is said that the discovery was made when milk in a container hardened on a long journey. Taking advantage of the fact that few people were accustod to drinking milk, I snuck into the barn to collect it. Never mind that people around treated as an eccentric for endlessly milking cows. But then, the product I sohow manages to produce is dunked at the bottom of a well to cool down. The output is minimal.
"It's valuable. You should be grateful.
This ti, I mixed those precious fragnts into the ingredients packed inside. It's a soy sauce and butter flavor combination. Well, it's best to use it up quickly because it goes bad in the heat. I'm satisfied just seeing Hisa's reaction.
"There's seconds if you want. No need to hold back."
"Seconds!"
"Not so fast, kid."
While poking fun at Hisa with food still on her lips, I served her a bit more than before. I, too, dug into the fish and stuffing, which had more fat than usual for the season. Delicious. Truly a perk.
"Mmm... nom. Huff!"
"...Hahaha. You're just like Yukine."
As I ate at a slightly faster pace than usual, I couldn't help but chuckle at Hisa's unpretentious way of eating in front of . It reminded of the family in the village, my little sister. Well, she was livelier and more mischievous than Hisa. I hope she's not causing trouble for our parents and little brother...
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