We ate the incredibly delicious Rossini-style fillet and pufferfish carpaccio, wiping the sauce from the plate with bread to leave nothing behind, and afterward, both Ryo-ka-san and I were in a daze for a while.
Surprisingly, there was no sense of loss over having finished the meal. Instead, we were simply filled with satisfaction and euphoria.
“…I ate it like it was nothing, but that was dungeon food, wasn’t it?”
About five minutes into her daze, Ryo-ka-san asked, clenching and unclenching her hands.
“Yeah. You noticed? Well, I guess with something that delicious, it’s hard not to.”
“It’s not just the taste. I feel like energy is just surging through me.”
“Energy surging? What do you mean?”
I tried flexing, but I didn’t notice any particular change in my body.
“Ah—guys might not feel it. Dungeon ingredients have special effects, you know. It’s kind of like food in games. Stuff like ‘attack power up for three minutes.’ But it seems like the effects only apply to women with a level-based system.”
“Huh, so that’s a thing. By the way, what kind of effects were there in today’s meal? If I remember right, it was Black Minotaur fillet, King Duck foie gras, and dungeon pufferfish caught on the 70th floor.”
“That’s…a lineup regular people could never afford,” Ryo-ka-san muttered as she began looking something up on her smartphone. It seemed like she was checking a site listing dungeon ingredients and their special effects.
“Black Minotaur meat boosts attack and defense, foie gras increases stamina, and pufferfish grants immunity to status effects. Each effect lasts about two hours. As expected of high-end ingredients—the effects are on another level.”
“Feels like a waste not to go dungeon crawling after eating something like that.”
“Yeah, it really does feel like a waste…which means we should put it to good use.”
“Put it to good use? You mean we’re heading to a dungeon now?”
“Not exactly.”
With a thud, something hit my shoulder. Before I knew it, I was flat on my back, and Ryo-ka-san was straddling me.
“If your defense and stamina are boosted, then the pleasure when you gain experience points must feel even better, right?”
Ryo-ka-san looked down at me with a feverish gaze. At this point, I was nothing more than prey in her eyes.
“…Doesn’t one of the effects also increase libido?”
“Heh, you figured it out. Foie gras has that effect, too.”
Seriously?
“Tatsuya…brace yourself.”
“P-please be gentle…”
Knowing there was no way I could overpower her, I gave up and let my body go limp.
Afterward, while sitting astride me, Ryo-ka-san clutched my hands in a tight, romantic grip, biting her lip as if trying to endure something. Her eyes glistened with tears, occasionally losing focus as she seemed to struggle against the overwhelming sensations.
Thanks to the dungeon ingredients, the effects were intense. Yet, despite her determination, it was clear she wasn’t at her limit for what I initially suspected.
“Ryo-ka-san, where are we now?”
“Ffffffuuuuuuuuuuu♡♡♡♡♡ Fifty-two…fifty-two levels up…fffffuuuuuuuuuuu♡♡♡♡♡♡!”
“That’s some progress.”
“Ffffffffffuuuuuuuuuuu♡♡♡♡ Tatsuya…don’t underestimate me, you idiotttttt♡♡♡♡♡!”
“Well, with how you’re holding up, I’m not sure if I should believe that.”
“S-shut up, you idiot Tatsuya♡♡♡♡♡!”
“Want me to help? If I lick it, you might level up faster.”
“Aaaahhhh no no no no no♡♡♡♡♡! I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I got carried away♡♡♡♡!”
In the end, Ryo-ka-san endured until she reached level 70, passing out in the process.
