I was reincarnated as bait for the summoned hero
I want to secure a large amount of Lake Serpent meat from the fifty-fourth floor. And it wasn’t just the golden dragon, Rei, who was pleading with a serious expression.
With her silver hair in disarray and teary eyes looking up at me, there was Sheera.
This girl understands her own good looks and tries to use them at crucial moments.
However, she’s still a bit weak at fully embodying a cunning, calculating girl.
Because, in the end, her motive is just meat.
“Please, from me as well! That incredibly delicious meat—no matter how much we have, it will never be enough!”
“Well, yeah… If you eat it at the same pace as yesterday, it’ll be gone in no time.”
“Ugh…”
It was only natural that my tone came off a bit sarcastic.
After all, they had devoured the entire 30-kilogram chunk of meat without hesitation.
“I apologize. But resisting that meat was impossible. It was truly exquisite…”
“Yeah, it was. Honestly, it was the best-quality fatty tuna I’ve ever eaten.”
The moment I put a piece of fatty tuna sushi in my mouth, the heat melted it instantly. I didn’t even have time to savor it by chewing. All that was left in my mouth was the rich umami of high-quality fat.
No matter how much we ate—or rather, the more we ate, the hungrier we felt. It was that kind of feast.
The large amount of sushi I had prepared disappeared in an instant, so I hurriedly cut more from the fatty part.
For the additional servings, preparing vinegared rice felt like too much effort, so I simply sliced it thin and served it with wasabi soy sauce for easy eating.
The fat content in the fatty tuna was so intense that just dipping it once turned the soy sauce into a pool of oil.
It was far superior to any low-grade meat.
Easier to eat than fatty meat, gentle on the stomach, and not heavy—it would definitely become a hot topic if it ever hit the market.
(Well, it’d be a waste to sell it, so I won’t.)
Even Kotesu, who loves tuna, devoured the Lake Serpent meat with astonishing speed.
Usually, Kotesu adorably chews his food with his tiny molars, savoring it at a leisurely pace. But this time, he was completely feral, tearing into the meat with a wild expression.
(My little one… really is a feline predator, huh…)
It was such an intense sight that I found myself staring into the distance.
And so, as the two of them—and one cat—kept begging, and of course, to satisfy my own cravings as well, I kept placing additional servings on the table.
By the time I realized it, all our Lake Serpent meat stock had vanished.
Rei, holding out his empty plate with a dazzling smile, asked for more.
I coldly responded.
“There’s no more.”
Realizing that they had eaten it all themselves, amethyst-colored eyes filled with despair.
Sheera and Kotesu also seemed to be in shock, their shoulders trembling.
(Is it really that serious…?)
Their disappointment was so overwhelming that I was slightly taken aback.
Leaving them in their mourning state, I silently cleaned up after the feast.
With the two and one cat still sulking, I quickly retreated to my bedroom.
Then, secretly, I used my [Item Box] to send some hidden sashimi-grade Lake Serpent meat to my cousins.
With wasabi and soy sauce included.
I was exhausted, so after taking a hot shower, I went straight to bed.
The next morning, I found my phone flooded with notifications from my cousins.
“What the hell is that meat!? It was insanely delicious…”
“Is this fatty tuna? Is the Serpent actually a type of tuna? Either way, if I see one, I’m hunting it.”
“It disappeared in seconds. So freaking good. Thanks!”
Most of the messages were filled with reactions to the taste and words of gratitude.
Haruto , in particular, spammed a thumbs-up sticker repeatedly, which was a bit annoying.
(I figured they’d like it, but their reaction is even stronger than I expected.)
Since dungeons drop mostly meat, this tuna-like ingredient was a welcome addition.
With reactions like this, I’d love to send more, but unfortunately, we had already eaten all of it.
There was no guarantee that another aged, special Lake Serpent would appear in the lakeside field anytime soon.
Even though they requested more, I should probably temper their expectations.
Or so I thought.
Yet now, for some reason, the two and one cat were sitting directly on the living room floor, pleading with me.
“Why are you kneeling?”
“Hmm. Isn’t this the proper etiquette when a Japanese person is making a serious request?”
“My legs… are going numb…!”
“Fumyaaahh…”
Sheera’s teary eyes, and Kotesu, who couldn’t even sit properly and was now cradling his head in distress—I couldn’t bear to look at them.
I sighed.
“…You guys really want that meat that badly?”
“Yes. I could eat it every day and never get tired of it.”
“I want it too…! I’ve never had meat with that kind of texture before. It was nothing like the tuna we had in the coastal town!”
“Ah… That tuna was good, but it was all lean meat. It didn’t have any fat…”
Maybe natural tuna-like fish have specific seasons.
That said, the tuna-like fish we had before was delicious in its own way, so I had cooked it down in oil to make homemade tuna.
It’s perfect for sandwiches and rice balls. Tuna mayo is the best.
“Kotesu, you’re a cat, so kneeling like that is impossible. You might strain your muscles, which would be dangerous. Come here.”
“Nya…”
Kotesu toddled over, and I lifted him into my arms.
When those moist jade-green eyes looked up at me, pleading, I felt like I would do anything for him.
Unfair. Too cute.
“…You really want more fatty tuna that badly?”
“Umiyaa…”
“It is delicious, after all. I get it…”
I couldn’t ignore my adorable cat’s plea.
Rei must have picked up on my muttered words.
His eyes suddenly gleamed with determination.
“Then listen to the plea of your adorable dragon companion as well!”
“Your cute little bird friend is also asking, you know?”
The shima-enaga (long-tailed tit) was undeniably cute, but a giant golden dragon…? Not so much.
“Hm? I am cute, aren’t I? Look!”
For some reason, Rei suddenly became competitive, muttered something, and then—
A burst of light flooded the room.
“Whoa, what the—!? So bright…!”
“Kyaah!”
I instinctively shut my eyes, pulling Kotesu close to shield him from the light.
Bright flashes are bad for a cat’s eyes.
Thankfully, the golden radiance quickly subsided.
“How about now? Aren’t I adorable!?”
“…Huh?”
When I opened my eyes, the tall and handsome figure was gone. Instead, a small dog-sized dragon was sitting on the floor.
“In the end, I got completely persuaded…”
Letting out a sigh, I slowly looked around.
This was the same place we had visited yesterday—the 54th floor.
A lakeside field.
Giving in to the pleas of my adorable cat, my adorable little bird, and the now adorably small-sized dragon was my downfall.
Cute creatures are justice, so it couldn’t be helped.
Resigning myself, I placed the two animals and the bird onto the rubber boat, as they eagerly prepared to take down another Lake Serpent.
I had explained multiple times that there was no guarantee another one would respawn in the lake, but the temptation of meat rendered all warnings useless.
Perhaps as part of their strategy, Sheera had transformed into her Shima Enaga form, and Rei remained in his tiny dragon state to take on the hunt.
And me? I’m just the one steering the rubber boat.
Since a tiny dragon out in the open would likely attract the attention of other adventurers, I used my Stealth skill to conceal him.
Fortunately, thanks to the heightened senses of a High Elf, I could still faintly track Rei’s presence through his magical aura.
『…Hmm. There’s one. It’s smaller and weaker than yesterday’s, though.』
Perched on the edge of the boat, the tiny dragon peered into the lake, murmuring with excitement.
“Well, yesterday’s was a rare, aged individual…”
It was a pleasant surprise to see another one had respawned.
To serve as live bait, I used water magic to gently rock the boat—
『It’s coming.』
“Piih!”
“Nya!”
The trio of small and cute creatures launched their attacks in perfect sync.
“Hey, wait—this is a rubber boat!”
Sheera, in her Shima Enaga form, unleashed a wind spell.
Kotesu, like yesterday, used plant magic.
And the mighty dragon (small) blasted the Lake Serpent with Blizzard.
At least they had been considerate enough not to use fire or lightning magic…
Still, I had to pour a ridiculous amount of magical power into Water Shield to protect the boat from the aftermath of their spells.
