“Hello, everyone. It’s been a day, I’m George.”
“—♪”
『Good evening!』
『Oh, Aurora’s wearing a one-piece dress!』
『Casual clothes look nice!』
『George, you should dress up too.』
“I’ll consider it. ^^”
Aurora’s casual outfit is already making a great impression. She seems happy about the compliments, striking various poses in front of the camera as if it’s a screenshot session. Meanwhile, I step away from my seat to grab today’s dishes from the kitchen, placing them on a tray before setting them in front of the camera.
A rich aroma wafts through the air. Aurora, who was busy with her impromptu photoshoot, immediately picks up on the scent and returns to her seat, sitting upright in anticipation.
“Alright, today’s menu features Tyranno Bone Soup, a.k.a. Manga Meat Bone Soup, and Fried Red Giant Rat Snake!”
『Whoa, that looks delicious.』
『Give me some!』
『Wait, are you seriously eating the bones too? lol』
“Of course, I heard they’re delicious. Don’t worry, I saved some soup for the rice porridge later! Now, let’s dig in.”
I scoop up a spoonful of the slightly golden, clear soup. The fat rendered from the Manga Meat glistens under the light. For the sake of delivering a fresh reaction to the viewers, I deliberately avoided tasting it beforehand. Usually, that’d be a risky move, but I followed instructions carefully this time.
Alright, here goes—!?
“This is an explosion of flavor!?”
“—!?”
The moment it hits my tongue, my brain is assaulted by the same rich umami I experienced when eating Manga Meat during our camping trip. It’s a punch of pure flavor. The ginger and garlic I added for depth are definitely present, but they don’t overpower the dish. Instead, they enhance the taste of the Manga Meat.
『Didn’t we see this same reaction two days ago?』
『Isn’t there like, a beef bone soup mix or something?』
『Damn it, watching someone eat so deliciously is worse than a food review—it’s making me hungry!』
Oops, almost forgot about the viewers. Thanks to my previous experience eating Manga Meat while camping, I seem to have built up a tolerance. I quickly regain my composure—but let me have one more sip.
“Ahhh, this is amazing. And now, I chase it with a beer! Perfection!”
『Dude, stop chugging beer like it’s a sports drink.』
『Aurora’s drinking a lot too, lol.』
『I get drinking is your choice, but at least take a liver detox day.』
“Don’t worry, I didn’t drink yesterday. Just had cup noodles.”
That got the chat buzzing with “Surprising” and “Wait, you actually take liver detox days?” Am I really seen as that much of a drinker? Well, I do call these “drinking streams,” so I guess it makes sense.
“By the way, I had no idea how to make this Tyranno Bone Soup, so I got the recipe from Chiba Takeshi, who was in chat earlier.”
『Wait, seriously? lol』
『Glad it turned out well! 😆 — Chiba Takeshi @Rounders』
『Did you call him or what?』
“More like we talked on Discord.”
Since I was working with Manga Meat bones, I couldn’t just assume it’d turn out like beef bone soup. So, I took a shot in the dark and DMed Chiba Takeshi on Twitter, asking for guidance. He replied right away and gave me a detailed explanation. Even then, I wasn’t fully confident, so I asked if we could do a voice call, and he agreed. He even sounded surprised I wanted to go that far. But man, just hearing his voice, you can tell—this guy is a legend inside and out.
“Alright, next up is the Fried Red Giant Rat Snake. I’ve always wanted to try fried snake meat after seeing it in manga!”
『Snake reminds me more of snake wine than food.』
“Oh yeah, I’m making Red Giant Rat Snake liquor too.”
『Wait, what?!』
『!?』
『!?』
『You’re joking, right?』
“Here’s proof.”
I expected disbelief, so I had it ready. Reaching under the table, I pull out a bottle—an old plum wine jar where I’d stashed the remaining Spirytus (which I barely managed to keep away from Aurora) along with chunks of Red Giant Rat Snake meat, skin, and scales. Unlike traditional snake wine, where the whole snake is submerged, I had to cut it up to fit. The result? A deep red concoction floating with… well, let’s just say some grotesque-looking ingredients. Hope I don’t get banned for this.
『Uhhh…』
『Dude, you could’ve sold those scales and skin for a fortune…』
『Your obsession with alcohol is something else.』
“I already made plenty of money selling some of it. The real prize is the unknown flavors of this new liquor! Right, Aurora?”
“—♪”
『Wait… I thought this was supposed to be a cute elf and fairy stream… but it’s actually two dwarves drinking?』
『Aurora is adorable, but George… not so much.』
“Wow, rude! Wait, am I not cute?”
『More like the “cool beauty” type.』
『Yeah, but the whole drunkard act kinda ruins that image.』
Eh, I don’t really care about being seen as cute or not.
Anyway, enough about the snake liquor. Time to try the fried—huh?
“Hold up, Aurora! I like lemon juice too, but don’t pour it all over the whole plate!”
