Chapter 292.1

Chapter 292.1. In Those Eyes

-??? Tamamo’s POV-

“We’ve earned enough tonight. It’s time for a feast!”

“Ohhh!”

As the sky grew dark and the night’s curtain descended, Tamamo cheerfully exclaimed and took a bite of the grilled meat.

Everyone else joined in, devouring the meat with gusto.

Tamamo and her crew, who had made a ruined building their base, were having a barbecue, grilling a large quantity of Uriuribo meat.

But it was a simple barbecue, just roasting meat on sticks over an open fire—no vegetables or anything else.

Still, everyone seemed delighted.

“It’s delicious!”

“First meat in a long time~”

“So yummy, so yummy.”

They all praised the taste, and watching the children, who still had innocent smiles as they ate, made Tamamo feel a little melancholic. These children were abandoned at a young age. They didn’t know what delicious or even ordinary food tasted like.

They were unaware that the Uriuribo meat they were currently eating was poor people’s meat, and they didn’t understand how tough and unappetizing it was due to its tough and gamey nature.

Tamamo had known the taste of real food until someone killed her family. That was a misfortune in her current circumstances. There were moments when she felt heartache watching the children, who smiled and found the meat delicious despite not knowing the real food’s taste.

What about the newcomer, Takano Miu? For a young girl who claimed to love hamburgers, this meat wasn’t something she could eat that easily. Worried that she might start crying, I searched for her.

But I witnessed a surprising scene.

“So sweet. It’s delicious!”

“Huh?”

To everyone’s astonishment, Miu bit into the meat and exclaimed, “Sweet.”.

The meat got charred from being roasted over an open fire, had many burnt parts, and hadn’t been properly prepared. So it had a strong and gamey smell.

Moreover, it was tough and hard due to its muscular texture.

Yet, sweet? What was she talking about?

And furthermore.

“Mii-chan can eat lots of sweet food!”

The meat was tough. But Takano Miu effortlessly tore it apart as if it were tender. It was a shocking sight. How could such a small girl eat this meat so easily?

Takano Miu was eating the meat in bliss and made everyone surprised.

Moreover, what about the bones?

The meats should have a lot of bones. But she didn’t spit it at all.

“There is no way, Takano Miu, you’re eating the bones?”

“Bones?”

Eating the meat, she peered at the white bones. They were nowhere near small enough to be bitten through, but to everyone’s amazement, Takano Miu bit into the bone with a curious expression, and strangely enough, she snapped the bone.

It didn’t make the crunching sound of shattering bones but more like she was biting into a cookie.

She finished one piece and reached for the next Uriuribo.

“Wait, wait, huh? How can you eat the bones? And sweet? Are you sure you’re not mistaking it for something bitter?”

“It’s sweet. Besides, what’s a bone? Isn’t this cotton candy?”

“Huh? It’s obviously meat from every angle you look at it. How can it be cotton candy?”

I continued to ask her because I was even more confused by Takano Miu’s unexpected response.

“Nooo, it’s not meat! It’s cotton candy. Right, Bunny-san?”

She turned to the child standing next to her, asking for confirmation. Of course, the child had no choice but to look at her with a puzzled expression since it was obviously meat from any angle we looked at it.

Honestly, I wished she wouldn’t seek help from the others.

And there was something else bothering me.

“Why do you all call everyone bunny-sans? We introduced ourselves, didn’t we?”

“??? Because they’re bunny-sans. Fox-san.”

Takano Miu looked genuinely puzzled. She couldn’t understand the meaning.

“That’s like saying we’re all stuffed animals. My name is Aburage Tamamo. I’m Tamamo, got it?” n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

I bent down to eye level and tried to confirm it to Takano Miu, but she just tilted her head to the side.

“…Is this the world of stuffed animals? Fox-san is fox-san, right?”

Her ice-blue eyes sparkled in the dim light of the campfire. And what she saw in those eyes.

“Huh? What? No way! I’m human!”

I forced a smile, her face contorting, and stepped back, trembling.

It must have been a mistake. Yes, it must have been a mistake.

What Takano Miu saw in her eyes. No, that couldn’t be.

Ignoring my agitation, Takano Miu continued to bite into the meat roasting by the campfire.

She even ate the bones and steadily reduced the number of Uriuribo with just a few bites.