Chapter 45

Gio was good at everything.

"So I'm also a good cook."

"Except for swimming."

Giovanni shook his head politely but firmly at the Sun God's probing question. How could a two-legged human born to breathe only outside of water be good at swimming?

"Though I seem to be breathing underwater just fine right now..."

Was it because 'Giovanni' was already dead in this world, or because even though he was synchronizing, his essence was still a 'portrait'? Gio could breathe normally in the 'Breathing Sea' filled with water.

"Is this water itself made so that humans can breathe in it?"

"Indeed, it has become a special sea. I suppose this is another one of Aria's accomplishments."

Still, there was a sense of emptiness.

"It feels like I'm not bound by the rules of this world. Is it because I'm no longer a resident here? My current physical state doesn't seem much different from when I was in the painting forest..."

"I see."

The Sun God nodded in agreement.

"It's a shame."

Giovanni smiled his characteristic gentle, light smile. It was a neat smile, no different from before.

"I suppose it feels like losing a hometown."

"It's a bit sad, but I'm sure things will gradually become better."

Now was the time to eat rather than talk about such things.

"Since father didn't seem to enjoy spicy food either, I mostly prepared mild dishes. Since it'll be upsetting if the food gets wet, this time too, please create a space."

Asking to 'create a space' meant requesting a large air bubble in this water-filled world.

Though weakened after losing all followers except Giovanni, the Sun God could still perform such a minor miracle for a short time.

Using that miracle for eating might seem a bit absurd to others.

"No, still, people need to eat to live. Is there a rule that gods can't eat?"

"If anyone criticizes this, please leave that disrespectful person to this son. I'll give them a stern scolding."

"Someone who criticizes others over eating is the strange one."

The Sun God seemed very happy. He really was a pig god after all.

'Can gods gain weight?'

The thought suddenly occurred to Gio, but he quickly shook his head. It seemed too unconscionable to expect an intangible being without even a voice, let alone a physical form, would gain weight just from a little bit of eating.

Anyway, the one who initially lost all confidence and wilted away, refusing even food, was now laying out the dining table as if demanding it to be served immediately. It made him feel very pleased.

Giovanni smiled brightly in satisfaction. As a Priest of the Sun, a warm light rippled around him.

"Thanks to Honey's hard work, today's meal is very abundant."

At Gio's praise, Honey entered the air bubble and puffed out its chest proudly. It seemed to want praise from the Sun God as well, not just Gio.

"Coocoocoocoo."

"Coor coor coor!"

Soon, Honey's body shone brightly for a brief moment.

"He praised you."

"Coor."

It resembled sunlight.

'Seems like since Honey is an animal evolved by drinking Lulupu'sjuice, it especially likes the Sun God.'

The Lulupu that grew from the spring in the painting forest was a flower nourished by moonlight and sunlight.

Strictly speaking, it was a creature born from the sun and the moon, so it made sense for it to like the Sun God.

'It's just like a grandson showing off in front of his grandfather.'

In any case, it was cute, so it was alright.

Gio found it adorable as Honey wiggled its bottom and flapped its wings along with the light that could be called the Sun God's touch.

And with Honey's special display of affection, the Sun God's wariness easily crumbled and it was accepted by him again.

Communication with the Sun God (1/1)

"Well then, I'll start preparing the meal."

Thanks to the Sun God evaporating some of the water with his heat, the food wouldn't get wet when brought out.

Today Gio had prepared an assortment of sashimi and sushi, warm fish stew with rice to go with it, and fried fish as a side dish.

The fried fish was lightly fried and served with both tangy and spicy dipping sauces, so the two spice-averse eaters shouldn't object too much.

"Let's start eating, everything is ready."

"Cooooorrrrrr!!"

Honey flew over first, flapping its wings that were as big as its body with combative air. It then stood in front of the whole fried fish Gio had set aside, which was 10 times Honey's size.

"That's a big one."

Honestly, it was a bit of a funny.

"Come down too, father. It's best eaten while it's warm."

At Gio's words, the Sun God's power soon spread out somewhere.

The warm light touched a white platinum teddy bear that had been carefully placed near Gio's entrance picture frame.

And soon, the teddy bear, slightly smaller than a young child, began to move.

"Coo."

"Welcome."

The Sun God had descended.@@novelbin@@

To eat.

'Pigs.'

It was cute.

"Guu, gu..."

"Can I help?"

"Gu."

The teddy bear floundered, unable to walk properly due to being inside the water. It seemed the old, worn-out bear's body had difficulty overcoming the water pressure and resistance.

Gio gladly put his hand on the bear's side and lifted it up. He then placed the teddy bear inhabited by the Sun God in front of a bowl.

"Guu."

"I'm glad you like it."

It was very cute, but as his son, Giovanni also felt a bit sad.

'You've become so weak that even entering a mere doll is a strain.'

Of course, this wasn't the Sun God fully inhabiting the doll, just enough of his essence to eat a meal.

But judging by how the Sun God's consciousness was expressed in the teddy bear, an important power acting as the god's heart or brain must have entered the doll.

Yet the doll didn't burst, and the Sun God didn't seem uncomfortable. With only Giovanni as his follower, it should be inevitable that his power would be weaker compared to his prime.

It was already a miracle that the Sun God was able to avoid extinction with Giovanni alone.

"Well then, let's eat."

"Guu."

"Coooorrrr."

The human, the waterfowl, and the teddy bear all began eating at once. The teddy bear, which should have contained only stuffing, opened its mouth wide and chomped down on the fried fish.

Gio was amazed once again.

'How fascinating.'

Though he saw it every time, he still couldn't figure out how he tasted it and digested it.

"Honey, how's the taste? Is the fish cooked well?"

"Cooorr."

"Yeah, just avoid this sauce. It'll be too spicy for you."

Though he had placed the spicy sauce in the middle of the table, he was confident no one would touch it. This sauce was made specifically for Gio anyway.

Let's see.

'I think I'll start with the sashimi.'

Honey, having already eaten a round of fresh innards, went for the fried fish first. The Sun God, following the tastes of the humans who had served him, avoided raw food and drank fish stew and rice.

For some reason, he felt like trying what the others weren't eating.

'And sashimi is best eaten when it's fresh.'

Gio immediately picked up a piece of sashimi.

"...Hmm..."

Though he had seen it many times while preparing it, its appearance was still unusual.

'It has a similar colour to salmon and is soft like salmon, but unlike salmon, there's a springiness to the flesh that's really interesting. Thanks to that, it's not as heavy as salmon even when fried.'

Dipping it lightly in soy sauce as he ate it, he felt the chewy yet meltingly tender flesh in his mouth.

"Dewicious."

"Coor."

"Gu."

Seeing everyone happily enjoying the food on their own made Gio feel good too.

Perhaps in its eagerness to finish hunting quickly, Honey had caught a whole school offish at once, as all the fish it caught were salmon-disguised flounders.

But the taste and texture were so special that it didn't get tiresome.

'It's not completely without fat either.'

One peculiar thing about this fish was that while it was fatty when eaten raw, all the oil drained out when fried or boiled. Thanks to that, even a fish stew with few ingredients could have a rich flavour.

"How is the stew?'

"Guuuk."

"Glad to see this priest pleases you."

Gio looked at Honey again.

"Honey, you..."

"Coong."

"Yeah, you're eating and enjoying it well."

Good to see, you pigs.

'For now.... I'll eat the cold things first and then move on to something else.'

Considering having dessert later, it seemed better to warm up the insides a bit before eating the cold jelly, so Gio decided to finish the sashimi and sushi he was currently eating before trying something else.

The sashimi, with its moderate fattiness flowing out like meat juices, paired well with the sushi.

'Flounder sushi tends to fall apart...'

It's not that he disliked flounder sushi, but he thought that the chewy flounder flesh and the plump, round sushi roes were too strong together.

So rather than flounder sushi, Seo Gio preferred salmon sushi, which was so soft it slid down the throat with just a little chewing.

But this sushi was different. The sushi which has a delicate air unfolded like a net as soon as it entered the mouth, and the sashimi on top briefly resisted his teeth before melting smoothly.

The rice seasoned with sweet vinegar water and the slightly oily sashimi made an excellent combination.

"Mm."

Gio finished his portion of sashimi and sushi. If the other family members left any, it would all become Gio's.

'Next is the fried fish.'

The fried food was kept dry thanks to the Sun God's consideration, even so, it still quickly loses its crispiness. Gio chose the fried fish as his next target after the sashimi.

"...Since there was so much, I didn't coat each separately, worried it might be too heavy. After all, the fish flesh is already plump, and it's fried in oil..."

Making excuses that weren't really excuses, Gio received glances from Honey and the teddy bear as if to say, 'What nonsense are you saying while we're eating? As the one in charge of the cooking, Gio instantly felt a sense of relief.

'Nothing warms my heart as much as pigs who eat well.'

They seem like the kind of people who'd deliciously eat even lye water as long as it's tasty. As the one who cooked, it was a situation where it was impossible not to be pleased.

"Sorry for interrupting. Let's just eat."

"Guuuu."

"Coor coor."

Come to think of it, is the teddy bear's cry based on Honey's?

'P'nf cbalmfv la fnfgs alwf, yea la'r delaf rlwlijg.'1

Yet being too hungry, he didn't ponder it further.

"Ah, hot."

Fortunately, the fried fish was still warm and crispy. It was thanks to the Sun's blessing generously bestowed by the Sun God, though whether it was to eat deliciously for himself is uncertain, but it was good nonetheless.

Crunch—'.

"Oh."

As expected of the Sun God, not a trace of moisture was tolerated.

'The crispy fried skin and the moist juices inside are exquisite.'

Since preparing all 33 fish individually was too much work, they were fried whole, and perhaps because of that, it seems the juices were trapped inside.

The fat that had been in the flesh had completely drained out and remained in the skin, making it almost like eating chicken.

'Maybe because it's fried, the flesh became much chewier.'

The elasticity wasn't to an unpleasant degree but only offered a pleasantly moderate resistance. When chewed without much force, the texture unravelled like silk threads, delivering a soft sensation in the mouth.

It's delicious even without dipping sauce?

'Is it because there's saltiness in the skin?

This fish seemed to absorb seawater especially well in its skin. After removing the moisture, only the saltiness remained, and though he didn't know the principle behind it, the seasoning was exquisite even after frying once.

'The flesh feels so light it almost sweet, yet it's rich in juices, and the skin is especially oily and crispy.... creating an excellent combination.'

Dipping it in the spicy sauce made it the kind of dish where the rice just goes down effortlessly.

Slurp.

The fish stew boiled like soybean paste soup was also very good.

"... The fish is fresh, so I guess it's possible."

"Coooor."

"That's right, this is better than I expected."

It wasn't made with any special sauce. Just soybean paste dissolved in water, well-prepared fish, and a bit of radish and green onions placed on top.

Even so, the fish stew had a deep savoury flavour, reminiscent of sipping long-simmered bone broth.

'If the fish was even a little bit fishy, it wouldn't have turned out this way.'

The reason people usually think of spicy fish stew2 when they hear fish stew is that unless the fish is freshly caught, it's hard to find one that wasn't fishy.

Especially when boiled as a stew, the fishiness of the seafood becomes more prominent, so it's usually masked with spiciness.

However, for Gio, who had the sea inside his cabin, there was no need for that. The freshly caught, flopping fish was incredibly fresh, and he could create a deeply rich stew with just a bit of soybean paste.

"Hoooo..."

His stomach felt so warm that he thought if he fell asleep now, I wouldn't wake up until evening.

"Nice."

"Guu?"

"Yes, I'm full."

Ah, right.

"I'm boiling bone broth, so I'll come back when it's done."

"Guuuu."

"Yes, it must be your first time having bone broth, right? It's much richer in flavour than this fish stew.

A characteristic of gluttons.

They're talking about food while eating.