“Maito-san. Recently, I’ve found something that’s been bothering me.”
After today’s snack. President approached Maito-san while saying something like that.
“This shirt has the effect of ‘increased defense,’ right?”
“Yes, it does.”
The shirt President was wearing had embroidery with white thread on white fabric. The one I’m wearing is pretty much the same.
“And today’s tea had mint in it, right? I think mint had the effect of ‘MP recovery.'”
“Yes, it did.”
So, today’s snack was scones with jam, and the tea was mint tea. Well, I think it’s nice to have something like this occasionally. They seemed to have reduced the amount of mint for those who don’t like it.
“When you eat mint, your MP recovers, right?”
“Yes, it does.”
“Then, if I eat this shirt, will my defense increase?”
“And so it begins, the ‘Let’s Eat Clothes’ corner.”
“Yay!”
President and Maito-san are lively today too.
“Go home, you crazies.”
“Instead of saying ‘yay,’ you guys are going to end up with memorial photos.”
Suzumoto and Hagasaki-kun are harsh as usual. I think it’s fine that everyone is operating as usual.
“Well then, President, here you go. This is the cloth embroidered with white thread on white fabric.”
“Thank you very much. Then, without further ado.”
“Hey, wait! Stop! Don’t eat it! Are you waiting for someone to stop you!?”
Just as President was about to eat the white cloth, Suzumoto, who thought it was seriously bad, stopped him. By the way, I didn’t stop him because I knew Suzumoto would.
“I was serious.”
“Stop… Please don’t stop being human…”
“I’ll stop being human if it’s for technological advancement, Suzumoto-san.”
Wow, President’s eyes are seriously focused. As expected of someone renowned as the region’s top madman…
…It’s peaceful.
Putting peace aside, I’m starting to get a bit curious, so I think I’ll join in soon.
“What President means is that there might be a way for Maito-san’s ‘dyeing’ effects to manifest without equipping the items, right?”
“Yes, and if possible, I’m aiming for permanent status upgrades.”
“Oh, like a ‘Seed of Strength’?”
“Yes, like a ‘Stone of Power.'”
Basically, it’s about hoping for items that permanently increase stats instead of temporary effects, but it probably won’t be that easy.
“There were temporary stat-boosting items, right? From the jeweler?”
“Oh, the gems that increase stats when crushed? Those were meant for superhumans who could crush gems in their hands, right?”
We used those during the battle at Itoigawa States. Maito-san had a dissatisfied look on her face back then too, and she has the same look now. Well, that’s right. Normal humans can’t crush stones in their hands. It’s strange. We’re doing it normally. It’s strange…
“Then, if I eat this stone…”
“So don’t eat it. Please, don’t eat the stone.”
But President was even crazier. Even I wouldn’t try to eat a stone.
“Maito. There was also a ‘Maximum MP Increase,’ right?”
Next to President, who was about to eat the status-boosting gem, Hagasaki-kun appeared as if drawn by the words ‘status up.’
“Yes, there was. Want to eat it? Here, a handkerchief with ‘Maximum MP Increase.'”
“What are you?”
But it seemed like he wasn’t actually going to eat the handkerchief. I see, the club’s top madman is indeed President.
“Oh, by the way, look at this.”
While Maito-san was being subjected to an Iron Claw by Hagasaki-kun, Hariu produced a cactus thorn. I recognize this. It’s probably a thorn from a cactus that grows in the desert where Hunter’s mother lived.
“This has the effect of ‘Attack Power Increase,’ and when you hold it in battle, it actually feels like your attack power increases compared to bare hands. So, if you eat this, will your attack power go up?”
“Even if it does, you can’t eat thorns.”
Well, thorns that can be used as throwing knives can’t be eaten. I get it.
“…No, I think it’s worth trying.”
Then Maito-san started saying things like President. This is getting interesting.
“Let’s grind it into powder and mix it with flour to cook it.”
“I’ll help.”
Seeing Maito-san and President start cooking with excitement, Suzumoto and Hagasaki-kun had indescribable expressions, but I was more on the excited side. Toriumi and Hariu seemed excited too. Kadomi and Kariya were on the fence. Wow, I’m looking forward to the completion of this cactus thorn dish.
…Or so I thought, but surprisingly, Maito-san and the others came back soon.
“It didn’t work. The effect disappeared as soon as it turned into powder!”
“Oh really.”
“That’s unfortunate.”
“Well, good for you.”
Maito-san and President were brushed off by Hagasaki-kun with remarkable indifference. Yet they still went to report to him.
“Isn’t it terrible!? Isn’t it terrible, Hagasaki-kun! Hey, Kadomi-kun, what do you think!? You’d want to eat an ‘Attack Power Increase’ pancake too, right!?”
“No, I wouldn’t want to eat thorns, even if it’s the cactus itself…”
Kadomi-kun, who was nearby, became the next victim, but he was also like this. I see, I might be a bit curious about thorns.
“That’s it.”
Then Maito-san’s eyes started sparkling. Oh no, I have a bad feeling about this.
“No, putting aside the effects, I’ve always wanted to try cactus steak.”
And so, we came to the desert area on the 2nd floor. We waited there until the evening. President told us, “By the way, cacti are CAM plants, typical of desert vegetation. They perform respiration at night, converting carbon dioxide into malic acid, and during the day, they keep their stomata closed and convert malic acid into sugars. Therefore, they should be most sour at dawn and least sour just after sunset.” So, we harvested in the evening. I mean, who wants to eat sour cactus…
“Why do we have to pick cacti?”
“Even though you’re saying that, you still come cactus hunting with us, Hagasaki-kun. I love it! Now, pick plenty of cacti! We’ll cook them deliciously!”
Maito-san was fully on board, so we found edible cacti, checked that they had the ‘Attack Power Increase’ effect, and took about one leaf each. Surprisingly, cacti are quite juicy. Water comes out when you cut them. I’ve never cut a cactus before.
Also, cacti are sticky. Kind of like okra or yam.
…I wonder what this tastes like.
“…What if this cactus tastes bad?”
“If that happens, Ketorami-san and I will take responsibility and eat it all.”
Maito-san, Maito-san. Ketorami is barking loudly behind you, but did you get his consent? I don’t think you did. Is it okay…
“Then let’s hope for an attack power-increasing meal! Let’s start cooking cactus steak!”
Maito-san started making dinner as soon as the lab was set up. …I wonder if cactus can be a side dish. I’m a bit worried, but well, it’ll work out somehow. Please work out.
“Remove the thorns, peel the skin…”
Maito-san seemed oddly cheerful as she worked. Did she really want to eat cactus that much? …No, maybe she wanted to increase her attack power. She does worry about her low base stats.
“…Taste test! Oh! It’s surprisingly good just like this! I thought it would be more astringent or bitter!”
“What does it taste like?”
“It’s a bit sour, crispy, and moist with a sticky texture! I thought it would taste like something from the gourd family, but it doesn’t!”
Curious, I tried a piece of the cactus that was cut up for me. It was really a bit sour, moist, and crispy with a sticky texture. Yeah. I think “something” is a very fitting description.
“I see. Will it really taste good?”
“I’ll make it happen! …For now, let’s season it with salt and pepper, coat it with flour, and make teriyaki. Teriyaki makes everything taste good. Also, we’ll bread it and fry it. If we sandwich it with ground meat and cheese and then fry it with sauce, it will definitely be delicious. It might not be a steak anymore, though.”
“Isn’t that kind of cheating?”
“Well, for the challenger Toriumi, I’ll also make one with just salt and pepper. We’ll prepare two types of sauces: a slightly fruity sweet and sour one and a spicy one, and compare them.”
While Maito-san was doing this and that, we spread out the playing cards. It seemed we had enough time for a few rounds of Daifugล.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! It’s time to eat!”
By the time Hariu had become the Daifugล (Grand Millionaire) and Toriumi had fallen to the Daihinmin (Grand Pauper), the meal was ready. By the way, I was a Heimin (Commoner). Well, let’s just say there’s always next time.
“I made regular meat teriyaki too, in case anyone complains about not getting enough protein with just cactus steak. Dig in.”
“Even if you say regular meat, it’s otherworldly monster meat, isn’t it? No way!”
“If you’re picky, you’ll never grow big. Now, eat up.”
The dishes on the table looked as delicious as usual… but the central platter was full of cactus.
“Let’s eat! It’s cactus!”
“Cactuser?”
Immediately, the two daredevils Hariu and Toriumi began eating the cactus.
…They had solemn expressions while eating. Hmm, I’m getting worried.
So, I tried the cactus too.
Yeah, yeah…
…It’s not bad, I think. Yeah. At the very least, it’s not unpleasant. If asked if it’s delicious… well, it’s an ordinary taste? Hmm, it’s like grilled vegetables. The slight sourness is a bit strange, but it’s a minor issue.
Also, it has a bit of a slimy texture like okra, but it’s not exactly like okra, maybe because it was cooked. It’s more… hmm, what is it, I wonder… what is this…
“Good. It actually tastes like food!”
“It’s not something I particularly want to eat, but it’s not something I don’t want to eat either.”
“So, it tastes like nothing special.โ
“That’s harsh…”
Hmm… well, a taste that’s nothing special… yeah, yeah. It’s a tricky one…
“This one with the meat and fried is really good! This is great!”
“But wouldn’t eggplant be better?”
“Wow, when you put it that way, it really is! Hahaha.”
It’s sad to hear it called an inferior version of eggplant. It has a texture and stickiness that eggplant doesn’t haveโeven if that’s not necessarily a good thing.
“Well, putting taste aside, everyone. How’s your attack power?”
“Not really.”
Even putting the taste aside, there’s no sense of increased attack power. Permanent stat boosts are still difficult, I guess.
“So, does that mean we just ate a rare ingredient, cactus, for nothing…”
“It’s not even an ingredient. Does cactus look like food to you?”
“It does.”
“Are your eyes rotting?”
“Hey everyone. Hagasaki-kun’s verbal attack power has definitely increased. What do you think of this?”
“Yes, it might be an ‘attack power increase’ in this sense.”
I see. Ideally, it would have increased physical attack power, but things don’t go that smoothly. Well, it might have increased attack power in some ways… though this kind of attack power probably shouldn’t increase!
Anyway, too bad about the cactus.
When we tried cactus fruit for dessert, it was quite delicious, so at least there was some payoff. While we were talking about that, President was staring intently at his shirt.
“Maybe if I eat the clothes…”
“Stop.”
“If I were a goat, it might work.”
“Stop.”
President, maybe you should give up. Or maybe not? Hmm…
