A Meal with the Sun God

Ji-oh was good at everything.

"And so, I'm good at cooking too."

"……"

"Leave swimming out of it."

Giovanni shook his head with polite but firm finality at the Sun God's probing question. Born a two-legged human who could only breathe outside the water, how could he possibly be good at swimming as well?

"Though for someone who says that, you're breathing just fine underwater right now…"

Perhaps it was because "Giovanni" was already a dead man in this world, or perhaps because even while synchronized, his essence remained that of a "portrait." Either way, Ji-oh could breathe without issue even in the water-filled Breathing Sea.

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

"……"

"It truly has become a special sea. I suppose this, too, must be counted among Aria's achievements."

Even so, a hollow feeling lingered.

"It feels as though I'm no longer bound by the rules of this world. Is that because I'm no longer one of its residents? My current physical state doesn't seem all that different from when I'm in the painting forest…"

"……"

"I see."

The Sun God confirmed it.

"That's a shame."

Giovanni offered his characteristic gentle, light smile. It was the same neat smile as always, unchanged in every way.

"I suppose I should call it the feeling of having lost one of my homelands."

"……"

"It's a little sad, but things will improve bit by bit from here."

Right now, though, it was time to eat rather than talk like this.

"I recall Father never particularly enjoyed spicy food, so I've prepared mostly mild dishes. It would be a shame if the meal got soaked, so please create a space for us again."

"Create a space" meant asking for a large air bubble in this world filled with water.

The Sun God had lost every believer except Giovanni and grown weak, yet for a short while, granting a miracle of that scale was still possible.

"……"

Using that miracle just so they could eat might seem a bit absurd to others.

"Come now, people have to eat to live. Is there some rule that says a god isn't allowed to eat either?"

"……"

"If anyone complains about something like this, leave that insolent fellow to your son. I'll scold them thoroughly."

"……"

"The strange ones are the people who pick on someone for eating a meal."

The Sun God was extremely happy. Truly, he was a pig of a god through and through.

Can even a god put on weight?

The thought crossed Ji-oh's mind, but he soon shook his head inwardly. Hoping that an intangible being without even a voice, let alone a physical form, would gain weight just from eating a little food seemed far too shameless.

At any rate, this was the same fellow who had initially been so deflated and wilted that he refused to eat at all. Now he was spreading out a dining table as if demanding food immediately, and that made Ji-oh's heart feel wonderfully full.

Giovanni smiled brightly with satisfaction. As a priest of the sun, warm light shimmered around him.

"Thanks to Honey working so hard, today's meal has become quite abundant."

At Ji-oh's praise, Honey slipped into the air bubble and puffed out its chest with great dignity. It clearly wanted praise from the Sun God as well, not just from Ji-oh.

"Kkurrrrrrr."

"……"

"Kkureuk kkureuk kkureuk!"

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

"He praised you."

"Kkeureuk."

It looked just like sunlight.

Honey evolved after drinking Lurupu juice, so maybe that's why it likes the Sun God so much.

The Lurupu that grew from the spring in the painting forest was a flower raised on moonlight and sunlight. Strictly speaking, the little creature had been born of the sun and moon, so its fondness for the Sun God made sense.

It really does look like a grandchild showing off in front of its grandfather.

Anyway, it was cute, so that was fine.

Ji-oh watched fondly as Honey wiggled its rump or flapped its wings, following the clusters of light that were the Sun God's touch.

Thanks to Honey's especially affectionate display, they had easily lowered the Sun God's guard and been accepted by him again.

"Well then, shall I get the meal ready?"

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

What Ji-oh had prepared today was an assorted sashimi platter and sushi, a warm fish soup with rice to go with it, and fried fish as a side dish.

The fried fish had been cooked lightly and simply so they could dip it in either a tangy sauce or a spicy one, each prepared separately. He expected little protest from the two spice-averse diners.

"Shall we eat soon? Everything's ready."

"Kkururururu!!"

Honey was the first to come flying over aggressively, flapping wings as big as its own body. It planted itself in front of the whole fried fish Ji-oh had set aside for it—a fish a full ten times Honey's size.

"It is rather large."

Honestly, the sight was a little funny.

"Father, please come down as well. It tastes best while it's still warm."

"……"

At Ji-oh's words, the Sun God agreed, and his power soon spread outward.

The warm clusters of light settled on the platinum-white teddy bear that had been sitting neatly near the picture frame that served as Ji-oh's entrance.

And then the teddy bear, a little smaller than a young child, began to move.

"Kku-wu."

"Welcome."

The Sun God had descended.

To eat.

Pigs, the lot of them.

They were adorable.

"Kku-wu, kku…"

"Shall I help you?"

"Kku."

Perhaps because it had been left in the water, the teddy bear couldn't walk properly and flailed about. Its worn, tattered body seemed unable to escape the water pressure and resistance.

Ji-oh readily slipped a hand under the teddy bear's side and lifted it, then set the bear inhabited by the Sun God down in front of the dishes.

"Kku-wu."

"I'm glad it seems to please you."

It was extremely cute, yet from the perspective of his son Giovanni, it was also a little pitiful.

He's grown so weak that even entering a mere doll doesn't strain him.

Of course, this wasn't a full descent either. The Sun God had likely only poured in enough of himself to make eating possible.

But given that the Sun God's ego was expressing itself through the teddy bear, some important power—functioning as the god's heart or brain—must have settled into the doll.

Even so, the teddy bear didn't burst, and the Sun God felt no discomfort. With only Giovanni as his sole believer, it was inevitable that his power had weakened compared to his prime.

"……"

Though the fact that the Sun God had avoided extinction with only Giovanni alone was already a miracle in itself.

"Well then, let's eat."

"Kku-wu."

"Kkururururuk."

One human, one water bird, and one teddy bear began their meal without anyone needing to go first. The teddy bear, which by all rights should have contained nothing but stuffing, opened its mouth wide and chomped down on a piece of fried fish.

Ji-oh marveled all over again.

Fascinating.

He saw it every time, yet he still had no idea by what structure it tasted and digested anything.

"Honey, is the flavor all right? Is the fish cooked through?"

"Kkururuk."

"Good. Just avoid this sauce. It'll be a bit spicy for you."

He had placed the spicy sauce in the middle of the table just in case, but he was certain no one else would touch it. He had made that sauce for himself alone to begin with.

"……"

Let's see.

I'll start with the sashimi.

Honey, having already feasted on fresh entrails earlier, went for the fried fish first. The Sun God, following the tastes of the humans who had once served him, did not care much for raw food and was drinking the fish soup with rice.

Somehow that made Ji-oh want to poke at the thing no one else was eating.

Sashimi tastes best when it's fresh, too.

Ji-oh promptly picked up a piece of sashimi.

"…Hmm…"

He had seen plenty of it while preparing the fish, but the appearance was still unusual.

It has the same color as salmon and is just as soft, yet unlike salmon it has a springy firmness to the flesh. That's still amazing. Thanks to that, even when fried it wasn't as heavy as salmon would have been.

He dipped it lightly in soy sauce. The flesh was chewy yet melted away in his mouth.

"Delicious."

"Gulp."

"Kku."

Seeing everyone happily looking after themselves put Ji-oh in a good mood as well.

Honey, eager to finish the hunt quickly, must have scooped up an entire school of fish at once. Every fish Honey had brought back was this flounder wearing a salmon's skin.

Yet the taste and texture were so special that he never grew tired of it.

It's not as if it has no fat at all.

What made this fish unusual was that it was oily when eaten as sashimi, yet when heat was applied—whether frying or boiling—all the oil drained out. Thanks to that, even a simple fish soup with few ingredients could offer a rich, deep flavor.

"How is the soup?"

"Kku-wuuk."

"This priest is glad it pleases you."

Ji-oh looked at Honey again.

"Honey, and you…"

"Kkung."

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

What a lovely sight, you little pigs.

I'll eat the cold things first and then move on to the rest.

Thinking of the dessert he would have later, he figured a warmer stomach would make the cold jelly go down better. For now, he decided to finish the sashimi and sushi he was eating before trying anything else.

The sashimi, with its moderate oiliness flowing out like meat juices, paired beautifully with the sushi instead of clashing.

With flounder sushi, the rice grains usually go their own way.

It wasn't that he disliked flounder sushi, but the chewy, springy flounder flesh and the plump, rolling grains of sushi rice always felt a bit too assertive.

That was why Seo Ji-oh preferred the soft salmon sushi that would slide down his throat with only a light chew over flounder sushi.

But this sushi was different. The rice, with delicate air worked into it, spread out like a net the moment it entered his mouth, and the sashimi on top offered a brief resistance to his teeth before melting smoothly away.

The vinegar-seasoned rice and the sashimi with its light sheen of oil made an excellent combination.

"Mm."

Ji-oh finished his entire share of sashimi and sushi. Whatever the rest of the family left would become his as well.

Next, the fried fish.

Thanks to the Sun God's consideration, the food stayed free of moisture, but fried food still lost its crispness easily. Ji-oh chose the fried fish as his next course after the sashimi.

"…I didn't bother with a separate batter because there was so much of it and I was worried we'd get tired of it. It's already being fried in oil, and the fish flesh is so plump…"

Honey and the teddy bear shot him looks that said, Why are you talking while we're eating so well? The cook, Ji-oh, felt his heart ease in an instant.

Nothing warms my heart quite like a pig that eats well.

These were the sort of fellows who would happily eat even lye if it tasted good. As the one who had cooked, he couldn't help but feel deeply satisfied.

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

"Kku-wuuu."

"Kkureuk kkureuk."

"……"

Come to think of it, had the teddy bear's cry been modeled after Honey's?

I've noticed it every time, but they're quite similar.

He was too hungry to ponder it any further.

"Ah, hot."

Fortunately the fried fish was still warm and crispy. That was thanks to the Sun God generously scattering the sun's blessing over it—whether solely so he himself could eat it deliciously, Ji-oh didn't know, but it was welcome either way.

Crunch—!

"Oh."

As expected of the Sun God. Not a single drop of moisture was tolerated.

The crispy fried skin and the juicy flesh inside make a perfect contrast.

There had been thirty-three fish, too many to prepare individually, so he had fried them whole. Perhaps because of that, the insides still held a glossy sheen of juices.

The oil that had been in the flesh had all migrated to the skin, making it feel almost like eating fried chicken.

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

It wasn't an unpleasant degree of elasticity—just enough resistance to feel pleasant. When he chewed without putting much force into his teeth, the fibers unraveled like silk threads, a sensation that played across his tongue.

"……"

It was delicious even without dipping sauce.

Is it because the skin has saltiness to it?

This fish had a particular tendency for seawater to soak well into the skin. Once the moisture was removed, what remained was saltiness, and for reasons he couldn't explain, even after a single frying the seasoning was exquisite.

The flesh itself is mild enough to taste almost sweet, yet full of juices, while the skin is especially oily and crispy… they go together wonderfully.

Dipped in the spicy sauce, it was the kind of flavor that would make rice disappear in a flash.

"……"

Slurp.

The fish soup, boiled like a soybean-paste stew, was excellent as well.

"…The fish is so fresh I can even do things like this."

"Kkururuk."

"You're right. This is better than I expected."

He hadn't added any particularly fancy seasoning. He had simply dissolved a little soybean paste into water, added well-cleaned fish, and topped it with some radish and green onion.

Even so, the fish soup had a deep, savory flavor that felt like drinking a long-simmered bone broth.

If the fish had been even a little fishy, I couldn't have done it this way.

That was why people usually thought of spicy fish stew when they heard "fish soup." Unless the fish was freshly caught, it was almost always fishy.

Especially when boiled into a soup, the fishy smell of seafood rose even more, so people usually covered it with spicy heat.

But Ji-oh, who essentially had a sea inside his cabin, had no such need. The freshly caught, still-flapping fish was incredibly fresh, and a single spoonful of soybean paste alone could complete a soup of deep flavor.

"Hooo…"

His stomach was so warm that if he fell asleep like this, he doubted he would wake up even by evening.

"This is nice."

"Kkuuk?"

"Yes, I'm full."

Ah, right.

"I'm boiling some bone broth. I'll come back when it's finished."

"Kku-wuuuu."

"Yes, this will be Father's first time with bone broth, won't it? It has an even deeper flavor than this fish soup…"

A glutton's defining trait:

Talking about food while eating it.

(To be continued)