The Sun God in a Teddy Bear
Iser was flustered.
The Sun God is in a teddy bear…? Why…?
That divinity seemed to have been inherited by Ji-oh, yet even so, a god’s station as a deity did not simply vanish. Iser knew, without a doubt, that the soft teddy bear before him—its fur a hazy gold—housed the god he had once served.
It looks as though He wanted this Himself, so I can hardly object. And with Teacher as His only remaining believer, He no longer needs to fulfill a god’s duties in any strict sense. Still… He was once called the one and only god. What about His dignity…
Having once trained in a priest’s vocation and still playing at the role even now, he could not help fretting over a god’s dignity.
Why is a god inside a teddy bear in the first place?? Of all things—a teddy bear??
It made no sense at all.
“…Lord Sun God?”
“Kku-wu.”
“…….”
And why is the cry so cute?
“…D-does the shell please You?”
“Kku.”
“Might I hear Your reason for entering a teddy bear?”
“Kku-kku, kku-wu-kku… kku-kku-kku.”
“…….”
Iser understood none of it. Ji-oh translated for him.
“He says it’s so He can eat.”
“…An appetite…?”
“He has one.”
“Why?”
Was it even coherent for a god to possess an appetite?
“Gods are… well, gods.”
“Don’t tell me You’re saying gods ought not to eat either…?”
“That isn’t what I meant.”
“I understand what You mean.”
“You do?”
“Of course.”
Before he knew it, Ji-oh’s hair had turned platinum blond. Wearing the pure, noble smile unique to a priest, he nodded.
“Strictly speaking, a god who has no need to dine and who would never feel the urge to do so is nevertheless using the body of a mere teddy bear in order to eat—and you find that strange. Is that not it?”
“…Precisely.”
“As for that, I am afraid I cannot offer you a proper explanation either. I simply began bringing meals on my visits without much thought, and at some point He started showing an interest in the food…”
“…Ah…”
Iser let out a small breath of relief, looking as though a difficult riddle had finally been solved.
“So the cause was Teacher after all.”
“Why is it that whenever something inexplicable happens, you always speak as though I am the cause?”
“You aren’t truly asking because you don’t know, are you? Surely not?”
“Well, in any case.”
Ji-oh stacked the basket of shellfish Iser had been holding atop his own and smiled gently.
“You can get used to it in time. For now, shall we prepare a meal?”
“Prepare a meal…”
“There isn’t much time left until evening. If we want enough food to eat our fill, we ought to start cooking soon.”
“R-right.”
Having found himself in the position of a guest, Iser agreed at once. In their culture, an invitation into a home was as good as a promise to serve a meal. For Iser, leaping straight into talk of dinner felt far more natural.
“I never heard the exact details. What is on the menu?”
“Hmm. Grilled shellfish and tomato stew, I should think.”
“Edelon stew?”
“I suppose so.”
In the village of Edelon, where they had spent their childhood, tomato stew was simply known as Edelon stew—a dish simmered with the village’s specialty freshwater and seafood.
“Ah… how nice.”
At the long-unheard name, the stiffness in Iser’s face eased a little.
“That village’s stew really was delicious. And the stew Teacher made for us was especially wonderful…”
“My cooking hasn’t rusted with the years, so feel free to look forward to it as much as you like.”
Ji-oh nodded, then added with a soft, “Ah—”
“I would like one person to help me, if possible.”
Two pale hands shot up at once.
“I will.”
“I will.”
“…….”
“…….”
The merfolk siblings looked at each other.
“…I shall do it.”
“Cooking is something I am rather better at, you know.”
“Cooking was always Teacher’s domain, was it not? Our role was only to assist. For that much, I should think I am better suited than you, Sister.”
“I am not sure in what sense you imagine yourself superior. The one who cooks well is the one who assists well, Iser.”
“On my honor as a merfolk, I will not yield.”
“Then there is nothing for it. When opinions cannot be reconciled, the traditions of the sea dictate we settle it by force—”
At that point Ji-oh cut in.
“This conversation seems likely to drag on. I shall simply handle it myself.”
At those words, the merfolk settled the matter with rock-paper-scissors in an instant.
“I won… I shall assist.”
“Is this right?”
Ji-oh wondered whether it was, but the scene was funny enough that he decided he did not mind.
“Come to think of it, our region had rock-paper-scissors as well.”
“Ah—you said Earth has the same custom.”
“Yes. I understand it exists in quite a number of countries.”
“I see.”
Left alone, Aria could only click her tongue.
“I should have trained harder.”
“Kku-wu?”
“Forgive me, sir, but would you kindly refrain from acting familiar?”
“Kku-kku-kku…”
“Are you laughing?”
Ji-oh led Iser into the kitchen.
“Then shall we scrub the shellfish?”
“This feels just like the old days.”
“For all that, Iser has grown quite a bit.”
“I can still make myself smaller.”
“My little Iser was not only small but adorable—so that would be difficult now.”
“Ah… so I am no longer cute.”
“A full-grown merfolk mass-murderer shrinking himself is not exactly going to look cute…”
“Teacher is entirely correct.”
Iser accepted it without protest.
“What shall I help with now, Teacher?”
“Hmm… you really are not cute at all.”
Faced with the polished bearing of a gentleman who showed not a trace of shyness, Giovanni felt a faint sadness.
“So this is a parent’s heart.”
“We do have parents of our own, you know…”
“Merfolk were never particularly attached to blood ties to begin with.”
“In that sense, Teacher was certainly closer to the word ‘guardian.’”
“Jokes do not land with you at all. How did you grow into such a dull adult?”
Ji-oh laughed lightly and took a shellfish from the basket.
“It has been a long time since I last saw a Sunlight Turban Shell.”
“Has it?”
“I used to wonder why something that grows underground is called a Sunlight Turban Shell.”
The underground cavern of Edelon village had a few small openings through which sunlight and moonlight entered. Sunlight Turban Shells tended to hide in great numbers in the areas where that light fell.
“Let’s see…”
A turban shell distinguished by its translucent shell and body. Only females exist; they mate with the all-male Moonlight Turban Shells to reproduce. When the sun rises they emerge once every two hours to bask, then hide beneath the water’s surface. Boiling turns the body white while the shell remains unchanged. The older the specimen, the greater the medicinal potency of both shell and flesh. They inhabit only the vicinity of Purification Rock.
Alchemy: Remove the body without boiling and dry it in sunlight until it becomes as hard and clear as a pebble. Taken like a pill, it is excellent for restoring eyesight. The shell retains the warmth of the sun when left in its light; ground to a fine powder while very hot and ingested, it is beneficial for heart disease.
“…….”
“Teacher?”
“I never knew it had medicinal properties like these.”
Used for restoring eyesight or treating heart disease—as a doctor, he found it a little absurd.
“Heart disease, is it…”
“Teacher…?”
“Does your heart hurt, by any chance, Iser?”
“That look is rather like Sister’s when she is hoping for a test subject. Regrettably, I am in excellent health.”
Iser smiled with neat composure.
“Of course, if you wish it, I can fetch one at once.”
“As a doctor and a priest, you mean to harm someone before my eyes? How much more responsibility do you intend to take on?”
“A beast that merely wears a human shape would make a suitable subject, would it not? Those without the qualifications of a human…”
“A beast that has committed crimes against children, I might be able to accept.”
“As unchanging as ever. I shall take note.”
“Still, it is surprising.”
He had never imagined that the Sunlight Turban Shells of his region possessed such medicinal qualities. Even as a specialty of Edelon village they had not been especially rare; they were common enough to be found everywhere.
“Plenty of people used to grind the shells for paint.”
“Did you not do the same, Teacher? Especially when painting merfolk, you often used shell paint.”
“That is true. When I painted the sea, I always thought it would be nice if the paint itself carried the scent of the ocean.”
But he had never known that the powder could treat heart disease.
“…….”
He had researched it separately in the past and never uncovered such effects.
…Is this an efficacy I can only see because I myself have changed…?
“…Have you changed?”
“In a number of ways, yes.”
He had gone from human to something more than human, after all.
“Anyway, all’s well that ends well.”
Tada.
Ji-oh stopped thinking about it.
“My ultimate positive mindset does not change according to the meaning of my own existence.”
“I am not sure what an ultimate positive mindset is, but would it not be all right to change a little…?”
“Must one really live so exhaustingly? This teacher does not think so, Iser.”
“With a way of thinking like that, how can you confidently claim to be an ordinary human?”
“Because my life is not altered by other people’s gazes.”
Having merely reconfirmed his firm self-esteem, Ji-oh continued examining the Sunlight Turban Shell.
“Seeing one again after so long, I truly feel what a beautiful shell it is.”
The spiral shell shone with a gemlike clarity. Its pentagonal form bore countless growth rings, as though it had grown many times over—a glitter that looked almost painted on.
“They were so pretty that people often made ornaments from them.”
“Yes. I believe you once made window toys from them as well, Teacher.”
“When the sunlight strikes them they shine so beautifully, after all.”
They scattered multicolored light this way and that, almost like a triangular prism.
“Ah, dear.”
The creature living inside had already drawn its body deep inward; because that body was as clear as glass, it was difficult to make out even through the prism-like shell.
“Since boiling will not damage the shell, we can simply boil them as they are. These ones never swallow mud—they live on sunlight alone—so there is no need for special preparation. Just clean them thoroughly, boil them, and eat.”
“I… remember as well, but…”
“I was only reminding myself. Do not mind it too much. Handling shellfish like these again after so long has me rather excited.”
Next Ji-oh picked up the creature that had been clinging to the cavern wall.
This one is similar to an abalone.
Its shell was far blacker and smoother than an abalone’s, but otherwise the resemblance was strong—especially that broad white flesh.
“This one is… what was the name…”
“Black Tray Clam, I believe.”
“Ah, yes.”
A clam famed for the white flesh that contrasts with its pitch-black, unadorned shell. A high-grade ingredient; even a slight rise in temperature causes it to cook through. Its black shell is prized for its beauty and known as a material for paint. Take care: if human hands grasp the flesh, it will cook from the heat alone.
“It looks like it could not possibly taste bad.”
Ji-oh smiled with satisfaction as he cleaned every last black shell. These, too, never ate mud, so no separate purging was required.
“Next is this fellow. Do you remember it, Iser?”
“I remember it was one you were especially fond of, Teacher.”
“The texture is excellent. Raw, it is soft and yielding like pudding; cooked, it turns chewy like meat…”
A light-brown-shelled clam that hides vertically in the mud. Its flesh resembles a wooden club and its shell a trumpet, hence the name. The interior is packed with pale yellow flesh of an extremely tender grain. Take care not to apply excessive heat, or it will toughen at once.
In short, it was basically “a long adductor muscle that had become an entire clam.”
“Ha—I really ought to sell these in Korea.”
“Please compose yourself.”
Today, as ever, Giovanni was a thoroughly worldly priest.
To be continued…