A cutlet with gorgeous coloring, probably tasting just like pork.
Pure white rice. And a spice-red soup with the taste of Mineha's homeland.
With a lineup like this, you'd want some pickles, but unfortunately there weren't any this time.
And then there was the rice. I wouldn't call it a failure, more like I just forgot.
I'd completely forgotten how much Mineha eats.
In the end, we ran short on rice, and I had to hastily cook another batch.
Even so, the taste was completely satisfying. It was good enough to serve as a tonkatsu set meal at a restaurant.
"Gwah!"
Fatdagwa.
Fatgaor grinned at this too.
Even so, what a nasty voice. And so defiant.
Seriously, are you eating with that thing?
It even had the nerve to ask for seconds.
And then I learned something shocking.
Fatgaor can't walk. It's so absurdly obese that it can't even move.
Also, since everyone had been curious about it, I had Fatgaor turn into a knife.
And it turned into something completely unexpected.
"The knife form looks pretty normal."
"Hmm, hmm. I was expecting the blade to be all thick or something, but nope."
The knife form was the same as before.
I'd had some oddly specific expectations, so that was a bit of a letdown.
Well, at least it would be easier to handle... Huh?
"It's heavy!! It's really heavy!!"
I grabbed it and tried to lift it, but it wouldn't budge at all.
The appearance hadn't changed, but the weight certainly had.
"Oh ho. The mass really has changed after all, hasn't it?"
"Looking like that and being heavy? That's a scam."
"I can't use it like this."
"Wha-?"
This is already that thing.
There's only that one thing.
When you're fat, there's only that one thing.
But this was a problem.
Because that thing is something I've never experienced — even with memories of countless past lives.
Because across all those past lives, I've never once been fat.
Not a single time.
In other words, I've never been on a diet.
"Guess I'll just have to do it. Diet."
"Mm-hmm. That's the way."
"Do either of you have any experience with dieting?"
"Nope."
"None here either."
Instant answers. As expected.
"Well, basically you need to exercise... Can I even do that?"
I couldn't even stand on my own, let alone move. There were bigger problems first.
"Hmm hmm. I've never tried dieting myself, but I have made weight-loss potions before."
"As expected of a witch. Making sketchy stuff like that."
"Really...?"
"Yep. But it won't make you completely lose weight. Well, I could make something like that, but if you lose weight too quickly, your body will definitely run into problems."
"That's true."
"Still, it's better than being a fat Gaa right now."
"True."
"Yeah yeah. Right?"
Definitely better than not being able to move on my own.
"Gnn."
Damn, how brazen.
This won't do. I have to turn Fat Gaa back into regular Gaa.
"Witch. Can I ask you to make that weight-loss potion?"
"Yep, yep. Of course. I'll whip it up right away."
The witch left the room promptly.
Well, for now.
"Shall we clean up?"
"Let's."
And so we set about tidying up after the meal.
I wash the dishes and the pot with dish soap. This one's plant-based, pretty standard stuff.
I use Banish to get rid of the used oil.
"That should do it."
"So convenient, isn't it?"
"Really comes in handy for situations like this."
Once the cleanup's done, I put the kettle on.
I use the blending function of the water bottle "Crescent Vessel" to make black soybean tea today.
We settle by the bed, relaxing over cups of black soybean tea.
"Phew, that really got out of hand, huh?"
"Yeah…"
"Na?"
That goes for you too.
He looks up at me, plump face squished into a flat, deadpan expression, utterly unrepentant.
That goes for you too.
"Hey, Fat Gaa, there's something I want to try with you. That okay?"
"What are you going to do?"
And now Mineha's calling the Fat Gaa too.
Mineha reaches her right hand around the Fat Gaa's back and presses it there.
"Grr?"
Then she pushes the Fat Gaa forward as if petting it, and it rolls into a ball.
"Huh?"
As if to show that this is simply how it works, the Fat Gaa naturally curls into a sphere.
A slightly puffy, somewhat misshapen white ball — on account of being a little on the chubby side.
"Heave-ho… oh, it's heavy."
"Mineha?"
She manages to lift the rolled-up Fat Gaa with both hands.
What on earth is she planning to do with it?
"Hup!"
"Huh?"
Without warning, Mineha drops the Fat Gaa onto the floor.
Seriously, what the hell!?
But in the next instant, the Fat Gaa bounces right back.
"Grr."
"Huh?"
"Hup! Oop! Hup! Oop!"
Mineha bounced the Devgaar with one hand.
At first, she tapped it with a simple rhythm.
But gradually she sped up, using both hands to bounce the Devgaar.
Every so often, she'd crack it with a hard strike, launch it high, press it down, and let it spring back up.
"Ngh?"
She was bouncing the Devgaar rhythmically with both hands now.
It was starting to feel like I was watching some masterclass in hand percussion.
Bongos, congas — that sort of thing.
In fact, the sound of it hitting the floor really did resemble a percussion instrument.
Dab-deb, dab-deb, dab-deb, dab-deb, deb-deb-deb-deb, dab-dab — that's what it sounded like.
"Hn, haah, hyaah!"
Mineha was getting into it too, wasn't she.
She was bouncing the Devgaar fiercely, powerfully, without mercy, without restraint.
But... the Devgaar. It didn't seem to mind one bit.
"Ngh?"
If anything, it looked like it was having an easy time of it.
Here it was, turned into a bouncing ball — a ball for a game of kick-ups — and getting slammed around like that.
And yet, just how brazen it was. I was starting to want to punch Banish into it with my bare fist.
Ah, but Banish wouldn't work on it anyway.
Seriously, what even was this thing.
“Huh?”
Our eyes met. That distinct dead-eyed stare typical of the fat ones.
Oh no. Looking at it really made me want to just punch Banish right into it.
So I looked over at Mineha instead.
“Hah, hup, taf, yah, yoh, hoo, unh!”
With her little grunts and shouts, Mineha was playing around with the Debu-Gaa.
Seeing this innocent side of Mineha really drives home that she’s still a kid.
Her appearance is way too sexy, a bewitching, world-ending beauty, but inside she’s just a ten-year-old girl.
“............”
Well, thanks to that sexy appearance, it wasn’t just the Debu-Gaa bouncing around.
Two things just as plump were also jiggling and bouncing along with it.
“...Come to think of it, Mineha-san—”
“What?”
“Ah, no, are you... having fun with that?”
“I am. I tried it and realized... mgh, this is actually pretty tough... surprisingly good training...!”
“Wow...”
Close call. I almost asked her “Mineha-san, are you wearing a bra?” without thinking.
No, I was just a little distracted by all that jiggling. No ulterior motive.
None at all. Yep.
“............”
I quietly continued watching the whole thing, pausing now and then for a sip of black bean tea.
"Yah, haah, nnh, ah, stop—uaaah, jeez—"
"The black bean flavor is a bit strong."
"Nghhh—"
"Maybe I should try making it a little weaker..."
"Hah, nnh, aaaah, tch, aaa—aaah, hnn, seii—"
It went on until Mineha, drenched in sweat, finally stopped from exhaustion.