Chapter 21 - Preparation

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— Are you okay? That doesn't look good. Did you hurt yourself somewhere? — Kazuki asks while he examines every inch of the boy's body.

— Relax, I'm fine! No need to worry — he responds.

— See? — He lifts the bottom of his shirt and shows that what looked like bruises are just cuts from branches or other things in the forest. And the dried blood belongs to the creature.

With a mischievous grin on his face, he takes advantage of the situation and continues: — Do you really think I'd get hurt that easily?

— You know... I have to admit, I didn't expect you to be so worried about me — he says in a soft, teasing tone.

— ...

Confused by this comment and the direction the conversation is taking, Kazuki blushes and quickly looks away from Rei's body.

— Huh... I didn't... that's not what I meant — he stammers, embarrassed by the double entendre. — I was just... worried.

Kazuki knows the boy is just messing with him, but still... this seems to be going too far.

— Pffhahawahahahaha.

— Seriously, man... Kazuki, you're the best. You should've seen your reaction just now — Rei says between laughs, wiping away a few tears that escape from his eyes.

Rei has always enjoyed pulling pranks in situations like this. Even in high school, he used to do it with classmates and members of rival gangs.

He loved to see the unexpected reactions of close friends or even sworn enemies from his old neighborhood.

— Well, why don't we head back to the others? I got us some fresh food. Literally. — Rei finishes the conversation while walking towards the campfire.

Even though he's still embarrassed, Kazuki just nods.

— O-okay.

The man knows that Reiji is unpredictable... He can never really say what's going on in his head.

...

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Before reaching the fire, the boy turns to the man following him and whispers:

— Hey, Kazuki. Do you know how to drain the blood, cut the meat and all that annoying stuff?

After all, it's not just about cutting the meat and cooking it.

There are several necessary steps, like draining the blood, removing excess fat, skinning, deboning, taking out the internal organs, and so on.

— Of course! Leave it to me, I'm used to doing this kind of work.

— Alright, deal! I'll let you handle that.

— Got it, no problem — Kazuki confirms with a slight smile.

The man draws his sword from the sheath at his waist and prepares to cut the creature on the stone, but Rei quickly stops him.

— Whoa, whoa, whoa! Hold on. Here. You weren't planning on cutting it with that giant sword, were you? — He hands him the iron knife, the same one he used to slit the creature's throat.

— Ah, right. Thanks! Well... sort of, I guess.

"Sort of? That would've been a massacre..."

Rei thinks, trying to hold back his laughter as he imagines Mia and Takayo's reactions. No doubt, they would be terrified and trembling with fear.

With one hand still covering his mouth to stifle small chuckles, he adds: — Wait, don't start cutting yet. I'll make a table to make things easier.

— You're going to use your creation ability? But what about the side effects?

When he stayed at Kazuki's house, after he had revealed that he was a transmigrant, Rei soon told him details about some of his abilities.

— Well, first of all," Rei says, stretching his body to the side, — it's not really a side effect, it's more like a chronic headache. Plus, the worst that could happen is I get overwhelmed. At most, I might pass out, but stop worrying! No need to stress about it.

— I know my limits! And I have my healing ability, just in case.

Seeing his enthusiasm and determination, the man just nods.

Even though he's worried about possible side effects, arguing about it won't help.

— Just don't push yourself too hard. You still remember the tale of Princess Molly, right?

Molly is the 13th princess of the human kingdom. As a half-elf born to an elven mother and a human father, she possesses great magical power and affinity.

Magic, though widespread and accessible, poses a danger to those who use it recklessly and without proper knowledge.

Using it carelessly can cause severe consequences and side effects, just like what happened to the 13th princess, who was afflicted and is now in a vegetative state, as described in the tale of the 102 Celestial Arcs.

Deciding to ignore the urge to brush it off as nothing, the student instead confirms: — Yeah, of course. How could I forget?

"Well, whatever."

[Creation]

[Kitchen Counter]

■Item successfully created■

— Done! The counter is ready, Kazuki. You can start cutting the meat now.

— Okay.

"Now that I think about it, I'll have to do a few more things. Well, since we're already doing this, why not go all out with a barbecue... hehe."

[Creation]

[Charcoal Grill]

Item successfully created

[Kitchen Counter]

Item successfully created

[Kitchen Utensils]

■Item successfully created■

[Salt and Garlic]

Item successfully created

"Alright, perfect."

After creating the items, Rei places the grill near the kitchen counter, along with the ingredients and utensils on it.