Sorry for being so late, I was being
1) lazy and playing kurtzpel and
2) man this chapter was long…
Anyways, enjoy!
Meshi chapter 2
“I never thought I would be using this knowledge again, you never know.” Yuu
Yuu whom had now returned to his base quickly decided to make a simple kitchen along with a campfire. The fire was made with a rod and some plant fibers, or simply put the ‘bow and arrow’ method of lighting a fire. Yuu had learned this from a previous experience. Now looking back, he bitterly smiled as he recalled back in Japan, this would be classified as ‘Useless Knowledge’.
As the warmth of the fire started to slowly spread, Yuu let out a relieved sigh as he reached for the plastic trap. And from the trap he pulled out one of the small shellfish and stared at it, holding his breathe in admiration.
“But still… This is a rather interesting shape.” Yuu
The critter had two tiny claws. From looking at their size alone, it would be impossible to cut off a finger, but the question is its possible strength. Yuu continued to observe the creature while pressing it against a stone. If one were to describe the shape of the creature, it would be something like ‘A stacked pile of coins’. Such symmetry present in shape of one creature, let alone everything that he caught was already a rare sight even back on earth, which made Yuu think again that it truly is another world.
But saying that would be an overstretch.
Maybe because of the pressure Yuu applied, the critter had exposed part of its body from the shell as the shell itself stretched out. Another term to describe this critter would be ‘Telescopic’. As the name implies, the shell or ‘stack of coins’ so to say went from smallest to largest and could expand and retract.
(TN: A little fuzzy here, just think that the shellfish looks and acts like a telescope)
From observation, this was all Yuu could tell. The outer shell is most likely independent from the shellfish itself and can be controlled by muscle movement.
“Incredible… As expected of another world” Yuu
The structure itself is nothing new. Even back on earth, similar mechanical concepts are present in hobbies and to some extent weapons as well. But as far as Yuu knew, no living organism had adapted this ‘Telescopic’ mechanism.
That being said, it wasn’t the time for admiration. To eat something like this that had an artistic value to it, Yuu felt a bit reluctant. But to survive after being tossed into the wilderness like this, sacrifices need to be made. After deciding that these critters posed no real threat, Yuu named them ‘Tubular Crayfishes’ and proceeded with food preparations.
“It must have a digestive tract…That means pulling out its head would be the best but…” Yuu
With how the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ works, if Yuu carelessly picked it up, his finger may get caught if it retracts. Though it’s wasteful, he decided to crush the over extended head and deal with it later. As a man who finishes what he starts, Yuu pinned down the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ with a rock and with his other hand, held a slightly smaller rock. With pressure being applied again, the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ expanded and stuck out its head. At that chance, Yuu brought down the rock in one swift motion!
But…
“What!? It’s hard!?” Yuu
Like slamming a rock with another one, a dull sound resonated. In spite being smashed, the head of the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ was still pretty intact. The exposed eye was crushed, but it probably fainted from the shock and is still alive.
Yuu’s hand shook from the impact was in awe from the hardness of the shell.
“Ow, ow… What should I do about this… There’s a ton that peek my interest, but is my only option grill them alive?” Yuu
While staying within the limit that allowed Yuu to touch the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ safely, the extraordinary hardness was distributed throughout its exterior. Giving up on the thought of processing the critter, Yuu decided to throw them into the flames alive thinking somewhere along the lines that after being fully cooked, the heat might make the shell soft. Yuu fetched a large leaf he prepared ahead of time and went to the middle of the camp. With this, he would package the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ and bake them. With a fire already made, this was the easiest method of cooking, even when stuck in the middle of a mountain. The method was simple. Line up the ‘Tubular Crayfish’, wrap them up and circulate the heat to bake. Yuu who had spread the ‘Tubular Crayfishes’ apart came to an abrupt stop.
“…What’s this feeling…” Yuu
On top of the leaves were nine individual ‘Tubular Crayfishes’. But out of the nine, two gave off a feeling Yuu had never felt before.
“I’ve got a bad premonition about these…” Yuu
It was a decision driven by neither fear or disgust, but a hunch. Something just felt out of place. That something was enough for Yuu to start hallucinating a black hazy mist emitting from the two crayfishes. Visually, the two held no difference from the others. But Yuu who was unable to shake off the uneasy feeling and separated the two, wrapping them with a different leaf just in case.
Now all that’s left is to wait while it cooks. Baking requires a decent amount of time in order to kill off any parasites that may reside. Since it will take quite a while before his meal is done, he once again sunk into the endless depths of curiosity regarding the food ingredients of this world.
To keep track of the time passed, Yuu peeked at his smartphone occasionally. However, since there’s no means of recharging the phone, this will soon become useless. Maybe if Yuu was a little more cautious, he would have realized to turn off the battery to preserve energy. On the other hand, even if the phone still had batteries, in wouldn’t be that useful given his current situation.
Putting the whole another world aside, one would normally feel bored waiting for time to pass. But Yuu was different. His love for the outdoors was heavily influenced by his father to the point that camping became part of his habits. Passing time like this was nothing out of the ordinary for him—
“The stars sure are beautiful… I guess there’s no exhaust gas” Yuu
The scenic sky of this world was just like an illusion. A heavenly pure white large moon floating along with countless star making it seem like a spirit world from fairy tales. While mesmerized, the time flew by.
“……It should be about time” Yuu
Yuu carefully removed the packaged leaves off the fire and slowly peeled off the leaves. At that moment the built up steam escaped, dragging a sweet aroma along with it. The smell was not solely from the ‘Tubular Crayfish’, but the cooked leaves as well. Yuu, who was punched in the face by the barrage of aroma, swallowed his saliva. The real fight starts from here. To eat this, Yuu must figure a way to bypass that hardness which could deflect even a smite from rocks. Removing the hard exterior with heat itself was impossible. To begin with, having a source of warmth in the middle of nowhere is itself a luxury already and watching that warmth escape from the freshly baked goods seemed like a waste.
“Damn it… There’s otta be something I could… Unn?” Yuu
As Yuu pondered, the answer to his problems disappeared as he pinched the slightly cooled ‘Tubular Crayfish’.
“It’s soft!” Yuu
The solid exterior that posed many difficulties easily caved in with a slight squeeze from the fingers. Was it really correct to apply heat to it? Even still, one would not believe it would possess such sturdiness given its current state. By pulling a little bit, the shell slid right off while making a sloshing sound, unsheathing a steamy and meaty interior. At this point, it would be a sin if the umami wasn’t packed to the brim.
“Itadakimasu (Thanks for the meal)…” Yuu
The ‘Tubular Crayfish’ itself was a vibrant color of red and white evenly striped, holding similar characteristic closer to that of a shrimp. But the taste is still unknown. Holding down his excitement, Yuu brought the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ into his mouth. The texture was a slight firm elasticity that would resist a tiny amount when bitten into. When the resistance finally gave in, Yuu’s teeth sunk into its flesh. As the protective barrier broke, a burst of umami flooded his mouth. The first thing he tasted was a strong sweetness that was present in both shrimps and crayfishes. As the aftertaste rose back up to his nose, he could taste a slight chestnutty flavor. Bluntly put: It. Was. Good.
“DELICIOUS!!! ….But…” Yuu
As he chewed, he could taste a faint impurity mixed in. Without a doubt, it was the digestive track he failed to remove earlier. Perhaps Yuu could have removed that portion of the shrimp right after steaming. But regardless, some of the bitterness from the intestines would still leak out during the cooking process.
(TN: For those who don’t know much about eating shrimps, it’s better for you to take out the black vein at the back of the shrimp before cooking it. That’s where all the poop and stuff is.)
“There’s also a grainy texture as well now that I’ve noticed…” Yuu
The small sand and dirt particles trapped within the shell ruined the full experience of the the texture. Even so, Yuu was still very satisfied. If he were to compare this with the shrimp back on earth, the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ would triumph. Though the cooking methods may change the actual judgment. Then again, it was a good thing that Yuu didn’t catch that many ‘Tubular Crayfish’. Despite being bite-sized, they were quite dense and filling. Either way, the pros this time outweighed the cons.
Yuu, who has now satisfied his hunger clapped his hands together.
“If I knew how to cook them properly, they would have definitely tasted much better. Thanks for the meal.” Yuu
…But there was still two ‘Tubular Crayfishes left.
“As I thought, I can’t just gloss over this…” As Yuu fixated his sight on the leftovers.
Even after cooking, they retained their ominous aura. There was something that drove Yuu to ascertain just what this feeling was. He had to make sure. While picking one up, Yuu brought it to his face and stared at it. Looking at the ‘Tubular Crayfish’ from different angles he found no visual difference. But as he removed the shell, it was plain obvious what separated the two from the others.
“Are these… eggs?” Yuu
From under the shell and just around the legs, Yuu found tiny yellow beads. Biologically speaking, he was correct in giving the name that he did as the egg sacks found was in a similar location as well. For the time being, this was the only difference found. Strangely, after discovering the eggs the ominous feeling intensified.
“No way, it can’t be.” Yuu
To that feeling, Yuu now had a hunch as to what the cause was. For anyone who held interest in foodstuff, there was really only one thing that would incite fear. Yuu placed a single tiny egg on the tip of his finger and dropped it on his tongue. Using his lips and teeth he brought the egg into position, and bit into it. If his premonition is correct, then it can only be—
“Gi!? GiGagaggagagaAgagagagaga! Ppeh! Behhhhhhhhhh!” Yuu
A substance that was hazardous to the body, in other words it was poison.
“Poison! This is Poison! I-gagagagagaga— My throat!” Yuu
In order to rid of even the smallest amount of poison before its absorption, Yuu quickly spat out anything he could. Though the act of spitting did not fully rid of the poisonous fluids within the egg. It managed to creep its way to the back of Yuu’s throat and started to wreak havoc. Along with pain, it felt as if his throat was being ran across a filer. Quickly, Yuu snatched the water bottle from the ground and began to fiercely gurgle then spat everything back out. Finally, he was able to take a breather.
(TN: I wonder how the author knows how this would feel like… then again it just might their imagination…)
“Ahhh……. But with this I know now. That feeling was reacting to the poison. But still, an uneasy feeling that reacts to foodstuff, basically a sensor for poison. Is it all right to say it was an ability attached to me when I came to this world? …….I need to test if I get a reaction to other things as well…” Yuu
[An ability to sense poison]. Yuu was rather calm after consuming a bit of poison. Maybe it was because he also liked the subculture back on earth. Being transported to another world with an unusual ability was the norm, so he felt nothing of it. In a sense, Yuu gained a resistance to things like supernatural phenomenons. From being killed and sent to another world, or possession of absurd abilities, it was still within a tolerable range.
“Even still— This is a dream like ability! With this maybe everything will work out!” Yuu
Despite everything that has happened as of, Yuu cheerfully shouted with a bright smile. He was able to differentiate between edible and inedible. In comparison to trope adventure like main characters, Yuu possessed a rather subtle ability. But to Yuu this was a life saving ability. As he has said himself, truly a dream like ability.
This unknown world was native to possibly an immeasurable amount of different plants and animals. And within the midst of everything, there exists an equal amount of things that no man on earth has tasted. But even then, there are numerous barrier that prevents one from tasting everything. It’s not a stretch to say poison is one of those barriers. It is rather obvious, nothing good comes out of consuming poison. Back in ancient times, people could only tell if something was poisonous after dying. Though there were those who had intuition, or observing how certain animals stray from certain things. But none of those came close to what Yuu possessed.
That is why, for someone like Yuu who was fascinated by foodstuff and outdoors, this was a transcendent ability. Hypothetically speaking, for Yuu who is clueless of this world’s law of nature he can only rely on outer appearances as he did earlier to find his food. He would be living his life playing a constant Russian roulette. Being in this world with such an ability was quite the blessing.
“Looks like I might manage to pull through…” Yuu
Yuu was looking the other way this whole time. Deep down he knew it was the inevitable truth. That’s why he was horsing around the avert his own awareness. Regardless of whatever he manages to overcome, as long as the possibility is not zero, it will be difficult to live on without hitting a miss. In a way, one could say ‘slowly eating your way to death’ if he were to continue on as is. But as of right now, Yuu felt as if he had removed the bullet from his current game of Russian Roulette.
Before he noticed, the sky had turned pitch black with only the fire flickering in the starry night. The mountains has become quite chilly now. Cuddling closer to the fire, Yuu let out a small sigh, painting the night sky with his white breath that was dyed with a tint of red from the fire.
“Tomorrow will get busy. I should go to sleep.” Yuu
For the time being, he has only secured a basic place to sleep and minimal amount of food. There was still a pile of things to do. Scuffling towards his makeshift bed, Yuu lied down and closed his eyes. The mountains was not in total silence. The cries of bugs and unknown animals rung through the air along with the rustling leaves and creaking wood of his bed. It was quite the bad symphony. Like this, Yuu felt rather lonely rather than annoyed at the noises. Even so, at the very least he must be accustomed to being alone from here on out. While making a resolution silently in his mind, his breathing became rhythmic.
The very first thing to do in this world was to survive. This was by no means an easy task. With such harsh living conditions and unknown variables, nothing was certain. Even so, Yuu had expectations of this world. With hopes held high, he took the first step of his journey in this vast world.
Nyuimo Translations 