The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 115

Episode 115. Flying Fish Sashimi and the Meal Duty

“Captain… what do you think they’re doing this time…?”

“…Don’t ask me.”

The flying fish monster, commonly known as “thorn fish” or “charge fish.”

As soon as they spot a ship and confirm there are people on board, they leap up and launch a simultaneous assault with the sharp spines on their snouts.

For many sailors, they’re the most familiar fish to get injured by.

Dealing with them is extremely simple—just hide.

If they determine after a while that there are no targets, they’ll stop attacking.

Plenty of charge fish will end up on the deck, but since they’re all small fry, they don’t yield any worthwhile magic stones.

They’re basically a nuisance for sailors… but—

“You think they’re planning to eat them…?”

“Probably. Ah, so that’s why they’re called ‘Hearty Eaters’?”

They’re clearly cooking.

Right in the middle of the deck, they’ve brought out a big pot and are furiously prepping fish together.

Whatever happened to that story about eating monsters turning you into a demon?

Makes you wonder if that horned girl really is a demon… but I’ve seen their appraisal results too.

That kid’s a dragonkin, not a demon.

Never heard of dragonkin before, but the description said something about “living alongside dragons,” so it must be something else entirely.

Also, I’m pretty sure none of the others were demons either.

Which means… this stuff might actually be edible?

“So, are flying fish tasty?”

『I’m curious』

“Oh yeah, they’re delicious. You can grill ’em, fry ’em, eat ’em raw as sashimi, or put ’em in fishball soup. But best of all—”

“”Agodashi!””

“Huh? Agodashi is made from flying fish?”

“Ago… dashi? Master, you use the jaws of this fish?”

While the girls fired off questions, the guys moved with practiced ease—cleaning fish and removing guts.

They casually tossed the gutted fish into magic bags, and threw some of the charge fish into a pot filled with saltwater.

What the hell are they doing?

I was staring at them, thinking that, when their leader suddenly turned and called out to me.

“Hey, hey, so you guys don’t really eat sashimi over here, huh? Over on this side, if you don’t freeze or cook the fish first, the parasites’ll wreck you, right?”

I was caught off guard and didn’t get what he meant at first.

I didn’t know what he meant by “this side,” but I realized he was asking about how we eat fish, so I quickly answered.

“If you’re serving it to guests or outsiders, you definitely cook it first… but locally, we eat it raw all the time. Yeah, there’s parasites and stomach issues if you’re unlucky, but it’s usually not fatal depending on the fish. I figured you guys ate sashimi if you knew about it… wait, you’ve never had it? Also, I’ve never eaten monster meat, so I can’t speak to that.”

“Gotcha. So the way people think about it over here isn’t all that different from over there.”

“Maybe just a matter of freshness? Back in the last country, they always told us to freeze or cook it first.”

“Fish spoils quick, after all.”

The guys nodded like it made perfect sense and pulled a small bucket and new knife out of their bag.

They tossed in some blue medicinal herbs, and the beastkin girl filled it with water using magic.

“Alright then, let’s try it. Sashimi time.”

“”We’ve been waiting for this!””

“From what I’ve heard… you’re just going to eat the fish as-is?”

“It’s been so long since I’ve had sashimi!”

『Back when I was a dragon, I always ate things raw so I don’t mind at allー』

And so, they began cooking on someone else’s ship.

……..

Since we got Daryl’s go-ahead on eating sashimi, we’re giving it a shot.

The previous country was super strict about eating raw food, so I thought the parasites on this side were insanely strong, but maybe not.

Still, that was all about normal fish. There’s no proof it’s safe with monster meat.

Worst-case, we have Nishida whip up some laxatives or get the horned Saintess to try her magic.

Anyway, first off—

“Master, your fish filleting is as beautiful as ever.”

Minami murmured, watching me fillet the fish into three pieces, gently swaying the bones in her hand.

“I’d like to say it’s just practice, but… you’re better at breaking things down than me. Even now, you’re just as good, maybe better.”

“Do you think so? Watching you, I really feel the difference in experience.”

Minami said something kind like that, then stored the bones in her magic bag.

The pirate captain tilted his head, puzzled.

“I’ll stay out of the whole ‘eating monster meat’ thing… but what’re you doing storing bones? Shouldn’t you just toss them overboard?”

“Oh? I figured a port town would have ‘fish bone crackers’ or something. Never had them?”

“Ohhh, that? The fried fish bones? I’ve seen them, but never tried one.”

Figures. So even this side sees that as a minor dish.

Kind of like how Airi had never eaten chicken cartilage before.

Well, it’s bones.

If no one recommends it or you’re not curious, it’s easy to ignore.

While we were chatting, more of the crew gathered around us.

“Anyway, we’ll save that for later. First, the flying fish sashimi is ready. What do you guys want with it?”

“Wasabi soy sauce, yuzu… if it’s fresh, salt is good too.”

“Ooh, ponzu’s really good too.”

Nishida and Azuma started laying out condiments.

The Saintess looked on curiously, glancing around self-consciously.

Minami still seemed wary of raw fish, staring hard at the sashimi.

We were surrounded by a decent number of crew members, and yeah, it was a bit of a sweaty crowd…

But right now, it’s all about the sashimi.

“Alright then, itadakimasu.”

“““Itadakimasu.”””

A little dab of wasabi, a dip in soy sauce, and pop it in the mouth.

Flying fish, known for its rather light and plain white meat, always had the image of being something that went well with anything.

But this one was on another level.

“…Damn, that’s good… Ahh, now I want a drink.”

“Seriously, this is wild. Guess magical beast meat really is something else. It’s plump and firm, and the umami just spreads in your mouth. Honestly, you’d taste the difference better with just salt at first. For real.”

“Yeah, this is insane. Hey, should we try making namero or something? This would totally work. If it’s this flavorful, even tempura would probably be amazing.”

Yeah, yeah, salt really brings it out, and with this much concentrated flavor, just thinking about tempura’s making my mouth water.

Ah man, now I’m even more hyped for the ago-dashi.

If you make broth with this, and then turn it into fishball soup or something…

We’re not just talking a double whammy here—this could be next level.

“Yummm… so fluffy and tender and springy!”

『Nozomi, just a little more wasabi.』

“Uuugh, just a little, okay? It’s tasty, but if you put too much, it stings!”

The dragon and Saintess combo seemed to be loving it too.

At first, I thought they might be more cautious about magical beast meat, but the Saintess herself didn’t seem too concerned about that whole “eating magical beast meat turns you into a demon” thing. In fact—

『I mean, it’s just regular meat, right? Sure, it’s got more mana in it, but humans store magic power in their bodies too, don’t they? What’s the problem?』

—was her take on it. And seeing as she’s already got horns growing out, she seems to have just decided not to worry about it anymore.

This Saintess might actually have nerves of steel.

“Raw, not frozen or cooked… Is this really safe? I mean, it looks clean enough, but still…”

“Well, it should be fine. You ate that tekka-don before, right? The texture’s pretty similar.”

“Hmm…” Still staring suspiciously at the sashimi, Minami finally took the plunge and popped a piece in her mouth.

And then… her tail and ears perked up.

“How is it? Feels different when it’s not been frozen, right?”

“It’s delicious! I thought this with the tuna before too, but the texture is just amazing. And this one is even softer than that—chews beautifully!”

Seems like it was a hit. Minami began sampling the sashimi with all kinds of seasonings, clearly in high spirits.

We’re only doing straight sashimi right now, but if we had some green onions or daikon radish as palate cleansers, the whole vibe would change again.

Ahhh, damn it. Now I wanna eat a bunch of different things.

Guess I’ll hurry up and finish gutting the rest, then just dig into a full meal.

As I was enjoying the sashimi, though—

Gulp…

“Hm?”

I’d completely forgotten—but the surrounding crew had gathered, peering over at us, drooling.

It was suffocatingly hot and the pressure they were putting out was no joke.

“Ah—just to be clear, this is magical beast meat, alright? If that’s cool with you, you can have some… but get the captain’s permission first.”

As soon as I said that, the guys all snapped their heads toward Daryl, like there was an actual sound.

With all eyes on him, he scratched his head awkwardly.

“Can I check a few things? You guys’ve been eating ‘magical beast meat’ for a while now, right?”

“Yeah, probably about a year or so?”

“And you’re still ‘human race’. And that horned girl over there—her appearance has nothing to do with the magical beast meat?”

“I only started eating magical beast meat after I looked like this.”

『If you think eating magical beast meat is gonna make you ‘evolve’ or whatever instantly, you’re seriously overestimating things.』

The Saintess and company chimed in, and Captain Daryl let out a long, heavy sigh.

“…Anything else you guys can tell us?”

“Hmm, let’s see. I know a ‘Majin’ personally, and according to her, Majin are born Majin—she’s never heard of someone turning into one.”

“…You’ve got connections everywhere, huh. Impressive.”

With a resigned sigh, Daryl finally turned to face us properly.

And then—

“I’ll pay. Mind handling dinner for everyone tonight?”

“You sure about that?”

“One way or another, some idiot’s gonna try to sneak around and ask you guys anyway. Better to do it openly and have everyone eat together. Besides, we’re men of the sea—most of us aren’t the type to sweat the small stuff.”

Up until now, Daryl had always kept a bit of distance with how he acted, but this was the first time I really saw him give a proper smile.

The kind of smile that looked like he was about to let out a big “Kuahahaha!”—a huge, hearty grin full of good vibes.

Nice. Loud, full of energy, and unapologetically cheerful.

That’s how pirates ought to be.

“Got it, Captain. In that case, lend us some people and some seasonings. And—hey, you guys! If you wanna eat your fill, we’re gonna need more ingredients! This ain’t nearly enough! Fishing, hunting, I don’t care what it is—it’s game time! If you wanna feast tonight, then get movin’ and work up an appetite!”

““““UOOOOOH!!”””

When I shouted out to the crowd, every single one of them raised their fists and roared back.

Hah! Out of all the people I’ve met so far, these guys might be the simplest—and the most reliable.

“Alright then, let’s get to work and bring in more food. Time to test out those new supplies we picked up.”

“Yup, for the small fry, chumming the waters and using nets should be fastest, right?”

“The sashimi was delicious, but I’d love to try tempura with that white fish.”

“It’s a fish party!”

『If you’ll let me try lots of different things, I’ll do my best too. I’m not gonna use my breath anymore, so don’t glare at me like that…』

Just like the crew, our group seemed totally fired up.

Alright—today, we hunt.

Back in the forest, stuff kept running away too fast, but maybe because we’re on the ship today, it’s just like before—prey keeps coming right to us.

We’re eating today. Eating everything we can get our hands on.

We’re out at sea, after all—if we don’t enjoy some seafood, what’s the point?

“Alright you lot! We’re eating from one end to the other! Get to work!”

““““YEAHHHH!”””

“Captain, that was my line though.”

And so, just like that, we sailed even farther out to sea—hunting as we went.