She probably wasn’t lying about maintaining a balanced figure, but Ai was definitely leaving out half the truth: what she was maintaining was likely the balance of Lady Kaguya’s figure.
Her words suddenly triggered a memory for Sento.
In the original story, there was a plot point where Kaguya Shinomiya’s diet was strictly controlled.
If she gained even a little weight, her brothers would find fault with her, claiming it was improper etiquette or something of the sort.
Considering that, Ai might actually be a very professional nutrition expert.
“Then I’ll leave it to you, Expert.” Having successfully pried open the can with his hunting knife without losing too much of the contents, a satisfied Sento handed the can to Hayasaka as he spoke.
“Roger that~” Ai gave a two-fingered salute from her forehead, then took the can and the iron pot over to the fire.
“By the way, Sento-kun, could you please open that can of yellow peaches as well?”
Sento gave a grunt of affirmation and continued his can-opening duties.
Ai’s cooking skills were indeed quite good.
She didn’t choose the crude method of heating the can directly by the fire; instead, she chose to pour all the contents into the pot.
As the broth touched the bottom of the pot, which had been slightly preheated over the fire, it immediately made a sizzling sound.
Hayasaka adjusted the pot’s position to ensure the temperature wasn’t too high, then stirred the skillet with a clean, pre-shaved branch.
The lentils and ground pork simmered slightly in the broth, and before long, they began to bubble.
During this process, the small amount of lard in the can melted completely, and the sauce thickened slightly as its aroma filled the air.
Then, Ai took out the biscuits.
Perhaps because the contents of the Newbie Backpack came from the Wish Corridor rather than the game ‘the long dark’, the hard biscuits provided weren’t the boxed saltine crackers often seen in the game, but small squares wrapped in silver-white foil.
These were standard baked, dehydrated hard biscuits.
The proper way to eat these wasn’t to bite into them directly; they usually had to be soaked in water or broth.
Ai kept the two packs of biscuits in their foil and used a thicker wooden stick to break them into medium-sized pieces.
She then poured them into the skillet, pressing them bit by bit into the top layer of the broth.
She used the gentle residual heat from the edge of the fire to keep it warm.
After about two or three minutes, once she was sure the biscuits had absorbed enough moisture, Hayasaka finally picked up the pot.
Placing the pot in the center of the table, Ai stood with one hand on her hip, the other hand twirling the small wooden stick.
“Oh dear, this is the best I can do.
Let me think…
for a name, how about Braised Meat and Bean Biscuit Stew?”
The hype-man Sento immediately took his cue: “A very fitting name.”
“As for utensils…” Since they hadn’t found any usable utensils in the room, Ai tapped her forehead as an idea struck her, and she brought over the two small spoons that came with her Wonder.
Although they were essentially teaspoons, they weren’t too small.
The bowl of the spoon was about the size of a fingernail; if filled to the brim, it was decent enough for a bite.
Next, Ai looked at the can of yellow peaches Sento had pried open.
Using the two clean, unused small spoons, she fished out the peach slices and stacked them on the silver foil from the biscuit packaging, leaving the syrup in the can.
Sento watched her curiously.
Given Ai’s intelligence, she wouldn’t throw away the syrup just because she was worried about sugar intake.
Was there some other purpose for leaving the syrup behind?
“Hehe, this is a ‘Mysterious Wonder Tool’ for tomorrow.
It can’t be contaminated.”
With that, Ai pressed down the jagged edges of the can and set the iron can, now containing only syrup, to the side.
After pouring black tea into two teacups, Ai finally sat down.
She pressed her hands together, said “Itadakimasu,” and then scooped up a bit of the food from the pot with her small spoon.
“Mmm, I didn’t quite get to show off my full culinary skills, but it’s barely edible.
Sento-kun, you should try some.”
Sento was indeed very hungry, but he didn’t rush to use his spoon.
Instead, he picked up the black tea and took a sip.
As soon as the tea entered his mouth, it had a very rich maltose aroma.
It was full-bodied yet had a very sweet and smooth mouthfeel.
After swallowing, he could still feel a natural sweet fragrance lingering on his lips and teeth.
Sento blinked.
Logically, Ai had Irish blood, and the teapot bore symbols of Irish culture, so why did this tea taste so much like Dianhong?
Shouldn’t it be English breakfast tea?
But whatever, it was better than nothing, and it really did taste good.
A smile immediately appeared on Sento’s face.
“The tea is great.” After offering a compliment, Sento also reached his small spoon toward the braised biscuits in the pot.
Needless to say, any canned food that could be sold for a long time was at least edible, even if it wasn’t particularly delicious.
And after being heated, it was even better.
The aroma of the lard mixed with the scent of the lentils, combined with the spices originally added to the can, could definitely be called delicious.
Sento chewed quickly.
The small chunks of pork and the biscuits, which still had a slightly firm core, were full of salty and savory flavor.
“This is also very good.” Sento gave a thumbs up.
Of course, in the end, it was mainly because the canned food was good; Ai’s actual contribution wasn’t that large.
But just as Ai often provided Sento with emotional support, Sento felt it was time to reciprocate.
As expected, Ai beamed at the praise and stuffed another spoonful into her mouth.
The two ate in silence for a while.
After suppressing the hunger and the growling in her stomach, Ai, who had swallowed several mouthfuls quickly yet elegantly, picked up her black tea, took a sip, and looked at Sento.
“Speaking of which, I have a question for Sento-kun.
I get the feeling you’re very familiar with this Wish Corridor; you’ve adapted remarkably fast.”
Poking her cheek with her finger, Ai tilted her head and said cutely, “I’m different.
I still don’t quite feel like this is real.”
“While I was cooking just now and the aroma wafted into my nose, I was wondering if I was in a dream, and the smell I was smelling was actually my family cooking at home.”
It seemed Ai had eaten enough and was starting to fish for information.
Sento didn’t mind this behavior; it was better to exchange intelligence.
He deliberated for a moment, and an idea formed in his mind.
“As for the Wish Corridor, this is the first I’ve heard of it.
However, I’ve read similar novels before.
They’re usually about people being pulled into a certain space to complete various tasks.”
“Eh, there are novels like that?
Sento-kun, tell me more.”