Chapter 16: Karen and Curry

My house is nestled deep in the mountains, in a secluded location that could be called a hidden paradise.

Surrounding my home are nothing but mountains and rivers, and I encounter wild animals far more often than humans.

Deer, boars, monkeys, tanuki—you name it. This region, called Okutama, is a haven for all sorts of wildlife. You could even call it a natural safari park.

Despite technically being part of Tokyo, it’s a place of pure nature.

Living here feels like camping every day. For someone like me, who isn’t great at socializing, it’s the perfect location.

Today, this home of mine had its very first guest. Good thing I cleaned up yesterday.

“So this is Taichi’s house! I can feel its wabi-sabi charm!”

We arrived at my house around noon.

Despite the long journey, Karen-san was still full of energy.

To her, even my old country house seemed fresh and exciting.

“Welcome, welcome!”

“I’m home, Fuu-chan.”

As I stepped through the front door, Fuu-chan, as always, chirped a greeting.

“My, what an adorable parakeet! What’s its name?”

“This is Fuu-chan, my cockatiel.”

Perhaps curious about the rare sight of a visitor, Fuu-chan fluttered energetically around her cage. Incidentally, I made the cage myself. It’s quite spacious, so Fuu-chan always seems comfortable.

“Fuu-chan, I am Minase Karen, Taichi’s best partner. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Karen! Karen! Partner!”

“My…! What a clever little bird. But you forgot the ‘best’ part.”

“Best! Best!”

While I was putting away the groceries we bought at a convenience store earlier, Karen-san had apparently taught Fuu-chan something strange.

“What are you doing…?”

“What, you ask? I’m simply teaching Fuu-chan about the nature of my relationship with you.”

“Alright, please come over here now.”

“Aah…!”

I gently pried Karen-san away from Fuu-chan and guided her to the living room.

The living room was simple, with tatami mats, a low table, and a television that I rarely used.

I usually ate, lounged around, or talked with Fuu-chan here.

Still, having a beautiful girl in such a familiar space felt completely out of place.

After settling Karen-san in the living room, I brewed some of the slightly better tea I kept for guests—though it had never actually been used until now.

“Here’s some plain tea.”

“Plain tea?”

It seemed Karen-san wasn’t too familiar with Japanese culture. Perhaps it was because she’d spent much of her time abroad.

“It’s just regular tea. I’ll start preparing dinner, so please make yourself comfortable.”

“My, thank you. I’ll take you up on that offer.”

Though she might have preferred something like black tea, I didn’t have any on hand.

Leaving Karen-san sipping tea elegantly, I headed to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

Tonight’s menu was curry.

It’s my specialty, packed with fresh vegetables from my garden. I’ve never served it to anyone before, but I’m confident in the flavor.

I began cooking, using freshly harvested vegetables from my home garden and my own blend of spices.

“Taichi, is there anything I can help with?”

As I chopped onions, I suddenly noticed Karen-san standing beside me. She had no presence, so she startled me.

“Well… in that case, could you cut the potatoes?”

“Understood!”

With that, the two of us continued cooking together, and after about an hour, our special curry was complete. The delicious aroma filled the room, stimulating my appetite.

Growl.

I heard the sound of a stomach growling. It wasn’t mine.

When I glanced at Karen-san, she was blushing and gave a shy, “Ehehe…”

My own hunger was reaching its limit, so I quickly prepared the table.

I got out some plates, served the rice, and poured the steaming hot curry on top. The rising steam made it look irresistibly delicious.

“Let’s eat.”

“Let’s eat, indeed!”

We put our hands together before diving in.

Oh, it’s amazing…!

The perfect balance of spiciness and richness from the spices, combined with the flavor of freshly harvested vegetables, created an absolutely superb taste. If I say so myself, this was worthy of praise. It soothed my tired body.

“…! This is absolutely delicious!”

Karen-san seemed to share my sentiments, eagerly devouring the curry. I was relieved she liked it.

Thanks to her, even my usual curry tasted better than ever.

It had been so long since I’d shared a meal with someone—possibly the first time since my master left.

“By the way, why did you come to the Garden of the Gods in the first place, Karen-san?”

As we ate, I finally asked her about something that had been on my mind.

“Of course, I wanted to uncover the truth behind that blog.”

“Oh yeah, you did mention that.”

“Claiming to have conquered the Garden of the Gods? I couldn’t believe it. After all, it’s the world’s only SSS-Rank dungeon, which everyone else has given up on clearing.”

Well, if my master hadn’t passed this job onto me, I wouldn’t have tried it either.

“And the other reason was to meet the mysterious person who saved the Luna Stars.”

“…So, that footage did get out?”

“It certainly did. It’s been a hot topic in various places.”

“You’re kidding…”

“Even on French forums, people were asking, ‘Who is that shadowy figure?’ Everyone got excited, calling you a ‘Japonaise Ninja!'”

An overseas debut… great. Good thing I hid my face.

But seriously, if it was that big of a deal, why hasn’t anyone come to the Garden of the Gods? Is it just that unpopular? Maybe it’s too rural for anyone to bother.

Ping!

At that moment, my phone chimed with a notification.

Since Karen-san was sitting right across from me, I figured it was probably a notification for the Luna Stars’ livestream.

“…Who is it?”

“Huh? Oh, it’s probably just a notification about a Luna Stars stream.”

It’s practically written in ancient texts that my phone only pings when the Luna Stars go live.

“Hmph… Even though I’m right here… hmmph.”

For some reason, Karen-san gave me a side-eye glare.

Ignoring her, I took out my phone and opened the streaming app.

“…Huh?”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, it doesn’t seem to be a livestream notification.”

Looking at the home screen, I didn’t see any active Luna Stars streams. Instead, I noticed a red notification icon on the bell in the top-right corner.

“Hm? What’s this?”

I tapped it out of curiosity.

It turned out to be a message on the channel I’d created during a recent stream.

“Let me seeee~~!”

“Wait, you’re too close—I can’t read!”

I pushed Karen-san’s head away as she tried to peek at my phone.

“Hmph!”

“Let’s see… what does it say…? ‘Pleased to meet you, Bochi-dan-sama. My name is Tsukikage Luna. I watched the archive of your recent stream. Could you confirm if this footage is from the Garden of the Gods?’”

…Huh?