The Controversial Slime Jelly Finishing our shopping, we then head back to the inn, but along the way we spot an unusually crowded shop.
The crowds around the shop are world apart from the surrounding shops".
“What"s that …?”
When I look at the shop closely, I can see a huge banner with "Slime Jelly" written on it in front of the shop.
Slime jelly…? The heck"s that?
These words only serve to deepen my contemplation about this shop.
First of all, I can"t even relate as to why it"s written in Hiragana.
“Huh? Isn"t that slime jelly?”
Seems like Firia, who"s changed to her newly bought dress, knows about it.
“You know what that is?”
“I heard that it"s been very controversial in the royal capital nowadays, I didn"t know that there"s a shop in Mussenmorges that"s selling it, though.”
“Not popular, but controversial, huh… quite a worrisome t.i.tle, isn"t it?”
“Want to try it?”
“I don"t particularly care either way.”
“Then let"s try it! Actually I"ve been very curious about it.”
Firia excitedly says so, I can clearly see her eagerness about it.
Come to think of it, Firia"s quite fixated about food, isn"t she? Her stomach capacity is small, though.
When we enter the shop, it"s almost full.
No matter where I look at, almost everyone is eating some mysterious light-blue object. I guess that"s the rumored slime jelly, huh.
Luckily there are two seats open side by side, so we sit down there.
After ordering two "Slime Jelly" to the waitress, I and Firia then wait for them to arrive.
After waiting for a while our orders finally come, appearance-wise, it looks exactly like a slime.
Light-blue colored and semi-liquid appearance, there are also candy-like things attached which act as its eyes, it"s slightly deformed but its appearance is exactly like a slime.
No wonder it"s controversial.
It looks exactly like a slime, after all. I don"t particularly mind, but I"m sure there are people who are reluctant eating something like this.
“Wow, it"s so cute!”
Or so I thought, but even I can"t believe my ears when I hear Firia says so.
“Cute?”
“Isn"t it very cute? Just look at those huge eyes, it"s very cute. Given how cute it is, no wonder it became so controversial.”
Come to think of it, I can also hear excited "kyakya" voices from the surrounding female customers.
Seriously, this is cute? Or rather, is that really the reason it became controversial?
I just can"t understand creature called woman.
“Uhehe, it looks so tasty.”
Letting out such evil laugh, Firia thrusts her spoon into the slime jelly.
Despite calling it cute until just a moment ago, you can still eat it, huh?
Eating it while calling it cute, isn"t that kinda psychopathic?
However, the men other than me inside the shop don"t seem to have any thought about it.
Seems like I"m the one who"s strange here.
“Somehow, I feel like I"m starting to doubt myself…”
“As someone who"s always so full of yourself, Yuri-san, for you to lose confident after facing a slime jelly, just what in the world happened?"
Says Firia while scooping the slime jelly and putting it into her mouth.
The very next moment, Firia"s silver eyes wide open and ecstatic expression appears on her face.
“So tasty~ Yuri-san, Yuri-san, it"s sooo tasty!”
“Oh, I see.”
Says Firia while excitedly swinging her hands up and down in front of her chest.
For a gourmand such as Firia to praise it that much, without a doubt it"s the real deal.
And so I decide to try out my portion of slime jelly myself.
When I try shoving the spoon into it, its elasticity pushes the spoon back.
When I put more force into the spoon, the spoon pa.s.ses through smoothly as if the repulsion force from before was never there.
After that I scoop up a part the slime jelly.
Looking at its shaking and jiggling semi-transparent appearance, it does seem tasty.
And then I put it into my mouth.
The first thing I feel is chilly feeling. Not long after that, smooth sensation begins spreading in my mouth.
This—
“Yeah, it"s indeed good.”
It"s indeed booming with a reason.
The refreshing taste that"s neither too sweet nor too chilly, and if you disregard the appearance that is akin to a monster, it"s without a doubt a refreshing article.
No wonder it became so popular.
Hearing my impression, Firia nods happily knowing that I share the same thought about it as her.
“Right?! I"ve decided, I"m going to have another one!”
Calling the waitress, Firia orders another slime jelly.
“Can you finish it?”
Without a doubt Firia is fond of tasty food, but unfortunately her stomach capacity is too limited.
“Given how delicious it is, of course I can.”
Firia says so while smiling as if to blow off my anxiety.
Indeed, the volume isn"t that much, so I think even Firia should be able to finish another one.
Ten minutes later. In front of Firia, there"s a half-eaten slime jelly lying still.
Firia, who"s staring at it, her face is grim.
“…Yuri-san.”
“I already have a hunch about what you"re about to say but, what is it?”
“I can"t eat anymore….”
As if raising white flag, Firia closes her eyes and shakes her head slowly.
“It"s sooo tasty, but I think I was indeed too carried away to order another one.”
“Didn"t I tell you so?”
“Don"t you know, Yuri-san? Sweet has its own room.”
“Aren"t you actually overeating yourself there?”
“You"re right, I have no word to reply that…”
Firia feebly hangs her head.
Then I look at the half-eaten slime jelly.
It"s still as jiggly and glossy as usual.
“If you won"t eat it anymore then, should I eat it for you?”
“You will? Then please.”
“Okay.”
I take the slime jelly closer to me and then put some into my mouth.
Yup, it"s tasty after all.
“…Ah”
Firia suddenly lets out a voice.
When I turn my gaze to her, while staring at the slime jelly, her face is bright red.
……? Why is her face that red.
“What"s up?”
“Well, you see, isn"t it like…. in, indirect kiss or something … Ah, I, I didn"t do it on purpose, alright?!”
With her face bright red, Firia shakes her head and hands fl.u.s.teredly. This is her most fl.u.s.tered state I"ve ever seen yet.
Looking at her state, I frown my eyes.
“I don"t know why you"re so fl.u.s.tered but, it just indirect kiss so it isn"t really a big deal, is it?”
“Isn"t a big deal…? Y, you"re right, for the transcendental beautiful elf girl Firisan, w, well, something like that isn"t a big deal, though!
“As I thought, huh. In the forest, I often scrambled for prey with other demonic beasts, after all. So did you, right, Firia?”
In the forest, survival of the fittest is the absolute rule, after all.
There were many cases demonic beasts sneaking up to steal the prey I captured.
If I let my guard down, they"d swiftly bite and steal my prey, after all. Scrambling for the teared prey wasn"t just once or twice occurrence.
And as an elf who similarly lived inside the forest, I"m sure Firia"s experienced it too.
“Yup yup, I often scrambled for prey with demonic beast— wait, I haven"t ever done something like that!”
Seems like she"s never done that.
When Firia timidly asks “That, Did you really do that?”, while shoving another part of smile jelly, I nod my head.
“You are you, after all, Yuri-san. Or rather, doesn"t that mean I fall in the same category as demonic beast?”
“I am me, after all? What"s that? A Philosophy or something?”
Without reacting to my question, Firia simply keeps on staring at me.
Looking head on, Firia"s face sure is indescribably well ordered, huh.
Just like a G.o.ddess of beauty who descents to this world.
“……What"s it?”
However, no matter how pretty and cute she is, being stared at like this still feels uncomfortable.
When I ask so while shoving the last portion of the slime jelly, Firia finally opens her l.u.s.trous lips.
“Yuri-san, you"re fine with indirect kiss, but why are you so embarra.s.sed about kissing?”
“*cough* *cough*!”
Receiving such an unexpected question, I involuntarily get a coughing fit.
This girl, what it the world is she thinking to ask something like that!
“Is, isn"t it a matter of course to be embarra.s.sed about kissing! It"s snogging, you know? Snogging! How indecent!”
“Indecent, what a rare word in this age… You"re unexpectedly pure, aren"t you, Yuri-san?”
The slime jelly was surely good, but I have to say that how much Firia teasing me after that wasn"t good at all.