Volume 1 - CH 14

‘No. This isn’t going to cut it.’

I close my notepad and look up at the ceiling.

Since yesterday, I’ve been going through all the aces I’ve accumulated in the past but it seems to have been a futile attempt.

It’s no surprise, when I think about it.

In the first place, the ideas that stand out in my mind have already been made into names.

All that’s left now are benchwarmers, not aces, not even regulars.

It’s just impossible to win with only reserve players.

‘I have to come up with new ideas.’

I know that, but…

I try to take the easy way out again.

I’m a terrible person.

Kon, koko, konkon, kokokko, konkon.

“Yes!”

“Dinner.”

A girl enters the room with a tray in her hand.

“Aaa. Ooo! You look gorgeous today.”

I let out an unintentional exclamation.

The staple is rice that glistens glossily and steams with hot water. It also includes a hamburger steak in a demi-glace sauce.

It does not appear to have any unusual burn marks on it.

As a side dish, there are cherry tomatoes and stir-fried asparagus and carrots.

As usual, a supplement is also included.

Gukyuu.

My stomach rumbles.

For the first time since I’ve been in captivity, I feel like I’ve encountered 『appetising』 food.

“Itadakimasu!!”

I pick up the chopsticks.

The rice is slightly soft.

The stir-fried vegetables are evenly sized and have just the right amount of salt.

Then comes the main course: hamburger steak.

I split in half and the juices overflowed.

Taking it into my mouth.

The umami of the minced meat and the aroma of the sauce, which contains a good sweetness and acidity, fills the mouth.

[TL: Umami is a category of taste in food.]

The meat is then put into the stomach as desired.

The demi-glace sauce is wiped away neatly with a carrot and the dish is finished.

“Fue, thanks for the food. It was delicious……”

I put down my chopsticks and mutter to myself with a pleasant sense of fullness.

“Really?”

“Of course!　It’s amazing!　It’s really great that you’ve improved so much in such a short time.”

I applaud her progress with honest admiration.

Objectively speaking, her cooking may have been nothing more than cooking rice, grilling an ordinary hamburger and making a simple stir-fried vegetable dish.

Still, for me, this time the food is an unmistakable feast.

Because compared to the first grilled rice ball-style pancakes, it’s a world of difference.

Even though it’s the same dish, it’s as different as a black phone evolving into a smartphone.

“Good.”

The girl replies without hesitation.

But I am sure she is more pleased than that short reply.

Because the muscles in her cheeks are so relaxed that even through the mask I can tell.

‘She’s making such an effort too. I have to work hard too. I can’t just remain stagnant. Let’s do what I can now.’

She may act not particularly proud of it, but I know.

The fact that she was studying from a recipe book, as well as the numerous adhesive plasters on her hands, silently testified to the girl’s efforts.

Then I can’t lose.

“–Um, there’s a book I’d like you to order for me.”

I stare into her eyes and start.

“What kind of book?”

“A book on storytelling and drawing.”

‘If I can’t come up with ideas, I have to get input from outside. And even if the story is at the same level as before, the better the pictures, the better the readability.’

“I understand.”

The girl nods.

“And the price?”

“Your manga.”

“That’d be great.”

After our brief conversation, I renewed my determination to work on the name and the sketches.