3 idiot chapter 132
Episode 132: Dream
"Don’t rush it, Kou. Simmered dishes are all about taking your time."
"But how do you even know if it’s turning out right? Isn’t it fine to poke at it and check?"
"Foolish boy, what’ll you do if it all falls apart when you do that? If you want to check it, you have to be ready to sacrifice one. That piece won’t go on the plate—it’s for tasting only. And the more you taste it, the smaller it gets, and the way it soaks in flavor changes. Know what that means?"
"Since it absorbs flavor quicker than the bigger pieces, no matter how much I taste, I’ll lose track of when it’s really done..."
"Exactly right, Kou. A real cook doesn’t go around tasting every little thing. Just one final taste at the end is enough—especially for the kind of regular meals we make. So be patient and wait."
"But, hey, 'Granny'... If it turns out underseasoned, you can always add more. But what if it’s too salty? You can’t fix that so easy in a simmered dish, right?"
When I said that, the person beside me furrowed her brows for a bit—
Then grinned broadly and raised a finger.
"Just pile up the rice real high! No matter how salty it is, you can eat it if you’ve got rice!"
"That’s so lazy..."
"Listen here, Kou. 'Lazy' is the hardest trick to master. You can follow a book or whatever and make the 'exact' flavor it says. But that flavor’s just what the author likes. Now let’s say you’ve got a girlfriend someday… someday, alright? And she tells you it tastes bad. What’ll you do? You’d want to make it taste better for her, right? That means you have to change the recipe. Someone who can’t manage this kind of 'lazy' approach can’t cook at all."
"Wait—why’d you say that someday twice just now? Hey, Granny, why twice?"
"It’s your imagination! A guy who nitpicks small things won’t be popular, you know!"
She was always like this.
She taught me the basics of cooking, and whenever I wanted to eat something, even if it was new to her, she’d do her best to make it.
That was my Granny.
My parents and siblings never had any expectations for me, so I naturally ended up spending all my time at her place.
I was hopeless, had nothing going for me.
But she always greeted me with the biggest smile, and we’d stand side by side cooking together.
Nishida and Azuma would come over too, and we’d all laugh over a meal.
And then—
"Master?"
Minami’s voice snapped me back to reality.
"Ah, sorry. I dozed off a bit."
I gave a small laugh and turned to face her. She was looking at me with deep concern.
We were currently aboard the ship, sitting together on the deck, lines cast into the sea for fishing.
But she was peering into my face like she was on the verge of tears.
Did I do something that would make her worry?
Or… did something happen?
As I tilted my head, trying to figure it out—
"Are you… crying?"
"Huh?"
Minami said something that didn’t make sense to me.
I couldn’t remember the last time I cried—whether on this side or the other.
The closest would probably be that time we three idiots got drunk watching a sad anime and bawled our eyes out. So maybe not that long ago?
Still confused by what she meant, I just stared blankly as she slowly leaned closer.
Even though she was wearing a thick pirate outfit, and I couldn’t feel her body heat—
For some reason, I still felt warmth.
"You're ice cold. Did you have a bad dream?"
"It wasn’t a bad dream. If anything, it was a good one."
"I see. Then… was it a dream about losing your happiness? That’s common on this side, but on the other side, it’s not, right?"
"I wouldn’t say that… it happens often on the other side too. The person you depended on suddenly disappears. You lose your place in the world. It’s common enough."
Yeah. It’s a common story.
Illness, accidents, old age—
No matter what world you’re in, people die easily.
That’s why the ones left behind carry those memories with them.
Even when they want to forget, they can’t. And even when they want to remember, that memory drags on and hurts.
Every time you recall it, you feel like a piece of your soul is getting scraped away.
"Was this person… someone important to you, Master? Someone so precious you’d fight for them? A 'family' you never wanted to lose?"
At Minami’s words, I gave a slow, silent nod without thinking.
Because, well—
"If I’d been like I am now… I’m still weak, sure, but even so. If I could move like I do now back then, maybe I could’ve saved her. But back then, I just stood there, stunned. She died right in front of my eyes. So sometimes I wonder… why couldn’t I save her? That’s all."
I gave a small, bitter laugh, but Minami reached out and firmly held my helmet, turning it to face her.
"That’s not 'all,' Master. She was your family—someone you cherished. That’s why your face looks so sad. All of you hide your sad faces behind that helmet. That’s why you never take it off, right? So your 'comrades' won’t see."
"It’s not that noble of a reason."
"Yes, I suppose not. You all are like that. When you're happy, it shows. But when you're sad or tired, it’s all hidden by the helmet. The only emotions you show are joy—or the helmet."
"You make us sound like we’re some kind of extreme characters. What’s with this 'emotion helmet' thing?"
"I like it. It’s easy to understand."
Minami said with a soft smile, running her palm gently over the surface of my helmet.
"I only found 'happiness' because you all were there. But for you, Master, I feel the word 'freedom' is more fitting than 'happiness.' I understand that you enjoy it… however, I believe it's important to rest every once in a while."
"I feel like I’ve been resting plenty though. I mean, I’m relaxing right now, aren’t I?"
"Your body rests when it stops moving. But your heart is different. What you truly need, Master, is a break for your heart. It may not be my place to say this, but you’ve been very busy. Thank you for your hard work."
With those words, Minami gently guided my head into her lap.
And then—
"Please sleep again, without thinking about anything. Rest is important, even more so at times like this. So... good night, Master."
She softly covered the gap in my helmet, blocking my vision.
Inside the helmet, everything went pitch black without question.
It’s been a while since I felt this way.
Ever since I came to this side, I’ve always been scared of something.
The threat of monsters, of hostility creeping from the surroundings—
I was always ready to react, to the point where I slept like I had one eye open.
It became so normal that I laughed and joked with the others.
We hunted, we ate, we earned money.
I thought I had gotten used to this side of the world.
"We will protect you. So, just for now, rest. Slowly, gently. Because I, too, am a 'Hearty Eater' you raised, Master. Leave it all to us. Think of nothing else. Sleep well. And this time… I hope you dream a truly happy dream, one that will make you laugh from the bottom of your heart."
As Minami spoke, my eyelids began to grow heavier.
Even though I normally slept well, maybe some part of me had always remained alert.
If I sensed hostility, I would wake immediately. If I heard an unfamiliar sound, I’d sit up at once.
I had lived like that for almost a year.
I thought that was proof I’d adapted to this side—but maybe it also meant I’d never stopped being on guard against it.
That’s why this moment felt so peaceful.
The comrade who now said she would protect me was so dependable… and so very warm.
And we were out here, above the sea, far from danger.
So maybe… it was okay to sleep a little now.
"Thank you for your hard work every day, Master. It's okay now—really. Please take a little time to rest. You've been pushing yourself too hard. When you wake up, everyone will still be here. You don’t have to protect everything alone—everyone in Hearty Eater is strong. Everyone protects everyone else. So, please, rest. Sleep so deeply that you can either dream a dream—or fall so far that you don’t dream at all. It’s okay. No one will be gone when you open your eyes."
As she covered my helmet’s vision, Minami spoke gently, as if soothing a child to sleep.
It was incredible—this must be what they call a sleep-inducing effect.
Normally, there’s no way I’d fall asleep in a situation like this.
But slowly, I let my eyes close.
And I fell into a deep sleep.
So deep, I didn’t even dream.
…Though, just for a brief moment—
I thought I saw my late granny, smiling wide, cooking a meal like always.
……………
"Good work, Captain... um, that is."
"Please… don’t say anything..."
Even though we were still on the ship, I was lying on the deck fully dressed in my black armor—meant for land use.
The captain spoke to me with a look on his face like, I don’t even know what to say anymore.
Thanks to Minami, I’d fallen into such a deep sleep that I didn’t wake up even when Azuma and Nishida changed me into my armor without permission.
And then—
"Kou-chan, guilty."
"Kita-kun, are you maybe a lap pillow fanatic or something? Well then, you can be the bait now."
"You bastards!! I don’t care if there’s 'probably' no big fish around here—this is going too far!"
"Umm, technically, even if you lose a limb, we can fix it!"
[If something big really shows up, we’ll reel you in, so don’t worry! Probably!]
"This is exactly the kind of comment I don’t wanna hear from you, Saintess!!"
Wrapped up in black armor like a human burrito, I was unceremoniously tossed overboard.
They’d adjusted it so I floated like a buoy, but from my chest down, I was fully submerged.
And we were behind a moving ship.
There was spray everywhere, the waves were rough—
There’s no way in hell I could catch anything like this!
—That’s what I was shouting, completely losing it.
"How did it end up like this…? I mean, I am happy, but still..."
"Who would've thought a swarm of swimming crabs would bite like that..."
As I was being dragged behind the ship, a ton of small creatures latched onto me.
Just like when we caught shrimp before.
Their name was swimming crab.
They had webbing like membranes between their legs and apparently swam in large schools.
Even though they were crabs—crabs, damn it—they swam.
And it just so happened that one of their schools passed nearby.
So, I got attacked by a whole swarm of crabs.
A repeat of the shrimp-induced trauma.
They crawled all over my body, wriggling around like crazy and clinging onto me like idiots.
Even though they’re considered small fry, by over there’s standards they were pretty big crabs.
Crabs that we were quite... “acquainted” with in the dungeons. Even thinking about it pisses me off.
Back then, we couldn’t even eat them, but now they appeared in front of us in edible condition and in huge numbers.
So of course, I got tossed into the sea over and over again to catch more of them.
Still wrapped up like a sushi roll.
"Ugggh, damn it. I still feel like they’re crawling all over me..."
"That was basically torture..."
The only one actually worried about me was the Captain.
Everyone else was too busy finishing off the crabs that had stuck to me or stuffing them into their magic bags.
Even the merchant father and daughter who came with us were gleefully helping deliver the finishing blow to the crabs.
They were clearly dying to eat them.
And so, thanks to being repeatedly caught and released (just me), I got thoroughly seasick.
I feel awful.
Imagine bungee jumping, then being tossed around in the sea, and having things crawling all over your body.
I’m done for. I’m going to become sea foam.
"Master, are you alright?"
As I was lying on the deck, sprawled out in a starfish pose, thinking stupid thoughts, Minami leaned over to check on me.
"I'm sorry… things got a bit out of hand. But I think I understand how Annabelle-san felt now. Want another lap pillow?"
"Please no, seriously, I might die."
The moment I saw Minami sit beside me and start patting her lap, I immediately declined.
"Ahh... I see. Sir, ready for another round?"
"Don’t you dare, you idiot—I’ll seriously die!"
The Captain, who had just been worried about me, now had a twitching cheek and was pointing his thumb toward the back of the ship.
Please. Spare me.
Still... looks like we're eating real well tonight.
At least being used as bait paid off in that way.
I mean, I have to think that way.
I refuse to think of it any other way.
"Anyway! Today it’s crab! We’re eating crab! I’m gonna eat until I can’t move!"
Still lying in a starfish pose, I shouted at the top of my lungs, and a chorus of “Uoooooh!!” rang out in response.
For now, let’s wait for this nausea to pass before I start cooking.
If I tried making seafood in this state, I’d actually puke.
As I groaned and rolled around on the deck...
"Resurrection!"
[You're healed, right? You feel better, right? Time for crab.]
"You devils..."
The saintly duo who instantly cured all my nausea were smiling ever so sweetly.
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