Chapter 31 : Spicy!!!

“There are so many things that look delicious.”

‘That’s true.’

We are currently in the restaurant corner inside a grocery store.

Since it’s morning, there is no one around, and the place looks quiet, almost as if we’ve rented out the whole restaurant, which made me feel good.

Come to think of it, if I made a lot of money, there’s something I’d like to try.

Pudding omakase… though I don’t know if such a thing exists.

I’d tell the commander to bring the best puddings and carefully savor each one slowly.

The commander… hmm. I should use him as a chair. Hehe.

And then, once I find the perfect pudding, just open my mouth wide!

‘This is delicious. Bring more! No, no, bring them all!’

Then the staff would say, ‘It seems like you liked it! We’ll bring more!’ and bring a mountain of puddings.

Ugh, just thinking about it makes my mouth water. It sounds so good.”

‘Maru, Maru?’

“Hehe… Ah. Commander?”

What kind of thoughts were you having that made you drool like that? Now, I just need to pick.

Oh no, I didn’t even realize I was lost in my imagination again.

“Here, try this.”

“Okay.”

The commander wiped a droplet of drool from the corner of my mouth. The cold touch of the wet tissue made my body shiver involuntarily.

It’s cold!

“Ugh, um… Have you all decided yet?”

“Yeah, Nunu and I chose the cream pasta, and the commander and Rinne… chose the spicy chicken wrap!

Looks like I’m the only one left. You all decide so quickly.

By the way, I guess Rinne likes spicy food. That’s a bit surprising.

The commander also seems like someone who can’t handle spice, which is a bit unexpected.”

“Mm?”

“Oh, Commander. What’s wrong?”

“Ah, it’s nothing. I just suddenly felt a bit off.”

I cautiously turned my gaze away from the commander’s glare.

He’s quick to catch on.

Anyway, have you decided what to eat?”

“Well, I…

What should I choose?

Maybe the pasta that looks simple but delicious? Or should I go for the manly food, pork cutlet?

Or maybe the spicy stir-fried pork set?

Everything looks so good.”

But I wonder how spicy the spicy chicken wrap is here. I’m a bit worried.”

“…Did you want to order it without even knowing?”

“I actually like spicy food. When I go to a soup place, chili peppers are a must.”

“Heh, that’s interesting.”

I hear the sound of the sea and the commander talking beside me.

Be quiet. I’m in the middle of a life-changing dilemma.

…Wait a second. Spicy chicken wrap?

Ah, right! The true man’s food is right here next to me. The spicy chicken wrap!

“It’s the one with spicy stir-fried noodles wrapped in rice paper, right? I remember it being really delicious.”

“Then I’ll go with the spicy chicken wrap too!”

“…It’s spicy.”

“Rinne, don’t worry. I can handle spice!”

“I warned you.”

Rinne looked at me with a worried expression.

I reassured her by puffing my chest out, saying it was fine. Hehe, the spicy chicken wrap was my soulmate.

There’s no way I can’t handle it!

“Maru, are you okay?…?”

“Spicy, spicy, ugh… It’s burning…My tongue feels like it’s going to catch fire. My body is trembling involuntarily. This is strange. There’s no way it should be this spicy.”

“Ugh, ugh… It’s so spicy! So, so spicy!”

I couldn’t stand it anymore. I jumped out of my seat, bouncing around.

The unimaginable spiciness made my hands flail, and groans escaped my mouth.

Why is this so spicy? Is this even something a person can eat?! It’s too spicy!

“Ugh… It hurts…”

“…Here.”

The commander, unable to watch anymore, handed me some water. I gulped it down instantly.

There seemed to be some big ice chunks floating in it, but I was so desperate to cool my burning mouth that I chewed the ice and drank as much water as I could.

“Please bring me one more!”

Without a word, the commander brought me another glass of iced water.

I drank it in an instant again.

“Ugh, ugh. Ugh!”

Maybe it was because I drank the cold water so quickly, but now I had a headache.

Oh my, now my head hurts and my mouth hurts. This is the worst combination.

It’s so painful! So spicy! It hurts!”

“Maru, are you okay…?”

“Ugh…”

The sea slyly extended its tail toward me. Was it telling me to hold on to it?

But if I grab it now, I might mess up the strength and end up squishing its tail.

I shook my head while still trying to cool my burning tongue.

“It must hurt a lot. Hang in there, Maru. The two older sisters went to buy some milk, so they’ll be back soon.”

I thought the two older sisters were eating without caring about my pain, but they had dashed out to buy milk as soon as they saw me suffering.

Thank goodness. I would have been so disappointed if they had ignored me and kept eating.

“Ugh, ugh.”

But when are they coming back?! I feel like I’m going to die from the spice!

…Oh no.

Now it’s too late.”

“Ugh…

I’m going to be swallowed by the spiciness and collapse unconscious…”

…At that moment, when I was about to give up.

Bang, clatter. Crack.

The rescue team arrived.

“Maru! We’re here!”

“Hoo, uhh. Oh, unnie!”

Rinne unnie and Nunu unnie came running with determined expressions, holding an enormous milk jug.

They looked like heroic firefighters rushing to extinguish a blaze, and I almost teared up.

Though, it might have just been because it was too spicy.

“Rinne! Did you bring the hose?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright, on the count of three, let’s save Maru!”

The two moved swiftly and laid me down in a comfortable position in an instant.

A posture where I could eat without choking—just like how a newborn is held when breastfeeding.

“Maru, here’s the milk!”

“Ugh, mmph!”

My tongue, which had been screaming in agony from the spice, slowly cooled down.

My flailing arms and legs gradually settled, and I regained control over my body.

Slurp, slurp.

Rinne unnie continued to supply milk through a small hose, allowing me to drink without spilling.

It felt oddly like sucking on a baby bottle.

Anyway, for a while, the only sound in the restaurant was the slurping noise.

Eventually, the fiery spice that had scorched my mouth was completely extinguished, leaving no trace.

“Pfft, hahaha! Maru, what’s up with your lips?”

Actually, scratch that. There was a trace left. My lips were completely swollen and red.

“AHHHH!!!”

All this commotion… just because I took a single bite of a spicy chicken wrap.

“Maru, here. Say ‘Ahh~’.”

“Ahh…”

“Good job. You’re eating well.”

In the end, I ended up ordering another dish—a creamy pasta.

Since there was also a “Strong Kids Lunchbox” that came with octopus-shaped sausages and vegetable fried rice, I got that too.

It felt like I was admitting defeat, but the cute fox sticker included in the set won me over. Foxes are adorable!

Nunu unnie blew on my food before every bite and even took a small taste first to reassure me.

Like some kind of food tester from the Joseon Dynasty checking for poison.

Still, being fed like this was…

…Well, whatever. It was convenient and secretly nice. I just had to endure the slight embarrassment.

“Ugh, it’s all cold now.”

“Yeah, it was originally nice and warm. When did so much time pass?”

Hearing the conversation between the commander and Bada next to me pricked my conscience.

Seems like they were all worried about me and didn’t even get to eat. I feel bad.

“There’s still a lot of spicy chicken wrap left.”

“Should I eat it?”

“Bada, can you handle spicy food?”

“I’ll eat it.”

“…Huh? Rinne, you’re eating it?”

In the end, my abandoned spicy chicken wrap, with only a single bite taken out of it, was transferred entirely to Rinne unnie’s plate.

Just looking at it made me feel the spice all over again, and my body trembled instinctively.

So, I averted my gaze and opened my mouth like a baby bird.

Spicy chicken wrap, you stay there. Maru is moving on.

“Ahh~”

“Wow, you already finished? Here comes the pasta airplane!”

“Hehe.”

A delicious bite of creamy pasta with sausage entered my mouth.

Mmm, it’s so good!

The chewy texture of the pasta paired perfectly with the soft sausages, making it easy to eat without feeling overwhelmed.

Sipping the orange juice from the lunchbox, I quickly started feeling full.

“Oh my, Maru’s belly is so round now.”

Nunu unnie tapped my stomach, making a “thud-thud” sound.

See? I don’t eat that much!

I turned to look at the commander, trying to convey this, only to see him struggling with the spicy chicken wrap.

Judging by his red face, he was just as bad with spicy food as I was.

Still, he kept eating despite the pain. It was almost pitiful.

He should just give up and eat creamy pasta with me.

“Hmm.”

…Meanwhile, Rinne unnie, sitting beside me, was devouring the spicy wrap without even a hint of struggle.

She wasn’t even breathing heavily. If someone walked in, they’d think she was just eating something mild, like kimbap.

Maybe the commander’s pride was hurt by that.

He started eating faster, as if he was competing with her.

But Rinne unnie didn’t seem to care at all.

In the end, the only thing that got burned was the commander’s mouth.

Sigh.

What is he even doing?

Anyway, maybe because I finally had a proper meal after so long, or maybe because Nunu unnie kept tapping my belly for fun, but…

I started feeling sleepy.

Drowsiness… what do they call it? A food coma? That thing where you get sleepy after eating.

I rested my head on Nunu unnie’s lap.

So warm and cozy… I felt incredibly comfortable.

If I fell asleep like this, it would be the best nap ever.

Hehe.

“Maru’s belly is all round and full!”

“Bada, hehe, that tickles! Hihi.”

“Maru touched my tail a lot, so I’m touching back!”

“H-haha. Okay, just a little… stay still…”

Before I knew it, Bada had finished her creamy pasta and was rubbing her cheek against my belly.

The sensation of her cat ears brushing against me tickled, making me giggle.

“Ugh, mmph…”

“It’s okay. If you’re sleepy, just go to sleep. We’re done with shopping anyway.”

Feeling the gentle strokes of Nunu unnie’s hand on my head and seeing Bada already curled up and sleeping…

I let my consciousness drift away.

Goodnight!