第６５０堀：お花摘み＞＞絶対越えられない壁＞＞＞宝玉 (Part1)
**Dungeon Floor 650: Picking Flowers >> Absolute Uncrossable Wall >>> Jewels**
**Side: Yuki**
“...It seems that while I was dead, you and Carrie were having quite the delicious time. Honestly. Oh, Yuki-sama, could I trouble you for this thing called a strawberry parfait?”
She pointed to the dessert menu I had handed over.
...These dead folks sure can eat.
Thinking that, I saw no reason to hesitate, if only to ensure smooth relations moving forward.
Meanwhile, after finishing their ramen, Souta-san and Enor-san were ordering coffee...
“Mmm. A fine flavor.”
“Bitter!? Doesn’t that ruin your tongue, Souta!?”
“...That’s why I told you to add sugar and milk, or just get juice.”
“Nghhh, I thought if Souta could drink it, I could too...”
They were acting quite affectionate. Well, it’s considered boorish to talk shop while eating, anyway.
“Here you go, Princess Age. One strawberry parfait.”
“Wow. Big sister, Carrie, look at this!?”
“Ah, it is delicious. We walked around and ate plenty of things in Weed, too. There were parfaits even bigger than this one. Right, Carrie?”
“...Hmm. So, are you and Carrie trying to say that what I’m eating right now is subpar?”
“Ah, no, Big Sister Age. Stasia-oneesama was just saying we should go eat one together next time...”
“Y-yes, that’s right. That’s not what I meant at all. As Carrie said, I meant we should go eat together.”
“Haa, I never thought I’d see my big sister acting so dense after death. You know, being too blunt is a problem, isn’t it? No wonder Father and Brother were always lamenting.”
“Guh!?”
“Ah, Stasia-oneesama, please keep your composure. Princess Age, please, watch your tongue...”
“Yes, yes. Well, even though my parfait was insulted, I’m going to enjoy it.”
Princess Age began eating her strawberry parfait with delight, while Princess Stasia, who had accidentally implied my offering was inferior, immediately recovered and began bowing profusely to me.
“Yuki-sama, t-that comment earlier, I d-didn’t mean to complain...”
“Ah, don’t worry about it. It’s all about having a good time in Weed, right? Princess Age, it’s like that, so please forgive her.”
“Thank you for being considerate of my boorish sister. As he said, Big Sister, Carrie, though it’s a bit late, this Age has returned. Well, I am a corpse, though.”
When Princess Age finally looked them in the eye and said, “I’m home,” the two of them nodded with tears in their eyes.
It was a bit of a comedic scene, but I suppose this kind of reunion is fine, too.
However, but... why do people repeat the same mistakes?
“...M-my stomach is so full I can’t move.”
“I told you to take it easy, as noodles expand later...”
“...I just had a thought. Age, does your stomach not hurt from eating all that parfait?”
“That’s true. It should be cold food, and besides, what happens with digestion?”
“Hm? Come to think of it, my stomach doesn’t hurt. And I haven’t had to use the restroom either. What could this mean? I do feel a sense of bloating, though...”
It seems the "overeating phenomenon" affects the dead here just the same. Comet had eaten herself into a stupor as well.
More importantly, I really should teach them about the bodies of the dead and eating.
“I don’t know how much it matches the continent we’re from, but basically, the bodies of the dead are sustained by magic power, so they aren’t performing biological life functions. In other words, unless there’s damage or an abnormality severe enough to destroy the body, you shouldn’t feel any discomfort. It’s said that undead attacking living things is related to the fact that they convert what they eat into magic power, albeit in small amounts. Well, the reason you’re bloated now is likely because the magic conversion can’t keep up. That’s why there’s almost no waste.”
“““I see...”””
They replied with impressed-sounding voices, as if satisfied by my explanation, but Age seemed to notice the last thing I said...
“Ah, but if you say ‘almost’...”
“Well, you can’t convert everything you eat into magic power. The leftovers have to go somewhere. I don’t know much about it since it’s not my own body, but according to an undead acquaintance, your stomach will start to hurt normally, and when that happens, you just go to the toilet.”
““Eh, that means...””
The moment Enor-san and Age said that, a loud *gurgle* echoed, and both of them clutched their stomachs.
“U-um, Archbishop-dono.”
“W-where can I go to pick flowers...?”
“Ah, yes. Right this way.”
The Archbishop guided them away. But the remaining members were stunned by what they saw behind them. Why were they so surprised?
“The Archbishop’s spot...”
“Five ramen bowls...”
“N-nine parfaits!?”
Kagura, Mikos, and Solo trembled in horror at the wreckage. It seems the biggest glutton among them was Archbishop Enor VIII.
No, wait. I suppose after days of asceticism, she didn’t hold back—or rather, she forced herself to eat because I was the one who provided it.
“What a surprising appetite.”
“...At the very least, that’s a four or five-kilo gain.”
“““Eeeeek!?”””
Agil’s face twitched, and Amanda, Dressa, and Vilia covered their ears upon hearing Deryu’s weight-gain prediction. Indeed, for women, talk of weight gain is something they never want to hear.
“Oh, that reminds me, Kagura.”
“What?”
“Where is Enola?”
“Huh, now that you mention it, she was eating with us, but where is she?”
When I checked, I realized Enola had vanished. I heard a groaning sound from behind the sofa, and upon checking, there she was, sprawled out.
“Can’t... eat... anymore...”
“Honestly, you...”
Saying that, Kagura and Mikos carried Enola away. Amidst the commotion, only Hiiro was eating her parfait at her own pace.
“Hm? Want some, Sta-oneesama?”
“N-no, I’ve had enough.”
“Then, Carrie-oneesama, want some?”
“N-no, I feel like that would be unbecoming of a lady, so I’ll refrain.”
“Hmm. Being an adult woman is hard, huh.”
Hiiro said that and went back to munching away. Well, Hiiro is petite and hasn’t eaten that much, so it’s fine. Besides, she’s in her growth phase. It’s good for her to eat plenty and grow big. I have to be careful about her eating only sweets, but since she eats at my place, her diet shouldn’t become too unbalanced.
*“Still, to think there were dead people who could gobble down food like that.”*
Mizu, who had been watching the situation from the sidelines, said that as she approached Souta-san.
*“It’s Mizu. You don’t eat, so you wouldn’t understand the nostalgia or the deliciousness of a meal.”*
*“I suppose. I didn’t have enough divine power to manifest physically to indulge in such entertainment. Still, they’ve eaten their fill. Why don’t you start talking about something constructive?”*
*“I can’t exactly do that while my wife, Princess Age, and the Archbishop are away from the table.”*
*“Dead people getting stomach aches from overeating, huh... That cat-girl was the same as ever, too. It seems her personality didn’t change even after death.”*
*“Can you really accept that Enola has become like a traditional Yamato Nadeshiko, Mizu?”*
*“...No. I’d suspect she’s some kind of monster in disguise.”*
*“Right?”*
Poor Enor-san, being talked about like that.
*“Still, you might as well discuss the general policy. That cat-girl is just going to dump everything on Souta anyway.”*
*“I can’t deny that.”*