Eternally Regressing in Another World

Chapter 31: Square 25: The Demon Realm Behind the Door

"Welcome back, tomato mister."

"Yeah, I’m back."

Shiran had come out of the room the moment she heard footsteps on the stairs. Her stomach growled, her expression practically begging me not to make her wait any longer.

"I’ll get started right away."

"Okay."

Tonight’s ingredients were bread, cheese, onion, bottled sauce. Tomato, lettuce, and some pork like meat! Tonight’s menu, burgers!

"You like burgers?"

"Yeah, I like them."

"Good. Here, eat this while I cook."

I handed Shiran the biggest tomato I had.

"Thank you!"

Shiran took a huge bite out of the tomato. It occurred to me after handing it over that I probably should’ve washed it first. ...Well, when I’d checked it earlier, it didn’t look dirty. She’s enjoying it, so it’s fine.

"Gonna borrow the pan."

"Sure."

There was a stove, though obviously not a mechanical one. Pulling the lever in front little by little caused small orbs of light to swirl into being. After watching the pretty glow for a few seconds, a soft flame lit up. Seemed like the heat level depended on how far you pulled the lever. Cooking wouldn’t be a problem, at least. Time to show off some single guy cooking skills!

First, I quickly rinsed and neatly cut up the vegetables. Then sliced two pieces of bread and lightly toasted them. While toasting, I let the meat come to room temperature, scored it lightly, then sliced it thin. Once the bread was lightly toasted, I set it aside and cooked the meat until it had a bit of a char. Once the meat got nice and crisp, I pressed it onto the bread so it could soak up the juices. Cheese and rich sauce on top, and once the heat from the meat started melting the cheese, on to the vegetables. Using the same pan the meat had just cooked in, I quickly sautéed some finely chopped onion. Once it started turning a nice color, I laid it on top, letting it soak into the sauce. Generous cuts of tomato, torn pieces of lettuce. And finally, sandwiched everything together with the other piece of bread, and the special burger was complete!

"Homemade bacon lettuce burger, done!"

"...Looks good."

Shiran stared intently at the burger on the plate.

"Go on, dig in."

"O... okay, thank you for the food."

She opened her mouth wider than I’d seen yet and bit right in. Judging by how her expression changed, it must have turned out well.

"Alright, guess I’ll eat too."

Following Shiran’s lead, I took a huge bite myself.

"Ahh, this flavor! This is exactly it!"

The rich juices soaking into the bread. The chewy meat coated in sauce satisfied my empty stomach perfectly. The meat was a bit firmer than usual, but had a different kind of flavor from bacon, one I might actually prefer. The crisp texture of the lettuce kept things interesting, and the sweetness of the cheese along with the soft tang of the tomato melted together in my mouth. Back when I was broke, I used to make stuff like this pretty often, and something about managing to recreate that flavor in this world filled me with genuine happiness. Shiran was completely absorbed in eating. Watching her eat so happily, I felt like I understood, just a little, what it might feel like to be a parent raising a kid.

"...That was good."

"Glad to hear it. Hand me the plate, I’ll wash it."

"Okay."

While I washed the dishes, a small voice came from behind me.

"Could you... make breakfast too... please? ...Is that... not okay?"

Was she holding back, thinking she couldn’t rely on me that much? ...A little kid shouldn’t have to worry about stuff like that.

"What do you want to eat tomorrow?"

"R-really, is that okay?"

"Yeah, totally fine. You’re just a kid, lean on adults a bit more."

"...Okay."

By the time we finished talking, the dishes were spotless. Cleanup done, guess it’s time to head back to my room.

"Alright, I’m heading back. See you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you tomorrow."

I left Shiran’s room and suddenly remembered. Come to think of it, I still hadn’t actually checked out my own room. Well, it had already turned out cleaner than the outside suggested, so maybe I could hope for a bit more...

"Ahh... aaaaaaaah..."

At the horrifying sight waiting beyond the door, I couldn’t even scream, just stood there trembling. The walls were covered in dense black spots. Mushrooms sprouted from the built in table, and water stains streaked the ceiling. A ceiling panel in the corner had come loose, letting a draft blow in from the space above. And the instant I opened the door, I definitely saw countless black creatures scurrying to hide!!

"...There’s no way I’m sleeping in here. This room’s basically a demon realm!"

But I didn’t have the money for anything else. And the timing right now was bad too. It was a little past 21:00. This late, foot traffic on the streets would’ve thinned out considerably. Meaning right now, the streets outside were basically a den of criminals. I had zero courage to throw myself back out there. ...Which meant, in the end, I had no choice but to sleep here.

"Give me a break, seriously..."

After sleeping in an absolute mansion just last night, the contrast was so extreme it nearly brought me to tears.

"Sigh... first things first, cleaning."

Even while cleaning, the noise outside never let up. Drunken humming, crude bursts of laughter. Interrupted by some woman shouting angrily somewhere nearby. In the end, I didn’t finish cleaning and actually get to sleep until four hours later.

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[A/N: Please consider giving feedbacks and your opinions on whether you are liking the story’s direction so far so you have read. It will help me improvise in future and make it enjoyable for everyone. Also please consider voting the story, it helps the story a lot more than you can think! Thanks for reading :D]