Episode 02 – Let’s start with a meal!

　When I returned to the store, the lights were still on, gleaming. Outside is surrounded by stone walls, and it's unclear where the electricity is coming from, but it sure helps now.

"Food, food……oh. There's just so many to choose from."

　I guess I can pay for it later. And there's no one here.
　Not that I understand this situation, but it surely is an emergency.

"She hasn't eaten in three days, so maybe some porridge?　I'm pretty sure they sell a ready-made one. Let's see, a tabletop stove, water, and――"

　I rolled the cart around and shoved this and that into the basket.

"Sorry for the wait."

　I took the whole cart outside and joined Fiona.
　I spread out a simple table that was sold in the camping equipment section and laid out this and that.

"Just drink this until it's ready."

　An Oral Rehydration Drink (OS-1) and a Pocari Sweat drink.
　Maybe she had already drunk something from the Hardware Store, but somehow I got the feeling that she hadn't touched the merchandise.
　
　When I handed her the plastic bottle, Fiona looked at it curiously, shaking it and holding it with both hands.

"What's the matter? "
"Uhmm……I just didn't know how to drink it."

　Eh?　She doesn't know how to pet bottle? Is she some sheltered princess or something?　Well, she sure has the looks…………or wait!　Noble... Was that referring to the social class?!　I see now…… never mind, I still don’t know what any of this means.

　When I opened the bottle for her, Fiona was a little childishly surprised, saying, "Oh!"
　Up close, she is a stunning beauty, but her face looks quite young.
　She may be younger than I thought.

　As Fiona opened one plastic bottle after the other, I set about preparing the meal.
　Lighting a fire on the tabletop stove, boiling water in a pot, and pouring the instant porridge into the pot.
　Having a meal in a mysterious stone chamber while in a parking lot with everything from tableware to everything else being brand new, you truly never know what life has in store for you, huh?

"Alright. It's done. Enjoy it. It's hot, so be careful."
"T-Thank you."

　Porridge, canned food, and sweets.
　For the side dish of rice porridge, I decided to use salmon flakes, as I thought dried plums would be too strong for a foreigner.

"What's…… this? "
"The porridge?　Oh, you mean like you've never had it before?　It's not a weird thing, so don't worry about it. It is a softened rice. Because if you haven't eaten in three days, this kind of thing is better."

　I still wonder if she is a foreigner. Porridge may indeed be limited to certain occasions when it is eaten.
　Even Japanese people don't eat it that often.

"Delicious.……! "

　After blowing on it, Fiona fearfully brought it to her mouth, yet she still couldn't overcome her hunger, and after taking a bite, she immediately began to eat as if she were gulping it down.
　In the end, she had not eaten for three days. Of course, she would.
　If it were me, I would have died of despair around the second day.

"Oh, don't rush, it's all right. There's plenty for sale."

　I heated up some additional porridge, decided that my stomach was apparently in good shape, and heated up the other ready-to-eat meals.
　The Hardware Store has a pharmacy section and a selection of ready-made and packed nursing food. It's nutritious and, above all, easy to prepare.

(Beef and potatoes, stewed hamburger steak, mapo tofu, beef noodles.)

　Seeing Fiona eat so much made me kind of hungry, too.
　Thinking about it, it has been quite a while since I had breakfast.
　Nevertheless, what if I eat it without permission, as well?　Let's just keep it to juice.

"It was delicious.…… Uh……truly…………you saved me……u……uuu."

　After finishing her meal, Fiona began to tremble and shed tears.

"……Seriously…… I thought I was done for…… That I was going to die like this…… Thats why……"

　Perhaps the fullness of her stomach made her feel at ease and relaxed.
　I don't know all the details yet, but considering that she hadn't eaten for three days and that this was a locked room, it must have been a pretty brutal situation.

　I hugged Fiona's shoulder and stayed that way until she stopped crying.

　◇◆◆◆◇　

"She fell asleep."

　Her stomach was swollen, she was bawling, and Fiona just fell asleep while leaning on me.
　She was sleeping so soundly that even a slight shaking did not wake her up.

　Her sleeping face was cute, but the dark circles under her eyes hinted at tiredness.
　I'll let her sleep in peace.

　I laid Fiona down as she was on the ground for the moment and went to the store.
　I procured a mattress and a bedding quilt from the bedroom corner.

　I was not keen on laying it directly on the ground, so I decided to lay it on top of a blue tarp.

"Fuumu. I'll take off your armor, too."

　If I could, I would have changed her clothes to pajamas, but I guess it would be strange to go that far.
　The armor was not that harsh, just breastplate, gauntlets, and greaves.

"Fuumu. It's a handmade armor. Oh, it's broken over here.)

　The armor was secured with leather belts, but one of the buckles was broken.
　The metal fittings seem to be individually handmade, and their shapes are deformed.
　Underneath her armor, she wore what appeared to be a thick padded-down vest.
　Anyway, I've taken off the hard stuff, so now she will be able to get a good night's sleep.

　The temperature is stable, so a thin blanket will do for now.
　With the way things are looking, it is unlikely that she will wake up for a while.

　Now, what should I do?

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 ToC  

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