Elysia was now Elysia Cat. In theory, that meant cats and humans liked very different things to eat. No one knew whether a cat summoned by the Cat System would inherit the tastes of a real cat.
And if Elysia Cat was unhappy, the cat coins paid out at the end of the Cat System mission would be much fewer.
That would not do.
With that in mind, Kiyono Inori took a bag of freeze-dried cat food out of the fridge. The cooking aunt loved cats, so the refrigerator was stocked with all kinds of cat snacks.
"Huh…?"
Elysia Cat tilted her little head.
"Be good, Elysia. You're a cat now. I remember cats and humans need different nutrients, and they like different foods too, so… want to try this?"
In Kiyono Inori's hand was a cat treat shaped like a tiny paw. "If you don't like it, we can try regular food afterward."
She was being very cautious.
With her weak body, Kiyono Inori placed great importance on nutrition and balanced meals. She had even hired a cooking aunt to make seven or eight dishes every day.
The pressure was now squarely on Elysia Cat.
"I… I really have to eat cat food, meow?"
Elysia Cat blinked her watery eyes. What Kiyono Inori said made a lot of sense. After all, she really was a cute little cat now.
She was convinced.
Still, as a beautiful girl, voluntarily eating cat food was hard to accept. Elysia hesitated, clearly torn.
She sniffed the cat food in Kiyono Inori's hand several times. Sniff, sniff.
But she never took a bite.
Seeing Elysia Cat looking so conflicted left Kiyono Inori both amused and helpless. She could more or less guess what Elysia was thinking.
So.
Right in front of Elysia Cat, she took a piece of cat food and popped it into her own mouth, crunching loudly as she chewed.
"Inori-chan, you…"
Elysia Cat stopped mid-sentence, then started again, unable to decide what to say.
"Mm, let's treat it like a truth-or-dare game. I eat one piece of cat food, you eat one piece of cat food. Let's just try it."
Kiyono Inori brought a piece of cat food to Elysia Cat's mouth. Elysia Cat put on a resolute expression and took a big bite.
Chew. Chew.
It was salty and very dry. Once crushed, the texture was rough, with a hint of bran-like flavor. There was even a trace of bitterness, and the more she chewed, the more she could taste a faint, raw meat funk.
"Hmph, it really is bad, meow!"
Elysia Cat puffed out her cheeks. "See? Even if I turn into a cat, I'm still a cute fairy. My taste in food isn't going to change."
She looked at Kiyono Inori.
"Gag, urgh, bleh!"
There was actual meat in the fresh-meat cat food. This was something Kiyono Inori never would have expected.
It was as unbelievable as finding huge chunks of beef in instant beef noodles, or discovering that a 'wife cake' actually contained a wife. It felt like science fiction.
Overwhelmed by that trace of raw meat stench, Kiyono Inori immediately started retching into the trash can, right in front of Elysia Cat's stunned gaze.
"Ah!"
Elysia Cat jumped in shock, then hurriedly dragged over a small stool and gently patted Kiyono Inori's slender back with her soft paws.
"Hang in there, meow! Hang in there! I'll use magic to heal you, meow?!"
That day, Elysia Cat made a firm decision.
If Kiyono Inori ever traveled to their world, she absolutely, positively could not be allowed anywhere near Dr. MEI's kitchen.
In Dr. MEI's pot simmered something like pitch-black sludge. As it boiled, unidentifiable animal remains would occasionally surface, all while releasing a smell like a filthy rag that had been wiped across food scraps and left damp until it went sour.
That hellish flavor was more terrifying than any battlefield of the Honkai.
An ordinary MOTH soldier would lose all combat capability the moment they caught a whiff.
Even Kevin, the strongest warrior of MOTH, was no match for Dr. MEI's cooking.
Elysia herself had never actually tasted Dr. MEI's food, but she could say with certainty that this cat food was better.
…
"I'm sorry, meow."
Elysia Cat swayed her tail, head lowered. "Inori-chan, if I'd known, I wouldn't have hesitated so much, meow."
Elysia Cat was reflecting deeply.
If she had just eaten the cat food right away, Kiyono Inori would not have had to suffer like that.
"Hah…"
Kiyono Inori took a deep breath. After being assaulted by cat food that really did contain fresh meat, her complexion was much paler, like someone just recovering from a serious illness.
"No, it's not your fault. I underestimated the determination of the cat food manufacturers. They really didn't do false advertising. In that sense, I'm impressed."
The brand's headquarters were located in Fukui, which technically fell within her family's sphere of influence.
A notice like "Fresh meat strictly prohibited in fresh-meat cat food" could be issued, but Kiyono Inori was not the type of spoiled young lady who abused her power.
In the end, as hard as the experience was to endure, she had actually gained something from it.
Just now, in her panic, Elysia Cat had cast a healing buff on her. Without that timely buff, her fragile body might have already collapsed unconscious.
But that was not the important part.
Even if she had passed out, the monitoring bracelet she always wore would have automatically sounded an alarm, and the Kiyono family and the hospital would have come to rescue her.
What mattered was the act itself. Elysia Cat had used fairy magic.
The Authority of Origin was an extremely mysterious thing. Back when Elysia was a MOTH warrior, she could only use it instinctively.
So if you asked Elysia how to use fairy magic without Honkai energy, she would probably just drool blankly, then try to muddle through with excuses like positive vibes or cute girls can do anything.
But just now, Elysia Cat had used fairy magic directly on her, specifically a healing spell.
Recalling the sensation during the healing, and the flow of energy she felt at the time, Kiyono Inori sensed she had grasped a crucial clue.
However…
It was already past ten o'clock. First, she needed to make sure this Elysia Cat was properly fed.
"Inori-chan, are you really okay? Your face looks awful. Are you still feeling sick? Should we take you to the hospital, meow?"
Elysia Cat circled around her again and again.
Elysia is very worried about you.
"I'm fine. Don't worry."
Kiyono Inori forced a smile. "Have you decided what you want to eat? I can make it for you, but it's late, so it'll probably have to be something simple."
"Wow, I'm really happy, but you should rest earlier. I can just eat some snacks. Your fridge is full of things I've never seen before!"
After all, this was another world.
Even though the Previous Era of Honkai Impact 3rd was more technologically advanced, snack brands and types were still very different.
"Hm…"
Kiyono Inori thought for a moment.
"Then I'll get you some snacks, and I'll boil a bowl of noodles too. I remember the members of MOTH all liked noodles the most."
A stress mark popped above Elysia Cat's head. "The only one who liked noodles was Kevin, right? Team events always turning into instant noodles. As a girl, I prefer something a bit more refined."
She added, "But if it's noodles you make yourself, Inori-chan, I'll really look forward to them!"
…
I have completed the author to TL pipeline, 1 chapter per day. Advanced chapters available on patreon.
patreon.com/intraneer
Give power stones please I survive solely off of number go up.
Let me know if I got a name wrong. I know basically nothing about MyGO.