They ate and drank their fill.
Only after Yukari Yakumo had opened the "Boundary Between Raw and Cooked" twice did Chika Fujiwara and Utaha Kasumigaoka finally admit defeat, hugging their swollen bellies and watching with pure envy as the two humans and one youkai across the fire kept eating at the same steady pace.
"Yukari-oneechan," Chika pleaded pitifully, "you don't happen to have a 'Boundary Between Being Stuffed and Digestion' or something, do you? So we can just instantly digest everything?"
"…Do you hear the nonsense coming out of your mouth?" Yukari said, deadpan.
"From experience, light exercise helps digestion," Esdeath remarked, gnawing a marrow bone. "But in your current state… I'd rest first before moving."
"Want to try this?" Baiye asked.
He reached down, pried a stone from the ground, and with a few flicks of his fingertips kneaded it into a tiny figurine frozen in an odd, precise pose.
"What's that?" Chika leaned in, curious.
"Something I distilled from what I've studied over the years," Baiye said. "It speeds up how quickly the body absorbs nutrients after eating. Just copy the template roughly at first, then adjust for your body… Left arm a bit higher—round it, like you're hugging a ball. Right leg slide back. Yes, like that… Now match your breathing to my rhythm…"
Once he guided Chika into the right "feel," he led Utaha into a posture and breathing cycle that suited her best.
They held it for more than ten minutes. When Baiye finally said, "That's enough—rest a bit," both girls relaxed, drenched in sweat, and immediately began probing their bodies in astonishment.
The crushing fullness from overeating was completely gone.
More than that—they could feel it. As the roasted meat in their bellies digested, their bodies seemed to gain a noticeable boost.
Chika clenched her fist.
Not an illusion.
"Don't overthink it," Baiye said, nodding toward the winged-lion hind leg roasting over the fire. "It's mostly the meat doing the heavy lifting."
Then he turned to someone staring at him with bright, hungry eyes. "You want in too?"
"…"
Esdeath had realized this was good the moment Chika and Utaha started sweating within minutes. She finished the last bits off her bone in three bites, then assumed the figurine's stance and adjusted her breathing and alignment under Baiye's brief corrections.
Baiye had just finished with her when a face poked out from a slit that opened in midair.
"Hey, kid—what about me?" Yukari asked.
The angle was so perfect Baiye nearly chopped on reflex. His eyelid twitched. "Do you even need this?"
"But they all got one," Yukari pouted, instantly turning on a cutesy voice. "If I'm the only one left out, I'll be sooo sad~"
"…Fine." Baiye nodded. "Then release the restraints on your power. And don't guard against me. If I can't see your true state like I can theirs, I can't tailor the adjustments—"
"Tch, stingy." Yukari pulled her head back through the gap. "First day we meet and you teach Chika-chan, Uta-chan, and E-chan each a body-refining stance—but not me. I'm keeping this grudge!"
Baiye: "..."
The old fox was really good at acting cute.
Esdeath: "..."
So you can see through me the way you see through them?
She wanted to use that as an excuse to invite him to spar—but the benefits she was feeling firsthand, and the seamless, unified presence Baiye carried… From the moment he arrived in this world, she hadn't caught a single flaw in his rhythm.
The last person who'd made her feel that powerless was Yukari. And Yukari hadn't even used "boundaries"—she'd simply placed a hand on Esdeath's shoulder and, with overwhelming raw force, made the difference between them undeniable.
Esdeath hesitated… then swallowed the impulse.
Twenty minutes later, feeling that her first session was about right, she returned to the fire and resumed eating with Chika and Utaha.
The three of them ate until full, then trained; trained until it "took," then ate again.
Add Baiye—who kept chewing even while chatting with Yukari—and Yukari, who kept grilling skewers now and then.
By the time the sky lightened at the horizon, they'd carved away nearly half a winged lion that stood as tall as two or three people.
"Should we stop here?" Chika said, chugging a huge cup of water after another round. She glanced at the timer built into the group chat interface. "I still need a shower when I get back, or Oneechan and Moeha will notice something's off…"
Everyone checked the time and agreed.
Esdeath nodded toward what remained of the winged lion. "Are you coming again during the day?"
"Hm…" Chika thought. "It's vacation. I can make up a reason and disappear for a day or two. Shouldn't be a problem as long as I show my face at night."
"Same," Utaha said.
They'd only set aside one night because the original plan was just an offline meetup. But now that they knew danger-beast meat had this effect—and with Baiye's posture to accelerate digestion and absorption—of course their holiday schedule needed revision.
"And you?" Esdeath asked, turning to Baiye and Yukari.
"I'm busy with something, but I can spare a few days," Yukari said.
"As for me…" Baiye sensed the gains from a night of meat and training. "Probably fine. Depends."
They agreed to meet again during the day. Then the four visitors didn't even wait for Esdeath to settle any "transaction." They simply opened her task in their interfaces, selected it, and hit Abandon.
Just like when they'd arrived.
Reality blurred for an instant. When their vision steadied, they were back on Earth in the Type-Moon world—inside the Matou mansion, in the same room, standing in the exact same spots they'd left.
Only…
"Awake?" Baiye greeted.
On the bed sat a dazed Sakura Matou. Her eyes were empty until Baiye appeared; then light finally returned to them.
-------
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