"Today, I'm going to teach you how to make tomato-braised beef. It's a simple dish, and if you can master it, maybe you'll be able to surprise Kobayashi-san."
"Eh? Really?!"
Tohru spun around, eyes gleaming with excitement.
Whoosh!
Sato broke out in cold sweat as he found a kitchen knife just inches from his face, suddenly feeling like he'd brushed past the gates of death.
Under the light, the steel blade glinted silver, radiating an icy chill like frost blooming under ice. It made his skin crawl.
"Would you please be more careful?!"
He grabbed one of Tohru's dragon horns with a darkened expression and glared at her, still recovering from the shock.
"Ah! S-Sorry!"
Though Sato hadn't actually used much force, Tohru still looked pitiful, begging forgiveness with teary, upturned red dragon eyes, an expression that screamed "I messed up, please spare me."
"Next time, be more careful. Kobayashi-san is just a regular human!"
"Got it! I understand!"
Sato let out a long breath. What had seemed like a simple task suddenly felt infinitely more complicated.
"Has the water boiled yet?"
"It's boiling!"
"Okay, then put the beef in to blanch it."
"Blanch?"
"Yeah. Just boil it a little to draw out the blood. Otherwise, it'll have a nasty, gamey smell."
"Humans are so fussy!"
Tohru pouted but followed Sato's instructions, dropping the beef into the pot and then scooping it out once the scum had floated to the top.
She stared at the slightly pale beef and muttered,
"This totally ruins the beef's original flavor…"
Original flavor?
Sato blinked, suddenly imagining a massive dragon chomping down on an entire cow from lifting its head, swallowing it whole, and letting its razor-sharp teeth crush flesh and bone in a bloody spectacle.
Yikes! Brutal!
He shivered involuntarily and looked at Tohru again.
"Tohru, did you… used to eat things raw?"
"Of course! What kind of dragon doesn't do it raw? I'm telling you, the wild buffalo from the Elvesfield Plains back in my world are the tastiest, I can eat a hundred in one sitting!"
"A hundred?! Do you have a storage space in your stomach or something?"
"Eh? How did you know I have a pocket dimension in there?"
Tohru looked at him in surprise.
Sato: "..."
"…Alright. Toss the beef and tomatoes into the pot, then we'll add some salt and seasonings later. That's about it."
"That's it?"
Tohru leaned on her hand, watching the simmering pot.
"Yup. It's a basic dish. If you want to learn more recipes, you can go online or read cookbooks."
"Can I add something else?"
"Add something? Like what?"
Sato turned to her, confused.
Tomato-braised beef wasn't complicated, that's why it was a staple home-cooked meal.
Tohru, full of enthusiasm, picked up a kitchen knife and, to Sato's horror, placed her tail on the cutting board.
His eyes widened in shock.
"Wait! what are you trying to—?!"
The ordinary kitchen knife suddenly shimmered with magical energy. Tohru had clearly enchanted it with some unknown spell.
Shing!
The knife came down.... And to Sato's utter disbelief, the dragon tail was cleanly severed.
"…W-What?!"
He stared in stunned silence at the severed tail still twitching on the cutting board.
The green-scaled tail was smoothly sliced, the cross-section marbled like the finest wagyu beef. Crimson meat and pearly fat were clearly visible, while a strange green liquid oozed out from within…
Sizzle sizzle…
Drops of that green fluid (likely dragon's blood) fell onto the cutting board, hissing violently as they corroded holes right through the four-finger-thick surface.
"Mm! Not bad!"
Tohru nodded in satisfaction and prepared to toss her tail into the pot.
This time, Sato managed to stop her just in time.
He grabbed her hand, and with a deep breath, stared into her confused eyes.
"Are you seriously trying to repay kindness with cannibalism?!"
"What do you mean?"
Tohru blinked blankly.
Sato's mouth twitched as he looked at the system-generated info card.
[Item Name]: Tohru's Tail
[Category]: Ingredient
[Quality]: A
[Description]: The tail of a genuine dragon. Eating it will enhance physical strength and mental clarity... If you survive its terrifying toxicity, of course.
"…Your tail is poisonous, isn't it?"
"No way! My meat is super nutritious! In my world, there's even a legend that drinking dragon's blood turns people into the Dragonborn!"
Tohru puffed out her cheeks, clearly annoyed.
Sato massaged his temples.
"I don't doubt your meat has… some kind of effect. But I'm telling you right now, if Kobayashi-san eats your tail, you'll never see her again!"
Her tail, detached as it was, still wagged slightly, seemingly without any pain.
This dragon… was dangerous.
Not only in strength, but in mindset.
What kind of being would offer up their own meat to others as food?
Even for a dragon... That was insane.
Tohru muttered softly in protest, "But my meat really is super good for you…"
Then, glancing down at her tail, she suddenly tilted her head back, opened wide, and swallowed the entire thing whole.
It was the size of half a human head.
After gulping it down, she patted her belly in satisfaction and turned to look behind her.
Her tail was back, fully regenerated and wagging happily.
Sato stood frozen, watching in utter disbelief.
Good god… it actually grew back?!
She really was a living example of "you are what you eat"…
Thank goodness, thank goodness he'd witnessed this before Tohru moved in with Kobayashi-san.
Otherwise, if an ordinary human like her had seen all this, she'd probably faint on the spot.
"Tohru… I think it's time I taught you some basic ground rules for living in this world."
"Ground rules?"
"Yeah. Rule number one—under no circumstances should you let anyone eat your tail."