Later, Nina led Mino to find some garlic.
Mino's admiration for her grew with every glance. He was amazed at how knowledgeable she was about food.
Food was scarce in the beast world. Not every beastman could catch enough prey, and every year, many starved—especially during the harsh winters. Being able to identify and prepare other edible plants earned a beastman a great deal of respect.
Eventually, Nina grew a bit tired and hungry, so Mino quickly carried her back home in his beast form. Nina, of course, gleefully enjoyed her time riding on him again.
By evening, Aji had returned from hunting and came over to help Nina.
At that moment, Mino was chopping the radishes for the soup.
He held up a piece he had cut and asked, "Nina, is this how it should be cut?"
"Yes, into small cubes. That way, it's better for the soup. Be careful not to cut yourself."
