CGM – Vol 1 Chapter 1 Part 3 – The shut-in meets a beautiful girl who is good at cooking

“Wow, this is amazing.” (Wilhelm)

Anya skillfully prepared the meal with a flutter of her hands. It was quite luxurious.

Sausages that were thick and rich, with a satisfyingly crisp texture. 

Perfectly cooked sunny-side-up eggs had a slightly runny yolk. 

Fragrant onion soup and a fresh vegetable salad to go along with it. 

And the soft and warm bread.

“Wil-sama, I apologize for the simple lunch. I’m not sure if it suits the taste of a noble.” (Anya)

“No, no, no. Unless it’s a party, meals for nobles aren’t as extravagant as you think it is. What Anya made is much more luxurious than the usual lunch for a noble.” (Wilhelm)

Moreover, I can feel the love that was put into this meal.

There was no love in my meals back at home.

In the past year, every meal served at home was either cold or leftovers from the previous day. On the worst days, it was just hard bread and water.

They probably did it with the intention of ‘those who don’t work shall not eat’.

And yet… I never thought a day would come when I could eat such warm, soft, and delicious-looking food.

It was worth the effort to walk about thirty minutes from home to get here. The struggles paid off.

I tried biting into the sausage.

The juices from the meat were delightful.

“Wow, this is delicious! Is it okay for a shut-in like me to enjoy something this delicious? The guilt is like an extra seasoning, making it even more delicious.” (Wilhelm)

“Tch, you NEET.” (?)

Huh? I heard a low, gruff voice. Whose voice was that just now?

Could it be Anya?

No, no, no, Anya is currently happily enjoying her meal with a smile.

The only other creature at the dining table is Mew-chan, the magical beast. Could it be…? Magical beasts generally don’t speak human language, though.

“Hey, Anya. Did this one just talk?” (Wilhelm)

Anya looks at Sodane Mew.

The Sodane Mew was skillfully a bread with a knife and fork, spreading butter on top.

Wow, it’s a really dexterous¹ creature. It’s not common for magical beasts to be able to do things like this.

“Did Mew-chan really speak…? Or is it just Wil-sama’s imagination? Mew-chan can only say two words, ‘Sodane’ and ‘Mew’.” (Anya)

“Yeah, that’s right. Normally that is.” (Wilhelm)

Sodane Mew is that kind of creature.

“Then maybe it’s just my imagination.” (Wilhelm)

“Hehehe. I wonder about that. You NEET.” (Mew-chan?)

“Huh? No, seriously, this one definitely spoke just now. It said quite a few words, didn’t it?” (Wilhelm)

When I look at Mew-chan, it nonchalantly takes a bite of the bread as if nothing happened. It chews delicately and elegantly.

“Hey, Mew-chan, say that again.” (Wilhelm)

“Mew…” (Mew-chan)

“Liar—!” (Wilhelm)

It’s pretending to be all cute. Damn it. It’s frustrating. I didn’t expect to be mocked by a magical beast. Despite being a shut-in, I shouldn’t be below a magical beast.

Anya is chuckling. It seems that Anya didn’t hear Mew-chan saying, “You NEET”.

“That’s quite an amusing joke. Hehe.” (Anya)

She covers her mouth and laughs cutely.

In the presence of such a smile, I’m willing to forgive the occasional rude remark from a magical beast.

“Wil-sama, there’s still some soup left. Would you like more?” (Anya)

“Oh, absolutely. It’s super delicious.” (Wilhelm)

“Eh, you’re spoiling this NEET? I object!” (Mew-chan)

Mew-chan said something, but it seemed that Anya didn’t hear those words either. Apparently, only I can hear them.

Anya takes my soup bowl and heads towards the pot in the back. Meanwhile, I glare at the Sodane Mew.

Sodane Mew’s eyes become round and innocent-looking.

“Mew…” (Mew-chan)

“Liar! Don’t pretend to be cute just because you’re a magical beast. Come on, show me your true colors. Come on, come on.” (Wilhelm)

I pulled its cheek.

It’s surprisingly soft and quite stretchy.

“Me…Mew…” (Mew-chan)

Surprisingly, Mew-chan retaliated by doing the same to me. My cheek also stretched quite a bit. Perhaps not exercising for about a year has made my cheeks softer.

“Grrrrrr…” (Wilhelm)

“Mew, Mew, Mew, Mew…!” (Mew-chan)

Both of us refuse to give in, pulling each other’s cheeks, sparks flying between our eyes.

What on earth am I doing? The other party is a fluffy magical beast. I don’t even know any more at this point.

“Hehehe. You two seem to be getting along very well. Here, another serving for you.” (Anya)

“Oh, thanks. But just to be clear, this doesn’t mean we’re getting along or anything.” (Wilhelm)

“Sodane.” (Mew-chan)

Anya looks delighted. She probably doesn’t understand anything.

“Anya, have you known Mew-chan for a long time?” (Wilhelm)

“Yes. It’s a long story though.” (Anya)

“I don’t mind. I’ve got all the time in the world.” (Wilhelm)

After all, I’m a shut-in.

Anya narrowed her eyes, recalling distant memories.

“It started when I was six years old. It happened on a night with intense rain. My father, who had been out for work, came home with a troubled look. When I went to see him, he had a fluffy white magical beast wrapped in a towel in his arms.” (Anya)

“That was Mew-chan?” (Wilhelm)

“Yes. Mew-chan was just born at that time. I suggested returning it to where it was found, but I quickly backed down after hearing the circumstances. Around that time, the fur of the Sodane Mew was being traded at high prices in the market, and there was talk from several guilds about hunting for it.” (Anya)

“Ah, so it’s quite valuable, huh?” (Wilhelm)

“Right. But Mew-chan was so small at the time, so it was lacking enough fur to be sold. Apparently, it was spared due to resource management reasons. However, it was too small to fend for itself and couldn’t eat alone. So, my father brought it home, saying he wanted to take care of it. He wouldn’t let anyone else have it.” (Anya)

I see. Guilds can be ruthless when they see the potential for profit. Mew-chan might have been hunted down within a year if it had been let out for that long.

“Ever since that day, I’ve been taking care of Mew-chan. I was so happy that it would eat as much as I gave it. But, I got carried away and fed it so much that it grew this big.” (Anya)

“Well, if it’s eating such delicious food every day, it’s bound to grow bigger than usual.” (Wilhelm)

“Now it’s a splendid guardian of our guild. It can even stand guard when needed.” (Anya)

“It’s embodying the principle of ‘those who don’t work shouldn’t eat’, huh? It’s impressive that a magical beast is working properly.” (Wilhelm)

“You should work too. You NEET.” (Mew-chan)

Insults came from Mew-chan.

I glared at it intensely.

“Mew…” (Mew-chan)

“Liar! You don’t have such a cute personality!” (Wilhelm)

Anya seemed to be thoroughly enjoying Mew-chan’s cute voice, as she continued to smile radiantly.

---

Thanks for reading!

Shorter chapter this time, but the next one’s gonna be double the length of this one. I don’t remember if I mentioned this, but I’m just gonna complete vol 1 first and if I enjoy it, I’ll translate the rest of the 2 volumes too.

Also, today’s new year eve for me, so here’s an early happy new year.

---

1. Dexterous mean showing or having skill, especially with the hands. Honestly, I never knew the definition; I only heard of this in MMO stats.