Inside the log cabin.
The flashlight on Special Week's phone flickered to life, casting a sharp, upward glow onto her face that gave her a haunting, ghastly appearance.
"What I'm about to tell you... might be a little scary," she began, her expression incredibly grim. "They say this actually happened to one of Suzuka-chan's former classmates."
"In the dead of night, when everything is still, a monster creeps in. It flips your pillow over and physically rearranges the way your body is facing."
"By the time you wake up, you'll find that your sleeping position is completely different from how you started the night."
The tale was brief. Yet, as Special Week finished, she couldn't help but let out a small shiver.
When she first heard Silence Suzuka tell this story, she had stayed awake until the middle of the night, too terrified to close her eyes.
Just imagining a monster moving your body while you were dead to the world was simply bone-chilling.
Clearly, she had immersed herself so deeply in the setting that she'd managed to scare herself half to death with her own ghost story.
"Is... is that a true story?" Barbatos asked, looking utterly bewildered.
Was that really supposed to be a horror story?
If that counted as horror, then those internet rumors—the ones saying a monster appears the moment a girl closes her eyes in the shower, and that you should record yourself bathing to catch it in the act—could be considered horror movies too.
"Mhm!" Special Week nodded vigorously. "Suzuka-chan told me herself. It happened to a classmate of hers back in the day, a girl named Asahi, I think."
"Does a monster like that really exist?" King Halo asked, sounding uncertain.
After all, Silence Suzuka didn't seem like the type of Uma Musume who would lie. If Barbatos had been the one telling the story, she would have assumed it was just a prank to tease Special Week.
"If it's true, then if this Asahi girl isn't in school anymore, she must be working in research," Barbatos mused.
"Research? Researching what?"
"Being researched, obviously!" Barbatos countered. "You'd set up cameras and thermal imaging in her bedroom with zero blind spots. You could use Asahi-san to prove the existence of the supernatural. She's clearly making a massive contribution to the world's understanding of the paranormal!"
What was once a vague, doubtful legend suddenly sounded like a verified scientific phenomenon under Barbatos's description. Special Week began to tremble even harder.
"Pfft," Seiun Sky couldn't help but let out a snicker. "Actually, the whole 'Pillow Monster' thing... that was just Suzuka-chan's way of making fun of Asahi-san for being a restless sleeper."
Once the logic was laid out, everyone quickly connected the dots.
Special Week took a second to catch up, but her shaking subsided as she realized she had been scaring herself over a case of bad sleeping habits.
Silence Suzuka probably never imagined that Special Week would take the story so literally.
"How about I tell a true story?" Barbatos suggested, turning the flashlight toward her own face.
When she mentioned a "true story," King Halo and Grass Wonder shot her skeptical looks. They weren't exactly inclined to believe anything Barbatos labeled as fact.
"Don't look at me like that. It's real. I mean, it didn't happen to me personally, and I've adapted it a bit, but it definitely happened."
Figures... King Halo and Grass Wonder shared a knowing glance. The word "adapted" was the dead giveaway, but they were still curious to see what kind of yarn Barbatos would spin.
"This took place in ancient China," Barbatos began. "There was a genius young chef named Mao who, in order to prove his worth, traveled to Guangdong to take the Special Grade Chef exam."
Special Week raised her hand. "What's a Special Grade Chef?"
"A Special Grade Chef... they're legends among cooks. Passing the exam is like becoming a Living Legend."
"At the time, only a handful of people had the confidence to even enter, and all of them were masters—monsters of the culinary world, like the favorites in a G1 race. Aside from Mao, the youngest contestant was at least twenty years old."
"Mao was only sixteen. The other contestants had far more experience and knowledge than he did. But even so, he fought his way through the rounds until only three remained for the final pressure cook-off to earn the title."
"The required ingredient for the final exam was... large intestines!"
"Now, you have to understand, large intestines are incredibly difficult to prepare. One slip-up and you're left with a foul, gamey stench. The three chefs left, Mao included, were the closest things to gods in the kitchen. They each had their own secret techniques for removing that odor."
"They showcased skills far beyond those of an ordinary chef during the cooking process, finishing their dishes just as the timer hit zero. When the first chef presented his completed 'Intestine Dish' to the judges..."
"The aroma alone was enough to make a neighbor's kid cry with hunger. The presentation was mouth-watering."
"The three judges tasted the dish and nodded in approval. However, the first chef did not pass the exam."
As the story reached this point, everyone could vividly imagine the scene Barbatos was describing.
In fact, her description of the food was so evocative that a few of them actually felt a pang of hunger.
Wait, is this really a horror story? they wondered. Was Barbatos's real goal just to make them hungry in the middle of the night?
If they all stayed up eating snacks while she didn't, it would give her an edge in future races. That was the conclusion they reached based on their usual perception of her.
Besides, if it tasted so good, why did the first contestant lose? The girls were genuinely stumped. Barbatos didn't keep them waiting for the answer.
"The judges gave the first chef their critique," Barbatos continued.
"They told him: 'In your quest to make the dish delicious, you went too far. You removed so much of the natural flavor of the intestine that the essence was lost. If the flavor is gone, how is the diner supposed to know they are even eating intestine?'"
Hearing this, Special Week looked bewildered. "Isn't it fine as long as it tastes good?"
Barbatos nodded. "Normally, yes. But this is the Special Grade Chef exam."
"Then it was Mao's turn. His dish didn't look as stunning as the first, nor was it bursting with aroma. He had simply managed to mask the raw stench, and the presentation was quite humble. But the moment the judges took a bite, their brows furrowed, then instantly relaxed. They were floored."
"As examiners for the Special Grade title, they had tasted every kind of intestine imaginable, but this gave them a shock like no other. They polished off every last bit of Mao's dish and asked the question burning in their hearts."
"'Tell us,' they said. 'How did you manage to restore the unique, essential flavor of the intestine? What ingredients did you use to mimic that specific taste so perfectly?'"
"Mao cupped his hands in a respectful salute and replied: 'During the cleaning process, I purposefully left some of the original contents inside.'"
"And... that's my story. Pretty terrifying, right?"
The story left King Halo and the others stunned.
It was a decent tale, but why did it just end there?
What materials did he use to mimic the flavor?
And more importantly—where was the horror?
Only Seiun Sky wiped a bead of sweat from her forehead. Thank goodness she didn't eat intestines.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! Webnovel will get 2 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.