Uesugi Ryu activated the mana within his body and channeled it into the peculiar plant before him.
As mana poured in, the plant rapidly grew and bore plump fruit. Translucent grains of white rice emitted a special fragrance, and the liquid essence released a sweet, mellow aroma of wine.
Taking out containers to store this culinary bounty, Uesugi Ryu was struck by a strange feeling he couldn't quite place.
Every expenditure of 60 mana points would yield one cycle of fruit from the Wine-Sack Rice-Bag, and each yield was rather plentiful, around one 500g of rice, and about 200ml of wine.
He consumed most of it himself, leaving just a small portion to toss over to Mephisto.
Mana wasn't a concern for Uesugi Ryu; the issue was the limited output capacity of the Wine-Sack Rice-Bag.
Each use required at least an hour of rest. With roughly 540 mana points at his disposal, Uesugi Ryu could, factoring in recovery time, produce up to 10 batches per day.
But however he calculated it, Uesugi Ryu couldn't shake the sense that he was turning into a dairy cow, producing "milk" day after day!
Overusing mana also had significant impacts on one's mental state, so even though Uesugi Ryu had been "milking" himself madly these past few days, he had only produced around 21 portions in total.
These past two days, he had been using this thing to cover all four daily meals, eating it religiously to raise his attributes.
As for how long the so-called "long-term consumption" effect would take, Uesugi Ryu could only test it out personally. Fortunately, the flavor really wasn't bad.
Just then, a shadow streaked in through the window like lightning.
Mephisto flapped its massive wings and landed steadily inside the room.
However, upon seeing what was laid out on the dinner table tonight, its expression immediately crumpled, looking utterly dismayed.
A noble raptor like itself, and it had to eat this every day!?
Sure, the flavor was fine, but for a meat-loving creature like Mephisto, such a diet was simply too monotonous.
Its attributes were relatively low, and after twelve meals over three days, only its constitution had increased by a single point.
The other stats remained completely unmoved.
Uesugi Ryu noticed Mephisto's return and called out to it:
"Back already? Come on, it's dinner time."
But Mephisto merely hovered by the window and showed no intention of approaching the table. In fact, it even looked ready to bolt at a moment's notice.
Muttering under its breath:
"Ryu-nii, I'm really not hungry today... I'll skip dinner."
Hearing that, Uesugi Ryu lifted his head and stared at Mephisto with dead-fish eyes.
After a brief silence, he slowly stood up and swept all the food from the table into his storage space, leaving only the wine behind.
Anyone would get tired of eating the same thing every day. Uesugi Ryu didn't press the issue.
Suddenly, an idea sparked in his mind, and his eyes lit up.
He recalled the Culinary Mastery skill he had acquired not long ago and a strong urge to test it out surged in his heart.
Smiling, Uesugi Ryu turned to Mephisto and said:
"If you don't want to eat this today, then tell me, what do you want to eat?"
Mephisto brightened visibly. Without another word, it flew straight out.
A short while later, it returned, carrying something strange in its beak.
Uesugi Ryu stared at the bloody, unidentifiable hunk of flesh now resting on the chopping board, momentarily at a loss for words.
Did Mephisto want him to cosplay Hannibal Lecter!?
Strangely enough, the Culinary Mastery skill was indeed something extraordinary. In Uesugi Ryu's mind, dozens of preparation techniques for this specific meat immediately emerged.
Mephisto quickly explained:
"This ghoul, it took me so much effort to hunt down a couple days ago."
"I was originally planning to let it sit for a while until it completely rotted. Then I could savor it slowly."
At this point, it paused and slightly parted its beak, seemingly savoring the memory.
"But I guess... eating it now should still be fine."
Uesugi Ryu was taken aback by this revelation. He hadn't expected Mephisto to have such peculiar dietary preferences.
Looking at the thing now, he couldn't help but feel a little squeamish. Killing a ghoul was one thing; cooking a ghoul was another.
Uesugi Ryu glanced over at Mephisto, who was visibly excited about its upcoming feast, and let out a resigned sigh.
Well, he had raised this pet, it was his responsibility to feed it. Mephisto had never once complained or slacked off.
He couldn't bring himself to mistreat it.
Uesugi Ryu recalled how, in the original story, Kaneki once said that ghoul meat tasted like rotting fish intestines.
But ghouls found human food repulsive, so perhaps, in a twisted way, this really was edible.
If ghouls could become human, then humans could certainly become ghouls.
Still, Uesugi Ryu had no intention of crossing that particular line. He'd leave this one to Mephisto.
"Just this once today. Tomorrow it's back to rice. If you want meat, I'll buy you some beef or lamb instead."
Mephisto nodded, though a hint of disappointment lingered on its face. It could sense that Uesugi Ryu didn't seem to approve of its "delicacies."
"Sorry... I understand. I won't eat it again."
Uesugi Ryu, seeing that pitiful look on Mephisto's face, couldn't help but feel a little helpless. He reached out and gently patted its small head.
"I'm not banning you from eating it, just do it outside next time."
On a whim, Uesugi Ryu suddenly asked:
"How does it taste?"
Mephisto's eyes, dim just moments ago, instantly sparkled.
"It's got great chew to it, and the flavor is really good! Ryu-nii, wanna try?"
It immediately replied, eager to recommend it to Uesugi Ryu.
Uesugi Ryu waved a hand in refusal, put on his gloves, turned on a track titled "The Song of Becoming Human", and began cooking.
He didn't cook at home often, and his selection of seasonings was limited. But with his refined culinary skills, he still managed to prepare the dish quickly and properly.
Gulu gulu..
steam billowed through the kitchen.
Setting down the Quinque knife in his hand, Uesugi Ryu finally let out a breath of relief.
Mephisto bounced around excitedly, practically buzzing with anticipation as it leaned over the pot.
Ding!
A message notification popped up.
Uesugi Ryu picked up his phone and checked the message.
'Kaneki: Ryu-san, long time no see. Do you have time tomorrow? I'll be waiting for you at Anteiku in the morning.'
Uesugi Ryu raised an eyebrow slightly.
He'd studied the details of the 11th Ward Aogiri Tree Suppression Battle.
No eyewitnesses had seen the One-Eyed Ghoul appear.
What had happened to Kaneki Ken afterwards, Uesugi Ryu had no idea.
If, after being given two vials of RC cell concentrate, Kaneki still ended up dead, well, there wasn't much more he could do.
Sinking into the sofa, Uesugi Ryu took a few sips of fine wine and mused aloud:
"I wonder if Kaneki dyed his hair yet?"