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METRO LABYRINTH CHAPTER 113.1: NOA FALLING INTO THE ABYSS
A/N: 12/27 – Corrections are made along with the publication [A Squirrel’s Explanation on Fungal Class and Fungal Skills and The List of Fungal Skills of Each Profession].
Noa, who has finished sharpening his knife, wanders toward Utsuki and Kure with it in his hand.
“Hey, Noa, those aren’t ingredients for dinner, are they?” (Shuu)
“Both pervert and loli hag should not be eaten, squeak! If you eat them, you’ll get a stomachache, squeak!” (Tamiko)
Tamiko and I hurriedly intervene to stop her, but Noa only looked back for a moment with a troubled look on her face, and immediately turned back to face the two of them. Utzuki moans and groans, and Noa’s hand reaches toward her–grabbing a paper bag that was lying behind her.
“
the lady over here, are you sure you two know each other?” (Noa)
“Well, yeah.” (Shuu)
Noa hasn’t been home for a while and found a strange fake loli lying around like she owns the place, so I guess she mistook Utsuki for a trespasser or something and detained her. The reason why even Kure was tied up remains a mystery.
“Well, it’s a long story, but
 I’m a hunter of Komagome named Utsuki Sou, and we’re going to be working together for a while for various reasons.” (Sou)
“

is that so.” (Noa)
Noa returns to the kitchen to resume cooking saying nothing else. The sound of the chopping board and kitchen knife chopping the vegetables in the paper bag plays a nice rhythm.
Tamiko and I breathed a sigh of relief and released the restraints of the two for the time being. The tight knot of [White String] is hard, so I have Tamiko bite it with her [Hardened Front Teeth].
“Phew! Hey, she didn’t need to cover my mouth! We’re not beasts!” (Sou)
“Didn’t you explain things to Noa?” (Shuu)
“I did! I was just trying to explain how close Shuu and I are, then she suddenly pulled out her dagger! I just told her about the two of us having an intimate lip together night together yesterday–” (Sou)
“It’s not intimate. You just got drunk again and threw up all over the place.” (Shuu)
“Gross loli, squeak.” (Tamiko)
“There was a chance she was lying, so I had to tie her up.” (Noa)
Noa says without looking back. The particulars of this fake loli’s criminality and nature convinced me that Noa’s decision was not a mistake.
“So, why is Kure tied up as well?” (Shuu)
If you look closely, you can see that he are tied up in a tortoise shell binding, or rather, a mesh binding similar to wrapping up pork chops. I was relieved to learn that Noa had not mastered abnormal techniques.
“Oh, I’ve been interested in this kind of thing for a long time. Why are you taking the time to come here?” (Kure)
“Idiot.” (Shuu)
“This is certainly a new feeling. The feeling of the rope digging into your flesh, skin, and important parts, the catharsis of having your dignity trampled on like a ragdoll, I have to say this is a delicious feeling. But
 it’s different, it still can’t be Ms. Ikari. The act of binding someone is something that requires a bond
 and that one has to be you, Shuu. If it is not done so by your hand, it cannot evolve into the pure pleasure of love!” (Kure)
“Tamiko, you don’t have to untie that thing. Tomorrow is burnable trash day.” (Shuu)
“I’m sure this handsome man
 [Charm] doesn’t work on you. I’m not sure if it’s a waste of time for me, but that kind of look isn’t bad as a snack, you know?” (Sou)
“Can you please not make this more complicated than it already is?” (Shuu)
BAM! A loud noise came from the kitchen. Everyone turns around, startled. It sounded like Noa slamming a slab of meat onto the cutting board.
“
ummm
” (Shuu)
“
good luck against Noa, squeak
” (Tamiko)
I’ve never seen Noa so bent over something before. I wonder if the fake loli’s presence and the unreasonable behavior from Kure is so irritating.
“*Whisper* Kure, did something happen to Noa? Is it about the transfer?”  (Shuu)
“*Whispher* We’ve already completed the procedures at Ikebukuro, all we have to do now is to submit the documents to Sugamo. Well
 it was a lot of work.” (Kure)
“Eh?” (Shuu)
What is the problem? Is that why they got back a little late? Is that really the reason for her displeasure?
“*Whisper* Rather than that
 but if you want it to stop, now is the time.” (Kure)
“Eh?” (Shuu)
Sweat trickles down Kure’s forehead. The expression on his face is the color of fear.
“The real hell starts here
!” (Kure)
Shuu looked back in surprise.
The first thing that Noa did was to rummage through the bottom of a paper bag and pull out a huge amount of garlic, so much that she couldn’t hold it in one hand. The look on her face, with the corners of her mouth twisted up in a devil-may-care grin, made me shudder from the bottom of my heart.
Garlic cuisine is not so much a specialty, but it is said to be rather popular in the Ikebukuro area. Noa’s love of garlic turned out to be a taste of her hometown, but according to Kure, “Even so, Ms. Ikari is extraordinary.”
A hearty garlic dish lined up on the dining table, using a generous amount of the souvenir garlic from Ikebukuro. The main dish is a miso nabe filled with grated garlic, followed by dumplings, fried garlic, grilled skewers, grilled fish, garlic pilaf, and stir-fried garlic sprouts and ribs. The garlic smell wafting through the living room stung my eyes to the point of it being painful. Tamiko has already evacuated the dining table.
“Well, Noa Ikari, I’m back, albeit belatedly.” (Noa)
Noa says this to no one with a sad look on her face.
“We have a lot to talk about, but for now, let’s eat first.” (Noa)
“
yes
” (Shuu)
“Then, let’s eat. Thank you for the meal.” (Noa)
“””Thank you for the meal (squeak).””” (Everyone)
Us, three chicken hearts, however, did not take the initiative to reach with our hands. So, Noa takes the bowl from each of us and pushes back a large portion of miso nabe.
“Phew, phew! The long-awaited Noa meal! It’s delicious! So good! Wee!” (Tamiko)
Tamiko was raving about the food Noa had prepared on a separate plate for her, since she prefers lighter flavors. It would have been nice if Noa had shared a little more of that kindess for the humans.
I put the dish in my mouth. The taste is – I hate to say it – delicious. Everything was superb.
“Yummy! But, guh!” (Shuu)
But it still packs a huge punch, and the strong punch on the gut never lets up. The smell of passes through my nose and pierces my brain. My taste buds are no longer working.
Even Kure is sweating and in agony, while Utsuki is floundering from the garlic content of the dumplings she has just eaten.
In desperation, I chomped down the dumplings in one gulp. I nearly fainted in agony at the violent chaotic taste spreading in my mouth,
“—eh.” (Shuu)
I notice that my hand is about to reach for the next dish.
Strange. Why am I still trying get another one?
It’s difficult, very difficult. My tongue is numb, my burning esophagus and stomach are screaming.
And yet, for some reason, I can’t stop. Noa is not urging me to eat, but for some reason, my chopstick-clutching hand won’t stop. My mouth accepts the food with a mumbled complaint, and my body is looking like a wet rag, but for some reason I am happy.
“The more I eat this
 The more addictive it becomes
!” (Kure)
Kure mumbles as if he is being drowned in the heat. He is breathing hard, sweating profusely, pupils fully dilated, but still continuously gobbling the food.
“I can’t stop
 why can’t I stop
!” (Sou)
The figure of Utsuki, who was sobbing but still kept on eating, I suspected that we might be on some kind of weird drug.