With night settling in, my mind wandered over the possible meats she'd brought for dinner, but this… this was definitely not on my list of expectations.
"Hamburg steak?" I asked, staring at her as she held up a package of beef.
She nodded proudly.
"From Hamamatsu, with love!"
"How in the world did you even get this?"
I asked, still bewildered.
I had thought she'd just grabbed something from the supermarket.
She shrugged. "I only brought other stuff for this trip. The meat came separately."
Apparently, by sheer stroke of luck, the landlord's daughter was going to Hamamatsu to get something from a relative, and she'd asked her to bring this along too.
"When did you get so chummy with the landlord's daughter?"
"Since my second week at your place," she replied.
"How?"
"She loves playing League of the Ancient Kings, so we usually duo in ranked matches."
Ah… right.
Isadora was playing that popular MOBA.
So the duo she mentioned was literally with the girl who lived just right near us?
I didn't really talk to the landlord's daughter beyond casual greetings, but this woman had effortlessly befriended her.
"She seems like a quiet type of person. I don't get how she got along with you,"
"Pfft."
She let out an amused sound, stopping herself just short of laughing.
"Yeah… quiet woman," Isadora said, coughing lightly. "Let's leave it at that."
I don't know what she meant by that.
I decided to ignore it—for now.
Preparing the pan, Isadora poured in water and set it over the stove to heat. While it warmed, she occasionally touched the surface with her finger.
"Why are you doing that?" I asked.
"To check the temperature before I put in the hamburger steak."
She went on to explain that before cooking it over an open flame, it was better to let the meat warm slowly on low heat while it was still in its package.
Too much heat, she said, would toughen the texture, while heat that was too low wouldn't kill the bacteria, making it unsafe to eat.
That's why maintaining the right temperature was essential to preserve the quality of the meat and avoid wasting good beef.
I swear, the longer I stay with Isadora, the more I learn about cooking.
That said, just use a thermometer, woman. Just because you can check the temperature with your finger doesn't mean you should.
"Next is this," she said, grabbing a potato and tossing it into the air before catching it neatly. "We're also going to make potato salad."
Now that was comfort food incarnate.
I always loved it when my aunt made potato salad whenever my dad and I visited her in Nagano.
Chuckling, I mimicked Isadora and tossed the potato into the air myself before catching it.
With nothing else to do, I started peeling the potato while my partner began boiling the eggs needed for the salad.
With the knife in my hand, I began chopping the potato after peeling it, then moved on to the carrot and cucumber.
Noticing something important was missing, I called out to the woman tending to the hamburg steak.
"Isadora, do you have salt?"
She looked over after hearing that and nodded. Walking to the side of the tent, she rummaged through her bag, pulled something out, and tossed it my way.
"Here."
"Thanks."
Catching it, I sprinkled the salt evenly over the chopped cucumber. I set the knife aside and used both hands to gently massage it for a few minutes before stopping.
Satisfied, I set the cucumber aside and grabbed the prepared ham, slicing it into thin, even strips.
Meanwhile, Isadora removed the boiled eggs from the hot water and placed them into a bowl, setting it on a nearby chair.
She quickly cleared the pot and gestured for me to bring over the chopped carrot and corn.
After that, she added the carrot and corn, draining them and letting them cool when they soften. With winter air hanging over us, they didn't take long at all.
Once the potatoes were cooked, we mashed them while they were still soft. Without waiting, we mixed them together with the carrot, ham, cucumber, sliced boiled eggs, and corn.
"Now that the salad is done," Isadora said, her eyes glinting as she pulled the hamburger steak from the water where it had been resting. "Time to let this baby feel some real heat."
She snipped open the tip of the package and poured the juices into a separate container.
Truthfully speaking, I was already getting excited. I was pretty sure this hamburger steak was going to be an outright assault of flavor.
Still, we had to grill it over an open fire before our long-awaited dinner could finally be eaten.
"Then let's start grilling, shall we?" Isadora said, looking my way.
"You're damn right we should," I nodded in agreement, the steak already skewered on a stick.
Crouching beside the fire, we placed the beef over the flames. Even though it wasn't fully cooked yet, the smell, those sizzling drips hitting the fire, was already making me drool in anticipation.
I shook my head.
Be patient, Hideo. The wait will be worth it.
Even so, the temptation was starting to devour me from the inside. Every part of me just wanted to take a bite out of this bad girl already.
I must resist.
At long last, after what felt like an agonizing wait, the finish line was finally reached.
Set on our table were the potato salad we had made earlier, a bowl of fluffy rice, and the main event of the night, the hamburg steak, practically daring us to devour it.
"Hideo," Isadora said, wiping the drool from the corner of her mouth. "It's time."
"Yeah," I replied, my eyes locked onto the food in front of us.
We joined our hands together and said in unison,
"Thanks for the meal!"
Grabbing my spoon, I scooped up a piece of hamburger steak along with some rice.
I swallowed unconsciously.
Slowly, I brought the spoon toward my mouth and took a bite.
"..."
I froze.
I went completely silent, not even realizing I'd been struck like lightning.
The moment the flavor hit my tongue, my senses detonated. Juices burst free like a floodgate shattering, rich beef crashing in first, followed by a gentle sweetness that clung to the palate instead of overwhelming it.
The inside melted apart with barely any resistance, as if the meat itself had surrendered. Heat spreads through my mouth in waves, not burning but blooming, carrying with it the depth of the beef.
The fluffy rice absorbed the steak's essence.
It felt like standing in the middle of a roaring campfire while snow fell around me, wild and comforting all at once. My grip tightened on the spoon, my breath caught, and my mind went blissfully blank. This wasn't just food. This was a declaration of victory over hunger itself.
Without any shame, I began devouring the beef and potato salad like a fiend, the harmony of flavors crashing relentlessly into my mouth.
"This is so good!" I exclaimed.
Meanwhile, Isadora completely ignored me, eating nearly three times my speed.
At that point, I let my hands and mouth move like an automatic machine, acting on pure instinct rather than thought.
========
========
Leaning back, I relaxed in my seat after the fulfilling meal. I stared into the fire in front of me, watching the flames dance absentmindedly as the night deepened, stars shining above us like scattered diamonds.
Across from me, Isadora sat quietly, focused on the light novel she had brought along.
Deciding to break the silence that had settled between us, I looked over at my partner.
"So, it's been a month since you got here," I said. "What do you think of this place?"
She looked up from her book, surprise flickering across her face.
"That came out of nowhere," she said, sounding genuinely taken aback.
"Well, I just wanted to ask. Is that not allowed?" I replied.
She shook her head with a small smile.
"I mean, it's not that I don't want to answer."
She met my gaze for a brief moment before looking downward, her expression shifting into something more thoughtful.
She closed her book and lifted her gaze to the sky.
"It's the best," she said, her tone bittersweet. "That's the only thing I can say right now."
"In what way?"
"In every possible way you can imagine."
Her bittersweet smile slowly faded into something more somber.
"Even so," she added with a hollow, mocking laugh, "I still feel like a pile of shit."
She paused.
"I might not have mentioned it before, but sometimes—when I'm alone—I see him."
She went on, her voice quieter now.
"Even though he's already gone, I still hallucinate him sometimes. Smiling at me from a distance. Still wearing that cheerful expression, waving like he always did."
Her fist clenched tightly. "Like he's cheering me on. Like he wants me to live the life he never got to let me experience."
"…"
I stayed silent, letting her say what she needed to say.
"I tell myself I want to save the world—to make him proud," she continued. "But deep down, I think I'm doing all of this just to lessen the guilt." Her voice wavered. "The guilt of taking his body."
Hugging her knees, Isadora curled in on herself, pressing her face into them until it was completely hidden.
"Hideo," she said softly, calling my name. "Do you think I deserve to be happy?"
You really want to ask me that?
You're the woman who's always teasing me, dragging me into your messes.
The one who uses my money to buy ice cream, then throws a tantrum whenever I say no.
And that's not even half of it—there's a whole list, far too long to recount.
Honestly, you're the noisiest, most annoying woman I've ever met.
But still—
"Yeah," I said, smiling genuinely. "Yes, you do."
"Stop lying. You think I'm a brat, don't you?"
"Yes, you are."
"I'm an annoying woman who complains whenever she doesn't get what she wants."
"Can't deny that."
"Then why?" she asked, finally lifting her head to look me straight in the eye.
Even without being a Greeed, and even if I weren't a Kamen Rider or anything like that.
There was only one thing I saw every single day.
A lost woman.
A woman who needed help.
"In his final moments, did he ever look at you with contempt?" I asked.
She shook her head.
"Did he ever curse you, even once?"
She shook her head again.
"He just smiled," she said, "even with death knocking at his door. All he did was just recount all the things we did together while traveling."
"Isadora-chan! Look at that!"
"Don't eat that! we haven't paid for it yet, Isadora-chan!"
"Hear me out Hina-chan! Isadora-chan just learned how to—"
"Happy Birthday, Isadora-chan!"
Surprisingly, out of nowhere.
Tears welled up in Isadora's eyes.
"Maybe I shouldn't have listened to that idiot," she whimpered. "He was the one who told me to take his body… just to make me happy."
"And me, the cardboard moron that I am… curious, I just listened!"
"Just because of this thing called desire! And now look at me… am I supposed to be happy?!" she cried, letting her emotions pour out. "I'm just… pissed! Why did I do that?"
It seemed I had been right all along.
Beneath her endless smiles and positive facade.
She was quietly bottling up her frustration.
Slowly cooling down, she took a deep breath and let out a long sigh.
Seizing the moment, I opened my mouth.
"You know, Isadora… I'm thankful to you."
I used to be just an average guy, someone who drifted through his days without complaint, letting life carry him wherever society pushed him. I made a fuss now and then about how unfairly I was treated, but I never really fought back.
That all changed when I was sent to Mato. I nearly lost my life there, furious at myself for being too weak to do anything but suffer.
Then, one day, a red‑haired woman stepped into my life and gave me a chance—to fight back, and to help people.
You might not notice it, but there's a smile you only ever show when I compliment the food you make.
It's the best smile you have.
The smile of someone who's genuinely happy, because their effort was seen and appreciated.
If that bracelet hadn't appeared that day, I'd probably still be just a guy clocking in and out of work, scraping by, doing nothing meaningful with his life.
Standing up, I walked over to her.
She looked up at me.
"Instead of moping around there," I said with a grin, extending my hand, "why don't you use all that pent‑up frustration of yours as motivation to do better, Isadora?"
Her gaze lingered on my hand.
Then my face.
Then back to my hand.
========
========
Isadora POV
Watching Hideo reach out, trying to cheer me up—
I almost laughed.
But the sound never came.
He was right. The reason I was still here wasn't to disappoint him. It was to do what he would have wanted.
To save people.
If I let these thoughts keep spiraling, they'd only rot my mind with things I didn't want to face.
I told myself I would never forgive what I had done.
But at least—
I would use the chance I'd been given to do better.
Thank you, Hideo.
You cleared my head, if only for a little while.
You might be a prick.
But you're the most reliable person I know.
I know this much—
Kamen Rider OOO could never save the world without his trusty sidekick by his side.
Slowly, I raised my hand and placed it in his, tightening my grip as he pulled me up.
Once I was standing, face to face with him, we let go of each other's hands.
But the resolve stayed.
Even with that resolve in place, there's still one thing I want.
To meet you again—just once more—and have a final conversation.
A proper talk, with the version of me who's finally giving the effort to get the satisfaction I've been searching for.
At the very least, I want to do this right.
To do something truly worthwhile before that day comes.
Until we meet again—
Eiji‑san