Became a Failed Experimental Subject Novel - Chapter 14

A Feast for One

The money I earned this time was solely for indulging in a feast of top-class meat. I decided that to grill as much top-class meat as possible with my money, an outdoor barbecue was the right choice, not some fancy restaurant.

I had diligently saved despite my daily food expenses, and I swept through the supermarket’s meat section. Top-class meat was three times the price of regular meat, but I had the money. Along with it, a gas burner, tongs, disposable plates, a griddle, salt, and even instant rice.

“I-I’ll help you check out…”

I ended up buying about 20 servings, quickly depleting most of my hard-earned savings.

I left the supermarket, delighted. With both hands full of meat and rice, I found a spot in a nearby park and prepared to grill. Just looking at the raw meat made my mouth water. This pristine white fat… this marbling, it was like savoring the taste of meat with my eyes… truly fantastic.

“Gulp…”

Clack-clack-clack, I lit the portable gas burner, waited for the griddle to heat up sufficiently, then placed the meat on it.

Sizzzzzzle… Ahh… this delightful sound… just listening to it felt fulfilling. Didn’t they say beef tasted better slightly undercooked?

I couldn’t wait any longer. I took a bite, putting a large, salted piece of meat into my mouth without cutting it, and chewed a mouthful.

“Mmmph…!”

Delicious…! A deep, rich umami flavor, the taste of the juices, tender texture, a simple yet undeniably exquisite culinary experience. This was top-class beef… ahh… I am alive now… I feel alive.

Then, there was the rice. I opened the instant rice package, poured in water, and the fuel attached to the corner began to boil the water. If I then slightly opened the plastic-sealed top and placed it on, the rice would warm itself.

Just as I was about to put another piece of meat on the griddle to grill, that’s when it happened.

“…Gulp.”

“Hmm?”

In the park bushes, scruffy children in dirty clothes were watching me, swallowing hard. More accurately, they were staring at the meat sizzling on my griddle.

“…Mine.”

I looked at the children and gestured for them to go away. But instead of leaving, the children emerged from the bushes and cautiously approached me.

“U-uncle…”

“J-just… just one bite…”

“Go away, it’s mine.”

I stared coldly at the children, clutching the bag full of meat. The children looked incredibly hungry, even drooling. Sunken cheeks, wrists so thin you could see the bones, protruding elbows. It seemed they hadn’t eaten properly for days… no, weeks.

“…Sigh.”

Since I hadn’t thought I’d need to cut the meat, I didn’t have scissors or anything. I sighed and picked up a disposable plate. With the sharp edge of the plate, I quickly sliced the meat on the griddle. I used the tongs to put the meat on the plate and extended it towards the children, who rushed forward.

“Just one bite.”

“Mmm… ugh…!”

“Gasp…! pant…! Haaah…!”

“Ugh, ugh…!”

The children ravenously… no, desperately grabbed the meat. They struggled with the heat but ate wildly, snatching from each other, afraid someone would take it away. Glancing at their beast-like behavior, I saw the rice was fully heated and offered the rice bowls to the children.

They grabbed the rice with both hands and swallowed it.

“Cough! Choke! Gulp!”

One child even picked up meat spat out by another after finishing their portion when their bowl was empty. Seeing them still hungry, scraping the bowls with their hands and licking the juices, I silently put new meat on the grill.

“Eat slowly.”

Judging by their condition, they really seemed to be starving. I didn’t feel like eating meat alone in front of hungry children. I intended to feed them a reasonable amount and send them off, hoping they’d fill their stomachs with rice rather than just meat. So, I took out a few more instant rice packets and heated them.

Then, more children came rushing out of the bushes.

“M-me too, just one bite…! Uncle! Just one bite for me too!”

“Please! Please!”

I hadn’t thought of this… I looked at the ten or so children, feeling self-conscious, and cut the meat. As soon as it was cut, the meat disappeared, and when I put new meat on, it disappeared again. My meat… my top-class beef…

“Just one more bite… Uncle… just one more bite…”

“Just one bite… just one bite…”

“That’s a lot of ‘one bites.'”

In the end, the children ate all the meat and rice. I didn’t feel uncomfortable, but I was deflated. I sighed, looking at the children sitting with full bellies.

I was hungry.

“You ate all my meat…”

“S-sorry…”

Then, the oldest-looking girl among the children stepped forward and bowed her head. I suddenly started drooling from hunger, and wiping my mouth, I said, “Bring your parents.”

“Our parents… they’re not here…”

“It wasn’t something children with parents would do anyway.”

I had somewhat expected that. When I confirmed that it was impossible to get money for the meat from parents, I spoke coldly, and the child’s face flushed with shame, bowing so deeply that her face was completely hidden.

“Don’t misunderstand. I don’t have parents either.”

I was just asking in case they did, so I could give them some leftover money and introduce them to some suitable odd jobs, telling them to feed their children properly. I picked up a small piece of meat left on the griddle, feeling disappointed.

Then, the girl hesitated and spoke to me.

“Are you… an orphan too, Uncle?”

“An orphan?”

“Did they… die because of a monster?”

“Hmm.”

As expected, orphans due to monster damage. It was a common occurrence in this era, so I wasn’t particularly surprised.

“I’m sorry.”

When I fell silent, as it wasn’t a conversation that would make anyone feel better, the girl apologized as if realizing her mistake. And then, as if remembering something she had forgotten, she startled and trembled.

“U-uncle… what time is it now?”

I checked the sun’s position, then placed my finger on my palm. When aligning my thumb south and middle finger east at this angle, the time indicated by the shadow was…

“It’s 5:48 PM.”

“…Is that really right?”

“Absolutely.”

When I stated the exact time indicated by the shadow with my monster senses, the girl frowned, as if finding it hard to believe. But then, she clapped her hands and made the sitting children stand up.

“Everyone, quick! We don’t have much time! Hurry!”

The girl gathered all the children and quickly left the park.

It seemed they had some urgent matter, as they left without even a “thank you for the meal.” To eat my top-class beef and then dare to… I cleared the dirty plates and gas stove, feeling a little displeased, and watched the children’s retreating figures.

“Hmm.”

Really, these kids today are ill-mannered… Is it because they don’t have parents? Didn’t they even learn to say “thank you for the meal” if they ate well?

After thoroughly cleaning up the area, I neatly placed the gas burner and griddle, which were awkward to carry, next to the trash can. I looked once more at where the children had disappeared.

It seems I can’t just let it be. I need to teach them to at least say “thank you for the meal.”

Whoosh, having become skilled at controlling my power, I could leap high without damaging the ground. I landed on the rooftop of a nearby building and spread my senses. The monster’s core activated just slightly, not even at a Class: Lethal level, and a low-frequency wave diffused. Sensing the echoes, I used echolocation, a skill all monsters could use, to find my prey. I ran across the rooftops and stopped above the children’s heads.

The children were stealing items from a truck parked near a restaurant.

“I fed little thieves.”

That truck belonged to the government, collecting special items from ruined areas in the next district. The truck was loaded with broken monster alert devices. Through the iron bars encircling the truck, meant to prevent items from falling during transport, the children’s slender arms reached inside, dismantling components of the devices little by little.

“Hmmmm…”

Watching them quietly, I felt a subtle sense of unease.
***

The Orphanage
In this world, there were countless orphans due to monster attacks. The government simply couldn’t cope with the number of orphans, which was similar to the number of children living under parental protection.

However, someone had to protect the children. Ultimately, the government pushed for policies supporting private orphanages. Tax breaks, government subsidies, preferential monster damage insurance, and even some disclaimers for problems that might arise while raising children. Many chose the orphanage business to make money, and the scarce positions of children’s guardians seemed to be filled.

“How many times do I have to tell you! Orange! Don’t just pick other parts, you must pick the orange glass bottle!”

“Ugh… ugh…”

Na Hye-ri, who had returned to the orphanage, was hit in the stomach by the orphanage director and lay sprawled on the floor. As the oldest among the children, she had been forcibly put in charge, and thus, she was often beaten in front of the other children when she made a mistake. The reason was to make the children obey her words well. The orphanage director, who hadn’t bothered to find someone to look after the children to save money, also tasked Na Hye-ri with the role of a teacher for the children, so he believed it was necessary to teach her properly to make them obey his words.

“You stupid brats… Hah…! You don’t know whose grace you’re alive thanks to! You should repay the favor, repay the favor!”

“D-don’t hit… don’t hit the children… ugh…! Ugh…!”

As the orphanage director swung his arm as if threatening the children huddled trembling in the corner, Na Hye-ri grabbed his pants and clung on. The orphanage director kicked Na Hye-ri in the stomach for daring to interrupt him. Na Hye-ri, collapsed on the floor, instinctively placed both hands on her stomach to minimize the impact. The orphanage director trampled on Na Hye-ri, whose hands were bruised blue, and looked around at the children.

“Hoo… hoo… it’s because you don’t listen to me that Hye-ri gets beaten like this… understand?! You foolish brats, don’t you feel sorry for Hye-ri?”

The orphanage director let out an exaggerated wail and repeatedly stomped on Na Hye-ri’s head. Na Hye-ri, her nose bleeding from his heavy weight, curled up into a ball. Thump, thump, at the brutal sounds echoing on the floor, the children trembled in fear, unable to even cry out. When the breathless orphanage director stopped stomping and gestured, the children cowered further, averting their gazes.

“Hye-ri will die like this, won’t she? Hmm? If Hye-ri dies, who will be the next teacher…? You? Or you?”

“Hee… heek… heek…”

“Ughhh… ughhhh…”

“Are you going to kill Hye-ri? Aren’t you going to do it properly?”

“We’ll do it properly… Please don’t kill Hye-ri unnie…”

“Please don’t kill Hye-ri noona… we’re sorry…”

That should be enough for them to understand. The orphanage director kicked Na Hye-ri, sending her towards the children. Na Hye-ri, who had slid across the floor, was bruised all over. The children cried and held onto Na Hye-ri.

“Ugh… ughhh… Unnie, Unnie…”

“Hye-ri noona… noona… sob… sob…”

“Quiet! Don’t cry, go to work right now! If it’s not all done by tomorrow, you’ll be killing Hye-ri!”

“Ugh… sniff…”

Immediately, the children, holding Na Hye-ri tightly with their small hands, left the room trembling with fear. The children had to go underground immediately to assemble machine parts. The orphanage director, with his heavy body, sat down heavily in a plush chair, having exerted himself.

“Hoo… these disobedient brats… hoo…”