Re: Let’s Orb Cooking! – Epilogue
In the days that followed, Mossan brought in a ridiculous number of Skill Orbs.
We made saltwater in bulk.
And I was basically kidnapped for nightly experiments.
By day, I was a dungeon janitor.
By night, Mossan’s exhausted assistant.
Eventually, we were testing salt concentrations down to single‑percent increments.
Mossan’s passion was terrifying.
“M‑Mossan… I’m… (so sleepy I might die…)”
“Come on come on come on! You won’t die from missing a night or two of sleep!”
“Mossan! We’re out of Skill Orbs!!”
“Then go dig through the trash and find more!!!”
Right.
Skill Orbs don’t get thrown away.
They cost 5,000 yen each, and people buy them for emergencies.
Nobody uses them casually.
Still, somehow, we kept experimenting.
We stored every dissolved‑orb liquid in separate containers—just in case.
And then, on the morning of the third day—
“Wake up!! Hei‑chan!!”
The morning sun glinted off Mossan’s glasses.
It was blinding.
I rubbed my eyes and sat up.
“Look!”
Floating in the cup was…
A pure white orb.
“Mossan…”
“Hei‑chan…”
We grabbed each other’s hands and danced around the cup like idiots.
■ Skill Orb
Status: Rechargeable
Method: Infuse magic!!
In the end, the exact salt ratio was:
200 ml water : 7.3 g salt
Ridiculously precise.
“Watch this, Hei‑chan! I’ll pour my magic into it!!”
Mossan grabbed the orb and tried to activate his magic.
Pffft.
It sounded like a failed fart.
The orb didn’t react at all.
“…”
He set the orb down and tried again, barehanded.
Pffft. Pffft. Pffft.
Only sad noises filled the room.
“What is thissssss?!”
He pushed up his glasses and stared at his palm, moving it close and far like he was checking his eyesight.
He kept trying for a while, but eventually his stamina ran out.
He collapsed and stopped moving.
“M‑Mossan?”
“……”
“Mossan… Mossaaaan!!!”
“…suu… suu… suu…”
He was just peacefully asleep.
That’s when I realized—
we’d both been running on pure adrenaline for days.
I gently laid Mossan on my futon and collapsed beside him.
The next morning
When I woke up, Mossan was still asleep.
“…Mossan…” shake shake
“Nn… still sleepy…”
“No, Mossan, wake up. I have work.”
“Oh, already? What even happened yesterday…?”
Still half-asleep, he grabbed the mug on the desk and drank from it.
“Ugh. Fishy! Gross!”
“Mossan, that’s…”
He had just drunk the water the Skill Orb had been soaking in.
We both froze.
“Mossan… you okay?”
“…Yeah? Do I look weird? Am I okay?”
“You look normal.”
We stared at each other in silence.
Then Mossan stood up.
“…I’m going home to sleep.”
