A Former Police Officer Who Died And Get A Second Life!-Chapter 79: Forgotten Names

"I don’t have much time today, so I’ll come visit again another time. Ah, if you’d like, please take these. It’s raspberry and lemon jam. They’re delicious spread on bread, and I think they’d also be good mixed with water or alcohol. Please try them with your uncle."

As he said this, he handed over two jars containing red and yellow liquid.

Captivated by how they sparkled, he stared at them, then hurriedly saw the boy off as he left the workshop.

After watching him until he was completely out of sight, he suddenly noticed a man walking toward him.

"...Uncle."

"Hey. Uh... so, were you okay?"

He must have been worried after introducing them, because it seemed he had come to check on him.

Apparently, he had stopped by to see how things were going.

"Yeah, I’m okay. Um... I made a friend... we became friends."

"I see."

The hand that roughly ruffled his hair while saying that’s good hurt a little, but it made him happier than anything else.

It might have been a small step, but he was definitely moving forward.

"By the way, I got these. He said to eat them together with you, Uncle, so let’s eat them together for lunch." 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

When he showed him the two jars that sparkled brightly, he was asked what they were.

But since he himself didn’t really understand what the jam the boy had mentioned actually was, he simply explained it the way he had been told.

"Huh, sounds tasty. I just bought some bread too, so shall we try eating it together?"

"Yeah!"

It was still a little early for lunch, but he couldn’t stop the excitement in his heart and began preparing anyway.

"Oh, right, did you ask his name? I introduced you to the place, but I forgot to ask his name myself."

Hah!

"......."

"...Don’t tell me you forgot too."

He had been so happy about making a friend that he had completely forgotten to ask the most important thing, his name.

"Make sure you ask properly next time."

"Yeah."

Since he had said next time, he resolved that next time for sure!

He never know that, at the same time, Qiong Xing was also saying, "Ah, I forgot to ask his name!" just the same.

...

All that remained was fish! No, if possible, kelp as well...

After obtaining soybeans and koji in town, Qiong Xing immediately began making miso.

However, even once miso was made, it could not be considered finished right away; it had to be left to mature for about a year.

After packing the completed miso into barrels, he had them placed in a dark cool spot in the corner of the room as much as possible.

And while waiting, he thought, fish!

Of course, fish were sold in town as well, but they were all what one would call river fish, and there were none of the larger fish that could be caught in the sea.

What he wanted was salmon.

After all, when it came to white rice with grilled fish, salmon was the obvious choice.

"Is there a sea somewhere around here?"

"...You just got back and I thought you were making something again, and now it’s fish?"

Qiong Xing who had headed straight for the kitchen as soon as he returned, finished making the miso in a flash where had his usual slowness gone? and then he charged straight into Joa’s room.

Elias still hadn’t left Qiong Xing’s side, and on the way to the room, Leander had clung to him as well, so now he was sitting on the sofa with the two of them pressed in on either side.

"I like fish too."

"I’m more of a meat guy!"

"Setting aside the two of your preferences, I want to catch fish in the sea."

"...I see."

Joa let out a sigh, clearly unsure where to even begin responding.

"I get what you’re saying. I get it, but since this is a good opportunity, there’s something I want to tell you all. I don’t want to do this in front of Cari."

"...Fish."

Unable to give up on fish, Qiong Xing was told later by Joa, who then began talking about something he hadn’t been able to say before, the matter of mates.

"I’ve become Qiong Xing’s mate, but I’ll tell you this first: I don’t have a heat cycle anymore."

"Eh?"

"Huh?"

"Ah?"

No heat cycle?

What did that...mean?

"Ever since around the time Vita died... well, it just stopped coming. I still build up normally, and I can still get hard, but the heat cycle that beastmen have is gone."

"......"

Qiong Xing couldn’t tell whether he was supposed to be happy that his own burden had been reduced, or whether he should be worried about Joa, a beastman who had lost his heat cycle.

"It’s not an illness or anything. It’s just that I don’t have a heat cycle like you guys, so I won’t put that burden on Qiong Xing. And when you guys go into heat, I’ll take care of Cari, so I wanted to tell you not to worry."

Joa smiled as he told them not to worry, but was it really okay?

"There really isn’t anything wrong with your body, right?"

He had said it wasn’t an illness, but could it be something mental?

"There’s nothing. I made you understand that plenty the other day, didn’t I?"

Remembering what they had done outside the other day, Qiong Xing’s face instantly turned bright red.

"Even that reaction is just cute. Let’s see... if you’re going to worry about me, then I won’t call it a heat cycle, but once in a while is fine, so let me have Qiong Xing all to myself for a few days."

Well, what they would do was basically the same, but since it wasn’t a heat cycle, Joa still had his own will, so the burden should be lighter... probably!

"...Are you really okay with that?"

Leander also seemed worried after all.