“That mushroom is definitely dangerous, right?” Yuzuki muttered as she gazed at the menacing red-and-black speckled mushroom growing in the mossy shade beneath a tree.

“Yeah, that's a no-go,” I replied.

I had heard that some mushrooms can cause rashes just by touching them, and here in this otherworld, they could be even more dangerous. Who knows, it might even turn out to be some kind of mushroom-shaped monster.

“There are lots of poisonous mushrooms on Earth too, so we should avoid it.”

“...Yeah, you’re right,” Yuzuki sighed, reluctantly letting go of the mushroom and continuing our search through the forest. We had been wandering through the forest in search of food, much more deliberately than we had the day before. Now that we were actively looking, we quickly found berries and various mushrooms.

“Look, there are more berries here,” Yuzuki pointed out.

“Yeah, I see them,” I said, reaching out to grab a golf-ball-sized berry. This one came off easily when I pulled it. The last batch we found clung to the branches like they were glued on, no matter how hard we tugged.

Alright, let’s try this one—

“Ouch! Ow, ow, ow!” I yelped, shaking the berry off my hand and slamming it to the ground.

“Are you okay!?” Yuzuki asked, her voice full of concern.

I examined my hand and noticed bite marks, though thankfully, there wasn’t any blood.

“What the hell is this berry…?” I muttered.

On closer inspection, the berry had split open, revealing a mouth-like hole lined with jagged, deformed teeth. It was still gnawing slightly, but after a moment, the mouth closed.

“That’s... gross,” Yuzuki said, her face turning pale as she stepped back.

I nudged the berry with my foot, but it didn’t react. Maybe it only responded to being held or touched? Though I didn’t exactly want to provoke it again.

“Hmmm,” I mused.

Holding the wand Yuzuki had lent me, I channeled my magic into its tip. Since the flash spell was useful, I had been entrusted with the wand, and I had also learned how to cast a beginner-level fire spell to light things like dry branches.

“Fire!” I shouted, letting out my frustrations.

“H-Hey, what are you doing?” Yuzuki stammered, startled.

My stomach was growling like crazy, and that thing had bit me. Now it was time to show it what getting eaten feels like.

“If I cook it, it should be fine,” I said, trying to justify my actions.

“Wait, wait! It bit you!” Yuzuki protested.

But I wasn’t about to stop. The smell of something roasting filled the air, and I was determined to eat this berry no matter what.

“It’s fine. I’ll taste it first, so you don’t have to eat it if it’s bad.”

“That’s not the point!” Yuzuki retorted.

I wasn’t sure what the problem was. This was another world, after all. For all we knew, biting berries might be perfectly normal here. Earth has carnivorous plants, so why not?

“Smells pretty good, doesn’t it?” I teased.

“Still…!”

As we argued back and forth, there was a sharp *crack* sound. The berry’s skin split, releasing a sweet-smelling steam.

I thought I heard Yuzuki gulp beside me, but I decided to pretend I didn’t notice.

“Alright, I think it’s ready…”

The delicious smell had clearly gotten to her as Yuzuki stopped objecting. I extinguished the fire, hooked the wand back onto my belt, and picked up the steaming berry.

“Ow, hot!” I yelped.

Since it had been cooked, it didn’t bite me this time. I carefully peeled back the skin to reveal a white, fluffy interior, with the lower half consisting of a dark, crumbly substance. Most of the black part broke off and fell to the ground as I peeled it.

“Aw, what a waste.”

I brought it close to my nose, and all I could smell was the sweet, enticing aroma.

“Are you really going to eat it?” Yuzuki asked, sounding nervous.

There was no stopping me now.

“I’ll be fine.”

Without hesitation, I took a bite. As I chewed, the rich sweetness spread across my tongue, accompanied by a delightful fragrance.

“This is… amazing…”

I swallowed the first bite and popped the remaining half of the berry into my mouth. I felt a pang of guilt as Yuzuki watched enviously, but I’d already eaten it.

“So… how is it?” Yuzuki asked timidly.

Just as I was about to swallow the last bite—

“Uuuurrrgh!”

A sudden wave of nausea hit me, and I couldn’t help but vomit everything out.

“What... the hell... was that…?” I gasped, feeling utterly sick. Was that berry actually poisonous?

“Are you alright!?” Yuzuki shouted, panicking.

The nausea overwhelmed me, forcing me to crouch down. Yuzuki rushed over, frantically rubbing my back, but I couldn’t focus on anything other than how sick I felt.

“Uuurrghh…”

I had nothing left to throw up, but the nausea wouldn’t subside. This was bad… Really bad… Even though I didn’t feel anything else wrong yet, the relentless nausea was unbearable.

“Mizumoto-kun, hold out your hands!” Yuzuki said urgently.

Through my nausea, I extended my hands. She must have pulled the wand from my belt at some point, and she used her water magic to conjure up a stream for me. I rinsed out my mouth and gulped down some water, but the nausea persisted. I kept spitting and drinking until it finally began to fade.

“Haa… Haa… I think… I’m okay now…”

“Thank goodness…”

Still panting, I managed to respond, and Yuzuki, her eyes glistening with tears, pulled me into a hug.

But this wasn’t good. There was hardly anything edible around here. Even with Yuzuki’s warmth comforting me, I couldn’t shake the feeling of despair that lingered close by.