The Caretaker of Tenants From Another World - Chapter 111 (Patreon)

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Chapter 111

With everyone holding their own paper plates full of food in one hand and a drink in the other, the barbecue was in full swing. Tin trays that were with meats of all kinds at the start had now been consumed to half their capacity. Friends from across the city dropped by to say hello for a quick meal, but most joined us for the joyous occasion.

What I could only describe as millennial pop music, discord with a lot of electronic notes and upbeat rhythms, played from a stereo. Courtesy of Ines' personal playlist. Not exactly my jam, but I could see how people my age enjoy them at times like this.

Elaine walked to the gazebo, striking up a conversation with Professor Markel and Ange who happily welcomed her. Over by the salad bar, on a separate table from all the meats, sat Tamara and Alyssa, scarfing down their favorite greens while setting up a telescope. Kerry from the fire department was showing two Remmys how to play darts, but as soon as he gave the slime girls the projectiles, his jaw dropped at the bullseyes they proceeded to nail.

They were among the few I made out in the chaotic yet calming sunny afternoon. I hadn't had this many people in the backyard before, but now I knew it made the perfect place for a party venue. Though the thick clouds in the distance might cut the barbecue short…

As I watched from behind the grill, a piece of steak sizzling on the grate that was one more minute out from being flipped over, Irapesha sauntered over with a giant slab of pakarian wyvern. Patches of ice from being magically frozen clung to it, and droplets of blood slipped onto the patio.

"That's not going to fit on the grill," I warned.

"I don't want it on the grill. I was going to ask if I can cook this myself," Irapesha said, pointing a sharp claw to her mouth.

By breathing fire on it?

Eagerness was written all over Irapesha's face.

"Alright, fine. But away from anything flammable and towards the sky!"

The dragonewt flashed a child-like smile before recomposing herself. She hollered to Kerry, Joseph, and their carpentry friends. As soon as their attention fell squarely on her, she lifted the cut of meat the size of a cabinet with one hand and breathed out a geyser of fire.

I jumped back because she hadn't moved away to cook it. Enough people in the yard erupted into cheers that I thought I was the crazy one. Then I locked eyes with Professor Markel, whose face was buried in his hand and shaking his head.

The flames ceased once Irapesha shut her jaws, leaving behind a charred pakarian that glistened from its own golden fat.

"Is… Is it done?" I asked, wiping my sweat-drenched face.

"It is. Now I just need to cut it, but…" Irapesha grimaced at her missing arm.

"I gotcha, Pesha!" Cresta landed in front of us, fireman carrying Val on her shoulders. She let down the elven monarch, who stumbled dizzily trying to stay steady.

"I'm going to be sick…" Val slapped a hand over her mouth and gagged.

Irapesha and I threw the troublemaker a glare.

"What? You wanted me to get Val down from her room, so I did!" Cresta exclaimed.

"Not jumping out from the second story down! What if you lost footing and hurt Val?" I retorted.

"Psshh. Cats always land on their feet. More importantly, it's pakarian wyvern time!"

The catsassin flexed her claws out and sliced off a chunk of meat, then placed it onto my plate. I gawked in disbelief at the basketball-sized portion she gave me, which took up the entire plate and squished everything else out.

"You've been losing weight. Finish it all to grow stronger," Irapesha implored me.

"Mm. Thanks, you two. I sure can't wait to dig in and grow big and strong like you," I said.

Not sensing my sarcasm, they puffed out their chests in pride, then went around to carve others a similar helping.

"Cresta, Irapesha… some of us do not have your lion's share of a voracious appetite…" I could hear an exasperated Ange saying.

"Caretaker, I believe your steak is burning," Val said.

I followed her pointing finger to the blackened steak on the grill.

"Shit— Not the steak!" When I tried flipping it, the steak was as hard as a rock. Sighing, I plated and set it aside.

It looked like I would be eating the pakarian wyvern instead.

"So, what were you doing upstairs this whole time? Being a recluse is Remmy's thing," I teased.

"I was packing for the return to Weyera," Val answered as a matter of factly.

"A week early?"

Grinning, she wagged a finger in my face. "Packing now ensures that I have ample enough time to consider what else might have slipped my mind. Preemptiveness, dear caretaker. It may even win wars."

"You're not fighting wars anymore… By the way, have you seen Ivory?" I asked.

Val glanced over her shoulder. In the living room, my living mimic tenant was wholly engaged in a losing battle against Remmy's clone over a video game. Isla sat on Ivory's head, cheering them on with flower pom poms.

We split ways, with Val heading over to check on Tamara and Alyssa, and I went inside.

They were playing Mario Kart. Poor Ivory couldn't drift for the life of them and kept falling off the road, only to be helped back up by a lakitu.

"Fuck this game, fuck this game, fuck this game— Fuck!" Ivory flung the controller, but a quick-tentacle Remmy caught it before it hit the wall.

"If games are giving you anger issues, then you're doing it wrong," I scolded Ivory.

"Don't worry," Remmy began. "Ivory doesn't break controllers while I'm around to catch them."

"Then you're encouraging the behavior!"

When I took a seat, Ivory's attention flicked to the pakarian wyvern in my hand.

"You gonna eat that, buddy?" Ivory asked.

"It's too much for me to eat, so you can have—"

Without waiting for an answer, the living mimic unhinged their jaw to consume it whole. They licked their lips and dagger-like teeth.

"Some of it…"

"Huuu~ I love pakarian wyvern. It's got some latent magic in it that's better than seasoning!" Ivory rubbed their now slightly bulging stomach.

"Maybe I'll go for some salad," I said.

"Uuwawa… Isla not food… " A shadow fell across Isla's face as she trembled at the sight of me.

"I'm not going to eat you, Isla! Wait… when did you learn to talk?"

Until now, I'd only heard her speak names and single words between pauses.

"Me and… Tamara've been teaching her— shit! But Isla still has a hard time… getting the hang of… god damn it, not again!" Ivory groaned as they fell off the road again.

"That's great! I feel like a trash dad for not being the one to teach her, but it sounds like she's taken strides thanks to you two." I picked Isla off Ivory's head.

"Trash dad!" Isla repeated after me.

Ivory erupted into laughter.

"Ahahaha! She called you trash!"

"No, don't call me trash dad! Of all the phrases you could have picked up on…" I sighed.

After a little coaxing, I convinced Ivory and Remmy to put the game down to come outside. We rejoined the others in the backyard in time to another Remmy stuffing my charcoal steak into her gelatinous body.

"Remmy, wait! I was going to throw that away!" I said.

"Cresta taught us that no food goes to waste, and I can digest almost anything." The Remmy by my side gave me a thumb's up.

Thunder cracked in the distance. The dark clouds from earlier had caught up to us, taking away the afternoon sun.

"Aw, man. I still wanted to play!" Cresta's ears drooped, but she didn't flinch.

"We just got the telescope set up, too…" Tamara mumbled dejectedly.

"Throw a cover over it and come inside. It's a passing storm, so it should clear up around the evening!" I shouted.

As the guests began to pack their things and leave, we were showered by a heavy deluge that kicked people into overdrive.

Isla wasn't bothered in the slightest. As I ran around putting tin foil on the food, she sprouted a giant leaf to serve as an umbrella. Together, with the help of my tenants, we brought everything inside the kitchen.

"Where's Cresta and Irapesha?" I asked the room while taking a headcount.

"They are still outside, cutting pieces of the pakarian wyvern," Val said.

I returned to the backyard to find them with Rakka, mulling over what to do with the monster meat.

"Just have Rakka freeze it and come inside!" I shouted.

"Baaa!"

"See, even Rakka agrees!"

"But I'm still hungry!" Cresta replied while in the middle of shaving meat off the bird onto an empty tin tray.

Something other than rain tickled my skin. It felt dusty in texture, but quickly slushed up from the downpour. Which was odd, because I was underneath Isla's leaf-umbrella. Glancing up, I saw why. Pollen shook loose from underneath the leaf.

"Maybe Akira is right, we should…" Irapesha wrinkled her nose and shuddered. "Ahh…"

"Are you about to sneeze? Hurry and face away from the dorm!" I yelled, instinctively shielding Isla.

Irapesha whipped around too late and sneezed. The fire roasted the clothes off Cresta and the pakarian wyvern extra crispy, then blasted the fence we had previously repaired.

Isla pointed at Cresta and doubled over laughing.

"Cough! That's… not funny!" Cresta wheezed, coming out perfectly fine if not a little toasty.