"I'd advise you not to eat the meat on that plate."
At the dinner table.
Everyone kept sneaking glances at Kureha, who had turned into a little girl. Bear Cub was especially bad, staring at her after every bite.
Kureha rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Only Chopper, who had just arrived, seemed confused. He eyed the delicious-looking meat on the plate, practically drooling. Mercer looked at him and spoke again:
"You can't eat that meat."
At that,
Chopper's pair of reindeer ears drooped. He looked a little hurt, not understanding why everyone else could eat it but he couldn't.
Mercer rolled his eyes and didn't explain.
Perona blinked curiously at the newcomer who had joined them at the table, then glanced at the delicious-looking stir-fried venison with bamboo shoots.
"Mm, Mercer's right. You'd better not eat it, or you might be traumatized for the rest of your life."
Robin looked at him too and said calmly, "Listen to them. You'd better not eat it."
"Why?"
Chopper looked at the three of them, all dejected.
Bear Cub glanced at Chopper, then at the stir-fried meat on the table. His mouth began to water.
He swallowed too.
At the table beside them, Karasu's family of seven were watching as well. Karasu couldn't stop cackling.
He pecked up a piece of meat from the bamboo-shoot stir-fry, tipped his head back, chewed a couple of times, and swallowed.
Chopper felt like he was being singled out, but he had no idea what he'd done to offend them.
With tears welling in his eyes, he looked at Kureha, hoping to hear what the last human who hadn't spoken would say.
In the end, Kureha sighed and put a piece of lobster meat from her plate into Chopper's bowl.
"Forget them. Listen to what they said