Datto was a staple food in Baroque City, consisting of lamb meat cut against a burning rotisserie, often served on its own as a hot snack. It can be paired with cilantro rice for a more varied texture, Tahan sauce for added flavor, and greens to counter the oily meat.
"Ahhhh."
Today, Aussie was stuffing my face with Datto.
"Donufinktisisenuf?"
"You should try swallowing your food first. It's not good to talk while eating. You might choke."
...Aren't you the one who's been feeding me all this time?
Putting aside the socially unaware comment, I chewed my Datto thoroughly before swallowing.
"Don't you think this is enough, Aussie?"
"Of course not," she said with a blank expression. "Today is the perfect day to complete the legendary Datto Challenge."
"I don't much like the sound of that..."
The Datto Challenge was an infamous task in the Downtown Baroque area. The challenger would be presented with thirty servings of Datto to eat over the course of an hour, including meat, rice, bread, and two pounds of greens.
It was such an extreme challenge that only a handful of people have ever completed it. Most ended up vomiting by the last third.
"HAHAHA! Nice, nice! Gotta love the spirit, lass!"
The shopkeeper, who had been listening in on our conversation, guffawed dramatically, as though he were a manga protagonist. He had a humanoid appearance much like Aussie's, with brown skin and fiery, wavy hair that seemed to defy gravity. It was as though his hair was literally an open flame.
He had a ferocious yet avuncular disposition, maintaining a wide grin and a cheery expression throughout the day. If Howard Göring could be considered my maternal uncle, then the fiery Aberration of the Datto stand could definitely fit the role of my paternal uncle.
"Thank you for the encouragement, mister Datto Cook." Aussie's attitude returned to its formal self.
"No need to thank me, lass. It's only natural for an elder to encourage the youth!"
Wait, this guy is an elder? He doesn't look much older than twenty-eight.
"Sorry," I interjected. "But I'm not interested in taking up the challenge. It's not like I'm all that hungry, anyway."
"NONSENSEEEE!" The man yelled, creating a miniature earthquake. "Eating ain't always about hunger. It's about passion! To overcome a meal is the same as overcoming death itself!"
"How the hell does that even correlate?"
"You gotta experience it to understand. Pushing the boundaries of consuming requires an undying will — an immortal will!
"Well, I certainly have one of those..."
The undying part, sure, but definitely not the will part.
The Datto Aberration and I argued back and forth, his gleeful demeanor remaining unchanged from the moment we met. Amidst our clash, Aussie, with an unusually cute expression, interrupted our conversation.
"Cassius, I promised you we'd have fun today, didn't I?"
"Y-Yeah..." I stammered.
"If you want to have fun, then you need to try new experiences. Isn't that why we came here?"
"..."
Now I just felt terrible.
"That's right, kid," said the Datto Aberration. "A real man never breaks a promise with his partner, not even once! If you're gonna pronounce your love for one another, announce it to the world with a fiery passion! That's what it means to be young!"
God, the Datto Aberration's unending positivity, coupled with Aussie's request, made it almost impossible for me to refuse the challenge.
"Alright...I'll try it out, but don't expect anything major."
Aussie's neutral expression changed to a slight grin. It was a sight that filled me with joy, but I still held apprehension towards this whole thing in my heart.
"NICEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" The Datto Aberration's red hair literally erupted with excitement, his hair burning the top of the stand.
"TWO ORDERS OF THE LEGENDARY DATTO CHALLENGE, COMING RIGHT UP!"
Wait...two orders?
The Datto Aberration moved with incredible speed, roasting the lamb to perfection in seconds. He washed the vegetables with grace, tossed the cilantro rice with care, and heated the flatbread to just the right temperature.
I never knew cooking could be so beautiful.
He presented the dishes to me in an ornate bowl, unlike the paper containers we customers usually received.
"To make things more interesting, I've decided to take the challenge with you. Gloomy guys like you often struggle with self-confidence, so having a trusted partner usually lifts their spirits!
"That's...awfully nice of you," I said with an earnest tone.
"Ha! Don't sweat it! It's in a man's nature to help others."
Helping others as a part of one's nature? I'm not sure if I could relate to something like that.
Even now, after everything I've gone through with Aussie, I wasn't sure if my desire to save her was righteous. Was I doing it to satisfy my own urges? Or was I doing it for some sarmic retribution for my own failings?
Well, it's not like I knew the answer, so there was no point in dwelling on it. For now, I thought of nothing more than the Legendary Datto Challenge.
"We'll have one hour to finish the bowl, no chickenin' out!"
"Got it."
A large hourglass was placed between us. The sand began to fall, slowly but surely.
"HOOOOOAHHHH!"
The Datto Aberration lunged first, tearing into the meat with his bare hands. Oil dripped from his fingers. His grin never faded.
"…" Aussie sat across from me, hands neatly folded in her lap, watching me. Waiting for me.
I looked down at my thirty-serving bowl.
Steam rose from the lamb, thick and fragrant. The white rice shimmered with oil. The greens—for some reason—seemed heavier than the meat.
The pressure was unbearable. My stomach churned with every passing second.
"—Tch."
I grabbed a handful and shoved it into my mouth. It was hot. It was greasy. It was overwhelmingly flavorful.
"Good!" the Datto Aberration said. "Don't think about it! Just eat!"
That's easy for you to say, you gluttonous ball of energy.
I chewed harder, forcing the handful of food down my throat—another, then another, then another.
The first few bites weren't so bad. I actually quite liked w. The subsequent bites, however, were another story.
Each swallow felt like I was stacking something inside my body, layer by layer, brick by brick.
The flavor gradually faded with each chew. It felt like I was chowing down on sludge instead of edible cuisine.
"Slowing down already?" he laughed, his plate half-done.
"Shut up."
"HAHAHAHA!"
Beside me, Aussie tilted her head.
"You're thinking too much."
"I'm literally eating."
"No. You're not trying to win."
"Isn't that the point of the challenge?"
"Not necessarily."
I paused.
"…Then what is?"
"To experience it. To face the world for all its worth."
"That's vague."
"That's honest."
I clicked my tongue and kept eating, but her words lingered in my mind.
What was the experience? Was it competence? Was it training?
No. It was no such thing. Experience was "the now."
The heat. The weight. The pressure. The absurdity.
It was intense, immensely so, yet I felt an unexplainable urge to keep eating.
It wouldn't end like this. It couldn't end like this.
As long as my opponent stands before me, I couldn't afford to lose!