I thought I had eaten something delicious and was satisfied, but this was it.

After being dazed for about two hours, I went to check the trap's condition.
It was getting close to sunset, and my hands were starting to feel shaky.
Without much expectation, I peered into each trap one by one.

"Oh, it's caught."
A decent-sized quail was caught in the trap. For now, this should be enough for tonight's dinner, so I'll remove the other traps. By the way, until 2017 in Japan, catching them was prohibited, so I'm relieved that I'm not in Japan. Just to be sure, 'Recognition' sensei also gave it a thumbs-up as a quail, so I can cook without worries. This time, since I didn't have any skills, 'Acquisition' sensei didn't say anything. For now, I'll bleed it, pluck the feathers, and remove the innards.
I separate the fat, then crush the skin, organs, flesh, and small bones with a stone. The knife is already getting greasy and the blade is starting to dull.

"If only there was a pot, we could make good broth... It's such a waste..."
Since I've loved cooking since before marriage, it's purely sad not to use good ingredients. While feeling somewhat gloomy, I build a simple stove and throw in a large flat stone.
After heating the stone sufficiently until it turns red, I pour the reserved fat over it. When the oil is heated enough, I spread the crushed flesh onto the stone like tartare steak.
It gives off a different aroma than chicken as it sizzles.

"Even though they're both birds, they're completely different. I've heard that game birds are delicious, and this definitely seems tasty."
Every time the fat drips into the fire, a different aroma rises compared to the green heron-like bird. Each time, my stomach tightens.

"I'll have some now."
When both sides are nicely charred and just enough fat has rendered, I start chewing immediately.

"Oh, chicken can't compare to this. What is it? The aroma is completely different."
After that, I kept stuffing my face without holding back. The small bones, which were thoroughly crushed, added a nice texture.

"Thank you for the meal. That was satisfying."
With my stomach full, I start preparing the sleeping area.
There's a space under the rock formation where one person can barely fit inside. I spread dry fallen leaves to make a bed. Even though it's called "small," it's not that cramped, so I can manage to crawl in. But it's still a bit tight. For safety, I set an alarm every hour to keep the fire going and fall asleep.

"Today was tough, but you did well. Goodnight."
Looking up at the sky, I see constellations I've never seen before, which makes me realize how far away from Japan I truly am.

Every time the alarm goes off, I wake up and add more wood to the fire. It must have been around 4 a.m. when a loud, piercing cry echoed through the area, making me jump out of bed, but the rock formation made it difficult to escape quickly.

"I wish I were thinner in situations like this."
Feeling a bit down, I still head toward the source of the noise.
The call was very familiar, so I already had an idea of what it was.

"Of course..."
The large wild boar was caught in the trap I saw earlier that day. Compared to the tree holding the trap, the size of the wild boar was overwhelming, and it seemed like it could break the trap at any moment.

"There's no way to finish it off or free it."
For now, as long as this boar is here, other prey probably won't come around, so I'll go back to sleep. It's unlikely that such a massive creature would crawl into my sleeping area.
While I'm slightly curious about the intelligent life form that set these traps, for today, I'll just sleep soundly.

"Goodnight again."