The Feast of Eternity

“Um, Ei… Paimon doesn’t think this is a very good idea…”

“Nonsense,” the electro archon insisted. “If I am to adjust to how much Inazuma has changed during my time in isolation, then I must familiarize myself with all that has changed. And during our last outing, I realized that the food and drink of Inazuma has changed more than most anything else.”

Please don’t think that things     <--------------
like Dango Milk are normal...

Would you like some Emergency Rations
added to the feast?

Ei waved the Traveler’s words away. “I happened to like that Dango Milk, but that’s besides the point.”

Paimon and the Traveler exchanged a glance, then stared at the banquet table Ei had set up in the Shogunate hall. The archon looked over the diverse variety of meals beside her, many of which she was familiar with, but more still that she was not. “I’m not necessarily searching for outliers and unusual tastes. What I want to know is how much even the simplest of meals has changed. I may have already sworn off my old perception of Eternity, but it will make me laugh if something as simple as a rice ball could not persist within what I believed to be perfection.”

Paimon hovered over the table, both concern and hunger readily apparent on the greedy fairy’s face. “This is a bit more than a rice ball, though… Paimon’s all for a good feast, but this seems like a bit much, even for me!”

The archon stretched. It felt good to be back in a physical body again, even if it was a perfect copy of her mental form. Her five-foot-five height, knee-length braided black hair, and modest hourglass figure were all wonderfully familiar despite being the body of her puppet. “I suppose that it’s a good thing it’s for me and not for you then, hm?” Ei commented plainly.

“What!?” Paimon cried in indignation, “Paimon can’t have any of- no, wait! You mean all of this is just for you!?”

Ei leaned over the table and took a deep breath. The delectable scents of rice, fish, sakura blossoms, and fried noodles all mingled in her nose, causing her stomach to rumble. “Of course it is. I’m trying to grasp how each food may have changed over the centuries, as well as learn the tastes of many new foods. A small bite or two won’t allow me to compare the past and present, nor will it cement itself into my memory for the future.”

I think what Paimon’s trying to say is that
she wants you to share.

Paimon’s just being selfish. You’re the archon;    <------------
you can eat as much as you want!

Ei eyed the blonde adventurer dubiously. “I feel as though you may have some other intention here, Traveler… but so long as it does not interfere with my eating, I suppose it doesn’t matter.”

Paimon’s hand had slowly drifted towards a piece of Sakura Tempura, her eyes glazed and a string of drool dripping out of her mouth, but she suddenly shook her head and wiped the drool away with a sleeve. “Paimon thinks it’s pretty rude that you asked us to come all the way here and cook all this food, yet we can’t eat any of it…”

It’s better this way, Paimon.

Maybe Emergency Rations really    <------------
should be on the menu.

“Heeey!” Paimon whined, “Don’t add more food for Ei to eat! Also, stop suggesting that people should eat Paimon! This game has too many subtle kinks in it without adding vore too!”

Ei had no idea what that last part meant, but it was no more unusual than many other things the glittering creature had said before, so she paid it no heed. Instead, she picked up a pair of chopsticks from the table and used them to select a particularly juicy-looking cut of fish from the Sashimi Platter closest to her. This was the dish Ei least expected to have changed considering that it’s literally just raw seafood and vegetables, but… who knows? Maybe the fish had evolved since she had last tasted the sea’s bounty.

The first bite was absolutely divine. The fish itself tasted nearly identical to how Ei remembered, but something about how it had been prepared made the taste somehow redouble as she chewed. And even above that, Ei realized just how long it had been since she had eaten anything - she hadn’t needed food in the Plane of Euthymia, and all she’d had during her brief excursion last time was… well, Dango Milk. So to truly taste fish, the staple ingredient of much of her nation’s cooking, once more was pure bliss.

The full platter of sashimi was gone within a minute. Ei covered her mouth with a hand as she softly burped, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face. She hadn't meant to eat that quickly, but… “I must say, Traveler, you are quite the chef… I find it hard to believe that sashimi could taste so much better with just superior knife work.”

The Traveler, who had been watching Ei eat with rapt fascination, threw back her shoulder and put her hands on her hips, a smug grin on her face. Paimon floated jubilantly, saying, “Well, of course! Traveler cooks at least twenty full meals a week, so it’s only natural that she’d be a gourmet chef by now!”

“Is… Is that really all it takes to become a gourmet chef nowadays?” Ei asked.

Paimon’s face froze. Her fluttering slowed as she appeared to think. “Uhh… a-anyways, what else looks good, Ei? Paimon thinks you should try the Konda Cuisine next!”

The small dairy grabbed a bowl and set it on top of the now-empty sashimi platter. Ei inspected the contents. It seemed to be an entirely land-based dish, one that she had never seen before. Snapdragons, chicken, mushrooms, and… were those… lavender melons? “Hmm… looks fairly ordinary apart from the melons… in fact, this looks like a dish that could be made just about anywhere, not just in Inazuma.”

It’s Inazuman, so you should eat lots of it.   <------------

It has melons, you have melons - that
proves that it’s Inazuman!

“Is that so? Well, then...” Ei commented. She snagged a slice of chicken, a slice of mushroom, and a snapdragon stalk all in one go, then raised them to her mouth.

The taste, while not strictly bringing to mind images of Inazuma, was enrapturing all the same. And even though she had left the melon out of this bite on purpose, the sweet flavor of the fruit had still seeped into the rest and enhanced their earthiness while still remaining mellow.

By the time Ei finished the previous thought describing the flavor of what she was eating, she had already finished the bowl. She looked in surprise at the empty dish before her. “Oh my… I must say, between this and Dango Milk, my people have certainly created some fantastic foods.”

“Why are you still thinking about Dango Milk when you’ve had actual food now!?” Paimon demanded. “Here, maybe some actual Dango will get that stuff out of your brain!”

Paimon snagged the stick of some Tricolor Dango and stuck it in Ei’s mouth. Surprised, Ei was about to spit the colorful desert out in indignation, but the flavor… the sweet and mellow taste of rice and milk, along with that blissfully unique chewy texture… she just couldn’t get enough!

Ei worked through what must have been fifteen sticks of Dango before she finally felt satisfied enough to move on (which was fortunate, as that was all the Tricolor Dango the Traveler had prepared). She idly rubbed her stomach, which was pushing her sash out a few extra inches, as she tried to decide on what food she should try next. At this point, she was aware that each and every dish made by the Traveler would be hypnotizingly delicious, so the choice didn’t really matter much. With that in mind…

The electro archon reached for the nearest dish, a plate of Onigiri, and picked up one of the rice balls. Had she not already tasted what the Traveler could do with Sashimi, Ei wouldn’t have been prepared for the ecstasy that came with that first bite. The fish was so well prepared, and the seaweed was so fresh! She downed the first plate of two then immediately reached for the next plate of the same.

Twenty rice balls in total ended up joining the gooey mass of Dango in Ei’s gut, making quite a sizable rice ball in its own right. Her sash was starting to restrict her stomach quite tightly now, but it felt shockingly nice, so… with a tinge of red in her cheeks, Ei hurriedly returned to the Konda cuisine, as there were two more bowls of that left.

With the strange yet flavorful Konda cuisine finished off, Ei selected the Sakura Tempura Paimon had been so hungrily eyeing before. And she could tell why. The shrimp had been fried to perfection, the Sakura Bloom adding a delightful splash of flavor to the greasy dish. And after eating so much heavy rice, the light and fluffy shrimp and side of melon were the ultimate palette cleansers. So perfect, in fact, that Ei ate all four platefuls within a handful of minutes.

The archon started to pant slightly. Her stomach was really starting to round out now, and her sash was having none of it. The restrictive silk held fast against Ei’s expanding gut, crushing it tightly enough that Ei was starting to have some trouble breathing. She considered loosening her sash, but… maaaaybe just one more set of dishes first… or two…

The next dish was a classic and one of Ei’s old favorites; Tonkotsu Ramen. The ravenous archon slurped greedily at the noodles and broth, all pretense of elegance gone. Ei hadn’t exactly been eating ‘politely’ so far anyways, so she saw no reason to start now. Instead, she held the heavy bowl to her lips, using her chopsticks to funnel ingredients and noodles into her mouth alongside the flow of rich, salty broth. Ei slammed the empty bowl down, let out a solid *UUURP*, then hefted the second bowl to her lips and did the same.

Ei barely managed to gulp down the last of the second bowl before needing to support herself with the table. She winced as her stomach pulsed, violently protesting at being so tightly restricted. Her sash had begun to strain, showing just how much Ei had managed to cram beneath the generously sized length of silk. She bit her lip. By the elements, she loved this binding feeling… but she also wished to eat as much of this feast the Traveler had prepared for her as possible, and as it stood now, she was more liable to pop than to be able to stomach a single more dish.

“T-Traveler…” Ei started, holding her stomach tightly, “M-My sash… if you could *HIC* please undo it for me…”

Absolutely.       <------------

I wish you’d asked sooner.

The blonde Traveler hastily moved behind Ei and began to fiddle with the bow to her sash. Ei winced and dug her fingers into the tablecloth as her sash tightened and pulled against her already restrained gut, then… The moment the bow was undone, Ei’s stomach surged outwards, swelling several inches before her own eyes. The relief was immediate and immeasurable.

“Ooooooooh myyy….” Ei panted, removing her hand just long enough to let her sash slide away underneath before continuing to rub her swollen belly. “That *URP* was just what I needed. Thank you, Traveler. Now then…”

Ei reached out and pulled a plate of some kind of crab dish closer. The overwhelming aroma of crab and butter infused together danced beneath Ei’s nose. Despite how stuffed she was, the archon began to salivate as she selected a particularly large leg and began to slurp out the delectable meat inside.

As expected, it was completely and utterly addicting. Ei was through the first dish before she had time to register exactly how good it was. As she started on the second plate, her stomach still angrily bubbling and gurgling, she felt a sensation of warm hands on her bloated middle. Ei glanced over her shoulder to see the sly grin of the Traveler. She was a couple inches shorter than the stuffed woman, which was apparently the perfect height to let her slip her hands under Ei’s arms to rub her stomach. The archon opened her mouth to ask what exactly she thought she was doing, but… oooh wow, did that feel good…

Should I stop?

Feels good, right?       <------------

Ei bit her lip. “Y… You’re lucky it d-does. A-Ah… I’ll permit you to c-continue, just this o- *uuORp* once.”

“What!? This is DOUBLE no-fair!” Paimon interjected, “First Paimon doesn’t get to eat anything and can only watch, and THEN Traveler gets to have fun with Ei and Paimon STILL doesn’t get to eat anything!? That’s cheating, Traveler!”

The Traveler just shrugged and continued soothing Ei’s groaning gut.

Paimon stamped her foot in mid-air. “Paimon won’t stand for this injustice! And if Paimon can’t eat it, Paimon’s gonna make sure Traveler doesn’t get any either! So Paimon’s gonna make sure you eat every last bite, Ei! Every! Last! BITE!”

With that, the irate fairy fluttered down and grabbed a helping of Tuna Sushi. She flew close to Ei and moved it to her mouth. Well… this wasn’t a bad deal at all, really. Ei opened her mouth and let Paimon push the mass of tuna and rice in. As expected, it was beyond delicious. No need for more description.

Nine more helpings of sushi found their way into Ei’s mouth this way. After that, Paimon lifted the buttery crab-legs from the second plate up to Ei’s mouth and had her slurp out every morsel of flesh and butter, making Ei’s face and bust feel greasy as some of the butter slipped past her lips. Paimon didn’t let up as she grabbed individual skewers of what appeared to be some kind of meat, some of it fried and some of it serving as wrapping for some other ingredient. Ei wasn’t sure what dish this was, but she enjoyed all five plates and fifteen skewers of it.

The glutted archon was thankful for the duo’s help now as she needed both of her arms to lean against the banquet table. Her heavy gut was starting to strain against fabric once more, though it was winning the fight this time as Ei’s kimono had mostly slid up her distended belly. Her navel was just barely visible now, the bottom of her kimono resting on the upper curve of her taut stomach. The Traveler’s hands were now kneading Ei’s bare flesh, making the experience all the more pleasurable.

Even with all that Ei had eaten, there was still so much food to go. Three Crab Roe Kourayaki’s were held up to her lips to slurp, the crab shells serving as intimidatingly-sized bowls to finish. Paimon brought over some desserts next, cramming eighteen helpings of Sakura Mochi into Ei’s willing mouth. The sweet flavor didn’t match particularly well with the previous richness of the crab roe, but with each food tasting as if that old bear of Morax’s had cooked it himself, it didn’t seem to matter what went well with others and what didn’t. Ei just wanted more.

Six plates of Dry-Braised Salted Fish left Ei parched, but the twelve bowls of Miso Soup that Paimon poured down Ei’s throat afterward more than quenched her thirst. As Paimon started shoving Egg Rolls into Ei’s mouth, the archon’s legs began to tremble. Her stomach was fully resting on the table now, growing too heavy even for Ei’s strong frame to support. It had swollen outwards enough that Ei couldn’t hope to reach her own belly button anymore. And for as hungry as Ei still somehow was, her stomach was calling for her to stop. It roared and bubbled, packed so tightly with food that the Traveler’s fingers were having trouble pushing into her skin anymore. But that only made her touch even better, as even the slightest pressure in the right spot made Ei’s toes curl.

Eight plates of Egg Rolls vanished into Ei’s mouth, then came some kind of chicken dish. This one also seemed to be scarcely Inazuman in nature, but at this point, Ei couldn’t care less if there was suddenly a cauldron of Adeptus’s Temptation before her so long as it filled what little space she had left within her completely.

Four of the chicken dishes made Ei’s stomach grow ever more taut. With them gone, there were only two dishes and five servings left; three of some kind of noodle dish, and two of rice cake soup. Paimon began with the yakisoba, using Ei’s discarded chopsticks to funnel the noodles and mixed-in ingredients straight into Ei’s salivating jaw.

Even though she should be slowing down as she neared her limit, Ei instead found herself speeding up, devouring the noodles at an unhealthy rate. She was scarcely even chewing anymore, instead just swallowing the noodles and letting those ones bring down the others they were tangled with, dragging down entire swathes of noodles in just a few gulps. In this way, Ei managed to cram all three plates of noodles into herself somehow.

“Whew!” Paimon sighed, heaving up one of the bowls of Rice-Cake Soup. “This has been a real workout! At least we’re almost done though.”

For the first time, Ei had to agree. Her stomach was starting to ache once again, her skin stretched taut over the dozens of pounds of food she had devoured. But she could still force more in. Even though both of the Rice Cake Soups were gigantic, she could do it.. And she would be so unfathomably stuffed afterward… so… so…

Despite its name, Rice Cake Soup was just as much solid as it was soup. So, Ei felt plenty of large pieces of fish, sausage, tofu, and melon pressing out against her throat as she gluttonously chugged the soup. She was packed so full, so tight that she could feel every single hunk of fish, every single link of sausage forcing its way into her gut, sliding into the mass of food inside. The soup itself made her bloat at an unbelievable rate as well, her pale skin stretching further and further out in every direction.

One bowl down. One to go. Ei gasped for breath before Paimon blocked her airways with the second bowl. Ei’s knees wobbled, her arms violently shaking, as she swallowed and swallowed. Her stomach pulsed, threatening to split at any moment. But there was still more. There was… still… m… mooooreee…!

“Aaaaaaand DONE!” Paimon declared, tossing the empty bowl aside. “Alright, greedy guts, you really did it! You tasted every single Inazuman dish the Traveler has come across and learned! So? Did any of the tastes last through Eternity?”

*BRRRRRRRUUUUUUUUUUUUUOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRRP!*

The massive belch, created from Paimon’s ceaseless feeding, Ei’s incessant swallowing, and the Traveler's (seemingly skilled) rubbing, ricocheted off of the walls of the Shogunate building. Paimon floated still, mouth agape, staring at Ei. “Uuuh… that didn’t answer Paimon’s question at all, but… I guess I’ll ask again later?”

“Uuuuuh *HIC* uuugh…” Ei groaned, barely able to stand. She’d forgotten about her original goal. She couldn’t remember anything about how anything tasted. Just that it was incredible and that it felt so freaking GOOD all crammed into her giant gut at once. Her kimono had long since become closer to a skimpy top than a regal garment worthy of Inazuma’s deity. Her stomach stretched out in front of her and to the sides, having grown larger than multiple Paimons. The surface gleamed brightly, showing just how smooth and hard the surface was. And it hurt. Oh my, did it hurt...

The Traveler pressed closer into Ei’s back, letting her hands reach just the slightest bit forward. Just this slight experience with untouched territory sent a flood of heat washing across Ei’s body. She gasped and panted, her lungs hard-pressed for air. “T-Traveler, w-*UUORP* what are you- *HIC-OOURP*.”

I got pretty hungry watching you eat   <------------
all of that. Mind if I help myself?

Modern food can be pretty fattening,
even for an eternal archon. Let me
help you burn some of this off...

The Traveler slid one hand up and squeezed Ei’s chest. The glutted archon cried out, warmth spreading up from her toes and her fingers. This definitely wasn’t what Ei had had in mind when she’d asked the Traveler to cook all these dishes, but… well, there were other things that she hadn’t done in centuries besides eat. She managed to reach back with one hand and grab the back of the Traveler’s head. Then she pulled the blonde woman’s head close enough to lock lips.

Paimon yelped and covered her eyes. “Aw, Traveler, not again! You’re supposed to warn Paimon before you do stuff like this! And with the archon, too! Awwww, dang it! GROSS!” With that, the little fairy turned into small, blue sparks and spirited away towards the door.

It was fortunate that the Traveler had a wonderfully large and soft bed inside of their pocket the same way that she’d had all that food in there because Ei never would have made it to the shogun’s personal quarters like this. Still, despite barely being able to move, Ei made sure to thank the Traveler for the incredible feast by making the rest of the night positively electric.