【205th day】
「I get the bacon and the tamagoyaki(rolled fried eggs), but what about the white stuff in this bottle?」
「It's mayonnaise」
This morning, unlike usual, Yukikaze and I were eating breakfast alone.
Everyone else had thoughtfully gone out together. They probably went to the【A Respite From Adventuring】store. Tyutyu had ntioned that she needed people to go over and sample the new dishes on the nu.
「Then what about this red one?」
「That's ketchup, and I think the red one next to it is chili sauce」
「What about this dark one?」
「It's Worcestershire sauce」
「Then could it be that this soup is also?」
「It's miso soup」
「And this thing that, no matter how I look at it, is rice?」
「No matter how you look at it, it's rice」
Breakfast this morning consisted of sliced bacon stir-fried with curry powder, tamagoyaki with cheese, sausages, an assortnt of pickles, a seasonal vegetable salad, potato salad, and finally, onigiri(rice balls).
The bottles of condints lined up on the table had caught Yukikaze's eye. Ea and Maria liked to put a lot of stuff on their food, so there was always a good supply of everything on hand.
「………We're in the alternate world, right? What's with this al that has absolutely zero alternate-world feel to it?」
「All of the ingredients are from the alternate world. Even the rice is sothing Rana won from the fishn of the swamps」
「Won? In what way?」
「Well, with fists」
「With fists………」
I made a fist without thinking.
Influenced by , Yukikaze also made a fist.
「Even though Rana-san is an elf with big boobs and so baby-faced that she looks younger than , she's quite the militant, huh?」
「Yeah, she's definitely a combative person. After all, she's contracted with a goddess of war who's renowned for slaying a dragon. Against weak monsters, she can do just fine bare-handed」
Yukikaze took a bite of an onigiri and then remarked.
「Ah, yeah, this is the alternate world alright」
「It's fantasy, isn't it?」
Rana, in particular, strikes as a massive lump of fantasy elents.
「The fact that soone like that is married to you is the most fantastical thing of all」
「I find that quite amazing as well」
I munched on so salad. The fresh onions and tomatoes were delicious. The cabbage was crispy. The soy sauce-based Japanese dressing and the spicy sansho(Japanese pepper) added a nice zing to it.
「You know, I saw a store that sold ran though」
「You can even buy cup noodles. They're expensive though」
「Yesterday's dinner was curry too, wasn't it? It was delicious, but……」
「That's right. It was katsu curry」
Ea had worked hard to make it. She may look free-spirited, but she stays firm when it cos to things like that. As expected of an elven princess.
「I have one, or rather, a lot of questions for you! But――――――」
Yukikaze took a bite of the tamagoyaki.
She got flustered when the gooey cheese almost flooded out.
「This――――」
She swallowed it down and started to speak, but then stared at the tamagoyaki on the plate and ate another. She then ate the onigiri and the tamagoyaki in turn, a happy look appearing on her face.
The way she ate made the food look delicious.
Not to be outdone, I took a bite of the sausage. Like Yukikaze, I had an onigiri in one hand. I added flavor by eating the salad and pickles between bites, then ate like a Japanese, eating at with onigiri, tamagoyaki with onigiri, and miso soup with onigiri.
Quite a substantial amount of food had been prepared for breakfast.
There was probably enough for four people.
But before I knew it, the two of us had put it all away neatly. There had been a competitive air between us for so odd reason.
「………………So, what were you saying again?」
「Ahhh」
I offered her a cup of bean tea, which she sipped before letting an indolent sigh escape her lips.
I feel like the way she's baring her tummy is wrong in so many ways. She's moderately cute, but the way she acts will bring down even a love for the ages.
「Well, Souya, you………………I forgot. Oh, I rember now. Ea was bragging about how you've popularized a lot of different dishes in this country」
「Is that so?」
Oh, this is bad.
Despite the president's insistence that I not bring about a technological singularity, here I am introducing diverse food cultures to this country.
It may be indirect, but there's a possibility that this could lead to a technological singularity.
If I were asked if it was necessary for my adventuring to begin with, I would have no excuse since it was mostly just a hobby.
This isn't good. She's found a weakness of mine.
「How much is a bottle of the condints we were talking about earlier?」
「I've kept the price of all of them under 9 copper coins」
Huh? Why is she asking about their prices?
「One copper coin is roughly equivalent to 100 yen, right?」
「Well, for the most part. But there's a huge disparity in inco here. Depending on the person, it can be worth many tis more」
Racial prejudice and discrimination are prevalent in this world.
It's especially bad for beastkin, and other than being an adventurer, the only jobs they can get treat them as expendable and don't pay much.
I personally forbid discrimination when it cos to hiring, but that has resulted in all the normal Hemus leaving my employ. I'm constantly criticized behind my back for favoring beastkin or favoring sub-humans.
In a way, is this also a form of discrimination, I wonder?
「Even if you convert it into silver or gold coins, it's still……… Yeah, Souya, you're terrible at business」
「Huh?」
Eh, business?
「It's fine for luxury items like condints to be stupidly expensive. If it were , I would sell them at 30 tis the price. Then, I'd narrow down the products based on which ones are more popular, then make sure those products have a good reputation. Then, I'll build a big factory and mass-produce them. The inco disparity ans that hiring a large number of unskilled workers will be easy, so manpower won’t be a problem. There's a huge amount of unused land on the plain, and there's water there too, so it's a good location. In short, it's all about branding, you see, branding」
「I see~」
That's kinda unscrupulous. No, she's good at doing business. She's only in her mid-teens, right? I wonder what kind of life she had led before coming to the alternate world.
Well, I've figured out one thing.
「Yukikaze, you've not co to the alternate world because of a formal request from the company, have you?」
「………………」
The happy expression on her face froze in place. It was a rather telling reaction.
She had shown no qualms about spreading culture. I don't think the president would have spared her the lecture, and if she had co to the alternate world by accident, it would be odd for her to know about .
In that case, I can think of only one explanation.
Yukikaze had not co to the alternate world by way of the company.
「Who sent you?」
「I'm the one who sent 」
She ca to the alternate world of her own volition? That makes even less sense.
「What's your purpose?」
「There's no rit in telling you that」
「That's a problem for 」
I can't exactly be forceful with a girl like her to make her talk. I'm not a good talker either, so this is really quite troubling.
With a beep, a communication ca through on my glasses.
At the sa ti, there was an electronic beep from Yukikaze's chest.
『Souya-san!』
『Yukikaze-chan!』
They had used the open channel without permission.
『This decrepit A.I., she has gained knowledge by ignoring the restrictions on learning!』
『This piece of scrap A.I., her failsafe has been damaged!』
Don't play similar cards at the worst possible timing, you two.
「Makina」
『Yes, Souya-san! What is it?!』
「Shut up for a second」
I cut the communication.
「Makina」
『Yes, Yukikaze-chan! What is it?!』
「Don't contact for a while」
Yukikaze also cut the communication.
After a subtle pause……
『Now』
……Yukikaze and I both spoke up at the sa ti.
「Looks like we both have sothing to hide, huh?」
「Yeah, so it seems」
What's clear is that she can't be trusted.
「Are you an agent from so other company who's here to sabotage us?」
I voiced the possibility that I feared the most.
I'm going to hit her with this and read her true intentions from her facial expression.
「I would say you're wrong, but I know you won't believe . In the beginning, I had planned to co to the alternate world at the request of the sa company that sent you here. But my goals and the company's goals are ultimately at odds, so I simply stole the coordinates and ca here using my own portal」
「Your own portal?」
Wait wait wait, are portals sothing that an individual can build themselves? I've heard that just opening one for a very short ti costs a ridiculous amount of money though.
「Well, I mostly used equipnt that Gunrry created to build the portal. I do have the design and the materials required morized at least」
I have to be careful with that Gunrry.
But I don't get it.
I can't for the life of figure out what Yukikaze or Gunrry is after.
「There's no such thing as a perfect plan, huh? There are so many issues that cannot be resolved even with today's technology. I set out to conduct an on-site investigation on the possibility that there might be a solution to be found here, but I'm not sure where I should start. That dungeon is probably a good place, I suppose………………Ah」
She was blabbering on relatively freely.
What's wrong? Is she too bloated to think?
「It's your turn!」
「Even if you say that, I don't have anything to――――」
She lashed out and questioned .
「Lanseal-san! Lanseal-san is! I can't believe such a beautiful woman is your mistress! You enemy of won!」
「Well, if I could marry her, I would take responsibility. But she's a beastkin, so there's nothing I can do」
「You're a man, so this is where you should do sothing for the sake of love or sothing!」
「You're talking about equal rights for beastkin?」
「That's right, start a revolution, you know, a revolution」
「That'll spark a bloodbath, you realize?」
「………………」
That was an opinion typical of a child of her age, but……
「This world is stable in its current form with the beastkin at the bottom of society. Overturn that, and the people in power will be hung from the lampposts, and the defeated, young and old alike, will be thoroughly tornted. A centuries-long history of humiliation will transform into violence. Do you think that any other race can endure the tornt that the beastkin have endured precisely because they are beastkin?」
「Why are you working under the assumption that the beastkin are foolish? It seems to that normal humans are worse though」
……Yukikaze spoke like a child wanting things her way.
「It's not so much that the beastkin are foolish as it is that humans are like that. If they get attacked, they will fight back. And if they have so kind of justification, they won't hold back in the slightest. They will pay it back many-fold, hundreds of tis over」
「That's just your personal opinion, isn't it?」
「That's true, but……」
「Then you have no grounds to expect that others will act the way you think they will. Or rather, if you know it so well, wouldn't it be fine if you just put a stop to it?! Why are you so hell-bent on watching from the sidelines?!」
「No, I'm just a re adventurer……」
It's impossible, isn't it?
It's futile, isn't it?
I'll die, won't I?
「"A re adventurer"? Ea, Rana, Gunrry, and Makina have all said that becoming an advanced adventurer in just over 200 days is no small feat at all. You're a fairly amazing guy, aren't you?」
「I was just lucky」
「Luck is also an ability! Results are all that matter in the world! Why the heck are you acting so modest?! Isn't that ridiculous?!」
「Haaa, I'm sorry」
Huh? I have this feeling that soone has scolded in this way before.
「So, if there will be a bloodbath, you go and prevent it from happening in the first place! Is that understood?!」
「Ehhh」
What the heck~?
「Well, I'll leave that at that and move on to Rana-san, but you lo, lov………………like her, don't you?」
It seems she's too embarrassed to say the word "love".
Is she a maiden or sothing?
「Of course I do. She's cute and she's got big boobs, so there's nothing to complain about」
「So why are you ssing around with other won when you have such a cute wife?!」
No, I an, that's……
Oh, there's a good saying for this.
「There's this saying in my country」
「It's the sa country as the one I'm from, no?」
「It's "when in Ro, do as the Romans do"」
「When you're the one saying it, it cos across as incredibly distasteful」
If soone who had done the sa things as said that in front of , I believe I would send him flying.
「When I married Rana, we got married under elven law, and elves have a polygamous culture. Rana also doesn't mind, so I thought it shouldn't be a problem」
「As a woman with the sa holand as you, it makes extrely disgusted though」
「That's why it's best to "do as the Romans do", so to speak」
「That sure is a convenient saying, huh?!」
I think so too.
「So, you」
「Mm-hmm?」
Yukikaze's expression changed ever so slightly.
「Do you have any intention of returning to Japan?」
「None. I plan to live out my life here. But I will complete the company's request. And when I obtain what they want, I'll throw it through the portal」
「Don't you have any family in Japan? Isn't there soone waiting for your return or sothing?」
「Nope. My family is all here」
When I pointed to the ground, Yukikaze looked saddened for so reason.
Maybe it was just female sentintalism, but she didn't strike as that kind of person.
「You know, Yukikaze-chan」
「Don't use "-chan." It's creepy」
It was déjà vu all over again.
To distract myself from it, I changed the subject.
「What are you going to do from here on out?」
「For now, I'll beco an adventurer. There are a lot of challenges, but I'll take them as they co」
「I'm sorry, but my party――――――」
「I know, I know. Even an idiot would have figured it out after seeing what happened yesterday. They won't take soone on midway if that person doesn't have any skills or achievents. It's the sa everywhere. It's only natural」
I'm glad she's quick on the uptake, but……
「The dungeon is very unforgiving, you know? With just Gunrry, a girl from the modern world――――――」
「Oh, I won't be taking Gunrry with to the dungeon」
「Co again?」
Eh, whoa, what are you saying?
「I won't get any support from Makina either」
「What?!」
But why?
「I'm going to put myself on the sa playing field as the other adventurers. If I don't, I'll never know what things are really essential. And eventually, I'll make a fortune selling adventuring products I invent. Gufufufu」
How business-minded of you. Who the heck are you really?
Oh, talking about business reminded of sothing.
「Wait. To explore the dungeon, you need to contract with a god of so――――――」
「I already did that yesterday though」
「Huh?」
When did that happen?
「I contracted with the god of adventurers, Vindoobunikuru. While you were arguing with your party mbers, the muscled macho guy with the mohawk helped get the contract done」
「………………You were able to make a contract?」
「Huh? I was told it's more rare to be unable to though」
I wasn't able to though!
「I'll be taking the lecture for newbies tomorrow morning and exploring the dungeon after that」
「In that case……」
I went to fetch the bag I had left in the living area. Inside it were the supplies needed for adventuring that I had bought for Yukikaze yesterday.
「I need to go around and check out the stores in this country by today and find out what I'm going to need. I also have to study the market prices, check out the locations, and learn about the flow of people. There's so much to do~!」
Because of what Yukikaze said, I ended up not being able to give her anything.
Well, I think it's better for her to buy everything herself. She'll know how much such things cost and appreciate them more than if they were given to her.
「Thanks for breakfast. But let this be the last ti. That shitty red-haired brat said it too, but a re greenhorn adventurer hanging out with advanced adventurers could cause problems, right?」
「Well, a little」
I'm not sure about this at all. But it's sothing that has to be done. She feels strongly about it. Soone like has no right to stop her.
We've never managed to stop each other before anyway.
「While I'm gone, I'll leave Gunrry and Makina in your care. If it's just that much, it's fine on account of us being from the sa holand, right?」
「Got it. Our Makina will also be pleased. But are you sure you want to explore the dungeon without any support? It's really not going to be easy, you know?」
「The best way to get to know soone is to go through the sa hardships with them. For when the ti cos, I want to get to know the people of this country. Exploring the dungeon is just one part of that」
For when the ti cos, huh?
Well, even if I asked her about it, I doubt she would give an answer.
「Well then, Yukikaze-chan」
「Like I said, don't use "-chan"」
「We'll both go adventuring on our own without relying on each other. You have no problems with that, I assu?」
「Yeah, that's fine with 」
I'm fine with that too. Everything will be the sa as before. But what will happen to her, I wonder? Will an ordinary person with no powers of any kind be able to assemble a party and do well in the alternate world?
I can only pray to the gods that however things turn out for her, it won't leave a bad taste in my mouth.
「Bye then」
「I'll accompany you there―――――」
「No need. Why don't you go do the dishes or sothing and give Lanseal-san and your wife a chance to relax?」
「Oh, sure」
Yukikaze left quickly.
When the iron door of the entrance was closed, it almost felt like it was all an illusion.
「Makina」
『Yes, yes~』
When I contacted her using my glasses, she responded imdiately.
She must have been standing by the entire ti. While listening in on the conversation between and Yukikaze, I'm sure.
「Is Five there?」
『That asshole is here, but why do you need that antique instead of Maki―――――』
『Yes, what is it, Souya-sama?』
The other Makina cut in on the communication.
「Yukikaze is probably not going to rely on no matter what happens. If sothing does happen, or rather, if you suspect sothing might happen, contact imdiately. Also, make a list of all the n who approach her and sent it to along with their pictures」
『Okay, Makina will assist in anything that isn't detrintal to Yukikaze-chan』
「Also, I'll be taking care of you two while she's out adventuring, so co by my house whenever you're free」
『Wait! Souya-san! This jerk is!』
With a beep, I cut the communication.
「Fuuu」
Sohow, I'm already tired in the morning.
Also……
「urgh」
……my chest hurts. I wonder why.
Ah, what a bittersweet chapter… Well, is the whole affair with Yukikaze settled now? Will they just go on their own separate paths and not interfere with one another? Wait, isn’t there like an impending crisis or sothing? Stay tuned!
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