Volume 6 begins.
Now that the martial arts tournament is finally over, well, more or less, I figured it was about time to head back to Einzheil. I was planning to let Hayato know my schedule, but then…
『In that case, could you keep tomorrow open? There’s someone I’d like to introduce you to, well, more like someone I want you to meet.』
So he said.
Someone he wants to introduce me to, huh…
What is it this time? Did he get himself another wife?
『I’m going to marry this person.』
Is it going to be something like that again?
Maybe he’s finally introducing Chevalier-sama properly?
Thinking along those lines, the next day came, and I headed to the alchemy room in Hayato’s mansion. Technically, it was supposed to be a reception room for guests. I knocked on the door.
「Come in.」
If it were Chevalier-sama, I figured there’d be at least a guard or two posted outside. Feeling slightly curious, I opened the door.
Inside stood a black-haired woman I didn’t recognize, and Hayato.
「…A new wife?」
「Wife?」
「No, she’s not…」
Ah, so she’s not?
Then what, wait a second!?
Eighty… no, eighty-five? Are you kidding me!? It’s still going up!?
That bust seen over the shoulder, about the same as Aina’s, maybe?
Though, it doesn’t quite reach Wendy’s level.
「She’s the daughter of Gouki-san, a well-known merchant in Amatsukuni. I asked her to sell some Amatsukuni goods for us.」
「Ooooh!」
Amatsukuni, right, it’s the country with an aesthetic similar to ancient Japan.
I think they have rice, too.
Though if I remember correctly, no soy sauce…
Still, well done, Hayato!
「Pleased to meet you. I(bou) am Yuuki. While I am the daughter of a prominent merchant in Amatsukuni, I live the humble life of an adventurer. Occasionally, I travel as a peddler to sell Amatsukuni goods, or represent my father in trade negotiations. I look forward to working with you.」
She used 『bou』!? That’s the first time I’ve actually heard someone use that!
Still… yes, what a large chest. An impressive chest.
And a kimono, too…
Why is that? It’s not like I saw them often in the old world, yet it somehow feels nostalgic.
Not that I miss my old world or want to go back or anything, but… something about a kimono stirs something in me.
「Itsuki-san, staring like that is rude, you know…」
「Ah, sorry. The kimono just hit me with a wave of nostalgia…」
「Eh, a-a kimono… R-right! Of course! Kimonos really do feel nostalgic!」
…Hm?
Hayato’s face looks a bit red, and he seems flustered. But more importantly, this kimono.
A kimono paired with light armor…
Surprisingly, it works really well.
The blue kimono isn’t bad, and the shoulder guards styled in the Japanese fashion are a nice touch.
Plus, the tabi socks and zori sandals…
It all just screams Japan to me.
「Many of you from other worlds seem to be quite taken by this clothing.」
「I knew it… Ahh, kimonos are so nice. I’d love to see my girls wear them, too.」
They say kimonos suit those with smaller busts better, but I personally think big ones are just fine!
That look where it curves up and over the obi sash, almost like it’s resting on top of it, that’s great, too.
Ah, but that might be more of a yukata thing.
「I’ve brought several kimonos with me today, if you’d like to see them.」
「Oh! I’d love to take a look. But first, introductions. I’m Shinomiya Itsuki. Sounds like you’ve already heard of me, but yeah, I’m one of those ‘Drifters’. I’m currently working as an alchemist in Einzheil.」
「Einzheil… Then, you must be the strange Drifter that Origol-sama mentioned, right?」
「Strange…?」
What the hell did that tiny lord say about me?
「Ah, apologies… Before coming here, I passed through Einzheil for some trade. During that time, I heard some things… Specifically, that you’re a man quite faithful to your desires.」
Alright, that little runt. I’m going to make her cry later.
To say something like that to a woman I’m meeting for the first time, especially one from Amatsukuni, a merchant I’ll probably be dealing with a lot in the future?
Yeah, she’s gonna cry.
No violence, though. I’ll tickle her till she cries.
「Um… I’m not sure what the Lord of Einzheil told you, but Itsuki-san is truly a wonderful person. He’s kind, cool, and it’s not desire, he’s just very honest with himself.」
「For Lord Hayato to say such things…」
「Yes. I respect and admire Itsuki-san greatly.」
「That’s giving me too much credit… I don’t think I’m anywhere near the kind of man worthy of being respected or admired by someone like Hayato…」
I mean, sure, I like to think I’m decent and reasonable enough.
But to be someone admired by Hayato, a guy people literally call a hero? I don’t think I measure up.
「…Please forgive me. I’ve come to understand Lord Hayato’s character through our duel, so if he holds you in such high regard, then you must be someone worthy of it. I apologize for my earlier doubts.」
「Nah, don’t worry about it. But, wait. Duel…?」
「Ah… I had the honor of facing Lord Hayato in the semifinals of the recent tournament. Now that I think about it, you were in the match before that…」
Ah, I see.
So she was Hayato’s opponent in the semifinals.
No wonder I didn’t recognize her.
I think I vaguely remember seeing her in the first round… maybe… or maybe not…
「Ah… semifinals, huh. So that means you’re pretty strong, Yuuki-san?」
「Yes, she was quite strong.」
「N-not at all… I didn’t stand a chance against Lord Hayato.」
「Not true at all. Your swordsmanship was excellent. I learned a lot from watching.」
Ooh.
They seem to be getting along just fine.
As someone who has nothing to do with combat, I’m feeling a bit left out here.
「Ah, by the way, are you… um… not much of a fighter?」
「Yeah, I’m completely useless in combat. Total amateur.」
「I had heard as much from Origol-sama and Meira-sama, but to hear it from you directly is still surprising. I had assumed all Drifters held some hidden power.」
「Hahaha. Sorry, but monsters scare the hell out of me. Dying? No thanks. And I can’t stand bugs or gore either. But hey, it’s another world. I’m making the most of it, enjoying myself.」
At this point, it’s no secret that I’m not suited for battle.
Still, after what happened at the tournament, I know I need to be able to defend myself at least a little.
Hmm… since equipment boosts defense in this world, maybe once I save up enough money I should invest in some gear and then figure things out from there.
「In that case, shall I begin by showing you the food ingredients and kimono I brought today?」
「Sure, that works for me. Hayato, is that okay with you too?」
「Yes, that’s fine by me.」
Alright then. Let’s check out what Amatsukuni’s got to offer in terms of food!
「First, I’d like to show you these, senbei and okaki. Meira-sama plans to sell these in Einzheil, so you should be able to enjoy them anytime in the future. As for daifuku, we’ll be arranging craftsmen from Amatsukuni to supply them. So you’ll be seeing those around too. But please, do try them today as a sample.」
Yuuki placed the items on the table, authentic senbei, okaki-age, and daifuku.
The senbei and okaki seem to be salt-flavored. So they really don’t have soy sauce here after all…
And the daifuku…
That’s pure anko, all right.
It feels weird to call it a “recreation”, but it’s exactly like what we had back in my world.
「Then, let’s dig in. Ahh… the chewy texture of this daifuku… and the gentle sweetness of the beans, it’s so smooth and rich…」
If I remember right, you’re supposed to use as much sugar as you do red beans to make anko.
Since refined white sugar is expensive, I’m guessing they used unrefined sugar here.
And if sweets are considered luxury items, this must be worth quite a bit.
「The senbei is delicious too! You can really taste the rice itself, and the aroma of black sesame, combined with that toasty fragrance… it’s irresistible!」
「Oh, then I’ll try that one too!」
Before we knew it, both Hayato and I had gotten way too excited.
Well, I mean… it’s only natural.
「I’m glad it suits your tastes.」
「Of course it does. It’s something we had in our original world too… Ah, but yeah… we still need soy sauce…」
「That’s true… but we can’t be too greedy, right?」
「Right. Even like this, it’s plenty delicious.」
「Soy sauce… I’ve heard it’s considered a soul seasoning for Drifters.」
「Exactly. Every Japanese ends up craving it eventually.」
「Yes… especially because the ingredients in this world are so good.」
Still, without soybeans…
I suppose it’s not impossible to make it from other beans, but nothing really compares to the familiar taste of miso and soy sauce made from soybeans.
Ahh… I want sashimi…
Cold tofu… natto… miso soup…
Ughhh, knowing I can’t eat them just makes me want them more!!
「Now then, considering you’re both Drifters, perhaps I’ll show you this next product.」
Yuuki reached into her bag and began pulling out ingredients.
That bag’s probably magic.
Well, she is the daughter of a wealthy merchant, so it only makes sense she’d have one.
Out came a large hemp sack.
There was no mistaking it.
I couldn’t help but grin at the sight.
「This is rice. Since rice is quite expensive in the royal capital, we can sell it in units of one masu if you like.」
「It’s riceeeeeeeeee!」
「!!!?」
Sorry for scaring you with that outburst!
But you have to understand, this is the Japanese DNA in me talking!
「How much is it!? Name your price! I’ll pay whatever you want!」
I’ve got money!
Come on, say it! Even if it’s 100,000 per kilo, I’ll pay it!
「Itsuki-san… please calm down.」
「Impossible! There’s no way I can stay calm in front of the Holy Rice!」
「Look, it’s not even white rice yet! It’s still brown rice!」
That’s fine! I’ll just polish it with alchemy or something!
Well, brown rice is tasty and nutritious too, sure!
But come on, don’t you want to eat a steaming bowl of pure white rice?
「Th-That was the most extreme reaction I’ve ever seen… Um, it really is expensive, you know?」
「I don’t care. I’ll take that whole sack! Ah, Hayato, you want in too, right? Okay, we’ll split it!」
「Actually, I have another sack…」
「Then I’ll just take one whole bag! So, how much is it?」
「Let’s see, it’s a little over 20 kilograms, so… about 600,000 Nohl…」
「Cheap!」
Don’t worry about whether my sense of value has been completely wrecked.
If I can eat rice for 600,000 Nohl, then there’s no problem at all!
All I need to do is make a decent accessory or two!
Thank you, Alchemy.
「That’s considered quite expensive for most people though…」
「True, but for us, it’s totally worth it. I’ll take a bag as well.」
Rice I’d dreamed of.
I don’t dislike bread, but having it every single day… makes me miss rice all the more.
That’s it, I’ll make onigiris!
I’ll ask Wendy to make some!
「Alright then, I’ll mark these as sold. Shall I also arrange for regular deliveries, if you’d like?」
「You can do that!? Please, if it’s possible, I’d love that!」
「Y-Yes, of course. Understood. How about you, Hayato-dono?」
「Ah, then I’d like that too, please.」
「Very well. I’ll schedule regular deliveries for both of you then.」
Yes! Now we’ll have a steady supply of rice in Einzheil.
No soy sauce, but I can still cook up something that goes with rice just fine!
「Now then, I have a feeling today’s going to be a very profitable day. Shall we move on to the next item? Next is… traditional clothing.」
Just as Yuuki predicted, Hayato and I ended up spending quite a lot today.
But I had no regrets.
Everything we bought was essential!
And the fact that we even learned how to properly wear them… this totally counts as a necessary expense, right?
Still, I didn’t expect Yuuki-san to casually drop an “Areee~” out of nowhere like that…
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