Suteko Ni Narimashita 16

I woke up after sunrise.

Today was my day off after two days of adventure.

I could go, but I had an appointment at the Stone Shop today.

What should I do until then? What do I usually do on days when I don’t have to do anything?

Usually, I’d randomly go hunt, do my daily training, and then sleep.

…Now that I think about it, that’s all I’ve ever done.

For the time being, I’d just go hunt for breakfast and then take a walk.

After deciding that, I went straight to the woods.

“Heave-ho.”

I leapt up while exclaiming. When I lightly dusted off my clothes, dust scattered like a puff of smoke. While I am at it, should I change into my previous clothes and wash this one?

With a bang, I left the residence. Looking back, I saw the hovel that’d become a daily sight for me.

Although it was a vacant house that I settled in randomly, it was surprisingly comfortable.

I didn’t know how the previous resident used it, but the inside was dirty, with barely any furniture left.

While I wondered if it was okay for me to stay here, it seemed that everyone in the slums was similar to me.

Someone would settle down and leave before you knew it. There were even those who’d repair and furnish the house if they felt necessary.

That’s how everyone lives. No one can blame me.

While walking for a while, I met someone unexpected.

“Hey, you look fine today.”

Rico waved his arm, showing his frayed sleeve.

“Good morning. It’s rare for you to be alone.”

“Not really. It’s not like we’re together all the time.”

Rico awkwardly scratched his dark blond hair.

“Anyway, nice timing. I have a request.”

He averted his gaze, seemingly at a loss.

“A… request?”

How unusual. Or rather, it was the first time. After all, we’d never really properly spoken to each other.

After all, Rico would usually go with Hylo, so I stayed away from him. Sometimes, when he was alone, he’d just nod and pass by.

What is this about?

“W-well, it isn’t a big deal…”

Rico’s hesitant gaze drifted through the air without landing on me. After a while, he stared straight at me, as if he’d resolved himself. Then, he lowered his head and bowed to me.

“…Tell me where you got yesterday’s ice!”

“Eh—”

Yesterday’s ice… As in the one I used to keep things cold? What would he use that for? Yesterday, I remembered that, unlike Hylo, Rico listened to the shopkeeper with admiration.

I see. He’s started to pay attention to the quality of his game.

“As in, the one that I used to preserve the fish?”

“Yes, that’s right! I wanted to find something similar, but despite thinking all night long, I couldn’t figure out how. So, I thought it’d be a good idea to ask someone who had it in the first place.”

Rico raised his head and smiled wryly.

But how am I supposed to answer that question? I made it myself…

Rico misunderstood my silence for something else.

“Ah, would you like to exchange it for something? Although, there’s nothing I can exchange with you that’ll be of value…”

“No, it’s fine, but…”

After thinking briefly, I decided to tell the truth.

“I made it with magic.”

“Magic—!? You can use it—!?”

His eyes widened in surprise. His reaction was a polar opposite of Hylo’s.

“T-that’s right…”

“Then, did you use magic to catch birds and fish?”

“Uh-huh.”

“I see. No wonder you can easily catch lots of them. You don’t even need to pickpocket…”

Rico gushed over me. What should I do next?

“Oh, but… I see, so that’s how…”

He suddenly became dejected. He seemed to be prone to mood swings.

“If so, I can’t find ice…”

“That’s true, but if that’s the case—”

—I could sell them the ice. I didn’t think it’d be worth much in the Stone Shop, but I should be able to sell it for a price to those who needed it.

When I tried to convey that, I saw Rico looking at the ground, seemingly thinking about something. Then, he suddenly lifted his head.

“Well, when it comes to freshness, I can just deliver the fish quickly or even roast it. Thank you. Sorry for stopping you. See you!” He said and left just as quickly.

I was at a loss as to what to say, so I just blankly saw him off.

***

I had fish for breakfast.

I removed the internal organs appropriately, skewered it with a tree branch, and grilled it. I chewed the roasted, delicious-smelling meat, but it was a bit dry. Probably because it didn’t have much fat.

As expected, I preferred other meat to fish. 

***

“Oh, here you are.”

When I visited the Stone Shop around noon, the shopkeeper was already expecting me.

“Hello, I came as I was told. What is this additional information you have about the serpent?”

I dared to cut straight to the case.

“You can probably guess, but look at this.”

I was presented with a grilled eel on a fan-shaped skewer.

“Is this… a snake?”

“That’s right. Although it isn’t a serpent or a monster, it’s a reasonably large snake.”

“Can I have some?”

Given that he handed it to me, I assumed it was a yes, but it’d be a problem if he complained about it after I ate.

The shopkeeper quietly nodded.

“For now, just try it.”

“Okay.”

I opened my mouth wide and ate it. With a moist texture, the meat easily came apart in my mouth. The saltiness of the sauce was also just right.

The shopkeeper spoke as I savored the flavor in my mouth.

“Seems like you can eat it.”

I nodded without answering

“Now, I’m sure you understand that snake meat is edible.”

I swallowed. There were some tiny bones, but it mostly tasted like grilled eel.

“Isn’t it because it’s small?”

I listened to the shopkeeper’s explanation while eating the rest.

“No, it’s the cooking method.”

“Is there anything I need to prepare?”

“Rather than preparation, it’s about how you cook it. You mentioned that you grilled and ate the serpent the other day.”

“That’s right. I couldn’t eat that one even when it was grilled.”

“This meat skewer isn’t just grilled, but also steamed beforehand.”

A Kanto-style kabayaki, is it?

“I see, so I just have to steam the serpent.”

“Correct. If it’s a small snake, you can grill it just fine because the meat is still soft.”

But— the shopkeeper went on.

“—When the snake is larger than average, grilling isn’t enough. You’ll have to boil, steam, or use hot water to tenderize it.”

“Otherwise, it’d be as hard as a rock?”

“Yes, that’s why you couldn’t eat that serpent. There are other issues, but it’s mostly just your lack of knowledge.”

The shopkeeper stared at me with an unreadable expression.

“Where do you think I bought this?”

“Uhm… A restaurant outside of the slums?”

“Close enough, but that’s not it.”

The shopkeeper sighed.

“Rather, it’s a delicatessen shop in the shopping district.”

When I thought of delicatessen shops, the ones that came to mind were tempura, fries, boiled dishes, and other side dishes. The knowledge itself was based on my time in Japan, but it should be close enough. Although, I doubted they’d have tempura or ohitashi. 

The shopkeeper rebuked me, who was deep in thought.

“Don’t tell me you’ve been nowhere but the slums?”

“No, that’d be—”

—I hesitated.

Well, for several months since I came here, I’d only been going back and forth between the slums and the forest. When I first came to this city, I did take a walk, but…

“When you walk through the shopping street, you should still check out the products even if you aren’t interested in them. You don’t have to remember the exact location, but you should have a rough idea of who’s selling what.”

“Okay…”

He had a point.

Despite having said that I wanted to do something different, I didn’t even try to explore the city. Yet, I dared to say that I’d seen everything.

Well, I was just lazy.

However, I didn’t expect the shopkeeper to give me a sermon. Until only recently, we didn’t even make small talk.

“Well, I won’t tell you to study outside or anything like that, but you’re still young. You have more leeway in life. Shouldn’t you spend more time doing things that are appropriate for your age?”

“I know…”

“Of course, I don’t mind if you work and become my money maker.”

The shopkeeper smiled, baring his yellow teeth.

I left the store and looked in the direction of the First District. There was a tall tower overlooking the shabby, slum-like buildings.

I didn’t even know what that was. Certainly, it was necessary for me to learn about this city.