Chapter 3

The town was about a kilometer from the forest's exit.

There was no wall surrounding the town, so I, an outsider, could easily enter.

"Wow... what a peaceful town."

The town was lined with brick houses.

Occasionally, I would pass by people who clearly looked like townsfolk.

They looked at me, dressed in outdoor gear, with curious eyes. I tried saying, "Hello," and they replied, "Hello."

Wow. The ring left by grandma really does let me talk to people in this different world.

Just as I was feeling this sense of wonder, my stomach suddenly growled.

The reason was simple: there was a stall right in front of me selling incredibly delicious-looking skewers.

"Hey, young man, how about one? I'll give you a discount."

The stall owner called out to me. The skewers being grilled over charcoal sizzled and emitted a mouthwatering aroma.

I really wanted to eat these skewers with a beer in hand.

I thought strongly about it.

"What kind of meat is this?"

"It's horned rabbit meat. I'll give you a special price of one copper coin. How about it?"

"Hmm. I really want to eat it, but unfortunately, I don't have any money on me right now..."

"Are you just messing with me?"

The stall owner's face immediately turned sour. While I thought his attitude wasn't great for business, I left the scene dejectedly.

"If I had money from this different world, I could have eaten those skewers. Damn it."

I stuck my hand into my pants pocket and casually took out what was inside.

I had 3800 yen.

It was the change from a convenience store purchase I made before coming to this different world.

With this much, I could have had a fancy lunch, but in this different world, I couldn't even buy a skewer.

"Sigh... horned rabbit meat. If I could buy those skewers with Japanese yen..."

Just then, the money in my hand suddenly disappeared, and in its place appeared coins I had never seen before.

"What the heck is this!?"

There were 38 brown metal coins.

"What happened to my money... Ah!? Could this be the 'Equivalent Exchange' skill!?"

3800 yen had disappeared, and 38 brown coins had appeared.

I dashed back to the stall.

"Hey, it's you again. Did you bring money this time?"

"Hey, old man, are these the 'copper coins' you mentioned earlier?"

I showed the brown coins that had appeared to the old man.

He tilted his head in confusion.

"What are you talking about... Oh, I see. From your outfit, you must be a traveler from another country. It makes sense you wouldn't know the currency here."

The old man nodded in understanding and said,

"Yeah, those are copper coins."

At that moment, I dropped to my knees and shouted,

"Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Then I continued,

"Old man! Give me two—no, three skewers!"

"Sure thing. That'll be three copper coins."

"Here you go."

I handed the old man three copper coins, and he gave me the skewers.

"Enjoy them while they're hot."

"Thanks! Here I go!"

The first food I ate in this different world had no seasoning.

I didn't need to prepare beer.

I thought this as I ate the unseasoned skewers.