Chapter 62

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Happy New Year!

I hope you have a good year.

***

When I started my third cup of tea, the shop's entrance suddenly opened, and a man wearing a black T-shirt with the shop's logo and a blue apron, holding shopping bags, came in. Could this be Mr. Hoshizaki's father?

The man, who seemed to be Mr. Hoshizaki's father, didn't notice us and called out to Miyuki, who was working in the kitchen.

"Sorry, sorry. I'm late, I'm sorry."

"Welcome back, dear. It took quite a while, what happened?"

"Well, I ran into Mr. Kida, and we ended up talking for a long time."

"Is that so?"

From Miyuki's reaction, it seemed that this was indeed Mr. Hoshizaki's father.

Mr. Hoshizaki's father took off his apron and entered the counter area, transferring the contents of his shopping bags into a small refrigerator in the kitchen space. Then, he suddenly looked up and noticed us sitting at the corner of the counter.

"Huh? Ah, Yuki. You're back?"

"Yes, I got here a little while ago."

A little... I've been waiting for nearly an hour, you know.

But thanks to that, Yuki managed to persuade Miyuki and got her to agree to help persuade her father, so it's all good.

"Is that so? And who are they?"

"They're Yuki's friends."

As Yuki explained, Mr. Hoshizaki's father's eyes slightly sharpened as he looked at us. Did he think we were bad influences on his daughter?

We're not like that... yet.

"Father, let me introduce you. These are Kusaka Daiki and Hirose Yuji, who go on dungeon parties with me. Both of them, this is my father, Hoshizaki Eiji."

"I see. Thank you for taking care of my daughter, Hoshizaki Eiji. Nice to meet you, Kusaka-kun, Hirose-kun."

"I'm Kusaka Daiki."

"I'm Hirose Yuji."

When Eiji extended his hand for a handshake, Yuji and I introduced ourselves and shook hands. Eiji shook my hand firmly. It didn't hurt, but it felt like a warning.

Not knowing how to react, I continued shaking hands with Eiji, whose cheeks gradually turned red.

***

After finishing the handshake with us, Eiji turned to Yuki and Miyuki.

"So, Miyuki, have you finished persuading Yuki?"

"Yes."

"I see, that's good."

Eiji seemed to think that Miyuki had persuaded Yuki to quit being an adventurer. But, unfortunately, that's not the case.

"That's not it, dear."

"Huh?"

"Yuki says she wants to continue being an adventurer."

"What!?"

Eiji quickly turned to Yuki, his face turning red as he confronted her.

"Yuki! What do you mean!? I told you to quit being an adventurer!"

"...Father."

"I said it on TV this morning, didn't I? Dungeons are dangerous places where even minors can die!"

"Father."

"Dungeon ingredient prices have stabilized, so there's no reason for you to go into the dungeon. So, listen to me and quit being an adventurer!"

"Father!"

Unable to bear Eiji's one-sided rant, Yuki raised her voice in protest. Eiji, surprised by Yuki's loud voice, closed his mouth and glared at Yuki, his face still red.

Yuki looked straight at Eiji and clearly stated her resolve.

"No matter what you say, Father, I don't intend to quit being an adventurer."

Upon hearing Yuki's declaration, Eiji's face, which was already red, turned even redder, and he became agitated.

"Don't say such foolish things!"

"It's not foolish. It's a well-thought-out decision."

"!"

Eiji, taken aback by Yuki's firm stance, stood speechless with a red face.

He probably didn't expect his daughter to reject him so clearly.

"If I don't have to collect orc materials for the shop, I want to continue being an adventurer freely."

"Wait, Yuki! ...Do you really not intend to quit?"

"Yes. At least, I don't intend to quit immediately as you said."

"..."

Eiji's red face gradually calmed down and returned to its original color.

Seeing Eiji's change, Yuki began to persuade him.

"Father, you're making a fuss because you saw on TV that a minor adventurer died, but dungeons have always been dangerous. How did you think I got the orc meat and bones I always bring back?"

"Huh? ...Did you buy them from the guild at a discounted price for adventurers?"

"I don't have that kind of money. I went into the dungeon and defeated orcs to get them."

"...What?"

Eiji, hearing Yuki's words, opened his eyes in surprise. Similarly, Miyuki, who had been watching the exchange, opened her eyes wide and covered her mouth in shock.

What? Huh, did you... not know! Seriously!?

I couldn't help but look at Yuki. From her unchanged expression, it seemed she was aware that her parents had misunderstood the method of obtaining the materials. So, did Yuki deliberately not correct their misunderstanding...?

"Yuki, did you really fight orcs? You didn't just get drop items from weak monsters, sell them, and buy orc ingredients from the guild...?"

"That method wouldn't work. You need to get skill scrolls and magic items regularly. When I started bringing back orc ingredients, they were very expensive, weren't they?"

"Why didn't you tell me!"

"If I had told you, you would have made me quit being an adventurer earlier, right? If that happened, the shop would have gone out of business, wouldn't it? You didn't want to raise the prices of the shop's products, did you?"

"..."

If you don't believe me... Kusaka-kun?"

Yuki called out to me. Knowing what she wanted, I nodded, took out my smartphone, and played a video file, handing it to Eiji.

***

On the smartphone screen, two orcs were illuminated by the light of a headlamp, holding clubs and growling aggressively.

"Are these orcs?"

"Yes. Haven't you seen them before?"

"Well, I've seen photos in TV and magazines, but this is the first time I've seen them moving..."

Eiji, seeing the orcs move for the first time, listened to their growls and his hand holding the smartphone trembled slightly.

Eiji stared at the smartphone screen, answering my question in a dazed manner.

A few seconds later, Yuki's back, walking forward with a spear, appeared on the screen, and Eiji involuntarily cried out.

"Yuki!?"

Reacting to Eiji's scream, the video continued mercilessly. The two orcs, holding clubs, charged at Yuki, growling. Yuki took a large step forward, aiming the tip of her spear at the orc that approached first. The distance between Yuki and the orc, who was about to raise its club, was instantly closed by that step, bringing Yuki's spear within reach.

"Huff!"

Yuki exhaled and quickly thrust her spear at the orc's chest. Yuki's spear hit its mark, piercing the chest of the orc, which was about to raise its club. The orc died instantly, its eyes rolling back and its body collapsing.

"Huff!"

Yuki kicked the collapsing orc, pulling out her spear and using it to attack the following orc. The following orc, unable to avoid the attack, was knocked down by the dead orc, which was kicked and bleeding from the chest. The orc, entangled and falling, dropped its club and was pinned under the dead orc.

"..."

Yuki, wary of a counterattack, quickly approached the fallen orc and thrust her spear into its forehead, which was stained red with blood. The fallen orc, unable to avoid the spear, died without any resistance.

The video ended here, but Eiji, staring at the smartphone screen, was speechless, unable to even groan.

***

I took the smartphone back from Eiji, who was frozen in place. This seemed to trigger a restart in Eiji. He raised his head and met Yuki's gaze, which was fixed on him expressionlessly.

"Yuki..."

Eiji's voice lacked vitality, as if he had just woken from a dream.

"As you can see, the orc meat I bring back to the shop is from orcs I defeated."

"..."

Eiji, still looking at Yuki, couldn't say anything, just staring at her with a vacant gaze.

Yuki sighed softly, breaking her expressionless facade and speaking gently.

"Hey, Father?"

"What is it?"

"Did you know that I was initially against becoming an adventurer?"

"..."

Eiji, asked by Yuki, awkwardly turned his face away without a word. ...He seemed to have suspected it.

"At that time, I was talking with Kusaka-kun and Hirose-kun about the dungeon and thought it was dangerous. Honestly, I never considered becoming an adventurer..."

"..."

"So, when you and Mother, who believed the TV news and magazines that praised adventurers, asked me to become an adventurer and bring back orc ingredients, I thought a lot about it..."

When Yuki said she had thought a lot about it, Eiji, who had turned his face away, turned back to Yuki and asked a question.

"If that's the case, why did you accept becoming an adventurer? If you had said no..."

"Would you have given up on using dungeon ingredients in the ramen?"

"..."

Eiji hesitated for a moment but then clearly stated that he wouldn't have given up on using dungeon ingredients.

Hearing this, Yuji and I opened our eyes slightly and stared at Eiji. When we heard about Yuki's reason for going into the dungeon, we had thought of Eiji as a clueless parent obsessed with cooking.

However, the impression we got from actually meeting Eiji today was that of a kind father who cared for his daughter, despite being somewhat naive in evaluating information.

So, why did he declare that he would pursue a clearly risky business strategy?

"Indeed, using dungeon ingredients at the high prices of that time and keeping the prices the same was a risky move. Even to a layman, it would be clear that the business would face difficulties in the near future."

That's true. So, why did he do it?

"Indeed, it would be safer to release a product that is profitable when the purchase price of dungeon ingredients decreases. Most shops would do that. But I thought that would miss the crucial timing."

"Timing?"

"The appearance of dungeon ingredients is a turning point for the food industry. Using dungeon ingredients clearly improves the taste compared to conventional ingredients."

Indeed, many restaurants now have dishes made with dungeon ingredients on their menus. Even the family restaurant we often visit after returning from the dungeon has had such dishes for a few months. They are more expensive, but they are well-received for their deliciousness.

"Releasing a high-quality product now when the purchase price is low would be too late. By the time the product is released, the market might already be dominated by shops that released products earlier. Even if a high-quality product is released when dungeon ingredients become common, it won't attract customers because it won't be novel. After all, it would just be a second-rate product, and customers won't come. Even if a high-quality, delicious product is released after losing customers..."

I get it. I would choose a restaurant with some customers over one that's empty. If they had sat back and relied on tradition and regular customers, the shop might have gone out of business, as Eiji said.

"That's why I planned to use the funds saved for the shop's renovation to endure until the purchase price of dungeon ingredients decreased."

Hmm, I see. Hearing this, I can't say Eiji's actions were entirely wrong.

As a businessman, he took a bold action when the time was right. It's quite risky, but...

"That was your thinking..."

"That's why, Yuki. If you had said no, I wouldn't have forced you. I'm sorry, I should have explained it properly..."

"No, I should have explained it better too. We both have our faults..."

Yeah, the atmosphere suddenly became sentimental.

But it's good that the misunderstanding was cleared up.

"Besides, thanks to Kusaka-kun and Hirose-kun, I haven't encountered any dangerous situations in the dungeon."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

With the reconciliation with Yuki, Eiji's eyes, which had been gentle, became slightly sharper.

"Because they went into the dungeon with me, I was able to get orc meat without getting hurt."

"Ah, I see..."

Seeing Yuki's happy expression, Eiji slowly turned to us with a thin smile and a sharp gaze.

I don't know what to do with that look...

"Hey, Kusaka-kun, Hirose-kun. Can we talk for a bit, just among men?"

"Uh, yes."

"...Alright."

Yuji and I were led by Eiji, who exuded a strange aura, to the staff room for a talk among men.

***

As a result of the talk, Yuki's continuation as an adventurer was accepted.

After the talk in the staff room, we showed a light sparring match in the parking lot in front of the shop, and Miyuki and Eiji were surprised, opening their eyes wide and staring in amazement. This was a pretty light sparring match, though.

After the sparring, Eiji secretly said to Yuji and me, "Take care of my daughter," but I hope he didn't mean it in a weird way.

***

Communication is important.

A small difference in perception can lead to serious problems.