Chapter 15

"Here's the sea."

"Here's the sea."

"Quack"

The frustration of turning my back on the sea we had finally reached to secure water. Now is the time for revenge. I will plunder the abundant seafood from this untouched sea with all my might.

"Alright, Bel. Rain. I have an important mission for you two."

"Huh?"

Oh no. Bel is tilting her head, unable to follow what I'm saying. Of course she wouldn't understand if I use Japanese-style expressions. But it's embarrassing to suddenly become serious. I have no choice but to push through with force.

"Bel, your response should be 'Yes, sir.' Can you do that?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Now, I'll restate the mission. Bel, you and Rain will work together to secure seafood from this sea. Don't forget to get shrimp and crabs as well. There's no need to hold back. We have a magic bag with unlimited capacity and the ability to stop time. Take as much as you can. Got it?"

"Yes, sir."

"Quack"

"Alright. Go."

I wipe the cold sweat from my forehead as I watch Bel and Rain excitedly rush into the sea. It was close, but I managed to get through it. When I turn around, Sylphie is looking at me with a bewildered expression.

"What are you doing all of a sudden?"

"......Please don't ask."

Sylphie's gaze pierces me. I wish she wouldn't look at me.

"Ah, I'll collect shells and seaweed, but what about you, Sylphie?"

"......Hmph, you're not going to answer, are you?"

"What will you do, Sylphie?"

I'm too embarrassed to explain calmly. I'll definitely pretend I don't know.

"Hmph. I get it. I won't ask anymore, so stop making that determined face. It's creepy."

Rude! But I managed to get through it. The sea is scary. Even as an adult, I revert to my childhood self.

"I haven't made a contract, so I can't help with securing food. You should work hard to gather food while I relax."

"Yes, sir."

I part ways with Sylphie, take off my clothes, and stand in my underwear. I'm glad I'm a trunks guy. It would be embarrassing to wear briefs in the sea.

I stretch a bit and enter the water. The water temperature is just a bit cold, but it's quite comfortable. Diving into the shallow sea, I see a beautiful world with high transparency.

Gently swaying seaweed, beautiful coral, and colorful small fish. It's like a tropical sea. I forget about securing food for a while and drift in the sea. Is this what they call 'washing your soul'? I'm happy.

***

No, I can't just enjoy the beautiful scenery. I need to focus on securing food.

Searching the sea for food, I find quite a few shells that look familiar from Earth. They might have different names, but I see clams, conches, and abalones. Digging through the sand, I also find clams and cockles.

But at this moment, the biggest miscalculation occurs. It seems living creatures can't be put into the magic bag. I've gathered a lot of shells, but if I break them open, the meat will go to waste. I have to cook them here.

I'll steam the clams and cockles to remove the sand. For the abalones and conches, I'll grill them. I'm a bit scared to eat them raw, so I'll grill them. I don't know how to eat the clams, so I'll grill them too.

Even if they look the same, they might not be edible. I should ask Sylphie.

"Sylphie, I've gathered some shells. Do you know if they're edible?"

"Ah, right. I haven't eaten them, so I don't know if they're delicious, but I've seen them sold at the port, so I think they're edible."

That's good. It would be a shame if they weren't edible after gathering so many. While waiting for the sand to be removed, I'll gather some seaweed. I'll focus on wakame and kelp since I'm not familiar with other types.

If I can make kelp broth, our diet will be a bit richer. I'll dry it on the beach.

I intended to gather as much as possible, but if I need to cook them, this is the limit. I'll have to rely on Bel and Rain for the rest.

I can see Bel and Rain jumping around in the distance. They look like they're having a lot of fun. I'll believe they're catching fish. If not, we can try again tomorrow.

First, I'll lay out the kelp on the beach. Next, I need a lid for steaming. I'll make one with rocks.

I process the rocks to fit the angle of the shovel. Yeah, this should work. I also need containers for the steamed clams. I have a bowl, but I'll need it for other meals, so I'll make two more.

I cut down a tree and quickly make two bowls using the same method as in the morning. I also need a spoon. I'll make one. It's time to start cooking. I prepare the stove and light the fire. I'm getting better at this.

Next, I clean the shovel and set it on the stove. I put the clams and cockles in, pour sake over them, and cover it. After a while, I check to make sure the lid is on, then add two capfuls of the precious soy sauce and steam it a bit more to finish.

The smell is irresistible. The steamed clams are plump, and the broth is incredibly delicious. I want to eat it right away.

"Good smell. Is this a dish from your hometown, Yuta?"

"Yeah, it's a simple dish, but I'm quite confident in it. I used ingredients from the sea and a little of my hometown's seasoning. Try it."

Sylphie flinched a bit when I mentioned the sake... or maybe I imagined it?

"Sure. It's precious food, so you should eat it, Yuta."

"I only used a little seasoning, and the ingredients are from the sea. Don't hesitate to try it."

"......Alright, it looks delicious, and I'm curious about the seasoning from another world, so I'll try it."

"Yeah, you might as well try the big one. In my world, these cockles are popular. You can eat it with your hands, but be careful, it's hot."

"Alright, I'll try it. The heat is no problem for a spirit. Here I go."

I watch nervously as Sylphie puts the cockle in her mouth.

"Oh, it's delicious. The scent of the sea and the flavor of the shell, combined with the seasoning from your hometown. It's really good."

She's smiling. I'm relieved. If the taste was different, there would have been no way to fix it. Since she likes it, the taste in this world must be similar. I'm looking forward to visiting the town.

"I'm glad you like it. Try scooping the broth from the shell."

"Hmm, like this? ...Oh, it's delicious. The broth is full of shell flavor. The seasoning and sake add a rich depth. It's really good."

She's giving it high praise. I'll try one too. I take a cockle and put it in my mouth. The thick shell meat is bursting with flavor. It's amazing. I take a sip of the broth... I want some sake. I could get drunk alternating between the shells and sake.

But I can't. I'd be eaten by zombies. I shake off the temptation, transfer the steamed clams to a bowl, and store them. Next, I'll grill the shells. I want to eat the abalones and conches raw, but I'll grill them just in case.

Anisakis, right? Do they live in shells too? I don't know, but I'll be careful. Once my safety is secured, I'll eat them raw.

I grill and store the shells, repeating the process. By the time I finish, Bel and Rain have returned. I considered continuing the team play, but I'll quietly stop and pretend it never happened.

"We got a lot!"

"Quack"

I turn around to see Bel and Rain floating slowly with a large mass of water. It's full of seafood. Why don't they escape?

"Wow, that's a lot. Good job, both of you."

I pet them both. Now I need to prepare the fish. There's a mountain of them, so I need to hurry. I'll gut and store them. Before that, I need to ask Bel for a favor.

"Bel, can you gently blow on the seaweed I laid out to dry it? Rain, please help Bel."

"Yes, sir."

"Quack"

Bel, you didn't forget. Sylphie is giving me a look like 'Don't let her teach you weird things.' I'll pretend I didn't notice. I need to prepare the fish.

"Sylphie, are there any dangerous or inedible fish in this pile?"

"Hmm, I know the ones sold at the market, but there are quite a few I haven't seen. I'll tell you what I know, but for the others, it's better to ask Dine."

"Got it. Tell me what you know."

I gut and store the fish Sylphie approves. There are many colorful fish, similar to a tropical sea. It's a huge amount. As requested, there are also shrimp and crabs. I'll keep the ones Sylphie can't identify just in case.

I don't know how to gut shrimp and crabs. There are shrimp like lobster and crabs like king crab. I twist the heads off the shrimp and store them immediately. I boil the crabs and store them immediately.

***

"Finally done. With this much fish, we should be set for a while. We won't starve."

"Hehe, that's good. If this lasts until our magic power increases, we can survive without making big mistakes."

That's true. Death is much closer here than in Japan. I need to stay focused and work hard.

"Yeah, I'll work on improving our living environment and leveling up steadily."

"That's a good plan. Should we head back to the base?"

"Sure. I'll collect the kelp. Oh, I also need a lot of sand. I'll gather it while I'm at it."

I need to make a sand bed. This will allow me to say goodbye to the hard rock bed. When I go to collect the kelp, I see Bel riding Rain and blowing gently. As Rain moves, Bel moves too, creating a gentle breeze over a wide area. They might be geniuses.

"Bel, Rain, good job. It's very dry. Thank you."

"Good job?"

"Quack"

"You both did a great job. You're such good kids."

I pet and praise them both.

Smiling, I collect the kelp and store a large amount of sand from the beach. With this much, I should be able to make two or three beds.

"Alright, collection complete. Let's head back to the base."

"Yes, sir."

"Quack"

"Yuta, are you going to keep having Bel respond like that? It's better to correct it early."

I explained that 'Yes, sir' is a special response for special missions. She seemed a bit dissatisfied but eventually understood, so I'm relieved. Getting carried away with the mood can lead to extra trouble.

Thank you for reading.