Chapter 48

Yuta harvested the forest radish, and although a bit late, it was time for breakfast. He pondered how to make grated radish but remembered the existence of a grater and hastily made a makeshift one from bamboo.

The teeth of the bamboo grater were uneven and the processing was poor, so it slipped a bit, but he thought it was within an acceptable range.

"Hmm, you’re grating the forest radish so finely. Is it delicious?"

Sylph asked curiously. Does this world not have grated radish? I wonder if my knowledge cheat will come in handy... I’m not sure if making a grater will be profitable.

"It goes really well with fish, but it seems they don’t do this in this world. How do you eat it?"

"Basically as an ingredient in soup. Or maybe in a salad?"

Indeed, radish goes well with soup. I want to eat a stew. It might be a bit too hot here for oden, though.

"Soup is delicious, but grated radish is also delicious, so give it a try."

"I doubt it makes that much of a difference, but it sounds interesting. I’m looking forward to it."

Grated radish. I love it, but will it work for the spirits of this world?

"I hope I can meet your expectations... I’m starting to feel a bit nervous. Don’t be upset if it’s a letdown."

"I wouldn’t get upset over something like that."

The bar has been lowered. I’ll make a radish and wakame salad. Just thinly slice the radish, salt it, and mix it with wakame. It’s a simple salad. I wish I had ponzu.

"It’s ready. Everyone, gather around."

I served the usual grilled fish with the grated radish, which I had drained of water, and drizzled a bit of soy sauce. Soy sauce is precious, but it’s okay for today.

Since it’s harvest time, the Great Spirits joined us for breakfast. Including me, there were nine of us. The number has increased somehow. I wonder if I should count Rain and Tamamo as people, but since we can communicate, it should be fine.

Everyone was seated and showed great interest in the grated radish with the brown liquid. The Great Spirits seem to enjoy things they haven’t tried before.

Since no one was eating, I took the lead. I chose a fatty fish for the grated radish, so it should go well. I placed a small amount of grated radish on top of the fish and took a bite.

The fish’s fat, grated radish, and soy sauce mixed together, making it refreshing to eat. Grated radish and soy sauce are dangerous. The nostalgia of missing Japan, which I had pushed to the back of my mind, overflowed.

"Hmm, Yuta, this is delicious. The finely grated forest radish and the brown liquid create a surprisingly delicious combination."

"Yuta, it’s delicious."

"Hmm, quite tasty. Grated vegetables with fish is a fresh surprise."

The combination of grated radish and fish seems to be well-received by the spirits. However, the radish and wakame salad didn’t go over well with the lower spirits.

Bell and Turu, who took a bite, wrinkled their cute faces. If I were a better cook, I could have made it delicious, but unfortunately, I relied on the internet for cooking. I made various dishes but couldn’t adapt recipes.

It’s a good thing I served it in small portions, considering the possibility that they might not like it. I’ll eat the portions Bell and the others left. The crunchy radish and the flavor of the seaweed are delicious, but it’s not a taste that children generally like.

***

"Yuta, I’m looking forward to tonight."

"Yuta-kun, I’m also very much looking forward to it."

"I’m also honored to join you. Thank you."

Nemos, Dine, and Dolly, who received Sylph’s message, left, looking forward to the evening’s drinking session.

Now that I think about it, what do the Great Spirits usually do? Sylph is almost always with me, but I have no idea what the other three are doing. They disappear and reappear occasionally.

...I have a feeling Dine is just sleeping, but as a Great Spirit, that can’t be the case. I can’t figure it out, so I’ll expand the base.

After breakfast, I called Bell and the others, who were playing, to help. They all responded honestly, making me feel a bit guilty, remembering my own childhood.

I was the type of kid who tried to avoid helping... Dad, Mom, I’m sorry. I’ll apologize to the sky. Well, my parents should be fine in Japan, but I’m sure I’m causing them worry.

I can’t help but think of Japan after tasting soy sauce for the first time in a while. There’s nothing I can do about it, so thinking about it just makes me feel blue. I’ll change my mood by moving my body.

I asked Bell, Rain, and Tamamo to take care of the plants in the forest, and I’ll do the development work with Turu’s help. I’ll dig the ground with a magic shovel and store the materials. I plan to develop two blocks today. If I work hard, the alcohol will taste even better.

***

After completing the planned two blocks of development and finishing dinner, I’m in a good mood from the first drink in a while. Since Bell and the others aren’t joining, it’s also a rare adult time. I feel like skipping.

"Sorry for the wait. Can we start now?"

"Yeah, I’ve been waiting. Let’s get started."

Nemos seems to be in a very good mood. Is he that excited about the alcohol from this world?

"My sister has been waiting since yesterday. I’m tired of waiting."

...Is that a joke? Should I apologize for being late?

"Ah, yeah. Let’s start. But I only have two bottles, so the amount is limited. Please bear with me."

With that, I brought out my favorite sake and served cheese and mixed nuts as snacks. It’s a bit sparse, but it’s a treat for me.

"Hmm, this is a beautiful vessel. Is it made of glass?"

"Huh? Oh, it’s a glass bottle."

Nemos is interested in the one-liter bottle. There’s glass in this world. I want to get glass cups.

"Nemos, is glass easy to obtain? I want glass cups."

"Yes, glass is valuable and hard to get. But if you make a contract with me, I can make glass for you right away."

...The materials for glass are sand, right? It’s in Nemos’s domain. I thought glass was more related to fire.

"Can you make glass cups?"

"Make cups out of glass? They might break easily."

"In my world, glass is used for cups and bottles for drinks. It doesn’t add any extra smell or taste to the food or drink."

"Hmm, shaping it into a cup shouldn’t be too difficult."

"Great, thanks."

It seems I can get quite a few glass products. Can I also get pottery? Or maybe I can mass-produce glassware and make a fortune!

"Yuta-kun, let’s drink. My sister has been waiting."

"Ah, Dine, sorry. I’ll finish the preparations right away."

I apologized to Dine, who was urging me to hurry, and brought out wooden cups for everyone. The wood smell might stick to the alcohol, but there’s nothing else, so it can’t be helped. I poured the sake into each cup, feeling a bit disappointed.

"Alright, everyone. Thank you for all your help. Cheers."

After the toast, I took a sip of the sake, and the familiar aroma filled my nose. I was supposed to be relaxing with this, but... this is far from my planned Golden Week.

"Oh, this is good. It has a delicate, fruity sweetness. It’s refreshing and goes down smoothly. But this sake has a strong alcohol content, doesn’t it?"

...Sylph, are you a gourmet critic? I can only tell that it smells good and tastes good...

"Yeah, it’s weaker than the next one I’ll serve, but it has a certain alcohol content."

"Hmm, it has more alcohol than ale and less impurities. It’s very delicious."

Is Sylph particular about taste? That’s why she didn’t join me for the fish dinner.

"Yuta-kun, it’s delicious."

Dine’s smiling face is somehow calming. I like alcohol but don’t have a refined palate, so it’s a relief when someone like Dine enjoys it simply.

"I’m glad you like it. Water is important in my hometown’s sake, so I’m proud that the Water Great Spirit enjoyed it."

"Hmm, you make sake with a focus on water. So, it has the taste of this world’s water. That’s wonderful."

I can’t tell the taste of water. By the way, what about Nemos and Dolly? When I turned to Nemos, Sylph and Dolly were seriously discussing the taste of the sake.

They were talking about things like the aroma of grains and balance, which I don’t understand. It’s nice that they’re enjoying it seriously, but I wish they could drink more casually.

Even Dolly, who looks like a young girl, likes alcohol. She’s maintaining her gentle demeanor while seriously enjoying and discussing the alcohol. That’s surprising.

"Yuta-kun, the cheese is delicious too. It has less salt than the cheese in this world. It’s rich and wonderful."

Dine seems to like the snacks too, and her warm smile is soothing. Hmm? Did I just hear something good?

"Dine, is there cheese in this world?"

"Yes, there is."

Good. As someone who loves cheese, this is great news. It’s easier to live when there are familiar ingredients. Ale is a type of beer, so I can enjoy beer. Maybe this world is easier to live in than I thought.

By the way, can Dine chill water or turn it into ice?

"Hmm, I can do that. Making ice is a bit outside my domain, but it’s easy for me as a Great Spirit."

Dine’s confident, but if she can make ice, that’s great. I can have a whiskey on the rocks. But if I ask her to make ice now, it might trigger a restriction.

It’s a hassle, but I’ll have to put on a show later. It would be faster to ask Rain, but she said it’s a bit outside her domain, so it might be difficult.

Sylph and Nemos are discussing the taste of the sake while maintaining their pace. Dine and I are drinking normally. The sake is almost gone.

I plan to serve whiskey next, but everyone except me doesn’t seem to be affected by the alcohol. We need more drinks.

"Dine, are there similar beans in this world?"

"Hmm, I’ve eaten these, these, and these."

Oh, there are almonds, peanuts, and walnuts. It seems there are many similar plants. I’ll have to try rice later. If I can get rice, it will brighten my life in this world.

By the way, Dine, you said you would change the conditions for the contract. Have you decided? I’m leaving tomorrow morning."

Dine froze. ...She definitely forgot.

Thank you for reading.