Chapter 42

Summary of the previous episode ------------------------------------------------------

Everyone except Yuki participated in the dissection of the bird.

The cooking of the dissected bird was left to Haruka and Yuki.

The yakitori we hadn't eaten in a long time was very delicious.

Kotatsu had many small bones, making it a bit difficult to eat, but it was so good that it didn't matter.

We also compared the dishes cooked by Haruka and Yuki.

Yuki's dish was also very delicious, but there was a clear difference when compared to Haruka's.

Well, as usual, Yuki's [Cooking] skill was activated, so from now on, it's likely that dishes of similar quality will be produced.

"But this Kurasu bird is a bit tough."

"Yes, it's easy to eat without small bones, but compared to Kotatsu, it's a bit..."

"Is that so? I like it because it has a good texture and a lot of flavor when you bite it."

"It might depend on the cooking method. Maybe it's just not suitable for yakitori?"

The evaluation of the bird I caught last was divided.

Half and half? Yuki's evaluation was a bit subtle.

My opinion is closer to Toya's.

However, the fact that it's tough is a point of agreement with the women, so I think it might be more suitable for minced meat or thinly sliced like beef tongue.

"But I'm really happy that we can eat delicious food now that we've joined up with Haruka and the others."

"Yeah! I really wonder how so many customers came to that restaurant with that food!"

I think it was probably due to the presence of Yuki and Natsuki?

To a considerable extent.

It's hard to imagine, or rather, I don't want to think that other restaurants serve even worse food.

That would mean that in this world, when you travel, you often get food that's even worse than that.

"We also had a bad first meal when we came to the city."

"Yeah, it completely disappointed our expectations. I thought the black bread would be more delicious."

"And Ale. After trying it once, I thought I didn't need it anymore."

"So, Naoki and the others also struggled with meals?"

Natsuki nodded thoughtfully, but Haruka shook her head with a wry smile.

"No, it was only that one time, so it can't be compared to Natsuki and the others who had to eat such food continuously."

"True. We managed to stay at inns where the food was decent."

The young gatekeeper who introduced us to the inn did a great job.

I don't want to meet him, though.

It seemed like Haruka had some ulterior motives.

Yuki and Natsuki are cute, after all.

"In our case, we had no choice. With 100 rares a day, we couldn't afford to eat out..."

"Yes, if we took the risk, it might have been different, but as two women..."

"In that regard, I was helped by having Toya and Naoki. Gender does make a difference."

In the past month, men haven't approached Haruka, but none have been as aggressive as to push us aside, fortunately.

Toya, being a beastman, is tall and generally recognized as strong, which probably influenced this.

"I envy the bond between the three of you who transferred together."

Yuki said this with a smile, but it hurts to hear it.

I didn't realize it at the time.

I'm just slow, right? There's no way I was secretly...

Ugh, I can't even trust my own heart. Damn, you evil god!

"By the way, I noticed when we dissected the boar that it loses a lot of weight, about half?"

"Yes. If you consider only the edible meat, it might be even less. There's a lot of fat and bone."

When dissecting a boar, all the internal organs are discarded, which significantly reduces the weight.

The skin and tusks can be sold, but if there's no time, the head and fatty parts are discarded. The purchase price is low compared to the weight.

Toya used to sprinkle salt on the head and roast it whole... but the sight was honestly scary.

—But it's delicious. Roasting it on the spot reduces the amount you have to carry back.

"If we can carry it, we take the fat, but it's cheaper compared to the meat."

It's apparently used for cooking and as a light source.

We don't use it as a light source because we have magic, but the idea of using back fat as lamp oil makes me hungry.

"It's called lard, right? We might be able to make tempura. It might be a bit greasy compared to salad oil, though."

"Tempura. Sounds good. I'd be happy with just salt."

Yuki's mouth relaxed in a dreamy way.

I, too, am salivating. Ugh, I want to eat.

"We can make tonkatsu too! We don't have rice, but it would be delicious as a tonkatsu sandwich."

"Chicken karaage would also be good..."

"Okay, everyone, back to reality!"

Haruka clapped her hands and called out to us, who were imagining our favorite dishes.

"Toya, even if you make tonkatsu, there's no sauce. Besides, we can't cook much in an inn."

"Yeah, that's true... I feel like I've become quite close to the innkeeper, but I doubt we can use the kitchen."

Just being able to rent a storage space is a significant favor.

It would be difficult to borrow the kitchen in an inn that's always full of customers.

"Haruka, can we rent a house?"

"A house, huh... Hmm... So far, we've prioritized equipping ourselves and searching for Natsuki and the others..."

"How much do you think we'll get for these two boars?"

"Probably around 15,000 rares?"

"Yeah, they're pretty big, so maybe a bit more?"

"15,000!! That's 150 days' worth of our salary!"

I think it's just that Yuki and the others' wages are too low.

"Well, if we divide it among five people, that's 3,000 each. In Japanese yen, that's roughly 30,000. Considering future stability, we should aim to earn this consistently."

"30,000 yen... Considering physical decline and retirement, it would be nice to earn a bit more, but taking into account the lack of social security, it's a good goal."

If we work without a break, we could earn over 10 million yen a year, but we want holidays, and hunting will be impossible when we get older.

"With more people to carry things, we can earn more. Considering the races, both of you can carry as much as Naoki, right?"

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. I'm much weaker than Toya. But I think I'm still stronger than in our original world."

Of course, Haruka is the weakest physically among us.

Toya is the strongest, and compared to Haruka, she can carry twice as much and move just as well.

"In my case, I was a bit weak in the original world, but I took skills to make my body stronger here, so it's hard to compare... but there's a big difference."

Even I, who am between Haruka and Toya, am stronger than in our original world.

If Yuki and Natsuki are about the same, then in simple terms, women in this world have the same or slightly more physical strength than men in our original world.

"When we get back to the city, we need to make backpacks for Yuki and Natsuki."

"Oh, you make them yourself?"

"Yes. I have the [Sewing] skill, so let's do our best, okay?"

"Ugh... Yes, I'll do my best."

Yuki nodded, momentarily speechless at Haruka's smile.

In other words, she's telling Yuki to copy and learn the [Sewing] skill.

"Hahaha, Yuki, you keep learning new things, which is so enviable."

"Naoki, if you really think so, stop with the fake laugh. Haruka, can't you help even without the skill?"

"No, I—"

"I don't need you. You'd just get in the way."

"Ugh..."

I was about to say that we have training, but Haruka cut me off.

But in reality, there wasn't much I could do when we made our backpacks.

The first one was made through trial and error by Haruka, and without a proper pattern, all I did was cut the fabric along the lines she drew.

The only thing I helped with was the leather processing, which required strength, but with Yuki, that wouldn't be necessary.

"Well, it's fine. I'll help too. Let's leave the sewing to the women. It's the right person for the right job."

"Ugh, thanks for the support."

Naoki's smile healed me.

If I could say, "Give me the heavy work," it would be good, but my strength is at the same level as theirs.

"Haruka, did you make this backpack yourself to save money?"

"No, it's because this type of bag wasn't sold. I made it with various improvements, so it's quite easy to use."

Haruka said this with a slight smile and began to explain the difficulties and improvements to the two.

I understand her feelings.

She worked hard on this backpack, but since we made it together, there was no opportunity to show it off to others.

When it turned out well, you naturally want to tell others, right?

We suggested ideas, but Haruka implemented them.

Even if she showed it off to us, it wouldn't have been as satisfying.

"Hmm. But if there are no backpacks for sale, this could sell, right?"

"Yes, it would be quite convenient for adventurers."

Indeed.

Considering the prices and costs of bags sold in the city, it might not be a bad business.

With a sales channel and the help of Yuki and Natsuki, it could work.

If it's just Toya and me, most of the work would fall on Haruka.

"That's not impossible, but it might be a bit much to do at the inn."

"By the way, you mentioned renting a house. Haruka, don't you have enough money saved for that?"

"I still have over 250,000 rares—"

"250,000! Over 2.5 million yen!?"

Yuki exclaimed in surprise.

But actually, we had about 10 million yen a few days ago.

"But if we use this, we can't buy Yuki and Natsuki's equipment, right?"

"Can't we rent a place for 100,000 rares? In a Japanese rural city, you could rent a house for about 1 million yen for a year."

I don't know the rental system in this world, but Raphan's city isn't that urban.

If we consider it a rural city, it might be possible.

"Yes... The cost of land is cheaper than in Japan, so it might work."

"Out of the remaining 150,000, we could buy chain mail for the two, Natsuki's spear, and—what does Yuki use?"

I recalled Yuki's weapon skill and looked at her, but she quickly averted her gaze and muttered.

"I don't have a weapon skill."

"Oh, right. Then, can't we buy something for Yuki?"

"What do you mean by 'something'? I can use any weapon if Naoki and the others have it!"

Yuki seemed to dislike the term "something" and protested strongly, adding a quiet remark at the end.

Yeah, it's not a lie.

But considering financial constraints...

"Oh, then a stick?"

"A stick?"

"Yes, [Staff] skill