Volume 5 - CH 7

Chapter 7 – Exposure and Shark Fin

Morning, huh…? I finished my daily kiss and headed to the vending machine corner. It looks like they drank late last night, but I wonder if everyone’s here… which seems impossible.

Sure enough, the only ones who were there were Carla-san, Claretta-san, and Fuu-chan.

“Good morning, Carla-san, Claretta-san, and Fuu-chan.”

“”Good morning.””

“…Morning…”

“Are the others drinking too much?”

“Yes, I apologize, even though you warned them not to.”

“Haha, well, they won’t be drinking today, so I think they’ll be fine.”

“Fufu, I hope you’re right.”

We decided to have a buffet breakfast and spent time chatting and watching Rimu and Fuu-chan play with each other until it was time to go. It’s quite a meaningful time, isn’t it?

“Thank you very much for the meal. Phew, what are you two up to today?”

“Well, let’s see. I’m going to relax and take care of Alessia and the others.”

“I’ll help too.”

“Okay, well, we’ll relax too. Ines, Felicia, I’m taking it easy today, so you two are free to do whatever you want. Do you have enough allowance?”

“Fufu, thank you. I have enough.”

“Yes, we just got it. Thank you very much.”

“Oh, I won’t be moving around much, and I’m sure Rimu will be very bored, so take him with you.”

“Okay.”

Let’s leave everyone and read the manga that’s been on my mind for a while. Before that, I need to get ready… I just ate dinner, but I’ll buy potato chips, soda, and chocolate. No one else can read manga, so let’s take it to my room and read it carefully.

I picked out a manga I’m interested in… “T-this is… a manga about an old man from Hakata who has a protruding chin cooking*… Ah… This one has recipes on it, right? There’s also a manga about an epic parent-child fight with an ultimate and supreme feel to it.” [T/n: Cooking Papa?]

…Win, win with this. Eating in Another World… I’ll be a winner. Hmm, I’ll have to check out what’s in it and see if the old man from Hakata has a recipe, and it looks like it can be made. The ultimate one is just ultimate, and I don’t think I can handle it.

Anyway, before reading the manga, let’s check the table of contents for menus that I might be able to make.

…There are a lot of delicious-looking menus… I hope I can make them with the ingredients I have…

Hmm? Shark fins… Can I make it with Gluttony Shark fins? I’ll try to find out the method of preparing shark fins.

Hmm, it’s not listed… but the shark fins that the old man from Hakata uses come with the tail fin skin, and the ultimate one has the skin peeled off. I can’t tell at the drying stage anymore.

Hmm, I’ll have to give it a try since I have a corpse of Gluttony Shark. I changed my plan to leisurely read manga and head for the kitchen.

“Ara, Wataru-san, are you cooking?”

“Yes, Claretta-san, that’s right. I’ve got something I’d like to try, but I’m not sure if I’ll succeed.”

“It sounds interesting. May I help you?”

“Thank you very much. I’ll get the ingredients out.”

“Are you going to use Gluttony Shark? It’s not tasty, is it?”

“Yes, unfortunately, I’m assuming it will fail. Is that okay?”

“I understand. What Wataru-san does is strange, but the results are always great, so I’m looking forward to it.”

“Hahaha, this one will take months to complete, so I don’t even know how it will turn out.”

“Months? I’m not sure, but I will help you.”

“Thank you.”

I summoned a boat with a Gluttony Shark on it, and then I cut off its fins. It’s different from Japanese shark fins in term of size, but… well, let’s give it a try.

Since I don’t know much about it, I clean off the excess meat and dry it as it is, and lightly boil it with hot water. I make one with the skin removed. As for the skinned ones, are you supposed to take off the bones as well? …Should I save them?

“…Whew, thanks for the help. All that remains is to dry these in the sun until they are dry.”

“It was quite hard work, wasn’t it? But using fillets instead of meat is very unusual. If you succeed, will it taste good?”

“Hmm, I don’t know. I have never had it because it is a luxury item where I am from. But since it is made from shark fins, I gave it a try.”

I have eaten shark fin buns before, but… can I say that I have eaten shark fins with that?

“I’m looking forward to seeing the finished product.”

“Yeah, I hope it turns out well. Shall we dry it anyway?”

“Yes.”

I hung them on a string to dry, and Ines and Felicia came by to help me, so it didn’t take long.

“Thank you very much, Claretta-san.”

“No, no, it was fun. Please let me know when you finish it.”

“Yes, I will. I’ll eat it with you then.”

“Fufu, I’m looking forward to it. I’m going to take a bath now. See you later.”

“Yes.”

“Master, you said you were taking a day off, and now you’re cooking with Claretta-san… I’m jealous.”

“Haha, I suddenly found something I wanted to make. I met her in the kitchen, and she helped me.”

“Um, Master, I hate to tell you this, but you smell like fish. Would you like to take a bath?”

“Is that so? Let’s go take a bath. I said you were free to go, but will you come with me?”

“”Yes.””

We take our time doing lovey-dovey in the bath, and then we get out of the bath. Let’s spend this time reading manga. I part from everyone, prepare lunch and drink snacks from the vending machine, and return to my room.

I read manga while eating lunch and then read manga while lying on the bed, enjoying snacks. It’s not the most appropriate thing to do. But I am happy.

When it was time for dinner, Ines and Felicia came to call me. When I went to the vending machine corner, everyone was there.

Alessia-san and the others had recovered from their hangovers, and they were having dinner at the vending machine corner today. We had dinner while chatting. Alessia-san insisted on having only one beer, but Dorothea-san stopped her, saying that she had to keep her promise.

That’s what a sub-leader is for, huh? She was hungover, too, though. As we continued to enjoy our meal, Ilma-san approached me.

“Wataru-san, I have a question for you.”

“Hmm? It’s okay, Ilma-san. What is it?”

“Thank you. You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, but can I ask you about where you’re from?”

Oh, now that I think about it, I had told Ilma-san that I would tell her next time… Well, I guess she almost knows, so let’s just tell it.

“Yes, I don’t mind. But it would be embarrassing if I misunderstood, so I’ll just answer Ilma-san’s question, okay?”

It would be too embarrassing if it were something completely different from what I’ve had in mind.

“Yes, I get it. Then I’ll ask you… Wataru-san, are you from another world?”

Huh? Everyone but Dorothea-san and Marina-san are surprised… I didn’t even remember if they had any doubts? I’m not so sure about that…

“Yes, I’m from another world.”

“Whew, I knew it. Well, I know you didn’t really want to hide it, but was it really okay to say it so clearly?”

“Yes, well, I was afraid that if someone boarded this ship, they would find out. But you will keep my secret, won’t you?”

“Eh? Wait a minute, Ilma, Wataru-san… You’re saying something terrific just now. Is it true that you’re from another world? I mean, Ilma, you should talk to me before asking Wataru-san.”

“Ufufu, I’m sorry. But if I tell Alessia, you’ll probably ask him about it with great vigor. A few days ago, Wataru-san said he would answer my question, so I asked him directly. If it didn’t seem to work, I would have decided not to ask him.”

“Hmm, well, I’m sure I’ll want to ask him, but I won’t force him into it.”

“But Alessia, you love stories about sage and heroes and people from another world, don’t you? Could you stand not to ask him?”

“Ugh, okay, I get it. Enough about this. Let’s hear what Wataru-san has to say.”

Alessia-san, you were easily put down. But you love to talk about people from another world… I hope this flow will lead you to love this Wataru-san, who is from another world, too.

“Well, I’m pretty sure I’m from another world. As I said before, please keep it a secret.”

“Yeah, even though I’m indebted to you, I’m not going to reveal your secret. But can I ask you a story about another world?”

“Yes, as long as you keep it a secret.”

“What kind of place is the place you were in, Wataru-san?”

“Well, the place where I was, huh? It is a country called Japan, but there are no monsters, and there is no magic. It was generally a peaceful country. It’s hard to explain with words, so I’ll show you a video later.”

If it’s a video, people might misunderstand me because of the flashy action and so on. I’ll rent a drama about love and show them. I’d be happy if they were interested in romance.

“A peaceful country where there are no monsters and no magic. I can’t imagine what you mean by video. Can we see Wataru-san’s country?”

“Yes, it’s just like Alessia-san said. Well, it is a story, like a drama, but it shows Japan.”

“Hmm, I don’t really understand it, but I’m looking forward to seeing it. When can we watch it?”

“Right, maybe after dinner. Let’s buy snacks and juice and watch it on the Hideaway. We can watch it in my room, but it will be easier to watch it on the Hideaway.”

“I understand. Fufu, I’m looking forward to it.”

“Um, Wataru-san, I read in a book that people from another world can receive skills from God… Is it possible that Wataru-san’s ship summoning was given to you by God?”

“Yes, I think so. As Claretta-san said, I received it from the Creator God.”

“I-is that true? Have you met him before?”

“Y-yes, I have met him. In this world, don’t you sometimes meet God? I often hear stories about contracts and divine punishment and God.”

“No, there are times when God only exercises His power, such as in contracts, but there is no one that has met God in person. You are amazing, Wataru-san.”

“Eh? Oh, is that so? Maybe it was a valuable experience.”

What’s it like being friends with a celebrity and being awesome? She’s looking at me with sparkling eyes, but what is this… is it something to brag about?

“What did he look like? Are the God statues in the cathedral accurate?”

Hmm? Can I say this? No, I can’t tell her that the statues of the god are exaggerated.

“Yes, well, I think they are roughly the same.”

“I see. That’s amazing.”

“Claretta, calm down. Sorry about that, Wataru-san.”

“No, thank you. Dorothea-san.”

“I’m sorry, Wataru-san. I got excited.”

“No, it’s fine. Don’t worry about it.”

“Well, the meal is over, Wataru-san. Let’s see the video? I mean, let’s look at it.”

“Yes, sure, Alessia-san.”

I went to the counter to borrow a DVD. Let’s see, how do I do that…? A menu appeared, and the list came up. What a convenient thing this menu is, isn’t it?

Let’s see, let’s see what’s good… Oh, there’s a DVD of a very popular drama that’s escaping, embarrassing, or helpful… It seems to be coming out on DVD fast, but is that because it’s God’s specification? Well, this is good, it’s a very popular drama.

We buy snacks and juice and summon the Hideaway to come aboard.

We watched a DVD on the big TV in the basement.

The DVDs seem to be in the same language. They were interested in the unfamiliar scenery, cars, costumes, and various other things but gradually became absorbed in the drama and watched it absorbedly.

“It’s getting late, everyone. Shall we head back now?”

“Wataru-san, just a little, just a little more. Please.”

“I know how you feel, but it’s no good. There is more to come, so if we don’t stop now, we won’t be able to sleep. Let’s do it again tomorrow.”

“Uh-huh. Is that so?”

“Yeah, so let’s go back.”

“I understand. But Wataru-san, the drama is so interesting. Let’s watch it again tomorrow, okay?”

“Yes.”

We returned to the Fortress and went to sleep.

………………..

Four days after the drama, the Southern City came into view; it took an extra day because we moved to the Lutto three days earlier and took the Hideaway at night, but it was an enjoyable bath and drama life, so I don’t regret it.

Other than that, in order to find out the conditions for replacing the stuffed toys, we moved to the Lutto and tried to repatriate and re-summon the Fortress.

When we returned to the ferry, Claretta-san ran with a smiling face…

After a while, Claretta-san came back tottering. Yes, it was no good; that’s easy to understand.

I wonder if the replacement is done by time or by summoning the ferry after time has elapsed?

I comforted Claretta-san and returned to our room.

………………

“Everyone, the Southern City is now in sight. We will arrive in less than an hour. Would you like to confirm the schedule once we arrive?”

“Yes, I understand. What are you going to do, Wataru-san?”

“We are going to stay on the Lutto, go to the merchant guild, and then distribute souvenirs, and there are two places we want to go, so we would like to stay in the Southern City for about a month.”

I thought about staying at the Black-tailed Gull’s Inn, but I’m sure the Girasole fans would come crowding in, and it would be uncomfortable. Besides, there’s still plenty of room, but I want to visit the island of the Dark Elves.

“Well, we could go to the Adventurers’ Guild, gather information on slime, and then get a room at the Black-tailed Gull’s Inn.”

“Okay, well, please call me when you have gathered more information.”

“Thank you, Wataru-san.”

“No problem.”

I’m going to be separated from Girasole for a while… That’s right; I need to give Ines and Felicia some time off too. We’ll make plans after we’re done handing out souvenirs.

Besides, I’ll bring Camille-san some pudding and ice cream. It should get me some compliments. I’ll have to get them ready.