Chapter 99 – He Actually Came
The connection to the royal castle that Hakase-san had secretly introduced me to through the Alchemy Guild turned out to be—surprisingly—the staff member at that store with the really good cheese. I was led into a back room—probably a reception room where he opened a letter of introduction and gave a slight nod. Seems like they were informed ahead of time.
“So you’re the one who wanted to send something to the Hero at the royal castle.”
Still the same smooth, pleasant voice as ever. But honestly… it’s so smooth it kind of makes me wonder if I can trust him or not. Like, it’s the kind of voice that makes you wonder if there’s some kind of hidden meaning.
I was very surprised, but when I heard that he was a close acquaintance of Hakase-san , things clicked into place. And since Hakase-san was the one who introduced me, I suppose I can trust him. I trust Hakase-san that much, at least.
Also, this person apparently played a big role in the “Let’s Mix Oil With More Oil” operation. Makes sense, since he deals in oils. I also heard he has distribution channels even in the royal capital—so that makes sense.
“I apologize for not introducing myself properly until now. The name’s Nipopo. Pleased to meet you.”
He smiles at me with squinty eyes. His face is very fox-like and slim, but he doesn’t seem to be a beastman. He doesn’t have ears or a tail.
“I’m Saki. Nice to meet you too.”
After the “What Should We Bring As a Gift?” meeting— was that what we called it?—we decided to go with a simple snack made with salt, oil, and ingredients available here: corn and potatoes.
So, the gift I made for the Hero’s party was a jar of popcorn and potato chips. The jars are sealed with those slime-lid thingies, so I think they’ll stay crisp. I’ll have to trust in in the power of Slime-sama.
I’ve heard that you can make your own potato chips, but I’ve never actually tried it. And honestly, it’s probably impossible without a slicer. I’m really bad at cutting things thin. I have bought slicers before, but I was afraid of the cheap ones, so I only ever bought ones that cost over 1,000 yen. So in the end, I just repacked some store-bought chips. A big, cheap bag from the local supermarket’s private label brand.
Shouldn’t be a problem even if they do a taste test. I bought some highly transparent glass jars from the Alchemy Guild so that it’s easy to see what’s inside. So, just looking at it, I think they should be able to see it’s just popcorn and chips inside.
To make it a little more eye-catching, I wrapped twine around the jar’s neck and added a square white tag. I thought about writing a message on the tag, but since this is just a test run, I kept it vague—just drew a red circle on it so I can claim, “It’s just decoration!” If this were Italy or the UK, it’d probably be easier to get the reference.
Nipopo-san is inspecting the jar carefully. It’s not suspicious, I promise—it’s just snacks made from perfectly normal ingredients.
“So I should just slip it in with the tributes for the Hero, right?”
Seems like a bunch of tribute is being poured in from all the well-connected nobles across the land. Well, yeah. Figures.
“Please… do it quietly.”
“So no name attached, huh?”
“Yeah.”
Apparently, it’s common practice to include your name and make yourself known when sending a gift in appeal for future support. If it becomes “The Hero’s Favorite!” it would be great for marketing, after all.
I’d like to wait and see how it goes for now. I expect it probably won’t catch attention in one go, so it might be a long-term battle. There’s also an option to force it through by putting it under Nipopo-san’s company name to make it stand out, but I want to keep that as a last resort.
Anyway—it seems the gift made it safely to the Hero’s group.
And then—a Hero came.
I received a call from Nipopo-san, who I thought was still in the royal capital, and when I headed to the shop, I was shown into the reception room.
And there he was.
“You’re the potato chip person? Wait, you’re Japanese? Why are there potato chips here!? Plus it’s omobie’s!?”
A black-haired boy stared at me with intense, serious eyes. Big round eyes with long lashes.
“Sorry! I couldn’t keep it a secret!”
Nipopo-san apologized with one hand raised. What a chaotic situation. I was completely caught off guard.
The boy’s name was Yoshiya Kino. Hmm… Kino? And there’s something familiar about his face. Those lashes…
“Kino-kun, I might be imagining things, but… is your dad from Honmachi by any chance?”
“Uh… yeah?”
“Can I ask his name?”
“It’s Sen.”
Hmm… That does sound vaguely familiar. I search my memory as hard as I can. I’m not very good at remembering people.
Maybe he was a junior back in middle school? The name Kino rings a bell. Wasn’t he the boy with the long, fluttering eyelashes that made me want to see how many matches I could balance on them.
Ah yes, classic small-town experience. It’s a very small world, so if you trace it back, you’ll find that everyone ends up being connected somehow. I’m not very social, but even so, it’s like this.
Because the number of students in elementary and junior high schools is so small, people have very strong connections with each other. If someone’s your classmate, you might even know their parents—or even their grandparents.
“Kino-kun, how about I give you some chips, and we have a little chat…”
I know it’s a bit much to lure people with something, maybe. But I really need information right now.
He lights up at the word “chips.” he seems like a really nice kid. Yeah. He’s definitely a good kid.
“Nipopo-san, I’m sorry but would you mind giving us some privacy?”
I ask politely.
“Sure thing. I’ll at least bring you guys something to drink.”
I took him up on his offer and he graciously brings over a cart with drinks and light snacks. Now we won’t have to worry about dishes.
There’s a chance that someone might be watching or listening to us from somewhere, but oh well.
Kino-kun completely gave in to the chips, burger, and cola.
He is crying while eating.
The moment he bit into the first chip I offered—consommé flavor—he started crying.
“This is Oikeya’s.”
He whispered it. Wait. Can he… do brand identification by taste? Like a potato chip sommelier?
I figured a growing boy would still be hungry, so I handed him a hamburger. He froze the moment he saw the wrapper.
Then, like some sacred artifact, he held the burger up and examined it from every angle—
He must’ve confirmed that it was a burger.
Then he unwrapped it with trembling hands, took a bite… and cried again.
Hamburgers are delicious, aren’t they?
I quietly poured some cola into a cup in the tea set, and when he drank it, he cried again in surprise.
For now, I’ve decided to just wait quietly while he cries it out, munching on the snacks that were prepared for me.
This cheese is so good. It has a bit of an unusual taste, but that’s what makes it so great.
This dried fruit… is that a date? That rich sweetness really spreads in your mouth. They look a bit like insects, but they’re delicious.
Is it about to calm down? Hmm… maybe just a bit longer.