Kays Translations

Volume 5: The Everyday and the Extraordinary

Chapter 65 

I woke up in Seira’s form.

Melt had invited me to sleep together, but… yeah, I couldn’t go through with that.

I’m still fully conscious as me, after all… I do have Seira’s character quest memories and her personality as memories, but unlike with Sheele, I’m not being overwhelmed by them so far.

I suppose the strength or presence of the character plays a role in that.

“Better make breakfast before Melt wakes up.”

Today’s breakfast: the classic French toast, a leafy green salad, and potato potage.

This house is amazing. The tools are a little different in shape, but they’ve got a blender-like device, frying pans, and even a magic tool that’s basically a fridge.

I’ll have to investigate the technical details later.

“Wow… what a nice smell! It was so good it woke me up!”

“Oh, you’re up. Good morning, Melt.”

Melt, now changed out of her pajamas, comes down from the second floor with slightly drowsy eyes.

Hmm… is this what having a little sister would feel like?

“Smells really nice—sweet, like milk?”

“That’s the scent of butter. It’s an oil made from milk.”

“Ohhh! Ahh… I might know it?”

“You’ve cooked with some ingredients before, right? Did you use oil?”

“Yeah, I’d spread it before cooking. I used to buy oil made from flower seeds from traveling merchants.”

Hmm… sounds like rapeseed oil or something similar is the standard here.

“Melt, what’s your plan for today?”

“Let’s see… I promised Rikka and the others that I’d go gather ingredients with them. Thanks to yesterday’s work, if I complete a few more gathering requests assigned by the guild, the punishment will be over.”

“That’s great. Got it—when you’re done, bring everyone back here. I’ll cook for you all.”

This is partly to run a little experiment too.

“Wait, I can bring people over!?”

“Sure, as long as my transformation doesn’t get found out. Just be careful with name slip-ups.”

“Got it! Hehe… inviting friends to my own home… I’m so excited!”

Makes sense—considering Melt’s background, this might really be a first for her.

“I’ll make a ton of food and wait, so come back hungry, okay?”

“Of course! Ahh, I can’t wait!”

This time’s experiment is about “the skill acquisition conditions for cooks.”

The skill “Gourmet” boasts insane performance, but naturally, it’s incredibly hard to acquire.

Basically, it’s a skill you unlock after serious dedication.

It evolves in steps, starting with skills like:

Glutton

Full Belly 

Powered Up 

Hearty Appetite 

I Love How Much You Eat 

Each one evolves into the next upon meeting certain conditions.

And the final form of all those is “Gourmet.”

The early versions of the skill are mostly just joke-tier and nearly useless.

But enduring the grind is the only path to unlocking this lifeline of a cooking skill.

“We’re all gonna eat a ton, so be ready, Seira!”

“Of course, bring it on.”

“Phew… that was delicious! This bread—so yellow, fluffy, and sweet—it tastes like happiness!”

“Oh? You liked the French toast? I love it too.”

“Ah! You said ‘I’ like a guy! You’re supposed to say ‘I’ like a girl!”

“…I like it too.”

Ugh… I’ve really got to be more consistent with my pronouns.

“Okay, I’m heading to the guild. What about you, Seira?”

“Hmm… I’ll clean up, prep for dinner, and then head into town to buy some ingredients.”

“I see. You sure? With your big boobs, guys are definitely gonna swarm you!”

“…You know that kind of thing, huh. Don’t worry, I’ll wear a robe. And besides, I’m pretty strong.”

At the very least, I shouldn’t be weaker than your average adventurer.

I mean, I’ve got the same ring equipment as Sheele, and I can equip daggers.

“Alright. I’ll be careful, so you be careful too, okay?”

“Thanks, Melt. Take care—and get ready for a great dinner.”

And so I watch Melt dash off energetically into the forest.

That’s one person taken care of.

“That should count for one… but what about the number of times food is eaten…?”

Actually, for a cook’s skill to grow, you need to meet four conditions:

Number of dishes cooked

Number of times effects activate

Number of times dishes are eaten

Number of different dishes made

Think about it.

In the game, you’d tap through a menu, wait for the cooking timer to finish, eat the dish, and the effect would activate.

Even in the game, that was a grind. Now imagine doing it in real life.

“How many meals do I have to eat to fulfill all these conditions…?!”

At least back in the game, it counted if other people ate your food.

But that system assumed tons of players would be constantly buying your dishes remotely.

In the real world… how do I even approach this?

“I’ll treat Melt’s friends to a huge feast, and then after that…”

Yeah, I’m definitely going to have to get help from the cooking guild or something. No question.

As Melt said, it wasn’t an exaggeration. I fully donned a robe and pulled a rather large handcart, heading toward Lindblum.

It’s slow, but both Melt and I agree that it’s better to avoid revealing I can store items magically.

The only concern is… will the gatekeeper let someone like me, in a robe pulling an empty cart from the forest, pass through?

“Halt.”

“Ah, yes.”

Nope, didn’t work.

“Take off your hood and show your face. What’s your reason for visiting Lindblum?”

“Yes. I’m a traveling cook, currently working as the chef for a certain caravan. But now, one of the caravan’s key members is considering settling in this country. There’s been some trouble over whether to leave the group.”

Time to spin a dramatic tale that sparks curiosity!

Come on, you want to know what happens next, right?

“Hmm… go on.”

“That member took in an abandoned child as his own family and bought a house here. But leaving the group—as a senior member—isn’t easy. So he left the house and child behind to go settle things with the caravan. I’m here because he asked me to look after them while he’s gone. I’m planning to buy a large amount of food for that purpose. Oh, and the robe… is for self-defense.”

Now I’ll use the “big” feature Melt always mentions… even if it’s a bit embarrassing, maybe it’ll help convince them.

“Hmph… well, I see. The life of a caravan is rough, it seems. I thought they were all free-spirited wanderers, but… I suppose it’s more like a mercenary band?”

“Yes. I’ve heard senior members sometimes register with guilds to verify their status and strength.”

“I see. Very well, you may pass. But in the future, consider registering with a guild—perhaps the cooking guild. Without ID, a solo traveler is bound to draw suspicion.”

“Understood. Thank you. Excuse me.”

Safely through.

I’m not sure if the made-up story actually worked, but at the very least, they seemed to treat me kindly.

Still… I see. So that’s what a brigade is supposed to be like, huh.

And so, I pulled the cart and headed out of the noble district toward the commercial district.

Because of the cart, I couldn’t use a public carriage, so yes, I walked through the city.

“Not many people around at this hour, huh…”

It was currently 11 a.m. Thanks to the small clock towers set up at the entrance of each street, the whole city seemed to run on a fairly tight schedule.

But still, the commercial district seemed a little less crowded than usual.

Could it be because it was the time when adventurers, mercenaries, and explorers head out of the city?

I remembered it being more crowded before—but maybe that was just because everyone was busy preparing to head out?

“…Wait? Where do I buy food…?”

Looking more closely, all the nearby shops were selling adventuring supplies, clothes, or gear.

Ah, I get it now—this area is for commerce, but it’s commerce meant for those heading out of town!

Then where do I buy food…?

“Excuse me, may I ask you something?”

“Yes, what is it?”

I called out to a shop clerk nearby who had dried meat and herbs hanging out front.

“Excuse me, where can I buy ingredients for cooking? Ah, and I’ll take some of these sun-dried tomatoes and pancetta, please.”

“Thanks as always! Looking for food, huh? This shop’s for preserved goods, for long trips. You’ll want to head to a general market or local store. Do you know where that is?”

“Actually, I just arrived in the city…”

I bought two blocks of pancetta and seven jars of sun-dried tomatoes, then loaded them onto my cart.

“I see, I see. In that case, follow the lower-level roads counterclockwise around. We’re on the mid-level here, so you’ll need to go down first. This area is mainly for folks heading out.”

“I see…”

That made sense. I’d seen how densely packed the housing was in the lower levels—hard to believe the residents there would come all the way up here.

Actually, I hadn’t seen any ordinary-looking people around here—just folks in gear.

After thanking the shopkeeper, I headed down to look for a market in the lower levels.

“Step right up! Fresh seafood from ‘Waleze’ just arrived this morning! First shipment of the month!”

“Sun-dried Sunny Porch mushrooms! Only five silver coins per jar! Not many left!”

“Fresh out of the oven! Morning-baked club baguettes! Get yours now!”

This area was absolutely bursting with energy and variety, like the city’s kitchen.

The roads weren’t as wide as those in the commercial district, but both sides of the main street were lined with shops and stalls loudly promoting a dazzling array of ingredients.

“Amazing… Well, it is a big city with lots of people living here…”

The sheer number of people almost made me dizzy, but I went around checking what kind of seasonal ingredients were available now.

“Oh, pumpkins.”

“Welcome! Hey lady, you’re pulling a pretty big cart. Stocking up big today?”

“Yep, I want to buy a bunch of stuff if I can. These pumpkins are big—can I get three?”

First, I checked the vegetables.

Judging by the feel of the air, it was around autumn—probably nearing winter. The vegetables for sale matched that season as well.

Also, I was relieved to find that the names were familiar. A pumpkin is a pumpkin, after all.

“Hey, what’s this veggie called? Never seen it before.”

“Huh? You don’t know ‘Scarlet Frill,’ miss?”

Among the produce, there was this striking red leafy vegetable—kind of like a red version of leaf lettuce. Curious, I asked about it.

It had a surprisingly cool name… I wonder if it’s the kind you eat raw?

“It’s mostly used for salads. Sometimes we wrap other ingredients in it too. It used to just be plain lettuce, but a professor from the academy developed this cold-resistant variety through selective breeding.”

“Whoa, that’s a pretty amazing invention. Nice! Eating fresh leafy greens all year round sounds great.”

“Right? Want to buy some?”

“Sure, give me about eight heads. I really like leafy veggies.”

“You got it! But hey, you’ve got a really lively way of talking. It’s kinda refreshing.”

“Ah—well, I guess I’m just that kind of person.”

“Fair enough.”

Ah, right. I forgot—I’m Seira right now.

Well, aside from my pronouns, I guess I’ll just talk naturally… probably fine.

“Alright, next I’ll go check out the seafood. Thanks, mister!”

“Thanks for your business—!”

Alright then… Let’s go see the seafood selection. I’m curious how developed the distribution network is around here, so I’ll try to ask in detail.

“Excuse me, where do you source this from?”

I approached the seafood stall that had earlier been calling out about fresh stock arrivals.

“Welcome! It’s from the port town of Waleze! Just arrived this morning—still super fresh!”

“Hm… Isn’t that port town pretty far away?”

“Well, yeah. But a few times a month, a large caravan hauls massive refrigerated containers all the way here. So it’s a bit pricey, but the freshness is guaranteed!”

“I see! The fish are already gutted and bled properly too. Nicely aged… Honestly, this looks tastier than what you’d get fresh at the port.”

I already knew refrigeration and freezing tech existed here, but I guess long-distance transport still isn’t easy or common.

Massive containers… Does the cooling power scale with size? Or is it a battery issue? Ah, maybe they just freeze everything solid before transporting it?

“Do you freeze the shellfish along with seawater when transporting them?”

“Exactly, you sure know your stuff, miss.”

“Hmm, alright then—I’ll take these two big gutted fish and a full bucket of shellfish.”

“Are you serious!? That’s gonna cost you! One large gold coin and eight silvers!”

About 58,000 yen… sounds fair, honestly.

If I remember right, shellfish are actually tastier after being frozen once.

Do they purge the sand, then freeze them just like that? What was the effect on flavor again?

As for those large fish—they’re probably some kind of bluefish, like yellowtail.

They’re definitely going to be delicious.

“Alright, here’s the exact amount. Can you pack the big fish in a barrel with ice?”

“Of course! Wow, I’m surprised. Not many people buy this much in one go. Are you from a restaurant or something?”

“No, just a private buyer. I’m doing a bit of… research, you could say.”

“Gotcha, gotcha. Make sure you keep the seafood covered with this cloth to block the sun, and packed in ice.”

“Thanks, shopkeep.”

Alright, nice—seafood secured.

But I see now… being far from the ocean means seafood only shows up in markets a few times a month.

Maybe some of it goes directly to restaurants, too?

And with that thought, I headed off to buy the final ingredient—meat.

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