by Hiro Ainana
Uh, wait a second.
The dryad didn’t deny what the long-spoken elf said just now.
Thinking back on my previous experiences with her, it was entirely possible that she took more than any normal human would’ve been able to give.
“Well, putting it directly into the lake isn’t very efficient. One second, please.”
The dryad turned to the treant and fell silent for a while.
She was probably talking through some kind of plant network.
Eventually, they seemed to reach an agreement, and the treant slowly shook out its branches, dropping two twigs into the lake.
There was a loud splash—so loud that I realized that what looked like twigs were actually branches big enough to support a house.
“Use those branches to channel your magic into the lake.”
“Got it.”
The branches drifted to the shore on their own, so I picked them up.
I didn’t know whether it was the dryad or the treant who moved the branches, but it meant one less job for Mia to do with Water Magic.
“All right—here goes.”
“Do it!”
I began siphoning magical energy.
I carefully moderated the amount of power I ran through the treant’s branch so I wouldn’t break it.
“Yes! Yeees!”
“Quiet, you!”
Enraged by the dryad’s rather indecent exclamations, Arisa grabbed a berry off the ground and flung it at her.
She was never one for athletics, though, so the berry sadly missed its mark by a mile.
If you weren’t used to throwing things, it was only natural that your aim wouldn’t be very good.
“I was just trying to cheer him on!”
Still, at least it had the effect of stopping the dryad’s shouting.
This was actually harder than I’d expected. No matter how much magic power I poured in, it felt as if most of it was escaping through the surface of the lake.
This seemed like a waste, so I divided off some of my magic to make a thin film over the lake’s surface, holding the rest of it inside. That should do it.
When I’d used up around half my magic, the entire lake began to glow faintly.
“Okay, all good now.”
“…Remarkable. Even Lady Aaze took around ten days to fill the lake with magic…”
Evidently, I’d overdone it a bit, but Miss Aialize and the other elf higher-ups already knew that I was unusual in various ways, so it probably didn’t matter much if the rest of the elves got a glimpse of my power, too.
They didn’t seem to interact with anyone outside the forest very often anyway.
“Looook?”
“The lake trees are in spring now, sir!”
New sprouts were budding from the treants who had gathered in the lake, though they’d looked like dead trees not long ago. In an instant, the buds bloomed into flowers, producing golden fruit.
So this was the “budding season” they’d mentioned.
“Here, human. A thank-you from the treants.”
The dryad handed me a string of wooden beads with pine cone–like designs.
“Treespirit Pearls.”
“Useful.”
“This is a valuable item that can be used as a catalyst for Forest Magic. Even without a grasp of Forest Magic, you can simply put magic into the beads and visualize what you want, and it will help plants grow, bend or stretch wood, and so on.”
Ooh, that could be very convenient for woodworking.
“Thank you, Elder Treant!”
I was so excited that I blurted my thanks.
The dryad promptly burst out laughing, her mouth widening so much, it was practically bigger than her face.
“Ah-ha-ha-ha-ha! Saying thank you for a thank-you? You’re one funny human.”
Once she’d had her fill of laughing at me, the dryad disappeared into the treant’s palm.
The treant moved back to the center of the lake, its leaves and branches rustling.
> Skill Acquired: “Horticulture”
> Title Acquired: Gardener
> Title Acquired: Friend of the Treants
> Title Acquired: Friend of the Elder Treants
> Title Acquired: Guider of Buds
Checking my log, I noticed that I’d gotten a few rather strange skills and titles.
That aside, though…
“What should I do with these branches?”
“Keep them. They’d be perfect for making wands or staffs, and there are probably magic paths in there now, since you sent enough magic through them to fill the lake.”
The long-spoken elf promised to introduce me to an expert staff maker.
We had the golden thorn that Lulu got from the black dragon, too, so that would be a perfect opportunity.
Well, that should do it.
Once this little diversion was over, the cauldrons seemed to be just about done cooking.
I put a large pot under the transparent cauldron and canceled out the magic so that the meat dropped into it. Then I added onions and boiled the lot in water, adjusting the seasoning as I went.
“Master, I’ve finished the preparations.”
“My prep work is done as well.”
Lulu and Liza brought over the vegetables and entrails they’d been prepping, so I used them to make side dishes.
Tama and Pochi got some eggs from the forest, so I decided to make omelet rice for Mia with lots of mushrooms and green peas.
“Mia, allow me to draw a heart shape, I entreat.”
“Bunny.”
“Request accepted.”
Nana stood at the ready to make a drawing in ketchup on Mia’s completed omelet rice.
“Mm, smells good. Is that what I think it is?”
“You’ll have to wait and find out.”
Arisa drew closer, inhaling the scent of soy sauce overflowing from the pot.
Beside her, the beastfolk girls were also standing at attention.
I arranged the completed rice bowls on the table that the elves magically prepared.
Then, once Arisa led the group in a chorus of “Thanks for the food!” we began to eat.
“Ahhh, delicious! It’s been too long since I had a beef bowl!”
Arisa shoveled the meat and rice into her mouth with tears in her eyes.
Usually, Lulu would be gently scolding her for her manners—but not this time. Instead, her face was as serious as Liza’s as she took delicate mouthfuls of food as quickly as she could while still maintaining a polite facade.
On top of that, she seemed to be contemplating the dish and even taking a few notes. Lulu had quite a knack for culinary research.
“Yummy, very yummyyy.”
“It’s full of deliciousness, sir!”
Tama and Pochi waved their fists triumphantly after the first bite of their extra-large beef bowl helpings.
Pochi’s tail was wagging away, too.
“It’s quite delicious.”
Liza’s voice was quiet, but her emotion was plain on her face.
“Master, it is on par with the deliciousness of hamburg steak, I report.”
“Mine too.”
Mia insisted that her omelet rice was just as good as Nana’s beef bowl.
“Oh my, what is that? It smells amazing! Whatever are you eating?”
“Beef bowls.”
Miss Aialize, who’d just teleported onto the scene, addressed one of the short-spoken elves.
Behind her was the shrine maiden Lua.
“Care to join us? There’s plenty more.”
“Thank you, Satou!”
I didn’t know what she came for, but meals were always more fun with more people, so I offered Aialize a bowl.
I’d made plenty, so having a few extra mouths to feed was no trouble.
“Ahhh, this is sooooo good!”
“Oh, Lady Aaze…” Lua shook her head. “By the way, Hiya. The dryad told me that the treants’ budding season h
ad begun, so I came running, but…”
Mr. Hiya, the normally eloquent elf, simply pointed at the treants and their golden fruit by way of response.
Even the more talkative elves prioritized eating, it seemed.
“…What? The golden fruit has bloomed already? But that means the budding is over!”
“Satou.”
One of the short-spoken elves gestured at me.
I guess they all really liked my beef bowls.
“Did you do something, Mr. Satou?”
“The dryad asked me to supply them with magic power, that’s all. The methods you and Lady Aialize taught me on the stone stage to suppress spirit light and magic leakage proved very helpful.”
“‘That’s all,’ he says…”
Lua mumbled to herself in disbelief, so I offered her a beef bowl, too.
“Leave it to you, Satou,” Aialize remarked with a mouth full of food, resulting in a scolding from Mia.
One of the short-spoken elves next to her wiped the rice from her face with a handkerchief.
Just as Lua was starting to take a bite of her beef bowl, she caught sight of this situation and froze.
“…Ah, this is no time to be eating, Lady Aaze! If the treants’ problem is resolved, we must hurry back!”
“Wait, I’m still—”
But Lua grabbed her hand and dragged her back to the fairy ring, where both of them disappeared.
Even if you’re in the middle of a death march, you should really take a break to eat once in a while…
I gazed for a moment at the fairy ring where they’d vanished, then shrugged and readjusted my attitude.
I’d better eat, too, after all.
First, of course, I had to taste the meat. Considering how short the cook time was, the meat was so soft that you barely needed to chew it.
The flavor came out great, too; the sweet sauce mingled with the umami of the meat in every bite.
In fact, the whole thing tasted so good that I was tempted to start planning a nationwide beef bowl restaurant chain.
As I half-seriously contemplated this, I took another bite, including the golden-brown onions this time.
The faint crunch and sweetness of the onion somehow balanced perfectly with the meat.
I had thought it tasted good before, but the onion stepped it up even further.
Then, finally, I took a bite with a mouthful of rice…
Delicious.
It was so perfectly delicious; there was no other way to describe it.
The meat, the onions, the rice, and the unsung hero—the sauce.
Together, they formed a beef bowl symphony that played a delicate harmony on my tongue—
“The red pickled ginger isn’t red!”
Arisa’s shriek brought my mind back to reality just as it started to drift into another dimension.
That was close. It had been so long since I last had a beef bowl that I got a little carried away.
“If I can get some red shiso or food coloring, I’ll make it red next time.”
Red shiso turns things sort of purplish-red, right?
“Exists.”
“Nea.”
“Are you saying Miss Nea has red perilla or red food coloring?”
“Mm.”
I was getting pretty good at figuring out what the short-spoken elves were saying.
I had to meet with Nea, the cook, to go over what spices I needed for curry anyway, so I could ask her about it then.
I thanked the elves for the information, then chopped up the pickled ginger for Arisa.
Specifically, into the kind of slices I’d often seen at beef bowl chains.
I popped one into my mouth to cleanse my palate, then concentrated on finishing my beef bowl.
Pickled ginger is just the thing to complete a meal like this!
“What in the hell?!”
Arisa shouted in an extremely put-on Kansai dialect.
After the hunt, we returned to the elf village and went to the public bathhouse in the underground city to rid ourselves of sweat.
But at the entrance of the bathhouse, Arisa had a bit of a breakdown when she saw the MEN and WOMEN signs.
“But I wanted to have a mixed bath with my sho— Oh, I know! Let’s reserve a family bath!”
“Family bath?”
“None.”
Arisa whirled around like she’d come up with a brilliant plan, but the short-spoken elves only shook their heads.
I guess we hadn’t had a big bath together since the outdoor bath I made along the river.
In the Muno Barony and the old capital, we had only a single person–size bathtub, so we took turns using it.
“Well, shall we head in to the men’s bath?”
I called out to Hiya and Guya, the male elves of the group, and together we entered through the curtain under the MEN sign.
It was only then that I realized that male elves’ names seemed to end in “-ya,” while female elves’ names just ended in “-a.”
Ignoring Arisa’s cry of lamentation, I told the rest of the group to go into the women’s bath. The younger kids wanted to come with me, but there were other men with us today, so I hardened my heart and sent them away.
Since elves didn’t seem to wear robes for bathing, I decided to do as the Romans do and simply carried a towel with me into the bath area.
We appeared to be early, as we were the only three people in the men’s bathhouse.
“Do we use this bowl-shaped fruit as soap?”
It kind of looked like a boob, but that was probably just because I had an incurably dirty mind.
“Yes, it’s a soap fruit that Daisaku created through selective breeding. I believe he called it ‘oppai soap’?”
The word Hiya used was the Japanese word for boobs.
I guess it was Daisaku the Hero who really had a dirty mind.
What was up with that guy…?
Resisting the urge to roll my eyes, I followed the two elves’ invitation to wash each other’s backs. Since the elves looked so young, it reminded me of bathing with my cousins as a kid.
I couldn’t quite bring myself to use the boob soap, so I found some normal soap instead. This kind had a pleasant, milky smell.
Once I was nice and clean, I immersed myself in the bath and put the towel on my forehead.
Ahhh, there’s nothing like a nice large bath.
“Daisaku brought us many great cultural boons, but the public bathhouse is the best of all, don’t you agree?”
“Good life.”
The two elves seemed to agree with me.
“Baaath tiiiiiime!”
“Arisa, you mustn’t run in the bathhouse.”
As I stretched out to enjoy the hot water, I heard Arisa’s and Liza’s voices from the women’s side of the bathhouse.
Before long, I could hear the rest of the girls and Miss Gia the elf chattering as well.
The girls’ lively giggling definitely added to the bathhouse’s peaceful atmosphere.
Maybe I should make some fruit-flavored milk for everyone after the bath?
“My, human bodies are quite different from elves’.”
A new, high-voiced elf had entered the men’s bath and was now rather rudely squeezing my arm.
The bad behavior was putting a damper on my good mood, so I turned to the newcomer to protest.
…Huh?
Shoulder-length hair, dripping wet from the bath, undulated before my eyes.
Looking farther down, I was greeted with the sight of a barely B-size breast, as well as the rest of a young girl’s body, exposed to the air for all the world to see.
I wished she had at least put a towel over her lower half.
She looked way too young for my tastes, so it wasn’t like I was excited about it, but it was definitely pretty awkward.
Finally, although a little too late for my poor eyes, the steam of the bath rose up enough to cover her delicates.
I gladly returned my gaze
to her face and decided to move on to resolve the misunderstanding.
“Excuse me—isn’t this the men’s bath?”
“…Men’s bath? There’s no such distinction in the elf village, ya know.”
According to the AR display, this elf girl’s name was Portomea. She had a cute face, like a Western doll, but her tone was a little aggressive.
Her brazen, unabashed attitude in exposing her naked body to a strange man was similar to Mia’s, although it seemed to be a little too common in this world.
“Then why are there signs that say MEN and WOMEN in kanji at the entrance?”
“I dunno; that was part of Daisaku’s design. He said it was a ‘stylistic choice’ or whatever.”
A “stylistic choice,” huh…?
“I heard mixed baths were normal in Nihon. No?”
“Perhaps in another time, but where I come from, it’s more common to separate them.”
“Huh, that’s weird. Baths are more fun when everyone enjoys ’em together, don’cha think?”
Portomea shrugged, as if what I was saying was utter nonsense.
“Lady Poa, I’ve brought your liquor.”
A brownie who looked like an even younger girl came over, carrying a tray with glasses of wine. For some reason, she was dressed like a waitress in a traditional Japanese restaurant.
“You want some, too, boy?”
“Sure, thank you.”
Miss Poa, who was now soaking in the water, slurped up the wine delightedly.
It was the same type of fairy grape wine I drank before, a light-red wine with a sweet taste.
Ignoring Poa’s rudeness, the long-spoken elf Hiya reached out for a glass of red wine.
“Hey, Poa. Done spider hunting already?”
“Yeah, I landed a big one. Then I let Shiya take care of the annoying little ones.”
Poa mimed slicing something up with an invisible sword and grinned.
Just then, a long-haired young elf g— Nope, a boy emerged from the steam and kicked Poa lightly in the back of the head.
His name was Shishitouya, or Shiya for short.
“You ‘let’ me deal with them? My sword is not meant to cut the likes of mere spider larvae, if you must know.”
“C’mon, what’s the big deal? At least you got to say your line, right? ‘My blade has cut down another worthless thing.’”
Poa swept aside the self-styled samurai’s foot with a sneer.
