Chapter 144: A Respite From Adventuring VI (1/2)

I walked through the city in a daze.

How did it come to this? The request was for me to make ramen, so how did I end up in a bread contest?

I mean, the only bread I know how to make is chapati. No matter what I do, the most it'll become is naan. It's better than the stone-hard bread usually sold in Lemuria, but I'm even more of an amateur at bread-baking than I am at ramen-making.

「Souya-san!」

However, baking soda pancakes………no no no, rather than trivial things like that, I'm pissed that I'm being forced to compete in a bread contest.

Even though I already have my hands full with the ramen's broth, I now have to figure out bread.

It's really starting to feel like a huge pain. Should I just abandon the request?

「Souya! San!」

I heard a voice calling out to me from behind.

Turning around slowly, I found a girl in her mid-teens running towards me.

Her curly brown hair was thick and hung to her shoulders. Her petite and slender frame was wrapped up in a fur coat.

It was Amou Rutsuko, a foreigner just like me, who possessed a pure kind of eroticism.

「Long time no see! Also, I'm sorry!」

「Huh, what about?」

I was apologized to out of the blue.

Rutsuko-san bowed her head. Behind her, two armored little beings peeked at her panties.

「It's about the matter with the dragon! I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly without saying a word! I heard that you ran into a lot of trouble after that. I haven't had a chance to apologize until now」

「Ahh, now that you mention it……」

I still haven't given her the reward because she suddenly left the day after that festival.

「The thing is, I finally succeeded in making something that I've been trying to make ever since I arrived in the alternate world. Until yesterday, I've been working on the prototype the whole time」

「The prototype?」

Somehow, I'm curious.

「When I think about the era you lived in, Souya-san, the only thing that comes to mind is Anpan[1]」

In her mind, I'm a person from an era where the chonmage was worn.

「Here! Take a look at this! This is the best one among those that I'm satisfied with!」

She pulled out the most popular bread in the modern world.

Upon receiving it, I trembled.

I never thought there would come a time when I would tremble so much over a piece of bread.

「Goddess………」

「Eh?」

I grabbed Rutsuko-san's hand without thinking.

「The goddess of bread!」

「Eh? Eh?」

【158th day】

Three judges had been selected, and I ran into one of them in the hallway.

I fled.

「Wait-nya!」

「I'm not gonna wait-nya!」

If I was going to wait when told to do so, I wouldn't have fled in the first place!

As fast as humanly possible, I ran away.

But.

With a single leap, Tyutyu caught me and clung to my back. I had underestimated the physical capabilities of beastkin. After that, though they're small in size, the sensation of her breasts on my back made me go stiff.

「I've caught you-nya!」

「I've been caught-nya」

Now that things have turned out this way, I'm doomed to my fate. I'll let her deal with me as she sees fit.

「Souya, you're terrible-nya」

「Eh, isn't it a bit late for that?」

I think I'm definitely not a good person.

I mean, the god I'm contracted with is the god of misdeeds after all.

「You should have told me the whole story about Barfuru-sama back then-nya」

「………………」

What's she talking about?

「I heard from the king that Barfuru-sama met an honorable end. I also heard that you went with him and the two of you fought the vampires together, Souya. Even though it was a secret mission, I wish you would have said something to Nya」

I see. So that's the official story, huh?

「Speaking of which, Barfuru-sama had saved up a surprisingly large amount of money to provide for Nya and the people in the neighborhood who had helped him in the event of his death-nya」

「Hmmm」

Is it really that guy's money? I can't help but feel suspicious about that.

「Since I've got a lot of money now, I'm going to renovate my store-nya」

「Renovate that store?」

「I'm going to have walls and a roof built-nya. An oven too-nya. It's going to become a full-blown store-nya」

So it's finally going to become a normal store, huh?

「That's why I've been wanting to ask for your help, Souya-nya. Please introduce me to a trustworthy carpenter who charges the cheapest-nya. The ones the proprietress referred to me are very skilled, but they’re all very expensive-nya」

「Sure. I'll introduce you to a craftsman who's very skilled and very free at the moment」

This will give Makina something to do.

Oh, Rana also makes furniture as a hobby. I'll try asking her as well.

「But, Tyutyu, what kind of store do you have in mind?」

Even if it becomes a splendid store, considering its location, it'll be difficult to get customers.

「It'll remind me of Barfuru-sama, so I won't serve alcohol anymore-nya. I'm going to make it a store that only sells food-nya. I want a store where the food is cheap and the portions are big-nya」

Tyutyu isn't a bad cook. But she's not so good that her cooking will attract customers.

Food that's cheap and easy to sell, huh? I'd like to help her, but I don't have the time or energy to take care of everything by myself.

I'll wait and see how it goes for now, and if things start looking bad, I'll give her a helping hand. If it still doesn't work out after that, I’ll feel bad for her, but I'll make her close the store before she gets into debt.

「And so, for today's bread contest, I'll be using it as a learning experience-nya」

I couldn't see Tyutyu's face, but I could sense that she was smiling fearlessly.

She's a much tougher girl than I had thought. It seems that my fears might be unfounded.

「Oh, but I'll be judging fairly-nya. It's not right to let personal feelings influence such things-nya」

「That's true-nya」

Soon after, the other two judges arrived.

Rutsuko-san and I started to put the finishing touches on the bread.

And then,

The empty dining area of the flame religion was filled to the brim with people.

For the record, the three judges were a cute blonde-haired cat beastkin, a sleepy-looking receptionist from the Adventurers' Guild, and the baldy running this country.

Tyutyu is an employee of Master's bar, Evetta is my person-in-charge, and the baldy can go screw himself.

In a way, it's a fair panel of judges.

「Now, Souya, there's something that needs to be decided before the bread tasting begins」

The barkeeper took out a gold coin.

「Castle is heads and wheat is tails. We'll use this to decide who goes first」

A typical gold coin has the design of a castle on one side and an ear of wheat on the other side.

「Master, I’ll let you choose whichever you like」

「Huh? Hey, don't you know that since ancient times, the one that goes last has the advantage in a cooking contest? You can even say that this is practically what decides the outcome. Are you throwing the contest from the get-go?」

That's just the logic in cooking mangas, isn't it?

「No, I'm just confident that I’ll win either way」

「Oh-ho~ You seem confident, but the helper that you're counting on is shaking in her boots, you know?」

「Hyaa!」

Rutsuko-san got scared when the barkeeper glared at her.

Well, there are two stern old men present. It's no wonder she’s like this.

（Souya-san! I never heard anything about this! Why didn't you tell me that the king would be here?! And that our opponent is a relative of his!）

（Don't worry. I didn't hear anything about it either）

Rutsuko-san hid behind me and started whispering to me.

（Wh, what should we do? What should we do? Will we be hanged if my bread tastes bad?）

（If that happens, I'll kill the baldy and we'll run away together）

「It's Lost Paradise」

「It's Ai no Corrida」[2]

The Gunmerrys' interjections were as incomprehensible as ever.

「That last one, it was cut off, wasn’t it?」

「That's interesting~」

Stop it.

「Hey, Souya, I can hear you, you know?」

「Tch」

The baldy, King Lemuria, picked a bone with me.

「S, Souya-san! Don't be like that! We'll be put to death!」

Rutsuko-san was trembling even harder in fear.

「Don't worry, no one will follow a king who's that shallow」

I said that, but it didn't stop her from trembling. But she had baked the bread to perfection, and I could tell from the smell that they would be delicious.

「Master, can I go first?」

「Pfft, I've won then」