Chapter 153.1: The Gods’ Respite II - (1) (2/2)

Now that I have soy sauce, I can easily make lots of it.

Okaa-sama was eating her ramen steadily. I was relieved to see that she wasn't just being polite, but really enjoyed it.

Misuranika-sama continued to eat her ramen, albeit with some difficulty. It couldn't be helped as she wasn't very good with chopsticks. I wiped her mouth for her from time to time.

Somehow, I feel like I'm developing maternal instincts.

「Speaking of birds……」

After taking a big bite of a slice of chashu, Okaa-sama said a few words to me.

「The custom of not eating bipedal birds was spread by sister gods from the center continent. Umm, they’re called………you know, you're contracted with one of them」

Misuranika-sama threw a line to Okaa-sama, who was having trouble remembering.

「The ones who were in debt?」

「Yes, the indebted sisters!」

Okaa-sama pointed her chopsticks, as if to say, ”That's it!”

「Those miser gods. Rather than gods of business, they seem more like gods of moneylenders and debt collectors」

「Are you perhaps talking about the sister gods of Minerva?」

「Oh, was that what their name was?」

Okaa-sama nodded as if their names didn't matter to her.

Including the night owl, Gravius-sama, the sister gods of Minerva are all bipedal birds. Or rather, I've got a very fundamental question. Why do gods take the form of animals?

Just when I was about to ask……

「Hmm?」

Bang, bang, bang.

I heard someone knocking furiously on the door of my home. Well, rather than knocking, it sounded more like the person was kicking it.

Leaving the two gods to their ramen, I went to greet the visitor.

「I’m coming~」

When I opened the iron door with a clang, I found a dancing girl outside.

She had dark skin and beautiful long black hair. She had a sharp nose and eyes as black as obsidian. Her body was as thin and toned as an elf's, and she had on a sensual dancing girl’s outfit.

It was an exotic outfit that looked Middle Eastern. Her undergarments were adorned with glittering jewels, and her sheer silk skirt showed off her slender legs.

It was still cold outside, so she looked somewhat out of place.

「I'm sorry, but you've probably gotten the wrong place」

I closed the door.

Someone in the neighborhood must have called her over for a birthday party and she probably came here by mistake.

「Hang on! Open the door! Open the door this instant!」

The dancing girl kicked the door violently.

She's kinda scary. Who the heck is she?

「Hmm? Who was it?」

「No idea. There was a strange person outside」

I had gotten Okaa-sama worried.

「Ahhh. Souya, open the door for her」

「Eh, is she someone you know?」

Is she an acquaintance of Misuranika-sama’s? My god, you have friends?

「She’s someone you know」

「Huh?」

I don't know anyone like that though. Well, I guess I'll open it.

When I opened the door again………

「Urghh!」

………the dancing girl punched me in my gut.

「Oes to mind. Perhaps it’s just your imagination, dancing girl-san?」

「Don't call me a dancing girlll! Who's more important to you, that barbaric god you aren't even contracted with or me?!」

What's with this ”Which is more important, your family or me?” kind of line………

You're troubling me greatly.

「Y, you’re both important to me. Besides, Okaa-sama is a god who has contracted with my wife」

「Well, the one most important to him is probably me though」

Misuranika-sama interjected.

It feels like you're just adding fuel to the fire, so please shut up.

「Grrrrr」

Even though she's a god with the form of an owl, she’s snarling like a dog.

She looks to be in a very bad mood. Now, how should I handle this?

「Oh, would you like some ramen as well, Gravius-sama?」

I'll try to increase affection and faith levels by offering her food.

「Ramennn? Do you think I'll eat that meager dish that barbaric gods and fringe gods eat?」

「It's delicious, you know? Though I guess an indebted god can't tell the difference between what tastes good and what tastes bad」

「You called me indebted again!」

Please don't start a religious war here.

「Hey, Souya. If you're going to offer me food, it better be something better than what those guys are eating! Something much more expensive and amazing! Something really expensive!」

「Ex, expensive, you say? It's written on the recipe that the price of ramen should be less than 9 copper coins per serving. Even if you ask for something more expensive, the most expensive one is the chashu ramen that Okaa-sama is eating」

Pork is cheap in Lemuria, so the cost of ingredients for a hearty bowl of chashu ramen won't even reach four copper coins. If it were to be sold, it would probably cost about six to eight copper coins, I'd imagine.

「Fugyaaa!」

In anger, she intimidated me like an owl.

She jumped onto my back and started strangling me from behind.

「Faith! You lack faith! I'll cancel the contract! Are you okay with that?!」

「That would trouble me」

She had absolutely no strength whatsoever, so I had to sway along voluntarily when she shook me.

But having the contract canceled would be troubling. She's helped me in many ways, and most importantly, there's a possibility that the Zavua merchant company might cut ties with me.

I wonder what I should do.

But she’s got even less boobs than my sister……… All I can feel on my back are the lumps and bumps of the jewels. Thanks to that, I can think things over calmly.

「Oh! Gravius-sama, I forgot that I have some ramen that's really expensive. I'm sorry」

「You took too long to remember! You fool! You dummy!」

「………Gravius-sama, your personality………it’s completely different from usual, isn't it?」

「This is her real self. Her usual demeanor is just an act. Acting all high and mighty, isn't that silly?」

Okaa-sama rolled her eyes.

「Then I'll go get the ramen. Please let go」

「No! If I let go of you, she's gonna bad-mouth me behind my back again!」

Gravius-sama grabbed me tightly in a piggy-back position.

With her arms around my neck and her feet around my waist, I had no choice but to go downstairs to get the cup noodles as is.

Makina and Zoruzoglu-san had already left via another exit.

I'm really glad they didn't see this.

I went back to the kitchen, boiled some water, poured the hot water into the cup noodles, then put it on top of the kotatsu.

That was only then that Gravius-sama finally separated herself from me.

「This furniture is also rather shabby. Hey, barbaric god from the sticks! Move your fat legs!」

She tried to get into the kotatsu then complained to Okaa-sama.

「………………」

Without a word, Okaa-sama kicked Gravius-sama.

「Wha, oww, oe, Gravius-sama, this is a sleeping apparatus where everyone huddles together」

「Boooo」

Even though she's an owl, she’s sounding like a piglet.

Reluctantly, she put her feet into the kotatsu a little.

I don't know how she had been able to maintain her facade the entire time. Her personality is even worse than Maria's.

Is that exotic look just for show?

「Hmm, Souya」

The cup noodles caught Misuranika-sama's eye, but she was too absorbed in the tsukemen to pay it too much mind.

「What's that? Isn't that the same as the noodles you brought from the foreign lands?」

「This one is made using materials from this side. Well, due to a variety of reasons………one is worth a single gold coin, I figure.」

That’s only if I'm forced to put a price on it though.

「Fufufu, so a small portion like this costs a single gold coin. Now this is what I call an offering to the gods. I'm not going to eat meager dishes like you guys―――――」

「Misuranika, let me dip some of my noodles in that broth」

「Ehh. Fine, but give me another piece of chashu in return」

「It can't be helped」

「………………Listen to meee」

Gravius-sama is looking a little bit cute.(I feel a little sorry for Gravius-sama).[2]

With an air of ”I don't care anymore!”, she opened the lid of the cup noodles and plunged the spork in………

「Uwa, hot!!」

Surprised by how hot it was, she grabbed the nearest cup and gulped it down.

You're bad with hot food too, huh?

「Hey, Souya! What the heck?! If it's hot, tell me that it's hot!」

「Can't you tell by the way it looks?」

There's a lot of steam rising from it though.

「I knew, alright?! I was just surprised! Fuuu, fuuu」

She blew on the noodles with all her might to cool them down.

With a bit of trepidation, she took a bite. After that, she took a sip of the broth as well.

「Mm-hmm. Not bad. Well, it's somewhat delicious. Somewhat, got it? Don't get carried away」

「Yes. Thank you」

Gravius-sama ate her cup noodles with more difficulty than Misuranika-sama.

Okaa-sama was staring intently at her eat. I quietly whispered to her.

（Okaa-sama, I'll give some to you to bring back as souvenirs later）

（Mm, thanks）

Gravius-sama tugged on my ear.

「Whaaa~, you’re hiding things from me againnn~」

For some reason, she was slurring her words.

「Is it because she drank my alcohol in one gulp?」

「That alcohol isn't that strong, is it?」

「I lost more kin againnn~」

She burst into tears.

Did something happen, I wonder?

Gravius-sama completely disregarded the cup noodles and drank Misuranika-sama's alcohol straight from the bottle.

「Really, the center continent is no good nowadays. They don't follow any logic at allll~. It's impossible to do business with themmm~」

Did something happen to her kin on the center continent?

「Hmm, mmm. Souya, it was very delicious」

Mom had finished every last drop of the broth and had emptied her porcelain bowl. To finish her meal off, she plopped a boiled egg into her mouth.

「Next, Ea mentioned―――――」

She started to speak, but there was a knock on the iron door again.

「Hnn, go ahead and deal with that first」

「Then please excuse me」

I put Okaa-sama on hold for the moment and walked over to the door again.

There was another soft, reserved knock.

「Yes, who is it?」

[1] Tsukemen is a Japanese ramen dish where the noodles and the broth are served separately(The ingredients are served on top of the noodles or on a separate plate, instead of being placed in the broth). The soup serves as a dipping sauce and is typically much stronger and intense in flavor compared to standard ramen broth. Soba and udon are also types of noodles used in this dish. (Pic courtesy of wikipedia.com and taken by Douglas Perkins)

[2] It’s the second time this has happened, where the words for “feel sorry for” were “misspelled” into “cute”. Hence, I’m convinced it’s a deliberate double meaning by the author. I could be wrong though.

Sorry for splitting the chapter, but its length was getting ridiculous…already it’s about as long as the previous chapter(which was already much longer than usual) and I’m only about halfway through it… Despite everything, I severely underestimated how long it would be…

But I’d bet you didn’t expect Gravius-sama to be like that! What a surprise, huh? Interesting how Souya just slipped into calling Gladvain-sama Okaa-sama, huh? After all the father-figures showing up in the previous arc, is it the mother-figures’ turn? Also, it seems that all gods have human and animal forms, huh? Doesn’t that make you curious? And well, you’ll have to wait till next time to see who’s at the door…so stay tuned!