On the day following Min and Rhodos's rescue, Rei was walking through the City of Abuelo alone.
...Yes. Entirely alone.
Under normal circumstances, Seto was not allowed in the city, but the previous day had been an emergency. Tirage had used his authority as Guild Master to grant a special permit, yet he had explained today with an apologetic expression that he couldn't allow a Gryphon to roam freely in broad daylight.
Currently, Seto was outside the city walls, making the most of its freedom. It spent its time hunting monsters to fill its belly or napping under the increasingly warm and pleasant sun.
However, that arrangement was only for today.
Originally, once Min and Rhodos were safe, Rei and Seto had intended to return to the City of Gilm immediately. But since Elk—the Axe of the Thunder God’s primary combatant—wasn't with them, they had judged it too dangerous for Min and Rhodos to travel back alone.
Furthermore, the two survivors needed to stay in the city for the day to give their statements regarding their time as hostages and the attack on Rhodos that had led to Min's capture. Since Rei was essentially on a forced holiday, he decided to spend the time exploring the city, which he had barely seen when passing through previously as an escort.
"Heh. This spear is a fine piece of work."
"Isn't it? It came to me from a blacksmith shop I deal with. It's not a magic item, but as far as mundane weapons go, it's a masterpiece. Only... it's likely out of your league, lad. Masterpieces carry a price to match their quality."
"How much?"
"Gold. Two coins, to be precise."
The price was undoubtedly steep for a weapon. However, Rei could tell at a glance that the spear in his hand was worth every bit of that—no, its quality actually exceeded the asking price.
"Two Gold Coins, then. I'll take it."
Rei reached into his Misty Ring and produced the coins, making it appear as though he had pulled them from beneath his robe before handing them to the shopkeeper.
"Wha—!? Kid, what in the... are these Gold Coins even real?"
The owner stared at the coins, which had been handed over without a hint of hesitation. He scrutinized them, checking for any sign of forgery. However, with his long years of experience in the trade, he knew instantly that these were the genuine article.
"Th-thank you for your business..."
"Since I'm making such an expensive purchase, don't you think you could throw in a dagger as a bonus?"
"A-Ah. Right. Fine. Here, take these."
Before his shock over the gold could even subside, he had been pressured for an extra. Without a word of protest, the owner handed Rei two daggers, scabbards and all.
"Heh. These daggers are quite decent, too."
Rei was genuinely impressed by the quality of the daggers. He made a show of tucking them into his clothes while actually storing them inside the Misty Ring.
Satisfied, Rei left the weapon shop with a faint smile. Behind him, the shopkeeper stood in a daze, wondering if he had just experienced a very profitable fever dream.
However, the weight of the gold in his palm was proof enough of reality.
Leaving the stunned man behind, Rei resumed his stroll in high spirits after such an unexpectedly good find.
"...What's that?"
He stopped in his tracks, his gaze fixed on a particular stall ahead.
Stalls weren't a rare sight. There were plenty selling grilled skewers or stew, and some even sold the udon that had originated in the City of Gilm. Even the City of Sablusta had sold a crude version of it.
However, the dish being sold at this stall was fundamentally different. A large iron plate, much like the ones used for barbecues in this world, sat at the center of the stall. Meat and vegetables were sizzled atop the heated metal. Nearby, udon noodles were boiled and rinsed with water before being tossed onto the plate to be stir-fried with the rest. The moment the noodles hit the heat, the cook drizzled them with a thick, rich sauce that looked like demi-glace.
The seasoning might have been a demi-glace-style sauce instead of soy sauce, but the cooking method was unmistakably the Yaki Udon Rei remembered. What surprised him most was the innovation; while the Yaki Udon he had introduced in the City of Gilm relied on a salt sauce, this stall was using something entirely different.
"Step right up! Want a bowl, lad?"
A man in his late twenties or early thirties spotted Rei lingering and called out.
Rei nodded, paid the two Copper Coins—a price slightly on the high side for the frontier—and took a seat. In less than a minute, a fork was presented along with a steaming plate of Yaki Udon.
"..."
In silence, Rei wound the noodles around his fork and took a bite.
"This is... delicious."
"Heh, right? Udon and the concept of frying it might have come from Gilm, but I came up with this sauce myself. Though, I still just call it Yaki Udon, same as the salt-flavored stuff."
"Yaki Udon, huh."
Because it was stir-fried quickly over a high flame, the meat and vegetables weren't soggy; they had a satisfying crunch.
While texture was often a matter of personal preference, Rei liked his food to have some bite to it, so he had nothing but praise.
The udon itself had been boiled and rinsed properly, so it hadn't turned into mush during the frying process. It still had a firm, chewy core. At the very least, it was a legitimate dish, incomparable to the pathetic udon-modoki he had eaten in Sablusta.
(Well, I suppose it's only natural that his 'original sauce' tastes like demi-glace. I always preferred soy sauce back home, but I don't mind a rich sauce like this.)
As Rei continued to eat with gusto, the stall owner watched with a proud grin.
"Good, isn't it? It's been getting quite a reputation lately."
"Yeah, it's great. ...Say, do you only sell it by the plate? I'd like to buy some to go."
"Ah—... Sorry, lad. I don't really do takeout. It's a matter of the dishes, you see. I can't exactly go around selling the tableware with the food."
"...Then I'll provide the containers. Would you be willing to sell me a batch if I bring my own?"
"Hmm? Well... sure. As long as I'm making a sale, I don't mind. But don't expect a discount just because I'm not using my plates."
"It's a deal. Wait here. I'll go buy something to hold it."
With that, Rei headed straight for a nearby general store.
...The "tableware" he returned with was not a plate or a bowl, but a massive cooking pot large enough to bathe a small child. This, of course, had been Rei’s plan from the beginning.
When he hauled the giant pot back to the stall...
"Whoa, whoa, whoa! You said you were getting a container, but that thing's huge! A batch that size is going to cost you a fortune. Can a kid like you even afford it? I mean, I guess if you can afford a pot that big, you might be okay, but still..."
Rei silenced the owner's concerns by producing a single Gold Coin.
"...Kid, just who are you? How does a brat like you end up with gold?"
Faced with the man's bewildered gaze, Rei silently held up his guild card.
"I'm Rei, a C-Rank Adventurer from the City of Gilm. This is money I earned honestly, so you don't need to worry."
"I see. ...But look, I still can't do it."
"Why not? I'm paying full price."
Rei tilted his head in confusion. The owner let out a heavy sigh.
"Look, Yaki Udon is great, sure. It's my cooking, after all. But food doesn't stay good forever. There's a window of peak flavor. If it gets cold and the noodles get soggy, all my hard work goes to waste."
"Ah, I see. Right, this is Abuelo, after all."
Rei nodded, finally understanding the man's hesitation.
In the City of Gilm, buying massive quantities of food was a regular occurrence for him, so he had forgotten that most people didn't have his storage capabilities.
"It's not a problem. I'll make sure it's all eaten while it's still hot."
"That's what I'm telling you! You buy a pot that size, it'll be ice-cold before you're even halfway through. Unless what? Are you telling me you're going to eat that entire pot in one sitting?"
The owner's eyes were growing sharp, his pride as a cook clearly offended by what he saw as a waste of his craft. It was understandable, given that Rei refused to back down.
Rei shook his head slightly and spoke calmly.
"I may not look it, but I have an Item Box."
Deciding that demonstration was better than explanation, he began pulling several dishes out of his Misty Ring.
A stew that was still piping hot, filled with chunks of meat and vegetables; bread that was freshly baked and still crisp; and grilled skewers dripping with juices as if they had just been pulled from the coals.
"..."
The owner stood in stunned silence as dish after dish appeared from thin air.
Once he had shown enough, Rei returned the food to the Misty Ring before it could cool and looked the man in the eye.
"As you can see, I can preserve food in its heated state indefinitely. ...Now, will you sell me the Yaki Udon?"
"...You mean to tell me you want to eat my food so badly you'd use an Item Box—a legendary magic item—just to store it?"
"Yeah. Your sauce-flavored Yaki Udon... it's impressive. Though, if I could make a suggestion, you might want to rethink your choice of vegetables."
Rei mentioned this because he was disappointed by the lack of long green onions.
While onions were the standard for many, in Rei's—or rather, Reiji's—original world, his family had always used long green onions, and he found that version far superior.
"Vegetables, huh? You might be onto something. I'll have to do some research. Alright, you win! If you're that dedicated to my cooking that you'd use an Item Box for it, I'd be a poor excuse for a cook if I didn't respond in kind. Hang on, I'll get to work!"
The man set to work with renewed vigor, chopping meat and vegetables and setting the water to boil for the noodles.
As Rei watched the process, a voice called out to him.
"Oh, is that Rei?"
He turned to see the four members of the Blade of the Azure Sky, the D-Rank Party he had worked with the night before: Bilt, Begrif, Bilke, and Carla.
"Ah, it is him. What are you doing out so—wait."
Begrif, who had a pole-axe strapped to his back, started to greet Rei but stopped dead when he saw the stall.
The owner was pile-driving a massive amount of ingredients onto the iron plate—a quantity of Yaki Udon that could give someone heartburn just by looking at it.
"Hey, Rei. Exactly how many portions did you order?"
"And what's with that giant pot? Are you seriously planning to fill that with noodles?" Bilke added, her eyes wide.
Rei nodded simply.
"Yeah. It's a flavor of Yaki Udon I've never seen in the City of Gilm. This man's original sauce is truly worthy of praise."
"...Is it really that good?" Bilke asked skeptically. "I mean, I've had it before and thought it was nice, but I didn't think it was worth a standing ovation."
"The Yaki Udon here is a masterpiece. The aroma of that scorched sauce alone is enough to make me want to eat forever. ...I suppose if this is all you know, you take it for granted. But honestly? Even in the City of Gilm, the heartland of udon, you won't find anything better than this."
"Hahaha! I like the way you talk, lad!"
Wiping sweat from his brow with a rag, the owner laughed as he worked. He tossed the freshly boiled and rinsed noodles onto the plate and added the sauce.
Instantly, the savory scent of charred sauce filled the air, a powerful stimulant for the appetite.
To Rei, the smell was nostalgic. It reminded him of the yakisoba, takoyaki, and okonomiyaki sold at summer festivals back in Japan.
Gulp.
Rei unintentionally swallowed his saliva as a freshly prepared plate was handed to him.
"Here. You don't have to look so hungry, lad. This one's for you. Eat up."
"A-Ah."
Despite having already eaten one plate, Rei’s stomach growled, demanding more. It was as if his body was insisting it could devour any amount of this stuff.
Unable to resist the temptation, he dug in. In the end, he even treated the four members of the Blade of the Azure Sky to a round of their own.
For a long time afterward, that corner of the street was filled with a mouth-watering aroma, inevitably stirring the hunger of every passerby.