Having finished dismantling the Snow Salamander, Rei and his party headed straight to the Full Belly Diner.
Their battle in the forest hadn't exactly yielded overwhelming results. Still, it had been undeniably useful for confirming their coordination, so it couldn't be called a failure either.
Granted, the only truly formidable monster they encountered was the single B-Rank Snow Salamander—the rest had been nothing but Goblins.
From Set's perspective, purely in terms of food, it hadn't been a particularly satisfying haul.
At any rate, they had barely managed to turn a profit, so they decided to use the meat and hold a celebration at the Full Belly Diner.
"Gurururu."
The one purring happily was, naturally, Set. Byune was straddling his back, and the people around them stared in surprise and curiosity at the unusual pair.
However, the look Hasta directed at Set was overflowing with guilt.
...Naturally. It was winter. To eat together with Set, they would have to leave the Full Belly Diner's doors wide open—but given the outside temperature, that was simply out of the question.
In other words, Set was happily thinking he would get to join the celebration with Rei and the others, but that wasn't going to happen.
"Hm? What's wrong?" Rei asked, bothered by the disappointed, sorrowful, and apologetic expression on Hasta's face.
"No, I'm glad you're coming to the Full Belly Diner, but Set entering the shop is..."
"Ah, that's what it is. Don't worry about it."
"Eh?"
To Hasta, who was speaking with reluctance—though not quite with tragic resolve—Rei answered breezily.
"As long as you can lend us some tables and chairs, we'll eat outside."
"Eh? Eh? ...Won't it be cold?"
If it were just for a quick meal, it would be one thing, but a celebration meant spending an hour or more outside. When Hasta asked if that would be all right health-wise, Rei smiled and said it was no problem.
Thanks to the Dragon Robe, Rei didn't find the cold bothersome even on a midwinter night. Since they would be eating, snow would make things troublesome, but fortunately it wasn't snowing at the moment.
As for the others, it had already been established that Marina could use Spirit Magic to control the surrounding temperature to some extent, so they had no issue either.
"Well, we'll manage somehow, so don't worry. Just bring the food we order outside."
"No, I mean, that's fine, but..." Are you sure that's really okay?
Hasta's gaze drifted to Marina and Vihera. The reason Byune didn't receive that look was simply because she was still riding on Set's back.
"Yes, there's no problem. With Marina around, we can manage most things."
"...I think that's a bit of an exaggeration."
Marina spoke as if being modest, but it was a fact that things had become much easier since they started traveling with her. Above all, no longer having to trudge through snowy roads was huge, and having her adjust the temperature was a welcome perk. Thinking about it that way, the restrictions on their movements had definitely decreased.
Hasta watched Marina and Vihera's easy banter with evident envy. He was jealous, of course, that Rei got to travel alongside such beauties—but more than that, he envied the bond of a fixed party.
Hasta had become an adventurer to supply meat for the Full Belly Diner run by his family. Naturally, forming a fixed party was difficult for him. He often formed temporary Pickup Parties, but there was a world of difference between a pickup party and a fixed one.
A Pickup Party—teaming up with complete strangers or near-strangers—was significantly stronger in combat than fighting solo, but because the members didn't know each other, coordination hiccups were common. Worse, some people intentionally sabotaged their own party members, meaning you could never focus solely on the enemy.
Of course, such people were only a small fraction of adventurers, but there was never a guarantee that your newest companions weren't among them. Then again, it wasn't unheard of for Pickup Party members to hit it off and form a fixed party on the spot.
Regardless, Hasta needed to regularly provide meat to the Full Belly Diner, making it hard to join a fixed party when it came to splitting rewards. At the same time, he couldn't leave Gilm—more precisely, the Full Belly Diner—so escort missions were out of the question.
Hasta himself was polite and well-liked by many adventurers, but that very obligation was the stumbling block preventing him from forming a fixed party.
...His father, Dishot, worried about his son, but Hasta took genuine joy in supplying meat to the Full Belly Diner—in being useful to his family—so nothing could be done about it.
Hasta understood that, but even so, he couldn't help but yearn for a fixed party of his own.
"Oh, by the way, I heard the recently trending nikuman was a dish you came up with, Rei-san. Is that true?"
Perhaps sensing that continuing to talk about parties would only bring him down, Hasta changed the subject. Dishot's restaurant also served nikuman, and having heard the rumor that Rei was its inventor, he wanted to know if it was true.
"Hmm, I wonder. What I taught was just the general method and things like that. I didn't actually perfect it into a complete nikuman, so saying I came up with it might be a bit of a stretch."
"Is that so? My father has been trying various things, but he can't seem to make something satisfactory. If you're willing, it would help if you could taste-test it. Of course, since it's just a taste-test, there's no charge. What do you think?"
Hasta asked with a hint of eagerness, likely because he wasn't very satisfied with the nikuman Dishot was producing.
Since the basic recipe was shared with anyone who wanted it, what each restaurant needed was its own ingenuity. Wanting advice on that front was probably Hasta's honest feeling.
"Even if you say that... Well, if it's free, I'll give it a try."
"Really! Then I'll go tell my father. I also need to get the chairs and tables ready."
With that, Hasta broke into a run toward the Full Belly Diner, which had just come into view.
"So energetic," Marina murmured, almost involuntarily.
From her perspective, Hasta left a favorable impression. Working hard for one's family sounded simple enough, but it was far from easy in practice. Especially for someone working solo or in Pickup Parties, the effort required was even greater. That was why Hasta's tireless dedication struck her as admirable.
"True. He's definitely a filial son, without a doubt. ...Well, we're here."
Replied Rei as he opened the door to the Full Belly Diner.
The sound that greeted them from inside was a clamor that could only be described as bustling. The Full Belly Diner, boasting the triple threat of tasty, plentiful, and cheap food, was an ideal cafeteria for adventurers. Even those saving up funds for winter knew that cutting costs wherever possible was simply the smart thing to do.
Of course, this was a cafeteria, not a tavern. They served a little alcohol, but it wasn't the kind of place where you could hold a rowdy banquet.
Rei and his party stepped inside.
Set waited quietly outside, probably because he knew the celebration would be held outdoors.
Once inside, Rei's party naturally drew stares from the customers already seated. But the moment they recognized the famous faces—Rei, Vihera, and Marina—the patrons quickly averted their eyes and returned to their meals.
(If this were a tavern or the Guild, it'd be somewhat expected... but doing this in a cafeteria feels a little strange.)
Rei mused as he watched the adventurers go back to their food.
"Rei-san, they said we can take these tables and chairs!"
Hasta, having noticed them enter, called out while waving.
Fortunately, there were still empty tables. Told that they could take them outside, Rei nodded and headed over immediately. Ignoring the puzzled looks from nearby customers who tilted their heads at the mention of taking the tables away, he stashed the tables and chairs one after another into his Misty Ring.
Carrying them out by hand wouldn't have been a problem, but he wanted to avoid raising dust in a room full of people eating. The fact that Rei possessed an Item Box was somewhat well-known, but few had ever seen one used right in front of them. The adventurers who had been eating near the now-stashed tables widened their eyes at his sudden action—but they didn't interject.
"Ah, then just bring out the food for the celebration. Oh, and... I'd appreciate it if you could make something with this."
Handing Hasta the pure white meat that appeared as if replacing the tables and chairs—the Snow Salamander's meat—Rei headed back outside with Marina and Vihera.
"Hey, did we really need to come inside the shop?" Vihera asked.
"Who knows? But it doesn't really matter either way, does it?" Marina replied.
Vihera and Marina exchanged words as they stepped outside.
Rei set the tables and chairs on the snow, and Marina adjusted the surrounding environment with Spirit Magic.
In the blink of an eye, the preparations for the celebration were complete, and as if they had been waiting for it, Hasta brought out several plates of food.
Meat was the centerpiece, no doubt thanks to the massive stockpile in his warehouse. But there were also vegetables. Produce was naturally expensive this time of year, but a merchant grateful to the Full Belly Diner sold them at near-cost. They still weren't cheap, but since long-lasting vegetables like potatoes were also used, the overall vegetable portions were kept modest.
It was a spread that only Rei's party, with their financial flexibility, could afford.
"As for drinks..."
"Wine for me," said Marina.
"Then I'll have the same," said Vihera.
Marina and Vihera answered, and Hasta's gaze turned to Rei. Hasta already knew that Rei didn't care for alcohol. And Byune was still a child, far too young to drink. ...In Elgin, there was no clearly defined drinking age, but Byune was simply too small. That was why Hasta had asked, but...
"Do you have any Fruit Water?"
"No, not at this time of year..."
If it had been spring, summer, or even autumn, they might have been able to prepare some. But right now, it was winter. A high-end establishment might be different, but the Full Belly Diner was in no position to offer Fruit Water.
"I see. I have my own, so I'd like to drink that—is that all right? If not, water is fine."
"No, if you have your own, that's fine. ...As a restaurant it's a little disappointing, but having just water at a celebration is a bit sad. We do have tea, though."
With that settled, Rei and Byune decided to drink the Fruit Water stored in the Misty Ring. Hasta brought over two cups of wine and two empty cups, and Rei poured Fruit Water into them.
With everything ready, Rei, as the party leader, naturally took the lead in proposing a toast.
"This subjugation request... no, it wasn't a request. Let's celebrate the safe completion of the subjugation held to check our coordination... Cheers!"
"Cheers!" "Nn."
Each of them raised their voice and lifted a cup.
And the first thing everyone reached for was, unsurprisingly, the skewered meat—pure white with faint char marks.
What kind of meat it was became obvious the moment they saw its color. The instant they put it in their mouths, the meat fibers began to fall apart. To preserve the meat's color, no sauce had been used; it was seasoned simply with salt and something with a faintly spicy kick.
(Sansho?)
The condiment was a staple of the eel he used to eat back in Japan. Of course, Rei's tongue couldn't confirm whether it was truly sansho, but the resemblance was unmistakable—and he found himself glancing toward Hasta.