I’d stayed up late verifying videos, so I ended up oversleeping a bit.
Yawning, I headed down to the living room to find that Mika was already gone, having presumably left for her job. My parents were there instead, relaxing and watching TV.
“...Morning.”
“Morning.”
“Oh? You’re finally up. Daiki, just because it’s a holiday doesn’t mean you should be so lazy, you know?”
“Ah, yeah. Sorry.”
“Mika already left for her part-time job. Didn't you say you were going too?”
“Yeah.”
Conversing with my mother, I shook off my grogginess and moved to the kitchen. I took the barley tea out of the refrigerator, poured it into a glass, and gulped it down.
That seemed to clear my head.
“...Phew. Well, I plan to head over around noon, so I’m still fine.”
“I see.”
I told my mother not to worry as I checked the clock on the wall. It was already past ten, but it would take less than an hour to get there, so there was no rush.
“Well then, Daiki, do you want to eat breakfast before you go? There are leftovers from this morning in the fridge.”
“Hmm, I’ll pass. I’m planning to try the food at the stalls over there, so I’ll just have some coffee before I head out.”
“Alright. Go wash your face first, then. You still look half-asleep.”
“...Yeah.”
I left the living room and washed my face in the bathroom. The cold water finally woke me up. Looking in the mirror while brushing my teeth, I realized I was still in my pajamas, so I went back to my room to change.
I quickly swapped my pajamas for my everyday clothes and grabbed my shoulder bag. When I re-entered the living room, ready to leave, a cup of coffee was waiting for me in my usual mug on the table in front of the sofa.
“Oh, Daiki. Looks like you’re ready.”
“Yeah. Thanks for the coffee.”
I thanked my mother, sat on the sofa, and placed my bag at my feet. The coffee was a bit lukewarm, but still perfectly drinkable.
“That reminds me, Daiki. There’s something I’d like to ask of you. Is that alright?”
“? What is it?”
My father, who was sitting next to my mother, spoke up.
“The truth is, I want you to go take some pictures of Mika working.”
“Her working?”
“Yeah. Photos or videos, either is fine. Please.”
“Oh, that’s a great idea. Daiki, I’m asking you too.”
They were acting like this was a school recital. I didn’t mind, but I knew Mika would be mortified if she found out.
“Fine, but if Mika doesn't like it, I’m not taking any, okay?”
“Well, we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it. Just try to be discreet.”
“Fufu, I’m looking forward to seeing how she looks.”
I tried to set some boundaries, but looking at my parents’ smiling faces, I felt like I’d be in trouble if I didn't bring anything back. I drained the rest of my coffee, grabbed my bag, and stood up.
“Well, I’m off. I don’t think I’ll be back too late.”
“Alright. Give Mika our best.”
“Take care. Have a good time.”
“Yeah, I’m going.”
After saying goodbye to my parents, I left the house. The sky was perfectly clear, and the sunlight felt warm and pleasant.
When I exited the ticket gate at the station, the wide walkway was overflowing with people. Men and women of all ages, couples, and families were all walking in the same direction—out of the station. It seemed everyone had the same destination.
“Heh, so it’s this popular. I guess dungeons really are drawing a lot of attention.”
I moved to an open space against the wall and watched the flow of people, impressed by the size of the crowd. Since there had been extensive news coverage about the death of a minor explorer recently, I’d expected a smaller turnout, but it seemed I was wrong.
“Still, trying to move through this crowd all the way to the venue is going to be a pain...”
I watched with a weary gaze, already feeling exhausted by the sheer number of people. Just at a glance, the line of people must have numbered in the hundreds. I wondered how long it would take just to reach the entrance. However, cutting in line would be poor form, so I really didn't have a choice.
“Sigh... I guess I’ll line up.”
I bought a bottle of tea from a vending machine and joined the flow of people. The line was moving at a decent speed, but my predictions were off again; by the time I reached the venue, it was already past noon. The Sports Park was about a kilometer from the station, a walk that should have taken ten to fifteen minutes, but it took me thirty—double the normal time.
Thanks to that...
“I finally made it. Phew... I’m starving.”
As I approached the park, the smell of food from the stalls hit my empty stomach like a physical blow. The smell of charred sauce from what was likely yakisoba was particularly agonizing as it drifted past the line.
“I’ll grab something to eat before I meet up with Mika and the others...”
I apologized to them in my heart and headed toward the dining area, which was on the opposite side of the merchandise area where they were working. An army marches on its stomach, after all.
I spread my spoils across a table in the eat-in space and nodded with satisfaction. I’d picked three items that looked like they could be bought quickly.
“Alright, let's eat. Starting with the yakisoba.”
The aroma was incredible. I removed the rubber band from the pack, grabbed the disposable chopsticks, and shoved a mouthful of noodles into my mouth.
“Yeah. It’s good!”
I followed up with a second mouthful. The noodles were fried until crispy in places, and the crunchy bean sprouts and cabbage provided a nice accent. The sweet and savory sauce had a charred, smoky aroma that stimulated my appetite.
And above all...
“This crispy orc meat adds a great flavor!”
The surface was fried to a crisp, yet it retained a solid, meaty taste. The juices overflowing from the meat coated the noodles, adding richness and depth. Pushed by my hunger, I devoured the rest of the pack in no time.
“Phew... That was definitely worth the price.”
I wiped my mouth with a napkin. The yakisoba made with orc meat had been expensive at 1,200 yen, but the portion and taste were satisfying. Even though the prices of dungeon ingredients had been dropping lately, it seemed they were still relatively high-end.
“Now, for the next one...”
Next was a kebab wrapped in a paper bag. It was a pita stuffed with coleslaw and grilled meat, topped with a spicy hot sauce.
“The fact that it’s Giant Frog meat is a little concerning... but here goes.”
I hesitated slightly at the thought of the monster meat, but I bit into the Giant Frog meat kebab.
“...! This is actually pretty good.”
The texture was identical to chicken. The flavor was lean but well-seasoned, and the more I chewed, the more the savory flavor came out. The harmony between the fragrant, crispy meat and the spicy sauce was magnificent, and the succulent coleslaw provided a refreshing aftertaste.
“Giant Frog meat... it really is a perfect substitute for chicken.”
It might look gross in the dungeon, but as an ingredient, it was surprisingly excellent. I finished the rest of the 600-yen kebab, impressed by the monster's culinary potential.
“Now, for the last one...”
I reached for the final item: a simple skewer with four large chunks of grilled meat.
“A minotaur meat skewer. It was expensive, but let’s see...”
It had cost 1,800 yen. I bit into it with high expectations.
“It’s delicious!”
That was the only way to describe it. It was prepared simply with salt and pepper and grilled over charcoal, but it was incredibly juicy. The juices practically exploded with every bite. Since it hadn't been over-seasoned, the quality of the meat really shone through.
“...”
I savored the skewer in silence. As I thought, when a professional cooks, the difference in skill becomes even clearer with simple methods. I let out a sigh as I compared this to my own attempts at cooking minotaur meat.
“Well, it’s fine.”
After finishing my meal, I took a break and drank my tea. I was quite pleased with my intuition for picking such a satisfying lunch.
“Phew... well, thank you for the meal.”
I cleaned up my trash and stood up. Other customers were starting to crowd the eat-in space, and I didn't want to hog the table. I tossed my containers into a bin at the edge of the area and moved on.
With a full stomach, I decided to take a quick lap around the venue before heading to the merchandise area to find Mika.
The other stalls were serving various dungeon ingredients. Some had suspicious-looking goblin meat on the menu, which I didn't even want to look at, but most were just standard dishes with a dungeon-food twist.
“If the variety of ingredients increases, the cooking will get more interesting, but for now, it’s all meat...”
I didn't see any stalls handling fish or plants. Currently, the lineup was still quite narrow.
“I’ll just have to look forward to the monsters on the middle floors and beyond for other types of ingredients.”
Eventually, the crowd thinned out as I reached the end of the dining area.
A large temporary stage with rows of folding chairs came into view nearby. It seemed I had reached the stage show area.
“It’s a pretty big stage...”
It looked to be about twenty meters wide. If they were going to do the mock battle that Mika mentioned, they’d need that much space. Since it was lunchtime, the area was mostly empty.
“Hmm? What’s that...”
I noticed a sign with a schedule beside the stage. The mock battle Mika had mentioned was scheduled for 1:30 PM. Checking my watch, I realized I still had plenty of time.
“...Another hour. That’s a long wait.”
There was no point in staying there, so I moved on to the product area. This section featured displays from various companies using dungeon materials. While it was interesting, the foot traffic was sparse, and the people here looked like industry professionals. The interactions between staff and customers felt more like business negotiations than retail sales.
Still, walking through the area was interesting enough since there were so many new products on display.
“Wait, huh?”
I found something that caught my eye and stopped in front of a stall.
It was sitting in a pink plastic basket, piled haphazardly at the storefront with the price written on a piece of cardboard.
It was the special sale skill scroll Mika had mentioned.