On the morning of the seventeenth, a visitor arrived in Saichi Village.
It was a poultry vendor.
"Care for any kokarisk, palos—little birds like sparrows—or pigeons?"
"Oh, quite a rare treat. Well then, let me have ten pigeons, twenty palos, and five kokarisks."
"Thank you kindly!"
The Village Chief bought them with obvious delight.
Since the pigeons were alive, they were taken to a dovecote.
The palos and kokarisks had already been slaughtered, so they were carried off to the storage shed.
Naturally, the pigeons were homing pigeons whose destination was the Jagus Principality.
The palos would be plucked and roasted whole.
The kokarisks would be butchered and eaten.
Incidentally, this poultry vendor and Special Investigator No. 99 had never met before. Even when passing each other in the street, neither showed any reaction beyond a polite nod.
In fact, No. 99—Alto Elbein—simply recognized them as meat suited to his salt and pepper, going so far as to purchase two kokarisks for himself.
After selling a few palos to the villagers as well, the bird seller went on his way.
"Palos... Yeah, these are definitely sparrows," Jin D muttered.
"Fushimi Inari... was that it? The place famous for grilled sparrow."
He recalled seeing something about it on TV back when he lived in Japan.
"I think those used a sweet soy sauce glaze... but I wonder if salt and pepper would work too?"
Considering it was just another variety of yakitori, salt and pepper might do the trick just fine, Jin D figured.
As a side note, the repertoire of poultry dishes—including yakitori—was comparatively limited on Hourai Island.
That was because Jin's beloved wife, Elsa, despised kokarisk.
As a result, culinary research into poultry recipes had barely progressed.
At most, their menu went as far as karaage, fried chicken (fried kokarisk?), and basic skewers.
Since there were plenty of other delicious foods to enjoy, neither Jin nor the rest of the Jin Family ever complained.
Be that as it may.
An uproar resembling an impromptu grilled-bird festival had broken out across Saichi Village.
One catalyst, of course, was the pepper Alto Elbein had brought with him.
"Oh man, eating it with this salt and pepper is amazing...!"
"Isn't it? I feel like I could eat this forever."
"Munch, munch."
"Achoo!"
Amidst the lively commotion, the villagers had gathered in the plaza before the public bathhouse to roast the birds over open flames.
"Hahaha! Eat and drink to your heart's content today, everyone!"
The Village Chief was presiding over the gathering in exceptionally high spirits.
And with good reason—liquor had been flowing freely since before noon.
Apparently, he had decided on a whim to make this very day their summer Harvest Festival... a Summer Festival.
Given the subtropical climate of the region, crops could be harvested year-round, but this period happened to coincide with the completion of their wheat tax payments.
It seemed he also thought the timing was perfect because Ministry of Technology Undersecretary Nahams Marow was currently staying in the village.
In short, the date of the Summer Festival was left entirely to the Village Chief's discretion.
And he had evidently decided on "today" simply because both a traveling merchant and a poultry vendor happened to visit at the same time.
Small villages held an advantage in situations like this, as word could be passed to everyone in a flash.
No one complained about the sudden festival; on the contrary, everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves from the bottom of their hearts.
The alcohol being served had been brought out from the Village Chief's storehouse.
It was aged wine, and having rested for years, the flavor was supposedly quite refined.
Jin D checked to ensure no euphoriants were mixed into it, and finding no foreign substances, breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha, everyone certainly seems to be having a wonderful time."
To maintain his cover as an itinerant merchant, Alto Elbein had set up a stall at the edge of the plaza.
To draw in customers and offer free samples, he sold grilled bird seasoned with salt and pepper without any regard for profit margins.
His main merchandise consisted of small, portioned packets of pepper. It had been pre-ground, so all customers had to do was sprinkle it over their food.
Because it was offered at a special festival price of fifty Tolls per gram (roughly five hundred yen), it was selling like hotcakes.
At the same time, people were snapping up his other wares, so he was bound to turn a solid overall profit.
"Business is booming, Alto-san," Jin D called out, walking over with three roasted palos in his hands.
"Here, have some."
"Why, thank you."
Jin D handed two of the three to Alto and took a bite of the remaining one. Even the bones were grilled to a crisp, offering quite an appetizing crunch, his taste sensors evaluated.
"You look so busy you probably haven't had a chance to eat, right?"
"Well, yes. But that's the merchant's life for you."
Even while saying so, Alto Elbein eagerly sank his teeth into the grilled bird Jin D had given him.
"Oh, this is fantastic."
Just salt and pepper alone brought out the savory depth of the meat wonderfully, Alto remarked.
"Jin-san, thank you very much."
Alto offered his sincere gratitude.
Having finished his own skewer, Jin D said, "Ah, it would've been better with something to wash it down... That slipped my mind. Reiko, could you grab us something?"
"Yes, right away."
Answering promptly, Reiko bought two drinks from a nearby stall and returned.
Jin D took them and offered one to Alto.
"Here, drink up."
"My, you shouldn't have."
Alto accepted the cup with polite deference.
"Phew, it seems I was thirstier than I realized. Thank you so much."
"Don't mention it. Well then, best of luck with your sales."
Leaving those parting words, Jin D walked away.
Watching his receding back, Alto Elbein muttered in a voice so faint no one could hear, "...I just don't understand him."
"Ah, Jin-san, would you care for one of these?"
"Hey there, Jin-san! Having a good time?"
"Jin-san, please, have some of this too!"
Jin D had blended into the village so completely that the locals constantly approached him to chat, share snacks, or offer him drinks.
And from a distance, Alto Elbein quietly kept watch over him.