The next day.
In the morning, Pioro-san provided me with a variety of seasonings, including miso and soy sauce.
Setting out in high spirits, I submitted the gathered medicinal herbs and the Smash Boar fangs to the guild. They informed me that my reward would be prepared immediately; it seemed the male staff member from the previous day had passed along the details properly.
I had spent quite some time coming up with various excuses to make the encounter look like a coincidence, but in the end, they weren't necessary. Well, that’s just speaking in hindsight. Normally, it wouldn't have been unusual to face a bit of questioning, but Ken-san and the others were safe and I managed to avoid suspicion, so I'll count it as a win.
As I was lost in thought, the staff member attending to me offered a word of thanks along with the reward. When I asked why, he explained that he was a personal friend of the three adventurers I had helped. I took the opportunity to ask about the two men who had been with them, and he told me they had already been apprehended.
Apparently, a guild employee who stopped by a tavern after work last night witnessed the duo trying to approach another E-Rank party and reported them. They were taken into custody on the spot. Under investigation, the two admitted to their crimes, which led to the discovery that their guild cards were forged. Since several other prior offenses came to light as well, they were expelled from the Adventurer Guild. Following a harsh interrogation, they were reportedly facing at least five years of forced labor in the mines or an indefinite sentence of slavery.
"Is it actually possible to forge a guild card?" I asked.
"The guild writes and deletes data like rewards and penalties, so it’s not strictly impossible," the clerk replied. "However, that requires specialized magic tools, so it's not something an ordinary adventurer can pull off. In this case, it was far simpler—they were using cards belonging to other people. One card was likely found and used as-is. For the other, they had taken the vital parts of a damaged card and joined them with another. Some people have cards covered in scratches from rough handling, so while it wasn't exactly seamless, the joined surfaces were disguised quite naturally. Apparently, the man had once been an apprentice craftsman in a workshop before he was kicked out for causing trouble."
So it was a "Frankensteined" card made from two authentic ones. Their character might have been rotten, but I suppose they at least had the technical skill.
"I’ll have to be careful about how I manage my own card then."
"Hehe. Please do."
"Thank you very much."
I thanked the staff member for the update and left the guild.
Now then... what should I do? I’ve finished everything I needed to accomplish here. For now, I suppose I’ll head back to Pioro-san’s place.
"Ryoma-sama, the chairman was looking for you earlier," one of the employees told me when I arrived.
When I told them I could see him immediately, I was led straight to Pioro-san’s office. Given the promptness, I wondered if there was some urgent matter. I sat down and listened to him while sipping the tea I was served.
"Say, Ryoma, do ya think ya could make somethin' usin' that Smash Boar meat with some soy sauce or miso?"
"A dish, you mean?"
Technically, Smash Boar meat is wild boar, but its flavor and texture are almost identical to pork. If I were to think of Japanese cuisine, the things I could make relatively quickly would be... Pork Miso Soup, pork shabu-shabu, pork bowls, or maybe pork ginger roast.
"I have a few ideas," I said.
"Could ya teach 'em to me? Grilled fish and miso soup are tasty an' all, but I’m startin' to get a bit bored of just that. I’ve been thinkin' for a while now that if there were more ways to use soy sauce and miso, they’d start sellin' a lot better, ya know?"
I see. I’d be more than happy if Japanese-style food became easier to find here, so I decided to show him.
"Well then, how about some pork gin—no, Smash Boar Jija-yaki?"
I have the meat. I have soy sauce and mirin. And ginger—or Jija—can be bought at the apothecary. In other words, I can make a proper ginger roast, not just something that vaguely tastes like it!
"It’s a bit much to ask of a guest, but would ya mind whippin' up some of that Jija-yaki for us? You’re free to use anythin' we’ve got in the kitchen."
"Are you sure?"
"It’s a gain for us to learn a new recipe, after all."
And so, I ended up preparing lunch. To my surprise, Kurana-san and Miyabi joined me in the kitchen. I had assumed I’d be teaching one of the servants, but when I mentioned that, the two of them laughed.
"Ma beats it into me every now and then, sayin' cookin' is a woman's duty," Miyabi explained. "I don't mind it much anyway, and it wouldn't look right if the daughter of a food merchant couldn't even cook, would it?"
"I'm lookin' forward to seein' a dish I've never heard of and witnessin' Ryoma-han's skill firsthand," Kurana-san added.
Under their watchful eyes, I began cooking with the ingredients and tools I had requested. First, I washed the rice and set it over the fire. Cooking rice in a furnace was an experience I never had back on Earth.
To accompany the ginger roast, I decided to make Pork Miso Soup. I prepared a dashi stock using small dried fish and a seaweed similar to kelp, then added green onions, burdock root, mushrooms, Smash Boar meat, and various vegetables. I had realized after coming to town that the vegetables sold in this world’s shops surprisingly often had the same names and appearances as the ones on Earth. It was almost certainly the influence of a previous otherworlder.
While the Pork Miso Soup simmered, Miyabi took charge of watching over the rice. Once the soup was finished, I took some extra dashi stock I’d set aside, put it in a bottle from my Item Box, and seasoned it with soy sauce, mirin, and vinegar. Watching this, Kurana-san spoke up.
"Ryoma-han, what’s that?"
"It’s a blended seasoning made from soy sauce, mirin, dashi, and vinegar. Naturally, the taste changes depending on the proportions, and everyone has their own preferences, but I personally think adding a bit of Ramon juice makes it refreshing and delicious. You can pour it over salads, and it goes quite well with meat or fish too."
"So there was somethin' like that too..."
Kurana-san stared at the bottle for a moment before returning her attention to the Pork Miso Soup.
A short while later, the soup was done. I suppose it’s time to start the main course. While searing the thinly sliced meat in the frying pan, I grated the Jija and mixed it with an appropriate amount of soy sauce and mirin to make the sauce.
When the meat was browned and cooked through, I poured the sauce over it. A loud sizzle filled the kitchen, followed by a savory, aromatic cloud of steam. Both of their gazes were fixed on the pan, but at this stage, I just had to toss the meat to coat it. And with that, the Jija-yaki was complete! It’s simple, but that’s what makes it so good.
There are many ways to make ginger roast—some recipes call for marinating the meat beforehand—but I don't usually do that. Back in my previous life, I prioritized things that were quick to make and delicious, though it might be nice to put in the extra effort next time.
Finally, I shredded some cabbage and sliced a few tomatoes—a peculiar variety that was larger than a cherry tomato but smaller than a regular one—into quarters for the side. That should do it. Now, the rice is also finished...
Just as I went to check the rice, a man with black hair caught the corner of my eye.
"Pioro-san? How long have you been there?"
Pioro-san emerged from the shadows of the kitchen entrance, looking a bit sheepish.
"Well now... I smelled somethin' delicious, so I just sort of drifted over."
The smell of freshly cooked rice and ginger roast really does have a way of working up an appetite.
"Dad, that's bad manners," Miyabi scolded. "If ya wanted to see, ya should've just come in properly."
Ignoring the father being rebuked by his daughter, I plated the food for the four of us.
"It's all ready."
"Oh, really? Well then, let's eat right away!"
We had the servants carry the food to the dining room and took our seats.
"Please, help yourself. This is the Smash Boar Jija-yaki Set Meal."
"It really does look tasty. Thanks for the food!"
Miyabi began eating first. She skillfully gripped a piece of the Jija-yaki with her chopsticks and took a bite. A moment later, her ears perked up straight.
"Delicious! This is incredibly good!"
"My, you're right," Kurana-san agreed. "I thought it smelled wonderful while we were cookin', but it's even better when ya actually taste it."
"The Jija-yaki is one thin', but this soup you called Pork Miso Soup? This is great too," Pioro-san said. "It's got plenty of vegetables, so it looks healthy. Once word gets out about this, soy sauce and miso are definitely gonna fly off the shelves!"
It seemed to be to their liking. It’s always rewarding to see people enjoy your cooking. Pioro-san clearly had a business angle in mind, but there was no doubt he genuinely liked it. I enjoyed the meal alongside them, quietly satisfied as I explained the different components of the dish.
By the way, after lunch, Pioro-san liked the Jija-yaki so much that he declared he would start selling it in his side dish shop that very evening. True to his word, by the time evening rolled around, the shop had Jija-yaki ready for sale, complete with a sign recommending it as a new specialty.
He certainly works fast.
The next day.
After eating breakfast, I headed out to go to my own shop. Just then, a horse-drawn carriage pulled up in front of the Saionji Company.
Hmm? That person in the back is...
"Carla-san!"
"Eh? Manager!"
It was indeed Carla-san. She had been giving instructions to others with her back to me and hadn't noticed my presence.
"You've arrived. Thank you for the long journey."
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Manager. And the shop is...?"
"Right there, diagonally across from us."
When I pointed out the store, Carla-san first gave instructions to some people I didn't recognize and sent them toward the shop. They must be the newly hired staff. After that, I took Carla-san, Koken, and the others to greet Pioro-san, and then we began the final preparations for the opening.
Four days later.
After taking two days to finalize the interior and confirm everyone's roles, we opened on the third day.
We hired five new employees for this branch. They had received basic training beforehand, so they were working quite smoothly. One is a dedicated cook for the branch, and the other four serve as both clerks and bodyguards.
The four acting as bodyguards were apparently former C-Rank adventurers. When I asked about their background, they told me they had been doing reasonably well as adventurers, but just as they were starting to see their own limits, they lost two of their companions to a monster they happened to encounter.
At the time, they didn't even have any knowledge about the monster responsible and could do little more than run. They said they were only saved by luck and the fact that the monster's attention was focused on their fallen comrades—friends who, realizing they were too injured to escape or make it back to town, had desperately drawn the beast's focus.
They had rushed to the guild as soon as they survived to report the monster. Fortunately, it was hunted without much trouble by an A-Rank party that happened to be in that town. However, when they went to the guild to see the corpse of their friends' killer for closure, they discovered the monster was a B-Rank.
The opponent they were completely helpless against, the one that forced them to run while losing their friends, was only a single rank higher than them. And yet, there were parties that could hunt it with ease. After seeing that, they reportedly gave up on the idea of ever becoming B-Rank or higher themselves.
Since they could earn enough to live on even with C-Rank requests, they had been saving their money while looking for a stable workplace. That was when they heard about my shop and decided to take the offer.
They are former C-Rank adventurers. While they might not be enough to handle a B-Rank monster, they are more than a match for common thugs. The Guild Master also gave his seal of approval, confirming they were more than sufficient for shop security.
Furthermore, upon hearing that I was an adventurer myself, they were very friendly, sharing their experiences and warning me to always put safety first. I'm sure they'll get along well with the rest of the staff.
As a side note, Ken-san and the others stopped by the shop shortly after it opened. Since there were almost no customers yet, I gave them a tour and introduced the staff in hopes of making them regulars. When the topic turned to the Smash Boar incident, it seemed Ken-san's actions struck a chord with the bodyguards, and they began offering him various advice and guidance. The story about why they retired as adventurers was actually something I heard when I introduced them to Ken-san's group.
At any rate, there was nothing more that required my presence, so I left the Lenaf branch in Carla-san's hands and prepared to return to the town of Gimul. Pioro-san, Carla-san, and the others all came to see me off at the gate.
"Do your best, Ryoma! The real battle starts now; I want to see ya keep on increasin' your shops!"
"Please take care of yourself."
"Manager, please rest assured and leave everything here to us."
"We will learn the management of the shop as quickly and thoroughly as possible!"
"You can leave it to us. I won't be profligate like I was in the past; I will definitely make this shop prosper!"
"Manager, watch your health."
"You all take care as well."
"Ryoma-han, don't go doin' anythin' too reckless now. I don't know when we'll see each other next, so don't you go dyin' on us."
"Of course not. I have plenty of reasons to stay alive."
I have my grandparents' legacy, my research, the slimes, and my promise to Elia.
Oh, that's right. Miyabi-san is going to the Academy in the Royal Capital starting this year, isn't she? In that case, she might meet Elia. Elia mentioned she didn't have many friends, and Miyabi-san is going there to establish connections with the nobility...
"Miyabi-san."
"What is it?"
"You're going to the school in the Royal Capital this year, right?"
"Yeah, what about it?"
"If so, I have a request."
"Sure, what's up? I'll do it if I can."
"A girl named Eliaria will be enrolling in the school there this year. If possible, I'd like you to try and be friends with her. She's a good person, and since she's a high-ranking noble, it'll be good for your connections too. Also, please tell her I said to do her best."
"Well, as long as she isn't hangin' out with a bad crowd, I don't mind."
"Thank you. Good luck to you too, Miyabi-san."
"Of course! You do your best too!"
I bowed to everyone who had come to see me off and began the journey back to Gimul.