We chatted as we strolled leisurely toward the special monster race track.
"I wonder if Rin-chan went back to sleep?"
"It looks like she’s just pretending to sleep out of spite," Fia-sensei replied, and Noin-san nodded in agreement.
Just as they said, after her conversation with Fafnir-san, Rin had crawled back inside my clothes and fallen into a sulky slumber. I wasn't entirely sure what had happened, so I couldn't say much, but Rin wasn't the type to hold a grudge. She’d probably be back to her usual self once she woke up.
"By the way, changing the subject... wasn't Bell-chan a monster race champion too?"
"Yes, though she only ever ran in one race..."
"Gau!"
Bell nodded proudly, as if to say, "Ahem!" She looked so adorable that I reached out to pat her head.
"Heh. Fafnir said last-minute entries were welcome, so why don't you give it a shot, Bell-chan?"
"Gau!"
"Absolutely not. You'll get dirty," I said firmly.
"Grua?! K-Kuuu..."
"I said no!"
"Kuu..."
Despite having run so much earlier, Bell was still full of energy. She truly loved to run, and I could tell she wanted to participate. However, a monster race was essentially a free-for-all. It was inevitable that Bell's beautiful fur would end up caked in mud. That was a deal-breaker. If that happened, I’d have to cut our festival trip short just to spend the rest of the day scrubbing her clean.
"M-Miyama-kun? But look, Bell-chan really seems to want to do it..."
"No means no. Besides, if Bell entered, she’d win by such a landslide it would be unfair to the other monsters. It would just be a case of a high-level beast bullying the weak."
"...T-That's true."
I certainly wanted to see her in action, but since the result was a foregone conclusion, there was no reason to go out of our way to enter.
For some reason, Fia-sensei and Noin-san gave me strained smiles, but I focused on clearing up a potential misunderstanding with Bell.
"And another thing, Bell. Just so you know, you can't carry me on your back during a proper monster race."
"Grua?!"
That did it. What Bell loved most was "running while carrying me." Her expression shifted to one of pure shock, and she shuffled dejectedly to the back of the group.
It seemed she had lost all interest in the race. I hadn't been able to take her for a proper walk during the first few days of the Six Kings Festival, so I made a mental note to take her back to that ranch later.
"Miyama-kun, you really do treasure Bell-chan and Rin-chan. Speaking of which, didn't you buy that storage-type pet house recently?"
"Wait, how do you know about that, Fia-sensei?"
I was referring to the pet house I’d won at the auction the day I went around with Isis-san. Fia-sensei hadn't been there at the time... Was it Alice? It had to be Alice.
"Shaltier-sama told me."
"Of course she did."
"Ah! That reminds me! Didn't you also win Noin's old diary at the auction, Miyama-kun?"
"Haaaah?!" Noin-san shrieked, reacting with incredible intensity.
Oh, that’s right. I’d been so confused after meeting Luce-san that I had completely forgotten about the diary I intended to return to Noin-san.
"W-Wait... Kaito-san?! What is the meaning of this? Why do you have my diary?!"
"I actually ended up winning it by pure chance. I meant to give it back to you sooner, but it slipped my mind. I haven't looked inside, so don't worry."
"I-I see... Thank goodness."
"Um, let's see... here it is. Here you go—"
"Miyama-kun, wait!" Fia-sensei cut in, stopping me just as I was about to hand it over.
"Fia?" Noin asked, confused.
"Miyama-kun, if I recall correctly, you won that for one platinum coin, right?"
"A platinum coin?!" Noin gasped.
"Yes, that's right..."
"I see, I see... Now, Noin. You don't honestly think you can just take it back and call it a day, do you? Technically speaking, that diary is Miyama-kun's property."
Wow... she had a wicked look on her face that I’d never seen before. Come to think of it, Fia-sensei really only ever teased Noin-san this relentlessly.
Noin-san seemed to sense the trap closing around her, and she turned pale as she looked at Fia-sensei.
"W-What are you trying to say?"
"Well, I was just thinking that Miyama-kun has earned the right to read that diary. And while we're at it, I’d like to take a peek too."
"What?! No! In fact, that second part was your only motive!"
"Come on, it'll be fine. It’s just a travel diary from your journey. It’s not like you wrote anything weird, right?"
"T-That... that’s true, but..."
Fia-sensei and Noin-san went back and forth for a while, but I had a feeling Fia would win. Sure enough, my prediction came true. Talked into a corner by Fia-sensei, Noin-san reluctantly agreed to let us read it.
A diary written during the journey to defeat the Demon King... I’d be lying if I said I wasn't curious. Fia-sensei likely wanted to know what her former rival was thinking during the quest to defeat her.
"Then... let's take a look."
"Ugh, fine... but I don't even know which period that diary is from."
"Let's see... it says the Month of Earth."
Apparently, the current Month of Light used to be called the Month of Earth. It had been renamed to honor Noin-san’s achievements after the friendship treaty was signed.
"Ah, so it's a diary from around this time of year... Wait, huh? It's written in characters from another world. I can't read this... Miyama-kun, could you read it for me?"
"Sure."
I often forgot, but thanks to the automatic comprehension from the Hero Summoning, I could read the script of this world perfectly. To Fia-sensei, however, Japanese was a completely alien language. That meant that for almost anyone else in this world, this diary was an indecipherable code.
Ah, that made sense. That’s probably why Noin-san hadn't been desperately trying to track down all her old journals...
With that thought in mind, I turned my gaze to the stack of papers and began to read.
12th of the Month of Earth
Enough! I’ve reached my limit! I know I shouldn't be picky while on a journey, but some things are simply intolerable! Is there no rice? No rice at all?! I am sick and tired of bread! I want a breakfast of white rice, miso soup, pickled radish, and grilled fish... Actually, never mind the fish. There’s no miso and no pickles... Is this place hell?
16th of the Month of Earth
I stopped at a dining hall in a town today. It didn't look like much, but the taste was wonderful. It was actually quite similar to chikuzenni. Eating vegetables that had been thoroughly simmered in flavor made me so happy. Lately, I've had nothing but dried meat while camping, so a warm meal is a feast in itself. Oh, if only this were white rice instead of bread, my life would be complete... I still can't find any rice.
20th of the Month of Earth
Today is a glorious day! Even though I'm a Buddhist and not a Christian, I found myself thanking God! In the village I stopped at today... I discovered soybeans!! Their size is a little different from the ones back home, but that taste and texture are unmistakably soybeans! Hope is finally in sight. As long as I have soybeans, I can make miso and soy sauce! It’ll take some trial and error, but still... Wait, if there are soybeans... could there be adzuki beans somewhere too?! I might actually be able to eat the anmitsu of my dreams! This is exactly the motivation I needed!
24th of the Month of Earth
...Still no rice. Laguna says there’s something similar in the frontier of the Hydra Kingdom, but that’s the opposite direction. It’s the complete opposite way from the Demon King's Castle, so I can't go get it. Grrr... just when will I finally be able to eat white rice again?! I have to defeat the Demon King as fast as possible so I can go find some rice. A true mission has finally taken root in my heart! I will... defeat the Demon King. And then, I will get my rice!! Starting tomorrow, I’m going to work harder than ever before!!
"...Hey, Noin? Can I be mad? It sounds like defeating me was just a chore you had to finish so you could go grocery shopping. In fact, you haven't written about anything but food! What were you even doing back then?!"
"...But I really wanted to eat white rice."
"Why don't you look me in the eye when you say that?! If someone read this diary without context, they’d think you were just a tourist searching for ingredients from your hometown!!"
"...But I really wanted to eat anmitsu too."
Fia-sensei, who had expected the diary to be about her, was instead fuming with exasperation at a collection of restaurant reviews and cravings for Japanese food.
Dear Mother, Father—I realize now that this is a diary we can never show to the people of this world who worship the First Hero. After all, her primary motivation for saving the world was... because she just really wanted white rice.
Serious-senpai zero: "I’ve appeared in over three hundred chapters now, haven't I? At this point, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that I’m the true protagonist of this story."
???: "Yes, yes. Keep those delusions to yourself until you actually manage to show up in the main story."
Serious-senpai zero: "I’d show up if I could!!"