"Good morning, Rest."
"O-Oh... morning."
The next morning, after finishing breakfast, Rest found himself face-to-face with Celestine once again.
Memories of the previous night flashed through his mind, and his face flared red. Celestine, however, remained perfectly composed, showing not even a hint of embarrassment.
"Do you have any plans for today?" she asked.
"E-Err... I was thinking of doing some sightseeing, I guess?"
This was just a rural fishing village, but he wanted to see the place the Queen Dowager had chosen for her final years. There was bound to be excellent seafood, and since he’d been buried in work lately, staying a bit longer didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"In that case, would you mind if I joined you?"
"Ah, yes. Of course?"
Rest’s answer came out sounding more like a question. He was acting conspicuously awkward, but Celestine only offered him an endearing smile. Even though Rest likely had more experience with the opposite sex, Celestine possessed a calm maturity and poise that made her seem like the older of the two.
"Well then, shall we?"
"...Yes."
The two of them left the hot spring inn together and began their walk through the village. Though they were ostensibly "alone," Celestine’s attendant watched over them from a discreet distance.
As a slightly awkward tension hung in the air, Rest led the way down the village paths.
"There certainly are a lot of fish," Celestine noted.
"It’s the local specialty. There seem to be quite a few boats, too."
Out at sea, several vessels were hard at work, the fishermen’s lively shouts carrying across the waves. Throughout the village, fish and seaweed were laid out to dry, destined to become preserved goods.
"Setting the fish aside... what are those black, leaf-like things used for?"
Celestine tilted her head curiously as she eyed the drying wakame. To someone with Japanese memories, it was a perfectly ordinary sight, but to Celestine, it was entirely foreign.
"Those aren't... for eating, are they? Do they use them for textiles or incense?"
"That's kombu," Rest explained. "They use it to make dashi."
"Dashi? An ingredient for soup?"
"Yeah. It was probably in our breakfast this morning. The soup usually has stock made from seaweed."
Unfortunately, miso soup didn't exist in this kingdom. Nevertheless, the people of this village clearly understood the practice of extracting flavor from seaweed.
"I thought the seasoning was quite unique... I see, so that flavor comes from those plants."
Celestine looked genuinely intrigued.
"I assume they dry them for preservation... If that’s the case, it might be possible to transport them to the Royal Capital. If we increased production and established proper trade routes..."
She began to murmur to herself, already deep in thought about how to commercialize the kelp. If he left her to it, kombu might actually become a staple in the Royal Capital before long.
I hope she develops miso and soy sauce while she’s at it, Rest thought. With so many reincarnated people out there, surely someone has the know-how?
Rest didn't know the exact process for making those staples himself, but with seventy-eight others in this world, he figured at least one of them had to be a connoisseur.
Then again, they aren't all necessarily Japanese. Maybe it’s a pipe dream.
"Is something the matter, Rest?"
"No... it's nothing."
As Celestine peered into his face, Rest shook his head with a faint, wistful smile.
"The dried fish they’re selling over there is great when grilled, too. It’s got a different flavor than river fish."
"I've had dried fish before," she replied. "Honestly, I was more shocked to see raw fish served at the table."
"Ah, sashimi. Yeah, I guess it is pretty rare."
"We could probably use ice magic to transport it to other regions without it spoiling, but I imagine the cost would be quite high."
Chatting about such idle matters, Rest and Celestine continued their leisurely stroll through the village.