Shigenobu-san had lived in this world for over half a century. While the term "century" didn't actually exist here, it was a long time by any standard, and he regaled us with many interesting tales.
The topic that piqued our interest the most was the food of this otherworld—specifically, how it related to the ingredients from our old world.
"Speaking of interesting stories, do you all know what a Ripple is?"
"Yes, of course," I replied.
"Have you ever thought it was strange? Fruits like oranges and grapes have the exact same names as they did back home, yet a handful of items—including the Ripple—have names unique to this world."
"Now that you mention it, that is odd," Aoi-chan said, nodding in agreement. "I could understand if it were the other way around, but for almost everything to share our world's terminology is quite mysterious."
Actually, I recalled hearing something about this before. If I remembered correctly, everything originally had different names, but over the long years, the terminology had been gradually altered to match our world’s names to make it easier for those in the Hero-role to adjust. However, a few items, like the Ripple, remained unchanged due to various circumstances.
"I can't recall where I heard it, but wasn't it an intentional shift to align the language with our world for the sake of the Heroes?" I asked.
"Oh, you're well-informed. That’s exactly right. By the time I arrived to take on the Hero-role, most of the names were already familiar. My guides even asked me to point out anything that still had a different name so they could record it."
"Wait, then why isn't a Ripple just called an apple?" Hina-chan asked.
"There are a few theories. Some say the name is too deeply tied to conservative races in the Demon Realm to change. Others claim it’s because the Ripple is the symbol of an ancient, powerful merchant guild, or because it’s the name of a major city. Basically, some ingredients stayed the same because there was a powerful reason or person preventing the name from being overwritten."
It made sense. If someone in a position of authority had a deep attachment to the name "Ripple," they wouldn't want it erased. Personally, I felt that having a few unique names helped maintain the atmosphere of being in another world.
In fact, we were so used to "Ripples" now that calling them apples might actually feel wrong.
"When you think about it, they've really gone out of their way to accommodate those in the Hero-role," Aoi-chan remarked.
"They have. They even made sure to produce a steady supply of rice in every country. This area is one of the few rice-producing regions in the Hydra Kingdom, so the government actually provides us with subsidies."
Shigenobu-san nodded as Aoi-chan spoke with a note of appreciation. Whether it was for the Heroes or otherworlders in general, the world was surprisingly easy to live in. It hit that perfect balance—it felt like a fantasy world, yet the common sense wasn't so alien that you couldn't keep up.
Thinking of his farm, I decided to ask Shigenobu-san a question.
"By the way, you mentioned being a farmer. Do you grow rice yourself?"
"Ah, no, I don't grow rice. I don't really have the technical knowledge for it. What I do is more of a glorified hobby; I don't actually make my living from the land."
"We have our savings from the old days, and since it’s just the two of us, we don't need much to get by," Hanna-san added with a gentle smile.
I had assumed he might be a rice farmer leveraging his Japanese background, but it seemed I was wrong. Then again, if someone asked me to start a rice plantation just because I was Japanese... I’d be at a total loss. Beyond the basic concept of paddy fields, I didn't have the expertise to make it a viable business.
"It’s more of a large-scale home garden. I mostly grow vegetables—daikon, carrots, that sort of thing. Though when I grew burdock, Hanna gave me the strangest look."
"Well, naturally! If you see that for the first time, you just think it's a dirty tree root."
"Burdock is a tough sell, for sure," I agreed. "I’ve heard that even back in our world, people in other countries often mistook it for a root."
The Japanese were truly adventurous eaters, often consuming things that baffled outsiders. I had another acquaintance, Raz-san, who also grew vegetables, though her "garden" was on a completely different scale. Her fields were so massive that even the numerous family members in Kuro's Castle couldn't eat it all, and the surplus was distributed across the realm.
Raz-san simply loved farming and always ended up growing too much. I had only recently learned that her produce, known as "Fairy's Vegetables," was a prestigious brand highly sought after by those in the know. Since she only distributed to her inner circle, it was considered a rare luxury.
"Since you're here, do you want to take a look at the fields?" Shigenobu-san offered.
"Is that all right? We'd love to."
As Shigenobu-san and Hanna-san stood up, the three of us followed them to the back of the house to see the land.
Serious-senpai: "Heartwarming scenes are the best... They heal the wounds from the Sugar Chapters."
???: "It looks like this self-proclaimed Incarnation of Seriousness has finally accepted heartwarming content as a valid alternative..."