Ihoujin, Dungeon ni Moguru

Chapter 227: Pain I

【205th day】

「It’s mayonnaise」

This morning, unlike usual, Yukikaze and I were eating breakfast alone.

Everyone else had thoughtfully gone out together. They probably went to the【A Respite From Adventuring】store. Tyutyu had mentioned that she needed people to go over and sample the new dishes on the menu.

「Then what about this red one?」

「That’s ketchup, and I think the red one next to it is chili sauce」

「What about this dark one?」

「It’s Worcestershire sauce」

「Then could it be that this soup is also?」

「It’s miso soup」

「And this thing that, no matter how I look at it, is rice?」

「No matter how you look at it, it’s rice」

Breakfast this morning consisted of sliced bacon stir-fried with curry powder, tamagoyaki with cheese, sausages, an assortment of pickles, a seasonal vegetable salad, potato salad, and finally, onigiri(rice balls).

The bottles of condiments lined up on the table had caught Yukikaze’s eye. Ea and Maria liked to put a lot of stuff on their food, so there was always a good supply of everything on hand.

「………We’re in the alternate world, right? What’s with this meal that has absolutely zero alternate-world feel to it?」

「All of the ingredients are from the alternate world. Even the rice is something Rana won from the fishmen of the swamps」

「Won? In what way?」

「Well, with fists」

「With fists………」

I made a fist without thinking.

Influenced by me, Yukikaze also made a fist.

「Even though Rana-san is an elf with big boobs and so baby-faced that she looks younger than me, she’s quite the militant, huh?」

「Yeah, she’s definitely a combative person. After all, she’s contracted with a goddess of war who’s renowned for slaying a dragon. Against weak monsters, she can do just fine bare-handed」

Yukikaze took a bite of an onigiri and then remarked.

「Ah, yeah, this is the alternate world alright」

「It’s fantasy, isn’t it?」

Rana, in particular, strikes me as a massive lump of fantasy elements.

「The fact that someone like that is married to you is the most fantastical thing of all」

「I find that quite amazing as well」

I munched on some salad. The fresh onions and tomatoes were delicious. The cabbage was crispy. The soy sauce-based Japanese dressing and the spicy sansho(Japanese pepper) added a nice zing to it.

「You know, I saw a store that sold ramen though」

「You can even buy cup noodles. They’re expensive though」

「Yesterday’s dinner was curry too, wasn’t it? It was delicious, but……」

「That’s right. It was katsu curry」

Ea had worked hard to make it. She may look free-spirited, but she stays firm when it comes to things like that. As expected of an elven princess.

「I have one, or rather, a lot of questions for you! But――――――」

Yukikaze took a bite of the tamagoyaki.

She got flustered when the gooey cheese almost flooded out.

「This――――」

She swallowed it down and started to speak, but then stared at the tamagoyaki on the plate and ate another. She then ate the onigiri and the tamagoyaki in turn, a happy look appearing on her face.

The way she ate made the food look delicious.

Not to be outdone, I took a bite of the sausage. Like Yukikaze, I had an onigiri in one hand. I added flavor by eating the salad and pickles between bites, then ate like a Japanese, eating meat with onigiri, tamagoyaki with onigiri, and miso soup with onigiri.

Quite a substantial amount of food had been prepared for breakfast.

There was probably enough for four people.

But before I knew it, the two of us had put it all away neatly. There had been a competitive air between us for some odd reason.

「………………So, what were you saying again?」

「Ahhh」

I offered her a cup of bean tea, which she sipped before letting an indolent sigh escape her lips.

I feel like the way she’s baring her tummy is wrong in so many ways. She’s moderately cute, but the way she acts will bring down even a love for the ages.

「Well, Souya, you………………I forgot. Oh, I remember now. Ea was bragging about how you’ve popularized a lot of different dishes in this country」

「Is that so?」

Oh, this is bad.

Despite the president’s insistence that I not bring about a technological singularity, here I am introducing diverse food cultures to this country.

It may be indirect, but there’s a possibility that this could lead to a technological singularity.

If I were asked if it was necessary for my adventuring to begin with, I would have no excuse since it was mostly just a hobby.

This isn’t good. She’s found a weakness of mine.

「How much is a bottle of the condiments we were talking about earlier?」

「I’ve kept the price of all of them under 9 copper coins」

Huh? Why is she asking about their prices?

「One copper coin is roughly equivalent to 100 yen, right?」

「Well, for the most part. But there’s a huge disparity in income here. Depending on the person, it can be worth many times more」

Racial prejudice and discrimination are prevalent in this world.

It’s especially bad for beastkin, and other than being an adventurer, the only jobs they can get treat them as expendable and don’t pay much.

I personally forbid discrimination when it comes to hiring, but that has resulted in all the normal Hemus leaving my employ. I’m constantly criticized behind my back for favoring beastkin or favoring sub-humans.

In a way, is this also a form of discrimination, I wonder?

「Even if you convert it into silver or gold coins, it’s still……… Yeah, Souya, you’re terrible at business」

「Huh?」

Eh, business?

「It’s fine for luxury items like condiments to be stupidly expensive. If it were me, I would sell them at 30 times the price. Then, I’d narrow down the products based on which ones are more popular, then make sure those products have a good reputation. Then, I’ll build a big factory and mass-produce them. The income disparity means that hiring a large number of unskilled workers will be easy, so manpower won’t be a problem. There’s a huge amount of unused land on the plain, and there’s water there too, so it’s a good location. In short, it’s all about branding, you see, branding」

「I see~」

That’s kinda unscrupulous. No, she’s good at doing business. She’s only in her mid-teens, right? I wonder what kind of life she had led before coming to the alternate world.

Well, I’ve figured out one thing.

「Yukikaze, you’ve not come to the alternate world because of a formal request from the company, have you?」

「………………」

The happy expression on her face froze in place. It was a rather telling reaction.

She had shown no qualms about spreading culture. I don’t think the president would have spared her the lecture, and if she had come to the alternate world by accident, it would be odd for her to know about me.

In that case, I can think of only one explanation.

Yukikaze had not come to the alternate world by way of the company.

「Who sent you?」

「I’m the one who sent me」

She came to the alternate world of her own volition? That makes even less sense.

「What’s your purpose?」

「There’s no merit in telling you that」

「That’s a problem for me」

I can’t exactly be forceful with a girl like her to make her talk. I’m not a good talker either, so this is really quite troubling.

With a beep, a communication came through on my glasses.

At the same time, there was an electronic beep from Yukikaze’s chest.

『Souya-san!』

『Yukikaze-chan!』

They had used the open channel without permission.

『This decrepit A.I., she has gained knowledge by ignoring the restrictions on learning!』

『This piece of scrap A.I., her failsafe has been damaged!』

Don’t play similar cards at the worst possible timing, you two.

「Makina」

『Yes, Souya-san! What is it?!』

「Shut up for a second」

I cut the communication.

「Makina」

『Yes, Yukikaze-chan! What is it?!』

「Don’t contact me for a while」

Yukikaze also cut the communication.

After a subtle pause……

『Now』

……Yukikaze and I both spoke up at the same time.

「Looks like we both have something to hide, huh?」

「Yeah, so it seems」

What’s clear is that she can’t be trusted.

「Are you an agent from some other company who’s here to sabotage us?」

I voiced the possibility that I feared the most.

I’m going to hit her with this and read her true intentions from her facial expression.

「I would say you’re wrong, but I know you won’t believe me. In the beginning, I had planned to come to the alternate world at the request of the same company that sent you here. But my goals and the company’s goals are ultimately at odds, so I simply stole the coordinates and came here using my own portal」

「Your own portal?」

Wait wait wait, are portals something that an individual can build themselves? I’ve heard that just opening one for a very short time costs a ridiculous amount of money though.

「Well, I mostly used equipment that Gunmerry created to build the portal. I do have the design and the materials required memorized at least」

I have to be careful with that Gunmerry.

But I don’t get it.

I can’t for the life of me figure out what Yukikaze or Gunmerry is after.

「There’s no such thing as a perfect plan, huh? There are so many issues that cannot be resolved even with today’s technology. I set out to conduct an on-site investigation on the possibility that there might be a solution to be found here, but I’m not sure where I should start. That dungeon is probably a good place, I suppose………………Ah」

She was blabbering on relatively freely.

What’s wrong? Is she too bloated to think?

「It’s your turn!」

「Even if you say that, I don’t have anything to――――」

She lashed out and questioned me.

「Lanseal-san! Lanseal-san is! I can’t believe such a beautiful woman is your mistress! You enemy of women!」

「Well, if I could marry her, I would take responsibility. But she’s a beastkin, so there’s nothing I can do」

「You’re a man, so this is where you should do something for the sake of love or something!」

「You’re talking about equal rights for beastkin?」

「That’s right, start a revolution, you know, a revolution」

「That’ll spark a bloodbath, you realize?」

「………………」

That was an opinion typical of a child of her age, but……

「This world is stable in its current form with the beastkin at the bottom of society. Overturn that, and the people in power will be hung from the lampposts, and the defeated, young and old alike, will be thoroughly tormented. A centuries-long history of humiliation will transform into violence. Do you think that any other race can endure the torment that the beastkin have endured precisely because they are beastkin?」

「Why are you working under the assumption that the beastkin are foolish? It seems to me that normal humans are worse though」

……Yukikaze spoke like a child wanting things her way.

「It’s not so much that the beastkin are foolish as it is that humans are like that. If they get attacked, they will fight back. And if they have some kind of justification, they won’t hold back in the slightest. They will pay it back many-fold, hundreds of times over」

「That’s just your personal opinion, isn’t it?」

「That’s true, but……」

「Then you have no grounds to expect that others will act the way you think they will. Or rather, if you know it so well, wouldn’t it be fine if you just put a stop to it?! Why are you so hell-bent on watching from the sidelines?!」

「No, I’m just a mere adventurer……」

It’s impossible, isn’t it?

It’s futile, isn’t it?

I’ll die, won’t I?

「”A mere adventurer”? Ea, Rana, Gunmerry, and Makina have all said that becoming an advanced adventurer in just over 200 days is no small feat at all. You’re a fairly amazing guy, aren’t you?」

「I was just lucky」

「Luck is also an ability! Results are all that matter in the world! Why the heck are you acting so modest?! Isn’t that ridiculous?!」

「Haaa, I’m sorry」

Huh? I have this feeling that someone has scolded me in this way before.

「So, if there will be a bloodbath, you go and prevent it from happening in the first place! Is that understood?!」

「Ehhh」

What the heck~?

「Well, I’ll leave that at that and move on to Rana-san, but you lo, lov………………like her, don’t you?」

It seems she’s too embarrassed to say the word “love”.

Is she a maiden or something?

「Of course I do. She’s cute and she’s got big boobs, so there’s nothing to complain about」

「So why are you messing around with other women when you have such a cute wife?!」

No, I mean, that’s……

Oh, there’s a good saying for this.

「There’s this saying in my country」

「It’s the same country as the one I’m from, no?」

「It’s “when in Rome, do as the Romans do”」

「When you’re the one saying it, it comes across as incredibly distasteful」

If someone who had done the same things as me said that in front of me, I believe I would send him flying.

「When I married Rana, we got married under elven law, and elves have a polygamous culture. Rana also doesn’t mind, so I thought it shouldn’t be a problem」

「As a woman with the same homeland as you, it makes me extremely disgusted though」

「That’s why it’s best to “do as the Romans do”, so to speak」

「That sure is a convenient saying, huh?!」

I think so too.

「So, you」

「Mm-hmm?」

Yukikaze’s expression changed ever so slightly.

「Do you have any intention of returning to Japan?」

「None. I plan to live out my life here. But I will complete the company’s request. And when I obtain what they want, I’ll throw it through the portal」

「Don’t you have any family in Japan? Isn’t there someone waiting for your return or something?」

「Nope. My family is all here」

When I pointed to the ground, Yukikaze looked saddened for some reason.

Maybe it was just female sentimentalism, but she didn’t strike me as that kind of person.

「You know, Yukikaze-chan」

「Don’t use “-chan.” It’s creepy」

It was déjà vu all over again.

To distract myself from it, I changed the subject.

「What are you going to do from here on out?」

「For now, I’ll become an adventurer. There are a lot of challenges, but I’ll take them as they come」

「I’m sorry, but my party――――――」

「I know, I know. Even an idiot would have figured it out after seeing what happened yesterday. They won’t take someone on midway if that person doesn’t have any skills or achievements. It’s the same everywhere. It’s only natural」

I’m glad she’s quick on the uptake, but……

「The dungeon is very unforgiving, you know? With just Gunmerry, a girl from the modern world――――――」

「Oh, I won’t be taking Gunmerry with me to the dungeon」

「Come again?」

Eh, whoa, what are you saying?

「I won’t get any support from Makina either」

「What?!」

But why?

「I’m going to put myself on the same playing field as the other adventurers. If I don’t, I’ll never know what things are really essential. And eventually, I’ll make a fortune selling adventuring products I invent. Gufufufu」

How business-minded of you. Who the heck are you really?

Oh, talking about business reminded me of something.

「Wait. To explore the dungeon, you need to contract with a god of some――――――」

「I already did that yesterday though」

「Huh?」

When did that happen?

「I contracted with the god of adventurers, Vindoobunikuru. While you were arguing with your party members, the muscled macho guy with the mohawk helped me get the contract done」

「………………You were able to make a contract?」

「Huh? I was told it’s more rare to be unable to though」

I wasn’t able to though!

「I’ll be taking the lecture for newbies tomorrow morning and exploring the dungeon after that」

「In that case……」

I went to fetch the bag I had left in the living area. Inside it were the supplies needed for adventuring that I had bought for Yukikaze yesterday.

「I need to go around and check out the stores in this country by today and find out what I’m going to need. I also have to study the market prices, check out the locations, and learn about the flow of people. There’s so much to do~!」

Because of what Yukikaze said, I ended up not being able to give her anything.

Well, I think it’s better for her to buy everything herself. She’ll know how much such things cost and appreciate them more than if they were given to her.

「Thanks for breakfast. But let this be the last time. That shitty red-haired brat said it too, but a mere greenhorn adventurer hanging out with advanced adventurers could cause problems, right?」

「Well, a little」

I’m not sure about this at all. But it’s something that has to be done. She feels strongly about it. Someone like me has no right to stop her.

We’ve never managed to stop each other before anyway.

「While I’m gone, I’ll leave Gunmerry and Makina in your care. If it’s just that much, it’s fine on account of us being from the same homeland, right?」

「Got it. Our Makina will also be pleased. But are you sure you want to explore the dungeon without any support? It’s really not going to be easy, you know?」

「The best way to get to know someone is to go through the same hardships with them. For when the time comes, I want to get to know the people of this country. Exploring the dungeon is just one part of that」

For when the time comes, huh?

Well, even if I asked her about it, I doubt she would give me an answer.

「Well then, Yukikaze-chan」

「Like I said, don’t use “-chan”」

「We’ll both go adventuring on our own without relying on each other. You have no problems with that, I assume?」

「Yeah, that’s fine with me」

I’m fine with that too. Everything will be the same as before. But what will happen to her, I wonder? Will an ordinary person with no powers of any kind be able to assemble a party and do well in the alternate world?

I can only pray to the gods that however things turn out for her, it won’t leave a bad taste in my mouth.

「Bye then」

「I’ll accompany you there―――――」

「No need. Why don’t you go do the dishes or something and give Lanseal-san and your wife a chance to relax?」

「Oh, sure」

Yukikaze left quickly.

When the iron door of the entrance was closed, it almost felt like it was all an illusion.

「Makina」

『Yes, yes~』

When I contacted her using my glasses, she responded immediately.

She must have been standing by the entire time. While listening in on the conversation between me and Yukikaze, I’m sure.

「Is Five there?」

『That asshole is here, but why do you need that antique instead of Maki―――――』

『Yes, what is it, Souya-sama?』

The other Makina cut in on the communication.

「Yukikaze is probably not going to rely on me no matter what happens. If something does happen, or rather, if you suspect something might happen, contact me immediately. Also, make a list of all the men who approach her and sent it to me along with their pictures」

『Okay, Makina will assist in anything that isn’t detrimental to Yukikaze-chan』

「Also, I’ll be taking care of you two while she’s out adventuring, so come by my house whenever you’re free」

『Wait! Souya-san! This jerk is!』

With a beep, I cut the communication.

「Fuuu」

Somehow, I’m already tired in the morning.

Also……

「urgh」

……my chest hurts. I wonder why.

Ah, what a bittersweet chapter… Well, is the whole affair with Yukikaze settled now? Will they just go on their own separate paths and not interfere with one another? Wait, isn’t there like an impending crisis or something? Stay tuned!