Like a Date
Now that all that stuff's been taken care of, time for the main objective of this fest; checking out the food stalls.
Eh, isn't the hunt the main objective? That stuff is tiring, scary, and honestly, I didn't want to take part in that.
But I was even more scared of refusing Scarymast's request so I reluctantly accepted.
...I still got the chill remembering my fight with platinum chicken.
It would likely turn into an even fiercer deathmatch if I ended up fighting that dragon, scary...
Apparently Reina and Radia-kun are going to walk around together.
Yup, that's a date alright.
They sure have gotten real chummy in just a day, but you absolutely must come back before dinnertime, you hear me.
Well, mingling with people outside your party is also important so I'm not going to be nosy here.
So yeah, it'll be just me and Alma... No wait, there's the little birdie too so we're not alone, anyway, we'll be strolling the stalls together.
It's pretty quiet with Reina missing. That girl sure has become our party's mood maker.
"Oh, those must be the stalls."
"Un, something smells good. I didn't eat much for breakfast, I'm famished."
"Wonder kind of food they have, can't wait."
Every stall is selling tasty-looking grub.
I wanna try recreating them if I find something I like.
But figuring out the how and what isn't gonna be easy with just the taste.
<<By visually checking the food, it is possible to analyze the ingredients as well as the cooking process.>>
Menu-san, aren't you too cheat!?
I appreciate that you can know the recipe just by looking and all but I also kinda feel bad about it!
Creating even a simple recipe takes endless trial and error, ripping it off just like that feels wrong...
...Let's limit to serving people I know even if I do get it. It's rude otherwise.
W-well, anyway. Let's not overthink that stuff and just eat whatever catch my fancy.
Oh, what's that soup with a baseball-sized white ball inside?
<<[Panan Soup] A consomme soup with an added Panan, minced meat put inside a wrapping made of flour, boiled alongside vegetables such as Rock Onion.>>
So like soup with a huge meat bun huh.
Wonder how they manage to make it so nicely spherical, and is the inside cooked well?
Oh, according to Menu display, it's been left simmered all night long so it should be fine.
I'm impressed it's holding its shape. Wonder how it tastes, mister, one serving please.
Mumu, thought the bun would be a soggy mess after getting simmered for so long but it's nicely crunchy. Must have mixed something in the flour.
The minced meat inside seems to have been mixed with some sort of herbs, it's got this refreshing taste alongside the meat's.
This is some real good stuff!
Other stalls gotta be as good.
"The stalls here are a cut above Vinfitt's huh."
"Un, the veggies in this soup mix nicely with the meat."
"Good thing we held back on breakfast. This one alone would have been enough to fill you up otherwise."
<TLN: Catch the latest updates and edits at Sousetsuka .com >
Even this one serving is a lot.
The price matches the volume though... 2500 en per portion.
Even though we've broken seven digits daily income, this still stings...
Oh, that stall over there is selling Jet Boar meat dishes. 'Jetwurst', what's up with that naming.
Hmm I wonder, Jet Boar has a strong meat flavor but it's also super sinewy. One wurst please ma'am.
And now a bite... muo...!
"Y-yummy. Is this really Jet Boar's meat? It's still a bit chewy but goes down easily."
"Oh that's cause we grind it down real well to soften up the meat. Just that gonna make it all the more chewy though, so we mix in finely powdered meat as well."
What an art. This ma'am is a real good cook...!
I taste pepper too, mitigating the gamey flavor. A nice mixture of seasoning and texture.
All these stalls are high level. Not just about Skill Level, but the ingenuity they put into their food.
Might be hard to reproduce these even if I knew the recipe, I really got ahead of myself.
"...Fufu."
Alma giggled while staring at me oh-ah-ing at the food.
"Hm, did you catch something funny?"
"Un, sorry. I couldn't help myself staring when you looked so happy eating."
"O-oh really... My bad I'm having fun on my own."
"Not true. I'm so glad we can walk around together like this."
...Hearing that makes me really happy.
She's probably just saying it to be polite, but I'm still happy nonetheless.
Alma could have gone and had fun with some cool guy instead of an old man like me. What a good kid she is.
...Huh, Reina is one thing but imagining Alma having fun with a boy her age makes my heart go fuzzy. Is this jealousy? I'm not even her boyfriend, so unsightly.
A girl this young and kind is beyond someone like... U-ugu... Let's stop there, yup.
As my mood started plummeting, we went to the next stall.
I can binge eat five people worth of serving now. Super empty inside.
Wait, what the heck are those!? So many whole roast of huge beasts like the giant lizard hot uncle party dragged, big Cyclone Wings et al.
"Oooh, awesome! So this is the famous Hunting Fest special, [Whole Magic Beast Roast]!"
"This isn't my first time but you just can never get tired of this sight. This year's got a lot of Red Area beasts too."
"I get that strong magic beasts taste sumptuous, but you sure people can down this all?"
"All participants of the fest go for it, so there's never been leftover mysteriously enough. In fact, you won't get anything but bones if you don't get to it early."
"Pay the fee, and you're free to eat anything, so like a buffet huh."
"I'mma join in."
Normally you cut up beasts that big before you cook them.
But whole roast has its romance too. Cooking them must have been an ordeal.
"Uwah, it's an all-you-can-eat buffet but you gotta pay up 30000 en, what now?"
"...Hikaru, what do you want to do?"
"It's a bit of a waste but I'd like to give it a shoot, how about you Alma?"
"Un, I'd like to as well."
That's that then.
60000 en for two huh...
Our allowance for today is 100000 en each and 30% of that goes poof here.
Gotta make it worth and eat as much as I can.
Now then, time to get a taste of that giant lizard.
"H-hey, mister! You're eating way too much!"
"Oy oy how many kilos went in already! Where'd all that stuff go to anyway!"
"H-he gulped down half of Cyclone Wing to its bone..."
"Pardon us sire, but please find it in your heart to refrain from eating any more, seriously I beg of you stop!!"
...I got too much into it they barred me from entering. How'd it come to this.
Even Alma is taken aback. This is why I'm not a good fit for her.
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