Chapter 101 - Chapter 101: Braised Pork Party
I helped with the railway restoration work on the fourth floor of the dungeon.
Normally, this would be a difficult project, taking a year from planning to completion, but it was finished in about a week.
The on-site work itself was done in a single day.
Part of that was thanks to the excellent arrangements by Onoda-san, the site manager.
She really seems to be an outstanding woman.
Well, if she weren't outstanding, she wouldn't have been able to get into a government ministry anyway...
No, the male bureaucrat who came along with us was terrible.
After dragging everyone down time and time again, he vanished somewhere without offering a single apology.
What on earth is he thinking...?
According to the Princess, he's some sort of young master from a good family, but in the dungeon, status and such don't matter.
Those with power and luck win!
Thinking about it that way, Sana, whose luck is abnormally high, must be the strongest, right?
I don't care about that annoying bureaucrat.
I have a huge task ahead of me: cooking with the orc meat I got from the dungeon.
I bought a large stove and gas canisters at Haneda, but I couldn't possibly use a stove in that hotel room.
If a fire broke out, it would be a disaster.
Even though I can stay there because I'm close with the young lady of the Yaegashi Group, starting a fire would be bad.
No―― even if we had a gunfight in the hallway, it was no problem, so maybe it's okay?
My heart wavers a bit, but I shouldn't take too much advantage of the hotel manager's kindness.
――So, looking for a place where I could cook within the Special District―― there it was.
There are quite a few places renting out kitchens for adventurers.
When I was staying at a cheap inn, should I have used a place like this?
It seems there are places where you can use quite a professional cooking system if you pay.
I left the hotel and headed there.
I arrived at a prefab building with many ducts coming out of the walls.
Opening the sliding door and stepping inside, there was a simple, small counter.
The interior was also simple.
"I'm Niwa. I made a reservation online."
"Yes."
The person who responded was a young man.
Well, probably not the owner, but a part-timer.
He showed me to a room with professional cooking equipment.
Opening the sliding door, there was a silver sink and a huge stove inside.
There was also a silver box, so I opened it―― it was a dishwasher.
Probably for commercial use.
It didn't seem to have a refrigerator.
Well, I'm only using it temporarily.
"Then, I'll go ahead and use it."
"Gotcha!"
It seems the payment is by the hour.
Making braised pork will take time, so I'll likely have to pay quite a bit.
Well, I have money, and more importantly―― I want to see everyone's happy faces.
Old men like seeing young people eating delicious food.
It's probably the same feeling old folks have when they force their grandchildren to eat everything.
I took the orc shoulder meat out of the Item Box, removed the bones, and started boiling it in a huge pressure cooker.
Since there were two commercial stoves, I decided to boil two pots at once.
I could make everything into braised pork.
It's all young people, so I think it'll disappear in an instant.
"Alright, I'll get my stove out too."
Taking the stove I bought out of the Item Box, I started roasting the bones with meat still on them.
There's still meat on them.
The Princess ate this meat before and said it was delicious.
So, I made all the meat into braised pork and put it all into one pressure cooker.
Well, it's a slightly lazy meal for men, but it's delicious enough.
I put the finished product into the Item Box―― but there are dishes to wash.
Take them back and use the Princess's magic... no.
Didn't I just see a dishwasher?
There's no reason not to use that.
A pouch with instructions hangs on the silver box.
"Fumu fumu..."
Judging by the instructions, it seems simple―― "Cleaning will be finished in approximately 2 minutes."
"Eh?! 2 minutes?!"
The commercial dishwasher at my parents' house takes over an hour and a half... seriously...?
I should just try it before thinking.
If it says it finishes in 2 minutes for commercial use, it must really finish in 2 minutes.
I put the pressure cooker and other things I used for cooking inside.
As expected, only one pot fits...
Closing the silver lid―― "Click."
Soon, the sound of the motor running and a terrible shower noise came.
Is the inside of the box a storm, turning into hell?
――Thinking that, the buzzer rang.
It seems it's finished.
"Oooooh!"
Opening the silver lid, the cleaned pressure cooker welcomed me inside.
It really gets clean in 2 minutes?
I want this!
Can I buy one when I go back to my parents' house?
No, I should buy it in Tokyo, put it in the Item Box, and bring it back.
That way is faster.
In the countryside, there are often things I want that I can't get, so does that mean I should fly to Tokyo to buy them?
After cleaning the pressure cooker, I tidied up, paid at the counter, and returned to the hotel.
――A few days after making plenty of braised pork.
We decided to hold a braised pork party by inviting people to our room.
Since we finished a big job, it's like a celebration.
The attendees were us, Iroha, Sana, and we also invited Onoda-san.
She replied that she wanted to come, so she'll probably be here.
She had a face full of interest in the orc braised pork.
I took out the braised pork and rib meat from the Item Box and arranged them.
Plenty of rice was also cooked.
Onigiri was prepared too.
"Darling's cooking is mine..."
The Princess seemed to be muttering something.
"This time, I was the one who asked for the work."
"Mmm~"
The door chime rang.
"Yes!"
Opening the door revealed a giant body sticking out of the doorframe.
"Hahaha, I'm here~"
"Daisuke~!"
I thought it was just Iroha, but Mio was being carried on someone's shoulders.
"Huh? Were you two already friends?"
"No―― we met in the lobby on the first floor."
"Mio said she wanted to come too..."
Sana appeared from behind Iroha.
"If it's Mio-chan, it's fine."
"Ehehe~ Are we not allowed?"
"Tch, tch~"
Coming out shyly from behind them were Koeda-chan, Iroha's partner mage, and her younger sister Kagari.
"I made a lot this time, so it's fine. Come in, come in!"
"Whee! Daisuke, look, look~! It looks like it'll reach the ceiling!"
Mio is reaching out, but the ceiling in this room is a bit high, so she probably won't reach.
In a normal house, she would reach.
"I said you wanted braised pork, so I only prepared braised pork, okay?"
"Hehehe!"
Since Iroha is smiling, it should be fine.
I put out a pressure cooker filled with braised pork and bowls on the table.
Large plates piled with onigiri and grilled rib meat were also arranged.
Rice cooked in a large pot and pork soup were also served.
Next, paper cups and oolong tea.
No matter how much I pile it up, with this group, it'll disappear in an instant even with this much.
"Waaaah!"
Koeda let out a cheer.
"Serve as much as you like and eat."
I scooped rice into one bowl and placed the braised pork from the pressure cooker on top to show them.
"What's that! That has to be delicious!"
Kagari was drooling too.
"Alright! Let's eat!"
The first to reach out was Iroha.
The bowl I served went to Mio.
It was a bit small.
"..."
The Princess made a sour face at Iroha, who had no manners whatsoever.
"What is this, it's yummy!"
"Yikes! Delicious! So delicious I'm gonna die!"
The Iroha sisters are noisy.
They are devouring the bowls with amazing speed.
"It really is delicious! Orcs are delicious, but we usually just grill them."
"Delicious!"
Koeda and Sana were also eating deliciously.
"The grilled meat around those bones over there is also delicious."
"Here I come!"
Kagari reached out.
"Alright, I'll eat too."
Preparing my portion, I sat on the sofa, and Mio climbed onto my lap.
"Eating with Daisuke!"
"Don't just sit there like it's natural!"
"Hug-hug."
Mio ignored the Princess's protest and ate the braised pork.
This girl might become a big shot.
"Is it delicious?"
"I like this~!"
It doesn't matter, but it's hard for me to eat while sitting on my lap.
As I was enjoying the tenderness of the braised pork, the entrance chime rang.
"Yes~! Mio-chan, move a little."
Standing up alone, I opened the door.
"I've brought a guest."
Outside was the older sister who usually guides us.
Behind her was Onoda-san in casual clothes.
"H-hello."
Her outfit today was a loose, dark-colored one-piece dress, brown pants, and a small shoulder bag.
"Welcome~. I was worried you wouldn't actually come."
"A-ah, I heard about the orc braised pork and it became a dream..."
She looked embarrassed.
"Yo! It's been since the dungeon, right!"
Iroha greeted first.
This is one of her good points.
"H-hello, excuse me for intruding."
Onoda-san entered with a slightly bent posture.
"Come, come, three drinks on the house."
"Impossible!"
It was Iroha's joke.
We weren't serving alcohol.
"Hahaha, serve as much meat as you like. If you hesitate, it'll disappear quickly."
I served her some rice.
"Stare..."
"A-ah, the Cherry Princess is glaring at me..."
"Oh, whenever I'm a little kind to a woman, she always does that."
"Darling!"
"I'm just serving you rice. Here you go."
"Y-yes―― thank you for the meal..."
Onoda-san served herself some meat and brought rice and braised pork to her mouth.
By the way, everyone here is an adventurer, an abnormal human, but she's different.
As I sat on the sofa, Mio immediately returned to my lap.
"How is it?"
"Hug-hug... raw... maaai! Ng!"
After shouting, she covered her mouth.
"Huh? Onoda-san, are you from the Testing Northern Land?"
"Y-yes."
"Oh, I'm from Dounan too."
"I'm from Sapporo!"
She looked surprised.
"Hey! But now, going from Sapporo to a Tokyo university isn't tough, is it?"
"A-about the scholarship program..."
"So you're outstanding."
"N-not really..."
The world is standing still, and the population is continuously decreasing.
Companies and civil servants urgently need to secure talented personnel.
The seniority system has already collapsed, and there's no room to keep unnecessary personnel.
Even if you get into university, the only jobs are in primary industries.
So, thinking it's better to dive into the dungeon from the start without going to school is understandable.
Iroha's loud voice echoed.
"Cherry Princess! Do you always eat such delicious things! That's cheating!"
"It's not cheating. He's my Darling."
"I don't always cook. Sometimes I buy from street stalls or order room service."
"Room service sounds nice..."
Koeda murmured.
"Since there are only set dishes, after eating everything once... sometimes you want to try a curveball."
"Oh, I understand."
Onoda-san nodded.
"Sometimes you want to eat junk food too."
"Hamburgers."
"That's right. Things like onigiri with sausages, quail eggs, or picnic bento boxes, sometimes you want to eat those."
"Oh~ I want to eat them!"
As I was talking with Onoda-san, the Princess looked grumpy.
"I've never eaten those kinds of things..."
"Eh? I thought neither of you, being super young ladies, would eat those kinds of things~"
"I get it, I get it! You'd always be eating French food, right, hahaha!"
Iroha laughed loudly at my words.
"There's no way."
"Well, food conditions get strict inside the dungeon, so the Princess and Kaorulko eat anything."
"It's a matter of necessity... I've gotten used to it."
Kaorulko gave a bitter smile.
It can be inferred that she was resistant at first.
"Haa~ But―― living with meals ready when you return from work is nice, isn't it?"
Onoda-san sighed and spoke with emotion.
"Your work sounds tough."
"Is this pork soup made by Niwa-san too?"
"Yes, it's our local potato and orc pork soup."
"Did you grow potatoes in Hokkaido?"
"That's right. My hometown is the birthplace of the Hokkaido Meakin potato."
"He~ Is that so~"
"Well, it's bad to remember unpleasant things while eating delicious food, but what happened to that man? He disappeared midway..."
"Based on testimony from the workers, a punishment was to be handed down, but――"
"Did something happen?"
"It seems he has become unreachable."
His boss seems to be holding his head in his hands.
It's tough from top to bottom.
He also seems to be a young master from a good family, so there might be protests from that side too.
"Did he run away or is he hiding?"
According to her, there's a possibility of being transferred to a regional area.
"Well, a young master from a good place must have his pride trampled in the dungeon."
"Leave him alone, Darling. With guys like that, it ruins the appetite."
Iroha, who was listening, made a disgusted face.
"Oh, sorry."
Sana, who seemed quiet, was silently eating the braised pork bowl.
"Mio wants to eat Daisuke's rice every day."
"Ng!"
Hearing Mio's words, the Princess started coughing.
What is it? Well, depending on how you hear it, it doesn't sound like a proposal.
If I said it, it would be 100% a proposal, but nowadays, is there anyone who says "I want to drink your miso soup every morning"?
Besides, I probably wouldn't even make miso soup now.
"Maybe every day is impossible~"
"Today, Kirara-chan said she wanted to eat too."
"Kirara? That guy has nothing to do with this. What a shameless brat."
After telling someone to "die".
"Huh?"
A message came to my smartphone.
It was from the uncle who buys items.
It seems a buyer for the Emerald Dragon has been decided.
"Sana."
"What heph?"
She was stuffing her cheeks with braised pork.
"It seems the purchase of that Emerald Dragon has been decided."
"Ng ng! Is it true?"
"Yes, there are people who buy such things."
Will they sell it piece by piece, or did someone buy it all at once?
"Darling, wasn't that still unsold?"
"Ne-chan, since something like that has never been on the market before, it was hard to set a price."
This might be what the Iroha sisters said.
"That's right. Since it's such a thing~"
"If Daisuke-san goes, I'll go too."
"Of course, you're a party member too."
"Yes."
"Oh, as I said before, give me the Magic Stones."
"It's fine. I remember."
"Mmm~!"
The Princess looked unhappy.
"The Princess can come too..."
"Eh? Cherry Princess, it has nothing to do with you."
Sana expressed dissatisfaction at my words.
"If Darling goes, it's natural for me to go too."
"Eh?"
"Hahaha! Sounds fun! Should I go too? I want to see it."
It seems Iroha wants to observe too.
That's fine.
Anyway, the orc braised pork party ended to great success.
――A few days after everyone ate braised pork.
We were at Haneda.
The Princess, Iroha, and Sana came with us.
"Man, I got hit hard."
Iroha's black leather jacket was wet from seawater.
"See! Whenever the Cherry Princess is around, monsters attack us!"
We were attacked by monsters at sea again.
The monster this time was fish―― but not ordinary fish.
They flew through the air like flying fish and attacked.
No, maybe they were just flying, but the fins for flying were sharp like blades.
A normal human would be cut and suffer serious injuries.
"Gugu..."
I was thinking maybe, and this possibility might be high.
Was this the third time or the fourth time?
Spawning outside the Special District doesn't happen often, but it's hard to call it a mere coincidence.
"I thought we wouldn't encounter anything if we were with the lucky Sana..."
"Maybe the Cherry Princess is emitting a strange scent that summons monsters?"
"Gug!"
"Hey!"
When I got angry, Sana hid behind Iroha.
Didn't I tell you not to say it to her face?
As Sana said, does that Princess's scent attract monsters?
Or is her luck value significantly low?
Although the Princess is concerned about the scent issue, she thought her cleansing (Clean) magic had thinned it out...
"We can't use magic here anymore. We'll have to go as wet rats."
Since it's seawater, it smells like salt.
Once we return to the Special District, the Princess can use magic.
"Since we've come this far, it can't be helped."
"As Iroha says. Let's go."
"..."
For some reason, the Princess seemed out of spirits.
Is she worried?
"Don't worry."
"It's fine."
Well, I don't think the Princess would break down over something like this.
We walked to the warehouse district.
It's a massive monster disassembly facility we've visited several times.
"Darling, are they disassembling it in this huge warehouse?"
Iroha looked up at the tall building.
"That's right. It seems they built it because I'm bringing in a big item."
"Hahaha! Well, if you didn't have Darling's Item Box, even a big item would only be a Troll or so."
Opening the small door of the huge warehouse, cold air leaked out.
"Hiya~!"
"Huh?! Oh! Brother is here!"
"Did I arrive a bit late? We encountered a spawn at sea."
"Haha, that's a disaster."
"He~ This is amazing!"
Iroha looked up at the ceiling.
"Oh! Isn't this the Goriki older sister?"
"Ossu!"
Well, she also buys and sells monsters and Magic Stones, so it's not strange to know each other.
"Iroha, your clothes are wet, are you okay?"
It's not a freezer, but the inside of the warehouse is a bit chilly.
"I'm fine."
"Oh~ Today is a gathering of beauties, the view is nice. There are only guys here, so it lacks moisture."
While I was talking to the buying uncle, a woman wearing a white protective suit like a uniform ran over.
"Niwa-san!"
"Oh, Sensei―― hello~"
"Sana, this is a university professor who researches monsters."
"H-hello."
"Is this kind of girl an adventurer too?"
"She's a top-ranked player."
"He~!"
The reaction came from a completely different direction.
The uncles must have been listening intently.
"Rather than that, I got this too."
I took out the monster I caught at sea today from the Item Box.
"Is it fish?"
"It flew like a flying fish―― look, the fins are like blades."
"Wow! Amazing! I've never seen this type before!"
"Right?"
Sensei spread the fish's fins and was delighted.
"Brother, are you selling that fish too?"
"No, I'm thinking of grilling and eating it after we get back. It's like a saury."
"Hahaha!"
As we were making noise, a voice came from the back.
"Oi! Start soon!"
"Oh, I can't! I forgot an important job."
I prepared to take out the dragon from my Item Box.
Since it's huge, I must be careful so the workers don't get hurt.
"Alright! Brother, go for it!!"
"Here it comes~ Summon!"
In the dim warehouse illuminated by pale blue fluorescent lights, a huge dragon wrapped in sparkling green light suddenly fell from the sky.
Its appearance sparkled like a gemstone, and the scales covering its entire body were a deep green reminiscent of emerald―― emitting a seductive glow.
Upon landing, a loud sound like hard stones scattered on the concrete floor echoed off the warehouse walls.
The workers stood frozen, staring blankly as if time had stopped.
"Oooooh!"
Like throwing a stone into silence, cheers erupted from the workers around.
"Kyaaaaaa!"
Suddenly, a yellow cheer rose―― it was Sensei.
"Ha~! This is amazing no matter how many times I see it."
The uncle was impressed.
"That's good, but since a buyer is decided, piece by piece? Or whole?"
"Whole, all of it!"
Suddenly, a familiar high-pitched voice echoed inside the warehouse.
"Kako?!"
The Princess reacted to that voice.
Yes, it was Kako-san's voice, but...
Looking in the direction of the voice, she walked over wearing white pants, a flashy jacket, and high heels.
Eh? Could it be... buying the whole thing from the Yaegashi Group?