"Wow!　Billiards, huh?　That's nice. Please make one. I'll come and play when it's ready.

　I invited Tommy to a stewed pork stew restaurant.
　When I asked Tommy about billiards, he was more interested than I expected.
　...... But it's good, this stewed pork chop.
　As you can see, Tommy recommends it.

　It's not soy sauce or miso flavored, and I have no idea how it's seasoned, but it's delicious, so it's all good.

　It has a slight odor, but it's all in good taste.

　The black bread served with it is not good, but if you soak it in the stewed pork, it becomes much better thanks to its rich flavor.

I can't afford to buy billiards when I'm living in an inn, you know. How are you and Nao doing?

"We still have two rooms left on the first floor of our house. We can use one of them as a playroom, I guess. We haven't discussed it yet.

My blacksmith got kicked out.

　Front of the house, on the right.
　There are four rooms reserved there as production rooms (temporary).

　Two of these rooms are used for sewing and alchemy, but unfortunately, or perhaps rightfully so, my forge, which uses fire, is not allowed to be used, and has been relegated to a shed in the corner of the garden.

　I'm not complaining, because I know it's the only way to keep the place safe and noisy, but thanks to this, two rooms remain unused.

　It's a large room with plenty of room for a billiard table, or even darts if you feel like it.

Oh, but do you know the size of the balls or the size of the table?

"No, I don't, but it's fine.　If we make it, that's the standard.

...... Indeed. None of my classmates have a strange obsession with billiards or complain about it, do they?

Well, I've played it a few times, so it wouldn't be that far off in size.

　I've done it a few times, so it won't be too far off.
　And so did I. I've been there with Nao.

"There's not much entertainment in this town, you know. There's not much to do even on a day off. The only thing I can do is go fishing with Toya and his friends. ....... But you're okay with that?　As for the money. We're going to need a lot of money, aren't we?

That much is ....... ......

　Oh no. My savings are dwindling right now.
　Why?
　Don't make me say it.
　How can I be satisfied with just one visit?
　I've set a limit, but it's an undeniable fact that it's dwindling.

"......?　What's going on?

　Tommy looked at me strangely when I raised my voice.
　I'm not sure what to do, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

He's been going to a brothel lately. I'm not sure what to make of it.

I'm sorry.　Geez, geez. Are you sure?

　Tommy almost spat out the ale in his mouth at Nao's words, and looked at me as if he couldn't believe what I was seeing.

　I mean, Tommy's been drinking ale all day.
　I'm not sure what to make of it.
　I'm not sure if this is a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

I'm sure you've heard of it. He's a man. I'm not sure if it's true or not.　I heard it today, too.

Oh, no, I'm a dwarf. I don't go there, but it's a topic of conversation at the bar. So just know that . So, just for the record... ......1 more than 10 gold coins per trip?

I heard 30 gold pieces disappeared in a few hours.

"...... Really?

　I nodded gravely at Tommy, who looked at me with a certain respect.

It's hard to deny.
No, that's what you just said.

　I'm sure you'll be able to understand why.
　The maximum amount of money that was melted is a ...... secret.
　I don't even want to remember.

I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.　I'm sure you'll be happy to hear that.

Slaves. Do you know what it's like, Tommy?

　I've never seen anyone who looks like that, at least not in this town.

I've never seen anyone like that, at least not in this town. If you're good looking, even men can end up in the brothel.

　You'll be able to get a lot more than just a few.



"Hey, don't look at me there. I'm not there.
I know. Nao, you don't have to pay me to do this.
Don't talk to me like I'm a pickup artist. I'm sincere.
Integrity. ......?　Oh, no, it's nothing.

　Tommy coughed, as if he felt Nao's gaze tighten. Continue talking.

If it's bad, you're really a slave. Slavery is forbidden in this country, but there are countries where it is allowed. You'll be shipped off to one of those countries.

"Donna Donna?

Yeah, dona dona. Probably in worse packaging than a calf.

Hmm. There were no human rights!　No.

No, actually. It's all up to the lord. It's like heaven and hell just across the river.　Fortunately, this one seems to be in good hands.

It's not easy to move.

　Of course, farmers who are tied to the land, merchants and artisans can not easily leave their land and start a business in another place.

　In this country, it is possible if you are ready to be naked, but it is not as easy as moving to the next town and commuting by train like a businessman.

"Well, don't worry about Toya. We can take care of your debt if you're really close to bankruptcy.

That's very kind of you, Nao.

In return, you'll be treated as a pet under Mitya and the others in our hierarchy. Until we pay off the debt.

Hideous!　I may have ears and a tail, but I'm not an animal!

I'm not an animal, even though I have ears and a tail! But isn't that what Haruka would say?　I'm not sure what to say. You can't deny that.

I can't deny that.

　I'm not sure what to make of this. You're an irrefutable scum.

　--No, I'm not going bankrupt.

Or do you prefer to be shipped off to the buzzards?
No way!　I'm not that into it in the first place!　...... Probably.

　You can't say for sure when you've already been through it a few times.

You can't be sure when you've already been there a few times. It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure you'll be able to figure out how to do it.

　I don't want to be that stupid myself.
　I don't want to be such an idiot myself. In fact, I'd rather burn him to the ground.

You don't have such a shallow relationship with her that you can simply abandon her.
Is that so?
That's how it is.

　Seeing us nodding to each other, Tommy claps his hands and smiles.

It's a beautiful friendship.

Tommy claps his hands and smiles. I don't think it's going to be pretty when it comes down to it.

　In response to Tommy's mixture of words, Nao said something quite awful, perhaps to hide her embarrassment.

　But if the situation actually arose, there would be no difference between the situation and Nao's explanation.

What about you, Tommy?　How's work?

It's going well. I'm just doing what I'm told under my master. I've been told that I can start my own business, but I'm not sure if it's something that doesn't conflict with my master's. Going to another town is ...... uncomfortable.

I gave the shovel to Mr. Gantz.

Yes. You can take the Mincer with you, and fortunately it's selling well, but it's not enough to set up a store.

　The shovel was the price for taking Tommy on as an apprentice, so that's not an option.

　The Mincer wouldn't have been completed without Mr. Ganz's help, but he gave permission to sell it, so Mr. Ganz is indeed a man with deep pockets.

"Mincer is selling well, right?

"Yes. Mainly in restaurants. Even scraps and stringy meat can be tasty in their own way. It's not as popular as it should be in the average household.

When butchers start selling minced meat, that's it.

That's the point, isn't it? It will continue to be sold to restaurants that consume large quantities, but there is a limit to how many they can produce.

　Tommy nodded in annoyance at Nao's point.

　In fact, very few Japanese households have a mincer, and most of them buy minced meat.

　In this case, it's manual (in our case, it's been modified and powered by magic), so the butcher can't make too much, but there are ways to do it: sell it in chunks for mass consumers, mince it in small amounts for common people, or set it up in a store and have people grind it themselves.



I'd like to get another pillar. ...... Do you have anything?
What about the noodle-making machine?　Didn't you work with Yuki and the others on that before?
Nao, that's like selling a rice cake pounder in America.
...... I see. Even in Japan, the mochi pounder has yet to become a major product.

　Nao nodded her head in agreement with Tommy's very accurate analogy.
　It's not a good way to sell something that people don't usually eat, even if you can make it.

　You might be able to understand the goodness of it if you try it, but it would be hard to make a mere blacksmith promote a food product.

It's probably beaten by home bakers. It's a traditional Japanese food.

　On the other hand, home bakeries come with a mochi-making function as an extra feature.
　Incidentally, I had a rice cake pounder in my house.
　I also have a home baker.

　The rice cake pounder steams the rice properly before pounding it, while the extra function of the home baker is a little different.

　Well, it tastes good either way, so it's just a matter of taste.

Something else: ...... I'd like to see them make an ice cream maker, but I don't think that would sell.

Milk and sugar are hard to come by, of course. ......　Is it possible to get milk, by any chance?

Hmm?　Yeah. Well, not exactly milk, but something like it.

Wow, I'm jealous!　I've never seen it around here. You get it yourself, right?

Yeah. I found some in a dungeon a while back. They're pretty tasty, huh?

You sell it to the guild, right? How much is it?　Can you sell it directly to me?

Uh, about a liter and five gold pieces, right?

Ugh, that's dungeon stuff. That's expensive. ......

　When I told the price to Tommy's beady eyes, he choked on his words and sighed.
　I guess it's too expensive for a normal person in a serious business.

　I think it's okay to share a little bit of it, but considering that I'm harvesting it as part of my job. But it's a little difficult considering that I'm harvesting it as my job.

　It's as if Tommy is giving us the store's weapons for free.
　When we ask Tommy for work, we pay him well.

　We are in a different position than Diora, who has been a great help to us in both private and public life, and Aella, who has been teaching us how to cook.

If they come to my house, I can serve them as tea cakes.

　Haruka and the others wouldn't care about the details if they were serving it to guests.
　Nao nodded at my compromise plan.

I think that's about right. If you bring an ice cream maker ...... or a soft-serve ice cream maker as a souvenir, I'm sure Haruka and the others will be happy and let you eat as much as you want.

"Soft ice cream?　That's a good idea. Is it enough to churn it while chilling it?

Isn't that right?　Ah, but ordinary ice cream makers also churn while chilling, don't they? What's the difference, ......?

I think it's the frequency of churning.　I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but it's a good idea.

　Basically, I have no knowledge of cooking or pastry.

　I'm sure you'll agree that it's a great idea to try it out.

　　　　I'm not sure what to say.

"Hmm. It looks pretty interesting, doesn't it?

　After a leisurely lunch, we left Tommy and came to Simon's workshop.

　There was no conclusion to the discussion about the soft-serve ice cream, but Tommy said he would try to make a prototype, so we were sure he would make something.

　It may be a success if you open a cafe in the ...... blacksmith shop.

Can you do that, Simon?
I'm sure you can.　How many years do you think I've been doing woodworking for a living?
"That's great.

　I consulted with Mr. Simon, who confidently thumped his chest, and decided on the specifications of the billiard.
　First, the balls.
　We decided to use a piece of wood.

　Naturally, hard wood is expensive, but when you cut down a famous tree, there are always parts you can't use.

　For example, branches.

　For example, branches are good enough to make billiard balls, but they are too thin to be made into boards.

　If you use them, you can save a lot of money.
　Next, the billiard table.
　This is made of ordinary wood.

　If we could sell it to the aristocracy, we could use expensive wood for this part, or engrave it with luxurious carvings, but this is just a sample for us and for future sales.

　There is no point in making it unnecessarily gorgeous.

　Since the town did not produce any rusha-like cloth suitable for covering a billiard table, we decided to use brown-ake leather softened to look like chamois leather.

　The size of the table was chosen to be large enough to be covered with a single piece of brown acetate leather.

　I don't know the size of a real billiard table, but the Brown Aik is quite big, so it probably won't make much difference.

　The cue is another piece of wood.


　Since there are few uses for thin sticks, the cost of materials is low, even for fine wood.
　The horn of a task boar is used as the tip to poke the ball.

　The grip is sometimes decorated with mother-of-pearl inlays, but again, we don't need them.

　The aristocracy would probably do it themselves.
　Basically, everything is made of wood.

　If we can use the other things we can get in this town, and make them into a second specialty, we'll have nothing to worry about.

　By the way, I was told by Natsuki that the billiard table uses stone slabs. ...... I see, that's what the billiard table is made of.

　But it doesn't matter. We're the standard.


　The specifications of the billiard table were decided relatively easily, but it would take some time before it could be delivered to our house.

　Mr. Simon said he could do it, but it was indeed difficult to make 10 balls of the same size, and almost perfectly spherical.

　Still, the balls delivered to us were excellent, and at least when we played with them, we did not feel that they behaved strangely at all.

　Instead, the price demanded was quite steep, and it was quite painful for my already damaged wallet, but ...... Nao gave a little more, and Haruka and her friends gave a little more, saying, "We'll play too. We were able to survive.