Hey, Nao, wake up.
"......?

　In the early morning of the next day, I was coasting through my sleep when I was jolted awake.

　It was not a wolf's ear ...... that was in front of me, but Toya's face.

I'm not going to have a morning workout today.

　Because of the long travel time and the need to take turns on guard duty, I was somewhat sleep deprived during the escort.

　For this reason, I had decided not to do any early morning training while I was staying at the inn, but to wake up freely.

　Haruka and Natsuki, who usually wake up before me, were still in bed.

　Looking at the window, the sun has already risen, but the angle of the window shows that it's definitely early in the morning.

I'm sure it's early in the morning. "How can you wake up so early at a time like this, Toya? ......

　If you don't get enough sleep, your performance will suffer.
　You'll be able to find a lot more information on the web.
　But Toya didn't seem to care about my behavior, and pulled the covers over me.

"No, it's important, what is it? Rice?　I found something that looks like rice.
Seriously?

　That's it.
　I immediately jumped at Toya's serious statement, and my voice got louder.

　I'm not sure what to make of it, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

And of course you've secured them, haven't you?

　It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's had a bad experience.　I'm not buying it.

I'm not buying it.　What if it sells out?

I'm sure you're not worried about that. There were a lot of them, and they usually come in stock. ...... Come on.

Yeah, sure!

　There's no effort to spare for rice.


　I quickly changed my clothes and went to the morning market as Toya led me. .......

Rice, right?
Maybe?　You can understand my hesitation, can't you?
Oh, ......, this is a bit of a problem, isn't it?

　A stall at the morning market.
　There, in a jute bag, were unhulled rice.
　However, the size is completely different.

　The shape of the rice was closer to japonica rice than Thai rice, but the vertical size was clearly larger than one centimeter.

This is more like a bean than a rice, isn't it?
Oh, yeah, it looks like that!

　If you polish the rice, it will be smaller to some extent, but I imagine it to be the size of a small fermented soybean.

　This is what it looks like when served in a bowl. ...... Hmmm, does it depend on the taste?
　If it tastes good, all is forgiven.
　But is it really rice?
　I'm pretty sure it's a member of the rice family. .......

You were here earlier, weren't you?　Are you ready to buy some?

　The man manning the store was about thirty years old.
　He may be a grain peddler, since the other items in the store are all grain.

No, I was there to consult. How are you going to eat this?

"Hmm?　It's usually crushed and stewed. It's very sloppy, which is why people like it. ....... You can also use it to make sloppy dishes. Oh, and of course, you have to peel it.

　It's sloppy.
　Like porridge?

Can I have a piece?
Yeah, I'll take one, all right?



　I asked the man's permission, picked up one of the grains, and peeled off the husk to reveal what appeared to be brown rice.

　If you scrape the bran with your fingernail, translucent rice will appear.

Except for the size, it looks like it's right. ...... How much is this?
"That's five large silver coins for a bag.

　That's five large silver coins per bag.
　Then it's not that expensive.

　I put my hand into the bottom of the bag and stirred it, but I didn't find any sand or stones mixed in, nor did I find any inferior goods packed in there.

Don't worry, there's no one in this town who'd cheat.　If they find you, they'll kick you out in a heartbeat.

　Seeing my situation, the man who was keeping the stall smiled at me.
　This is an essential check when buying from a stall like this: .......

Are they strict about that?

"Yeah, they're strict. Yes, they do. Sometimes they check unannounced. And they pretend to be normal customers. Of course, you can't switch what you're showing and what you're selling.

　The only thing that's for sure is that it's easy to do business with. .......

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one. They're the ones who make it. It's no use for us to worry about it.

"Right. This much won't hurt us if we fail. Hey, man, give me a bag.

Thank you.

　This is a great way to make sure that you don't end up with a lot of problems.

　I think it's pretty heavy,......, but it's probably strong enough to handle the grain.

By the way, do you have any other kinds?

Of course. This one is a small one. The big ones are about twice the size of a grain. Let's see, it's around here.



　I pulled away some colanders that had been placed on top of the bag, perhaps as lids, and what I found underneath was definitely rice (?) that was about two sizes too big. The rice underneath was indeed two times larger than the rice (?).

　If the rice was small-grained natto, then this one was large-grained natto.

Can I check this too?
"Sure. This one, this one, and this one are different kinds.

　They look like large, medium, and small grains.
　When you peel off the husk, there is not much difference except for the whiteness of the large grain.

　The whitishness of the large grain is simply due to its size.

What should I do?
"Why don't you just buy it and go home?　It's not much money. How much, old man?
Five large silver pieces. --Yeah, but not the same amount, okay?

　The small ones are the same as the ones Toya bought, the medium ones a little less, and the large ones even less.

　Many of the things sold in this world are like this, not in terms of "how much for 100 kilos", but in terms of "how much you can buy with one large silver coin".

　Although it is difficult to compare the prices, it is easy to handle and calculate the coins.

　This is probably because small denominations of less than 100 reais are almost nonexistent, and because there are not many common people who can do the calculations.

I'll take it all then.

　I handed over one gold coin and five large silver coins, and the man gingerly closed the bag and lifted it, his gaze wandering between Toya and me.

Two bags over there. I'll take this one.
"Oh, yeah?　You're a strong man. That's a beastman!

　The man smiled and patted the two bags.

　The man smiled and handed the two bags to Toya, and I lifted the bag with the large one.

　I picked the lightest one, but it still looks like it weighs over 20 kilos. ......?

Oh, I've got three bags. No, I can carry them.

　I'm not sure it weighs more than 100 kilos, but Toya piles it on top of one of his shoulders and carries it easily.



　Not that I can't carry at least one more bag, but...

I paid three times as much as Toya did.
I see. Well, if you put it that way, I should at least carry your bags!

　Well, if the rice is good, they'll pay for it out of the common fund.

If you guys like it, come back and buy some more!　If you like it, come back and buy some more! I'm setting up store here at the market every morning.

"Yeah, if it's good, I'll be sure to stop by again.

　We said goodbye to the store keeper, who smiled at us, probably because we had bought so much, and headed back to the inn, looking around the market for more bargains.

　There were many stalls lining both sides of the street, where yesterday there were not even any stalls, selling many items, mainly food.

　Compared to Haruka and the others, we don't go to the morning market as often, but even so, there are a lot of foods that we've never seen before, giving us a sense of active distribution.

The selection is really good.
"Yeah. There are a lot of fruits. ......

　In the first place, there are not many fruits on sale except during certain times of the year, but here there are many kinds of fruits in abundance.

　Of course, the prices are high in general, but the fact that there are so many different kinds of fruits on display is a testament to the good distribution system in this town.

Oh, the dried dindol is so expensive!

　Only one piece cost 2,000 Reais.
　It's the same price as all the rice we just bought, but there's a big difference in terms of hunger.

Does this mean we can sell it for that much if we bring it here?
"Maybe, but would you sell it?　You came all the way out here.
No ......, yeah.

　Considering what we did last year, I'm sure we'll make some money, but only a little.

　If we can get enough food for ourselves, we can get a few hundred gold coins at most.
　Considering the distance, it would be better to devote that time to another hunt.

But that's beside the point. I think we should bring Haruka and the others with us. If we do it right, our meals will be even better.

"Yeah. We've got all kinds of spices and stuff. ...... Maybe we can get a curry or something?



"Curry!　That's the Japanese way!

"Oh. If you have a troublesome classmate, you can always use curry as bait. ......?

Nice idea!　If it comes with rice, it's a no-brainer!

　It's not easy to make a hostile classmate suddenly friendly, of course, but you'll feel better if you eat good food.

　Negotiations will be easier.

So let's get the hell out of here.　If we're going to take them with us, there's no point in us looking around by ourselves.

"Yeah, right. The rice is heavy, too. Let's hurry.

　We didn't bring any magic bags, so we were both carrying bags of rice.
　Toya didn't seem to mind much, but it was no small thing.

　I set the bag down and put it back on the other shoulder, then hurried Toya along the road to the inn.