It occurred to me that ......

'You might want to check with the people you're planning on letting in, just to be sure.
'...... You weren't going to tell them on the day of the tournament and make them do it, were you?'

Estella is sitting across from me, giving me the stink-eye.
No, no, you. You can't do that. I'm not that unplanned.

'Well, why don't I just tell you the day before?
'You're too unplanned!

I'm sure there are people who see it that way. ...... There are many things in this world.

In the event that you've got a lot of time, you'll be able to take a look at a few of the best ways to get the most out of your time.
I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you've. Mm-hmm. That's good. Keep contributing to the restaurant. ...... In the first place, it seems to be a strange system that Estella doesn't pay when she donates. ......

'Pay for it'.
I'll pay for it.

No, not now. ......

'I've got to go see Ricardo later today, so don't say anything that'll make me nervous.
'You know what? Haven't you and Ricardo already reconciled and are no longer at odds with each other?
'We're not at odds anymore, but we don't like each other. In fact, now that the rift is gone, I genuinely don't like him.

He hates you so much, Ricardo. I'm sorry for your loss.



How much do you hate me?
Don't try to complicate things by doing something else, okay?

'Well, if you have a problem, come to my place. I'll at least listen to you complain.'
'H......'

Estella, who was about to stand up, rolled her eyes and looked at me.
What's with the face like a pigeon got hit by a peashooter.

'Estella, try saying 'ho-ho-ho'.'
'...... Hotchpotch.'
'That doesn't sound anything like it.'
'What are you talking about!I guess I had to look like something!

'Oh, you're back to your normal face.

'Not at all. I thought I'd said something unusually witty, but ......'

He crossed his arms and turned to the side. It may be an obvious appeal to show that you are unhappy, but to me it looks like an appeal to show that you don't have breasts, that your arms are so tightly attached.
Okay, from now on, I'll call Estella the "head-on beauty". The side view gives a ...... kind of sadness.

'But, well, ......'.

Such a grumpy face turns to me and breaks into a smiley face.

'I feel a little better now, so I'll thank you. Thank you.

It's a cool, bright smile.
Lately, he is not forcing himself to act like a man, and is gradually changing his tone to a girlish one. Well, there's still some stiffness left, though.

'Right. I can give Magda and the others a ride if you want.

Currently, more and more carriages are running to District 41 every day.
There is a kind of temporary dormitory near the food court, but there are many people who want to go back to their homes, and many people go back and forth between the districts to transport foodstuffs.
Thanks to the support of the lord, it is possible to ride in a carriage at a reasonable price, but it is certain that it will become a burden as the number of times increases.

Both Magda and Loretta come back to the 42nd district after work. They say that they feel uncomfortable unless they are at home, and that they would rather go back and forth than stay over there.
The stamina of the Beastmen is quite impressive.

But...

'I'm sorry. My branch is closed today.'
'Oh, is that so?
'We'll set up a food stall during the day for the people in Torbek.

The restaurants in the food court are free to decide when they are closed.
This is because there are many other stores in the area, so the workers won't be bothered, and it helps the participating stores to be able to put the main store's situation first.

The Sunlit Pavilion branch opens at ten o'clock and closes at eighteen o'clock at the latest, which is enough time even if you leave first thing in the morning.
Cantalucina, however, seems to be open until midnight, as if it were a bar in its own right.

'I'll be open all day today, so Magda will have to stay here.
'What about Loretta?
'Do you think he can run the store by himself?He's even more of an idiot than you think, okay?'
'That's terrible!I'm not an idiot!

Loretta, who was wiping down the table, raised her voice in protest.

'That's right, Yashiro.'
'Estella-san, tell her!
'Loretta is normal.'


'That's terrible, too!

Loretta, normal for better or worse, 'Mmmmm!' and waves the rag around.
Stop it. It's chilling to see the water droplets fly.

'Well, why don't you go open the store by yourself?
'............ It's nice to taste the atmosphere of the main store after a long time.'
'You must be lonely, Loretta.'

Indeed. They're all lonely.

'But I can't believe Yashiro would allow that.'
'Hmm?'
''He's going to say, 'Don't miss out on even one Rb of earnings.
'If you continue to push yourself too hard, you'll eventually go bankrupt and incur immeasurable losses, you know, in business. It is only by keeping your own pace that you will eventually make a big profit.

It's not uncommon for a company to get on a roll and open up branches all over the country, only to have all but the main office go under in a flash. ......

'I think Yashiro is right, too.

Ginette approached with a smile and handed Estella a glass of water.
'Thank you,' says Ginette with a happy face as Estella takes the water and drinks it.

'I think the secret to continuing for a long time is to walk at your own pace and without strain. In addition, I'm happy to be with you all,......, although I'm not qualified to be a manager if I say this.


...... Well, she said something like that yesterday. It's not that I don't like it.
It's not because of that, but... Well, why don't you take today off?
At least for now. It's like a ...... festival, you know.

I'm going to go now. Yashiro, is the qualifying round the day after tomorrow okay?
'Yeah. Any day that's convenient for you. It's for the selection of the representatives of the forty-two districts.'

We won't be able to decide without the acting lord.
I'll send him a look.

'Okay. I'll see you then.
'Okay.
'............'
'What's ......?'
'No, I just thought you looked like you wanted to say something.'

Estella looks into my face.
I don't have anything to say to you.
...... Oh, I see. So this is a request. Is that so?They're all becoming spoiled brats, aren't they?

'Okay, okay. Have a safe trip.'
'What's that?
'You wanted a friendly send-off, didn't you?
'You know, ...... I'm not that kind of spoiled brat. ...... Well, okay. Bye.'
'Oh, go on.'

After seeing Estella off, it's time for me to leave too.

'Well, I'll be going with you. Take care of her.'
'Yes, sir. Have a safe trip. Um, ......'
'Hmm?'

I turned to see Jeannette fidgeting.

'Is it leaking?I don't need to see you off, just go.'
'No, I'm not!You know,......, I'm not so sure about this kind of thing,.......'

Taking a half step closer, Ginette whispered reservedly.

'I hope you'll be back soon. ......'
'......What?'
'No, um, ......Yashiro-san, you've been working a lot lately. ......I hope you don't overdo it too .........' .........I'm sorry. I'm not sure what to say.

......Ginette is in pamper mode?
Did I just raise some kind of flag?

'Well, I'm just going to go talk to the players who are going to participate today. It's not such a hard thing to do.
'Yes, of course. Hahaha ...... I'm kind of useless.'
'You're tired, aren't you?Magda and the others are here today, so give me a break.'
'Yes, sir. I'll do that.

When you're tired, you miss people, you know.



'......Yashiro'

Magda came up to me quickly.
He looks up at me, opens his little mouth, and says something like this.

'...... See you later.
'............ What's that?Have a good day, usually.
'...... Have a nice day.'
'Yeah, I'll be there. Take care of Jeannette and the store.'
'Hey, big brother!Don't worry, I'm here too!
'Also, make sure he doesn't get out of control, okay?
'...... I got it.'
'That's terrible, both of you!I'm not going to run off!

After being sent off in such a lively manner, I headed off to Millie's.





In front of the store, Millie was taking care of some flowers.

'Hey. You've got a lot of energy.
'Hey, ...... ladybug. Welcome.'

She tucked the pruning shears into her apron pocket, wiped her hands on them and trotted up to me.

'I'd like to ask for a bouquet of flowers. Something not too bulky.'
'Hmm. A ...... present?'
'Yeah. Just something for Delia.'

I have a date with Delia, just the two of us.
A date is a bouquet of flowers. That's becoming a staple in the 42nd district.

'............ nice...'
'Hmm?What's wrong, Milly?
'Oh, ...... yeah. It's nothing. I'll pick one for you.'

Smiling, Millie begins to pick out some flowers.
When I buy flowers here, I always ask Millie to make a bouquet for me.
Millie has good taste. The receiver of the bouquet will be happier if the bouquet is made with good taste.

'How about something like this?

Millie shows me the bouquet, looking a little uneasy.
Yes, it's perfect.

'Then, take care of it.
'Hmm ............, I'll be right back.'

After a bit of a daze, Millie rushes into the store and wraps the flowers for you.
...... Maybe she's never received a bouquet of flowers before because she only offers them. I'm sure you'll be able to find something that you can't find anywhere else. I guess it's very hard to give her a bouquet of flowers that you got from somewhere else, like .......
You can find a lot of people who are interested in this kind of thing.
......Maybe I should ask her out on a date sometime. .................. No, no, no. She'll probably say no. Millie has the right to choose.
I think it's best to just send her flowers if you get the chance.

'Thank you for waiting.
'Thank you'.

She takes the bouquet and asks casually.

'Speaking of which, are the flowers and plants blooming in the 42nd district under the jurisdiction of the Flower Arrangement Guild?
'Huh?...... and ...... forest are under the jurisdiction of the Flower Arrangement Guild, but the others are not.

There were some beautiful flowers blooming on the riverbank.
If you can make a bouquet out of them, you might be able to surprise Milly.

'Oh, ......, ladybug.

As I was thinking about this, Millie gave me a discreet glance.
I thought she was reminding me of the fee, but she wasn't.

'Will you ...... go to the forest with Miri again?

To the forest?
Well, that's fine with me.

'Do you want to see me get eaten by an insectivorous plant again?
'Oh, ......, no, no.'

He waved his hands in the air and gave her an annoyed look.
I don't think I'll have time to prepare for the tournament for a while, so I'm at a loss for an answer.

'Oh, that's right. How much food does Millie eat?
'Yeah, ...... food?It's normal.

Well, I can't imagine Miri eating three or four bowls of rice.
I don't have high hopes for her.

'The day after tomorrow, we're having a preliminary round of a gluttony contest. Come and watch if you want.


Oh, that's interesting. I'd like to go see it.
'You don't mind if I join you, do you?
'Miri, I don't eat that much.'
'I see. Well, thanks for the flowers.'
'Hmm!Bye, bye!

Millie gave a big wave.
I left the flower shop after being seen off.






Now I walk alone along the path to the river where I walked with Bertina yesterday.
Then I found the person I was looking for by the river where I had talked with Bertina yesterday.
I waved my hand and called out to him, who had round bear ears on his head.

'Hey!Delia.
'Hmm?Oh!Yashiro!

Delia, who was sitting on a large rock with a fishing line hanging down, stood up and ran over to me.
She moves like a big dog that's taken to her.
I feel like petting her neck and stomach. But I don't.

'Are you fishing?
'Oh, yeah. We're not fishing for a while.

The river fishing guild is reducing the number of fishing trips in preparation for the gluttony contest. During the preparation period, many people will disappear from the forty-two districts and consumption will be reduced. On the other hand, since salmon is one of the ingredients for the big meal on the day of the competition, they plan to fish all at once the day before the competition. They are now conserving their energy.

So I came to ask her out on a date.
I told her that I wouldn't be helping out at the Sunken Pavilion today.

'So you fish too, Delia?
'Just to pass the time. She's surprisingly good at it.She can catch fish that come close to the bait with her right hand and 'bash! With my right hand!
'...... Delia, that's not fishing.'

It's a very powerful move. The fish must be going, "What? The fish must be going, 'What?

'So, what's up today?Is there something I can help you with?'

Delia's ears perked up.
This guy loves to be relied upon. If I talk to him properly, he'll go to the tournament.
But first, you have to fulfill your promise.

'Here, Delia. Here.'

She quickly presents you with a bouquet of flowers she's been hiding behind her back.
Delia's eyes widen in disbelief at the bouquet.

'Oh?

Delia tilts her head, letting out a cry of disbelief, like a baby animal.
Apparently, she doesn't understand the situation.

'You know, when we went to inspect the forty-first district before, we promised, right?Let's go on a date, just the two of us.'
'............ Eh, Yashiro, did you remember ...... that ......?'
'Of course I remember. So, you see. I'm here to ask you out.'

With that, he brings the bouquet closer to Delia one more time. She moves close enough to touch the petals to her chest, and as she does so, Delia's gaze shifts and her jaw drops.
Delia looks down and stares at the bouquet of flowers that is close to her chest. ...... and .

'............ guffaw'.

Large tears spilled noiselessly from Delia's eyes.

'Whoa!What's wrong?

Why are you crying?

'Oh, no, I'm sorry, ......!No, no, not like that. ......!

He looked up hurriedly and wiped the tears roughly with the palm of his hand, near the base of his thumb.

'Well,......, you,...... are like this,...... so,...... that,...... this kind of thing,...... has never happened before. I've never had any ............ this kind of ...... treatment like a girl ....... I've never been treated like a ...... girl. ......

I'm not sure what to say.
Then you might cry. ......

It's not meant to be so heavy, you know?It's more light-hearted. ......'
'I know, I know!It's a date, right?I'm not sure if you've heard of it or not, but I'm sure you've heard of it.

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, but I'm sure it's a good idea.

'Here, take it.



Then she takes the bouquet from my hand. I hold it in both hands and bury my nose in the flowers.

'It smells good. ...... It smells like a girl.

That line would be out of order if I said it. ......
But when Delia says it, it instantly becomes girlie.

'Thank you, Yashiro. I'm so happy!

Even that bold smile looks like a girl's now.
Maybe she's as maidenly-minded as Nephrite.

'Ehehe~, flowers~. I got a flower~'

Delia held up a bouquet of flowers and began to spin around.
Her tail is twitching like I've never seen it before.
If a cat were here, it would definitely pounce on her. You're a cat's dream.

'Well, let's go eat some cake.
'Yes!

I nodded as hard as I could and went to ......

'......What?'
'Heh, ...... once in a while is good, right?'

Delia put her arm around me, her face flushed with shame. Delia's arm wrapped around mine.
I'm not sure if you've seen this before, but I'm sure you have.
...... This kind of awkwardness gives a sense of unfamiliarity. ............ It's so cute! I'm not sure what to say.



I'm not sure what to do.The sunny pavilion?'
'Hmm, I guess so. ......'

'If it's the Sunlit Pavilion, they have all kinds of cakes and I'm sure Delia will be satisfied. ...... Since we promised to have a date together today, ......

'Why don't you go to "Graduates" or something like that?'
'Ooh!It's lemon pie!I've always wanted to try one of those!
'Then we're set.
'Yeah!Let's go, let's go!

I wonder if there's such a thing as a vigorous date. Well, I think it's nice, just like us.

At the end of the main street, near the central square, is a coffee shop with a relaxed atmosphere.
The store used to serve tea, and has a slightly Japanese appearance. I wonder if dealing with tea in this world also makes you want to have a Japanese style interior.

I opened the sliding door and entered the store.

'Hello, Mr. Yashiro. Welcome.

The elderly owner greets you with a friendly smile.
Graduates does not open a restaurant in the food court of District 41.
Originally, the owner and his wife were the only ones running the restaurant. They can't afford to expand to a branch store.

'I'll think about selling on consignment,' he said. If possible, we'd like more people to try it.

I had suggested that we sell the lemon pie on consignment. Ask other stores to sell them together. Of course, there would be a fee for that.
But of course, there would be a commission.
However, the owner cannot shake the concern that the products will be sold out of his sight. If food poisoning were to occur, the name of the restaurant would be ruined at once.
You can't ask someone to sell your products on consignment unless you trust them very much.

And that's not what I came here to talk about today.

'Sorry, owner. I'm just a customer today.'

When I said that, the owner looked at Delia, who was curling her back next to me, and said, 'Oh, I see,' her face wrinkled up happily.

'Then please take a seat in the back. It will be a little quieter for you.

With such consideration, we were led to the back of the restaurant.
Once seated, Delia carefully places a bouquet of flowers on the table. She turned it a little towards her so that we could see the flowers better.

'I'm going to cherish them forever~'
'No, they'll only last about a week, okay?
'I'll let my guts carry me through!
'...... Don't ask that of a flower.

I'll teach you how to make dried flowers later.

'Before the date, I have a favor to ask you.

I don't want this to go unanswered, so I'll start the conversation first.

'Will you participate in the upcoming gluttony contest as a representative of the forty-two districts?
'What, you want me to?
'Yeah. I need your help. Please.



Put your hands on the desk and bow your head.
Will he be disappointed that this was the purpose of the date?
If that happens, you'll have to put him in a good mood with a delicious cake. ......

'I'll take care of it!

Delia says loudly and clearly, as if to push all the air out of the quiet store.
When I looked up, I saw a sparkling smile looking at me.

'If Yashiro relies on me, I'll respond to him!

He thumped me on the chest and said strongly.
I'm glad to be relied on.
You can find a lot of people who are looking for the best way to get the most out of their life.
I don't know if it's okay to be trusted like this,......, but I am.

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

'Your boobs were shaking so much just now.
'What?

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one who's a bit of a jerk. Delia barked.

'Don't joke when people are talking seriously!

I gripped my fingers lightly, and the cat punch that girls often use for skinship flew at me, and the moment it touched my forehead, ...... I was informed that what I thought was a cat was a ferocious bear.

'Ngozzzz!

A sound that I've never made before escaped my throat and nose.
...... Please don't joke about this one. ............ This is way beyond the level of a joke... ...

I'm not sure what to say.I'm sorry.I just did it with the same amount of force I use on Omero. ......'

Omero ...... you've been enduring this kind of impact like a two-ton car crash every day? ...... I'm going to respect you a little ...... ...... in the afterlife.

'But, but, that was Yashiro's fault, you know!
'Ah, ah ...... I'm sorry ............ for my lack of crisis management skills, I must say... ...'
'Haha, I hope you understand.'

It would have been nice if the damage was cute and easy to get away with. ......

'Oh, but... I eat a little bit of everything, but ...... not as much as you think.You know that, don't you, Yashiro?You know that, don't you? You've seen him eat bribes at the sunny restaurant.

It's true, Delia eats a little more than most people.
But...

'What if we limit it to sweets?
'Sweets: ......?
'Yes. Your favorite sweets. The kind of sweet you usually save to avoid eating too much of.'
'How did you know about that ......?

Delia fears that if she eats too much of the sweets, she will lose her grip, so she always limits herself to one ...... serving, but she has eaten about three servings.


'......That's right,......I eat a lot more than most people,............ ...... No, I'm as good as anyone when it comes to sweets!'
'Even Bertina?'
'............ No. ...... That thing is. ......'

The appetite that clouds the faces of the bear people. 'That's great, Bertina.

'Well, well, well. You've got a lot going on here.'

The owner of Graduates comes in with a bottle of water.
It has become a standard practice for restaurants in the 42nd district to provide free water that has been purified by water purifiers. In some bars, it's like, 'If you don't have time to drink water, drink alcohol.
The Graduates' water was, after all, lemon water with a refreshing scent.

'I'd like to thank you, sunny pavilion. You've shown me the potential of lemons.
'It's just that I happened to know about it. Don't think too much of it.'
'No, no. Those 'things I happened to know' have changed us, this city, a lot. I have no words to thank you.
'Stop it. It's disgusting.
'Haha, Yashiro is so humble.'
'It's not like that!

You should talk to Jeannette about that. I'm not in charge.

'Please let me serve you today.
'Oh, you did it, Yashiro!He's giving me a discount.'

No, no, no, a discount for a date. ......

'Owner. I don't need your service, but can you help me out?
'I beg your pardon?
'Bake me 20 servings of lemon pie.'
'Nijuu ......, twenty servings, sir?

The old man was so surprised he looked like he was about to collapse.
In fact, I wanted to say a hundred servings, but the only monsters of that level would be the Ano-two.
For now, just let Delia see how much she can eat.
If she can't finish it, she'll bring it back as a souvenir.

'Haha, I see. It's practice for the gluttony contest.


'Well, that's about it.'
'Hmm...... indeed, if it's something sweet like a cake, women have an advantage over men...... you thought of that, didn't you, sunny pavilion-san?

I'm not sure what to say. The representative is Jeannette.

'Delia, just try it as long as you don't overdo it.
'No, you don't mind!I always stick to one slice, but today I'm allowed to eat a whole lot?
'Ah. It's on me. Go ahead and go ahead. I think the future of District 42 depends on how much you eat.
'Oh, ......, oh, ......, you're having a scary good day today. ...... Oh, am I going to die tomorrow?I'm not sure if I'm going to die.

You're overreacting.

I'll bring you 20 servings of my best lemon pie.
'I'm sorry for being so reckless. I'm counting on you.
''Purrrrrrrrrrr!
''What?

The owner disappears behind the counter, leaving behind a mysterious cry. ...... What the hell was that?It was a very curly tongue. ......

'Ya, Yashiro ......, is that what you call "gap moe"?


And anyway, let's think that the old man just got a little excited. ...... If you think about it too much, you'll lose. It's the 42nd district, where regular people are extremely rare.



'Here you go, sir.

Two lemon pies on a large plate are brought out.

'This is enough for sixteen people.

That's because a whole pie is divided into eight equal portions.
'Twenty servings,' I said half-heartedly.

'That's half the number.
'Hmm?Oh, that's right.

Delia, whose eyes were already glued to the lemon pie, seemed to have noticed that.

'It's not good to end things on a bad note, is it?
'That's right.
'Well then, sixteen servings at .......'
'Owner, change to twenty-four servings.

He's going upstairs!

'Yes, sir!I'll bring you another eight servings of my elaborate lemon pie!Pull, pull, pull!
''What?

The owner disappears behind the counter with another strange shout.

'...... Is that a rule?'
'If I were the owner, I'd stop him right now. ......'

'Let's eat what's in front of us before the next lemon pie is baked.

'Well, let's eat.
'I've always wanted to eat a whole pie!Let's eat!

Delia sticks out her fork and bites into the lemon pie.

'～～～～～ is delicious!

She seems to like it and gobbles it up with great gusto.
Oh ......, that's enough for twenty people.

I'll take one serving and let Delia try for twenty-three servings.
That should be enough.
...... I mean, we're already halfway through the whole thing, aren't we?

I'm not sure what to do. Eat a little more calmly. You'll choke on it.'
'Don't worry!Sweets are in the other throat!
'No, I don't have that kind of throat.'
'Owner!Another one!
'No problem, just twenty-three servings!
'Prrrrrrrr!
'Don't accept any more!

Bottom line-- Delia eats an awful lot of sweets.
And we should use the lord's money to see how good the representative of gluttony is. ...... You don't have to eat that much. ...... Oh, he ate four holes, Delia. ......