The pig's nose is leaking ragged breaths, "Bupi-bupi-bupi ......".
A lump of live pork is lying on the floor.
Next to it, a nine-year-old girl wipes the sweat from her forehead with a radiant smile.

'Mmm!It was a close call, but it's a great come-from-behind victory!

The food procurement competition presented by Rebeka was narrowly won by Rebeka after a fierce battle.

'You're good, Assunto. Nice dead heat.
...Buh......'

It's not a stunt, he said breathlessly.
I'm sweating all over.


He must have adjusted Rebeka's speed.
If it had been a normal race, Assunto would have been trounced.

He put on a cool face and got the point across.
Mr. Barr does a good job. He knows exactly what will make Rebecca happy.

'This is Assunto. How long are you going to keep it lying around? Cook quickly. I have a feeling that I can eat well now!
'No, ......, the food is .............'

He was staring at me.
It was a soulful stare.
'If you move it any further, it'll be a mess you won't be able to look at directly,' he said.
Assunto was desperate.

'Let's leave the cooking to Master Yashiro. He works at a restaurant with the best cooks in the 42nd district.

Natalia recommended me as if to wrap up the moment.
He works at a restaurant with the best cook in the Forty-second Ward. ...... Well, you're not wrong. This information has nothing to do with my cooking skills.
Either way, it doesn't matter because I was going to make it.

It's just that Natalia's offer to help made Assunto's eyes sparkle like 'Natalia ...... is a good person! It's a little dangerous that Assunto started to have a sparkling look in his eyes like 'Natalia is a good person! ...... You've changed, Assunto, to owe Natalia so much.

'So, can I use your kitchen?
'I'll show you around.
'I'm going to see it too!

Bertha leads me out of the room with Rebekah tugging at my hems.
Estella and Natalia followed me, leaving the greasy pig lying on the floor.

I'm sure it will have been aged by the time you get back.





'It's delicious!

I'm sure you'll be pleased to know that I'm not the only one with a smile on my face.
...... I'm sure you're right. How hard do you think it was for me?

I've been trying to make it less spicy, but it's still too spicy! I'm sure you're aware of that. ...... Children who are too energetic are so cute that you want to pick them up by the neck and throw them in the mud, really.

I'm sorry. I'm not going to look like a demon king while I'm eating.

Estella, who's sitting next to me, pokes me in the side with her elbow.
You're good, aren't you? All you do is eat delicious food with no effort!

...... Nine year old taste buds, too sensitive. d*mn.

'This is definitely delicious. It's so much better than the old 'bean paste'.

Even Bertha, who seemed to understand the difference in taste, gave her seal of approval.
She nodded her head in admiration and brought the spoon to her mouth again and again.

'If you age it properly, it will have a much deeper flavor.
'Mmm-hmm!I'm suddenly very motivated!

Only one person, Rebekah, who was eating a very sweet version of Mapo Aubergine, raised her fist and barked.
I've heard from Bertha that Rebeka's job is to manage the koji, and that miso and soy sauce are made by other craftsmen. If it's ......, there's no place for you to work anymore.

'Develop the right koji for bean sauce!I'm sure there's a koji that's more compatible!

He's so enthusiastic.
Well, I guess it's best to leave the technical stuff to the experts. If there is such a koji, it would be better if you made it for me.

'More importantly, what do you think of this eggplant?Isn't it irresistibly delicious?
'Yes, yes, it is. Thick and chewy, it's a delicious eggplant.
'No~!That's Estella. Your taste buds are very discerning.

Well, Estella probably doesn't have a sensitive tongue that can tell whether an eggplant is good or bad, but if you ask her if it's good, it's an ordinary eggplant.
But it's just an ordinary level.

'......Loretta, I wonder what you're doing now?
'Yashiro ......, I can imagine why that name came up, but let's not be too hard on ourselves, shall we?'

He quickly nailed me.
But you know what? It's not something to brag about, this eggplant.



'Is there something special about this eggplant?

Natalia plays the role of the ignorant waiter and asks the question on Estella's behalf.
Estella would have a hard time asking after being told that she was 'very good'.

Hearing Natalia's question, Rebekah puffs up her nose in pride.
This eggplant must be some kind of gem that she wants to show off.

'This eggplant is a 'church eggplant'!
'Church eggplants?

He looks at Assunto, but Assunto's expression clouds over. He had never heard of it.
Isn't it a specialty of the 24th district that even Assunto doesn't know about?

There was a lot of "? marks were flying around between us, Bertha gave us an answer in a quiet voice.

'It's just an eggplant, sir. It's just a plain eggplant that was grown in the church.

He said with a clear face while chewing the eggplant.
Because it was grown in a church, it is called "church eggplant. ...... Well, I understand that. But why is Rebekah boasting about such an ordinary eggplant with such a smug face?

'There are some people who are a bit attached to it. ...... Unfortunately, I was unable to meet them today.
'Here, Bertha!You don't need to say anything else!I didn't come all the way to the church just to see him. It's just that the eggplant there is delicious, so I thought I'd feed it to Estella and the others.
''The genie's .......''
'Don't do horrible things with a straight face!

She slapped down Bertha's straight outstretched hand with all her might.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of what's going on in your life.

'...... I'm sorry to hear that, boy.
I'm sure that's the way it is.
'Maybe that person has a big influence on your desire to act like an adult.
'You all like other people's love affairs, don't you? ...... I'm not really interested in that.

We all somehow knew what was going on, we all somehow felt sorry for the boy whose name we didn't know, and a few seconds later we forgot all about it and tucked into our mabo eggplant.

Well, you're young, you should have experienced a heartbreak or two.
I mean, it was a mistake to try to touch such a young girl.

Isn't it?You're all smirking at me. It's kind of creepy.

The kid's trying to cover up his embarrassment. I see. You're embarrassed. So naive.

'Riveka. You're a girl too. It's okay to fall in love. There's nothing to be ashamed of.'

When I gave her the generous words of a grown-up, Rebeka's eyes widened as if she was startled, and her face instantly turned red.

'My knight,......, you,......!

You can read my mind, how can you read my mind? I was wondering if I would be getting a lot of rude words like ......

'You're hitting on me, aren't you?

I was hit in the back of the head with a huge spike.

'No, I'm not!
'No, you don't have to hide it!You're a man, too, and you'll feel the tingle of love when you touch a young maiden. ...... It's wrong that I'm too pretty.

I'm not sure what's going on here.

It's a good thing that I'm not the only one who has a problem with this. ...... I've been thinking that I've been feeling some strange and unpleasant stares for a while now. ...... It's really erotic, my knight!
I've never given you that look!
I'm not sure what to say.
'Are you on that side too, Bertha?

What are you talking about, you little brat and old hag?
Who's going to look at you like you're pornographic?

'Don't get too carried away, you flabby, wrinkled bastard!
'That's why they call you an erotic gaze because you're so directly connected to your breasts.

Estella gives me a cold stare.
'Yashiro, you're finally talking to children and elderly people like this? It's better that he didn't give you a troublesome reply, but you should at least ...... follow him.

But, my knight... If you want to marry me, you must become my son-in-law, learn about koji from scratch, and take over this factory and room. Is Sonata ready for that?
'No.'
'Why don't you show a little more guts!Young men these days are so sloppy!

I've been called a young man by a kid who's only lived about a quarter of my life. ...... I'm thirty-seven years old. I'm not sure what to make of that. I'm sure you'll be fine. I'm sure you'll be fine.

But Yashiro-sama might have a chance.

Bertha, who I had thought to be relatively sane, started to talk nonsense. I think he's started to lose his mind in this short time.

'I've heard that you know a lot about koji, and you should be highly praised for bringing in a new seasoning called bean sauce. Most of all, I am impressed by the fact that you know tofu, the taste of my youth. How about it, won't you seriously consider marrying me?Marry me!
'It's you!

I was so surprised!I was so surprised that I made a very goofy comment.


I thought he was going to push me to marry Rebeka, but he ended up looking for his own son-in-law!
Isn't she starting to lose her mind?

'It's my first marriage!
'I don't know!

I don't know why, but he's so refreshingly confident. My impression of this guy has gone around 540 degrees. One and a half turns.

d*mn.
I made the mistake of saying 'you can fall in love too' to show a bit of brotherly composure. ...... These guys are annoying.

It's a good thing I'm not the only one.
I'm not sure what to say. Is he embarrassed?Well, I don't know.
'Well, well, don't be in such a hurry. Everyone, please take your time. If you want, I can prepare bedding for you, so why don't you stay the night?

Hey you, Bertha.
Didn't your mouth say something about it being a nuisance to keep another lord around for a long time, just now?
Also, it's a futon. Not a bed.

'Okay, let's leave Assunto.
'I'm sorry, sir, but I'm a married man.'

He refused. You look more like a sacrifice than any of us!You're the kind of guy who wants to be sacrificed to the devil!

'Rebeka-sama.'
'What the hell, Bertha?
'Tomorrow ...... I might sleep in .............'
'All right, let's go home, boys!We don't want to keep the lord waiting!We're about two hours early, but let's get there early and wait at the gate!That's the polite thing to do, isn't it?

I have goosebumps all over.
What on earth is it about me that Bertha likes so much?

It's a great way to make sure you're getting the most out of your time with your family. ...... I wonder if this is how people feel when they wander into a haunted place and get possessed. ...... I can't stop the chills.

I'm not sure what to make of it. I'm not sure if I'll be able to escape this nightmare if I declare, 'I'm having s*x with Estella!
...... No, if I do that, I'll be stuck with troublesome problems for the rest of my life. I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out.




That's why we've decided to leave the factory.

'Why don't you take your time ......, don't you think so Bertha?
'Personally, I agree with you. But you are all very busy. I can't force you to stay.'
'What a bore!

The pudgy Rebekah tugs at the hem of my dress and shakes her body. Stop, it's stretching.

'You must come and visit us again!You too, Estella!
'Yes, by all means.

Estella is assuring me with a good-natured look.
She wouldn't be able to come to such a distant city.

'Assunto, you'll have to compete again.
'Ha, yes ......, by all means, again.'

Although he is twitching profusely, he has made up for his gaffe and seems to like him a little more than before, which is a good thing for Assunto. ...... Pfft. You can run around in a sweat again.

'And Natalia, the head waiter.

Rebekah calls Natalia, then suddenly starts to squirm.

'Now, I want you to give me a lecture on how to become a good, mature woman like you.

What the hell?
You want to be like Natalia?

Is this something that should be stopped at all costs?
A naive girl is about to step into the road of disappointment. I think we should do everything in our power to stop her, as adults!

'Rebecca-sama'.

Before I could stop her, Natalia began to speak in a matter-of-fact tone.

'Adult women are full of feminine charm. Therefore, it is important to always keep yourself firm, disciplined, and objective, even when no one is looking.

Oh, he's saying something decent.
When it comes to self-discipline, Natalia, the head waiter, may be more disciplined than the others.
If that's the kind of advice you're looking for, there's no need to stop.

'Therefore, I recommend that you go to bed completely naked.
'What are you talking about, man?
'At any rate, behave yourself and be careful what you say, Natalia!

It's a good thing that you're not the only one who has a problem with this.

'If you spend all your time naked, you will be able to observe your own body lines at all times. Being watched makes you tighter, both physically and mentally.

I'm not sure what you're talking about, but you're making a lot of sense.

'Normally, I would prefer to be completely naked while at home, but ...... that would be tough for an amateur. You might catch a cold.


'...... Why are you so proud,are you?'
'If you're an amateur, does that mean you're a ...... naked professional?'

Well, as expected, they won't listen to this stupid advice.
You'll be disappointed at best that you shouldn't have listened to it.

'Make sure you take notes, Bertha!
'I'm on top of it!Let's start implementing it today!
'Hey, stop it, you old hag!

I feel like I'm going to disturb the neighbors!Even if it's surrounded by a wall!

'You can't peek at .......'
'Assunto. You don't deal in longswords or something, do you?
'No, you can't. If Mr. Bertha goes away, miso and soy sauce will disappear from the market.

d*mn it!
He's in control of the factory, isn't he?
I don't want to leave the monsters on the loose. ......!

I'm not sure what to do.

Estella bowed, and Natalia bowed reverently.
Assunto bows like a merchant, and I raise one hand in greeting.

'It was a good time!You're my friends!You're my friend! You can always count on me if you need anything!
'Make me some tofu.
'I can't do that!

I was rejected with a big smile on my face.
If we can increase the production of ...... soybeans, we can make ............ Mapo Tofu ...... I'm not giving up! ......!

We headed back to the inn on foot, just as we had come.
It seems that we have stayed too long, the sky has brightened and the city is full of people.
It was almost lunchtime.

We went back to the inn, and Assunto went back to the Peddler's Guild.
This is where we say goodbye to Assunto.

He is going to report to the peddler's guild about what happened at the koji factory.
Before that, he is supposed to bring a carriage to the inn.

The carriage arrived at the right time, just as I was finishing packing my luggage and checking out.
I climbed into it, and the horses began to walk at a leisurely pace.
We were headed for the mansion of the Lord of the 24th District.

Finally, we can meet the lord.
I feel like I've taken a long detour.

I'm going to make some arrangements to dismiss the BU's ludicrous request.
If possible, I'll bring them into the fold and invite them to collapse from within.

'Well, hopefully ...... they're not a straightforward opponent.'

That's what Estella said when we talked in the carriage.
The lord is called the stubborn old man.
I don't think he has a surprising identity like the 'difficult malted rice maker'. I've met him once. Well, I just saw him. I didn't talk to him.
He's really just a stubborn old man.

I'll have to talk to him to find out what he's like. ...... Let's do what we can for now.
Use this time to get to the lord's mansion.

'Bald, bald, bald, bald, bald, bald, bald, bald!
'...... you don't mind doing that, do you?'

I'll say all I have to say now so that I won't be too surprised at how bald I am when we first meet and let the words slip out.

'...... I hope it doesn't become a habit and come out in spurts.

Oh, there are dangers like that,......, I learned while I was being rocked by the carriage.