Thank you for your purchase.

　As I leave after shopping at Tornell's, the Tornell family bows their heads.

''Master Alfried, you'll be home tomorrow, right?

　And then Tornel, with his head up, asked me.

　Tornel and Quina are now friends. I knew it wasn't right for me to leave without saying anything, so I told them I would return tomorrow.

'Yes, I'm going back to the village of Coriat tomorrow,'

'When are you coming out?　I'm going to send you and Quina off for good!

　Tornel shows his chipped front teeth with a snicker, and Quina, who is behind him, nods in agreement.

　The time we spent together was short, but I'm glad that we made a solid friendship like this.

　If only we had more time, I would have liked to stay here and play in the sea with you.

Thank you. We'll be leaving Eric's mansion tomorrow at noon.

All right. It's lunchtime!

I'll leave work early and head out.

Yeah, you're both waiting for me.

　With that, I wave to Tornel and Quina and walk away.

　Not only does Tornel's father come out, but my mother, who was working in the back, also comes out and gives me a general send-off.

　While I'm happy for them, I'm also a little embarrassed.

　The Sowlett family and the Silford family waved their hands in reply and then went home coolly like noblemen.



　◆


　When we returned to Eric's mansion, we each took a bath to work up a sweat and then gathered in the dining room.

　Tonight and tomorrow morning are the only times you can eat sumptuous seafood in Silford territory.

　We can't eat slowly tomorrow morning because we have to prepare to return home and so on, and the adults can't drink alcohol. Therefore, it would not be an exaggeration to say that tonight is the only night we can eat without hesitation.

　There were a lot of fresh sashimi in front of the table, seafood salad, large grilled clams, and buttered shrimp, just like on the first day.

''Ooh, it looks so good tonight too... hmm?　Is this boiled with soy sauce?

　One of the dishes, though not many, was made with the soy sauce we had brought back from China.

Yes, I used soy sauce, a seasoning from Kagura that was given to me by the Slowlet family. I heard they used soy sauce and other seasonings to cook it, but in Kagura they call it nitsuke.

　I look at him as I lean forward and Largo explains from behind me.

'Are the fish flounder and yellowtail?'

'Yes, I served it on the menu a few times, but you've already learned it.

　It's certainly a dish that came up many times during my stay, but as expected, I can't remember it by itself. It's thanks to the many times I saw and ate boiled food in my past life.

'The food is so good, I learned it very quickly.

'Thank you. The cooks in the kitchen will be delighted.

　When I smiled and fooled him appropriately, Largo bowed his head happily.

　Anyway, the cooks of the Silford family do a good job of making boiled vegetables less than a few days after I gave them the soy sauce.

　Furthermore, there's the rice we gave them, so I'm sure the rice will be good for dinner.

How does Al know what kind of fish to eat? I can't even tell which fish is which, but...

　Sister Elinora, sitting next to me, says curiously, staring at the fish dish.

'You've learned sashimi, not grilled fish, right?

Sashimi is a little...?

　This one is a bit fishy.

So what's this red one?

　I point to the sashimi of tuna for a test.

"It's tuna.

What's this?

"Shrimp.

　Hmmm, I seem to remember that it's easy to understand what it looks like. Now let's go to something a little more difficult.

'What's this white, faintly red pink and reddish thing?'

　That said, I pointed to a tie and a yellowtail. The shades are somewhat similar, but I don't think it's that difficult.

'....hmmm...'

　But Sister Elinora was snarling at the sight of these two. Apparently it would be suspicious if it didn't have features that were eyes like a tuna or a shrimp.

'I think one of them is a yellowtail,'

Heh.

　I give a raw reply to sister Elinora's words that could be taken either way.

'Heh, what?　That's correct, right?

What?

　It's no use trying to shake us up like that and narrow down our options. I'm still naive in that way, sister Elinora.

　It's a good thing that you're able to get a good idea of what you're looking for, because you're not going to be able to get a hint from me.

　The Elinora sister resolutely extends her finger with a resolute expression.

'This one's a yellowtail and this one's called a tie!

'Pukku, it's the other way around. I'm sorry you had to try so hard to remember Thailand.

'It was just the opposite!　That's pretty much right!

　As if embarrassed to have made a mistake, Sister Elinora says something absurd while blushing a bit.

''No, no, they taste and look completely different,''

　Thai and yellowtail taste completely different. Apologize to Thai lovers and yellowtail lovers.

'So, Alfried, can you tell the difference between these?

　As I'm thinking about this, Eric offers me two sashimi dishes.

　The ones on the plate are probably yellowtail and kampachi. This guy went out of his way to bring the white part of the fish that looks like it, not the red meat.

"Huh?　Aren't these two the same?

...not the same.

　Sister Elinora says with a roll of her eyes, but Luna, who sits down in front of us, says bustlingly.

　It's true that yellowtail and kampachi are so similar that they could be mistaken for the same thing at a quick glance.

　But there are differences between the two, and there are parts that can be distinguished.

Huh, the right side is yellowtail and the left side is a kampachi.

'Ugh!　How do you know that?

　I tell him once and for all, and Eric looks chagrined.

The yellowtail is redder and the skin is whiter.

　Yellowtail has more reddish flesh and darker blood color than amberjack. In addition, yellowtail is stockier than amberjack, so when you cut it the same way, you get a bigger slice of yellowtail. And the skin of amberjack is also silvery.

　If you understand the difference between the two, it's easy to distinguish them.

''..........I thought about it during the magic, but Al-kun, for all your absent-mindedness, you see things clearly.

"As Lady Erna said, it's like a daily reminder...

　Luna is praising me, but I'm not sure if it's the way she said it or not. At least, I wanted her to leave out the part about being in a daze.

　As we were talking about the menu, fish, and practice, everyone was ready to eat, and then Aegar-san called out, "Well, the Slowletts are ready to eat.

'Well, this is the last day that the Rowlettes will be staying with us. At first, the party caused a lot of problems with the two families, but in the end, we were able to develop a good relationship with the Slowlet family.
I think it was a good thing that it was, and I hope we can use this as an opportunity to continue to get along better with the Rowlettes.

Yes, we would like to do the same. We're a long way from the royal capital, so we have a lot to share.

'Absolutely!　The nobles in King's Landing don't understand the hardships of the frontier lords. As a matter of fact--

You....

　Mr. Eagal nodded deeply, as if he had something to say to Father Nord's words, and was about to speak, but Natasha stopped him as he was about to go off on a tangent. Nice decision.

''I'm sure the rumors of disagreement can be dispelled just by our normal interactions like this. Please come to the Slowlet territory during the fall season. We will be more than happy to welcome you this time.''

Oh, they're having some kind of harvest festival in the fall. I'd like to come by and see them.

　When Aegal-san gives a light bow, Natasha-san and Luna-san follow suit.

　However, I have a feeling that Nord Dad turned his gaze on me in the normal part of the interaction, but is it my imagination?

This won't be the last time, but I don't think we have many opportunities to eat fresh seafood. Drink and eat to your heart's content tonight.

　As Mr. Aegal concludes that way, the adults start holding their wine glasses, and I read the air and hold a glass of fruit water.

'So, here's to the friendship between our two families!

Cheers!


　And so we spent our last night happily eating seafood, reveling and talking after dinner.