ch381-ch400 · 396-ch396

Chapter 396: A Pinch of Pepper

"Oh? It's good."

"Really? Thank goodness—"

I got back from school after a while away, and the vampire girl asked me to try her cooking, so it's taste-testing time in Aikawa's room.

Why are we in Aikawa's room? Partly for studying, but mostly because 'Sword Saint-chan' and her crowd are here.

They said "Formation XYZ," so Ao-san and Yukiya-san are probably here too.

Mia-san had something on today, and apparently it's content she doesn't want overheard—she and 'Sword Saint-chan' are talking it over up on the surface side.

"Hold it, hold it. There's a chance Haru-kun is just being polite and saying it's good. Haru-kun and Hina can't be trusted. I'll make the call myself, properly......"

Wary, Aikawa had me taste first, and only now finally brings the food to her own mouth.

"H-How is it?"

"Grrrnnn. It's good. How? In just three days...... Without even being able to taste-test."

That's right—only three days have passed.

How did she improve this much?

No offense, but three days ago it wasn't edible.

A skill? Did she use some skill?

No—the vampire girl still has no job.

All she has is 【Blood Suck】, presumably.

Don't tell me the secret ingredient is......

"Hard work and talent, perhaps?"

"No, I just measured everything exactly per the recipe. And Hina did the taste-testing."

There's Soushi's reveal.

Right—stuff like "a pinch of pepper" is hard for an amateur to eyeball.

Soushi was apparently the cooking teacher.

Shiraishi-san is an intuition type—she'd be teaching "SALT, WHAM" and "SUGAR, BOOM" here—so he was the right pick.

"That a pass? Then Floor 10 again, please!"

The delinquent girl pours us drinks, this way this way.

"How is it?"

Aikawa asks me for the pass verdict.

Even if you ask me, though......

The dungeon-otaku suspicion strikes again?

"Couldn't you just go try it?"

Only three days of practice, I thought—but 【Charge Spearman】 showed up for me around day three too, so if you're decent enough, it appears, no?

How much that depends on fit and talent, who knows.

In my case, a magic job I thought would be hard to get—【Wood Mage】—showed up just from cutting down a tree by mistake.

What triggers it is anyone's guess, so checking frequently is the way.

"Ah—can I also ask for leveling on the way home? Levels make studying progress SO differently—"

Sharp as a tack, this one.

Probably because it's stat-based correction, 【Chef】 isn't a big deal, but take a melee job and the effect doubles.

Get it fast, and studying speeds up in proportion, huh......

No wait—the common achievement test is next weekend, and university entrance exams start as early as the beginning of February.

She might actually be pressed for time.

Soushi has already gone into the memorize-the-whole-English-dictionary strategy......

The other three besides Aikawa apparently stay in the dungeon pretty late too—Soushi's mother has even called our house worried.

Phones don't connect inside the dungeon, so in that case you have to call the branch and have someone go check on them at the shop.

"Ah, leveling was planned for after this. Once Mia-san is back, sure."

Mia-san and the others are quite considerate toward us too.

Providing the study space, obviously—and with tests coming, our part-time work is on hold.

And actually, golems were already prepared as of yesterday; today after school was supposed to be leveling......

"Still, they're taking a while. What are they talking about?"

"Oh—Kasumi-san's back. And Mia-san's with her, it looks like."

A small green presence trails close behind the blue one, half hidden by it.

"Huh, you can tell things like that? Scout jobs might not be bad after all. Hmm—but thinking about the future......"

"Make Floor 10 melee. I'll take you to Floor 20 too—scout job for that one. Haruki's build is like that. Okay?"

Soushi seems willing to let her take a sub-job as well—but leveling normally, Floor 20 takes a year, you know?

"If we're taking her to Floor 20 anyway, Hina should take 【Chef】 AT Floor 20."

"Ehh? You're assuming 【Chef】 won't appear for ME? It really was bad, wasn't it?"

Oops. Slip of the tongue.

"Say, what happens if you take your sub-job at Floor 20 first?"

Aikawa asks something odd.

I called it odd, but I actually know the answer.

"Apparently the job you take at Floor 20 becomes your main. Then beating the Floor 10 boss switches the main over to that one."

"Hmm. Then why not take her to Floor 20 and let her get 【Chef】 there first?"

Kasumi-san would say no to that, surely.

"Floor 20 means an overnight. Tests coming—no can do."

We haven't told these two about 【Gate】, after all.

At minimum, before the tests—no this week.

We'll rely on Shiraishi-san until exams are over.

Well, it might show up for the vampire girl tomorrow, though.

"Ah—right......"

'I'm ho-o-ome.'

'Ma! Lock the door, lock it!'

Kasumi-san and Mia-san seem to have come into the shop.

'It's not even five yet? What happened?'

'Shop's closed for today. It's beyond that.'

Mia-san seems frantic, somehow.

"Where's 'Sword Saint-chan'?"

"Not here. Let's go down."

Answering Soushi, I leave Aikawa's room to greet Kasumi-san.

"Grrk. You were still here, were you. HEY, don't come any closer."

"Welcome back? What's wrong with Mia-san?"

Holding what looks like an attaché case, Mia-san hides behind Kasumi-san and glares at us.

"Haruki-san, I'm sorry for the delay. Miko was back quite a while ago, but she'd gone to check on Mia-san's state......"

"And what's in that case?"

Aikawa goes straight for the heart of the matter.

"'Blue Ocean' commissioned weapon-making from me, and that's the payment. The amount being what it is, she's a touch on edge, it seems."

"Oh my. And how many millions might that be?"

At the word "big money," the one who lunged was Mia-mama-san.

"Ugh. Kasumi-san, don't tell them......"

Mia-san spreads her tiny hands.

"Five? Five million yen? Amazing!"

Aikawa cheers.

Cheer away—none of it comes to us, you know?

"No, um......"

Hmm, no?

Bargained down to five hundred thousand, is it?

If Mia-san makes them, even one million per weapon wouldn't be strange.

The silver sword she handed over before was two million for a set of several, after all......

Everyone's gaze slides from Mia-san to Kasumi-san, who probably knows the situation.

"Fifty million."

"Eh?"

Whose voice was that?

I don't think it was mine.

Everyone was too stunned to make a sound......

"Fifty million—does that mean fifty million YEN?"

Mama-san asks back.

Well, what else......

Zimbabwe dollars, maybe?

When everyone's gaze returns to Mia-san again, she gives a small nod......

"EHHHHH—!!!"

A beat later, everyone cries out.

"Shh, SHH! Quiet! What if someone hears!"

Fair enough.

Mia-san holding a fortune is a duck waddling in wearing leeks.

A little girl walking around with an attaché case—isn't that just begging "kidnap me"......