arc01 · 028-ep28

Episode 28: The Drunk

By the time I reach the station plaza nearest my place, the town has finally come alive. A proper shopping district.

My neighborhood is a thoroughly quiet residential area, so unless you come out to the station, there's not much in the way of shops. A convenience store, a supermarket, then a family-run izakaya, a hospital, a dentist, a hair salon—that's about it? It's got everything you need to live, though, so no complaints here.

It's a bit early for dinner, but my stomach's rumbling. Time to eat.

I've got dungeon money to spend, so I'll pick whatever looks delicious and never mind the price.

First thing to catch my eye: a ramen joint. A popular rich-broth kind of place. There's a line, though. Pass.

Next up: an omurice specialty shop. Ooh, didn't expect to find one of those. And a steak house right beside it. Hmm, western food lined up back to back. Both look good.

And I am hungry. Why not both?

I start with the omurice place I found first and put in my order.

There's a ridiculous number of options…! Omurice comes in this many varieties?

Wouldn't know—I barely ever ate out in my past life.

Erm… what do I pick. Everything looks good, but it's all stuff I've never had, so I can't decide. The classic omurice would be safe, but then coming here feels kind of pointless, so—when in Rome, I'll order the most expensive one on the menu.

Omurice smothered in beef stew, big chunky beef and all. It looks far too delicious.

Maybe because it's still off-peak, my order arrives without much of a wait.

"Ohh……! Looks amazing. Alright then—itadakimasu."

…………!

I go for the big chunk of beef first. Simmered to the absolute limit, it falls apart tender the instant it touches my tongue, condensed meaty umami and the sweetness of top-grade fat flooding out all at once. The demi-glace is rich yet delicate, and its mellow aroma blooms through my whole mouth in one go.

I shovel in the fluffy, half-molten egg and butter rice together and chew.

The gentle taste of the butter rice and egg melds with the hearty stew, and my fork just keeps moving.

Sooo good…

When all you ever eat is simple home cooking, restaurant flavor soaks straight into you…

Against a teenager's appetite, the portion never stood a chance. Cleaned my plate way too fast.

"Whew…… thanks for the meal."

Taste: fully satisfied. Amount: nowhere near enough. So I'm out the door of the omurice shop and on my way to the steak house next door.

Here too I order the priciest thing on the menu—and it costs about five times as much.

In exchange, though, they bring out a colossal steak, and my mood skyrockets. That's gotta be a full kilo.

"Ohhhh, yes yes yes yes!"

Meat, man. Meat!

The wound's healed up, but after bleeding out that much, my body's craving flesh and blood. Or so it feels.

The flavor is as punchy as it gets—the polar opposite of that omurice.

The thick steak bites back with every chew but never turns tough, juices gushing out with each bite. The garlic aroma spreads everywhere and stokes my appetite even further.

Ohhhh, I'm nowhere near done eating!

I add garlic rice and a hamburger steak to the order and feast like a beast.

◇

"…………Yeah, I ate too much."

Realized it only after the fact, but by any measure, that was too much.

I'm not a big-eater type, and honestly? I'm suffering. Turns out getting strong as an adventurer doesn't change this part of you one bit.

On the surface, adventurers' stats and skills work at half strength, but next to an ordinary human body, that power is still overwhelming. Even so—skip the meals and you die. Catch a disease and you can die of that, too. Ordinary humans, every one of us.

"Wonder if any of that changes once I get even stronger."

What about A and S ranks, I wonder.

They live in human society like anybody else, but have they already become something apart from the rest of us?

I'm walking off the meal through a big park nearby when the smartphone in my pocket buzzes.

A message from Aizawa.

————————————

Midori: About how many extra potions do you need? And is there anything else you're missing?

Takeru: Can you manage around five? I'll pay, so as many as you can spare, please. I've still got a few talismans left so those are fine, but I might want more smoke bombs

————————————

I type my reply as I walk.

And right then.

THUD!

A woman walking nearby collapses to the ground.

"Huh?"

Whoa whoa whoa, what what what!?

I scan my surroundings—nobody. Looks like I'm the only one who can deal with this.

"Hey, are you okay!?"

"…………"

No answer.

What am I even supposed to do in a situation like this?

She's breathing, at least. When I lean my ear in close, I catch faint mumbling. Good—doesn't look like she's unconscious.

"For starters, I'm waking you up, okay!? —And wow, you reek of booze!!"

"…………Ugh."

"Ah, wai—hold on—"

"Huuurgh."

Blegh, blegh, blegh, blegh.

"Ugh………… t-this is the worst…"

"Urp… sorryyy…"

She didn't get any on me, so there's that—but the park's lovely scenery is thoroughly ruined.

Having gotten out whatever needed getting out, she maybe feels a little better, because the woman finally manages some coherent words.

Her voice sounds about ready to cry. The one who wants to cry is me.

"First things first, let's get you sitting down on that bench over there. I'll lend you a shoulder."

"Thaaank you…"

I walk her over to the bench, then—well, somebody's got to—buy her a bottle of water from the vending machine nearby.

"Here, drink this. It's water."

"…………Water."

"Yes. Water."

"Sorry. And thanks."

Drunk as she is, she's responding fine. She'll probably be okay now?

"Anyway, I'm heading off. You take care of yourself, alright?"

"Wait—don't leave me."

"Huh? No, um… call someone you know and have them come get you."

"Don't have anybody like that."

"Uh… what exactly do you want me to do?"

"Stay here. For a little while."

"Ehhh………… haah. Just a little, then."

She clearly looks like a grown woman—twenties, at that—but her words and actions are those of a toddler. Drunks, I swear.

Well, she apparently just wants company, so if I sit here next to her scrolling my phone, the booze will wear off eventually and I'll be released.

Still, I've been thinking for a while now—her voice sounds familiar. There shouldn't be an acquaintance like this in my life. Maybe a voice actress or something? Hmm. Can't place it.

Her face doesn't ring any bells either. It's a genuinely pretty face, too—she could do just fine in the romance department normally. Drunk at this hour, though…

"…Do you, believe in fortune-telling?"

And there it is—she's talking to me. Uh oh. Was she one of THOSE types…?

"No. Not particularly."

"I see. I was told something good would happen if I came around here today. That I might find the thing I'm looking for."

"Huh. Is that right."

"And I was thinking, maybe that's you?"

"Sorry, what? …If this is where that's going, then I really will be excusing myself."

The moment I stand up to get away————

"Past lives. Reincarnation. Ring any, bells?"