193 - - 191. Characters.

Thick Fuso mackerel dried overnight. Boiled garland chrysanthemum with soy sauce and oil to prevent it from becoming watery. Since some people do not like garland chrysanthemum, I served another dish, boiled bok choy. A dash of mirin and soy sauce and a pinch of yuzu for the bok choy.

The fat from the mackerel meat is still gushing out to the surface, making a small noise. When you put your chopsticks to it, the skin breaks open and steam rises from the white flesh. The plump meat tastes happy as the fat between the meat and skin seeps through. A side dish of boiled garland chrysanthemum to cleanse the palate of the fatty mackerel refreshes the taste buds.

Yum!

Sake drinkers, who can drink, use sake, not boiled rice, to wash the fat out of their mouths as they eat. The dark rum is too strong to be poured down the drain, but it seems to be his own drink.

"My lord, your mouth..."

"No, sir. I want Momiji to eat it before it gets cold.

I can eat it myself. And please stop gently mixing in the "night stuff". It's just as bad as the fact that there are edible things in the mix other than what I offer.

Let's sleep together in our world!

Momiji leans against me, half on my shoulder, as if to put her body on top of mine.

"Speaking of which, what brings you here?"

Brewer pulls me in with his arm around my shoulders, and I am peeled off from Momiji.

"Sake-drinker!

Moments later, Momiji's frustrated eyes turn red.

"I said I won't do it!　This is mine!　Thirty-nine, 39!　The game is about to get a lot more fun!

You and I will have fun in the cushions!

And so it begins, demon vs. demon.

The demon fire created by the powerful sword of the sake-drinker and the fan of the maple leaf. The battle between different types of high-level demons is a spectacle to behold. The demons are excited by the new entertainment. Is this it? "Don't fight for me! Or should I say. I won't say it.

On the other hand, the battle between these two ogres is a delight to watch.

In the space of this banquet, the demons seem to return to their original state even if they are cut in two, so we can watch with peace of mind. I was surprised to see them return to their original state without any problems the first time - in other words, this is the second time that Shuten and Momiji are killing each other. And by the way, they can use their skills too: ....... I didn't notice!

"You have also heard, Shuten, what brings you here to Fuso, to this banquet of awai (...)?"

While I was watching the battle between Shuten and Momiji, a slender man in a black robe approached me and called out. His voice is gentle for an ogre.

Is the main purpose of your visit here to look for ingredients?　I already got rice, wasabi, miso, soy sauce ...... and yuzu. Onsen, and hopefully mastering the . Enjoying the nine tails?"

I have nothing to hide, except for Ukon and his companions.

"...... tail?"

"I bet you're a fine fluffer."

"Mofu ......?"

I can feel the man's confusion, so I rephrase.

"It's a fine, fluffy coat, isn't it?"

"...... I'm afraid that's not where I'm at."

"No?　Why don't you sit down?"

Well, it's not my seat, but the drinker's. A man sits there without a mattress, just a table with a box on it.

"You are very different from the other residents, who are you?

"I don't know myself, but I'm not sure if I'm different because I'm Gentile?"

"Gentiles ......, for gentiles, there is a strong sense of the world."

Does the sign of the world mean the favor of the gods?　The difference between a resident and a gentile is somewhat sensible. Most of the inhabitants have at least one blessing from the gods from the time they are born. That may be why a gentile (player) who has just started to live without any blessings seems to be alien and not rooted in this world. This feeling of being different is gradually disappearing from the Gentiles. The stronger the Gentiles (players) are, the more it is noticeable. --However, the Gentiles (players) are recognizable by their appearance and behavior, and can also be identified by [appraisal].

What should I call you?

"Koume."

As soon as the man says his name, the blurred outline becomes clear and a scholarly white face appears. Although the man's name may be a pseudonym, we can now recognize him as an individual. He pulls aside the sake-drinker's unfinished meal and serves a new dish. Master Buri's yellowtail and yellowtail radish. The daikon is so soft that the chopsticks glide through it without resistance, and it absorbs the flavor of the amberjack well.

In the center of the room, a sake-drinker is cutting the demon fire of the autumn leaves from one end to the other. The fires that have been slashed and separated shimmer and come together again, and the demon fire produced by the fan shows no sign of decreasing, though it seems to increase. The fire that has increased in number runs toward the sake-drinker with a single swing of Momiji's fan.

"This is also very ......"

Red Plum puts a piece of daikon (Japanese radish) in her mouth and lets out a squeal. Unlike fillets, yellowtail ara is rich in fat and moist. It takes a lot of time and effort to remove the blood and scales, and to process the fish so that it does not smell fishy, but it is worth the effort. Another dish is vinegared lotus root, which is crunchy and has just the right amount of sweetness and acidity.

The yellowtail radish was intended as a snack for sake, so I did not serve too much of it, but since Beni Ume seemed to be having a cup of tea without sake, I offered her rakugan as a teacomplete. I took a piece of rakugan in my mouth. It was sweet and melted in my mouth in an instant without being rough.

I asked Ochazuke, who is a woodworker, to make the mold for the rakugan. I also asked Peter, a blacksmith and a craftsman, to make a mold for a taiyaki, and I watched the battle between the sake-drinker and the autumn leaves, remembering how puzzled I was when a very realistic tai was made.

The sake-drinker points his sword at Momiji, even as the demon fire burns his skin. The gold eyes of the sake-drinker as he steps toward her, and the glowing eyes of Momiji as she confronts him. The mouth lifts in the shape of a smile. The battle between demons who have revealed their true nature is even more beautiful.

"<

After finishing her meal, Red Plum took a breath and slid her hand to the side as if to stroke something, and a small table appeared.

"To thank you for the meal. If it is all right with me, I will teach you how to do it.

Even as Red Plum was saying this, an inkstone box was brought in by a small demon. The way he opens the box with his beautiful fingers, I vaguely think that the handwriting produced by his fingers must also be beautiful.

Well, I haven't practiced calligraphy since I graduated from the university. I remember that I was inadvertently accepted into the calligraphy club because the professor of my major didn't have enough members. Red Plum transfers water from a cute little pitcher that fits in her hand to an inkstone and inks it. Just as she had expected, the ink produced a beautiful, flowing inkstroke.

"I can only write in places where I can use my skills, such as shrines and this banquet, and I can only use the skills I can use. This can be used by passing the magic power of <, lightning magic equivalent to level 50. Except for the mark written by the person himself or by the formula used, the effect seems to be reduced by about 20% from the original ability of the mark.

Red Plum hands me a sign that he has written. Wait a minute, that means that Beniume can use lightning magic above level 50!　

A sudden joyful murmur went up, and I looked to the center of the room to see that a sake-drinker had just slashed off one of Momiji's arms. The surrounding demons were cheering wildly. The arm of Momiji flies toward the smirking drinker, and gouges the flesh until the bone is visible. It seems that he aimed at the throat, but the sake-drinker twisted to avoid him, so that he was only hit in the second arm. Momiha's arm goes back into her sleeve as if nothing had happened.

"Come on, try holding the brush."

Red Plum gives up his seat and holds a brush in his hand. The battle between the sake-drinker and Momiji is in full swing, but Benihai completely ignores it.

"Any language is fine.

Red Plum says so, but the sign with written with a brush reminds me of some funny T-shirts from overseas, which makes me laugh. I will follow the lead of Kohmei and write ">". It is the strongest lightning magic I can use now, level 35.　No, before that, I'm about to vomit blood from my own handwriting.

"Do you use lightning magic? ......,Your letters are beautiful."

Stop juxtaposing me with the example written by Red Plum!　I don't feel complimented. ！！！！　I'll cry!!!

"I have heard that Gentiles will be able to learn even this level, whether they can make use of it or not."

Red Plum looks at me and confirms it.

"Yes, thanks to you, I will probably be able to learn it by the end of the next battle. Thank you.

No, thank you. It's been a long time since I've had something to please my taste buds. By the way, have you ever heard of something called the book of Yama?

"Is this the book in which King Yama keeps the deceased's deeds and transgressions during his lifetime?"

"No, not that one. ....... It's also called a hand-printed red seal book.

Turning to face himself, he produced on the desk a long piece of paper that folded up and opened with a cover and back cover. The shape of the paper certainly resembled a red seal book.

By stamping the handprint of an "yin" object on it, it can be used as a ceremony. The kobolds in the crowd can only make a contract once, but a high-ranking one like us can make contracts with several people.

When Kohmei places her hand on the ledger, a handprint appears on the ledger without any ink. The handprint is a slender one for a man, but it shows the handprint of an ogre with sharp claws.

"Priority is given to the contractor who is summoning, with the exception that the one who has taken the name can forcibly re-summon the formula that the other is summoning.

As you do so, you write a letter under the bill. The written character is not "Koume" (red plum). Red Plum, Thunder, and Tenjin desk... Aren't you awe-inspiring to be a model?　No, it looks a little renamed. Yes, but...!

"Please accept."

"Isn't this a bit much?　We've never met before."

"I have my advantages. I have no intention of losing at night, but under the yang you can be beaten and have your handprints taken. In that case, you can't choose your opponent. If you sign a contract, you will have some freedom under the yang.　

You didn't try to free Momiji, did you?　He says why he chose me. Well, it's true that my motto is to let the summoned beasts run free.

"You might call them to battle, you know?"

"Hmm, I'm an ogre myself."

It is okay to call them to battle, apparently. He does not look or act like an ogre at all, but he may like to fight as much as Shuten and Momiji do.

"If it's okay with me..."

He receives a from Koume.

<>.

"Ah, ah, ah, ah!!!!"

"He slipped up. ！！！！"

I heard Momiji's scream and sake-drinker's yell. Well, do demons want to be in a ceremony?　The image is the opposite.

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<>.

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