Chapter 500: White Rice......

It's a celebration! We've reached 500 Chapters~~!

As we leisurely walked towards the Special Monster Race's racetrack, we exchanged a few words.

[Is Lynn-chan asleep again?]

[……Looks like she's sleeping out her grumpiness.]

Just as Dr. Vier and Neun-san had said, after her conversation with Fafnir-san, Lynn crawled into my clothes again, looking like she's sulking as she fell asleep.

Hmmm, I don't really know what's going on, so I can't say anything for sure, but Lynn isn't the type of person who won't drag out her troubles, so I'm sure she'll be fine after some rest.

[Speaking of which, I'm going to change the subject…… but isn't Bell also a Monster Race champion?]

[Yes. Though I say that, it's only one race……]

[Gaoo!]

As if he's proudly puffing out his chest, Bell nodded his head, which only made him look cute, so I just patted his head.

[Heehhh…… Fafnir said it's also fine to just directly participate, so why don't Bell-chan join in?]

[Gaooohh!]

[You'll get dirty, so no.]

[Guruaah!? K- Kuuuuu~~]

[No!]

[Kuuuu……]

I firmly scolded Bell, who looked really motivated to go on the race even after all the running he did earlier. I bet Bell only wants to participate since he just wanted to run around.

However, in a Monster Race, where almost everything can happen, it's inevitable that Bell's fur will get dirty. That's something I can't let happen. If that happens, we'd have to stop going around the festival so I could start cleaning Bell's body.

[M- Miyama-kun? B- But you see, Bell-chan wants to go though?]

[I said no. That's final. Besides, if Bell were to participate in the Monster Race, he would just end up overwhelmingly winning, which would be bad for the other monsters. It would just be bullying the weak.]

[……I- I guess you're right.]

I would have liked to see Bell's performance, but since I know what the outcome will be if he participates, I didn't see the need to participate.

Hearing what I said, stiff smiles appeared on Dr. Vier and Neun-san's lips for some reason, but I decided to not mind it and clear up a misunderstanding that Bell might have in his mind.

[……Also, Bell. Just so you know, you can't put me on your back in a Monster Race.]

[Guruuaahhh!?]

Yes, what Bell likes to do is "run with me on his back". After hearing my words, Bell looked shocked before he started leisurely following behind me.

It seems like he had lost interest in Monster Racing. I haven't been able to take him for a walk for a few days since the Six Kings Festival started, so I guess that's why he wanted to join the Monster Race earlier…… I'll just take him to the grassland again later.

[……Miyama-kun really takes good care of Bell-chan and Lynn-chan huh. Speaking of which, you did buy that miniatureable pet house before, didn't you?]

[……Eh? How did you know about that, Dr. Vier?]

What Dr. Vier was referring to that pet house that I had won from the auction when I went around with Isis-san. I'm pretty sure that Dr. Vier hadn't arrived yet at that time though…… Did Alice tell her? It must have been Alice who told her.

[Shalltear-sama told me about it.]

[I knew it.]

[Ahh! That reminds me! Didn't Miyama-kun bid on that diary that Neun wrote?]

[Wha!?]

Hearing what Dr. Vier said, Neun-san vigorously reacted. Speaking of which, I did accidentally bid on it huh.

I was so confused after that meeting with Luce-san before that I completely forgot that diary that I was going to give to Neun-san.

[H- Hey…… K- Kaito-san!? W- What does she mean? Why did Kaito-san bid on my diary……]

[I actually won the bid for that by accident, and I was going to give it to Neun-san later…… but I had completely forgotten about it. Please don't worry, I didn't look at what's written on it. .]

[I- Is that so…… T- That's great.]

[……Errr, where did I put it…… Ah, here it is. Here, please———- [ Miyama-kun, wait right there! ———–Eh?]

[Vier?]

Although it was late, I tried to return the diary just as I had originally planned, but for some reason, Dr. Vier stopped me.

[……Miyama-kun. If I'm not mistaken, you won that for a white gold coin, didn't you?]

[A white gold coin!?]

[Y- Yes, I did……]

[Fumufumu…… Hey, Neun. I don't think this would be the case, but there's no way that you're just going to accept that diary and be done with it, are you? After all, it can be said that that diary is Miyama-kun's property, isn't it?]

Uwaaahhh~~ Vier-san's expression looked so evil that I can't even imagine it from how she usually looks. Come to think of it, Dr. Vier had only been teasing Neun-san a lot huh…… 

Hearing what she said, it seems like Neun-san had a bad feeling about something as her face turned pale.

[……W- What are you trying to say?]

[Well, it's just that I think Miyama-kun deserves to at least read that diary. By the way, I'd like to have a peek too.]

[Wha!? Y- You can't! Rather, isn't the second half your true intention!?]

[Now, now, it's fine, isn't it? If it's a diary about your journey, it's not like you wrote anything strange in it…… right?]

[T- That is…… certainly true but……]

Dr. Vier and Neun-san continued to argue for a while, but I had a feeling that Dr. Vier would win their argument.

It seems like I predicted right, as after being convinced by Dr. Vier, Neun-san reluctantly agreed to let me and Dr. Vier read her diary.

A diary she wrote during her journey to defeat the Demon King…… I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious too. Dr. Vier would probably like to know what Neun-san was thinking during her journey to defeat her.

[……Then, I'll open it.]

[Uuuu, alright…… However, when was the diary written?]

[Errr……. it seems to be written in Earth month.]

I heard that the current Light month used to be called Earth month.It was changed to Light month in honor of Neun-san's achievement in signing the Treaty of Friendship.

(T/N: I've explained it before in c344, so I won't repeat it again. Anyway, this is the 6th month (Earth/chi), not 4th or 10th (Earth/do).)

[Ah~~ That means it's a diary written around this month…… wait, arehh? It's written with otherworldian letters though. I can't read this…… Miyama-kun, do you mind reading this for me?]

[I- I understand.]

It is easy to forget since I can read the letters of this world due to the Translation Magic automatically granted to us after we were summoned as Heroes, but for Dr. Vier, Japanese is definitely a language from another world.

This means that most people in this world wouldn't know what was written in Neun-san's diaries.

Ahh, I see…… So that's why Neun-san isn't madly searching for her past diaries……

Thinking about this, I looked at the stack of papers and started reading.

Earth month, Day 12

N- No more, I'm already at my limits. I know that I can't be extravagant as we're in the middle of a journey…… but still, there are still things I can't stand! There's no rice here! Rice, I'm telling you!!! I don't want to eat bread anymore! I want to eat a breakfast of white rice, miso soup, takuan and grilled fish……

I mean, putting aside the grilled fish, there's no miso or takuan here…… T- This must be hell……

Earth month, Day 16

We stopped at a diner in a town that we stopped at during our journey. The food didn't look great, but they tasted wonderful. It kind of looks like chikuzenni. Eating the well-seasoned vegetables made me feel happy.

I've been eating a lot of dried meat lately because we have been camping out in the wild, and even having to eat a warm meal is already a treat in itself. Ahh, how happy would I have been if this meal is served with white rice instead of bread…… I still can't find rice.

Earth month, Day 20

Today is a wonderful day! I may not be a Christian, for I'm a buddhist, but I thank God for this wonderful day! In a village we had stopped by today…… What a surprise, I had found soybeans!!! No, the soybeans here are a bit different in size from the one in my world, but that taste! That texture! They were definitely soybeans!!!

Ahh, I'm beginning to see hope. As long as there's soybeans, it should be possible to make miso and soy sauce! It will take some thoughts and a lot of trial and error though……

T- That's right! If there's soybeans here…… doesn't that mean there's "red beans" somewhere in this world!? I- I may even be able to eat the Anmitsu I've always dreamed of! Now I'm fired up!

Earth month, Day 24

……I can't find rice. Laguna mentioned about how there's something resembling rice on the frontier of Hydra Kingdom…… but that's in the opposite direction of our journey. It's on the complete opposite direction of the Demon King's castle, so we can't go and collect it.

G- Gununu…… How long do I have to wait until I get to eat white rice!?

I have to defeat the Demon King as soon as possible and go get some rice…… Now, I have a definite mission in my heart! I will defeat…… the Demon King. I will defeat the Demon King, so that I could eat some rice!!!

Starting tomorrow, let's do better than ever before!!!

[……Hey, Neun? Do you mind if I get angry at you? It's kind of obvious that you're trying to beat me here…… I mean, why the heck are all the things written here about food!? What the heck are you doing!?]

[……Ehh, I mean, I wanted to eat white rice.]

[Oi, look over here, will you? If one looks at the diary, they won't see it as the diary of the Hero who went on a journey to defeat the Demon King, you know? They would see it as a d*mned foodie's journey looking for the food from her hometown!!!]

[……Ehh, I mean, I wanted to eat anmitsu.]

Vier-san, who had thought that the diary would talk about her, the Demon King, upon hearing that all it contained was about the food she ate and the Japanese food she was craving, became astounded and got mad at Neun-san.

Dear Mom, Dad————– Well, this certainly is a diary that cannot be shown to the people in this world who were faithful believers of the First Hero. After all, the most important motivation she had for defeating the Demon King————- is white rice……

Serious-senpai ZERO : [……Haven't I been in this novel for more than 300 chapters? I guess it can't be an exaggeration to say that I'm already the protagonist of this novel, isn't it?]

? ? ? : [……Yes, yes, let's just wait until you come out of the main story before you say such delusions, okay~~?]

Serious-senpai ZERO : [If I could get out of here, I would have left long ago!!!]