397-365 What is the value of the sea (4)

"Is this what you get from the ocean?　It's a shame it's not worth the money. ......

You can also get bitter melon. With this, you can make tofu.

"Tofu. I personally don't want to eat that much, but ......

It's not that I'm a particular fan of cold tofu or hot tofu, or that it's a side dish to sukiyaki or miso soup.

I'd be happy to have them, but I don't really have a problem without them.

But then I thought...

"Oh, Nao. You like Inari-zushi, right?　You can't make it without tofu, right?

"What?　...... Ah, fried tofu!

I'm sure you've heard of it.

I remembered that tofu is also used to make that.

I'm sure you'll be able to find something that works for you.

"Yes, we need tofu. Important.

"Nice flip-flop, dude.

Toya gave me a dumbfounded look, but I didn't care.

A good meal is important.

I also use it in tofu steaks and tofu paste.

Tofu is also used in cancer and other dishes, and it plays a very casual role, doesn't it?

It's not worth the money either way, though.

It's not going to make much money either way, but it might enhance your diet. ...... When you retire, you can open a restaurant?

A small eatery run by a couple.

Normally, running a restaurant would not be an easy job, but if you can eat food made with ingredients that are not available around here?

It's a pretty stable job that you can keep until you die.

In that case, I might as well be able to cook.

No, I could leave the seasoning to Haruka and concentrate on cutting up the ingredients using my [Dismantling] skills?

I kind of know what you're imagining, ...... Nao-kun, but let's leave that for a few decades, shall we?

"Oh, oh, yeah. ......?

I suddenly realized that there was a warm, fuzzy look on my face.

--I didn't say what I was thinking, did I?

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one who's had it.　Let's have some more adventures.

"It's also a side job for adventure, you know?　You know, like a brewery. It's a good way to keep your head above water.

Right. If you don't have a lot of money, it's safer to keep dying the same demon for a steady income than to go to dungeons with an uncertain future.

It's hard to argue with that, but... Well, whatever. The next step is to escort the branch manager, right?　What are you going to do when that's over?

That's something you'll have to figure out. You can visit the dungeon cities, the Marquess of Marmont where there are many beastmen, the Count of Slyvya where there are many elves, or you can explore the dungeons there.

When the escort is over, we can discuss it again then?

Yes. Unless there's a specific reason, I think the majority vote is fine. Depending on the promotion?

I see. Well, we'll have to look into it.

Toya said, getting up and heading for the bookshelf.

The key is to be able to show the benefits that outweigh the troubles and dangers of going somewhere else, and to make people want to go there.

I'm not sure if I'm going to be able to do this, but I'm sure I'll be able to do it.

It's a good idea to take a look at the website and see if you can find any useful information.

It would be nice to go to Count Slyvya's territory to see the elves, but there's a cute elf right in front of me.

There are some cute elves right in front of us, but we don't have the common sense of elves.

There might be some other interesting places, I'll check them out too.

I'll have a look around.

The absence of the branch manager for a long period of time, in some cases for several weeks, seemed to be important in its own way, and it wasn't until a week or so later that Diora informed me of the planned date.

In the meantime, I had been spending my vacation quite meaningfully, inviting Toya, Tommy, and Mitya to go fishing in the Noria River, going to Aella's place to eat a prototype dish using soy sauce and miso, and going on a date with Haruka in the spring weather.

Well, there was no place to play in this world, so we took a picnic with our lunch boxes, which turned out to be a very healthy thing.

The other members of the group also spent their time freely, but if I had to pick an achievement, I'd say it was Toya.

The billiards that I mentioned before.

He finished it and set it up in our house.

Strictly speaking, I could complain about whether the table is exactly level, or whether the center of gravity of the balls is uneven or different, but the purpose is to play.

The purpose is to play, not to compete.

Of course, it was the craftsman who actually did the work, and Toya only supervised, but since he was the one who financed the project, it would not be wrong to say that he "made" it.

I guess this is why we don't have any money, but the finished billiards were popular not only with us, but also with Mary and Mitya and Tommy who came to visit us from time to time.

After another week or so of hearing from Diora, we went to the dungeon with Marks, the branch manager.

"It's been a long time, Meikyoushui. I haven't had a chance to thank you, but you've been a great help to me.

We were waiting at the guild, and the man who appeared in front of us was Marks, wearing old, but carefully maintained leather armor.

He looked to be close to fifty years old, but his well-trained muscles showed no signs of weakening, and it would not be out of place to say that he was an active adventurer.

She has a large sword strapped to her backpack and no shield, so I guess she is similar to Mary in terms of fighting style.

No, we're just doing what we want.

"Even so. Just having a high rank living in town means something. This backpack is a credit to you, right?　Because of this, some of them are going orc hunting. As a chapter leader, I can't thank you enough.

We've been making a lot of money from the stuff we bring in, but with the trading of backpacks and the resulting increase in profitability for other adventurers, the adventurer's guild in Raffan last year made its highest profit since Marks became chapter leader.

And now this, right?　As for me, it's been a long time since I've been able to go on an adventure, so I'm all for it!

Chief, don't get too carried away and cause trouble for Haruka and the others, okay?

In the event that you've got a lot of money, you'll be able to use it for a lot of things.

But it's been a long time. But it's been a really long time. It's okay to fight a little, right?

I've been away from the field for a long time. Don't forget that you've been out of the field for a long time, okay?

Don't worry. I haven't missed a day of training so I won't fade!

Still, sir. I'll ask Haruka later, okay?　I'll report you to your wife if I have to.

I know, I know!　I'll be fine!　So, you know, Diora?

As long as you don't cause me any trouble, you'll be fine.

I'm going to ...... myself.

I'm sure you'll be happy to know that I'm not the only one.

It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're looking for.

I'm not sure what to make of that. You can all go on as usual, with a little help in battle.

That's about right. Oh, and don't worry about the language, okay?　We're going to be together for a while. You're going to be with us for a while, and polite language in the middle of a fight is a distraction.

I understand. By the way, you were rank 8, right?　Didn't you ever go on any solo adventures?

The reason is that I have a job as a branch chief, but even though I'm rank eight, I'm in a party. Except for a few special guys, you can only get by solo as far as a day trip is possible, you know?　It's hard to get any sleep.

Pairs can take turns keeping watch, but it's impossible for a single person.

If you want to encounter a demon that will satisfy Marks, you have to go deep into the forest.

As a result, he's frustrated because he hasn't had a chance to fight.

Instead, he was very enthusiastic when the guild hosted an orc extermination.

"It's a rare opportunity to go on a rampage!　That's the only thing I regret about your arrival.

The guild-sponsored orc slaying that takes place when the streets are overrun with orcs.

I heard that Marks and Diora were going to join us to work on it.

This time, however, there was no opportunity to do so, since we had already crushed the orc nest ahead of them.

As for the future, if the number of adventurers who go out to kill orcs increases with the spread of backpacks, there will be no more overflow of orcs, and there will be no more guild-sponsored orc-killing.

"Excuse me for saying that ......?

I'm sorry?" "No, I put my work before my hobbies. You don't have to worry about it at all.

Yes, I do. My salary is going up, too, now that Haruka and the others are here.

That means my wife is in a good mood. In total, it's a huge plus. In the first place, an orc is not worth much.

I didn't know guild employees were paid on commission.

Or is it a bonus?

Either way, if our actions are helping, I'm a little happy.

(Well, since that's the case, please let the branch manager relieve himself of stress as he sees fit. I don't mind as long as it doesn't interfere with my work.

(I understand.)

I nodded to Diora, who smiled bitterly and whispered covertly so that Marks could not hear, and then called out to Marks, who was gazing gingerly out of the guild.

So let's get going, shall we?