Volume 4 - CH 2

Chapter 2 – Reversi, Cream Stew, and Pudding

I finished my lunch with something from a food stall and sipped a cup of tea leisurely. Tea is good, but I’d like to have a cup of coffee. The ferry had canned coffee for sale, and I really wanted a ferry too… I’m troubled.

Ines and Felicia are returned to maneuvering the boat, and Girasole has already taken off their protective gear and is relaxing to their heart’s content. It’s a bold move, isn’t it?

And once the protective gear is removed, everyone’s breasts are more apparent… It’s so wonderful.

When my heart was pounding secretly, Dorothea-san and Rimu, who were playing with Marina-san, came close to me.

“Reverse.”

“Hmm? Do you want to play reversi, Rimu?”

“Yes, Reversi.”

“I see… let’s all play together then.”

“Yeah.”

“Everyone, I have a game to play, and I’d like you to join me.”

“A game?”

“Yes, it’s a simple but profound game. Rimu can play it, too.”

“Rimu-chan can play it, too? Please teach me.”

“Me too.”

Dorothea-san and Marina-san, who had been paying attention to Rimu, immediately took to the game, and while teaching them the rules, they played against each other, with the other members watching from behind.

“Can I put it here?”

“Oh, Marina-san, you can flip it over there, too.”

“Eh? Oh, it turns over diagonally, too.”

Since the rules were so simple, both players quickly learned the rules and took turns placing stones on each other.

“It seems surprisingly simple. I don’t know how deep it goes.”

“Alessia, you’re the leader; you have to think this through.”

“Ilma, what did you find out?”

“It’s all pretty simple. But there’s still a lot we don’t understand.”

“Like what?”

“It’s a secret. You won’t know if you’re right until you try.”

“Geez, come on, you can’t just tell me and then not tell me.”

“Ufufu. Sorry, but it’s a secret.”

I see that both Alessia-san and Ilma-san are interested in this. Carla-san and Claretta-san have also discussed and confirmed the rules, and I think they will like it.

The winner of this game was Dorothea-san. Marina-san is staring at the reversi board in frustration. I thought Marina-san didn’t show much emotion, but I guess she hates to lose.

“Who would like to play next?”

“Rimu.”

“Oh, that’s right, Rimu wants to play. Can someone please be Rimu’s opponent?”

“Then I will.”

“Dorothea, it’s not fair that you play it in a row. I’ll play with Rimu-chan.”

Alessia-san will be Rimu’s opponent. Rimu learned a lot yesterday. I think he’s going to win… I wonder if she’s going to be okay with pride and all that. Hmm, well, you never know how things will turn out.

“Okay, then, Alessia-san, please.”

“Yeah, okay, I’ll take it easy on you, Rimu-chan.”

Oh, this is a pattern that Alessia-san will lose. Is this another flag? The game is progressing, and although Alessia-san has many white stones now, Rimu is clearly placing his stones with the latter half of the game in mind. Rimu, you are great, aren’t you?

Alessia-san just placed where many stones are turned over. She doesn’t think anything of it… Ilma-san also notices it and looks at Alessia-san with eyes that look at the poor child.

“Eh, wait a minute, why are you turning them over so much? Oh, Rimu-chan, hey…”

As expected from the flag, Alessia-san lost…

“Is Rimu a genius? That’s amazing; Rimu won; Rimu is so strong.”

“Rimu genius? Rimu strong?”

“Yes, Rimu, strong.”

“Rimu strong.”

As I was praising Rimu’s victory over Alessia-san, Dorothea-san and Marina-san joined me, and the three of us praised Rimu a lot. The two are in sharp contrast: Alessia-san, who was easily upset in the second half, and Rimu, who is happy with his victory.

“No way… I… lost to a slime?”

Alessia-san is given a pitying look by all the members except Dorothea-san and Marina-san. It’s even more pitiful when she’s so shocked that she doesn’t notice the looks around her…

The members of Girasole seem to have decided to leave Alessia-san alone. The remaining members are repeatedly playing against each other.

The strongest one is Ilma-san, the second is Dorothea-san, and the rest are side by side. Rimu is also mixed in there, looking happy and excited; I wish I had made at least two more sets.

I went up to the flying bridge with a cup of tea to check on Ines and Felicia.

“Ines, Felicia, here’s your tea. Shall we take turns now?”

“Thank you, Master, but we’ll be fine until dinner.”

Ah, this seems incomplete because the monsters didn’t attack us. They are obviously waiting for the monsters to attack.

“Ufufu, Master, it looks like you’re having a lot of fun inside.”

“Yes, we’re having a lot of fun playing reversi. I’m glad it’s going so well.”

“Reversi is fun, isn’t it? Who is the strongest?”

“So far, Ilma-san is the strongest. But Rimu is getting stronger and stronger, and Ines and Felicia may not be able to do as well as you did against him yesterday.”

“That’s scary.”

“No matter how much I like Rimu-chan, I can’t lose to him.”

Hmm, seeing Alessia-san’s shock, I was worried about the two of them when they lost to Rimu. But I guess it can’t be helped that they got upset and made Rimu sad.

“How do you think it will turn out? The day when the two of you lose to Rimu is an unexpected day… Well, if you get tired, we’ll take turns, so don’t push yourself too hard.”

I just say it and return to the salon. I hear something behind me, but it’s probably just my imagination. I went back, and now it was Carla-san and Claretta-san playing against each other; both of them didn’t really care about the game. They are having fun playing against each other; it’s so relaxing.

While enjoying a leisurely cup of tea, looking at the scene of beautiful women enjoying themselves and making noise… It makes me happy.

There was one monster attack, but it was dealt with without any problems. It’s a little early, but I wanted to show the Hideaway while it was still bright, so I decided to stop navigating the ship early today.

“Everyone, we are going to anchor early today so that I can show you the ship where we will be resting for the night. I’d like to take you there now. Is that okay?”

“Is there a separate ship where we can rest for the night? It seems to me that we can rest enough on this ship, though.”

That’s right. After enjoying life on the Luto, I thought about moving to the Hideaway, but… The Jacuzzi was too much fun.

If I can explain things to Girasole before they get used to the boat trip and my abilities and settle in, and if I can nudge them into the Jacuzzi after dark… Might I be able to get in with them? There is also the calculation to do this.

If things go well, the boat ride to Palermo should be a pleasant one. I’ll do my best.

“Yes, I think Alessia-san is right, this ship will be fine, but I’d rather move to the other one for the night so we can get a good rest.”

“Even this ship is great, but to have a ship where you can rest more comfortably than this one, Wataru-san, you must be so amazing.”

“Haha, well, it’s my skill that’s amazing. If that’s not a problem, how about I show you around?”

“Oh, of course. Should we bring our luggage with us?”

“Yes, you should bring a change of clothes, the clothes you made in the store I showed you the other day… called jinbei, your weapons… and anything else you might need for the night.”

“Ok, can you give us some time so we can get ready?”

“Yes, just give me a call when you’re done getting ready.”

“Yeah, thanks.”

Yep, I’m glad I could say that about Jinbei. I’ll be back with more tea until everyone is done getting ready…

“Thank you for waiting, Wataru-san.”

Huh, already?

“No, I haven’t been waiting at all. Everyone is getting ready so fast, aren’t they?”

“Is that so? Well, we’re adventurers, after all.”

Come to think of it, these people are beautiful, but they’re also terrific adventurers. They are pretty and don’t seem to have anything to do with fighting, but in fact, they are incredibly strong. Their level is scary, isn’t it?

“T-then, let’s go to the rear deck.”

With everyone, we all go outside, and while being watched over, I summon the Hideaway. The members of the Girasole gasp at the large magic circle.

“Everyone, this is the Hideaway.”

“It’s a big ship, isn’t it…? This Hideaway? I wonder how great it will be once we get inside.”

…Huh? The reaction is different from Ines and Felicia. …Oh, the ship was disguised. I know; it looks a bit like a strange mid-size ship on the outside now. Then it wouldn’t surprise anyone… I’d like to start over.

“Yes, it’s amazing inside. Let me show you around, and you can all hop aboard.”

I gave permission to board, and we boarded the Hideaway. After crossing the outside of the disguised ship, Girasole is amazed at the unique design of the ship.

“Wataru-san, I think the atmosphere on the outside and inside is too different. May I ask why?”

“As Alessia-san said, both the Luto and the Hideaway are too conspicuous on the outside, so I’ve changed their exteriors to make them less conspicuous through the power of my skills. I’ll show you the real exterior next time.”

“I see; thanks for letting me know. I’m looking forward to seeing the real exterior.”

“You might be surprised; it’s pretty amazing. Well, let me show you the inside.”

First, I showed them around the sundeck, and as expected, Girasole took a liking to the baths.

“Wataru-san, can we go in that bath?”

“Yes, you can, Alessia-san. It’s a bit special, so I’ll explain it to you after dinner.”

“Yes, please.”

Girasole loved the bath on the island, too. They seem to enjoy looking at the bath. I’m getting nervous.

“Next, I will show you inside.”

“Yes.”

After giving them a tour of the inside, I sat down on the sofa and took a break while drinking a cup of tea.

“This is about the general layout. Do you have any questions?”

“Well, there were some things I didn’t understand, so can I ask you questions when I feel up to it? I’m having trouble wrapping my head around it right now.”

“Yes, then you can ask me questions whenever you feel like it. Oh, we’ll take two of the rooms, and you can use the other four.”

“Are you sure we can use four rooms? We can manage with just two rooms, can’t we?”

As expected, three people per room would be too small… I’m using it with Ines and Felicia, but that’s another story.

“Since there’s extra room, it’s not good if you don’t use it, so you can use all four rooms.”

“Thank you. I’ll use them.”

“Yeah, well, I guess it’s time for dinner.”

“Yes.”

Carla-san’s reply was quick, and she was already standing up. Guess she was looking forward to dinner. The side of the bar counter looks like a dining room, so we’ll eat there. I move over and lay out the food.

“Everyone, we use milk, so if you don’t like it or it doesn’t suit your palate, I’ll give you another dish, so please don’t hesitate to tell me.”

“”””””””Yes.””””””””

“Then, itadakimasu.”

“””””””Itadakimasu.”””””””

” A dish made with milk? It’s my first time.”

“Oh, it’s delicious.”

“I like potatoes; they’re soft and flaky.”

After listening to everyone’s comments, it seems to have been quite well received. I’m glad it was accepted. Carla-san, who was looking forward to the dish the most…Yeah, she is eating wholeheartedly. She seemed to like it.

Even though I made it in a big pot, everyone rushed to have another helping, and it was empty in no time. I was so happy. I have some pudding for dessert; can they still eat it?

“Everyone, I still have some dessert left. Can you still eat it?”

They all said no problem. Aren’t they worried about gaining weight or something? Well, with the amount of exercise adventurers get, I guess they can handle this much. I wanted to flip the pudding over and let them enjoy its softness, but I wasn’t sure I could do it right, so I decided to serve it as it was.

“This dessert is called pudding. Please try it.”

“It’s soft and has a very unusual texture. What is this?”

“I like this sweet sauce with a hint of bitterness.”

“Eh? What is it?”

Good, it’s well received. I think it lacks some aroma because of the lack of vanilla essence, but other than that, the taste is satisfying.

Next time, I’ll make more, so there will be more leftovers. Oh, Carla-san has finished eating and is looking at the cup with a sad face. There’s no refill, you know.

“Carla-san, how was it?”

“Wataru-san, it was very tasty. Do you have another?”

I asked her how she liked it, and she returned with a request for a refill…　

“I don’t have any more. I will make a lot next time, so please be patient.”

“Yes.”

I made it with the minimal expectation that I would fail, and it backfired. I saw Carla-san still staring at the cup, and she would have been happy if I could have served her more pudding here. That was a mistake.

The other members are disappointed when they hear there’s no refill. But Claretta-san knew there was no refill after making it with me, so why was she disappointed, too?

“Well, please take a break so we can clean up a bit.”

“We’ll do the cleanup. Wataru-san and the others can take a break.”

“It’s okay, Alessia-san. I’m familiar with this kitchen, and we’ll be done faster than you.”

“Hmm, I’m sorry about all the help you’ve been giving us.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

“Now, we have a lot of people here, and that’s a problem. I’ll help you.”

“Me too.”

“Oh, really? Then please.”

“”Yes.””

After everyone has taken their dishes to the kitchen, I, Ines, Felicia, Claretta-san, and Carla-san wash the dishes and clean up afterward.

“Thank you very much, both of you.”

“No, we ate, so it’s only right that we help, right, Carla?”

“Yes, I can help with the washing up. Also, I’d like some more pudding… lots of them.”

“Geez, Carla, you can’t expect to be rewarded for helping out.”

“Because I want pudding.”

“Ahahahahaha, that’s okay, Claretta-san. I made only a little today because I was afraid I might make a mistake, but next time I will make more so you can have another.”

“Really?”

I’ve been thinking for a while that Carla-san may look like a cool beauty, but she’s a foodie character. I didn’t expect that.

“Yes, I promise.”

“Sorry, Wataru-san.”

“Don’t worry about it, Claretta-san. It makes me happy to hear people say it’s delicious and that they want to eat a lot of it.”

“I understand your feelings, but is this okay for an A-rank adventurer?”

“Isn’t it fine? Even a great person would get tired if they had to worry about such things in their daily life.”

“Is that so? …I guess that’s what it is all about.”

Back in the dining room, I finally explained the Jacuzzi… I’m nervous, but if things go well, it will be a mixed bathing experience. Sorry for the bad explanation.