Volume 6 - CH 16

Chapter 16 – The Big Crab and the True Intention of Girasole

We set sail on the Lutto with Girasole, who has returned after taking their bathing suits. On the way, I bring the ship closer to land and ask the women to pick up a large number of stones.

Then, running this way and that while keeping a wary eye on our tails, we sail out to the open sea and summon the Hideaway to change aboard.

“Everyone, I’d like to use a rubber boat to boil the big crabs. Is that a problem?”

“A rubber boat? You want to boil the big crabs in that?”

“Yes, you know that I can clean the boat with my thoughts. And I’ll have Claretta-san and Rimu purify it and boil it in boiling water so it won’t be dirty, but if you don’t feel like it, I’ll cut it into pieces and boil it afterward.”

“Hmm, if it’s going to be clean, why is that a problem? But why do you insist on boiling them whole?”

“Ah, that’s because I heard that if you cut them into pieces, the flavor will escape from them when they are boiled. That’s why they say it’s better to boil them whole. …Speaking of which, this big crab has no wound; how did you beat it?”

“Oh, that’s right. It was for souvenirs, so we took it down nicely. Carla hit it with her shield. Well, she crushed it the first time, but after a couple of times, she got it down cleanly. If that’s the reason, then good for you for trying, Carla.”

“Yeah.”

“I see. Thank you. Thanks to that, we can eat delicious crabs. So, do you mind if I boil them on the rubber boat?”

For the sake of the big crab, which has been smashed several times, we must eat it deliciously. Well, it’s self-satisfying.

“Oh, yes. It’s fine with me. How about you girls?”

The other members seemed to have no problem, so I decided to boil them in a rubber boat. I don’t know what it means just from the words… Yes, the boiling water is going to smell like rubber, so let’s disguise the boat and change the rubber boat to steel. It looks and feels safer, doesn’t it?

“Then, let’s begin.”

“Oh, Wataru-san, we’ll help you, too.”

“Yes, please do. I want Claretta-san and Rimu to purify the summoned ship and the seawater that we got from the sea. Rimu, will you help us with Claretta-san?”

“Together, I’ll do my best.”

“Thank you, Rimu.”

Reflexively hugging and stroking him… the ladies are looking at him with warm eyes. Oh, Marina-san is nodding. She says she understands how I feel, right? It is reassuring to have a comrade.

“I understand. Rimu-chan, come here.”

Rimu jumped into Claretta-san’s chest. Claretta-san’s chest jiggles as she accepts Rimu…

“Thank you.”

First, I summon a rubber boat and wish it to be clean. Change the material to steel with the boat disguise and wish it clean again. Immediately, Claretta-san and Rimu apply the purification to the boat.

“Ilma-san and Ines will clean the large amount of stones that you picked up, then burn them with your magic. Felicia washes the crabs with me. Everyone else, please pump seawater into this pot, have it purified, and then pour it into the rubber boat.”

Everyone moved on to their respective tasks, and I washed the crabs with Felicia. As I recall, we need to wash the loincloth part well.

But big crabs look like king crabs. I think a king crab is like a hermit crab, but what about a big crab? Well, as long as it tastes good, it’s good.

“The preparations are almost done. Ilma-san, Ines, please put the baking stone into the boat.”

At the same time as my voice, the baked stone is put into the boat… It is too much trouble to give permission to the baked stone every time to board the boat. But is there any point in issuing a ticket for each baked stone? …All the baked stones that are clustered together should be given permission to board the ship?

The big crab is placed shell-side down in the boiling seawater.

“How long do you think it will boil, Wataru-san?”

I was astonished at Claretta-san’s words… I’ve never boiled a crab this big before, so I don’t know how long it takes…

“Oh, I don’t know. How long do you think it will take?”

“…About 1 hour?”

“I think it will take about that long. Let’s boil it for an hour and see how it goes. Ilma-san, Ines, please keep the water boiling as long as possible. Also, if you run out of stones or seawater during the process, let me know. We’ll take care of it.”

“”Yes.””

“I will make the crab vinegar, so can everyone else please bring the table to the front of the baths? It’s late at night, but let’s drink, eat, take a bath, and have a party.”

“Party!”

“Yay!”

I think everyone’s movements tripled in speed when they heard the word party. Well, it’s been a long time since the members of Girasole drank alcohol in Ferry, so I guess it can’t be helped.

I make crab vinegar. It’s a simple recipe; just mix vinegar, soy sauce, sugar, and salt in just the right amount. Oh, maybe there’s a recipe for crab vinegar in the manga, too. Well, this time, I’ll just do it this way.

I remembered from the anime that I should try shark fin. We were attacked by gluttony sharks so many times after that that the shark fins all accumulated again. If it’s successful, I’ll make shark fins again. Oops, now it’s crabs.

I add seawater a few times, retrieve the stone, re-bake it again, and put it back in. An hour later, the big crab is boiled up, looking delicious, maybe. Is it cooked all the way through?　I’m not sure. Anyway, I send it back and summon it back to the side of the table.

I put the food and drinks I’ve stocked up on from the Fortress and the Stronghold on the table. I get excited when I see so many dishes and liquors lined up.

“We’re all ready to go. Oh, we have to dismantle the big crab. Alessia-san, please cut off the legs of the crab with your sword and cut a slit in the crab so that it is easy to eat. I’ll remove the shell.”

“Okay.”

Alessia-san cuts off the crab’s legs and slits the shell in an instant.

“Done.”

“Yes!”

I haven’t even touched the shell yet… so let’s hurry up anyway. I pull off the loincloth and then pull off the shell from there. The crab shell is full of crab meat… and looks delicious.

Pull the shell aside so as not to spill any of it. Remove the other… is this gills? Let’s remove it. Fold it in half. Now it’s ready to eat.

“It’s ready. Let’s eat it before it gets cold. The crab meat tastes good if you dip it in the crab vinegar I make there, so please try it. Then, let’s eat itadakimasu.”

“”””””””Itadakimasu.””””””””

At the same time as Itadakimasu, we swarmed to the main course, the Big Crab. I pick up a Big Crab leg… it’s big, something the size of my thigh…

I pull the meat out of the shell. The crab meat is so big… I wonder why it doesn’t look delicious.

I’m sure I’m going to be full just from this. No, I’m going to get bored before that. Shall I cut it into pieces? No, I can’t do that. If you are a man, you should bite into it.

I dip it in crab vinegar, bite into it, and stuff my mouth full of crab meat. Yes… it’s delicious. The meat is plump and tasty, probably because of its big body. I was so crazy about it that I bit into it again and again.

“It’s delicious, Wataru-san.”

“Delicious.”

“Yes, it’s really delicious.”

Claretta-san and Carla are also smiling broadly. Everyone else was also gulping down the crab meat. I, too, while biting into the crab meat, eat a rice ball and drink sake after settling down.

Come to think of it; I’ve never had shell liquor before. I wonder if it tastes good… I don’t even know how much alcohol is necessary to drink in that shell; for example, it is impossible to drink in that shell.

When I look at Rimu and Fuu-chan, they are eating the crab legs from both sides… It’s like a Pocky game, an advanced flirting technique with crab meat. They are frightening kids.

“Rimu, Fuu-chan, is it good?”

“Delicious, I like it.”

“…Delicious…”

“Good for you. Since it’s a big crab, you can eat a lot of it.”

“So many; I’m so happy.”

“…Many…”

I was looking over at them with a smile. Dorothea-san and Marina-san are also looking at Rimu and Fuu-chan and smiling. Rimu and Fuu-chan are cute, aren’t they?

Well, it doesn’t matter; next is crab miso. I scoop it with a spoon and eat it. The fishy smell is gone because it has been cooked, and it has a rich… rich… rich… taste and a slight bitterness. Anyway, it is delicious.

“Wataru-san, do you eat that unpleasant part too?”

“Yes, there are preferences, but for those who like it, it’s irresistible. Would you like to try it, Carla-san?”

“Yes.”

As soon as she said that, she ate the crab miso with a snap. She just now said something about being unpleasant, right? It’s amazing that she doesn’t hesitate even a little bit.

“Well, it tastes strange, but it’s delicious.”

“Right? It tastes good on crab meat, too, if you like.”

“I’ll give it a try.”

The other girls seemed to be interested in it, too, and were fearless to try it. Dorothea-san, Ilma-san, Marina-san, and Ines were fine with it, while the others were not so fond of it.

Well, if you like it, eat it; if you don’t like it, don’t eat it. After drinking alcohol and eating crab, and getting full, we changed into our bathing suits. …I take a bath on a full stomach and am drunk. I feel like throwing up; at least, it is probably bad for my body.

But I go in. And I wait for everyone else to come in. I soak myself in the bath with the light of the bath shining and bubbles forming. Yeah, I feel like I’m getting drunk.

I get up and drink a glass of cold water, then go back to the bath. Well, I’m in a good mood. So happy.

“I’m sorry to bother you.”

Here it comes.

“Yes, come in. But please be careful when you drink because it’s easy to get drunk.”

“Ufufu, I know.”

Hmm, Ilma-san is as bewitching as ever. I want to be spoiled…

“Are you having fun?”

“Yes, I’m having a great time.”

It’s a kind of conventional conversation… I’d like to have a nicer conversation with them. How about talking about the stars, for example? If there were constellations in this world, we could have a romantic conversation. Though, I was never interested in stars at all…

“I’m sorry, Wataru-san. You must be perplexed by our change in attitude, right?”

“Eh, ah, well, yes. I was feeling uncomfortable, so is there a reason for it?”

“Yes, we talked about how we owe Wataru-san a big favor, and we should repay it to you.”

“What do you mean by favor? I was given quite a large sum of money. I am satisfied with that.”

“Well, most of that money was earned by Wataru-san. In addition, because of the liberation of Lucca, Wataru-san has to deal with a lot of troubles. So we decided to at least escort you.”

“I appreciate that, but I’m not sure if there’s a connection between being escorted and a change in attitude… You can still escort me as before, right?”

“Yeah, we can, but until now, we’ve only been asked to do that, or we’ve been on vacation. Alessia said she can’t protect you because you’re not usually with her, and we concluded that we should just get to know each other better if that’s the case…”

“I don’t know if I should say this, but it’s simple.”

“Yes, I think there is a better way, but we’ve been an adventurer for so long that we’ve become someone who doesn’t know much about anything other than adventure.”

“So that’s happened… but not to Ilma-san, has it?”

“Well, I’m the type of person who thinks about a lot of things. I’ve been observing my surroundings a lot, so I have a little common sense. In the end, I’ve been an adventurer all my life, so my common sense is half-baked.”

“I see. Well, if I know the cause, I can rest assured. I’m glad to be able to get along with you all, and it helps to have you protect me.”

“Fufu, thank you. Best regards.”

Ilma-san snapped to the side. People with half-baked common sense don’t do that. But thank you. It’s great to feel the fluffiness.

“I don’t know if this is necessary for us to get along.”

“I don’t know if it’s necessary in general, but it’s very effective for me.”

“If it’s effective for Wataru-san, there’s no problem, right?”

Ilma-san, there is no problem. It’s just that blood rushes to my head, and I’m getting dizzy, but I have no problem at all.

“Yes, thank you very much.”

“Ara, your head is spinning. You’re getting sick. Let’s go up.”

“Oh, a little more.”

“Fufu, no. Let’s do it again next time.”

I was put down on the couch next to it, and a glass of cold water was brought to me. …It tastes good. It was a bit of a surprise, but it felt good, so it’s okay.

And it’s good to know that I know what caused the favor to be upgraded. I was worried about what was going on, but I’m no longer worried, let’s try and get along.

I’m going to hug Rimu until I get back up, and I’m going to keep my eyes on the big-breasted beauties in the bathtub. It’s going to go crazy again.

I also found out that they were worried about me and came up to me when I was lying down. They would bring me water and ask me how I was doing.

Then their breasts, wet with hot water and with their bathing suits sticking to them, would appear in front of me… Sorry for being so silent. But I really want it.