The sound of a smartphone notification woke me up with a “piron.”
Last night, I had returned from the dungeon and dove into the bed at the inn for the first time in a while, but I have no memory of what happened after that.
It seems that I fell into a deep sleep without even having dinner.
Fortunately, I did manage to use the purification spell, so I’m glad I didn’t soil the bed.
The wristwatch placed by my pillow is set to the time of this world. It’s just past six in the morning. Breakfast is scheduled for eight, so it’s still too early to get up, but I couldn’t fall back asleep.
I rose from the bed and stretched my body.
Originally, I had a well-trained body from being in the kendo club, but it feels even more refined, probably thanks to the training in this world.
It’s a strange sensation, like practical, usable muscles are lightly covering my skin like armor.
Speaking of strange, my physical abilities have improved as my level increased, and my eyesight also got better.
In Japan, I was required to wear glasses because both of my eyes had less than 0.1 vision, but now I can manage just fine without them. This was a pleasant surprise.
I had struggled with contact lenses because they didn’t suit my constitution, so this improvement is greatly appreciated.
“…Well, I guess I’ll get up, even though it’s a bit early.”
Since I skipped dinner, my body is now complaining about hunger.
I managed to resist the temptation of the convenience store bento that I carefully stored in my [Item Box], and after changing, I left the room.
The inn right outside the dungeon is a favorite of adventurers. It’s a clean inn with private rooms, and the price is about ten times that of a cheap inn.
It may seem like a modest room by Japanese standards, but it’s a popular place for adventurers in this world.
Heading to the dining room on the first floor, I ran into my hungry cousins.
Haruto smiled widely and waved at me. I joined them at the table where they were sitting.
“You’re up, Akimi?”
“Good morning, Akimi.”
“Yeah, good morning. You guys are early.”
“We’re hungry.”
“Me too. Also, I got woken up by a message from Brother Tohma .”
“…Ah, now that you mention it, I was woken up by the notification sound too.”
I had completely forgotten to check my smartphone.
I casually pulled out the smartphone I had carelessly stuffed in my pocket and opened the hero’s message.
‘Dungeon meal now.’
Along with the carefree message, there was a photo of what looked like a delicious meat dish.
It was probably roast chicken. The golden-brown roasted meat looked mouthwatering.
The stir-fried vegetables with a beautiful color were also appetizing.
“They say it’s piccata with chicken. Looks really good, doesn’t it? I wonder if they could make something like that in the kitchen here?”
“It’s impossible without the recipe and the right seasonings. But more importantly!”
“…Is Tohma in a dungeon?”
“That’s it! I messaged him separately and found out that it seems like the Great Forest has entered its rainy season. He says he’ll be living in the dungeon for a while.”
I didn’t quite understand.
But somehow, it felt like something he would do.
I was surprised to learn that there was a dungeon in the Great Forest, but considering it covers about a third of the continent, there must be many undiscovered dungeons.
“Is a dungeon a place to live? As expected of Brother Tohma .”
“He says there’s a tent with blessings in the safety area, so it might be more comfortable than being outside in the rain and wind…”
The brother, laughing happily, and the worried sister, were completely contrasting. I was amazed at how my cousin was making the most of the situation, even camping in such circumstances.
“Well, it’s good that he’s having fun.”
“Yeah. It’s frustrating, but he seems more alive than when he was in Japan.”
“Ah… He’s probably enjoying being alone, not having to look after the younger ones…”
I felt a bit guilty about that, so I let out a wry smile.
The children of the Date family all loved the eldest cousin, Tohma , too much.
He was the cousin who could do anything, was kind, and took good care of them.
Unlike the adults who didn’t pay attention to them, he might be harsh with his words, but he would properly engage and play with them, and they all admired him.
I was aware that I had been taking advantage of his kindness, not being able to push him away, and relying on him to spoil me.
“—I’m definitely going to defeat this so-called Evil Dragon and bring Tohma back to Japan. But until then, I’ll let him enjoy his easy, carefree solo life.”
“Yeah. It’s much safer for him to live in a dungeon with no people around than to live in the city with that appearance after reincarnation.”
“I agree with Haruto . Wasn’t he a High Elf? He turned into an unbelievable beauty, geez…!”
“Calm down, Natsuki . Tohma was already good-looking to begin with. He definitely takes after Aunt.”
His mother, who was renowned as the queen of archery, had a striking resemblance to him.
After evolving into a High Elf, he became even more outstanding in appearance, and the nature of it was even worse.
(With that look, it’s almost like he’s asking to be kidnapped.)
“Tohma says his goal is to rack up points in the dungeon and build a house.”
“Seems like he also wants to level up. He said he got a good weapon. I wanted to give it to him as a gift!”
With a sigh at my cousin’s lament, I stood up from the table. I took out a few seasonings from my waist pouch, pretending to have retrieved them from it.
“Hey, stop complaining already. I’ll order a special breakfast in the kitchen, okay?”
“Yes, yes, I’m going!”
“Special menu? Can we order it?”
“We should be fine as long as we show the ID we borrowed from the temple and the king.”
I didn’t feel great about benefiting from political power, but since the food at this inn didn’t suit my taste, there was no choice. I apologized and called out to the kitchen staff in the back.
What I had specially prepared was bacon eggs and potato galettes.
I handed the chef some salt, pepper, and powdered cheese I had bought at a hundred yen shop, and I told him the cooking method across the counter.
I had learned the recipe when Tohma once ordered me to help make the galettes, so I remembered it.
I washed new potatoes, cut them into thin slices with the skin on, mixed them with some flour and salt and pepper, and fried them in olive oil.
I pressed them down with a spatula to ensure they cooked through and sprinkled powdered cheese on top.
It was a simple dish with just a little ketchup added at the end, but I remember it being delicious.
“I got some hot water for soup, so you can make whichever one you like.”
“Thanks, I’ll put in some onion soup mix.”
“I’ll have corn potage!”
Since the galettes were quite filling, I used them as a substitute for bread. The bread at this inn was too hard and sour, so this was a makeshift solution.
The bacon steak made from orc meat and the fried eggs were absolutely delicious, thanks to the Japanese salt and pepper.
Even the instant soup was good enough to enjoy.
Since I didn’t feel like drinking ale or wine in the morning, we leisurely savored the tea and juice we had brought ourselves.
“Ahh, thank you for the meal! That was really good. I’d appreciate it if we could have this every time.”
“Yeah, I’d like them to prepare the special menu, even if we have to give them some coins.”
“While we’re staying at this inn, we can probably ask for it, but after three days of rest, we’ll be diving back into the dungeon, right?”
“That’s right…”
“Isn’t the vacation a bit too short…?”
“I want to level up quickly. At this rate, you guys are going to get left behind by Tohma .”
“Ah…”
Unlike us, the group of heroes, Tohma doesn’t have powerful offensive skills, but he reincarnated as a High Elf, someone skilled with magic and abundant in magical energy.
He’s probably leveling up faster with his solo hunting in the dungeon.
“…Two days off is fine.”
“Same here. Let’s rest today, stock up on supplies, and then take it easy tomorrow.”
The two competitive siblings nodded vigorously in agreement, offering to give up their holiday.
