Accident (1)
Accident (1)
After hunting the Minotaur and grabbing the monster ingredients on his way out, Dojin immediately stuffed the ingredients into his Magic Backpack.
A special pouch that preserved the freshness of items—inside this, even if the monster died, the ingredients he brought wouldn't disappear.
'How the hell did they even make something like this?'
As expected of the Otherworld where magic was advanced, items superior to those on Earth popped up from time to time. Earth had refrigerators that maintained freshness, but there was no way to preserve it completely.
Even with flash freezing and vacuum packing, freshness still declined bit by bit.
In comparison, this magic pouch? As long as there was enough magic power, it could maintain freshness anytime, anywhere.
In the Otherworld without refrigerators, these magic tools were why you could eat fish despite the high price.
However, Dojin couldn't just cook and eat the testicles right away.
Testicles were special ingredients, and cooking special ingredients required a special chef.
Fortunately, he didn't need to go out of his way to find one himself. In this city, there was a group wagging their tails to impress him.
"Dojin-nim. The chef you requested—I found them."
When Dojin visited the guild and asked to find a chef who could make a stamina-boosting dish using beef testicles—precisely, Minotaur testicles—
Testicles were blatantly obvious ingredients no matter who looked, so Pion realized why he was making such a request, blushed, and cautiously led him inside.
Was it because of the guild's database? Not long after, she returned and showed Dojin a list of several chefs, starting her recommendations.
"There are 34 people in the city with a Monster Cooking License to start with."
"More than I thought."
"Yeah. Narrow it down to those running their own restaurants, and it's 20. Oh, personally, I recommend this place."
Pion said that and recommended a shop she frequented. It was a place Dojin knew too.
In the early days after falling into the Otherworld, when he was a broke adventurer without money, it was a spot he visited often. The food was tasty, but was there really a reason to recommend it?
"Wouldn't a place like this restaurant be better?"
"Tut tut tut, you don't get it. Dojin-nim, how do you improve your sword skills?"
"By using it a lot."
"Same with cooking skills?"
"Gotta do it a lot?"
"Exactly. The owner of this restaurant provides cheap meals because they want to see lots of people enjoying delicious food? Of course their skills are top-notch!"
"And they take custom orders?"
"Hehe, truth is, I'm a regular there. Just provide the ingredients, and they'll handle pretty much anything."
With that, Dojin decided to go there, thanked her for the recommendation, and left.
Hearing that, Pion gulped and let out an envious sigh.
"Wow, I'm so jealous...... I want to go there too, but... I've still got hours until quitting time...... By the time I get off, it's packed and no seats left......."
"Wanna come?"
"......Pardon?"
"Let's go together."
"Ahaha, thanks for the invite, but......."
Work wasn't a playground. If you could just leave whenever you wanted, why pay a salary? They sold their time, freedom, and labor.
However, Dojin was one of the top brass, a VIP who could bend those rules.
"You mentioned something before, psychological counseling. You had that certification, right?"
"Yeah, I did......?"
"Then talk with me over a meal. I've got all sorts of worries lately. It'll take time, so just tell them you're clocking out early."
"......Are you serious?"
"Yeah."
"W-Wait a sec! Guild Master-nim!"
Whether she saw it as an opportunity or VIP special service, Pion bolted straight to the Guild Master's office inside.
She came back beaming, grabbed her coat from her desk, and stood up.
"Alright, let's go!"
He cautiously followed behind her as she took the lead.
"Shopkeeper-oppa∼! I'm here!"
"It's been a while? What's up at this hour? You quit?"
"Crazy, why would I quit my iron rice bowl...... It's a business trip?"
"Business trip, huh? Hanging out with your boyfriend counts as work?"
"B-Boyfriend?!"
Pion said that and glanced back at Dojin. He was a guy so good you'd have more boyfriends than you could count. Seeing how he took care of his own virility today, he probably wasn't bad at night stuff either.
But there was a huge wall between them. A mere guild employee couldn't chase after a high-level adventurer.
Unless the other side reached out first, guild staff had tons of rules to follow.
Pion shelved her thoughts and introduced Dojin to the shopkeeper.
"Ta-da, I brought a customer."
"Hello. I've been here a few times......."
"Hmm...... Oh, you're that customer from before. I remember."
"They said you take special orders here."
Dojin said that and pulled the Magic Backpack from his pocket.
Seeing it, the shopkeeper's eyes widened for a moment before narrowing.
A preservation magic pouch—a magic tool more expensive than a couple of horses.
"Customer...... nobility?"
"Pardon?"
"Who else but nobles playing adventurer for fun carries something that pricey? Only them."
Hearing the shopkeeper's deduction, Pion burst into giggles and pointed at Dojin.
"Shopkeeper-nim, this is our guild's ace, Level 3 adventurer Dojin-nim!"
"......Level 3?"
At those words, the shopkeeper started reminiscing. Stories like how he used to chop monster heads back in the day, or how he took an arrow to the knee and started cooking.
If this kept up, they wouldn't eat before the food got cold, so Dojin flipped the pouch over. The shopkeeper freaked out and stepped back at the sight of the huge balls that tumbled out.
"What's this?"
"Minotaur testicles."
"Those guys aren't that big?"
"Dungeon-sourced."
"Then it's huge."
Anything labeled dungeon-sourced magically became dramatically unrealistic.
Hearing "dungeon-sourced," the shopkeeper accepted the size and pulsing.
"Hmm, never handled dungeon-sourced ones."
"Testicles are all the same, right?"
"Are you looking down on cooking?"
At that, the shopkeeper got a bit indignant and started bragging about his craftsman spirit. Cooking methods varied hugely by ingredient size and quality, and the taste differed just as much.
"I don't serve bad food. That's basic for a pro."
"......So you'll pass on cooking it?"
"But turning away a hungry customer...... isn't what a chef does."
He tied his headscarf tight and took the testicles.
"Nothing I can't eat?"
"Nope."
"Miss?"
"Ah, me too, that."
"......You sure?"
"Yeah, it's fine."
"Got it. Heh, not boyfriend, huh......."
Grumbling like that, the shopkeeper started cooking right away.
The small shop let them watch the process clearly, but to avoid making him self-conscious, they chatted instead.
"Uuum......! Who'd have thought I'd get off work at this hour......!"
"Looks like you're enjoying it."
"Of course! Skipping work on company time with expense pay, and clocking out early like this—what job's sweeter than this?"
Since it was like this anyway, she ordered drinks from the owner. Soon, the booze arrived before the side dishes, and Pion drooled at the sight of alcohol after weeks without.
"Hehe, booze......."
"......You like drinking?"
"Nope? But booze cleanses the soul, so you gotta have it sometimes."
Pion said that and was about to down it when she remembered Dojin was there and offered him the glass instead.
"Almost slipped up. Cheers!"
"......Cheers."
Clinking glasses with Pion, she chugged the beer.
Gulp gulp, her throat bobbed as she sucked it down.
Watching her, Dojin followed suit.
"Puhah! Ahh, Shopkeeper-nim! Another round!"
"Chugging like that this early okay?"
"I'm off the clock right now? One more!"
Hearing that, the shopkeeper brought booze and sides. Steamed Minotaur testicles, fully cooked.
"Done. Ah, it's big, so some left over—what to do with it?"
"You can have it."
"......Won't say no."
The shopkeeper said that and returned to his spot, taking the leftovers somewhere.
Meanwhile, Dojin and Pion eyed the food hungrily.
"How...... do you eat this?"
"Bite it whole?"
"Feels like it'll burn......."
About the size of a fist-sized potato, biting whole was tricky.
Pion carefully speared it with a fork, lifted it, and shoved it in her mouth to avoid spilling.
Halfway in, the contents oozed out, and feeling the heat, she spat it out with a "Beeh," onto her plate.
"Ah, hot—! Heeeh!"
Like her tongue was scalded, Pion made a dumb noise and dunked it in her beer.
The cool beer's fizz stimulated her tongue, making it sting even more.
Dojin burst out laughing at her.
"Wha'cha doin'?"
"Yeah, hilarious."
Chucking, Dojin reached out and grabbed her outstretched tongue.
Startled, Pion yanked it back and retreated.
"Wh-What are you doing!?"
"Huh? No, you looked hurt......."
Only then did Dojin realize he'd treated her like one of his girls. Fiddling with a stranger woman's tongue—in his old world, he'd be arrested for sexual harassment with nothing to say.
Luckily, she didn't scream and jump up...... but the table went silent.
Slurp, Pion unwittingly chugged her drink and realized the pain in her scorched tongue was gone.
"......D-Did you help me?"
"Uh. Well, I happen to have that kind of ability."
"A skill......?"
"Not exactly a skill, but something like it."
Pion recalled when Dojin first came to the guild.
The day several skill holders suddenly appeared.
From then on, Dojin was etched strongly in her mind.
Since every skill holder became a high-level adventurer without fail, she figured he was the same.
She hadn't checked his ability back then, but since he was with the others, it wasn't weird if he had some special power too.
'An ability to heal others...... such a kind power.'
Pion warned him not to do that next time and chugged her drink. For some reason, it went down smooth.
"Here, as an apology. Buy me this."
"......Not booze?"
"Yeah, it is?"
"Maybe stop drinking......?"
"Ahaha! It's fine! I hold my liquor well! You'll buy it, right?"
"Sure."
"Yesss, Shopkeeper-nim! Here—!"
She ordered more booze. And sides.
Maybe because it had been so long since her last drink, it went down way too easy.
Thanks to that, she got smashed without realizing.
"Ugh, uwaaa... I'm fine...... wanna drink more......."
"......Gotta head home. Where's your place?"
In the end, she passed out drunk.
Chirp chirp, woken by birdsong and blinding morning sun, she clutched her pounding head as she awoke.
"Ugh...... where am I......."
Rustle, the blanket over her body slipped down.
Seeing her own naked body, she froze for a sec, then quickly pieced it together.
"......I caused an accident."