[Raccoon Man Beginning]
[Raccoon Man Beginning]
After finishing our meal, we walked around for a bit to digest. Looking around for a decent dessert was just a bonus.
"Come to think of it, I saw them selling Turkish Ice Cream over there earlier."
"The only Turkish I know is 'Don't mess with my ice cream,' you want to hear that?"
You know, the ice cream sold by a foreign guy that you often see at amusement parks or event venues. The one where they scoop it up with a long iron rod.
You know, the Turkish Ice Cream where they tease you while handing it over and only give it to you at the very end. It's fun in its own way, but if the ice cream costs 3,000 won, I figure 1,000 won of that is just labor costs for the performance.
"Besides, compared to the real taste from the homeland, it's really not that great."
"Is that so?"
"It's originally called Dondurma. The authentic taste is chewy and rich, so it's much better. It really can't be compared."
The original name for Turkish Ice Cream is Dondurma. No, wait, can this even be classified as ice cream in the first place? It's not like those frozen Juicy-Cool pouches they sell in front of schools.
The authentic Turkish Dondurma I had in the past was truly delicious and had a chewy texture that felt almost like rice cake. The milk wasn't just regular milk either; it tasted rich, like they used milk from a different animal.
.......The reason I doubt it's even real ice cream is this: When I happened to visit Turkey, it was right in the middle of a festival, and I saw them attach a lump of Dondurma the size of a grown man to a crane and lift a small car with it.
"Hey, don't bullshit me. How can you lift a car with ice cream?"
"No, it's real. They said it has such incredible viscosity that they do that every festival. I even questioned if I had lost my mind, I swear!"
"Then let's go there sometime. We can just go and see for ourselves, can't we?"
"Let's plan an overseas trip later."
Come to think of it, Turkey is a country that possesses a Master User. As those in the know are aware, Turkey is called a brother nation to Korea, so our diplomatic relations are decent, and we often send and receive Master User dispatches.
I recall that while there haven't been many dispatches from Turkey, we've sent quite a few over there.
International relations are sensitive to benefits and ideologies, but because of their spectacular history, Turkey is a diplomatic outcast among its neighboring countries.
If you've studied a bit of world history, you've probably heard of the Ottoman Empire. And if you hear what the Ottoman Empire did, you'll know there's no way they'd hear good things from their neighbors.
"I'm also quite interested in world history."
"True, curiosity about history is a racial trait of the Hanon species... setting aside the fact that I've only ever seen two Hanon."
Anyway, Turkey isn't exactly close with many countries in its vicinity. They have pretty bad relations with both Eastern and Western Europe. It's not just because of the Ottoman Empire era issues; there are often religious issues as well.
But that's old news. If it were the history of an ordinary Earth, that's how it would have gone.
The existence of a Master User provided benefits more than enough to clear away all those relationships.
To begin with, there's no place with a Master User ratio as insane as Asia right now. Korea, Japan, China, Russia... Even if we exclude Turkey, since it's technically in Asia but closer to Europe, there are a whopping four Master Users concentrated in one place. Furthermore, except for Russia, the other three are close enough that you could just draw a single circle on a map and include them all.
There is a Master User in the UK, so there are countries that align with them, but in places like the Middle East or Africa, there are no Master Users. So, by using dispatch as a reason to gain various diplomatic advantages, the perception that Turkey is a poor country has long since disappeared.
"Come to think of it, Brexit is the same. In normal history, the UK would have withdrawn, but because of the Master User, it's at the level where they are begging them not to leave the EU."
"Oh, really? That's the first time I've heard that."
The UK is also a country that possesses a Master User. I heard about it from Thunderbolt Jacob the other day.
They said something about a British gentleman... Is it a Kingsman? Or actual royalty? Since that's a place where the Queen is still around, after all.
Thanks to that, the UK is having a blast. They were already an economic powerhouse, and now they're milking it even more thanks to the Master User. I wonder if they're trying to create a second Empire on which the sun never sets.
You Brits should bow three times to Germany. If it weren't for Hitler, you colonial bastards would've been skewered.
"Anyway, I think just having soft-serve ice cream is better than eating Turkish Ice Cream. Taste aside, if you think about the quantity, soft-serve is much more."
"Then shall we buy it there?"
Sion said, looking at a soft-serve ice cream stand in a corner. When I nodded, Sion approached the shop's counter.
"I will go buy it."
"You? Why? I can buy it."
"You'll see."
Sion ordered from the employee at the counter. Distracted by Sion's appearance, he had a dazed expression, but only snapped to his senses after hearing Sion's order.
"Please give me two, one vanilla and one half-and-half."
"Ah, yes... yes! W-would you like them in a cone?"
"Yes, please give them to me in a cone."
The employee scrambled, picked up the ice cream cones, went to the machine, and dispensed the ice cream. The soft white soft-serve ice cream flowed down, settled onto the cone, and he skillfully spun it around to create a nice shape.
Soon, he made not only the vanilla one but also the chocolate and vanilla half-and-half one, and handed the ice cream to Sion.
"H-here you go."
"Thank you."
As she received the ice cream, her hand brushed against his, and the employee's face lit up with a goofy grin as if he had seen heaven.
Well, as I said before, I don't get angry over that level of physical contact. If I were jealous to the point where she couldn't even touch a finger to another person, that would be obsession, and we wouldn't be able to live our daily lives.
I wondered why Sion had been the one to order and receive them. The answer was in the ice cream.
"The portion is a bit big, isn't it?"
"It's a good thing I was the one who received it, isn't it?"
After all, the person making it is a human, not a machine. The machine might handle the ice cream itself, but how much to give is up to the person. Of course, there's a standard quantity within the shop, and since people aren't always accurate, there's a margin of error depending on the person.
But that's only when the difference is small. If the size of the soft-serve ice cream is about two finger-widths larger than what others get, it's clearly given extra.
"They say a beauty picks up money even when falling backward."
"I know how to take advantage of things like this too."
"Yeah, you're pretty."
I walked for a while with Sion while eating the ice cream. Even without riding the attractions, there are plenty of things to see. Especially the carousel; just watching it makes me feel like I've returned to my childhood.
......A long time ago, a very long time ago. Back when I couldn't even imagine things would turn out this way, even if I had proper parents. I had ridden that with my parents once.
Thinking about it brings back memories, and I miss those days... I feel a mix of emotions.
"Fantasy Forest? What's this place?"
While looking around, I saw a place that was decorated, so I took a peek. It looked like a small zoo where animals were gathered, but it wasn't a place you could play with a Day Pass; it was a place you had to pay a separate fee and buy a ticket to enter.
I wondered if it was something like the museum over there, but then I suddenly remembered that Sion likes animals.
"Want to go in?"
"I'm fine with it."
We finished the ice cream quickly, bought tickets, and went inside. Contrary to expectations, there were many types of animals gathered. No, not just animals; they had also collected insects and the like.
"I don't really like insects."
"I could understand if you liked reptiles, but insects are a no-go, right?"
"I don't even like insects that look cool, like rhinoceros beetles or stag beetles."
Contrary to her love for animals, Sion doesn't like insects. If a cockroach ever appeared in our house, Sion would probably fire a graviton cannon to annihilate it.
We passed the insect pavilion and went deeper inside. From then on, the real animals started to appear.
Perhaps because it's an indoor facility, there were no large animals, and small animals, mainly rabbits or prairie dogs, caught my eye. Ah, hedgehogs too.
"Hedgehogs are cute."
"Though the smell is a bit much. Why, do you want to raise one?"
"But Sonic is...!!!"
"Stop it! Stop with the disrespect to the deceased!"
"I'm joking. I'd like to touch one once, but I'm not that desperate."
Speaking of hedgehogs, something comes to mind. No, not Sonic.
Among my acquaintances, there's someone who raises something similar to a hedgehog... Of course, strictly speaking, it's not a hedgehog. It's a similar creature. The biggest difference is probably that the quills on its back are made of the same Adamantium material as the Honorary Medal I received in the US.
Thanks to that, it's a super strong animal that even most Enemy Species are no match for. It can't run at the speed of sound, though.
"Ryu Han raises a hedgehog, maybe I should mention it to him later."
"Ah, that person?"
"Even if our bosses are different, we're colleagues at the same workplace, so we can talk."
"Make sure you pick the right side."
"I met you because I picked that side."
"You picked well."
"You change your stance quickly."
Beyond the animals, there was a reptile and amphibian pavilion, and next was the bird pavilion. There were mostly small parrots and the like, so the sound of birds chirping was noisy.
It didn't take long to go around once, but considering the entrance fee of a thousand won or so, it was a good look around. Above all, I'm glad Sion had fun.
It's been about two hours since lunch, I think. It's now past the time when the sun is fully blazing. It would be better to head outside around now.
"Ah, are you going to the outdoor facilities?"
"I think it would be fun to find the way from here and walk slowly. Is that okay?"
"Isn't there something better than that?"
Sion turned her head slightly and looked up at something.
Above us, there was a rail where something could pass. It was a rail that not only went around the indoor facility but also connected to the outdoor facilities outside.
"Ah, the monorail! I've ridden that before!"
"It might take some time, but it will be more fun than walking."
"Then we can just walk back when we return."
We found the monorail boarding area and went up. There were many people who wanted to ride, and since the monorail isn't fast, the rotation was a bit slow, but we were able to ride without waiting too long.
Once we were on it, the monorail was faster than I thought. I could see people passing by down below, and on the side, cute sets that I hadn't seen from below delighted my eyes.
"Oh? Looks like there's a parade. What a shame. Should we have watched that before leaving?"
"They'll do it in the evening anyway. We can watch it then."
"Is that so?"
Perhaps because it's summer, the theme of the parade was Samba. Dancers with flashy decorations on their backs like peacocks and parade cars were going around the indoor facility with exciting music, entertaining the guests.
Perhaps because there were children, the costumes of the Samba dancers weren't that strict. They weren't wearing underwear like C-strings that barely cover the important parts like authentic Samba.
Hey, no matter how precocious kids these days are, it's not good to see things like that right in front of them. Even if you watch porn and masturbate, save the real thing for when you're an adult.
It's not a boomer mindset, but having intercourse before adulthood puts a strain on the body. Mainly for the woman's side. Men just have to stick it in, but women feel pain during their first experience.
There's no guarantee that they can endure that pain when they're young. Children who are victims of sexual assault often die or end up with scars they have to carry for the rest of their lives.
Sion also looks like a young girl, but she's different from normal humans and is sturdy, so she's fine.
So, good children, please have pure love sex with your partner after you've grown up.
Ah, I got sidetracked. What was I talking about that led me to say something this moronic?
"It will be dark in the evening, so the lighting will look much more flashy, so it will be even better then."
"I'll have to come back around evening and watch it."
The monorail, having gone around the indoor facility, finally changed its route and headed outside. Even though it was faster than I thought, I expected it to take a long time to go around this large indoor space, but it didn't take that long.
Soon, as we crossed the gate separating the indoors and outdoors, a fountain spraying from a large lake greeted us, reflecting the sunlight. And in the distance, a castle that looked like it came out of a fairy tale caught my eye.
If fireworks were to go off at night, it would look just like a logo I've seen a lot somewhere.
You must not call that name! Mi... urgh?! Who are you!
"Ah, it's fine. I own stock in that company, so I won't get sued for that much."
"No way, such a twist?!"
The monorail crossed the lake, and we arrived at the outdoor facilities in earnest.