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I tightened my expression, which caused the boss to falter.

“What the heck is with no matter what, truly an odd fella… No, wait. Don’t tell me it’s the doing of those morons? Hmm, but even they shouldn’t have any reason to push a brat like you… Anyway, I’m no longer in the mood to keep the shop open for today. And that’s how it is, go somewhere else!”

“I refuse! I’m no dilly-dallier, alright? I came to fancy this shop, that’s all. Like hell I give a damn about your grumpy mood! Or what, you’re saying you don’t feel like opening your business? Then, aside from your obvious signs of aging, why have you even kept the store all shiny and spotless? Don’t think you can fool me. I certainly saw the pride in your face— back straight, eyes fixed at the entrance when you noticed a new customer arriving. You can’t even properly hide your conviction to keep the store up and you have the gall to bluff me. Alright, we don’t argue in a restaurant. Just ring me the sashimi!”

“Why the heck are you calling the shots!? Listen to me, I am only saying this for your sake!”

“I never asked for your concern! My motto is only one, beat the crap out of anyone who dares to hinder my path. I’m prepared for anything, alright!?”

A stare-off competition had started between me and the boss when someone, seemingly the proprietress, appeared from the inside of the store.

She had a tanned look with black, lustrous hair. She wore a kimono-like dress which I presumed to be a product of the Baerentz Archipelago Nation.

She must have sensed the entrance of a customer.

“Oh dear, we seemed to have one peculiar customer today. Hmm?… Pfft.

Ahem, I came here after hearing your spirited speech, I just didn’t expect the customer to be truly a child. But you have a great pair of eyes. And you, dear, should lay off now.”

“……Go and sleep, Chloe. Don’t you have another night diving later?

“You don’t expect me to do that, do you? I don’t know when I’ll be able to next see your craftsmanship if I let this chance slip by.

However, boy…”

The proprietress then paused, glanced straight at me, and said,

“This <Silver Ginkgo> upholds but one motto: our price is set the same for regulars and first-timers alike. No service charge, but also no discount. You’re our customer if you can agree to that.”

I nodded.

“I wasn’t expecting any exception to begin with. Sure, what’s the price here?”

“A bright person, I see. We currently only have limited ingredients at hand, only fish that this person had captured locally, and the shellfish that I got from diving. However, I wouldn’t let dear’s workmanship, which had entranced me, be sold for cheap.

A simple meal alone would cost 130 rea. But assuming you’re an explorer, the total price including alcohol is 200 rea. Do you think you’re up to pay for the dishes whose materials we just happened to have lying around by chance?“

Huh, 200?!

…Hella cheap…

◆◆◆

Recalling back to my first task as a G-rank explorer, the reward for labor work was surely 150 rea a day. But then again, it was hardly — or not at all — lucrative work in contrast to the pay, so they obviously have trouble getting enough people to help out. So was the explanation I heard from the site foreman.

Putting 2 and 2 together, even G-rank explorers at the Royal Capital could easily splurge should they want.

No, wait a minute. 130 rea was almost 15000 yen in Japan’s currency. I was nearly led astray by the Royal Capital’s vibe.

The price was certainly on the higher side just for a meal made of stocked-up fish. Honestly, my 1000 rea hourly wage from the knight order plus my earnings after being promoted to B-rank had truly loosened my economic sense.

…I wasn’t a strict upholder of the no luxury motto. However, the concept of luxury is a subjective matter based on an individual\'s perception of whether they were relatively fortunate in their daily life.

Even luxury would wear off its charm when it became part of one’s regular scenery. Perhaps, only the luxury of a certain level could evoke such a decadent sensation after reaching that stage.

I should have long decided that status, honor, or fortune would never be able to shackle me. But I was somehow unknowingly dragged into the swamp of a new ‘normal’. There was no way I would be able to live as freely as I intended if I started worrying about maintaining this ‘normal’ lifestyle.

...…I reflexively shouted ‘so cheap’ in my heart when I heard the price, but right… I decided to live freely and having a high standard would just hinder me in the long run.

I answered while running my thoughts in different directions.

“A craftsman should get the credit they deserve, and it’s your freedom to set the price. After all, the judges are still the customers. The store would either drown in the waves of customers or just be weeded out. I’ll have the boss\' recommendation, though I don’t need the alcohol.”

The boss took a quick glance at me and chewed on his lips in vexation.

“Tsk, a brat with a silver tongue. Fine, I won’t say anything further when you put it like this. As for skills… Let me show you the skill of the 7th generation Ginkgo.”

The boss said so as a fire lit up in the depths of his eyes.

He displayed a defeated look on his face, but I for sure could see a faint smile on his lips as he held his knife.

◆◆◆

“You were asking for Sashimi, right?”

The boss said as he took a complete fish from the bucket of ice water — I guess he must have caught them this morning — and sliced it up in a jiffy.

The shop had an open kitchen — a rarity if you asked me — so I could clearly see the chef’s expertise with which he handled the food. And for that matter, a set of chopsticks was placed in front of me. I guess they were fairly used in this area.

“…Hmm? Oh, could that knife be made from Black Tiger Iron?”

My eyes were drawn to the jet-black knife in the boss\' hand.

“Hmph. What, are you saying it’s a pearl before swine? Sure, this might be a bit too fancy to be used for something trivial like chopping fish, but this is indispensable for me. I guess you can call it the other half of me at this point. Anyway, our local specialty is ready.”

After saying that, the boss pushed forward a good-looking mackerel sashimi.

The thinly sliced pieces arranged on the plate were so thin they were almost transparent, with the plate adorned with cut watermelon resembling blooming rose petals in spring. There was another smaller plate beside it that had fine white salt.

“Come now, I never thought of that. Don’t they say, a knife’s sharpness is what matters when making sashimi? I saw your skill and it truly was without any shortcomings. And I bet you wouldn’t get this level of thinness — as if I’m looking at a silver mirror — with an ordinary knife. The best part of a fish is the fatty layer just beneath the skin."

I said as I sprinkled some salt and tried a slice.

It was delish… But more than that, it reminded me of my past life.

“Oh? I guess you do have a discerning eye… Oi, why are you crying?”

“Ah, my bad. The sashimi is truly exquisite, it suddenly reminded me of my hometown. You truly never know what kind of surprise awaits you. Next please.”

“Tsk. I thought I was dealing with some precocious child, but you hide your own share of hardships, huh? We won’t be having any other customers except you either way, kid. Alright, I’m going to give you your fill ‘til there are no more ingredients left. Don’t think you can get away scot-free today.”

Another dish he lined up was, once again, a masterpiece.

It was fish eggs — resembling processed cod roe — diluted through the sake and spread on a small perilla leaf.

It was slightly roasted sardine split from the center, which was occupied by a small perilla leaf serving fish eggs— diluted through sake and resembling processed cod roe in appearance.

Ultimately, I just couldn’t resist the temptation and ordered sake as well.

The dishes afterward were just as great— like the Thai-style white-fleshed fish or squids, salt-pickled sashimi, or steamed abalone that I ate with deep-fried fish bones for more flavor.

◆◆◆

“Phew, that was a feast. Honestly, I’ve tried many shops back in the Royal Capital after starting as an explorer this spring but none of them can compare to your cooking marvel. No, seriously, this was probably the first time my stomach and mind were both content for once. Good lord, good thing I didn’t judge a book by its cover. I bet no one would have thought a stern-faced old man could do such meticulous work.”

The boss burst out in laughter while chiming in ‘The stern-faced part is unneeded’.

We looked at each other and similarly burst into laughter.

“Fufu. All that matters is we didn’t fall short in the service. I could see you truly enjoyed the dishes. You should be staying in this city for a while, right? Come again. We don’t have anything fancy here but you’ll surely be content with the menu.”

“Ohh, I’ll take you up on your offer then. Oops, right. I didn’t introduce myself. As you know, I’m an explorer, the name’s ‘Ren’.

By the way, do you have any problems preventing you from securing ingredients? Wait, don’t tell me it’s the typical case of some Luthor wannabe swaggering around and causing trouble to the store with the local lord\'s support to wipe his butt… Well, who am I kidding.“

A scowl appeared on the visage of the couple on hearing my words.

“Luthor wannabe? I’m afraid I don’t get the meaning, but your guess is pretty much correct.

There is an old-established firm, Serene Wind Co., which started with the shipbuilding business but the current head is no less of a cunning fox. As you can expect from a port city, shipbuilding and repair are the lifeline of this town so they had become quite a behemoth with the dock under their lead. But the current head was apparently not content with that and has expanded their business to even trade and food.

They seemed intent on taking our shop under their command as well, and have been pulling strings behind the scenes to prevent customers from coming which has jeopardized the shop’s operation.”

Wow, talk about the devil’s tongue… I sighed.

“I see. I bet there might be some benefit for the mayor so he’s playing blind to the situation or, let’s hope not, even in cahoots with them. Hmm, so I presume the group of three people waiting outside must be there to give me a ‘Don’t bother coming again if ya value yo life’ warning once I exit, eh?”

The couple’s eyes widened when they heard me spitting what was the cliched troupe in such cases.

“I told you, didn’t I? I’m an explorer. I guess my body has just acclimated to the work so I couldn’t help but sense their presence outside. Truly, I can\'t rest even while dining, huh? Well, that is typically prevented by an anti-detection magic tool but that’s not here.

Anyway, it seems like one of them is a girl— ‘Young Miss’ as they’re referring to her. A beefy guy, seemingly an employee from the dockyard, and a bodyguard-ish explorer. The explorer has two short swords.“

“......We had many explorers as customers but never did I hear them having such sharp ears being a common thing… That girl is the current head of the Serene Wind, Mimosa. The beefy guy is the clerk Gatx, and the last one is ‘Double-edged Jerren’— a talented explorer in this area, and his skills are not a joke.

It’s strange for Mimosa to come here, but her arrival is anything but good news, and she also brought her trusted men, too. You hurry up and escape to the backdoor. I’ll deal with them somehow.“

“Ah, I don’t think you need to waste your breath. Because—”

Bang

The door was opened with a forceful entry.

“They’re already here.”

T/N - This is just my headcanon by the way. I just had a hunch what would come later. (I truly haven’t checked the ahead chapter)

MC - Hurray, liberation! No more crazy folks for some time!

Author - Have you ever heard the phrase ‘don’t stick your face where it doesn’t belong’?

MC - Where does it suddenly come from—no, don’t tell me…

Author - Bingo, as a reward for guessing, here is another tyrannosaurus as a gift!

MC - You gotta be kidding meeeee!

On a side note, how often do you use some metaphor, and it so coincidentally appears as a character? I didn’t expect the ‘I am no Mimosa’ phrase to become a reality.

E/N - I had a sense of deja vu while editing the first part of this chapter. I could have sworn I already read and edited that part in the last chapter. Also, Allen’s sense of money reminds me of Westerners coming to my country, the Philippines, and being surprised at how much their currency could buy here when converted to pesos.