Shop 45.1

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Chapter 45.1. Dinner Reservation In The Wilderness

On the hillside en route to the usual lighthouse, Yaralai and I made breakfast together and ate.

Currently, it's coffee time after the meal.

There's some leftover money, considering last night's dinner expenses.

My remaining balance is ¥912,876.

"If we had some extra, I'd like to make a different menu."

Since Hagg only eats tonkatsu for dinner, I end up having the same.

Unlike in Japan, where calorie consumption is high, a bit of fat seems fine, but having the same thing every night does get boring. Yet, it's too troublesome to prepare a separate menu.

Come to think of it, there was fish talk before, and Hagg seemed quite interested. Maybe I should try making some fish dishes. It's a good opportunity to cook the fish of this world.

Luckily, thanks to being often accompanied by a fishing enthusiast boss, I'm good at handling fish.

Furthermore, having been made to assist another boss who loves cooking, I can do basic cooking. Of course, living alone played a big part in it.

Due to the salary not increasing at all, there were times when I had to cook to save money.

One concern is that in this world, there are no refrigerators or freezers, so I can't use the technique of cooking in bulk and freezing for storage, which is essential for saving. It's painful not being able to freeze things together for savings.

"Good morning, Akira-sama."

Lost in thoughts about fish dishes, the usual red woman appeared.

With her red hair that doesn't lose to the strong sunlight, and red eyes piercing through others with determination. Wearing a thin iron chain painted in red crisscrossed, emphasizing her chest with age-inappropriate development, clad in red dyed leather armor that extends down to her knees, and red boots that go up to her knees.

She's Cherina Veliero, the heiress of a major trading company known to everyone in this city-state, one of the leaders.

"...Good morning to you too, Yaralai-sama."

Though not as much as yesterday, Cherina still doesn't hide her displeasure when she sees Yaralai. I wonder if she hates elves that much.

"Yeah."

Yaralai's response is somewhat indifferent.

"Would you like some coffee too, Cherina?"

"Yes, please."

I shake the cup I was using a couple of times to empty it, then brew some coffee with two sticks of sugar.

Sipping her coffee delicately with both hands on the cup, she looked completely different from her usual demeanor as the head of the company, showing a youthful innocence. 

Well, I don't know her exact age.

Probably around high school graduation age?

After Cherina finishes her coffee, I clean up and head to the company.

Today's tasks in the morning weren't much different. They're mainly paperwork, checking it, and some minor negotiations. 

Even those negotiations are mostly prearranged by the company executives, so it's just a routine check.

I'm very curious about how the sight of Cherina, the beautiful young lady, accompanied by an unidentified foreigner and a muscle-bound native elf, looks to the other merchants.

For me, this work feels like a morning task, but apparently, Cherina starts working before the sun rises. 

Since it's mainly paperwork, she doesn't need to instruct me to come early.

Members of the Veliero Company naturally wake up earlier than Cherina and do their work, so it's quite jealousy-inducing for me, who is just standing there, to be clinging to the young lady.

So, I can't escape the hate from others, whether it's in the previous world or this one.

We're finishing the morning tasks while deflecting the resentful gazes of the employees. They're still just standing there as usual.

At lunchtime, Yaralai moves to a nearby cafeteria, leaving just Cherina and me.

"It looks delicious."

Today's lunch was surprisingly meaty. It was lean meat, but it was much softer than it looked. 

It had a bit of a wild taste, but overall, it was good. The cooking method was frying it in oil and sprinkling salt, but it was simple and delicious.

"It's buffalo meat that Yaralai-sama hunted the other day. I bought some to try."

"Oh, I was curious about that. Buffaloes are big, right? How did Yaralai manage to bring it to the city?"

Assuming it's like a cow, even if Yaralai is muscular, it's unlikely he could carry it alone. On the other hand, Hagg seems like he could hum while carrying it, which is scary.

"Of course, members of the Commercial Guild helped transport it. Yaralai-sama hands over a part of the body to the company as proof of his hunt and tells them the location of the buffalo. Guild members confirm it immediately, and Yaralai-sama receives a commission fee. Then the guild members gather as needed, dismantle it on-site, and bring it to the city."

She smoothly explained not only the method of transportation but also everything I wanted to know. She really is a sharp woman.

"What kind of setup is this Commercial Guild?"

"Basically, it's an association of companies and merchants. The guilds in this country are permit-based, so they have certain powers. How many companies disappeared in the past few years due to the decline of this country..."

No matter what topic we start with, the conversation always ends up about the decline of this country. It's quite strange.

"What do you mean by certain powers?"