落とし穴１７掘：おすすめの店 (Part1)
Pitfall 17: The Recommended Shop
Recommended Shop
Side: Labyris
The second day of the festival.
This is the story of when we all met up to go get something to eat.
"Say, where are we going?"
Deryu seems to be starving; there’s a sense of impatience in her voice.
Actually, she was clinging to Yuki earlier—did something happen?
Her younger brother Reye, Anna, and Riri are all watching Deryu with wry smiles.
Something interesting must have happened. I’ll have to ask about it later; I’ll get my revenge for what happened the other day.
"We’re almost there."
In the end, since about half of our usual group happened to be in the same place, we decided to gather everyone together so the others wouldn't feel left out.
"Milly, weren't you supposed to be working?"
"Listen to this, Eris, everyone is just so kind. Actually..."
"My, my, I’m so envious. I, on the other hand, just pushed all my work onto my subordinates."
"Huh? Are you in a bad mood or something?"
"No, I’m just a little annoyed. Being all lovey-dovey with Yuki-san since this morning and all that."
"You know, that’s exactly what being in a bad mood means, right!?"
I’m a little annoyed with Milly, just like Eris is.
But we’ve been with Yuki since this morning too, so I can’t really say anything.
"Wait, isn't this the edge of the commercial district? Is there anything around here, Tori?"
"Hmm, the map just shows rental housing for people working in the commercial district. Usually, people go back to their homes in the residential district, but since it’s late, the teleportation gates aren't active."
"Right. These are just rentals, so were there any shop permits issued here?"
The two of them, who are well-versed in the geography due to their security duties, tilt their heads in confusion.
Oh my, oh my. So Tori and Riel didn't know.
Hehehe, this is going to be fun.
"However, I was just thinking—we have time limits on the floor-to-floor teleportation, but what happens if someone gets injured?"
Rurua asks this, directing her question at Tori and Riel.
Yes, as a saintess and someone who runs a hospital, that’s a valid concern.
"That’s taken care of. There are security monster-soldiers at the teleportation gates, so we can teleport them to the hospital immediately or have the on-site recovery magic soldiers handle it."
"The emergency teleportation hasn't been used yet, so maybe Rurua just forgot?"
"Ah, now that you mention it, there was something like that. I hadn't used it, so it slipped my mind. It’s fortunate that there haven't been any injuries, though."
Come to think of it, Yuki did create a warp that leads directly to the hospital, calling it an "emergency measure."
But for the past half-year, there haven't been any major injuries; things have been calm.
There are injuries in the blacksmithing district, but since they have their own dedicated healers, there’s rarely a need for us to step in.
"Hmm, hmm. So Labyris, you knew about this place?"
"Ratz knew too, huh?"
"Well, the commercial district is my backyard. I have a complete grasp of what’s where."
"I heard it from Yuki."
"I see, then it’s only natural you’d know."
Yuki, of course, knows where we’re going.
After all, the master of this shop is Yuki himself.
It’s the source of the many culinary delights circulating at the festival—takoyaki, taiyaki, yakisoba, cotton candy, ramen... and so on.
A hidden gem known only to those in the know.
"Here we are."
I nudge Yuki’s head to make him turn around.
Handling Yuki is second nature to me.
"Here?"
"Um, it’s just a slightly large house, isn't it?"
That’s right. To the untrained eye, it’s just a slightly large house that anyone would walk right past.
"Oh, Boss Yuki. If it isn't Representative Ratz and Lady Labyris."
Suddenly, the front door opens, and an older man steps out holding a noren curtain.
"Yo, it’s the festival today, so we came to grab a bite."
"Whoa—wait, if I look closely, aren't almost all of you representatives!?"
"Don't worry. As you know, most of the customers are just regular folks. It’s just that a few of my wives happen to be princesses."
"No, having multiple wives is one thing, but having several of them be princesses... that’s something only you could pull off, Boss."
Yeah, I agree with that. I don't think there’s anyone else like Yuki.
"Seraria, Rurua, Shera, is this alright with you?"
"Not a problem at all."
"I don't mind either."
"Since it’s Yuki-san’s recommendation, I’m looking forward to it."
"There you have it."
"Well, if the Boss says so. Welcome to the Laboratory."
He says that and hangs up the noren.
"The Laboratory?"
Seraria tilts her head in wonder.
"Well, you’ll understand once you go inside."
Yuki takes Seraria’s hand and leads her in. Everyone else follows suit.
"Hey, welcome. The back room is open."
"Alright, we’ll take it."
We enter a banquet hall similar to an inn.
"I’ll leave the menu here."
"Thanks."
Yuki hands them out to everyone. They all open the menus and start reading.
"Um, Tonkotsu Ramen?"
"...Inari Sushi Special?"
"Yakisoba?"
"Takoyaki?"
One person read something strange, but this place is the origin of the dishes being sold at the festival.
"I sell my dishes here experimentally. Since the festival was coming up, I had them try out a bunch of recipes all at once. I let them use the space for a set fee. It’s not that expensive, so they should be well in the black from the festival sales."
"Oh, so that’s what you were doing. I had no idea."
"I see. I was wondering why Yuki-san’s ramen was being sold at a stall, but this was the source."
"I’m pretty busy myself. Aside from things like the sushi, which was a huge hit, I don't have enough time to teach all the smaller dishes. So, I set up this shop and have the staff learn the recipes. I just hand over the instructions and have them do a tasting. If it goes well, it gets added to the Laboratory’s menu and becomes a new product. Of course, you can eat them here, too."
That’s how it is.
Yuki teaches his cooking here to spread it around.
It’s also a way to test if the food suits this land—hence the name "Laboratory."
"As expected of Yuki-san. But with so many things to choose from, I don't know what to pick."