落とし穴８４堀：いつもの年越し (Part1)
**Pitfall 84: The Usual New Year’s Eve**
**Side: Yuki**
The time is currently 10:00 PM.
The city of Weed is already in the midst of a festival.
Amidst all that, we are spending our time quietly at home.
Well, everyone has their own way of spending the end of the year.
Some people head out into the bustling city to drink and make merry with acquaintances, while others, like me, who have a family, prefer to spend the time warmly with them.
"Another year is almost over, isn't it?"
Seraria, sitting beside me, says.
It’s already past the children’s bedtime, and everyone is present except for Sasari, who is watching over them.
I felt bad for Sasari, but she insisted, "It would be boorish of me to interrupt the final conversation of the year between the Master and his wives."
I’ll make sure to thank her properly later.
It seems she found an interesting new adventurer in Weed and is "training"—no, *mentoring*—them, so maybe I can provide some support in that regard.
It’s a relief to see she’s found her own way to enjoy life here.
Still, as Seraria said, the year really is coming to an end.
"We really went through a lot this year, didn't we?"
"We certainly did. An awful lot, indeed."
It really was a lot.
If I recall, the last time we saw the new year in, it was during the duel against Taizo-san and his group.
Well, in reality, it was against the Hifie Holy Kingdom, but for us, Taizo-san was the most formidable opponent, so he’s the one who sticks out in my memory.
After that, there was the covert maneuvering of the Ex Kingdom led by Noble, and the existence of a Dungeon Master other than Comet.
There was a possibility that the royal capital of Ex would become a sacrificial altar, so we approached it with a level of danger higher than anything we’d faced before.
Well, through one thing or another, we reconciled with Noble’s side, and it was like, "You guys manage the New Continent yourselves, okay?" But just as we returned to Weed, we had to deal with the covert actions of countries jealous of Weed’s runaway development.
In the background, there were those gods again.
And further behind that, the existence of Princess Bitts, whom we let slip away in Ranks—well, if you trace it back to the source, it’s hard to say it wasn't caused by our own lack of thoroughness.
"…We really did go through a lot."
"You suddenly look quite exhausted."
"I’m just amazed at how one problem after another kept popping up."
"That’s true. But it’s because it was you that we reached this result. Under normal circumstances, much more blood would have been shed."
"That’s for sure. Our fundamental way of thinking is different. Ruling the world is just a massive pain in the neck."
"Fufu. I wonder how many people would actually understand the answer that becoming the ruler of the world is a 'hassle'?"
"I think the average person would agree with me. Regardless of whether countries are fighting, the people living there just want to be safe. The thing they fear most is their current life falling apart. Only the big shots want to leave their names in history like that. Only those kinds of people need honor and fame."
"…That’s so accurate I can’t even argue with it."
"Well, I admit that to unite a country, having a goal like 'becoming the ruler of the world' makes things easier. It’s an easy-to-understand goal, and the results are simple. You just have to achieve military success. People who want wealth, fame, promotions, or to become heroes—they’d want to follow someone who aims to be the ruler of the world and provides them with a battlefield, right?"
"That is true."
The conversation cut off there, and we both sipped our tea.
After catching my breath, I continued.
"Well, let’s leave the complicated stuff for work hours. Right now, it’s time for New Year’s preparations. Well then, I suppose I should get started on the *toshikoshi soba* (New Year’s Eve noodles)."
"Yes. Good luck."
"Alright. Kirue, I need your help."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
And so, I began preparing the soba with Kirue.
"Even though you’ve accomplished such incredible things this year, Master, you still make the soba yourself," Kirue said with a smile.
"Of course. That’s a separate matter. If anything, the broth for the soba is harder for me every year."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"It’s the last meal of the year. I can’t let it turn out poorly."
"Fufu. I suppose you're right."
Kirue doesn't suggest hiring a chef. She knows this is my life's work.
I can't leave it to someone else for the sake of my family, who look forward to my soba.
In a way, this might be the highest difficulty task of all.
Now then, forgetting about useless work, let’s check the broth I’ve been simmering…
"Yeah. It’s a good batch. Alright, let’s plate it up."
"Yes."
In the end, no matter how hard I worked or how much the world changed, my daily life remained the same.
I wake up, go to work, come home, work overtime, work on holidays, take it easy on my days off, spend time with my family, and spend the end of the year just like I did when I was in Japan.
Well, the year just flew by in a flurry. That’s all there is to it.
…Damn it.
I’ve thought this many times, but in the end, there’s no changing the human life cycle.
You could say it’s already perfected.
Thinking about such trivial things, I prepared the soba and returned.
My wives were waiting for me, looking at me as if they had been anticipating the noodles.
I quickly served the soba, and everyone waited for my signal.
"I won't give a long speech, or the noodles will get soggy and taste bad. So, briefly: thank you for this year, and I look forward to the next."
"Yes!"
"Alright. Let’s eat."
"Itadakimasu!"
We all started slurping down the soba.
"Eating this really makes it feel like the year is ending," Seraria said.
"It really does," Rurua agreed.
"Indeed. Yuki’s soba has become a tradition, after all," Deryu added.
That was the princess group. I’m glad it’s been accepted.
"I was busy until the very last second of this year… Ah, this is delicious," Milly said.
"Milly, can’t you find a successor or something?" Ratz asked.
"That seems difficult. As far as the Adventurer’s Guild goes, there’s no representative better than Milly. That’s the one thing that can’t be decided by Weed’s decree alone. Mmm, the broth is good," Eris noted.
The office group was eating while complaining about work. Well, the end of the year is truly busy.
"Hmm. I wonder if everyone is doing okay?" Tori worried.
"Tori, you worry too much. Poni is doing just fine. If you don’t eat, your soba will get soggy, you know?" Riel teased.
"…Tori, you’re too overprotective. If you’re not going to eat it, I’ll eat it for you," Kaya said.
"Kaya!? No!! Absolutely not!!"
The police group was currently worrying about work in real-time, with Riel and Kaya soothing or teasing Tori. It’s only natural to worry since they work in real-time, but man, worrying about work at the end of the year is the worst.
"The soba is delicious," Aslin said.
"It is delicious," Firia added.
"Yeah. It’s Yuki’s soba," Labyris smiled.
"Yes. It’s the usual soba from Yuki-san," Shera concluded.
They were purely enjoying the meal.