第１１８５堀：お弁当の内容 (Part1)
Chapter 1185: The Contents of the Bento
Side: Labyris
"Ugh, so frustrating! I lost to Firia!"
"Heh heh. That’s how it is. Dressa, you’re still a bit green."
Despite the trash talk, Dressa and Firia are sitting side-by-side, eating their lunch in perfect harmony.
These two just faced off in the second match of the tournament.
As for me, since I’m on the same team as Dressa, the points we earned from that match were the bare minimum: 5,000.
Well, I never expected Dressa to make it far anyway, so I spent the time watching the matches with Shera while diligently handling my paperwork, ensuring we earned the necessary points regardless.
That said, if I told Dressa that honestly, she’d probably get depressed, saying, "You didn't have any expectations for me?" so I’ll keep that a secret.
"Dressa and Firia both fought well, but in the end, the finals really did come down to Seraria and Deryu, didn't it?"
"Yes. As always. No upsets this time."
"Seraria-oneechan was so close, though."
Just as Aslin said, Seraria really was agonizingly close.
Yes, but she lost. And the champion was Deryu.
In the end, it felt like "martial arts" were the deciding factor.
Seraria desperately tried to fight within the reach of her sword, but Deryu managed to step inside the range of her fists and turned the tables.
Of course, it’s not like Seraria can only use a sword.
She’s decent with her fists, too, but Deryu’s depth of experience—or rather, her mastery of hand-to-hand combat—ultimately overwhelmed her.
The final exchange saw them both land full-force cross-counters, and Seraria was the one who went down.
...It’s truly shocking how these two hold nothing back, even against another woman.
Their noses were flattened and bleeding, their mouths were cut and spitting blood, and the corners of their eyes and cheeks were sliced open by glancing blows, leaving them a bloody mess.
Honestly, it’s a good thing we have Rurua, Lilishe, and Hairen, who can use high-level recovery magic that fixes almost anything as long as you’re still breathing.
Man, it was a sight to behold. It was like something out of a martial arts manga.
"...Though, for me, the real concern is whether they’ll even be able to fight in the matches after this, given how hard they went."
"That’s true. They must be exhausted after moving like that. By the way, are Dressa and Firia okay?"
"No problem here. I lost in the first round, after all."
"Firia is fine, too."
It seems both of them still have plenty of energy left.
"Actually, the only ones who are truly exhausted are probably the top-tier fighters. Yuki, you planned this, didn't you?"
"Yes. I suppose so."
"That’s right!"
"““Hmm?””"
A very familiar voice cut into our conversation. When we looked over, sure enough, Steve and his group were there, each holding something.
No, to be precise, they were carrying bento boxes.
"Oh, it’s Steve and the others. What’s up?"
"Princess Aslin, the food sales have started. You can use points for luxury meals, but don't be too stingy with them."
"Yeah. Eat properly to prepare for the afternoon battles."
Oh, is it already that time?
The clock does indeed point to the lunch hour.
As Steve and the others said, it’s only natural to eat a proper meal to prepare for the afternoon, but...
"First, could you show us those bentos?"
If possible, I’d like to see what’s inside before we commit.
"Sure thing. That’s why we called out to you."
"So, which bentos did you guys choose?"
Right, the bentos are ranked.
There’s High, Mid, Low, and Lowest. The High rank is incredibly expensive at 5,000 points, while the Lowest is 500.
That’s a tenfold difference.
Considering the points we have, it’s not like we couldn't afford the 5,000-point bento, but the question is whether it’s really necessary.
"We picked different ones so it’d be easy for you to understand, Princess Aslin. I got the Lowest."
"I got the Mid."
"I got the High. There weren't enough people to pick the 'Low' rank, but it’s gotta be better than Steve’s 'Lowest'."
I see. As Mino-chan says, the 'Low' rank surely isn't any worse than the 'Lowest'.
For now...
"Alright, Steve, show us yours first."
"Yes, I wonder what the lowest-ranked meal is like?"
"I want to see! But the box looks quite fancy."
As Firia said, the box Steve is holding doesn't look cheap at all, despite being the 'Lowest' rank. It’s not like those flimsy plastic containers sold at Super Ratz.
It’s in a proper, well-crafted 'box.'
Or perhaps they’re just making it look high-quality from the outside?
"Here you go."
Steve opened the box without hesitation, and inside was...
"Four rice balls and pickled daikon."
"And two pieces of fried chicken."
Hmm. The contents are surprisingly simple.
However...
"But it has furikake sprinkled on it, so I think it’ll be tasty."
"That’s right. The rice ball and furikake combo is invincible. Some even have seasoned seaweed wrapped around them. They’re delicious!"
"True. Rice balls are tasty even with just salt, and they’re popular because they’re easy to eat even on an aircraft carrier, right?"
"Eh? Isn't the navy all about curry?"
"I didn't expect to hear that from you, Labyris, but that’s only on Fridays."
"Oh, is that so?"
I had this image that navy food was synonymous with curry.
Well, I suppose eating curry every single day would be tough.
"Heh heh. Setting the curry talk aside, Steve’s rice ball meal seems filling enough."
"Yeah, this is plenty for me. So, if you want rice balls, you should go for the Lowest rank. Now, next is John. Open it up."
"Alright."
John opened his box as instructed, and inside was...
"Raw meat and vegetables? And a serving plate?"
"Eh? Are you supposed to eat this as is?"
For some reason, 'raw' meat and vegetables were sitting there prominently.
We were bewildered by this bizarre situation, but...
"John, look at the lid of the bento box."
"The lid?"
Prompted by Mino-chan, we looked at the lid John was holding, and for some reason, it had a wire mesh attached to it.
"Huh? There’s a wire mesh."
"How mysterious. Hmm? There’s something like a switch here."
"Eh? Oh, you’re right."
Firia pointed it out, and sure enough, there was a switch.
When John pressed it...
*Whoosh!* A flame ignited.
"Ah, is this that portable meat-grilling device?"
"Looks like it. The big brother mentioned it before."
"...He certainly did say something like that."
Let’s see, was that back when we had a barbecue at the beach?
He said that since it takes time to light charcoal, a small meat-grilling device would be convenient because everyone could grill their own meat to their liking and adjust the amount.
Indeed, when Tori or Riel are at a barbecue, they start chanting "Meat! Meat!" so there’s never any room for vegetables.
"But, isn't the portion a bit small for just this?"