落とし穴外伝：夏の祭りの準備 (Part1)
Dungeon Master Side Story: Summer Festival Preparations
Summer Festival: Originating from the Obon festival—commonly known as Bon—along with the Tanabata star festival and, finally, the Gion Festival.
Fundamentally, every one of these festivals is intended for the repose of souls or the veneration of deities.
In short, they are meant to comfort the spirits of ancestors and pray for the peace of the land.
While such sentiments have faded in recent times, the tradition of Bon Odori persists, transforming these events into a blend of lingering ritual and pure enjoyment.
Well, at the end of the day, the core purpose remains the same: to provide a sense of security through the spectacle of a lively crowd.
A fleeting fantasy, a moment of the extraordinary within the mundane of summer.
It is the evening, the hour of twilight—the *omagatoki*—when the world of the living and the floating world intersect.
It is simply a time when everyone can enjoy the festival.
Side: Yuki
"……Though, saying that, the preparations are a real pain."
"Well, it can't be helped. But isn't this kind of preparation fun in its own way?"
"I suppose so. In my current position, I rarely get to do things like this, but doing it brings back memories."
Are preparations fun, I wonder?
Well, it is true that bustling about with friends like this has its charms.
Even so, for me, festivals like this were always about the neighborhood…
"Exactly. For me, my father would drag me out as a combatant, and it was just insanely busy……"
"You really ought to accumulate more piety."
That’s right. Back then, I was in the same position as Sota-san, running around wildly with friends, getting called in as "manpower" by all sorts of people to help out.
No, I did get paid in food and pocket money for it, though.
"Hold that side."
"Got it."
I worked with Taiki to secure the assembled tent.
The tents themselves were convenient; I could pull them out of the DP store already assembled. They seem to be treated as buildings.
Even so, they weren't anchored to the ground, so I had to drive in stakes.
Normally, this alone would be a chore, but thanks to the leveling system of this other world, it wasn't much trouble at all.
Which made the next part even more tedious…
"Sota-san, what about this?"
"Ah, let’s see, the iron plate connections are…"
Preparing the equipment to cook the food for the stalls.
You can’t just bring equipment from Earth and expect it to work right out of the box. It has to be properly connected and assembled.
So, Taizo-san and Sota-san were checking the manuals as they put the stall equipment together.
Since there’s no "magic" way to make things work universally, if you don't do it right, it won't function.
That’s why, for this occasion, we planned ahead.
"This part is simple, though."
I said that, and plopped it onto the table.
It was a gas stove that utilized magic power.
The structure is just a simple frame to hold an iron plate on top, so it’s incredibly straightforward. No need to connect it to a gas line, either.
"That’s convenient. A magic-powered gas stove? A magic stove?"
"The name currently circulating is 'magic stove.' Even so, the production line isn't fully established yet, so it’s quite expensive. About 100,000 units per piece."
"One gold coin. Half a month’s income for an average person… Well, considering it’s portable, I suppose that’s fair. How are the sales?"
"It’s selling like crazy to adventurers and merchants."
"I assume you’re also supplying them to the nobility?"
"That’s a different price bracket. Now, what kind of stall should this one be?"
I paused for a moment.
Because of yesterday’s sudden inspiration, I hadn't decided on the specific menu for every stall.
Since I have so many wives, I want to have plenty of food stalls, but…
"Should we put out a takoyaki maker and make it a takoyaki stall?"
"No, I’m planning to use specialized equipment for takoyaki, so this one will be something else."
Takoyaki is better when the fire hits that specific shape of iron plate directly, so that’s scheduled for a different stall.
My wives want to experience the summer festivals I remember, so skipping those details would defeat the purpose.
Though, to be honest, there isn't much difference between these and the Weed summer festivals.
"Then, yakitori, okonomiyaki, hashimaki, yakisoba—that’s about it, right? And wait, we’re doing this with our own people, right? Who’s going to be working the stalls?"
"Steve and his group, and Kirika, said they’d handle it. If there are enough people, they can take shifts, and it doubles as security, so it works out."
"Ah, that makes sense."
Calling them "our own people" while essentially using the military is a bit of a stretch, but considering the need for security, it can't be helped.
And above all, it’s a relief not to have to run the stalls myself.
Seeing us assemble things like this, they said they’d think about future applications. They gave some tacked-on excuse about how the military could use this to soothe the populace, but I can tell they’re just being considerate of us.
Well, it’s not wrong to say that Steve and the others will get to enjoy the festival to their hearts' content, too.
"Anyway, if we don't decide on the stalls, Steve and the others can't start their preparations."
"Then, instead of agonizing over it, shouldn't we just decide quickly?"
"True. Alright, this one will be a yakisoba stall."
I decided and hung the *noren* curtain.
The tent doesn't have "Yakisoba Stall" written on it, so the curtain is how we mark it.
Immediately, the goblins scurried over and began preparing the ingredients.
"Are you starting to cook already?"
"Well, we have to finalize the flavor, don't we?"
"Oh, Steve. You were there?"
"Hey, Taiki-san, that’s cold."
"I didn't notice either."
"That’s harsh."
While we were chatting, Steve’s subordinate goblins began their preparations with practiced efficiency.
"They’re used to this."
"Well, these guys run stalls at the Weed summer festival, too. It’s part of maintaining public order."
"Ah, right. There was a unit for that."
"Or rather, they’re the military’s mess hall squad."
"Exactly. The military has to eat, too. Besides, they have to worry about nutritional balance over there, so this is actually more relaxing for them. So, what about the one Taizo-san and Sota-san are building?"
"That one will be okonomiyaki. Also, since they’ve been watching us, they should be able to build the tents themselves, right? So, for the other stalls, how about squid skewers, yakitori, cotton candy, taiyaki, and shaved ice?"
"That’s a lot."