落とし穴外伝：今日のご飯はなんですか？
Dungeon Side Story: What’s for Dinner Today?
What’s for dinner today?
Side: Hiiro
*Whoosh…*
A sudden gust of wind blew by. Hiiro shivered, pulling her shoulders in.
"Oh… it’s cold."
Before she knew it, the wind whipping across the sea had turned biting, chilling her to the bone.
"What’s wrong, Hiiro-chan?"
"Ah, Big Sister Aslin."
As she stood there trembling, Aslin, who had just climbed out of the sea, approached her.
Today was supposed to be a standard training day, practicing underwater maneuvers from the aircraft carrier alongside Aslin, Firia, and the others. But the wind made me realize that things were different today.
"I was just thinking it’s cold."
"Cold? Ah, did you turn off your magical protection?"
"Yeah. I was doing some paperwork, and I thought I’d come out here to clear my head with a bit of wind."
That’s right. Whenever I get stuck doing paperwork for Big Sister Dore or Big Sister Vilia, I get a headache, so I came out to the deck—but it was much colder than I expected.
Usually, I use magical protection and insulation to keep from being affected by the environment. I also have enchantments on my clothes. They’re custom-made by Narjia-san, so they’re high-performance, but since they aren't the kind of thing you’d wear for training or daily duties, I usually supplement them with my own magic.
Big Brother once told me it’s good practice for magic control. I can do it naturally now.
But that’s beside the point. The point is, it’s cold.
"I see. Now that you mention it, it’s that time of year when it starts getting chilly. It feels like just a little while ago we were swimming in the sea."
"Yeah. Hiiro thinks so too."
It feels like we’re always having fun with everyone in Weed. Or rather, could we always swim in the sea because it was a tropical climate year-round?
"Oh, come to think of it, Weed always had that tropical environment, didn't it?"
"Yeah, it did."
We were playing there just the other day. No, wait, I was there consulting with the monsters who live in that area for work.
"Speaking of which, the sea is getting cold, but how are the monsters doing?"
"Hmm? I haven't noticed any particular changes. But it might be worth asking. I’ll go check."
With that, Aslin headed off. Hiiro decided her break on the deck was over and headed back inside.
"Oh, break’s over?"
"That was quick."
Back in the office, it was Dore and Vilia who looked surprised.
Technically, Dore is the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Fleet, Vilia is her aide, and I’m an aide as well. In reality, it’s just endless paperwork. Though, lately, I’ve been going to school for the exchange student program, so I’m only here about once a week.
"Don't underestimate Hiiro. Hiiro is excellent."
"Yes, yes. If your break is over, get to work. There’s been a lot of paperwork since you started only coming in once a week."
"Still, it’s less than when we were tied up with it all the time."
"Well, that’s true. It wouldn't do for things to grind to a halt just because we aren't around, so I adjusted things with Yuki and the others to minimize the workload we have to process."
The conversation started drifting toward work, so I steered it back.
"I want to talk about something related to work."
"Hm? What is it?"
"Did something happen?"
"Big Sister Aslin was doing underwater and surface drills with the monsters earlier."
"Ah, yes, she was. And?"
"The sea was cold. I was shivering."
When I said that, the two of them exchanged looks.
"Now that you mention it, there were petitions about that."
"Yes, requests for permission to use winter clothing and heating."
"I was unconsciously adjusting with magical protection, so I didn't notice, but I realized it when I wanted to feel the wind earlier."
"Ah, that’s not good. Let’s confirm it immediately."
"They won't freeze, but it will definitely build up dissatisfaction."
And so, we scrambled to implement winter countermeasures, and before we knew it, the workday was over. We managed to finish the work on time and headed back to Weed.
*Whoosh…*
"It really has gotten cold, hasn't it?"
"Yes, is it already this time of year?"
"Winter has arrived."
On the way home, I had turned off my magical protection, and the cold wind biting at my skin made me feel the change of seasons. Everyone in Weed was bundled up in long sleeves and coats.
Just as I was thinking that, I saw someone in the crowd…
"Oh, it’s Big Brother."
"Eh? You’re right."
"Is he in the middle of shopping?"
Big Brother was with Orelia and the others, holding shopping bags and a memo. Just as Dore said, he must be in the middle of shopping. And there’s no way Hiiro and the others would ignore him after spotting him. We caught up with them.
"Big Brother! Yoo-hoo!"
"Big Brother, are you out shopping?"
"What’s for dinner today?"
"Hm? Oh, Hiiro and the others. Yeah, shopping. I was actually struggling with what to have for dinner… Oh, that’s perfect. If you’re not tired, why don't you help me think of something?"
Hiiro is not the type to refuse that request. And, of course, neither are Vilia or Dore.
"I’ll help! I’ll think of something!"
"Yes, of course."
"Fine by me. It’s gotten cold, so maybe something warm?"
"I agree with Big Sister Dore. Something warm would be good."
"That’s true. It’s gotten cold on the carrier side, too, and we’ve had petitions regarding clothing and meals."
"Ah, it’s that time of year. Orelia, do you have any ideas?"
"Um, I’m terribly sorry. I’m not yet very familiar with the food in Weed."
"When you say 'winter food'… I’m not really sure. We can eat all sorts of things year-round, after all."
"I’m sorry."
It seems Orelia and the others aren't really sure about winter food. Well, it’s true that we can eat most things regardless of the season.
"Fiora, Prof, do you have any ideas?"
"Let’s see. In this cold weather, wouldn't a soup be nice?"
"I agree with Fiora-sama. A warm soup when it’s cold—that’s a classic."
"Soup, huh… Then, how about we have a hot pot for a change? Oh, Dressa."
"What?"
"If we’re doing hot pot, I’m thinking of making it a seafood one. Since we’re at it, we’re going to shop at the Weed market, so would you mind helping me pick the best ingredients?"
"Aren't you going to eat Japanese fish?"
"I’ll prepare that too, but I thought I’d try a hot pot with the local seafood for once."
" " "Ohhh!" " "
Hiiro and the others were delighted by Big Brother’s suggestion. Japanese fish is delicious, but that doesn't mean the local fish is bad. We have magic to exterminate pests and detoxify them, and there are some truly delicious varieties.
"It’ll be quite an adventure, you know?"
"I see. I know the taste of some of them individually, and most seafood tastes good if you just make a soup or a hot pot out of the scraps, right?"
" " "Fish scrap soup!" " "
A delicious hot pot where you throw various types of fish into miso soup and let the umami seep out! It goes perfectly with rice at the end!
"Hmm. Well, trying it out once might be good. Alright, let’s go."
"I’ll make some tempura on the side, too. Since it’s fish."
" " "Tempura!" " "
I have a feeling tonight’s dinner is going to be a feast—no, it’s definitely going to be a delicious feast!
"Hiiro will help! I’ll carry lots of bags!"
"I shall assist as well."
"Thanks. Then, let’s head to the market right away."
"But isn't the market usually noisy in the morning? Do they even sell fish in the evening like this?"
"Ah, they often stock up for the next day, so it’s not like they’re out of inventory. We can transport things via gates now, but same-day delivery is still a bit difficult."
"I see. So we’re negotiating directly."
"That’s the idea. Well, if it comes to it, we can just go to the source and buy it. Should we try going to Dressa’s hometown?"
"I’d rather not. You know why I’m saying that. Well, at worst, we can just take fish from the carrier. Aslin’s subordinates are there, and if we ask, they’ll get us enough for our family in no time."
Dore is right. If we ask Aslin’s friends, we can get our share easily. In other words, there’s no need to worry.
"Let’s eat some warm hot pot and tempura to blow away the cold!"
" " "Yeah!" " "
Needless to say, Hiiro and the others ended up having a delicious dinner. And needless to say, we were all so warm and full that we couldn't move.
*Burp.*
It’s finally that time of year when warm food tastes even better, isn't it?