落とし穴外伝：手作りお弁当は高級料理に勝る (Part1)
Pitfall Side Story: Homemade Bento Boxes Surpass Gourmet Cuisine
Homemade Bento Boxes Surpass Gourmet Cuisine
Onigiri: English name "Rice Ball."
Onigiri, or omusubi, or nigirimeshi, is a Japanese food made by shaping steamed rice into triangles, bales, or cylinders and wrapping it in nori seaweed. It is common to fill the white rice with ingredients that have a sour or salty flavor, such as pickled plums, kelp, or salted salmon.
Because they are highly portable and can be eaten with one's hands, they have been treasured in Japan as portable food and bento lunches from ancient times to the present day.
Recently, they have become recognized overseas and are even being sold there.
Excerpted mostly from Wikipedia.
It is a food that, if you are Japanese, you could say there isn't a single person who hasn't eaten it.
It’s on the level of someone in a country where bread is the staple food saying they have never eaten bread.
And this story is about those onigiri.
Side: Yuki
"Hm? Is it already this time?"
I suddenly looked up and glanced at the clock; it was four minutes before noon.
It was the perfect timing to stop working.
Hearing that, Nina looked at the clock as well.
"Really? I'm off to lunch."
"Yeah."
Nina said that, stood up, and headed outside.
It’s not that we always eat together.
Well, we often do, but today was just different.
That left Fiora, Prof, Orelia, Hobis, Yayui, and Lyusi, but...
"What shall we do today?"
Since they are my guards and close aides, I usually have lunch with them more often than with Nina.
Unless I have plans with someone else, we eat together.
And usually, we would discuss and decide on lunch, but...
"Fiora-sama, today we have bento boxes."
With that, Prof revealed the wrapped bento boxes.
Following her lead, Orelia and the others also took out their bento boxes.
"Oh, that’s right."
Fiora seemed to remember as well and took out her bento.
Our lunches occasionally feature bento boxes like this.
It’s on a whim.
It is the job of us high-ranking officials to eat out and circulate the economy, even if just a little.
If we don't do that, people won't spend money.
After all, everything can be settled with DP.
One might think, "Then why bother receiving money?" but if we don't, the facade of salaries for others wouldn't hold, and we can't just stop that. Besides, having money is never a bad thing.
It’s only bad if you keep hoarding it.
Also, since it includes investigating the internal situation of Weed, we basically go outside to eat, but for today, bento boxes were prepared.
"Alright, I’d like to say let’s dig in, but the weather is nice, so let’s head to the park. That’s the joy of a bento, after all."
Yes, since there is an internal investigation to be done, it’s better to take the bento somewhere.
Of course, there is also the fact that eating while staring at documents indoors is depressing.
Everyone seemed to agree with the suggestion, so we obediently took our bento boxes and headed outside.
We used teleportation to get to the park, so it only took about five minutes, but...
"There are surprisingly many people here. I'm surprised."
Lyusi said that as she looked around.
This is a park in Weed, and as Lyusi said, there were surprisingly many people.
"The weather is nice today, after all. They must have come for a change of pace."
"Ah, is that so?"
"Everyone thinks the same thing, huh~"
"It feels nice, doesn't it?"
Indeed, the sunlight was just warm enough, making it a good climate to spend time outdoors.
However, it wasn't so crowded that it felt suffocating, so we walked to a nearby lawn and sat down.
Unfortunately, the benches were full.
We had no choice but to sit on the grass, but surprisingly...
"It feels nice, doesn't it? On the grass."
"It is well-maintained, isn't it?"
Just as Yayui said, the grass felt pleasant.
It was proof, as Orelia said, that it was properly cared for.
Perhaps it’s because we hire people specifically for park pruning.
While thinking about things like that, just as everyone was about to open their bento boxes...
"What’s this? If it isn't Yuki-dono."
"Hm? Oh, Emperor Yupia, isn't it?"
A shadow fell over us, and when I looked up, the leader of Zuraburu was standing there with her guards, looking at us as if we were something strange.
"Hmm. By the looks of it, are you about to eat? Though, I wouldn't say this place is..."
It seems that, to her, eating lunch in a park is a strange concept.
"It’s what you call observing the state of the people."
"I see. Though, there is no need for formal speech. This isn't a negotiation, after all."
"Is that so? That helps."
"Same here. And while observing the people is likely true, you went out of your way to eat outside because you have another purpose, don't you?"
"Well, maybe. The weather is nice, so I thought we’d eat together while soaking up the sun. How about you?"
"Much the same. The weather is nice, so I thought I’d take a walk and have a meal. It’s also good for checking the internal situation of Weed. Still, it’s a good park."
"I agree."
"Indeed. Normally, you can't relax with trash and filth around."
"We are thorough about that."
As I said that, I pointed toward the trash cans, the restrooms, and the cleaners.
Furthermore, there are legal fines in place.
Well, if you litter, you’re let off with a warning as long as you take it to the trash can.
"I envy your capacity to be so thorough."
"Unlike you, we manage the number of people."
"The advantages of a dungeon are truly something."
"If you use them well, that is."
"Sigh. To think there might be people holding bombs under our feet..."
Most of the dungeons scattered throughout the Zuraburu region were owned by Senal, but only most of them.
We haven't investigated all of them yet, so the danger hasn't been eliminated.