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Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, has a girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Suella Hendelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Warrior
After a lot of twists and turns to get here, I entered a coffee shop in Sakaru and sat down on a chair for the first time in days.
Although I had gotten used to natural furniture like the ground, rocks, and tree trunks, I realized the moment I sat down that a chair is much better.
“What would you like to drink?”
“…I don’t know.”
While savoring the cultured feeling for the first time in a while, I accepted the menu handed to me by Memoria.
However, after glancing at the menu, I sighed, giving up immediately.
I felt like I was in a restaurant in a foreign country.
I could read the menu itself.
But I had no idea which dish each name referred to.
What is Kokih?
Isn’t Marq a currency?
What is Tomomaki? Is it like rolling up something for an American?
A parade of names I couldn’t figure out what would come out just by skimming through it.
Naturally, the menu lacked any proper explanations or sample photos, forcing me to imagine everything based on the names alone.
It wasn’t even a matter of what tasted good, I had no idea what kind of taste even to expect.
This is probably normal here, but I don’t have the challenger spirit to say I’ll have this among them.
“Do you have anything like coffee?”
“Which do you prioritize: taste or appearance?”
“…It’s a choice between two? Don’t you have anything that combines both?”
“No, we don’t.”
“…Prioritize taste.”
“Understood. Then I’ll order something light to eat as well.”
“Please do.”
I honestly returned the menu to Memoria and ordered a standard item from a Japanese coffee shop, but true to this otherworld, there was no coffee.
If I ordered something else, it seemed like something different from what I expected would come out.
After a moment’s thought, I decided that if it tasted bad, I could just drink it with my eyes closed, so I ordered prioritizing taste.
“Visually, it looks Italian.”
“The brick architecture seen there is also found in that region, so it’s understandable that the scenery would be similar. How about it? What are your impressions of coming to a world like the one in your fantasy movies?”
“The feeling of being inside a movie might be the closest comparison.”
Memoria placed an order with a blonde man who looked like he was from Europe, and we chatted until the items arrived.
I might have said the same thing when I joined my current company, but while that was modern buildings, this is a scene straight out of theory.
I struggled to find the words to describe it, whether it was a sense of unity or authenticity, and what came out was such an ordinary line.
“Another thing that concerns me is the genetic structure. In your world, there’s a certain direction to hair color, but that doesn’t seem to be the case here. The hair colors are too colorful. Even blonde stands out in your world, but here there seems to be no limit.”
Looking out of the slightly lower-quality window glass compared to my world, blonde hair is commonplace, and with green, blue, pink, silver, and orange, I could see a vibrant scene where a person with rainbow-colored hair might appear.
“Your hair color, Jiro-san, is considered rather plain in this world.”
“Naturally… is that why they pushed those strange colors on me?”
“Yes, something like that wouldn’t stand out much here.”
“I see. Then I didn’t need to insist on brown.”
I recalled the members of the underground city who had recommended various hair dyes.
Among them, I punched the owner of a certain weapon shop who recommended a color that surpassed even golden blonde, but I have no regrets.
Even if I said that out loud after seeing the actual products, I didn’t quite have the courage to dye my hair blue or red.
If I could, blonde would have been my limit.
I chose this brown with the concept of an inconspicuous color, but I honestly felt good about it.
“There are quite a few beastkin, too.”
“We maintain neutrality, so their absence would be problematic. If they were to disappear, it would mean there’s some abnormality in trade.”
“You mean an international issue?”
“Yes, if that happened, the merchants’ expressions would change, and the prices of salt and wheat would fluctuate.”
Next, what caught my eye were the non-human ears visible amongst the colorful hair: dog-like, cat-like, bear-like, rabbit-like – a lineup that could be seen in Akihabara.
The only difference is that in Akihabara, they are artificial, while here they are natural.
“That’s scary. I guess discrimination must happen, right?”
“If all humans thought like you, the world would be at peace.”
“So, it does happen then?”
“Yes. Where there are organizations, there will be factions and hierarchies. It’s the same in every world.”
Although not openly acknowledged, such matters likely exist everywhere.
In Isal, if humans oppressed beastkin by calling them half-breeds of demon race, beastkin would look down on humans as inferior and despise them.
Then it’s a cat-and-mouse game.
It’s the same chain of hatred that has been overused in dramas and novels.
“I hear that the organization to which Eshlee-san, who was with us earlier, belongs also has such factions. They’re a martial faction with human supremacy.”
“How cliché. There’s no originality to it. Were we such magnificent creatures? Humans are full of flaws, I think.”
“There are many people who act without originality. And I don’t think there are any creatures without flaws.”
Among humans alone, just differences in skin color like black and white have caused similar troubles to the Nazis persecuting Jews.
It’s a disturbing thought, but the same thing is happening here.
“Excuse me, your order has arrived.”
“Thank you.”
Well then, let’s set aside the gloomy discussion of the world affairs for a moment and enjoy the meal in this otherworldly place.
“…”
“Then, let’s eat.”
“Is this supposed to be coffee-like? It looks like tomato juice to me, and it’s hot.”
“You’ll know once you taste it.”
“That takes courage.”
As I thought that and reached out, it felt like I had just received a jab from this otherworld.
The liquid poured into the cup by the server was not the familiar brown liquid but a red one.
Its color suggested not hot coffee, but rather warm tomato juice, which is usually drunk cold.
Since I had prioritized taste, I assumed the taste would be close to coffee, and despite the visual dissonance, I brought the cup to my lips and took a sip.
Indeed, the taste was that of coffee.
The slight sourness followed by a spreading bitterness was certainly the coffee I knew.
“This is a fraud!”
“That’s how it is. The world is different.”
“What about yours?”
“It’s like dried fruit from your world.”
“Visually, it looks exactly like jerky!”
“Please don’t worry. It should go well with that drink.”
I drank the red coffee-like substance and made a vague expression.
Seeing that, Memoria chuckled.
Indeed, if I ignored the color, it was drinkable.
Although I couldn’t shake off the sense of incongruity, as long as I didn’t look at it too closely, it was fine.
And as the bitterness spread in my mouth, I craved other flavors.
My gaze naturally drifted to the plate placed on the table.
It looked like jerky.
Taste-wise, it didn’t look like something that would go with coffee.
Some people might find this combination acceptable, but I couldn’t.
Still, having a bitter mouth was unsettling.
“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” I thought, so I reached out and picked one up to my mouth.
And as I chewed, what spread in my mouth was not saltiness, but a faint sweetness.
The texture was also not hard, but rather soft.
This is…
“It is indeed dried fruit. What kind of fruit is it?”
“It’s fruit that grows on torrents, dried.”
What could it be?
Taste-wise, it’s a coffee and fruit combination, like a three o’clock snack, but visually it’s a peculiar combination of hot tomato juice and jerky.
The other customers were also eating and drinking it with apparent enjoyment, so this must be the taste of everyday life here.
As for the dissonance between what my taste buds were conveying and what my eyes were seeing, what could I do?
“…I just have to get used to it.”
“Please do. Not all, but more than half of them are like this.”
“So, if you think something is salty, it might be sweet or sour?”
“If you eat the other item, you’ll understand.”
“This one that looks really spicy?”
“Yes, I ordered that to go with my drink.”
“What does it taste like?”
“How about you find out after you eat it?”
“…”
What Memoria is drinking looks like tea at first glance, but having already learned that it doesn’t necessarily taste like tea, I can’t take her words at face value.
Memoria’s playfulness, with her limited facial expressions, isn’t playful to me at all right now.
Visually, it looks like a biscuit with red jam on top.
The combination of biscuit and red sauce, a typical dessert combination, looks sweet. The biscuit part is fine.
The problem is the topping.
This red color is not like the glossy, transparent jam, but rather closer to doubanjiang.
Judging by sight, I’d expect it to be spicy.
And the biscuit base is not brown but green.
At first glance, I might think it’s mixed with matcha.
In my world, I’d arrive at the answer of a matcha-based biscuit topped with raspberry jam, but the subtle difference in color makes my head say no.
“…This is a fraud.”
“But it should go well with it.”
“With this appearance, it’s chocolate?”
Once again, my taste buds were betrayed, and words of disbelief escaped my lips.
Tentatively, I took another piece into my mouth, and a taste close to bittersweet chocolate spread around.
The biscuit is a little hard, but the slightly bitter seasoning and texture are just right for me.
And the red sauce, which looked so spicy, had a texture like melted chocolate and a faintly sweet taste.
“It certainly goes well together, but I can’t accept it.”
“You’re being selfish. The flavors are all like those you’d find in a coffee shop.”
“Putting aside the taste, it’s the gap with the appearance. I can’t honestly say it’s delicious.”
“Is that so?”
“What about when Memoria went to Earth?”
The coffee shop was in a corner seat, and there were few customers.
To at least gain some empathy, I asked Memoria if she felt the same gap in taste, and she gently placed her cup back on the saucer and tilted her head as if in thought.
“I thought the ‘blood’ was delicious, but the others were just so-so.”
“Thank you for the thought, thinking it’s the same even in another world, not just across countries.”
“You’re welcome.”
However, I didn’t get the empathy I was hoping for. Memoria replied clearly so I could hear her, though she lowered her voice so as not to be overheard by others.
Regarding the meal, all I can say is that something is different.
Giving up, as there was no point in dwelling on it further, I continued to drink the red coffee-like substance.
Come to think of it, the food that Katsu made, even though the ingredients were from another world, the cooking method was Japanese.
That might be why the sense of incongruity was minimized.
Thanks to that, I’m suffering from the gap now.
“If this continues, you’ll probably make that expression every time you eat, Jiro-san.”
“Is it really that different?”
“Here, meat from magic beasts is commonly eaten. As for vegetables, some resemble those from your world, but they are not the same. For that reason, the cooking methods also differ.”
“Is that so?”
I took another sip of the red coffee.
Now that I think about it, that’s true.
Stories about going to other worlds usually feature similar ingredients and similar cooking methods.
The protagonists eat things as if there’s almost no discrepancy.
But considering it, this is another world.
Even if the environment is similar, it’s not the same.
Just like in my world, humans prosper, but other beings like beastkin, elves, dragons, and magic beasts, all evolved under a different evolutionary theory from Earth, coexist.
It wouldn’t be strange to apply that idea to plants, not just animals.
Perhaps pepper here is as sweet as sugar.
This coffee-like drink broke my rigid thinking that food must be the same.
I never expected that the first accomplishment of this business trip would not be a battle with a bear or contact with the inhabitants of another world, but something that resembled coffee.
“By the way, what is the name of this coffee-like drink?”
“It’s called Marq.”
“Marq, huh?”
“Did you like it?”
“I thought it would be just right for waking up.”
Unexpectedly, it had the same name as a currency.
Then, thinking of Marq, I wondered about something.
“What about the names of seasonings? It would be a problem if the names for sugar or salt were different.”
“Here, sugar is still sugar. You don’t need to worry about it. Magic tools allow for mutual understanding. Those magic tools convey nuances and enable conversation, so as long as you’re referring to the same thing, others will understand even if you use different words.”
“Isn’t that problematic?”
Even if I speak Japanese, they can converse in the common language here.
Will I be found out because of this and get captured?
“Jiro-san, you did converse with Eshlee-san, right? It’s at a level where they wouldn’t notice anything unusual. Unless the chief court mage appears, there won’t be a problem.”
To alleviate that worry, Memoria denied it while drinking her tea.
“The kind of thing you’re worried about happens with low-level magic tools. You can rest assured because the one I prepared is safe?”
“For reference, how much does this cost?”
“…” She smiled sweetly.
“OK, I understand. I’ll be careful not to break it.”
“I’d be relieved if you did.”
Such high-performance magic tools wouldn’t be cheap enough to be easily given away.
Thinking that, I touched the magic tool attached to my ear to ask for the price, but seeing Memoria only smile, I decided it was better not to ask and ended the topic by just cautioning her.
There’s not much Marq left.
I was drinking it slowly, so it had gone cold, but the taste was fine.
“Also, I forgot to mention, this is a rather upscale establishment, so it’s pricey. Therefore, you won’t be able to drink Marq for a while.”
“You should tell me something like that before I finish it.”
Damn, I thought that was the catch.
No wonder the shop was empty, and only well-dressed customers were here.
The chairs and tables were all good, not outstanding compared to what I’d seen so far, but still nice.
I looked at the bottom of the emptied cup, regretting it.
“Sugar is a luxury item here.”
“How much would that be in your world?”
“About fifteen hundred yen per cup of Marq.”
“…In this world, beer will probably become my main drink.”
“Here it’s called ale. Unlike in your world, it’s served at room temperature and is lukewarm, but that costs around one hundred and fifty yen.”
“Lukewarm beer, or rather ale. To support my comfortable food life, should I seriously learn magic?”
“You’ll have plenty of free time on your journey, so shall I teach you some simple freezing magic?”
“And add the art of starting a fire while you’re at it.”
“It sounds like it will be a meaningful journey.”
“Absolutely.”
After having a meal at a shop like this, the first thought that came to my mind was whether I could get a receipt.
I’m not without money, but my salaryman mentality, which aims to keep expenses as low as possible, made me chuckle inwardly. I resigned myself to the fact that I wouldn’t be able to drink this for a while and instead wished for a salaryman’s ally. However, in a world without convenient appliances like refrigerators or servers, I couldn’t hope for ice-cold drinks. If things are provided with drawbacks, I’ll have to solve them myself, I decided.
I’m going to have a truly invaluable experience.
Jiro Tanaka, 28 years old, has a girlfriend.
Girlfriend: Suella Hendelberg
Memoria Tris
Occupation: Dungeon Tester (Full-time employee)
Magic Aptitude: 8 (General Class)
Position: Warrior
Today’s word:
From my perspective, I should be the one causing food terrorism, but for some reason, I feel like I’m the victim.
This concludes this chapter.
While there are protagonists who cause food terrorism, protagonists who are subjected to food terrorism in another world are not often seen. I created this chapter with the thought that this is also a form of food terrorism.
I hope you enjoy it.
I look forward to your continued support of this work.
