A New Member Joins

"Thanks for the business! Hey, ya made a great purchase, Nii-san! Oops, it's Goshujin-sama from now on, yeah!"

The slave merchant also had a "well, what can you do" expression on his face, relieved to be rid of his troublesome problem child while still turning a small profit.

I'm grateful the negotiations wrapped up so quickly.

After paying the fifty silver and completing the contract magic, I bought her some clothes while I was at it.

One dress and a set of underwear for one silver coin. They sure didn't miss a chance to squeeze more out of me.

"Come to think of it, I never asked your name. What is it?"

"Huh? What're you saying, slaves get their names from Goshujin-sama, y'know? Right, Niku-senpai?"

"Is that so?"

"Eh? You didn't know? That's just how it is. I mean, if your nighttime companion happened to have the same name as your mother, even the most beautiful woman wouldn't get a rise out of you, right? That's why slaves throw away their names when they enter a contract."

I see. That makes sense.

"… Well, it's not like you actually forget it completely or anything. I can tell you my name from before I became a slave if you want? … Aah, but since I've made quite a few enemies, I'd prefer a fresh start with a new name. Got anything?"

"Hmm. What were you called when you were bought before?"

"Hmm? Weell, I was called 'Niku' too, y'know?"

She licked her fingertip, as if reminiscing about some taste.

… The moment I realized it was probably that thing she'd bitten off, mine shriveled up in sympathy.

Hmm. So is Niku a common name for slaves or something? Like Pochi for dogs or Tama for cats.

"Having the same name would be confusing. Let's see… you like eating, right? Then how about a name from food… like Apple or Skewered Meat?"

"Apple aside, I'd rather not be Skewered Meat… how about Melon instead? Aah, won't you buy me some melons? I wanna eat them."

"I'll let you eat something similar eventually."

"Really?! Wow, I'd better do my best then!"

She laughed cheerfully while her ample assets swayed, not acting like a slave at all… um, Miss Nameless.

"Ah, right. Then how about 'Ichika'?"

"Hm? What does that mean?"

"It's a name derived from the god of food. The god is called Ishidaka, and though you don't see the sea around here, he's also a god of the sea. Mix that with salt, a seasoning from the sea, and you get Ichika. Pretty cool, right?"

As for why mixing Ishidaka with salt becomes Ichika, well, that's probably a quirk of the translation function. I'm getting used to these things.

"Alright, Ichika it is then. Looking forward to working with you."

"Hehehe, same here!"

Miss Nameless, now renamed Ichika. We shook hands again.

However, even as we shook hands, Ichika was looking off in another direction.

… Following her line of sight, there was a skewered meat stall.

 

＊ ＊ ＊

 

We headed toward the Adventurer Guild, each of us munching on the skewers in our hands.

"Hm? This way leads to the Adventurer Guild, right?"

"Yeah, I need to submit a completion report for the request I finished during the day."

"Oh, so Goshujin-sama is an adventurer? What rank? D? C? Maybe even B?"

"F-Rank. I just became one recently."

"Haaah, F-Rank? Yet you had the money to buy me… were you a noble or a merchant or something?"

"Well, I'll explain that eventually."

Rather than denying it outright with something like "That's impossible!", she flexibly offered plausible alternatives that anyone listening would find convincing. Ichika really was a find.

"Ah, should Ichika register as an adventurer too? Having identification would be convenient."

"Really? Aah, but what should I do… starting over from G at this point… well, whatever. Then could you lend me five silver for the registration fee? I'll pay you back with my body."

"No need to pay it back. Ichika's original price was sixty silver, and thanks to you it went down to fifty… so half the difference, five silver, is fair compensation."

"Pfft, ahaha! Fair compensation for a slave! It's common sense that slaves don't get compensation, y'know? Well, whatever, my policy is to take what I'm given, so thanks."

Ichika flashed a toothy smile. It was quite a nice smile. She'd probably be popular as an inn receptionist.

And so, we arrived back at the Adventurer Guild.

When I went to the counter, the usual Receptionist-san was there.

"… My, you've already bought one. And a human at that, with big…"

Receptionist-san said while looking at a certain area. Some people think bigger is better, but I think moderate is fine. Legs are more important anyway.

"I'm here to report completion of the request, and to register this one… Ichika, with the guild."

"Very well. Here are twenty copper coins for the two commissioned requests… What a name without a shred of taste. Well then, let's conduct a brief interview… this way."

I followed along with Ichika as her owner.

… Ichika, so it really was a name without a shred of taste, huh… Maybe I shouldn't be trusted with naming things.

We entered the same room where Niku and I had been interviewed before, and she asked similar questions.

Here's the background information I learned:

Birthplace: Pavera (apparently a port town on the other side of Tsuia Mountain)

Specialties: Tasting, poison testing, eating. Also scouting on the side.

Reason for applying: Because he said he'd feed me delicious food.

Notes: Former C-Rank adventurer.

"Eh, you were an adventurer? And C-Rank at that."

"Yep. But I couldn't go any higher without skills. And skill scrolls are expensive, y'know? If you're gonna spend that much, you'd normally buy food instead, right?"

"Well, can't argue with that."

It was a perfectly understandable reason. At least for someone like me, who similarly aimed to immerse himself in sleep.

… What's that? Normal people would cut back on food to buy scrolls and aim higher?

That's the logic of someone trying to climb the ranks. It's got nothing to do with us.

After finishing the questions, Receptionist-san wrote something on the documents and spoke.

"Understood, I'll issue a guild card. However, since you've discarded your previous name, I can't start you at C-Rank. Well, I'll exempt you from G-Rank and make you F-Rank."

"That makes our ranks match, which is easier. Thank you very much."

"… By the way, how much was she?"

"I managed to haggle well. Fifty silver coins."

"That's… definitely a find."

Receptionist-san gave me a suspicious look. I-I didn't do anything wrong, okay? Really, really.

The silver came from DP though… But apparently currency produced from DP is used as legitimate money even in the Imperial Capital, so there's no problem… i-it's not counterfeiting, so it should be fine…!

Anyway, I paid the five silver registration fee and received Ichika's guild card.

At Ichika's suggestion, we submitted a party application and added Ichika as a member before heading back for the day.

Tonight's inn is the [Sleeping Songbird Pavilion], where we stayed before. To save money, we got just one room. Ichika said she'd rather have an extra dish than rent the shed, and since that was her preference, getting her a separate room seemed pointless. We ended up sleeping in the same room.

Oh, and naturally, we got three normal meals, not slave meals. I had enough of that slave food last time.

"Mm, you really do feed me proper meals. I'm so happy."

"Food is important to you, right, Ichika? I understand that feeling. I want my employees to feel good about their work."

"Ooh, feel good? Niku-senpai looks healthy too, and I thought 'this is a find' the moment I saw her. It's all good. As long as you feed me, I've got no complaints."

Apparently I was also considered a find from her end.

Ichika drained her vegetable soup and wiped the dish clean with what little bread remained, eating everything.

Nothing wasted. "I'll taste it first in case it's poisoned," she'd said, digging in before me, her master. In a way, that's efficient too.

"Thanks for the meal! So, what now? Straight to bed?"

"Yeah. Ichika, you can use the bed."

"Huh?"

Ichika tilted her head, seemingly unable to comprehend what I'd said. Right, since there's only one bed in the room, she'd naturally wonder where I'd sleep if I gave it to her.

I took out my [Futon] from [Storage] and spread it on the floor.

"Niku and I will sleep here."

"Whoa! This is crazy good! This is the kind of thing you'd find in a luxury inn. Wow, so this is the difference between me and senpai… wait, you just used [Storage], wasn't that scroll expensive?"

"… Just as Ichika won't compromise on food, I have things I won't compromise on either. Got it? Never disturb my sleep, alright?"

"Totally got it. I absolutely won't disturb you except in emergencies… I swear it on breakfast."

Now that's a reliable oath. I nodded in satisfaction.