Wakoku Sightseeing

We headed out into Alcowell, a town in Wakoku.

The vibe was kind of like one of those movie village theme parks. Not that I've ever been to one.

Considering the infrastructure—like electricity and such—this level of development seems just right for building a "Japanese fantasy" setting.

With that in mind, I walked along the dirt road, arm clung to by Rokuko, who was clearly not used to the geta sandals she was wearing. They were the thick-soled kind worn by maiko, so keeping balance looked pretty tricky.

"Ughh, what is this, they're so hard to walk in…!"

"Pretty sure those aren't meant for everyday use. Why not switch to zōri now while you still can?"

"Mmmgrrr…! B-but I'm gonna master walking in these, just you watch!"

She kept clinging to my arm. It was starting to hurt a little…

Incidentally, Wataru, Nerune, and I were wearing zōri from the start. They're like sandals—pretty comfy, actually.

As she walked beside Wataru with her little pouch, Nerune asked—

"By the way, this town is modeled after Nihon~, the Hero's homeland, right~? I guess this is the kind of place you grew up in, Wataru~?"

"No, no. The guy who founded this country was apparently into the Sengoku and Edo periods—so over three centuries before the era we lived in. Our own hometowns were way more Western-style, weren't they, Kehma-san?"

"Uh huh. I keep telling you to not to drag me into this whole Japan-theme thing, Wataru."

Sengoku and Edo periods are kind of broad, but hey—details, details.

"Speaking of, since there's no rice here, does that mean things like dango or daifuku aren't sold either? What do you think, Kehma-san?"

"Hmm. If those need rice, then maybe you should just import more of it yourself, Wataru."

Both dango and daifuku use rice, staples of traditional Japanese sweets. Without it, they're not really possible—especially since the kind you need is glutinous rice, which isn't widely circulated yet.

Rice and Japanese cuisine really are tightly intertwined…

"… The budget's tight, you know? Can't we find a way to lower the cost?"

"Well, how much rice we can produce depends on the dungeon. I'm out there exploring to help fund the village, y'know?"

"I really appreciate that, Kehma-san…"

By the way, the money we make selling rice is entirely our income. But the village budget also comes from the funds we've lent out, which the Dyne Trading Company then rolls and grows through business.

The more I lend, the more I earn. When Wataru buys rice, I even tack on an extra ten percent to the loan.

"The more you buy, the richer Golen Village gets. Which means we can also afford to pay Nerune. So just think of it as indirectly spoiling Nerune and buy up as much as you can."

"Honestly, wouldn't it be more efficient just to hand her the money directly?"

"Oh my~—are you saying you don't care about Golen Village, where I live~?"

"N-not at all! That place is important to me too… Oh! Look, a manju stall! Manju!"

Wataru dashed over and bought four manju from the vendor, handing over a silver coin and returning with both the sweets and change. Looks like they're made from red bean paste and wheat flour.

They were huge—about the size of pork buns. Still warm from steaming, they were filled generously with black anko paste when split open.

"Kehma, feed me. I'm too busy trying to stand upright!"

"Why don't you just sit down and eat?"

"Come on, just feed me already."

"… Fine, fine. Here."

I held the split manju up to Rokuko's mouth, and she took a bite with a satisfied chomp.

"Mmm. That's sweet! I like it!"

"Oh really? You eat melonpan all the time, and this is sweet to you? Let's see…"

I took a bite myself… Whoa, she's right. The anko is properly sweet. Four for one silver coin plus change—this is a steal. Maybe sugar's becoming more widely available now?

"This anko stuff? I think it'd go well inside a melonpan too."

"Maybe add cream while we're at it."

"Ohhh, that sounds amazing! Let's definitely buy some anko to take home!"

Kinue-san would definitely be able to whip up something tasty with it.

"… Nerune-san, would you like a manju too?"

"Yes~? Delicious~. It's the kind of flavor that makes you feel more alert~"

Nerune ate hers like it was nothing.

Wataru looked a bit disappointed, prompting a sweet smile from Nerune.

"… Would you like me to feed you~?"

"Uh, y-yeah. Please."

"What an honest boy~. Well, I suppose I could. Just bring me a high-tier magic scroll next time as a souvenir, okay~? Say aah~"

"S-sure thing. Aah~… Man, it really does taste better when you're fed…"

A high-tier magic scroll goes for something like 100,000 DP, by the way… Just how much is Wataru planning to spoil her?

Maybe I should give him a bit of a discount on the rice after all…

After that, we toured around a sturdy wooden bridge and a multi-story wooden pagoda that looked like something out of a postcard before eventually reaching our lodging.

We'd gotten so caught up in sightseeing I'd forgotten all about it, but Wataru had booked it in advance. Well done, Wataru.

"This is tonight's inn! They've got tatami mats—tatami! And ofton!"

"You mean bedrolls? We've got those at our own place too, remember? Still, interesting they have them here too."

"Now that you mention it, true… But! The ones here are different. They're luxury down comforters!"

"Hmm. Your stock's gone up a little, Wataru."

"Do they have hot springs? That could be useful reference for our own inn."

"It's not a hot spring, but they do have a large public bath. And yes, they're properly separated by gender, don't worry."

And so, we spent a night at the inn in Alcowell, Wakoku.

Dinner consisted of Japanese-style dishes using manju—well, bread with no filling—as the staple.

Simmered dishes, grilled fish… and even wakame seaweed and tofu miso soup.

… Man, this kind of meal really makes you crave rice… I want to eat it with rice so bad…!