A Lavish Dinner

Azu found herself staring at Finn.

Why was she in a swimsuit?

Why was she here?

Why did she look so chummy with Yohane?

"What're you spacing out for? Sit down."

Finn beckoned to Azu, who was still standing there dumbstruck.

She did as she was told and took a seat.

"Um… okay."

A large round table with six chairs was set up.

Yohane placed watermelon slices on small plates and passed them around.

"Go on, try some. It's sweet."

The three of them each sat down and reached for the watermelon Finn had cut.

Azu opened her small mouth and bit in, and a satisfying crunch echoed.

It was sweet and full of juice. A winning watermelon.

She spat out a seed.

"It's delicious."

"Right? Apparently they grow them at a nearby garden and sell them here. Maybe I'll buy a few to take back. They spoil fast, though, so selling them probably isn't an option."

"That sounds like a good idea. So, um…"

Azu finished her watermelon and wiped her mouth clean with a towel.

She looked at Finn again.

Instead of her usual black outfit, she was in a swimsuit and sandals.

A black bikini.

The black stood out sharply against her pale skin.

And then there was the knife belt strapped to her thigh.

Unreasonably alluring.

They had to be close in age, but Azu looked down at her own body.

"What?"

It came out blunt.

She'd put on an act at the colosseum, but she'd clearly tossed that facade aside for good.

It had been the same the last time they'd met.

"Finn-san, what are you doing here?"

"Enjoying my vacation, what does it look like?"

"Well, yes, obviously, but that's not what I mean!"

As Azu struggled to get her point across, Finn watched her floundering and laughed.

"Same as always. Well, whatever. I went to deliver information and they told me you'd all gone on vacation. I want time off too, you know."

"She's been pretty useful, actually."

"Obviously. Don't lump me in with the rest. I'm good at what I do."

Finn grabbed one of the remaining slices and bit into it aggressively.

Yohane thought it was a bit like being someone's punching bag, but since Finn really had been useful, he didn't mind entertaining her after she'd tracked them down.

"So, how'd it go?"

"Oh, right. The quest is complete. Here's the payment, and these are the materials we found on site."

Azu set down a bag of gold coins and the boxes of pearls and coral.

Yohane checked the gold coins, then opened the boxes.

"Oh."

The sound slipped out.

Appraising gemstones wasn't Yohane's specialty, but as a tool shop owner, he had at least a minimum level of discernment.

It was rough compared to a professional, but he could tell whether something had value.

He pulled an appraisal loupe from his pocket and picked up a single pearl to examine.

Blemishes, shape, luster.

Every measure was flawless.

At market price, a single pearl would fetch no less than five gold coins.

Ten of them would be enough to buy Azu.

Of course, Yohane didn't say that out loud.

He couldn't imagine Azu being thrilled by that comparison.

As for the coral, it was beautiful, but its exact value was beyond his ability to determine.

Both should be disposed of at auction.

They'd fetch a substantial windfall.

"You brought back some fine stuff. Well done! Let's have a lavish dinner tonight."

"Yes!"

"Hey, I'm obviously included, right? I'd say I've earned some pampering too."

"Fine, fine… Alright."

"Great. I want to eat a big lobster."

Alexia and Elza were picking at their watermelon.

"What do you think?"

"About what?"

"Love triangle, maybe?"

"How vulgar… Give it a few more years, at least."

"Yeah, I guess."

Worn out from the quest, Alexia and Elza watched over the comparatively energetic trio.

Azu and the others fell asleep shortly after.

In the meantime, Yohane and Finn relaxed by the seaside.

Come evening, they headed to the finest restaurant in the area.

Unlike in the city, where the guild system imposed all sorts of restrictions, this place had a wide variety on offer.

Finn opened the menu and immediately rattled off order after order.

"Hey, hey. You think you can eat all that?"

"I want to try a bit of everything. Besides, we can share, can't we? Eating's part of the job for adventurers."

So she hadn't been ordering just for herself.

Though the large whole lobster was definitely hers.

"Don't hold back, you three."

"Th-the prices…"

"I'll have this and this."

"Wine and cheese, please."

While Azu was still balking at the prices, orders piled up around her.

She steeled herself and added a few items.

The nerves made her sweat, so she took a drink of water from her glass.

"What do you normally feed these guys? They should be earning decent money."

"My home cooking."

"Huh?! … Oh. I see."

"It's delicious. I've been learning from him when I help out, actually."

"Well, knowing how to cook is a good skill. If you're all happy with it, that's fine by me."

Finn said this and popped a nut from a small dish into her mouth.

"Personally, I'd love it if we had wine with dinner more often."

"I'll pour you some if you promise not to finish the whole bottle in one sitting."

"One glass is never enough!"

Elza ate a piece of cheese, then took a glass of wine, savored the aroma, and sipped.

"Mm, good."

"I'll have some too. Mm, this is quite nice."

Dishes kept arriving, and the conversation turned to the island where Azu's group had taken the quest.

The Kraken, the Octopus. The underground beneath the cave.

Every dish they ate while talking was wonderful.

The quality matched the price, and conversation flowed.

As it turned out, Finn couldn't finish her lobster, so she and Azu polished it off together.

Alexia took such a liking to the fish meuniere that she ordered seconds.

The enjoyable meal went on for a while.