Cheers With Ria-san
“Alright, what should I order… Woah!?”
(Whoa, this is insanely expensive! Just plain chilled tofu for ¥1300?!)
“Oh my~! I’m so sorry. You know, everything’s in short supply right now, so prices have naturally gone up.”
Seeing my reaction to the nu prices, the chef responds with an awkward smile.
Hmm… well, I guess it makes sense.
Even so, one serving of chilled tofu costs as much as several beef bowls? Speaking of which, those beef bowl chains haven’t been getting any imported goods, so they’ve all temporarily closed. Hmm… who knows how much a beef bowl will cost when they reopen...
“Well, I’ll leave the dishes up to you, Chef. Is that okay with you, Ria-san?”
“Hm? Ah, that’s fine. But before anything else, let’s have a toast. After all, we survived that intense dungeon stampede.”
“Indeed. To the hard work of the JSDF! Cheers!”
“Cheers.”
We clink our beer glasses lightly and take a big gulp in unison.
“Phew~! Oh man… this hits hard after such a long ti. Feels like it’s soaking into my soul!”
“Uh, are you okay? No holes in your stomach or anything?”
“Ah, I’m fine. This is good… truly. A taste like this… it’s sothing you can only savor when you’re alive.”
Ria-san suddenly gazes off into the distance, staring intently at her empty glass, now filled only with foam.
I hesitate, unsure if I should pour him another. Yeah… he’s probably reminiscing about the hardships of the stampede.
“…Oh, sorry. Were you waiting for to pour more?”
“No, no, take your ti.”
“No, that wouldn’t do. I invited you because I wanted to talk with you today.”
“Ah, but honestly, I’m not that interesting to talk to. More importantly, what’s the governnt planning to do with dungeon ability users from now on?”
“Ah, that. From what I’ve heard, during ergencies, they’ll treat them as semi-public servants under a newly established ministry, assigning them to disaster prevention activities.”
“Gah! I knew it…!”
“So, you suspected this outco, huh?”
“Well… considering the scale of the damage and the JSDF’s manpower shortage, I figured they wouldn’t just leave dungeon-enhanced individuals idle…”
“Exactly. Initially, dungeons were partially opened for testing, but they were sealed off again once it beca clear ordinary people were gaining dangerous abilities. But at this point, it seems they have no choice but to accept it.”
Hmm… makes sense. Ria-san, as always, is sharp and spilling valuable info.
“Still, assigning us to disaster prevention… does that an we’ll be fighting monsters?”
“No, they’re not thinking that far… or maybe… that’s a possibility?”
“No way! Dungeon ability users vary so much in skill levels! You can’t just gather a bunch of random folks and throw them at monsters!”
“Haha, that’s true. Most likely, the JSDF will handle offense, while the Ministry of Special Dungeon asures will have dungeon users focus on defense, like guarding shelters.”
“At best, that’s the limit. Dungeon ability users haven’t gone through intensive group combat training like soldiers. Trying to deploy them as a unit would just be a ss.”
“Haha, you’re absolutely right. You’re quite perceptive, Edzuki-san. I completely agree. Talking with you is truly refreshing.”
At that mont, the chef begins bringing out dishes one after another.
“Sorry to keep you waiting! But I must say, you two were so engrossed in your conversation, it helped out! Here you go—this is a must-try!”
The first dish is my favorite: giant fried mussels. They’re similar to fried oysters and absolutely delicious!
“Oh, now this is impressive. These fried shellfish are enormous—almost the size of a hamburger.”
“Ria-san, was it? That’s right! After much research, we found this size makes the inside perfectly creamy and piping hot. So, Edzuki-chan, how is it?”
“Hot! Huff huff… Mm, delicious!”
The crispy batter bursts with flavor, while the creamy mussel inside overflows with savory goodness.
“Wow, this is delicious. Let try… (crunch)… Oh! What is this?! The rich, molten flavor just keeps coming!”
Both Ria-san and I beco completely absorbed in eating, trying not to spill the flavorful juices from the fried mussels. Truly, this is exceptional. The chef is a pro—it’s leagues better than anything I could fry.
I might just have to order another one of these.
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