Read Novel Full Vol 21 Chapter 7
Vol 21 Chapter 7
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Chapter 7 – Bath
It’s been a while since I’ve been to the southeastern island. Although it has developed, the food is just average, and it seems that the main thing is alcohol, so at Carla-san’s request, I decided to cook for the first time in a while. The first item on the menu was a foil-grilled dish. I prepared a cooking method called wood plank grill, which, just from the name, sounds like something you’d bite into, and I also thought about how the girls would like it, so I prepared a whole foil-grilled apple, which I’m sure will be a hit. There’s also soup and fried chicken.
“Master, Marina, and the others have returned.”
“I see. I’ll go greet them. Felicia, I’m sorry to ask you to wrap this up as well.”
“Of course.”
Ines tells me Marina-san and the others have returned, so I leave the foil I was wrapping in Felicia’s hands and get on the Japanese-style boat.
On the way, Rimu jumped on my head. I was quietly happy that he was following me, even though I was only going to be gone for a short while and then come back.
I looked around and saw Pent, who had grown to about two meters in length, swimming past the Japanese-style boat. It seems that he was following me by swimming.
Come to think of it, Pent was a sea serpent. I’d forgotten about it because it had recently taken up a position around my neck.
While I was thinking about it, I set off in the Japanese-style boat and headed for the shore, trying to match Pent’s pace.
“Everyone, thank you for your hard work. Are you all injured?”
I remember greeting them like this before. Even though Alessia-san, Dorothea-san, and Ilma-san are not here, it still feels nostalgic somehow.
“It’s okay. Thanks for the welcome.”
“Wataru, I caught a lot!”
Marina-san replies calmly to my words, and then Carla-san shows me her catch with a big smile.
Behind her, Claretta-san looks a little apologetic, probably because she knows I’m going to have to cook a lot of this.
Even though they only spent two or three hours hunting, there is a lot of food laid out.
I guess this is what happens when you put all your effort into gathering food without worrying about its value.
All of the ingredients are ones that Carla-san used to like to eat, and there’s not a single ingredient or catch that she brought back to sell to the Adventurer’s Guild or Merchant’s Guild.
What’s more, the birds and animals that needed to be butchered have already been butchered. Everything is ready.
Ah, there are also the cedar logs I asked for. I think I can make the wood plank grill with these.
Marina and the others put their catch into the Japanese-style boat, and we returned to the tent raft.
“Please take this, everyone.”
“Ara, this is really nostalgic.”
Marina-san and the others smiled at the towels I had prepared. In the old days, I used to rack my brains and try my best to do things to make everyone happy, even if it was just a little.
There are many things that remind me of my original intentions when I came to this island. Thanks to my Ship Summoning skill, I’m able to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, but I have to remember those original intentions.
Well, my original intentions when I fell into this world were to keep myself safe and to meet women, so that hasn’t changed.
It’s a little pathetic, but I guess that’s just the way I am.
I leave Marina-san and the others, who are enjoying the hot towels, in the tent and go back to preparing the grill.
I wonder if Marina-san and the others are wiping themselves with the hot towels right now. I really miss that kind of excitement.
“Master, your face is so lewd!”
Ines says terrible things to me when I imagine such things, but I can’t deny it, so I just let it go.
Now, first of all, let’s season the poultry that Carla-san likes. I used to have a lot of trouble with seasoning, but now I have a strong ally.
Cooking sake, mirin, soy sauce, garlic, and ginger are the best seasonings for fried chicken, in my opinion. I accept all objections, though.
My personal preference is to use a lot of garlic, but since everyone else is a woman, let’s use less garlic and increase the ginger a little.
“Oh, Ines, Felicia. If there are any ingredients that Marina-san and the others brought that would go well with foil grilling, wrap them in foil.”
“Got it.”
“I understand.”
I know I’m giving instructions myself, but it looks like we’ll be able to make a lot of foil-grilled food. Well, if there’s anything left over, I can just store it in the rubber boat.
Next up… the wood plank grill. I don’t know why, but I can’t stop myself from saying “wood plank grill” over and over again. It’s weird.
Well, that aside, let’s get ready for the wood plank grill.
I wash the sliced cedar that Marina-san and the others brought over with clean water. Apparently, you can just soak the slices in water afterward, but it’s also said that soaking them in liquor adds the flavor of the liquor to the scent of the cedar, making it delicious.
This time, I’m going to try both. There are three slices, so I figure I only need one for the liquor. I’ll use white wine.
And then there’s the rice, but I think I’ll make grilled rice balls. I secretly like to make grilled rice balls myself.
“Wataru, I’ll help you. What should I do?”
Just as I thought that Claretta-san offered to help. There’s no need to think about whether it would be more fun to make your own rice balls or rice balls made by Claretta-san.
“Then, can you make us some rice balls?”
“Okay.”
Claretta-san nodded with a smile. It’s been a while since I cooked with Claretta-san.
It seems there were some pleasures I forgot when I started earning money and buying a ship, and things became more convenient. Even if we go back to the luxury liner, if I can find time to cook with everyone once in a while, it might make me happier.
＊＊＊
The preparations for the fun and friendly barbecue are over, and all that’s left to do is wait for the food to cook, but there’s one more thing to do before that. That’s right, it’s time for a bath.
We hadn’t done much exercise, but I wanted Marina-san and the others who had gone out to get the ingredients to enjoy the barbecue in a refreshed state.
Well, the reason I mentioned the bath earlier was for another reason.
With the girls on the Japanese-style boat, we head for the bath raft.
“Oh, it’s about time. The preparations are finished, so you can go in now.”
When we arrive at the bath raft, the lady in charge of the bath tells us that everything is ready.
“Thank you, Wataru. Please pick us up later.”
“Yes, there’s plenty of time, so please take your time.”
Marina-san and the others get off the Japanese-style boat with Ines and Felicia. They’re having a great time, squealing with delight. I want to go with them.
After parting with the girls, I go over to the small raft I’ve rented next to them.
When I enter the tent with Rimu and Pent, I see a wooden bath of a nostalgic size.
It seems that the size is based on the one I made. The difference is that it doesn’t have the facilities to heat stones or boil water.
When I was there, it was unthinkable to hire a mage for the bath, but if you can hire a mage, this seems easier to use.
You can use the raft and the bath more, and you can relax without worrying about fire management.
While I was admiring it, Rimu, who was above my head, jumped into the tub. I lost the chance to take the first bath. There was nothing I could do, so I put Pent, who was around my neck, into the bath as well.
It’s a little late to say this, but Pent is okay in hot water, right?
I knew he was okay in warm water to a certain extent because he had been in the heated pool on the luxury liner, but I was surprised to find him in the bath with me after he had learned to shrink his body.
I convinced myself that it was a fantasy because it was a monster from the sea, but at the same time, I was surprised by the versatility of the word ‘fantasy.’
The word ‘fantasy’ can be used to explain most things.
I took off my clothes and got into the bathtub, feeling warm and fuzzy as I watched Rimu and Pent playing in the hot water… Before getting into the bath, I let go of the tent cloth on the side facing the open sea.
On the side facing the open sea, there is no tent raft in the way, so you can see the whole view.
Since it’s a raft bath, the distance to the sea is very close. Is that what they mean by ocean view or oceanfront?
It feels a little different because you’re floating on the sea, but it’s good that the view is nice.
It looks like the sun will be setting soon, and the sky will be a little darker. If you relax, you might be able to see the sunset from the tub.
I pour some hot water over myself and get into the bath, holding Rimu and Pent so they don’t spill out.
“Uwaa~”
The bath is a little hot, but it feels good and makes me let out a cry of pleasure.
They say that taking a bath is like washing away your troubles, and I don’t think they’re wrong.
I lean my weight against the tub and relax.
After a while, Rimu and Pent climb onto my shoulders and head. After resting for a while, they go back into the water.
I’m being used as a resting place, but that’s not so bad.
When I look outside, the sky is turning red.
Guido-san said the baths were popular, and I can see why.
Even for someone like me, who takes baths as part of my daily life and also enjoys them as a form of entertainment at hot springs and spas, I thought the baths here were wonderful.
On the other hand, I think people from other parts of the world who don’t take baths very often would be shocked.
Well, there are people who can’t get used to soaking in hot water and avoiding it, but once you get used to it, you’re sure to be hooked.
Also, it seems that adventurers bring alcohol and slightly naughty girls into the bath. How could that not be fun?
I’m jealous… Whoa, it seems I’ve been in the bath for a long time, and my blood is starting to boil a little.
I can’t keep the girls waiting, so I wash up and get out of the bath.
I waited a short distance away from the raft where the girls were taking a bath, and then the girls came out of the tent.
They were a group of beautiful women in t-shirts and shorts, all fresh from the bath. I should have brought my camera.
I pulled the Japanese-style boat up to the raft and greeted the group of beautiful girls.
After chatting about how good it felt and how much fun it was, we went back to our tent, and then I summoned the rubber boat.
“Everyone, please help yourselves.”
Inside the rubber boat were different kinds of drinks that were ice cold. There was milk, coffee milk, carbonated drinks, beer, and chuhai (shochu highball). There was a wide variety to choose from.
The cheers of the girls echoed around the tent.
There’s nothing like a cold drink after a hot bath. I’m a milk coffee drinker, by the way.
And then there’s the barbecue we’ve all been waiting for. How does the wood grill taste?
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