Chapter 39 – Kaari and the Mysterious Bottle
Sniff, sniff…
My feet move on their own to a shop.
Sniff, sniff, sniff…
I know this spicy smell.
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff…
I think it’s similar to the one I used to eat once a week.
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff…
I-I knew it…
“Curry!!!”
Without thinking, I slammed the door of the restaurant and howled when I saw the thing the other customers were eating.
The waitress and the other customers all looked at me with shocked faces, but I didn’t care.
I also told the landlady of Billycorn that I would be eating tonight, but that didn’t matter either.
I didn’t think it was in this world.
Did the hero, Takuya, spread the word?
Or are the people in this city, which I know isn’t Earth but which I’ve always felt, had a Middle Eastern feel to it, more Asian?
I’m not sure… I’m not really sure!
If it’s right in front of me, I’m just going to have to eat it!
I just wanted to scout around, but before I knew it, I was sitting there, and I couldn’t help but kick my helpless ass.
Menu, menu… Don’t you have a menu?
“Um! Is there such a thing as a menu…?”
“We only have one menu. Would you like to order? Our kaari.”
“(Gulp…)”
“I’ll have one of those ‘kaari,’ please!”
Holy crap.
It sounds like a foreigner saying Japanese curry in broken English, but I can tell it is definitely a curry-related word.
Foreign Language Comprehension does its job well, doesn’t it?
It doesn’t mean much that it doesn’t dare to be translated as “curry,” does it?
Looking around the restaurant, there is only one customer.
It seems to be a relatively cozy restaurant with six counter-seats and two table seats.
There, in this situation, a lone man with a dark-skinned, bearded face, who already looks like an Indian, is putting a pot on the fire.
The evening bell had not yet rung, so it was not surprising that the restaurant was empty.
I don’t want to think that it’s so bad that there are no customers.
Of course, my heart is beating faster with anxiety and anticipation.
Ugh… I’d like to get a better look at the man eating next to me on the other side of the table, but I’ll just have to be patient here.
I know it’s no longer good manners to shout in a restaurant, but I’ve already asked for it, so I wait expectantly for my meal to arrive.
Then, in less than a minute, my kaari is brought over the counter!
So fast! It’s as fast as a certain beef bowl restaurant! That restaurant is pretty good!
When I took it under my arm, smelled the aroma, and ran my eyes over it…
There is no doubt about it. This is curry!
First of all, the naan is bigger than my face!
The curry looked like an authentic curry, ochre-colored and soupy, with what looked like potatoes and maybe chicken in it. It could be Horned Rabbit meat, but both ingredients are very large and chunky.
Also, what is this?
There is what looks like grated cheese on a separate plate.
Does that mean I should pour it on? Or does it mean I should pick it up as I eat?
When I was confused, the restaurant owner said,
“Our kaari is very spicy. Can you handle it? Well, if you can’t, you can always add that. It will soften the taste a bit.”
“I see…”
In that case, let’s try the original taste first.
I carefully scooped it up with a spoon and threw it into my mouth.
“…Fwaahh!!! T-This is… the spiciness that sticks not only to the tongue but also to the throat! Or rather, it hurts!”
For me, who usually doesn’t like spicy food, this is really a torture level. If I were in Japan, I would have gone crazy and ordered another sweet curry.
But…
“Fwahh… But if I eat it like this, I can’t stop… Eghh… I can’t stop, or rather… Hoohh! …I can’t stop my hand…”
When I look at the owner, he is grinning, and I suspect that he opened his shop just to see this spectacle of customers.
A lot of sweat and tears mix on my cheeks.
The strange soup is a combination of spices I have never tasted before and emotions I never thought I would feel in this world.
I have been avoiding meat since I took out the magic stone, but there is such a strong stimulation and attraction in this kaari that I forget even that.
After eating about half of it, I remembered the existence of naan, and dipping it into the soup transformed it into a food that was much gentler on the throat.
The naan itself has a strong, sweet taste and is quite tasty on its own.
When I added a cheese-like substance, it immediately melted into the soup, and the thickening and mellowness of the soup, as if it had been mixed with potato starch, added an extra dimension to the flavor and gave me an added pleasure.
“(Unexpected triple attack… this is definitely a regular… I may have woken up to the spiciness at the age of 32…)”
The owner probably knows that customers ask for water here.
I refill a couple of glasses of water from the jug on the counter and look up at the ceiling, feeling comfortably satisfied.
“The food in this world is better than I imagined. I wonder what kind of food I will encounter in the future… I still want some rice…)”
I paid the bill while thinking about such future meals.
“The food was delicious and addictive. I’ll probably come back soon!”
“That’s good to hear. But boy, don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? Our restaurant is quite expensive.”
“Huh?”
“It’s 9,000 beeke.”
“…..”
It’s not that I don’t have money. I gently handed him a gold coin from my leather bag that was worth 10,000 beeke, got my change, and left the shop.
“Phew… it feels good to be out with the wind…”
While I was lost in thought in front of the store, I suddenly became curious and turned back to the entrance of the store that had impressed me.
“(The menu with only one kind of food is written right next to the door… The price is also written as 9,000 beeke…)”
I regret that I was caught by the smell and entered without thinking, but I still have no regrets about having tasted that “kaari.”
Maybe it is a world like this where spices are quite expensive. That must be the reason.
It seems like they put a lot of spices in it.
“(Once a month… No, it’s a special place for when something special happens. I’ll do that…)”
After that, I continued walking through the alleys and main streets, looking at various stores I had never entered before, such as liquor stores, vegetable and meat stores, medicine stores, and fishing equipment stores.
Thinking, “Maybe?” I asked the pharmacist about it and was told that, as expected, it was Mei-chan’s house and that they mixed medicinal herbs that they collected or bought and sold here as medicine.
Her mother, who ran the shop, had lavender hair like Mei-chan’s that hid her face a bit, but she was still quite beautiful, looking in her late 20s or early 30s.
I thought Mei-chan’s future was secure, but then I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I had met her somewhere before and asked her about it, and she told me that she and her husband often go gathering in the forest.
I thought, “No way…” I asked her, “Do you go into the forest with a pot on your head?” She replied with a big smile, “Yes, even though it’s dangerous!” I had a very mixed feeling.
Such a beautiful woman of that age would not look out of place working as a receptionist for a company in Japan… except for her hair color.
And yet, she’s out in the forest gathering with a pot on her head…
What a harsh world we live in! Ah, I want to save her! This wife!
The feeling rose in me, but then I remembered that she had a husband, so I gave up easily.
I’m not the kind of man who can do something as big as stealing her.
I’m only 13 years old. I don’t want to be Mei-chan’s father at that age.
I told her that I was a hunter and that I knew Mei-chan! As if she had just remembered, she rummaged through the shelves and gave me a small bottle.
“Thank you for saving my daughter.”
The small bottle she gave me seemed to be a medicine that would help me regain my strength, and if I drank one of the pills inside, it would help me get rid of my muscle aches and fatigue.
This small bottle contained about 10 pills.
I wondered if it was like a tonic in Japan. But since I had heard that Mei-chan was helping out with the family finances, I could not just take one.
“I’ll buy it for you!”
“This is my way of saying thank you!”
“No, no, no, I’m sorry!”
“Please accept this as a token of my gratitude!”
So I decided to buy some medicine for my stomach ache.
Although it would not have helped much with 5,000 beeke, I would buy the tonic in the future if it worked well, or rather, it could be a much-appreciated medicine for me since I am not tired and need to reduce the amount I carry.
“Thank you for the pills! If it works well, I’ll come back for more!”
I told her and was about to leave the store, although for some reason, I noticed that the woman had an indescribably wry smile on her face…
Maybe it’s the medicine of this civilization, and illness is just a mindset.
Is it a drug with a weak effect, mainly a placebo effect?
Well, if that is the case, I thought it was a gift, and I had no choice, so I ended my exploration of the city for the day.
Chapter 39 – Kaari and the Mysterious Bottle
Sniff, sniff…
My feet move on their own to a shop.
Sniff, sniff, sniff…
I know this spicy smell.
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff…
I think it’s similar to the one I used to eat once a week.
Sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff, sniff…
I-I knew it…
“Curry!!!”
Without thinking, I slammed the door of the restaurant and howled when I saw the thing the other customers were eating.
The waitress and the other customers all looked at me with shocked faces, but I didn’t care.
I also told the landlady of Billycorn that I would be eating tonight, but that didn’t matter either.
I didn’t think it was in this world.
Did the hero, Takuya, spread the word?
Or are the people in this city, which I know isn’t Earth but which I’ve always felt, had a Middle Eastern feel to it, more Asian?
I’m not sure… I’m not really sure!
If it’s right in front of me, I’m just going to have to eat it!
I just wanted to scout around, but before I knew it, I was sitting there, and I couldn’t help but kick my helpless ass.
Menu, menu… Don’t you have a menu?
“Um! Is there such a thing as a menu…?”
“We only have one menu. Would you like to order? Our kaari.”
“(Gulp…)”
“I’ll have one of those ‘kaari,’ please!”
Holy crap.
It sounds like a foreigner saying Japanese curry in broken English, but I can tell it is definitely a curry-related word.
Foreign Language Comprehension does its job well, doesn’t it?
It doesn’t mean much that it doesn’t dare to be translated as “curry,” does it?
Looking around the restaurant, there is only one customer.
It seems to be a relatively cozy restaurant with six counter-seats and two table seats.
There, in this situation, a lone man with a dark-skinned, bearded face, who already looks like an Indian, is putting a pot on the fire.
The evening bell had not yet rung, so it was not surprising that the restaurant was empty.
I don’t want to think that it’s so bad that there are no customers.
Of course, my heart is beating faster with anxiety and anticipation.
Ugh… I’d like to get a better look at the man eating next to me on the other side of the table, but I’ll just have to be patient here.
I know it’s no longer good manners to shout in a restaurant, but I’ve already asked for it, so I wait expectantly for my meal to arrive.
Then, in less than a minute, my kaari is brought over the counter!
So fast! It’s as fast as a certain beef bowl restaurant! That restaurant is pretty good!
When I took it under my arm, smelled the aroma, and ran my eyes over it…
There is no doubt about it. This is curry!
First of all, the naan is bigger than my face!
The curry looked like an authentic curry, ochre-colored and soupy, with what looked like potatoes and maybe chicken in it. It could be Horned Rabbit meat, but both ingredients are very large and chunky.
Also, what is this?
There is what looks like grated cheese on a separate plate.
Does that mean I should pour it on? Or does it mean I should pick it up as I eat?
When I was confused, the restaurant owner said,
“Our kaari is very spicy. Can you handle it? Well, if you can’t, you can always add that. It will soften the taste a bit.”
“I see…”
In that case, let’s try the original taste first.
I carefully scooped it up with a spoon and threw it into my mouth.
“…Fwaahh!!! T-This is… the spiciness that sticks not only to the tongue but also to the throat! Or rather, it hurts!”
For me, who usually doesn’t like spicy food, this is really a torture level. If I were in Japan, I would have gone crazy and ordered another sweet curry.
But…
“Fwahh… But if I eat it like this, I can’t stop… Eghh… I can’t stop, or rather… Hoohh! …I can’t stop my hand…”
When I look at the owner, he is grinning, and I suspect that he opened his shop just to see this spectacle of customers.
A lot of sweat and tears mix on my cheeks.
The strange soup is a combination of spices I have never tasted before and emotions I never thought I would feel in this world.
I have been avoiding meat since I took out the magic stone, but there is such a strong stimulation and attraction in this kaari that I forget even that.
After eating about half of it, I remembered the existence of naan, and dipping it into the soup transformed it into a food that was much gentler on the throat.
The naan itself has a strong, sweet taste and is quite tasty on its own.
When I added a cheese-like substance, it immediately melted into the soup, and the thickening and mellowness of the soup, as if it had been mixed with potato starch, added an extra dimension to the flavor and gave me an added pleasure.
“(Unexpected triple attack… this is definitely a regular… I may have woken up to the spiciness at the age of 32…)”
The owner probably knows that customers ask for water here.
I refill a couple of glasses of water from the jug on the counter and look up at the ceiling, feeling comfortably satisfied.
“The food in this world is better than I imagined. I wonder what kind of food I will encounter in the future… I still want some rice…)”
I paid the bill while thinking about such future meals.
“The food was delicious and addictive. I’ll probably come back soon!”
“That’s good to hear. But boy, don’t be too hard on yourself, okay? Our restaurant is quite expensive.”
“Huh?”
“It’s 9,000 beeke.”
“…..”
It’s not that I don’t have money. I gently handed him a gold coin from my leather bag that was worth 10,000 beeke, got my change, and left the shop.
“Phew… it feels good to be out with the wind…”
While I was lost in thought in front of the store, I suddenly became curious and turned back to the entrance of the store that had impressed me.
“(The menu with only one kind of food is written right next to the door… The price is also written as 9,000 beeke…)”
I regret that I was caught by the smell and entered without thinking, but I still have no regrets about having tasted that “kaari.”
Maybe it is a world like this where spices are quite expensive. That must be the reason.
It seems like they put a lot of spices in it.
“(Once a month… No, it’s a special place for when something special happens. I’ll do that…)”
After that, I continued walking through the alleys and main streets, looking at various stores I had never entered before, such as liquor stores, vegetable and meat stores, medicine stores, and fishing equipment stores.
Thinking, “Maybe?” I asked the pharmacist about it and was told that, as expected, it was Mei-chan’s house and that they mixed medicinal herbs that they collected or bought and sold here as medicine.
Her mother, who ran the shop, had lavender hair like Mei-chan’s that hid her face a bit, but she was still quite beautiful, looking in her late 20s or early 30s.
I thought Mei-chan’s future was secure, but then I felt a sense of déjà vu, as if I had met her somewhere before and asked her about it, and she told me that she and her husband often go gathering in the forest.
I thought, “No way…” I asked her, “Do you go into the forest with a pot on your head?” She replied with a big smile, “Yes, even though it’s dangerous!” I had a very mixed feeling.
Such a beautiful woman of that age would not look out of place working as a receptionist for a company in Japan… except for her hair color.
And yet, she’s out in the forest gathering with a pot on her head…
What a harsh world we live in! Ah, I want to save her! This wife!
The feeling rose in me, but then I remembered that she had a husband, so I gave up easily.
I’m not the kind of man who can do something as big as stealing her.
I’m only 13 years old. I don’t want to be Mei-chan’s father at that age.
I told her that I was a hunter and that I knew Mei-chan! As if she had just remembered, she rummaged through the shelves and gave me a small bottle.
“Thank you for saving my daughter.”
The small bottle she gave me seemed to be a medicine that would help me regain my strength, and if I drank one of the pills inside, it would help me get rid of my muscle aches and fatigue.
This small bottle contained about 10 pills.
I wondered if it was like a tonic in Japan. But since I had heard that Mei-chan was helping out with the family finances, I could not just take one.
“I’ll buy it for you!”
“This is my way of saying thank you!”
“No, no, no, I’m sorry!”
“Please accept this as a token of my gratitude!”
So I decided to buy some medicine for my stomach ache.
Although it would not have helped much with 5,000 beeke, I would buy the tonic in the future if it worked well, or rather, it could be a much-appreciated medicine for me since I am not tired and need to reduce the amount I carry.
“Thank you for the pills! If it works well, I’ll come back for more!”
I told her and was about to leave the store, although for some reason, I noticed that the woman had an indescribably wry smile on her face…
Maybe it’s the medicine of this civilization, and illness is just a mindset.
Is it a drug with a weak effect, mainly a placebo effect?
Well, if that is the case, I thought it was a gift, and I had no choice, so I ended my exploration of the city for the day.
