"Naofumi. The armor's still not done yet, so will you quit using other people's kitchens?"
"I got permission earlier, didn't I?"
"Well, sure, if someone offers to lend me their kitchen and even hands over cash, I can't exactly refuse."
After parting ways with the young soldier, we bought up a huge supply of ingredients at the market. I barged in on my friendly neighborhood weapon shop, took over their kitchen, and started cooking.
Didn't they appreciate that I was trying to share some food with the weapon shop that had been providing us with weapons and armor at such reasonable prices?
"Nom nom! Nom nom!"
Filo had been gnawing on the grilled meat and skewers I made between batches this whole time.
"It smells amazing! Everyone who's come in since we started has been lured in by the aroma — they keep peeking in, running off to the market to buy food, it's been a whole thing."
Raphtalia carried the finished dishes over to the counter, where the old man was crafting my armor while handling customers.
"And to top it off, some moron who snuck a bite out of the dishes the young lady brought over has been yelling 'Where the hell can you get food this good?!' nonstop."
"Can't you just kick out anyone who sneaks food?"
"The guy who snuck a bite was so impressed he bought a weapon. Our sales record for this month's about to be broken, and it's all besides your purchases."
"Great. You're welcome."
"Yeah, thanks! But this is a weapon shop, not a restaurant!"
"Still, a barbecue's getting repetitive. I was thinking about trying a hot pot..."
The weapon shop owner doubled as the neighborhood hardware merchant and had a pretty substantial pot on hand.
So I borrowed the big pot, and right now I'm putting together a curry-like dish unique to this world.
"..."
A woman who looked like a neighborhood busybody was peering in through the vent window. A few adventurer types were watching too.
*Slam.* I shut the vent window.
That just made the smell drift even more toward the weapon shop's counter.
"Naofumi!"
The old man's voice boomed louder.
Honestly...
In the end, the pot was finished just as I got kicked out, and my home-cooked meal for Filo was cut short.
Filo still didn't look satisfied, her cheeks puffed out — clearly still hungry. We'd only managed to eat half the pot's contents.
Later, when the weapon shop started treating visitors to the leftovers we'd left behind — since nobody could finish it all — word got around that the place sometimes served ridiculously good food. But that's a separate story.
"Master, I wanted to eat more of your cooking..."
Filo puffed out her cheeks in dissatisfaction. I handed her some skewers I'd bought from the shop, and we strolled through town, browsing for decent ingredients.
"Well, I guess I could cook something by the river."
"Meat again?"
"Yeah. Getting tired of it?"
"Not if Master's the one cooking!"
"Sure, sure."
I gave Filo a half-hearted response and loaded the iron griddle we'd borrowed from the weapon shop onto her shoulders before pressing on.
The usual riverbank barbecue spot would probably do.
I bought up a random assortment of ingredients, then started grilling by the river.
Filo, worried about running out of meat, darted into the forest and came back with a few Usapill she'd caught.
We grilled until Filo was fully satisfied, then I thought about what to do next.
"This is the first time we've had such a relaxed day."
"Now that you mention it, yeah."
Our days in this other world had been spent amid constant strife. Looking up, the sky was blue — so peaceful.
It was hard to believe the Calamity Wave was only days away.
When I glanced over at Raphtalia, she was bouncing the ball I'd bought her ages ago, playing by herself.
"That's... the one I got you a while back, isn't it?"
When I pointed it out, Raphtalia smiled.
"You remembered."
She still had it. I'd assumed it had gotten lost at some point without me noticing.
"It was the first thing Master ever gave me."
"You were staring at it like you wanted it so badly. Anyone would've bought it for you."
"I don't think that's how it works, though."
"Huh?"
Filo, still picking at the barbecue remnants, turned our way.
"Sis, what's wrong?"
"We were talking about things from before Filo was born."
"Ohh..."
She looked closely at the bouncing ball.
It was worn and tattered in places. Raphtalia had probably been playing with it the whole time without me ever realizing.
"Want me to buy you a new one?"
It wasn't exactly expensive. If bouncing a ball was her idea of unwinding, I wouldn't mind getting her one.
"No, no — this is a keepsake from Master. I don't need a replacement."
"That's not what I meant, but..."
If she treasured it as a precious memory, she'd be upset if it broke. But if she was content with it, I wasn't going to push.
"Mind if I play too?"
"Huh!?"
Raphtalia looked at me in surprise.
"What's wrong?"
"Well... I never pictured you as the type to play ball games, Master Naofumi."
"What do you take me for...? Well, I guess I can't blame you for thinking that. On a day as slow as this, there's no harm in a little fun."
When it came to two-person ball games, volleyball was about it — just tossing the ball back and forth without letting it hit the ground.
I bounced the ball back toward Raphtalia with a tap.
It was harder than it looked. I'd never really played beach volleyball, so my control wasn't great.
"Master and Sis Raphtalia are playing! Filo wants in too!"
After a while of rallying, the bird finished her meal, transformed into human form, and came making a fuss.
"Sure, you can join, but don't break the ball. And go easy on it."
"Okaay!"
"Hehehe."
Raphtalia looked like she was having a wonderful time tossing the ball around.
No matter how much she'd grown on the outside, she was still a kid inside.
"After we get through the next Wave, I'm thinking about heading to another country for a Class Up."
"Of course. I'll follow you wherever you go."
"Filo too!"
The ball went from me to Raphtalia to Filo and back to me.
"Ah."
I'd accidentally sent the ball sailing past Raphtalia's back. At that angle, it would hit the ground before she could turn around.
"Hey!"
What?!"
She deftly deflected the ball with her tail, sending it arcing toward Filo.
"Ooh... Filo's turn!"
Filo batted the ball with the wings on her back.
You two... stop using body parts that normal humans don't have.
"Master Naofumi."
Something was off. This was turning into a weird ball game with arbitrary special rules.
Oh well.
"Air Store Shield!"
I summoned the shield that materialized in midair and bounced the ball off its surface.
"Hey, that's cheating!"
"It's not cheating!"
Honestly... this was completely a children's game.
Thanks to my cooldown time, I ended up losing. After that, we just played a normal game of volleyball.
"So, what should we do next?"
To get even stronger, having Raphtalia and Filo go through a Class Up was essential.
When the next Wave hit, we'd get summoned anyway. In the meantime, we could earn money and grind levels in whatever country we ended up in.
"We've still got some time. Raphtalia, Filo — is there any accessory you'd like?"
"An accessory?"
"Yeah. I should be able to do some basic metalwork to make something for your equipment."
This was a reward I'd planned to give Raphtalia and Filo for their recent hard work.
"Raphtalia, you're at the age where you'd want something like that, right?"
"Um, yes..."
"Filo too!"
"I know. That's why I'm asking what you want."
Raphtalia looked slightly taken aback.
Was it that unusual?
"Well, Filo wants a hairpin!"
A hairpin? I'd expected her to say reins or a saddle. That was a surprise.
"A hairpin? Why?"
"Because it doesn't dig into my feathers when I transform!"
She was still hung up on that, huh. Well, if it was on her head it probably wouldn't be an issue.
Judging by Filo's apparent age in human form, it seemed like a reasonable choice.
"What about you, Raphtalia?"
"Me? Let me think..."
After a moment's thought, Raphtalia looked at me and gave her answer.
"A bracelet. The important thing is the enchantment. Without that, it's pointless."
"Excuse me?"
"I'd prefer something that boosts my stats, Master Naofumi."
What? Raphtalia's answer was so far off from what I'd expected that I couldn't keep up.
I'd assumed she'd want a ring, earrings, or a necklace — not a bracelet chosen primarily for its stat-boosting enchantment.
Was this what happened when you raised someone in a nothing-but-brute-force party?
"R-right. I'll see what I can do."
"Filo too!"
"Sure, sure."
And so, that day we spent the rest of the afternoon playing lazily in the meadow, then headed back to the inn early to prepare for the Wave.