a few days after the grading exam is over With rain clouds covering the sky and drizzling, Ray and others taking part in the upgrade exam were coming to a warehouse-like area on the back street of Gilm.

"Oh, what's this?" I've lived in Guillum for quite a long time, but I didn't know there was a place like this on the back street."

　Lovre mutters curiously, but without agreeing, Stee slaps him on the back.

"You know, I'm going into the warehouse very quickly." If you get wet in the rain and catch a cold, it won't be a big deal."
「……」

　At Stee's words, Onds, who was also here, nods and follows Ray into the building.

"It seems to be called a demolition shed, to the owner of the house,"
"A hut of this size..."

　Lovre, opening the door and muttering as he walked in.

"Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahah

　A man emerges from the building shouting like that.
　Lovre and Stee knew who the man was.
　I didn't know Onds, who was not an adventurer in this city, but he was silent as usual, so he didn't seem particularly noticeable.

"Grull".

　After entering the building with Ray, Seto chants happily at the sight of the person he has met for the first time in a long time.

"Hasta, I'm sorry to rent here all of a sudden."

　Ray also calls out to the adventurer Hasta, who hunted the giant carnivorous rabbit with Ray in the winter.

"Hasta!"
"What? Then, is this a full house...?"

　Lovre and Stee, both of whom lived in the city, went to Manjotei many times during their low years and knew about Hasta.

"It's been a long time, Mr. Robre and Mr. Stee. You've taken an upgrade examination to rank B. Congratulations."

　Lovre shakes his head with a small smile on his face.

"Don't do that, it hasn't been decided that you've passed the exam yet. Please keep that word until the day of the announcement.
"Right. I was able to take the rank-up exam, but I still don't know if it passes."
"Mr. Lobre and Mr. Stee, I'm. What, more importantly, did Mr. Ray want me to rent him here to-day?"

　He must have judged that the greeting was over. Husta turns to Ray and asks him.

"Oh, the demise of the monsters I hunted in the rank-up exam. It's troublesome to go all the way out of town and, above all, it's raining. ...yeah, it's Onds to keep silent there. He's an adventurer who took the rank-up examination with us."

　Onds bowed to Ray's introduction.

"Oh, thank you. This is Hasta, a Rank D adventurer. I beg your kind cooperation."

　Hasta, bowing but unfamiliar to Onz's face, bends her head inward.
　Of course, Hasta doesn't remember the faces of all the adventurers in the city of Gilm. But if you're still a Rank B person, you can remember your face.
　I never realized that Ones was an adventurer from another city just for the rank-up exam.

"Well, let me use it right away, will you?"
"Yes, I've already disposed of the things I'm going to use in today's store, so I don't mind if you clean them up. It's summer, after all right.
"Oh, I see. I'll leave it to you, and I'll keep it in order."

　Stee nods in agreement, and Hasta bows her head slightly when she sees it.

"Well, I've got a hand in the shopkeeper said. When you've finished using it, please show up at the store. My father wanted Ray to try a new dish."
"A new dish?"
"Yes, I was proud that it was the best food to cool down in the hot summer."
"Oh, indeed," Because when it's hot in summer, you lose your appetite."
"Well, Lovre has never had a summer heat, has he?" You've always had a good appetite.

　Stee pats Lovre on the head as he nods.
　Seeing it, Hasta heads out of the building with a small smile.

"Well, I'll prepare not only Mr. Ray, but also your share, so when you're done, please drop by the shop."

　I told him so, and he was running through the drizzling rain.

"Well, then, shall we begin to dismantle the bicorns at once?" I want to finish the troublesome work as soon as possible."

　Lay out 29 bicorns from the mistling and line them up on the floor.

"That's the number of people, and it's all about dismantling themselves, isn't it?"

　Everyone nods to Ray's words.
　For some reason, Sett nodded.
　The bodies of four bicorns are suspended from hooks prepared for demolition, each of which begins demolition. 　
　What Ray brought out was his usual demolition knife. Cut the skin from the torso and peel it off, then cut the meat and take out the heart along with the internal organs, and take out the magical stones buried there.
　The meat is then cut into blocks, and the first one is stripped and disassembled.
　As expected, it took less time for a single Ray than it used to take.
　It's not nearly as fast as Lovre's dismantling rate, though.
　While Ray was treating one bicorn, Lovre treated two...

"Oops, you're so fast!"

　As everyone silently dismantles the bicorn while enduring the heat of midsummer, such voices suddenly echo around them.
　Looking toward his voice, Ray finds Stee looking with a look of surprise and a look of respect at Onz.
　But it was no wonder Stee's exclamation. Two loblets while a ray is at it's. But in the meantime, the Ons had been dealing with three of them.

"...that's certainly great,"

　Stee followed by an exclamation.
　It's not just about speed. The stripped skin had little wasteful scars--though some had been made when it was knocked down--and the meat was beautifully cut. And naturally, the magical stones are taken out beautifully without a scratch and placed on the floor.
　Compared to the skin of the ray, it is so beautiful that you can tell the difference just by looking at it. There was a difference in terms of age there.

"Gururu..."

　Seth, who was looking at such a cut of meat, purges and approaches Ons.

「……」

　Watching it, Onds gives Seto the back part of the bicorn, the fin part, without a word.

"Glu?"Seth slanted his head, shouting, "Is that OK?" But Onds had put the fillet part in front of him and started processing the rest of the bicorns.

"I'm sorry, I'm saved,"
「……」

　When Ray thanks him before he begins to process the next bicorn, Ons nods softly, looking at each other for a moment.

"I can't afford to lose, either!"

　He must have had a rivalry with the Ons. Lovre held a knife to peel off the third bicorn...

"Stupid, rip it off more carefully than fast. Even if you sell it, it will be cheaper if the skin is scratched. That's especially harsh when you buy them in guilds."
"...so you can sell it to some shop, can you?"
"That would certainly be a good bargain, but then negotiations would be necessary." Lovre is not good at negotiating, and I'm not really good at it either."
`Well, I can't help it,' Then I'll be a little more polite."

　Lovre nods without going against her lover's words, and carefully moves the knife so that it can be peeled off more beautifully than speed.
　That's how each of them begins to concentrate on dismantling again, and it's only after noon that all the bicorns are dismantled.
　Of course, it was Onds who completed the demolition first, followed by Lovre and Stee, and, of course, Ray was the last.
　It's only natural that we have one more bicorn allocated than others, and the rate of stripping and dismantling is the slowest.
　In the end, Onds, who had finished his share, and then Stee, who had finished his share, joined forces with Lovre and Stee, who had finished it, and the four of us ended up stripping and dismantling Ray's share.

"... well, I can put the meat and skin in the box, but what are you going to do?"

　Ray, who had the excess meat grilled by Ray's magic when he was cutting it into blocks, and asked sideways what Seto looked like when he was chewing it with a stick.

"Of course I've got it ready. I've arranged to borrow a cart to carry the meat."
"What? ... Oh!?"

　Stee's words may remind you that you didn't have your share ready. But...

"Don't worry, I've got Lovre's share in order, too.
"Oh, oh, I'm sorry. As expected, Stee."
"I hope you will soon be able to make arrangements for yourself." I do it every time."
"No, it's more certain that you do it than I do, isn't it?"

　Ray turns his eyes to Ons, listening to what can only be described as a joke fight between these two.

「……」

　But Onds nods silently, rather than saying anything in particular.

"It seems that Onds is all right, too," Then shall I clean up my affairs at once?"

　muttering, and storing the meat cut out of the bicorn body one or two times larger than an ordinary horse in a mistling block by block. Even though skin, bones, or internal organs have been removed, they still weigh a few tons just for seven bicorns.
　Still, Ray had no particular difficulty in storing the skins and magical stones one after another in the mistling.

(Regarding the absorption of magical stones... I don't think it's possible today.)

　with that in mind





　Each of them had finished processing the meat -- all but Ray had been sold to the butcher, and the ingredients had to be taken home by themselves -- had come to the full house, as promised to Hasta.
　Perhaps because it's a little past lunchtime, there are quite a few guests, but it's still not full.
　Meanwhile, Seto lies down in front of the store as usual, and Ray and the others go into the store.

"Oh, Ray! Everyone else! Is it over already? It's just right. Come over here.

　At the urging of Hasta, who was serving in the store, the Reys sit at the table.

"Oh, Hasta. I'm sorry, but Seto is in front of the shop, so give me something. To me..."

　Ray tells her so and tries to take out the silver coin, including Seto's fee, but Hasta shakes her head slightly.

"I'll treat you to dinner today. Of course, to Set, too.
"Oh, really!"
"Is it all right?"
「……」

　Lovre rejoices at Hasta's words, and Stee is worried if he is financially OK, and Onz nods silently.
　But Hasta opens her mouth with a smile on her face.

"Yes, I don't mind," I don't mean to say that it's a substitute, but could you tell me how you feel about the new menu?"
"New menu? That's what I said at the demolition shed... Is it the udon menu?"

　Manjotei is famous as the birthplace of udon noodles. That's why Stee had eaten udon, and it was only natural that she imagined it would be a new menu, so her prediction was correct.

"Yes, here's udon. However, it's just the right menu to eat in summer. Is that all right with you?"

　Everybody nods at Hasta's words.

"Have you ever eaten udon? It's very popular these days."

　Lovre, who doesn't know who promoted udon, nods, and Onds, who recently came to the city for a ranking test, shakes his head.

"Have you never been to the Ons?" Udon noodles are...

　Stee and Ray watched with a wry smile as Lovre explained how to eat udon.
　Basically, Lovre is straightforward, but he looks at the unexpected good care.

"Yes, sir, sir," It's summer udon."

　In the middle of Lobre's udon course, Husta comes with a tray.
　On top of the tray was not a bowl of familiar udon, but rather a plate. I can't even feel the heat of the udon soup.

"...what about this?"

　Ray asked, but his voice was mixed with small surprises. Food I've never seen before... That's not why. It was a familiar menu. That's not in Elgin, but in Japan.

"It's a cold udon noodles topped with cold soup. Even people who have lost their appetite due to summer can eat it."
"Wow, it looks delicious!"
"I think I can eat this even if it's hot."

　The name of the dish Bukkake Udon passes through Ray's mind.
　Of course, there are many differences from Bukkake Udon, which Ray knows. Hot spring eggs and raw eggs do not have yolk, and condiments such as bonito, green onion, ginger, and big leaves do not exist. What you see on top is meat and vegetables that have been boiled and cooled.

"How do you keep it so cold?"Hasta opens her mouth with a smile as Lovre rolls up the udon with a fork and carries it to her mouth.

"It was actually a bit expensive, but I bought a cooling magic item. To be honest, I told him not to do it, but my father said it was necessary for this dish. I don't think so..."

　Hasta's embarrassed smile brings a look of surprise, including Onds.
　Magic items made using magic stones are basically expensive except for those used in ordinary homes.
　In the meantime, Ray and his colleagues were surprised to find that the cool magic item was worth the price.
　Onds doesn't know the financial situation at Manjotei, but he still understands that cooling magic items are expensive.
　Thus, while enjoying the new menu at Manjotei, Ray and his colleagues smiled at the decision of Dischott, the owner of Manjotei, who created it.