But when I tell you not to eat, you eat.

　A man sits down on a handy stone, muttering a buzzing complaint.

　He has a well-groomed face with slit eyes that seems to attract women. He's tall and has little to no lean fat on his body. He's a handsome man with long black hair that he wears in a ponytail-like bun at the back of his head.

　He is a mature and s*xy man, different from Brother Silvio, but his outfit is ruined because he only wears a single Hundoshi.

''Hey, aren't you wearing your brother's clothes?''

You're in the river and your body is wet. You'll be dry when you're dry.

　Well, that's just as well. I wouldn't want to eat in front of a man with only one puff piece, if possible, but this man is the reason I get to eat fish grilled in salt. Let's be patient.

　As I was thinking this, the man in front of me took a piece of salted fish and bit into it vigorously. Then he chews slowly and lets out a lustrous sound, "...delicious.

　After diving in the river and working up a sweat, salt and fat fish grilled with salt would be great.

　I mean, this fish is salted and grilled and it's so good. Is there some kind of ingenuity in the way it is processed or is this fish itself delicious?

　We continued to eat the salted fish for a while.

　The man in front of us no longer complains about it. He seems to be concentrating on eating now.

　Then, as the three of us finished our fish, the man in front of us asked, "By the way," he said, "what's your hair color?

'By the way, are you guys exotic by the color of your hair?

'Yes, that's right. It's Alfried-Throwlett from a place called the Kingdom of Misfirito.

The Roomba!

'Hmm, I don't know where that is, but as usual, the names of those who are foreign are full of strange names.

　Well, from a Kagura person's point of view, maybe, but I'm sure Roomba and the others feel the same way.

'What's your brother's name?'

My name is Kojiro Inaba. I'm a swordsman in this country for a while.

　When I ask, Kojiro points to the sword on the side.

　The fact that it was placed underneath the mangled kagura clothes, something careless.

　Well, that's aside from the fact that it's a swordsman. I've seen swordsmen in Kagura many times, but this is the first time I've seen them speak slowly like this.

What kind of work do swordsmen usually do?

　When I ask him, just out of curiosity, the color of Kojiro's eyes instantly get muddy.

'I get up early every morning to clean up. After that, I practice in the morning. After breakfast, I'll guard the important people and patrol the streets. When he finished lunch, he would be asked to practice again, and when he finished, he would be asked to do miscellaneous chores, and he would be scolded by his superiors for being unreasonable, and he would bow down to them, which he did not want to do. I would go home exhausted, and end the day with no motivation to do anything...

Enough, Kojiro!　You don't have to say anything else!　You were in a lot of pain, weren't you?　You want to quit your job, right? I know exactly how that feels!

　When I caught a glimpse of the darkness of Kojiro's work, I couldn't help but sympathize with him and embrace him.

　After all, as long as there are troublesome human relationships, darkness is always present in work.

　Especially the episode where he gets angry with his boss for being unreasonable is one I can relate to!　They don't know the word contradiction, and they don't take any responsibility for their words!

"...oh, oh!　Why is that?　He's an alien child, and Alfried's words sink into my heart more than anyone else's. And he gives me the words I wanted most........!

　Kojiro hugs me with tears streaming from his eyes.

　It doesn't matter if Kojiro is just a frumpy guy or not. Those who have experienced hardships at work will easily overcome such trivial barriers.

'....Al, I want to quit my job.

Good, good, Kojiro is doing well. He's working hard!

　I desperately try to comfort Kojiro as he spits out his heartfelt words.

''Well what are you guys?　Suddenly, we're hugging each other close. For that matter, can I have another grilled fish?

　Calling your work hard like that is a terrible thing to do, Roomba.



　◆



'It's not enough for all three of us. Let's do one more dive and catch some more fish.

Yeah!　Next time, I'll be there for you.

　If the three of us ate the salted fish, it would be gone in no time, and Kojiro and Roomba, being adults, were still trying to catch the fish.

'Do you want to eat it, Al?'

　Rumba turns around as he slips off his jimbei.

''No, I'm full, I'm done with it!

　I replied, and Roomba dove into the river in his underwear.

　I could see the Roomba's huge body swimming along in the water.

I'll follow Roomba. Let's go look at the trap first.

　Kojiro was walking downstream a little bit, as if he was setting a trap.

　I can't help but watch the Roomba moving in the water, so I decide to follow Kojiro.

　We walked a little ways from where the rumba was swimming, and found a cage set up in the shallow water where the rocks were densely packed.

　When I entered the cage, it was connected to a pool of water towards the dirt that I dug up, and it was a trick that I went through once, but it was my last.

'Ah, this guy's getting in there again.

　Kojiro looked at the puddle and said with a frown.

　I looked into the puddle with him and saw that it contained some small fish and a long fish.

Hey, Kojiro, is this an eel? "Hey, Kojiro, is this perhaps an eel?

'Oh, yes. No one eats it because it's slimy and muddy and doesn't taste much better when processed.

　Ehh, it would be delicious if you handled it properly and made it into a kabayaki. It's also possible to dip it in sauce and put it on rice. It's a shame that nobody eats it.

"It's good if you handle it properly.

Hmm?　Does Al know how to eat this guy good?

I know. I'll show you what I'm talking about and you can watch.

'Oh!　Are you sure?　What's that called exotic cooking?　There's only so many of them to waste, so I hope this guy gets to eat.

　It's not so much foreign knowledge as it is knowledge of another world, but........well, from Kojirou's point of view, it's the same thing either way, so I don't mind it.

　When I returned to the area where Lumumba was swimming, I quickly made up a simple kitchen with earth magic.

''........Oh, oh. So Alfried was a wizard. It's a good thing that you're able to use your magic without chanting, because that's not what it looks like.

　I appreciate the compliment, but I don't need the "it's not what it looks like" part. By the way, I think this is the first time in my life I've ever heard the word "master of the art" used.

Kojirou, do you have a katana?

　I catch a fish and grill it with salt, so don't you have a small knife you can handle? That's what I ask.

'Of course I have. Just give me a minute to get dressed.

　Kojiro was dressed just for a visit, or maybe just for a visit.

　At first I thought it was just a kagura outfit, but there's some kind of flower pattern drawn on the back.

''........does the pattern on the back mean something?''

This one?　Well, it's the family crest of a high ranking person I serve. As long as you wear this, your status is guaranteed, but you can't do anything bad.

　I see. It's a good way to show which family you work for. It's a bit like working for a nobleman in the kingdom, so maybe Kojiro is a pretty great swordsman?

Here's a knife.

Thank you.

　In a complete change from the first time, Kojiro handed me a katana from his bosom while dressed neatly in his kagura suit.

　He is tall and handsome, and looks very cool. It's almost as if the fact that he was wearing only a Hundoshi just a few minutes ago is a lie.

''Hmm........hmm?　What's going on?

No, it's nothing.

　Well, it doesn't make any difference what kind of guy Kojiro is, so don't worry about the details.

　When I regained my composure and took the katana, Kojiro's obi came undone smoothly, revealing his fudoshis again.

It's not a good idea to have a good time. I'm sorry.

　I don't know why. This guy is a disappointment for some reason.