Semi-retired Adventurer Lives Leisurely Chapter 69

Published at 1st of October 2021 01:09:52 PM

Chapter 69: Teo’s House

Between Adventures and Expeditions, our Party will usually leave 2 or 3 days in between to rest.

Eventually, in order to match the pace of the Frontlines, I am thinking about shortening this period, but right now, everyone in my Party is hitting their growth spurt. I’m fairly confident that rather than stacking experience on experience back to back, in their current situation, it would be better to let each experience from the expeditions marinate and digest slowly.

Fortunately, we do not have any Adventurers who only grow through Adventures and Expeditions.

Henry: “......so that’s your cousin, Teo.”

Teo: “Yes, Sister Ageha is so amazing.” Henry: “I see. So that’s your reaction―”

Teo was sitting next to me, and I decided to tell her a few stories about Ageha, but all it did was make her eyes sparkle with admiration.

I was hoping for a, “wow, she is insaneー” type of reaction, but it was all for naught.

But it’s true that Ageha is dependable during an expedition, but keeping up with her is tiring…

Teo: “Something is pulling your line.”

Henry: “Oh!”

She’s right. My float had sunk below the surface.

I pulled my fishing rod, and I got a strong tug back on my line.

I think I got a big one…..? It got my hopes up as I continued to pull the line closer to me.

My fishing rod was bending from the pressure and……..I pulled out of the water a nice sized fish.

Henry: “Whoa, oh, c’mere, you.”

Teo: “Oh, that’s a nice Yellowstripe Scad. Looks delicious.”

The fish flicks its tail wildly as Teo examines it.

Today, I went fishing with Teo.

As I mentioned before, we have some time in between adventures and expeditions.

Sometimes I train or rest my body. Other times, I go Solo Adventuring…..and I can kill a lot of time that way, but only doing those things gets boring after a while.

I came to Flowtier to partially retire. It’s been fun looking after my Party Members, and I’ve been doing much more Adventuring than I originally expected, but regardless, I need to expand my hobbies as well.

Unfortunately, I spent my entire childhood as an Adventurer, so I have very poor compatibility with civilian hobbies.

I don’t want to go to the Casino often, and I have this inkling that I pro～bably should avoid the brothels for the time being. I like drinking, but I don't want to be always drunk during the day……..just occasionally.

And with that, the 3 major pleasures as an Adventurer were crossed out, and I was wondering what else I could do.

And with that, I asked the different party members what kind of things they do on their off days.

When Teo mentioned that she likes to take a trip to Seasargo and fish in the sea, I immediately jumped on the idea and asked her if I could come too.

The seaport town closest to Flowtier, Seasargo. We go to the embankments and cast our lines from there.

Henry: “I haven’t done much fishing in the past, but this is pretty fun.”

Teo: “Well, we are catching a lot of fish today. When you don’t get a single bite, it can weigh pretty heavily on you, but that’s part of the fun.”

Henry: “Oh, I found this out before we left, but did you know that Fishing is certified as a fun activity in Flowtier?” Teo: “Oh, really?” Henry: “Yeah, it’s o-fish-ial.”

……………………………………

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………………

Henry: “Could you at least say something?”

Getting completely ignored is the most painful thing after a joke.

Teo: “Unlike Miss Cyril, I have no intention of joining your banter.”

Henry: “You're so co～ld…”

Teo: “Mr. Henry, you and Cyril are too easy-going. I don’t think it’s a terrible thing, but I think you should learn to be more calm and mature.”

I consider myself plenty calm and mature….

But I guess compared to Teo’s unfazed demeanor and posture, it pales in comparison.

Teo: “......hm? Oh, looks like I got a hit.”

And Teo raised a round, bloated fish. A poisonous puffer fish.

Teo has been catching nice fish up until now, but she finally got a bad one.

Henry: “Better luck next time.”

But Teo didn’t seem to mind my words, and placed the puffer fish inside the fish basket.

Henry: “? Teo, you know that that’s a poisonous fish, right?” Teo: “My father can prepare it.”

Henry: “Prepare……..? What? What do you mean by that?” Teo: “If you remove the poisonous portions and cook it, it’s actually quite good. You do not eat it in this area, but in Rishu, we cut the meat very thinly as a dish.”

Really?

Back in the day, I heard of sashimi where people would eat fish raw, but I never thought they would eat puffer fish raw too.

Rishu……..it’s a small island nation, and they have more exposure with seafood, so their approach to it will be different to ours.

But it makes me wonder. What were the very first cooks thinking when they thought of eating the puffer fish. I’m sure it had to be common knowledge that they were poisonous.

Teo: “Mr. Henry, would you like to come over and try some?” Henry: “Ohー, hmmm, yeah….”

I do have some sense of fear mixed in my reservations, but I do have a godly equipment called the [Guardian’s Prayer] which has [Anti-Poison] attributes. So I should be able to survive.

………..but I guess it’s a little rude to go into a meal with the worst outcomes in mind. But still, the fact that I never tried it before unnerved me a little.

Teo: “My father and mother both love cooking, so they’ll be happy to make many dishes for you. My mother can’t cook the puffer fish, but she can cook regular fish just fine.”

Oh no…...my mouth is watering for the taste of fish now.

Well, I thought that it would be about time to report back to Teo’s parents on Teo's progress anyways. This will be a great excuse to visit them.

Henry: “Yeah, if your family doesn’t mind, then let’s do that. Here, I’ll bring something too for the occasion…”

Teo: “And if you are, I just wanted to let you know that sashimi goes really well with the Rishu’s alcohol [seishu]. I would strongly recommend it.”

Henry: “.......why do I have a feeling that you’re saying that because you want to drink it?”

Teo: “I won’t deny it. But everyone in my family likes to drink.”

Well, in that case, maybe it’ll be okay.

Seasalgo is one of Rishu’s primary trade ports so I should be able to buy it around here.

Teo: “Well, now that that’s settled. Let’s get more side dishes.”

Henry: “......you’re making it sound like the alcohol is the main dish…..”

This isn’t good. What am I supposed to tell her parents now that she turned into an alcoholic?

……….now I’m more worried about going. Let me go ahead and gather more things to gift to them to soften the blow.

Henry: “Teo, I’m going to try and get something bigger. I’m going to dive in and spear them.”

Teo: “Spear?” Henry: “Yeah, go underneath the water and spear them.”

I point to the Nyoiten Spear at my side.

It brings up some memories from back in the day.

There was an ocean not so far from Ligaleo, so when I would go around that area, I would dive into the ocean to get dinner.

I think this area of the embankment is a little dangerous, so I'll head down a little ways……..oh, and I should probably warn the fisherman or ask them before I dive in.

Henry: “You might have beaten me in fishing with a rod, but I won’t lose with a spear.”

Teo: “Um, I would never think of beating you with anything using a spear.”

Alright, then let’s do this.

<<<<>>>>

It was a little before the evening when we decided to wrap it up.

Between Flowtier and Seasargo, it takes about 2 hours by horse carriage, but if we run the distance, we should be able to make it in 30 minutes with ease.

Well, to be honest, you can pull off the same thing even if you’re not an Adventurer. It might be more difficult doing it while carrying luggage.

And we arrive at Teo’s house.

Teo’s family is a merchant by trade, but they have a business office building that is separate from their residential house.

I came here 2 or 3 times before, but even if it’s not as big as Jend’s house, it’s still a magnificent residence.

But now that I think about it, Cyril lives in the Governor’s mansion, Jend’s family is the number 1 business leader in Flowtier, and then we have Teo.

Looking at these facts, all of our Party members live in quite the large house. Ferris would have been in the same group before her father messed up.

Oh, and don’t get me wrong. I have no problems with the Bear’s Keg Inn. That’s a really good Inn.

Teo: “Mr. Henry…..now that I look at it, I think we caught too much.”

Henry: “Yeah, that ocean was full of fish so I got too excited."

I caught 5 snappers and yellowtails that were at least 50 cm (20 inches) big, and we have at least 20 regular fish.

………...this was, yeah….

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Teo: “Let me go ask my mother if she will start cooking the fish. Mr. Henry, could you go find and invite the rest of our Party members?” Henry: “Yeah, good idea. I’ll get right on it.”

I parted ways with Teo in front of her house.

I went around Flowtier looking for our usual members.

Cyril was training at her house, so I easily located her.

I tried to grab her and haul her off to Teo’s but with a cry of, “LET ME AT LEAST SHOWER FIRST―!” she wriggled out of my arms, so I let her clean up first and told her to meet us at Teo’s.

I figured Jend and Ferris would be together somewhere…….but they were not in fact. I found Jend helping out with his family’s business, and I caught Ferris on the way back from a medic-related Quest.

Because I brought over so many fish, I would have caused more hassle for Teo’s family, so I visited one of Jend’s Carousel Merchant’s stores and bought more drinks.

And after about an hour since I came back to Flowtier…

Henry: “So that’s what happened. This is all the fish Teo and I caught, this is Rishu’s wine, and we deeply thank the hospitality and efforts of Teo’s mother for cooking all these dishes for us.”

“CHEERS!”

We take the small cups specifically made for seishu, clink our drinks together, and then take a long sip.

The clear liquid burned as the strong alcohol went down our throats.

I immediately take the meat of a snapper which was prepared in an amazing, professional manner.

The white meat has a faint taste as the Rishu’s soy sauce fills my mouth. The small bit of wasabi hit me hard, and it was an amazing experience overall.

And if I follow it with more seishu, it was an experience and taste beyond words.

Henry: “Fwew…..wow～...”

Cyril: “You’re really enjoying the food, Henry.” Henry: “Eating fish you caught yourself tastes more amazing.”

Teo: “I agree with you.”

With that, Teo takes a small “ochoko” cup and drinks her seishu.

……...she looks so natural as she drinks……...I’m going to ignore that for now...

Cyril: “Oh, oh no. Dangit….”

Henry: “Ohー, Cyril. Here. This is how you hold chopsticks. Like this.”

I show her an example using mine.

With slightly trembling hands, Cyril carefully picks up a sashimi piece and carries it to her mouth.

Cyril: “There were never really opportunities to use chopsticksー. Flowtier is close to Rishu geographically, so I knew of it, but that’s about it. Henry, where did you learn to use it? From Miss Ageha?” Henry: “Nope. I learned the Rishu’s culture from another person.”

It is rare to run into someone from Rishu, but it’s not like Ageha is the only one.

In order to fight the Demon King, Rishu sent their “Gi-Yuu” {Duty-Courage} soldiers, and I had a number of opportunities working with them, and sometimes we shared meals together where I learned how to use chopsticks.

And as we were talking….

“Ohh, I see. That is interesting. I would be grateful if you would be willing to share more stories about that.”

Teo’s mother, Tina, brought out more food, and she smiled and spoke to me.

She looks so young that you wouldn’t be able to believe that she has a daughter that’s Teo’s age. I honestly thought she was Teo’s sister the first time I met her.

Ferris: “Oh, excuse me. I will help you carry the dishes.”

Tina: “Oh no. Please relax. You are our guests, so please enjoy the meal.”

Ferris tried to get up in a hurry, but Ms. Tina gently declined her offer.

Tina: “I fried the fish in this dish. Maybe that will suit your tastes better than the sashimi.”

Jend: “Ohhhh, this looks good too.”

I see Jend’s eyes sparkle in delight.

Tina: “I’m glad that you think so. …...well, if we finish what’s stewing, then we have almost all the dishes complete. I will have to leave the Puffer Fish to my husband when he gets back.”

Henry: “I’m sorry for troubling you with all of this.”

Tina: “Oh not at all. You offered to let us take the unused fish, and I do enjoy cooking. And besides…”

Ms. Tina continues.

Tina: “You are always looking after our Teo. Oh, and could you tell us a little about Teo along with the story about the Gi-Yuu Soldiers?”

Henry: “Of course. I would be pleased to.”

Teo: “........Mr. Henry, it’s a little embarrassing.”

Teo protests with an almost hushed voice.

Well, yeah, at Teo’s age, that’s normal. I’m sorry. This is like one of my duties to report your progress.

Ms. Tina smiles at Teo and my exchange.

……..looks like I’ll be able to make the report without getting into too much trouble. The atmosphere was relaxed and peaceful around Ms. Tina.

And after a while, she brought a seafood and vegetable stew in a large clay pot.

Teo’s father and grandfather also came back home and joined our party as we spent a pleasant night with Teo’s family.

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CHONKY Notes LiT (Lost in Translation)

Rishu = Japan so the author’s going to drop as many Japan references as possible in these chapters!

Yellowstripe Scad, “aji” (アジ) - pretty common fish in Japan.

Yellowtail (Amberjack) (“buri”) (ぶり) - also known as the “promotion fish” (“shu-se-zakana”) (出世魚) because in order to be considered a full grown “buri”, it has to at least be 80 cm (31.5 in.). Different regions of Japan categorize the fish differently with different names but in general, they have about 4 to 5 different stages before it reaches “buri” status.

Red Snapper (“tai”) (タイ) - celebratory fish since “mede-tai” means “worth celebrating” so it’s a play on words.

sashimi (刺身) -- During my elementary school days, my mother would wrap some eggs and vegetables with rice to make maki-sushi (巻き寿司), and the kids around immediately associated “Japanese food” to “raw-fish.” A bitter memory that can easily be washed away with a plate of sashimi and plum wine. A common misconception is that Japanese people eat river fish raw which could carry parasites, but in most cases, that's avoided. Ocean fish are less likely to carry parasites due to the sea water.

Ochoko (お猪口) - the characters used to describe what’s basically the Japanese shot glass for saké is a “boar’s mouth.” I guess because it’s shaped like a boar’s mouth? Not really. According to one article, it’s simply a “teh-ji” (当て字) meaning they just found Kanji characters that fit the way it sounds. It has nothing to do with the actual origin of the word. How misleading…. They call the blue circle inside the ochoko “a snake eye” (because of how it looks) and it’s used to measure the quality of the saké by (1) comparing the clarity of the liquid by the white parts, and then using the blue to check the gloss or light reflective quality of the liquid. Finally, you’ll see them “warm up” the saké to allow the alcohol to hit you harder and faster. In a cultural history where food was rarely plentiful, they maximized what little they had with determined efficiency.

How to hold chopsticks:

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Chapter end