Isekai Yururi Kikou ~Raising Children While Being an Adventurer~

Chapter 480:

Shopping (2)

"“I want to eat that!”"

After finishing our shopping at the liquor store, we moved to the area filled with food stalls.

The children quickly found something that caught their eye.

"Patrick-san, do you guys have any issues with eating street food like this?"

Since everyone except Eugene was a noble, I was worried they might not be comfortable with the idea of eating while walking around.

"I'm fine with it. When I was younger, I often went out with my older brother."

Come to think of it, Cedric-san used to sneak out with his sons for food outings.

He probably did the same with his younger brothers.

"I'm used to it since my colleagues sometimes invite me to do it."

"As for me, this is something I’m quite familiar with!"

It seemed no one had any objections. However, it appeared that Matthew-san had little experience with this.

"Allen, Elena, go ahead and order for everyone."

“”Got it~””

"Kids, can you also order some to-go for me?"

"“Sure~”"

It looked like the food was grilled skewers made from the meat of a shellfish monster called a Glass Shell. I asked the children to order for everyone, and they quickly ran over to the stall.

"“Oniichan, money~”"

"Here you go. Please take care of it."

"“Righto~”"

After placing their orders, the children returned to ask for money, and I handed it to them.

Somehow, they had picked up the shopkeeper’s lingo and said it in a surprisingly professional way.

"Wait, Takumi-san?! We’ll pay for our own food!"

"Oh no, this is one of those situations where the senior—well, the one with most authority in our case—should pay. So, it's my responsibility!"

After all, I'm supposedly ranked number one in command. I have to act the part and treat everyone!

"No, no, no! That’s different!"

"No, it’s not. If you have any complaints, take it up with Tristan-sama, who gave me this command authority."

Not as a revenge, but I decided to use the same trick that was played on me.

"It’s ready!”

"Come and get it~”

While we were talking, the grilled skewers were ready, so I led the reluctant Patrick-san and the others to the stall.

"“You see, you see!”"

"They have salt."

"And soy sauce flavor"

"“Which do you want?”"

"Heeh~ they have both salt and soy sauce flavors. Both sound delicious."

The kids had ordered enough for everyone to choose either flavor, with the leftovers presumably for Kaiser to take home.

"Well, I’ll go with soy sauce. Allen, Elena, which one did you pick?"

"Allen and Elena will share!"

"Half and half!"

"Wow, that’s smart. That way, you get to enjoy both."

"“Right~?”"

"Of course, I'll have both!"

Allen and Elena had wisely decided to enjoy both flavors by splitting them.

Well, Kaiser, on the other hand, opted to eat both flavors, but the kids had sensibly chosen to pace themselves since we planned to try more food.

"Hey Bro, are you guys from Guardia?"

The skewer vendor asked as he handed us our skewers, guessing our origins.

It was surprising that he could pinpoint "Guardia" just like that.

"“Correct~”"

"Yes, we are. How did you know?"

"You seemed familiar with soy sauce. That flavor originated there, after all. Although word about it spread quickly here, thanks to the port, many in inland towns, even in Regulus Empire, still don’t know about it. People from those places usually ask what it is."

"Oh, I see~"

That makes sense. Even though soy sauce has become more widely known, it's still not common enough for everyone to be familiar with it.

"“Yummy~!”"

The kids exchanged their skewers and ate with great enthusiasm, so I took a bite of my hot skewer.

The Glass Shell was similar to scallops—soft and tasty.

"Oh yeah. Bro, I’ve got some dried Glass Shell meat too. Want to try it?"

After we finished eating, the vendor pulled out a jar from behind the stall and shook it to show us.

"“Wanna try!”"

"Sure, we will take it. How much is it?"

"You don’t need to pay; just try it first. If you like it, then you can buy some. This stuff lasts a while, too. Here, take this. You can eat it as is or lightly roast the surface."

"Then I’ll try it as is."

"Allen too~"

"Elena too~"

"I shall also enjoy it as is!"

The shopkeeper offered it to us, and Patrick-san and the others received their portions as well.

"Allen, Elena, it might be a bit chewy, so take your time chewing it. The flavor will slowly come out."

"Hm? Bro, have you tried this before?"

"I’ve had something similar, but this is my first time with Glass Shell."

It’s probably one of those foods you’d call a delicacy or snack.

I used to eat dried scallop meat or dried squid often.

"“Wow~ this is tasty too~”"

"Indeed, it has a good flavor and is satisfyingly chewy! Takumi, this would pair well with alcohol!"

As expected, it was chewy, but as you kept chewing, the savory taste of the shellfish came through.

The kids and Kaiser seemed to like it, and I enjoyed it as well.

"How long does this keep?"

"About as long as dried meat."

"Wow, that’s quite a while. In that case, I’d like to buy a few jars. How much do you have?"

"Wait, you mean jars, not just a few pieces?"

"That’s right."

Since Kaiser seemed interested in having it as a snack with alcohol, and it could also serve as a treat for the kids, I decided to buy as much as I could.

"I’ve only got two jars here at the stall, but if you visit my shop, we can prepare a decent amount."

"Alright, I’ll visit your shop later then. Where is it located?"

"Go straight down this road, take the third left, and it’s the third house on the left."

"Got it. I’ll stop by after we’ve done a bit more exploring."

"Thanks a lot~"

"No problem, and thanks for letting us sample it."

It seemed that while running the stall, the shopkeeper would offer samples to potential customers, hoping to sell a jar or two if they liked it. Because of this, he didn’t keep much stock at the stall itself.

But knowing that the shop had more in stock, I made sure to note its location.

"Patrick-san, do they sell things like this in Bailey?"

As we walked away from the skewer stall, I realized I hadn’t seen anything like this in Bailey, despite it also being a port town. So I asked him, who was the lord’s brother.

"They likely do, but probably with different types of seafood."

"I must have missed it~"

After stocking up on dried meat in the first town, Shirin, I hadn’t really needed to buy more, so I hadn’t looked for anything like that again. Naturally, that meant I hadn’t noticed similar products.

"“Didn’t notice?”"

"Yeah. I think they were in stores that I didn’t think I’d have any business in. From now on, we should probably check out stores even if we don’t think we need anything from them."

"“Got it! Will check lots of stores!”"

When I told the kids I’d change my approach to picking which stores to visit, they nodded eagerly.

"“So, that means!”"

"Huh?"

"“Let’s go to that store!”"

Surprised by the reply I still can’t get used to, I watched as the kids quickly dashed toward a store they’d spotted, eager to start exploring right away.