Side Story: Fran and Kune 11

We got our hands on both apples and honey, which left us no choice but to make sweet curry!

And thus, after several days of experimenting with the recipe…

『How is it?』

「Nn. Delicious.」

「This is great, nya! It’s not hot anymore, so everyone can eat it!」

「Woof.」

Fran gave the usual calm comment while Kune was very enthusiastic. Meanwhile, the spice-loving Urushi seemed a bit unsatisfied. Honestly, this ultra-sweet curry only had the slightest hint of spiciness.

Imagine the curry served in elementary school lunches, but even sweeter. I performed endless adjustments to the balance of purple apples and spices to get a flavor that was just right.

As a result, we ended up with a delicious curry that was both sweet and refreshing.

That took care of the rice and spice surplus, leaving only the buckwheat (aka soba) and miso.

We dealt with the soba first, which was as easy as making curry nanban soba. They already had a vegetable similar to green onions, so the rest was simple.

For miso, we decided to try a miso-simmered fish dish. I dumped a ton of sugar into the miso, so it would be way too sweet for me, but hopefully, that should suit the tastes of people from Raydoss.

If they end up liking these recipes, then rice consumption might go up as well. Please become popular!

A few days later, we found ourselves surrounded by a crowd in front of the Adventurer’s Guild.

「Come one, come all, nya! These brand-new recipes are delicious and completely free!」

「Nn. It’s good, try it.」

「Woof woof!」

Our aim was to offer the townspeople samples of the completed dishes. We distributed small portions of curry rice, a miso-cooked fish bowl (similar to mackerel), and curry nanban soba. For those interested, we also provided bags with recipes and ingredients.

Or at least, that was the plan…

Except no one came forward. Kune’s tastes seemed to be well-known in this town, so the fact that Kune called it delicious meant… Well, you get the idea.

To think Kune’s popularity would backfire on us like this…!

But then, our saviors appeared in our darkest moment.

「Kune! Whatcha doing here?」

「Hey Kune-neechan, what’s this?」

「It smells good!」

They were the children who were friendly to Kune. Apparently, they had heard rumors of Kune holding some kind of event and came to visit out of curiosity.

「What a weird color!」

「Looks gross!」

「Nya! Wrong! It’s actually super tasty, nya!」

「Really?」

「But Dad said that Kune has no taste buds!」

「Nya! That jerk! I’ll punish him later, nya!」

Despite their initial distrust, the kids could not help but be tempted by Kune’s praise and the enticing smell. They accepted the curry samples from Fran and hesitantly took a bite.

Hahaha! Little do they know, one bite is all it takes to get you hooked! You’ll be addicted to my ultra-sweet curry forever!

「The dark-looking thing is super good!」

「Nom nom! I can eat this forever!」

「This is practically a drink!」

Probably due to the color of the purple apples, my sweet curry ended up as a dark brown color, which did little to stimulate anyone’s appetite.

Only after seeing the children scarfing it down did the adults come forward. The smiles of children were the best way to attract customers after all.

And one of them already realized the universal truth: curry can be considered a drink! That kid has a bright future.

「Whoa, these noodles are delicious too! It takes a bit to get used to, but the aroma seems so enticing now!」

「Man, this fish is amazing! I’ve never had such a rich sauce before!」

「This curry thing goes perfectly with the white grains! I could eat this every day! I think I’m crying!」

So adding a few new ingredients to their usual recipes only gave them an uncanny feeling, but they seemed to enjoy completely new dishes just fine. I guess food preferences are complicated wherever you go.

「Heh.」

Fran crossed her arms with an incredibly proud smile. She must be very pleased to see curry being so well-received.

『Everything turned out well, huh.』

「Nn.」

The tasting event ended as a complete success, with us having passed out all the food and recipe sets. We’ve already provided the recipes to the Adventurer’s Guild, so they should do just fine without us.

Which meant our request had been successfully completed.

The next day, Fran bid farewell to the staff and departed the guild building. It’s questionable if this request really needed a Rank S adventurer, but Fran enjoyed doing it, so I had no regrets.

After all, it’s what allowed us to meet Kune.

「Fran! I’ve been waiting for you, nya!」

「Kune.」

Kune came to see us off… or perhaps not. She had a slightly ominous vibe about her, which Fran also sensed, bracing herself.

「You really helped us out a bunch. I appreciate the recipe stuff and for teaching me how to evolve, nya.」

「Nn.」

「I have one request before you leave, nya. Would you have a mock battle with me?」

Kune bowed her head to us. Unlike her usual self, she was being completely serious. And of course, Fran had only one answer to that question.

「Sure.」

「Thanks, nya!」

Kune was obviously a battle maniac, so I had a feeling this might be coming. Or rather, I was surprised it didn’t happen earlier. Fran seemed to feel the same way, as the unmistakable emotion of joy was visible on her face.

「Nyahaha! Then follow me, nya! Let’s do it outside of town!」

「Nn!」

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