Chapter 159: 144

I walked through the city in a daze.

How did it come to this? The request was for me to make ramen, so how did I end up in a bread contest?

I mean, the only bread I know how to make is chapati. No matter what I do, the most it'll become is naan. It's better than the stone-hard bread usually sold in Lemuria, but I'm even more of an amateur at bread-baking than I am at ramen-making.

「Souya-san!」

However, baking soda pancakes………no no no, rather than trivial things like that, I'm pissed that I'm being forced to compete in a bread contest.

Even though I already have my hands full with the ramen's broth, I now have to figure out bread.

It's really starting to feel like a huge pain. Should I just abandon the request?

「Souya! San!」

I heard a voice calling out to me from behind.

Turning around slowly, I found a girl in her mid-teens running towards me.

Her curly brown hair was thick and hung to her shoulders. Her petite and slender frame was wrapped up in a fur coat.

It was Amou Rutsuko, a foreigner just like me, who possessed a pure kind of eroticism.

「Long time no see! Also, I'm sorry!」

「Huh, what about?」

I was apologized to out of the blue.

Rutsuko-san bowed her head. Behind her, two armored little beings peeked at her panties.

「It's about the matter with the dragon! I'm sorry for leaving so abruptly without saying a word! I heard that you ran into a lot of trouble after that. I haven't had a chance to apologize until now」

「Ahh, now that you mention it……」

I still haven't given her the reward because she suddenly left the day after that festival.

「The thing is, I finally succeeded in making something that I've been trying to make ever since I arrived in the alternate world. Until yesterday, I've been working on the prototype the whole time」

「The prototype?」

Somehow, I'm curious.

「When I think about the era you lived in, Souya-san, the only thing that comes to mind is Anpan[1]」

In her mind, I'm a person from an era where the chonmage was worn.

「Here! Take a look at this! This is the best one among those that I'm satisfied with!」

She pulled out the most popular bread in the modern world.

Upon receiving it, I trembled.

I never thought there would come a time when I would tremble so much over a piece of bread.

「Goddess………」

「Eh?」

I grabbed Rutsuko-san's hand without thinking.

「The goddess of bread!」

「Eh? Eh?」

【158th day】

It was early morning of the next day. With the sky still dark, a bread contest was being held at the temple of the flame religion.

Three judges had been selected, and I ran into one of them in the hallway.

I fled.

「Wait-nya!」

「I'm not gonna wait-nya!」

If I was going to wait when told to do so, I wouldn't have fled in the first place!

As fast as humanly possible, I ran away.

But.

With a single leap, Tyutyu caught me and clung to my back. I had underestimated the physical capabilities of beastkin. After that, though they're small in size, the sensation of her breasts on my back made me go stiff.

「I've caught you-nya!」

「I've been caught-nya」

Now that things have turned out this way, I'm doomed to my fate. I'll let her deal with me as she sees fit.

「Souya, you're terrible-nya」

「Eh, isn't it a bit late for that?」

I think I'm definitely not a good person.

I mean, the god I'm contracted with is the god of misdeeds after all.

「You should have told me the whole story about Barfuru-sama back then-nya」

「………………」

What's she talking about?

「I heard from the king that Barfuru-sama met an honorable end. I also heard that you went with him and the two of you fought the vampires together, Souya. Even though it was a secret mission, I wish you would have said something to Nya」

I see. So that's the official story, huh?

「Speaking of which, Barfuru-sama had saved up a surprisingly large amount of money to provide for Nya and the people in the neighborhood who had helped him in the event of his death-nya」

「Hmmm」

Is it really that guy's money? I can't help but feel suspicious about that.

「Since I've got a lot of money now, I'm going to renovate my store-nya」

「Renovate that store?」

「I'm going to have walls and a roof built-nya. An oven too-nya. It's going to become a full-blown store-nya」

So it's finally going to become a normal store, huh?

「That's why I've been wanting to ask for your help, Souya-nya. Please introduce me to a trustworthy carpenter who charges the cheapest-nya. The ones the proprietress referred to me are very skilled, but they’re all very expensive-nya」

「Sure. I'll introduce you to a craftsman who's very skilled and very free at the moment」

This will give Makina something to do.

Oh, Rana also makes furniture as a hobby. I'll try asking her as well.

「But, Tyutyu, what kind of store do you have in mind?」

Even if it becomes a splendid store, considering its location, it'll be difficult to get customers.

「It'll remind me of Barfuru-sama, so I won't serve alcohol anymore-nya. I'm going to make it a store that only sells food-nya. I want a store where the food is cheap and the portions are big-nya」

Tyutyu isn't a bad cook. But she's not so good that her cooking will attract customers.

Food that's cheap and easy to sell, huh? I'd like to help her, but I don't have the time or energy to take care of everything by myself.

I'll wait and see how it goes for now, and if things start looking bad, I'll give her a helping hand. If it still doesn't work out after that, I’ll feel bad for her, but I'll make her close the store before she gets into debt.

「And so, for today's bread contest, I'll be using it as a learning experience-nya」

I couldn't see Tyutyu's face, but I could sense that she was smiling fearlessly.

She's a much tougher girl than I had thought. It seems that my fears might be unfounded.

「Oh, but I'll be judging fairly-nya. It's not right to let personal feelings influence such things-nya」

「That's true-nya」

Soon after, the other two judges arrived.

Rutsuko-san and I started to put the finishing touches on the bread.

And then,

The empty dining area of the flame religion was filled to the brim with people.

For the record, the three judges were a cute blonde-haired cat beastkin, a sleepy-looking receptionist from the Adventurers' Guild, and the baldy running this country.

Tyutyu is an employee of Master's bar, Evetta is my person-in-charge, and the baldy can go screw himself.

In a way, it's a fair panel of judges.

「Now, Souya, there's something that needs to be decided before the bread tasting begins」

The barkeeper took out a gold coin.

「Castle is heads and wheat is tails. We'll use this to decide who goes first」

A typical gold coin has the design of a castle on one side and an ear of wheat on the other side.

「Master, I’ll let you choose whichever you like」

「Huh? Hey, don't you know that since ancient times, the one that goes last has the advantage in a cooking contest? You can even say that this is practically what decides the outcome. Are you throwing the contest from the get-go?」

That's just the logic in cooking mangas, isn't it?

「No, I'm just confident that I’ll win either way」

「Oh-ho~ You seem confident, but the helper that you're counting on is shaking in her boots, you know?」

「Hyaa!」

Rutsuko-san got scared when the barkeeper glared at her.

Well, there are two stern old men present. It's no wonder she’s like this.

（Souya-san! I never heard anything about this! Why didn't you tell me that the king would be here?! And that our opponent is a relative of his!）

（Don't worry. I didn't hear anything about it either）

Rutsuko-san hid behind me and started whispering to me.

（Wh, what should we do? What should we do? Will we be hanged if my bread tastes bad?）

（If that happens, I'll kill the baldy and we'll run away together）

「It's Lost Paradise」

「It's Ai no Corrida」[2]

The Gunmerrys' interjections were as incomprehensible as ever.

「That last one, it was cut off, wasn’t it?」

「That's interesting~」

Stop it.

「Hey, Souya, I can hear you, you know?」

「Tch」

The baldy, King Lemuria, picked a bone with me.

「S, Souya-san! Don't be like that! We'll be put to death!」

Rutsuko-san was trembling even harder in fear.

「Don't worry, no one will follow a king who's that shallow」

I said that, but it didn't stop her from trembling. But she had baked the bread to perfection, and I could tell from the smell that they would be delicious.

「Master, can I go first?」

「Pfft, I've won then」

I got his consent, so I got started preparing the bread.

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After removing it from the mold, I sliced the rectangular loaf of bread with a knife. The judges looked shocked when they saw how easily the knife passed through the loaf. That was probably enough to give them an idea of how fluffy this bread was.

What we had baked is the traditional Shoku-pan(pan loaf[3]).

The thing that Rutsuko-san had been trying to make ever since coming to the alternate world is yeast.

The bread that's commonly eaten in Lemuria is the kind known as sourdough bread in the modern world, which is fermented mainly using lactobacilli(lactic acid bacteria). Sourdough bread doesn't rise as much as bread made with yeast, making it heavier, fuller, and harder. I believe that it's the lactobacilli that give that bread its unique sour taste.

The process of making sourdough itself is very simple; all that's required is to ferment a mixture of wheat flour and water. However, it's difficult to keep the quality consistent. It takes a lot of skill to make it taste delicious.

I guess it's like the bread version of Nukazuke(preserved food made by fermenting vegetables in rice bran).

Sourdough bread can last for a long time and is the perfect food to bring on adventures. Because one needs to chew more when eating it, it also trains one's jaw and makes one feel fuller after eating it.

And then there's bread made with yeast. Bread made in this way is fluffy and has a mild flavor. It's also easier to maintain a consistent quality for this kind of bread compared to sourdough bread.

Rutsuko-san had been making bread using sourdough ever since she came to this side, but she had been unhappy with the inconsistency in quality. In the end, she decided to try to develop yeast strains.

Yeast and lactobacilli are both fermenting agents. As an amateur, I couldn't see the difference between them, but Rutsuko-san explained it very well.

『Yeast is man-made. Lactobacilli is natural. That's it』

It was really easy to understand.

When I asked her how she developed the yeast strains, she gave me an easy-to-picture but hard-to-understand explanation about how she was able to separate them out by having a Gunmerry swing another Gunmerry round and round like a giant centrifuge.

Incidentally, there's no baking soda at all in this bread.

I mean, it may be a fluffy bread contest, but no one said anything about having to use baking soda.

「Ermm, this is a bread that recreates the taste of my homeland, and it’s called Shoku-pan. I made it with the help of my friend here」

I put a slice of bread on each plate and placed one in front of each judge.

Well, now that I think about it, Shoku-pan(edible bread) is such a weird name. I mean, bread(pan) that cannot be eaten only exists in riddles after all.[4]

「What is this?」

Evetta-san woke up.

Umm, it's a bread contest, so there won't be anything other than bread.

「It's food. Please give it a try」

「I'm not sure what's going on, but I'll eat it gratefully」

Evetta snatched it up with her bare hands and ate it all in one mouthful.

「Souya, the bread melted」

「No no no」

It disappeared in the blink of an eye! What's on earth is going on with you?

「Then Nya will give it a try as well-nya」

Tyutyu also grabbed it with her bare hands and sunk her teeth into it, then froze………………and started trembling.

「Wh, what the nya is this-nya?!」

Her reaction was kinda like the ones in cooking manga.

She didn't become naked though.

「I have no idea how to chew it-nya. Just by putting it between my lips, the bread crumbles-nya. A, amazing-nya. Souya, did you say that this is called Shoku-pan(edible bread)-nya? Does that mean that in your homeland, bread that's inferior to this isn't even considered to be edible-nya?」

「That's not true」

I actually like sourdough bread. It's really good when you toast it and put cheese on top, like they do in the old animes. It can be kept for a long time, so I always make sure to have some in the kitchen.

「………………Fumuu」

The bald―――――King Lemuria, I meant, had an odd look on his face.

「The girl there. What's your name?」

「Hy, hyiii. It, it's Lutz」

Rutsuko-san was so nervous that she had frozen stiff.

She looked cute[5], so I stroked her back.

「So, Lutz, does the fact that you're here in Lemuria mean that you're an adventurer?」

「Y, yes, I am. But lately, rather than exploring the dungeon, all I've been doing is baking bread」

「Umu, exploring the dungeon is not all there is to being an adventurer. Sometimes, a good loaf of bread can save a man's heart. This is a feat that only you can accomplish. You should be proud of it」

「Thank you so muchhhhhh!」

Rutsuko-san was bowing her head vigorously.

「Now, do you have any interest in becoming the king's concubine?」

What?

「I'll guarantee your livelihood. I'll also let you bake more bread than ever before. You're young. Although you're yet unpolished as a woman, I'll teach you the many ways of making yourself shine. I'll spare no expense in doing so. How about it? Won't you serve me?」

「Con, concu, bine?」

Rutsuko-san tugged at my sleeve.

It seems that she doesn't understand what the word "concubine" means.

「That baldy over there wants you to be his mistress. If you'd rather not, you can hit him with a rolling pin. I'll help you」

「Eh, mistress?!」

「Hey, Souya. Having this kind of attitude towards the king of a country――――――」

「I refuse!」

Rutsuko-san refused in a louder voice than I had expected.

I had expected her to shake in fear like a small animal, but this is a surprise.

「I believe that a man should only love one woman! Switching from one to another……women are not seasonal clothes, you know?! I think that kind of behavior is the worst! I refuse! I'm leaving!」

Rutsuko-san took off her apron and slammed it on the table before stalking out.

「Souya, why do you look like you’re in pain-nya?」

Stop it, Tyutyu.

My chest hurts from the sting of her words.

「Well well, Souya, your helper has just left. This contest is as good as over」

The barkeeper smirked at me.

No, Rutsuko-san has already finished what she came here to do though.

「Alright then, it's my fluffy bread's turn now」

King Lemuria rose from his seat.

「The winner of this bread contest is Souya. I've found delicious bread and a good woman, but next time, hold such contests during lunchtime. It's really too early in the day and I'm still sleepy」

Evetta-san also rose from her seat.

「I'll give Souya the win. Umm, Souya, can I have the rest of the Shoku-pan?」

Tyutyu also stood up.

「Nya also gives the win to Souya-nya. Oh, Nya still wants to eat more Shoku-pan-nya」

「Alright alright, I’ve got some for you all to take home」

I handed a loaf of wrapped-up Shoku-pan to each of the three people who were leaving.

「Hey, guys, wait a minute! How can you decide on the winner when you haven't eaten any of my fluffy bread yet?!」

「Umu, I've gotten sick of eating it」

「I've also had it a lot of times」

「Nya also ate quite a lot of the unsold ones-nya」

The judges said their final words then left.

Leaving the barkeeper standing there with plates in his hands.

「Hey………………Souya」

「What is it?」

I started to clean up. The priestess glanced my way, but took the hint and went on her way.

「You’ve got any for me? The Shoku-pan」

「Yes, I do」

The barkeeper grabbed the loaf of Shoku-pan and left, his back hunched over.

Somehow, his broad back looks smaller.

I feel kind of sorry for him.

I picked up the fluffy bread that the barkeeper had left behind. It looked more like sponge cake than bread.

I took a bite.

The un-sweetened castella-like[6] bread was filled with honey. It had a rustic taste.

「Master, I don't mind this at……」

Oh, he's long gone, I suppose.

I took the liberty of getting some milk from the food storage and had it with the fluffy bread.

Should I make dorayaki[7], I wonder? We've still got sugar at home, I think.

Basking in the sense of accomplishment from a job well done, I finished off the fluffy bread.

I think it tastes okay. This is the alternate world where sweets are luxury items. This is a good enough reward for me.

「Alright then」

I cleaned up the kitchen, washed the dishes, then stood and contemplated the deserted cooking area.

「………………I've made zero progress」

I fell into despair over the current state of affairs.

[1] Anpan is such a staple in Japanese anime/manga/etc that I wondered if there’s a need to explain it, but well, just in case.

Anpan, or red-bean-paste bread, is, well, bread with red bean paste filling. It was first made in 1875, during the Meiji period, the era of chonmage-wearing samurais and nobles that Rutsuko thinks Souya is from. It was created by Yasubei Kimura, a samurai who lost his job with the dissolution of the samurai as a social class. At that time, the only available bread in Japan was salty and sour-tasting, so this new tasting bread gained the favor of Japanese people quickly. It was also said that the emperor loved it when he tried it and ordered Yasubei to present him with anpans every day, further boosting its popularity when news of this spread.

[2] Lost Paradise(1997) and Ai no Corrida(1976) are both movies about affairs.

Lost Paradise was the second highest grossing Japanese film of 1997 domestically in Japan, being only beaten by Princess Mononoke, while Ai no Corrida, also known as L'Empire des sens and In the Realm of the Senses, was an international co-production between France and Japan that generated great controversy during its release because it contained scenes of unsimulated sexual activity between the actors despite being intended for mainstream wide release. And spoilers and seriously wtf warning here, but among the many controversial things shown in it, the plot of the movie involves the female lead strangling the male lead to death during the deed, cutting his member off, and then leaving it inside for several days… And it’s based on a real event from the 1930s…

[3] Shoku-pan is pan loaf, or bread made in a pan/mold, which is essentially how commercial bread loaves are made. In other words, it’s basically the most common bread in the modern world. Also, in Japanese, Shoku-pan is written as 食パン, with the characters meaning, “Edible(食) Bread(パン)”. Normally, it will simply be called/translated as just “bread”, but you’ll soon see why I’m being forced to do this.

[4] The riddle goes thus: What Pan(パン) is Pan(パン) yet is Pan(パン) that cannot be eaten? It sounds like a riddle about bread, but it’s actually just a play on how most types of bread in Japan are XX-パン, ie An-pan(あんパン), melon-pan(メロンパン), etc. Hence, the answer is just the various “Pan”s that can’t be eaten, ie Japan(ジャパン), frying pan(フライパン), Chopin(ショパン) and so on.

[5] Now, the usual, expected term here is 可哀そう, which means seems pitiable or makes one feel sorry for, but the author instead had 可愛そう there, which means seems cute. Now, both terms sound exactly the same in Japanese(かわいそう), so it could be a kanji conversion error, or the equivalent of misspelling the word, or it could be on purpose, and I have no idea which, hence this note. If it is indeed a “misspelling”, then the sentence should be, “I felt sorry for her, so I stroked her back.” By the way, the fact that I’m not sure which is correct is such an indictment on Souya’s character, isn’t it? XD

[6] Castella is a type of sponge cake produced in Japan. It’s made with sugar, flour, eggs, and starch syrup, and is very common at festivals or as street food. It was originally produced in Portugal during medieval times, and when the Portuguese reached Japan, they presented it to Japanese nobility. It was called Pão de Castela, which in Portuguese means "bread of Spain", and this is where the name Castella is derived from. (Pic courtesy of justonecookbook.com)

[7] Dorayaki is a type of Japanese confection. It consists of two small pancake-like patties made from castella wrapped around a filling of sweet azuki bean paste. (Pic courtesy of justonecookbook.com)

I’m sure most of you got it, but Tyutyu’s reaction and the thing about her not getting naked is a shot at Shokugeki no Souma, which was still being serialized in Jump during this chapter’s release. And the last sentence isn’t as clear after translation, but the phrasing is the same as Zetsubou-sensei’s catchphrase.

Fueee~ So many explanations in a joke chapter lol. Why are you doing this to me?! But I suppose there will tend to be more pop-culture references in the light-hearted chapters rather than the serious ones. The fact that I had to write so many explanations about bread is kinda amazing to me though. That said, I’m all out of words, so stay tuned~!

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