AIWON Mall Isekai Store, Grand Opening Today! - Chapter 105
Episode 10-7
“Hey, Chloe, isn’t this just the leftovers that nobody wanted? What’s going on with this, Occhan?” (Ojichan but shortened? Like calling an old uncle)
“Hmm? This may look a bit rough, but it’s really tasty when you eat it, you know?”
“Yep, yep, what’s inside is more important than how it looks! Just like with people!”
“That’s a nice sentiment, and it’s true, but when a beautiful elf with a disappointing personality says it, it just doesn’t quite sit right.”
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
At the fish market in the port town, Chloe got caught by the old man and the old lady who work there.
It seems she got roped into their sales pitch, which is just like what you’d hear at Ameyoko*, with them saying things like, “We’ll throw in this extra!” Apparently, even the ugly-looking fish are still tasty. (*Shopping street name)
“Well, let’s try a bit of everything. Occhan, you can eat this seaweed too, right?”
“What are you talking about, kid? That’s not food; it’s something you wash your body with!”
“…Huh? Ah, like a sponge.”
“Yeah, if you dry it, it’ll make your skin smooth! If you want dried ones, they’re sold over there.”
“So, dried goods are at a different store, huh? They sell them in this world too.”
“Yep! And this fish that looks a bit rough? It tastes even better when it’s dried! Though it ends up looking even worse, haha!”
The old man laughed heartily.
When I looked in the direction he pointed, I made eye contact with the old lady at the dried goods shop a few stores down.
She quickly picked up a product from the wooden box and started showing it off.
“Why are you showing that off? When it’s dried, it looks like an alien and makes me lose my appetite…”
“Well, that’s something, alright! But, but, what’s inside, inside is what matters!”
“Hehe, you’re right, Chloe-san. Don’t worry, it tastes good.”
“…want eat it.”
“Barbera-chan wants it, so you can arrange it, right?”
“Ah, yes. This is a field study, after all. It’s necessary, it’s necessary. If it tastes good, the fact that it looks rough shouldn’t be a problem. As long as customers don’t get turned off and it sells, there shouldn’t be an issue.”
I tried to reassure myself.
I can’t afford to be put off by appearances. If it tastes good, there’s no problem, and if it sells, that’s even better.
Even beef stew was avoided here because it looked like muddy water, and it took time for people to accept it.
What’s important is whether it sells, not my personal preferences.
After all, different cultures have different ideas about what looks “tasty” or “a bit off.”
Even in Japan, there are fish that don’t look great. Now that I think about it, that fish looks more like a warasubo* than a moray eel. (*Odontamblyopus lacepedii)
Thinking of it that way, it doesn’t seem like a problem anymore.
“In my original world, raw eggs and sashimi aren’t accepted everywhere either. Some places would question if it’s safe to eat them raw.”
“Oh? What’s that, kid? Are you looking for something you can eat raw? You’re quite the connoisseur!”
“…Do you have anything, seafood that can be eaten raw?”
“Sure do! Go check out the far corner over there! It’s not for first-timers, so it’s sold in a less noticeable spot!”
“Fish and seafood sold in the corner by old men and women who sell fish that ‘looks a bit rough’… huh.”
“Raw, you say!? Are you out of your mind, Naoya!?”
“So raw food isn’t common here, huh?”
“Of course not! Who in their right mind would eat it raw! And yet, Naoya would say something like ‘raw is the best,’ and tear my clothes off! And then… you’d touch me, touch me slowly, and—kuh kill me!”
“We’re talking about fish, why are you turning into an ‘eroelf’? Get back here, I want to hear about your thoughts on eating raw fish.”
“…Raw? Just like always.”
“Ah, well, that might be true for you, Barbera. You did say you ate raw meat.”
“Dragons don’t need food. But if I kill something, I should eat it without being picky.”
“Even Barbera Mama goes for raw, huh? By the way, what happens to adventurers who come to raid your lair? No, wait, I don’t want to know, so don’t answer that.”
“Naoya-san. Dangerous bacteria and parasites can be removed with ‘Purification.’ Not many can use holy magic like ‘Purification,’ but I’ve heard nobles sometimes eat raw food that way.”
“Finally, a sensible opinion. I see, so it’s about power, wealth, and connections, huh?”
“Heh, so you’ve come to understand the greatness of ‘Purification,’ Naoya! The greatness of me, a holy knight who has mastered holy magic!”
“Yeah, yeah, it’s amazing, really. But we’re in the middle of a serious conversation, so just hold on a bit, Chloe.”
“However, in this port town, there is food that even commoners eat ‘raw.'”
“Without using ‘Purification’? Isn’t that dangerous? I mean, the parasites in a world with monsters must be pretty terrifying.”
“When you eat raw fish, you’re afraid of parasites, right? Well, someone in the past thought the same.”
“Uh-huh.”
“So they thought, ‘Why not eat the parasites raw too?'”
“…Uh, what?”
“They figured, there wouldn’t be parasites that parasitize the parasites.”
“That logic doesn’t add up.”
“And so, in this port town, a culture of eating certain things ‘raw’ was born.”
“That’s terrifying.”
I came to a stop.
In a dark corner of the market, Anna-san pointed to a basin at a particularly dim stall.
The dragon duo quietly stood behind me, while Chloe, next to me, was trembling.
“My, my, my, it’s rare to see an outsider come to this stall.”
A raspy voice reached my ears.
It probably belonged to the old lady running the stall, but I wasn’t sure.
I had no room to even look at the stall keeper’s face.
I was completely focused on the writhing, pink, elongated creatures moving inside the basin. In a very bad way.
“Eep!”
“W-what is this!? W-what the heck is this!? Eating this raw has to be a joke, right!? Tell me it’s a joke, Naoya! Tell me it’s a joke, Anna!”
“Hehe, don’t worry, Elf missy. Even if you eat it raw, it’s not like you eat it as is. You lop off the head, slice it up, and then you slurp down the pieces.”
“That’s not reassuring at all. There’s nothing reassuring about this.”
These creatures, ranging from 10 to 30 centimeters in thickness and 50 centimeters to a meter in length, were pink, elongated, with entire mouths at their ends, and no visible eyes. They were gnawing on a large fish inside the basin, squirming around.
“If the previous one was like a warasubo, this one would be like a shipworm. So, people in this other world eat these raw, huh? Haha…”
“N-Naoya, this has to be a joke, right? You’re not actually going to eat this, right? You’re not planning to make me eat this, right?”
“Naoya-san, if it comes down to it, I’ll eat it instead of the two of you. After all, even if my stomach gets devoured, I can recover.”
Chloe shook me as I let out a dry laugh. Anna-san clenched her fists in front of her chest with a look of grim determination. Barbera and Barbera Mama, unable to understand our disgust and revulsion, tilted their heads in confusion.
“If it means not having to eat this! I’ll do anything, anything, Naoya!”
“The elf has given in. Shouldn’t this be where you say, ‘But my spirit will not be broken!’? But I get it. I totally get it. I can’t do this. Even for a field study, this is too much.”
It’s been 25 days since I became the manager of the Aion Mall Otherworldly Store.
It seems the food culture in this world is pretty intense.
When I asked, I found out that the “restaurant that cooks your ingredients for you,” which I was told about earlier, would also prepare this creature. Raw. As sashimi.
…Yeah, I didn’t need that information.