Chapter 31: Consumption
Edited by ArchmageNaoki and Arthur300000
With the slow time shout, just moving at a normal speed took quite a bit of effort, It was like walking through water. With Eva in my arms, I had to slow myself down even more. I heard that there's a limit on how much G-force the human body can handle, but I don't know the exact limit. So I used Eva's small boobs as an indicator. All I have to do is make sure the jiggling of Eva's boobs doesn't look weird that indicates too much G-force, I think.
The slowed motion of everything looked surreal to me. The falling snowflakes came to an almost standstill in the air. The thug who was reaching his arm at me looked so funny in this situation. It was too easy to duck under his arm and speed away. While I was running, I noticed that my speed didn't reach supersonic levels. The swimming feeling might be just the effect from dragon shout. I believed I could still easily outrun a car in this state.
The full slow time shout only lasts for 16 seconds, but it was plenty enough for me to carry Eva away from those thugs. When it ended, we already arrived at the ramen shop about 300 meters away from where I had begun to run.
"Huh? Wha-What happened?" Eva groggily said after her feet touched the ground. Well, I might've gone a bit overboard with the jiggling. I thought Eva was a lot taller than me, but when she was in my arms, I realized that it was because of her high heels.
"We ran away from those thugs." I explained and looked back. After rounding the corner we were out of their sight, hopefully having lost them.
"No, I mean... They surrounded us but suddenly..." Eva confusedly looked left and right. Both of her arms still wrapped around my neck for support allowing the synthetic strawberry scent of her shampoo to assault my nose. The people around us also curiously glance at us.
"I ran fast." Since the dragon shout could do what magic can't, telling her about it might be a bad idea, so I just pulled Eva into the ramen shop.
The atmosphere inside the shop is almost the same as that sushi restaurant. It had to be the handiwork of that Boku no Pico guy. There are a few tables already filled so I pulled Eva to the counter bar where we could see the cook working behind it. The scent in the air made me feel nostalgic. Before arrived in this world I was a fan of noodles due to economic reasons. I could proudly proclaim that I have tried all brands and flavors of instant noodles, of course only around the local area. However, when it came to real ramen, I was only able to try a plain one.
Eva was still holding her head. She looked queasy. While I apologized to her in my mind, I picked up a menu and read it quietly. Oh, this shop lets you customize your noodles, interesting.
Menu
A basic bowl of noodle will cost three credits. Extra large cost five credits.
1. Select broth
Shoyu (Soy sauce base broth with a clear, brown color)
Tonkotsu (Milky and creamy bone broth)
Shio (Clear salty broth with a lot of seaweed)
Miso (Fermented soybeans broth)
2. Select hardness of noodle
Soft (1) ...... (2) ........ (3) ........ (4) ......... (5) Hard
3. Extra topping +1 Credit each
Bean sprout, Butter, Cabbage, Chashu (Slice meat), Cheese, Corn, Croquettes, Egg,
Deep fried shrimp, Deep fried vegetable, Fish Cake, Green Onion, Kimchi (Fermented Vegetable),
Marinated bamboo shoot, Mori seaweeds, Schnitzel, Spinach, Tofu, Wakame seaweeds
Drinks:
PoroPoro Juice ....................... 1 credit
Desert rat’s urine ..................... 1 credit
Green tea .................................. 1 credit
Wow, it doesn't have any strange ingredients like monster parts. This was a sight for sore eyes. Anyway, I felt suspicious of the word meat. If I remember correctly, the usually use pork.
"Excuse me, what is the meat you are using?" I asked the chef for the origin of it.
"It's #@!(X meat!" He answered.
"Huh? What is that?" Its name is too strange. I couldn't even pronounce it.
"It's the flying (#X$#$ belly. It has better taste and texture than pork." Ok, it's a monster I concluded. It even had a super strange name that I couldn't pronounce. Hah, whatever, let's judge it by its taste.
"One Shoyu ramen with hardness level 4 and a cup of green tea." Because of my nostalgic moods, I just ordered something simple.
"Coming right up!" Chef answered and began to cook vigorously. I like shops where I can see the chef cooking. Well, all I understand about cooking involved a microwave. However, directly seeing an expert do the cooking is enjoyable.
"Umm... Is it normal for an adventurer to run that fast?" Eva finally recovered but I don't trust her on this matter yet, so I made something up on the spot.
"I trained a lot, you know, 100 push ups, 100 sit ups, 100 Squats, and 10km running every day." I know it's all bullshit. But I don't want her to know about the dragon shout, alright? Eva looked at me suspiciously, but she doesn’t ask any further. It's all good, I think.
"Extra large soft Tonkotsu ramen with extra schnitzel and croquettes." Eva ordered her food just when the reply message from my mom came.
From: Catherine Velvori <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: Going out with a friend.
Date: 94754.8 5:59 PM
To: Kuro Velvori <[email protected]>
Dearest Daughter,
Be careful, that place has a lot of delinquents. I will ask dad to pick you up. Also, don't forget the talk we had yesterday.
Mom
Ahh, that's why we met with that gang of men. Asking my ever busy dad to pick me up is a bit much. I almost text back to tell her I don't need it, but I decide otherwise at the last moment. If I did that, she would just get even more worried. And that talk yesterday... my face flushed when I thought on what she said. I felt like she gave me zero credit on that account.
"Here you are, little miss!" A hairy armed chef serves me my ramen. It looked like what I remembered. A light yellow noodle in brown liquid, finely chopped green onions, a few pieces of bamboo shoot, a piece of fish cake, and two pieces of Chashu on top. The smell of Shoyu is also the same as I remembered. I began eating to confirm the taste of the problematic Chashu from unknown meat... Hmm, it actually tastes better than pork. I was proven again and again that monsters could taste delicious. That rat pee might also taste grea- No, that is a line that I still won't cross.
We enjoy the meal and talk about the courses available tomorrow. In the end, I found nothing interesting and planned to use tomorrow to improve my spells at home, and if I have time, I might go shopping.
"What are you going to do on Founding days?" Eva asked.
"Huh, what're Founding days?" I honestly don't know what it is. Well, I read about it on a web advertisement. "A Founding days' grand sale" or something but I thought it was just a nonsensical commercial. Eva scrutinized my face for a while, but in the end, she shrugged.
"It's a public holiday. It happens on this Thursday and Friday. No shops or business will be open during that time. Most people spend that time with their family." Eva explained. Oh, it's a public holiday huh?
"Maybe, I would just tinker on my magic spe-" "Yo! Sis!" I was going to tell Eva my plan, but a punk interrupted me. He has orange hair and ear and nose piercings. Combined with his post-apocalyptic raider attire made me almost enter fight-or-flight mode. Wait, I think he just said something incomprehensible.
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"Oh, hello Ken. You're late." Huh? Is this punk Eva's brother? I looked back and forth between them and tried to find anything relatable. Maybe it's their impossibly bright blue eyes or their lip shape.
"Sorry, sis. I had to help a friend out from a sticky situation. I came as fast as I could, you know?" Why did that guy smirk at me? When I saw him smirking, I reflexively avoid his eyes. Old habits die hard. In my former world, when this kind of guy was looked at me it meant trouble. However, nothing is happening here.
"Kuro this is Ken, my older brother. And Ken this is Kuro, my friend." Eva introduced us when she noticed the awkward atmosphere.
"Ooh, you got a new friend~ congratulations. I thought a manly girl like you would be stuck with that Maria forever." Ken teased his sister and Eva pouted. She's quite cute when she pouts, so I understand why her brother likes to tease her. Though, I thought Eva was a "smart" type rather than a "manly" type. We had made some small talk for a little while longer before we went to leave the shop. It was already dark outside.
"Do you need a lift Kuro?" Ken asked me after I insisted on paying for Eva's meal.
"No, my dad's coming to pick me up, but is this area safe to walk around?" I saw a convenience store nearby but if it's like my mom said I might stay in the restaurant and wait for my dad. I don't want to get into trouble anyway.
"Nah, it's ok. It's just that we had quite a few problem kids around here so we got a bad reputation. But I would say it quite safe because there is no missing people or crime like other places. Those people are unknowingly patrolling the neighborhood for us." He said like an adult.
"But aren't you one of them?" I couldn't stop my mouth.
"Me? Don't group me with them. I am a cool guy, you know?" He said and struck a pose which transformed him from [A delinquent] to [A delinquent who has delusions of grandeur]... or he might have an eight-grade syndrome.
"..." I think, I should maintain my silence here.
"A-anyway, thanks for the food, Kuro!" Eva thanked me and quickly took her brother home. I exit the shop and wave goodbye to Eva and Ken. They ride a big motorbike, something which I doubt I could get on if I wanted to keep my pride intact. The only place I could get on it in this situation is in front of the driver like a child. While waving, I smiled and congratulated myself on rejecting them.
"Now let's see..." It's the first time I'm alone outside in this world. And the first place I spend my freedom is a convenience store. It's lame, huh? Well, let's take one step at a time, and this is quite a big step for a shut-in like me.
*DING DONG* When I walked inside the door bell ringed like the ones on earth. The atmosphere inside is also the same. It seems this is also the work of an Outsider.
I sent the message to my dad to tell him that I will be waiting inside the convenience store and start browsing. The items displayed on the shelves are interesting. It's everyday things, but there is also a corner selling utility magic device. I spotted a set of wristbands that gave me pause.
Personal climate control magic device.
Keep yourself comfortable in all kinds of weather.
Efficiency level: V (Extremely low drain)
Warning: This device is for everyday use only, not for hazardous environments or combat.
Colors: Black, Blue, Red, Yellow, and White.
Price: 25 Credits
So, this is why a lot of people here wear thin clothes in the winter. I remembered Eva also had one of these on her wrist. I thought people in this world also had cold resistance like me, but it seems I was wrong. I picked one of each color from the shelf. It's not a necessary item for me, but it might be useful later. I know my hoarding tendency was kicking in again, but it's fine, I have a lot of money.
"Uhm, excuse me? If I'm going to buy a lot can I store the items in my device and pay when I finish?" I asked shopkeeper because I don't see any shopping trolley here.
"No, you can't little miss. If you do that, it will alarm the anti-thief system and police will come. You could just tell me what you need, and I'll manage it for you." Oh, that's why the department store wasn't afraid of people stealing with their storage devices.
"Uhm, but I want to pick things by myself." Actually, I have no plan, so I want to look at it and decide to buy one by one. But, I'm too lazy to explain that.
"In that case, you could put the items you want on that desk, and I will do the rest." Okay, it's less convenience but it's better than nothing.
I shopped for a while and picked a lot of items like unknown snacks, everyday things, and what seems to be useful utility devices. I also got the props for my sister's sex ed. Well, I had to ignore the shopkeeper's strange gaze when I picked up the condom.
The shop is also selling small and medium sized monster cores on the counter, but the price is double of what I sold! Luckily I kept small black monster cores and medium green monster cores.
"Oh~ I found treasure!~." I picked up a lot of porn magazine from the shelf. They have slightly hidden away. At first, I could only see the titles, but they couldn't hide from my skillful sight. Moreover, they are downright cheap. It's just one credit per book. I began to carry all of them to the desk, but the shopkeeper interrupted me.
"Uhmm, little miss. That corner is for adults only." He said while scratching his beard. The fluorescent light from the ceiling made it obvious that he brushed. Damn it. I have no choice but to return them tearfully. Why didn't he complain when I picked up the condom, huh? Anyway, I could have used the [Bend Will] dragon shout on him, but I felt it'd be wrong to do. Even if it’s tempting to use the power, I don’t want any troubles.
In the end, I spent 831 credits on half a cubic meter of miscellaneous items. It was quite a haul, and it took a while for the shopkeeper to process all of those and even more for me to store them on my storage device. Even so, my dad still hadn't arrived yet. I looked around for something to do, stop a bit on that adult shelf. While I was considering my option, my dad's car parked in front of the shop. When I saw that, I couldn't help but smile. I know it's childish, but it was a neutral reflex of mine.
"Sorry I'm late Kuro, a new model just came out from development phase so-" My dad looked tired when he opened the car's door for me.
"It's okay dad. I know you're busy. Sorry for bothering you." I cut him off. I understand him completely in that being an adult is hard. In my previous life, I tried doing a part-time job, but I couldn't handle the workload, stress, and responsibility.
"Also, here you are." I gave him all my medium green monster cores. After I had seen its price at the convenience store, I felt it was too wasteful to let him buy it. However, about those one million credits, I still need more time to think.
"Thanks, Kuro, that's helpful." He put a few of them inside the console and stored the rest in his ring. Cool, wedding rings in this world are useful and not just used as a useless decoration.
"Your welcome." I reply while putting on my seatbelt. The belt dug between my boobs, making them look more erotic than usual. Okay, tonight I'm watching BDSM porn on my new PC. You might ask why do I like porn when I have a girl's body. I will tell you this. Only a naked body is not an art.
"Say, do you have any plans this holiday?" My dad asked after he had started the engine.
"No, I don't have anything planed yet." I might just play with my new PC, but that shouldn't count as a plan.
"Good, how about visiting your grandparents with us? They're on the main continent, so we'll have to ride an airship to get there, and we need you to help mom." My dad explained.
"Count me in." I promptly accept. Well, I really want to ride the airship. And now the chance has presented itself. I don't know what kind of people my grandparents are, but to worry about that is pointless. I'll just have to wait and see.
My dad thanked me and sped up along the road. Being short has a lot of demerits, right now I had to stretch myself to the limit to see beyond the car console. It was uncomfortable to do that, so I laid back and sent a message to Marcus to ask about my order.
Along the way, my dad was just humming along with the music from the radio. It had a strange but catchy tune. It felt like a pop and waltz hybrid plus something strange that I couldn't put my finger on. I also asked my dad about the details of the trip. We just need to ride an airship down from our floating island for half a day then he'll rent a car and drive to my grandparents' house. They are from my mother's side so they should be nice people too, I hope.
It took only about ten minutes to arrive at our house. We greeted my mom as usual. My brother is already home, and he looked exhausted. Mr. Bobo the flying pig glided from his perch to greet us and flew around my dad's head. I looked left and right to find my sister, but it seems she isn't back yet.
Okay, let's practice before she arrives. It would be bad if I can't teach her properly if struggle with my embarrassment. I took out all my props from my hair clip while my brother was still collapsed on the sofa. My dad immediately went back to his room. Maybe he brought his work back home.
Hmm, let's see, "A boy has a pen*s, and a girl has a v*gina... If a girl like you let a boy insert this banana into your doughnut, then you might get pregnant. To prevent that you will need to put this condom on the banana and... Also, there is a pill but-"
"Kuro~ the bath is ready~" My mom interrupted my rehearsal. Yay! Bathing time with my mom! I jumped to the bathroom and left all the props on the dining table. I took a package of condoms with me because it wouldn't be polite to leave it lying around. Even so, the storing process is slow. I still have to wait a few seconds after I arrived at the bathroom before it would go back into my hair clip. I wished there was a faster storage device out there, but as of now, there is none that I know about.
The bathing time is as always, my happiest time of the day. Well, only my midnight time could rival this. Having my beautiful mom pamper me a bit in the warm water is quite soothing. I felt like the stress and worry of my entire day was melted and washed away.
"I'm home!" I heard my sister arrive.
"Welcome back, how was your day?" My brother replied. From the sound of his voice, he seems to have recovered.
"Very bad, I mistook a salt bottle as sugar and put a lot on my dinner exam. I'm famished~" *FWOOOOM* The sound of mom turning on the hair dryer drowned their conversation. It's a magical world, yet the hair dryer is still loud. Is it because it's the cheapest model out there? Nevertheless, it felt wonderful as she dried and brushed my hair.
The clothes I'm wearing right now are the new pajamas my sister bought for me. After we had returned from the adventure, she gave me a lot of new clothes. Some I was still reluctant to wear but some I like. These PJs for example, it's very comfortable. Its design is a bit too cute for my taste, but it's warm, fluffy, and soft.
I happily skipped out from the bathroom with my mom in tow. However, I stopped immediately after I saw my sister. She ate all the doughnuts and dic- I mean bananas that I bought!