"Yosh! Let's start with our first bucket list item - Japanese sake!" Issei announced as we entered a liquor store.

"Really, I shouldn't even be in here, just the air is..." I sniffed around a bit, "Whoa, it smells really nice, actually!"

"Indeed, nihonshu, or Japanese sake as Issei Kaido put it, is one of the world's most refined alcoholic beverages ever to be created by humans." Even Ouroboras commended it.

"Wait, why emphasize the human part?"

"Well, to this day I still have not tasted a better drink than the elven beverages they produce."

"Eh? Elves!?" We jumped.

"No, I am talking 10-20 Universe Cycles in the past, in the world where elves exist." He shook his head, "Sadly though, the current Universe Cycle we are in has never and will never have elves as a race in it."

"Aww, way to spoil it.." Issei sulked.

"But how can you be sure they won't exist in the future?" I asked.

"Because we did not create this world to have them." He replied as he inspected a bottle from the lineup, "We Gods have lived since infinity. Unlike living beings, objects or even the Universe Cycle itself, we do not have a beginning nor an end."

"I'm not following. What does this have anything to do with you creating worlds?"

"What is there not to be understood?" He glanced through the see-through bottle at us, "We are simply bored. Thus we create and create worlds forever more, each one at the very least an atom's worth of different than the rest. What would be the point of repeating the very same Universe Cycle, after all."

I see, so he's saying they always make sure to set the parameters of each world in advance. Now it makes sense why they hate outside factors, like when Issei came to my world, or I came to his. But damn, if even our Gods are bored when they can literally create anything they want whenever, then what hope does that leave for us? Whoa, that was a bit too dark there, Lune, tone it down a smidge.

"Right, so which sake is the best?" I naively asked.

"The best? In what way?" Issei openly laughed at my question, "There are no 'good' or 'bad' ones, otherwise they wouldn't even be selling the bad ones. It's all up to taste."

"I concur. All sake mainly consists of rice, but the way the rice is used makes the nihonshu's taste completely different. For example, this one here has a richer texture, those ones over there have a sweeter taste, et cetera."

"Well, I mainly asked just to move the plot along." I shrugged, "We were hitting heavy lore territory, so I wanted to get back to the main reason we're here, which is to experience Japanese beverages."

"Right, then I think I'll let Ouri here pick the poison." Issei nudged him.

"Hold on, we did come here with the intent to buy it, but..." I glanced nervously at the calm shopkeep, "We can't exactly afford any of these with our current budget of zilch."

"Ah." Ouroboras took a bunch of yen out of his pocket, "So the lack of this is your problem, no? If so, I do not mind slightly abusing my powers for convenience's sake."

"Oh right, you're God." Issei returned him a more so deadpanned than an astonished look, "But is that really okay? Abusing your God powers to get drunk off your ass?"

"Who is going to stop me? I am the Sun God, there is no one above me."

Whoa, he's really serious in that statement, but I guess he's not wrong either. As the God of this world, it's not like his boss will get mad at him or anything. Still, is this not exactly interfering with the natural timeline of this Universe Cycle? This is that, isn't it - The butterfly effect. If you make money out of thin air and pay someone with it, that person's fate might go completely haywire a couple of years down the line, and worse yet, they may affect others' fates. Well, then again, if the Sun God doesn't care, then why should I?

"...Or not. I can't just live off convenient plot points and freebies." I still declined the offer, "Rather, leave the payments to me."

"What's he...?" Issei saw me approach the clerk.

"Hello." I gave him a friendly smile.

"Mn? Ah, sorri, sorri, noto goodo English." The clerk profusely apologized.

"Ah, no worries." I kept smiling anyways as I pressed on, "What is best?"

Right, I've traveled the world from top to bottom, so I'm used to dealing with foreigners. The differences in language make the strategy slightly different as well for each case, but the main point will forever be the same. Speak in short sentences, and try to only use keywords wherever possible.

"Besto?" He tried to recall what I meant, "A-Ah! Chiipu! Chiipu is goodo, this!"

"No, besto." I accidentally mimicked his accent in the process, "Mosto ekkusupensibu!"

"Eh?" He glanced at my friends before awkwardly pointing to the one in the special container, "This?"

"Oooh, that looks fancy!" I happily appraised it, "And would you look at that price tag! The guys will surely like it!"

Thus, I rolled up my sleeve to reveal something incredible. Obviously, I wasn't just going to pester the man without any intent to treat him nicely. Indeed, as we were walking along the road, I noticed a lot of people wearing some interesting pieces of jewelry indeed. On their wrists was a gold plated clock. For each and every one of them, though some looked more high tech than others. This led me to believe they surely treat these things with respect, meaning that if I were to say, Materialize one for myself as well...

"A Rolex!?" Issei gawked over my shoulder, "When'd you get that!?"

"I bought it a while back." I lied as the shopkeep expectantly glanced at us, "It's not scratched, but it's been with me for a long time. And now I think its journey will reach a new chapter, with a new owner."

A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Dude, you're paying with that?" Issei pulled me aside, "Does the shopkeep even take it as payment? Hell, even if he does, you'd be scamming yourself off thousands of yen! A single sake bottle, no matter the quality, doesn't even come close to that thing!"

"I know, but I trust this man." I turned to the shopkeeper's guilty Eyes.

"...W-Waito." The shopkeep stopped me before pointing to the one Ouroboras was still holding, "That one. That one besto."

"Oh, but didn't you say this one was?" I smirked as I pointed to the one he tried selling me.

"No, that brand good, but not besto." He bowed deeply, "I amu sorri."

Heh, looks like shops are the same in every world. Though in my world, the shopkeep would usually try to sell you some obviously cheap piece of crap instead of the high end stuff, but from the sincere look in his Eyes and the overall atmosphere the shop has, it seems he wasn't lying that the one he tried to "scam" me with is still very good. He doesn't look like the type of guy to sell bad stuff to his customers, so I'll chalk this little flub up as a translation error.

"Then, it's all yours." I fumbled to unhook the mechanism and hand the watch over to the guy, "Also, we'll take a bag, please."

"Ah, 5 yen purisu."

"You're still charging us after the watch?" I grunted before turning to Issei, "Then, cough it up, Issei."

"Dude, I spent the last of our yen on McDonald's."

...No bag it is, then. Screw it, I didn't want it anyways... Ugh.

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"Hey, open it up. I can at least sniff it without breaking any promises." I bugged them endlessly on the side of the road.

"It is illegal to openly display alcohol bottles in most well-off countries." Ouroboras said.

"Hold on for just a bit more, will ya'? We'll go find a secluded place to sniff and drink to our hearts' content." Issei actually reprimanded me, "Hey, just for safe measure, could you Materialize a bag for us?"

"I still don't know what plastic bags are made of, so I can't Materialize them."

"Nylon."

"Thanks Ouroboras for the helpful explanation..."

"Anytime."

"Wait, if we don't have any bags, then we should probably hurry it up to someplace secluded." Issei hurried us a bit, "I think the park nearby is still there, so we can find a bench, surely."

"Then lead the way!" I pointed, albeit in the completely wrong direction.

The 20 minute walk was agonizing, yes, but it wasn't anything unbearable. The streets are neat and tidy, and even the people walk in a very neat line, keeping their distance as if they were ants in a colony. This level of discipline and respect was a real shocker to me back when I first came here, but now I'm kinda spoiled by it. I kinda wish I didn't have to go back to my stupid uncivilized Cardina City where everyone just bumps into you endlessly, but then I remember my obligations as a father and husband, so I always seem to retract my statement after that. Nevertheless, we made it to a nice park bench that's enshrouded in shrubbery and bushes, just the perfect spot to not get seen by anyone!

"Hey, gimme gimme!" I urged him as soon as he popped open the bottle.

"Dude, the hell's your problem!?" Issei rolled his Eyes and begrudgingly handed me the bottle, "Alcohol isn't meant to be sniffed, weirdo."

"I know!" I replied with tears in my Eyes, "I know it looks weird, and what's worse is that I know I shouldn't be doing this, but... But the feeling of doing something you shouldn't only makes me wanna do it more!"

"That's the kind of stuff the cheater of an NTR plot says right before getting spurted inside of."

"Cool, anyways!" I sniffed and sniffed, "Ahh~! The aroma, the feeling of the smooth glass bottle's shaft in my hand! It feels so good~!"

"Please do not stroke the bottle suggestively." Ouroboras took it from my hands without hesitation, "Give it here, you will ruin the sanctity of the drink with your pathetic sniffing."

"Noooo!"

First starting himself off with a light sip, before swishing it in his mouth and spitting, it seems Ouroboras doesn't exactly seem all too bothered by the "sanctity of the drink" either.

"What the-!? Don't waste good sake!" I shouted.

"Wrong, he isn't wasting it." Issei held me back, "Don't you see the refined and small sips he's taking? Now spitting it out may seem like an insult to someone as uncultured as you, but in my Eyes that act is tantamount to sharing the beautiful beverage with the nature around him. He is very much being respectful, even though you may not see it."

"Wrong, I just hate it." Ouroboras spat out the remainder again before shoving it into Issei's embrace, "Here, drink the rest. I did not remember this one being so bad."

"What's that? The God of Sun made a blunder?" I egged him on, "Honestly, I couldn't care less if we left it at that, but just seeing an angry and self-serving Meil make such an honest mistake is so hilarious to me!"

"Lune Grimheart." He turned to me to point to my crotch, "In this very moment, I have set your pubes on fire."

"Hm? A-Ah, ah, hot!"

"If you do not wish for your scrotum to meet the same end soon, then I suggest..."

"Issei, stop drinking and help me!"

"Bahaha! Loon's pants're on fier!" He mocked me with a giggly tone, "S'that make 'im a lier? Nahhh~!"

"Hrm." Ouroboras grunted before continuing, "...Then I suggest you..."

"DAMMIT PUT THE FIRE IN MY PANTS OUT ALREADY!"

Needless to say, the first item off our bucket list had been burned off rather successfully.