Chapter 68
――The day after our duel with the Sky-Cleaving Sword.
Today, we're taking a break from clearing the dungeon.
Instead, I'm going shopping with Rinka.
We left the inn and headed for the shopping district, where the streets were lined with stores.
"MP-chan likes flour-based dishes, right?"
"Yes~ Humanity was created by the gods to bring flour-based dishes into the world~"
"Ahaha! Then how about okonomiyaki for lunch today? I know a great place. Is that okay with you, Rento-san?"
"I'm in! I'll go~!!"
"Of course."
"It's Wide Island-style okonomiyaki, with lots of cabbage and noodles. It's really delicious!"
"Really~? I can't wait~!!"
Rinka and MP seemed to have gotten a lot closer, and they chatted happily as we walked.
The reason we'd decided to go shopping had to do with yesterday's banquet.
During the banquet, a man came up to us.
"Rinka-dono, are you a Samurai?"
"No, I'm not..."
"I see... I thought you had the same air about you as I do... Forgive me. It seems I was mistaken. Please forget I asked."
"Um, who are you...?"
"My name is Muneyoshi. I possess the Samurai Gift."
Samurai, huh...
It wasn't as rare as our Unique Gifts, but it was still quite an uncommon Gift.
I'd only seen a handful of people with one before.
It was a melee class that wielded a single-edged, curved sword called a katana.
They favored speed, wearing cloth garments called kimono rather than armor.
Their fighting style might have been similar to Rinka's...
"Muneyoshi-san, could you tell us a little more about it?"
"If you have questions for me, ask away――"
Muneyoshi-san told us a lot of useful things.
As we thought, Rinka's fighting style had a lot in common with the Samurai's, so we decided she should try Samurai gear sometime.
Rinka seemed drawn to the katana. Muneyoshi-san let her touch his, and she gazed at it with excitement.
Katanas were extremely expensive, and we couldn't afford one right now.
Besides, the Deathbone Sword would remain a useful weapon for a while yet.
By contrast, Rinka's leather armor was cheap and would become inadequate as we got further along.
I'd been thinking it was about time to get her new armor, anyway.
So we decided she'd try a kimono.
――And that's why we were out shopping for new gear for Rinka today.
We headed for the place Muneyoshi-san had told us about, but――
"I think it's around here..."
"It's nothing but souvenir shops around here."
"Hey, Master, what's that~?"
"Maybe another time. We're here to buy gear for Rinka today."
"Mmm~ I understand. I'll be patient~"
"Good girl, good girl. I'll buy you something later."
"Okay~!!"
As MP's excitement suggested, this street was lined with all kinds of souvenir shops.
The city of Melba was an important stop along the trade routes, where goods from all over gathered.
It was popular with adventurers, merchants, and tourists alike, and had a wide variety of souvenir shops.
People even bought souvenirs here to pretend they'd visited places they hadn't, pocketing business-trip expenses or creating alibis.
We glanced at the souvenir shops as we walked, following the hand-drawn map Muneyoshi-san had given me. After a while, we found the place we were looking for.
"'Yagyu-do'... There it is. This is the place."
It was a distinctive building with wooden pillars, white plaster walls, and thin, black, brick-like tiles arranged in rows across the roof.
There was no door at the entrance. Instead, a navy-blue curtain with several slits cut into it hung there.
"Well, let's go in."
"Okay!"
"Yes~"
We passed through the curtain at the entrance and went inside――.