The Hero's Curry Plate

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, the bells are ringing~"

'Could you please not turn the Goddess's space into a sea of Christmas?'

"What's wrong with that? You always seem like you spend Christmas alone, Goddess-sama."

'Can you really talk?'

"Huh? The year before I died as a human, I had a party with the neighbors."

'That can't be. It can't be. Are you telling me I'm worse off than you?'

"Ah, but I spent most Christmases alone while reincarnated in other worlds."

'I imagine you wouldn't want to spend Christmas partying with inanimate objects or nonhumans.'

"Do my appearances as the Hero's rib or the heroine's ear count?"

'It doesn't count if they can't perceive your existence.'

"When I was the hand of a clock with siblings, I had no time for Christmas because I was busy magically attacking couples."

'The gods of the worlds you've caused trouble in sometimes complain, so please try to keep it under control.'

"Are there really gods petty enough to get angry about something an otherworldly reincarnator does?"

'The gods who were defeated because you became the lock on a treasure chest are prime examples.'

"Was that god the creator of the world?"

'I generally argue that the gods who got beaten are at fault, but if you cause too much trouble, a class-action lawsuit wouldn't be out of the question. So please keep it under control.'

"Then let's enjoy a Christmas party together today, Goddess-sama."

'I'm afraid it's time for your reincarnation in another world.'

"No! I went to all the trouble of preparing a full-course Christmas dinner!"

'Don't worry, I'll eat it over the next two days.'

"What about the presents I prepared for our gift exchange?"

'Don't worry, I'll take those, too.'

"Aren't I getting anything from you, Goddess-sama?"

'Then I'll let you choose one cheat option.'

"Yay! Then let's draw from the suggestion box. From Okuyama Chihiro: 'The Hero's Curry Plate.'"

'Something related to the Hero, I see.'

"Yes. As a basic setting, I can't leave out a love of curry."

'A Hero who hates curry wouldn't get much screen time.'

"Next, should I become a conceptual entity or a physical object?"

'Will every plate the Hero eats curry from become you, or will the Hero have one fixed curry plate?'

"Since I have the chance, let's make me a one-of-a-kind plate."

'That could work if she's a serious curry lover.'

"As for the Hero's gender, I'd prefer a woman."

'I won't forbid it this time, but what does gender have to do with it?'

"I can't get excited watching a guy eat deliciously."

'Now I want to forbid it.'

"Oh no."

'Explain how a female Hero would feel upon discovering that the curry plate she uses all the time gets excited watching her eat curry.'

"I guess... 'I don't mind being watched.'"

'You're both advanced players. If that's the kind of fetish you're going for, I suppose I'll allow it.'

"But I'd like her to feel at least a little embarrassed."

'Just hurry up and decide.'

"All right, let's go with that. Oh, and I've put the cake in the fridge."

◇

'The Christmas present he prepared was an ordinary but stylish necklace. Maybe giving him just one option was a bit thoughtless, even if it was a cheat.'

"I'm back."

'The guy I sent off on Christmas Eve came back on Christmas.'

"Huh? Only a day has passed?"

'To be exact, the date just changed. It seems the flow of time was distorted between here and the world you reincarnated into.'

"A day trip to another world is a new one."

'Convenient, perhaps, but I doubt there'll be much drama.'

"Anyway, I should start my report by talking about the Hero."

'Right. She was a Hero who loved curry, wasn't she?'

"The Hero's name was Rian Merik. She was a female Hero."

'It's a little obvious, but not a bad name.'

※From turmeric and coriander.

"Rian was born a frail, sickly girl."

'A frail Hero, is she?'

"Whenever she wiped out a horde of monsters attacking her village, she'd have an asthma attack."

'A frail, sickly girl wouldn't wipe out a horde of monsters.'

"She was a cheat-type Hero who'd received outrageous divine blessings."

'So her frail constitution was added as a weakness?'

"Something like that. I met Rian when she was only ten, while she was beating General Darukanmo, the Demon King's right-hand man, to a bloody pulp with her bare hands."

※From cardamom.

'What a horrible ten-year-old.'

"Feeling sick from the suffocating smell of blood, Rian had no appetite and was bedridden from exhaustion after the battle. Her worried parents decided to cheer her up by making a recently introduced foreign dish."

'And that was curry?'

"Yes. Caaary."

'That pronunciation was unnecessarily good.'

"The fragrant spices masked the smell of blood covering her whole body and brought back Rian's appetite. She ate curry for the first time."

'Why not wash yourself? You were lying in bed like that?'

"And then, thanks to how delicious it was, Rian's sickly body began recovering right before their eyes."

'I didn't know curry could do that much.'

"That was the effect of the cheat option you gave me: 'An item that can cure incurable diseases.'"

'That's a good choice for you, for once.'

"By the way, I was a cheap wooden plate I'd bought from some merchant for next to nothing."

'A disappointing vessel. And yet, how did you stay unnoticed for so long?'

"My reincarnation destination was 'The Hero's Curry Plate,' so the first plate Rian ate curry from was me."

'I see. Until then, you were just an ordinary plate.'

"Having overcome the one weakness the world had given her, Rian grew into a fine Hero within a few years."

'She'd already defeated the Demon King's right-hand man when she was ten.'

"Rian liked to eat curry on days when she won a great victory or on special occasions. Using me."

'I'm uncomfortable with the phrase "using me."'

"She was a little outside my strike zone, but I managed to get excited somehow."

'That makes me feel disgusted. Anyway, Rian kept eating from the same plate?'

"Rian was the sort of girl who easily grew attached to things, and she liked to use items connected to good memories as lucky charms."

'I see. As a memento of recovering her health and eating delicious curry, she treasured you.'

"No, I was treated as a lucky charm because I'd been used on the anniversary of defeating General Darukanmo."

'She valued her achievement more than her own health?'

"Apparently, he was the first person to ever land a hit on her."

'That's not the way a ten-year-old thinks.'

"Rian had all sorts of collecting habits, too. General Darukanmo's weapon, General Darukanmo's battle standard, General Darukanmo..."

'Did she have him stuffed?'

"He was preserved in formalin."

'Even her outlook is dangerous.'

"Oh, I got an email from old Spacious."

※A fellow otherworldly reincarnator of the protagonist, who reincarnated as a fish-type Demon King (sealed) > fish-type Demon King (red salmon) > the Demon King's right-hand man. For more, think back to Chapters 7–9.

'You're in the middle of your report.'

"He apparently reincarnated in another world as a Demon King's right-hand man again recently, but died easily. He was beaten to death by a little girl in some village he attacked on a whim."

'That does add to your report.'

"There are people with similar circumstances, I suppose."

'You really are slow on the uptake.'

"Oh, and apparently, she preserved him in formalin because he looked cute, like a little fish."

'That figures. And she meant the fish part.'

"Then, at fifteen, Rian defeated the Demon King and saved the world."

'You skipped right over it. No stories about her adventures?'

"The village where Rian lived was right next to the Demon King's castle."

'What a tiny world.'

"After beating the Demon King to a bloody pulp with her bare hands, Rian was praised as a Hero, but she also felt empty."

'If you beat the greatest enemy of your life to a bloody pulp with your bare hands at such a young age, it's only natural to feel empty.'

"She wondered if there was any point in living the rest of her life as a Hero."

'So that part was serious.'

"A Hero is someone who acts with courage, so Rian began thinking about how a Hero ought to live."

'Oh, how admirable. A Hero's life after defeating the Demon King is usually either peaceful or bleak.'

"And then Rian decided to become a curry shop owner."

'Choosing that as a Hero takes courage, in a way.'

"She wanted to give people around the world a chance to change their lives through the curry that had changed hers—to show them that all you had to do was eat curry to defeat even the Demon King."

'Eating curry won't defeat a Demon King. Though she did defeat one.'

"The Hero opened a curry shop in a nearby kingdom called 'Hero's Curry.'"

'So she decided to make use of being a Hero.'

"It was in a prime location right in front of the castle."

'A Hero, indeed.'

"At first, everyone visited the shop out of curiosity, but it was hard to get repeat customers."

'Was the food not very good?'

"Ninety percent of the kingdom's citizens preferred hayashi rice."

'That's such a trivial reason.'

"Then the Demon King who'd survived opened a hayashi rice shop across the street."

'That's a terrible story, with a Demon King casually entering the kingdom.'

"It reminds me of a story from some other world."

'That's right. Come to think of it, there was a world like that.'

※A reference to another work by the same author.

"The shop was called 'Demon King Hayashi.'"

'Was the Demon King Japanese?'

"No, the Demon King's name was Cumin."

'The names aren't even clever anymore. It's kind of cute, though.'

"She was a female Demon King, a slightly scary big-sister type."

'So that slightly scary big-sister-type Demon King was beaten to a bloody pulp by a fifteen-year-old female Hero.'

"Demon King Cumin was an excellent fighter, but she decided that ruling by force was impossible in a world with a Hero that overpowered. Instead, she planned to spread the deliciousness of hayashi rice and rule the people through its flavor."

'Nothing about the hayashi rice part makes any sense.'

"But in fact, Demon King Cumin's shop was a huge success, and many people began worshipping her. Soon, everyone was unable to live without hayashi rice."

'Are we sure that's really hayashi rice?'

"With her shop deserted, Rian agonized over the fact that she'd go bankrupt at this rate."

'A very realistic concern.'

"She wondered if it might be quicker to beat Demon King Cumin to a bloody pulp."

'What a violent Hero.'

"Once or twice wouldn't be enough."

'Now I want to root for the Demon King's struggle.'

"As Rian agonized over her unsold curry, she poured some onto me and kept thinking."

'You suddenly come into the picture again, as if you'd just remembered you were there.'

"I said, 'If you're going to compete, compete as a business!'"

'The plate spoke?'

"Rian was surprised when I suddenly spoke from beneath the curry, but after finishing her meal, she thought it over calmly and decided that such things could happen."

'She must really love curry if she finished eating even after the plate she was eating from suddenly started talking.'

"For the time being, I explained that I was an otherworldly reincarnator who'd been reincarnated as the Hero's curry plate, and that I'd cured Rian's illness. She believed everything I said without hesitation."

'She believed you?'

"I was surprised, too, so I asked her how she could believe me so easily."

'It's rare for you to be surprised.'

"She said that whenever she ate curry, I would tremble for some reason, and that eating curry from this plate always caused the miracle of power welling up inside her."

'This plate got excited watching a woman eat curry, didn't it? Did you use an option for the latter, too?'

"Yes. I set it so that eating from me would raise her level by one."

'If a curry lover ate curry from a plate like that, her level must have gotten pretty high after five years.'

"Rian was already cheat-level strong, so I think the difference was negligible."

'The biggest factor was using a cheat option on someone who was already a cheat.'

"By the way, I also told her that I got excited watching her look like she was enjoying her curry."

'You told her that?'

"She thanked me."

'So she was a pervert, too?'

"No, she was grateful that I'd conveyed how happy she was to enjoy her curry."

'Oh, I feel a mysterious pang of guilt.'

"Even I felt guilty, of course."

'You have a weakness for earnest, pure-hearted girls.'

"Well, she did start getting a little flustered after that, so I think she had some aptitude for it."

'I would have preferred not to hear that part.'

"Anyway, I persuaded her that resorting to violence was wrong, and the two of us thought of ways to turn the shop around."

'From the outside, it must've looked like a psycho muttering to herself at a curry plate.'

"First, the interior. Having formalin-preserved monsters she'd defeated lined up around the shop was intimidating."

'That's straight-up horror.'

"Demon King Cumin, who'd come to spy on the competition, was crying."

'If all her subordinates were displayed in formalin, even a slightly scary big-sister-type Demon King would cry.'

"She ran away when Rian said, 'I want to put you on display, too.'"

'Of course she'd run from someone who might actually do it.'

"Next, I told her to stop attacking Demon King Cumin whenever she came by. She should at least leave her alone while the shop was open."

'The Demon King doesn't give up, does she?'

"Demon King Cumin loves curry, too."

'Even so, I don't think she'd go to a curry shop run by the Hero who beats her to a bloody pulp.'

"By the way, just fixing those two things greatly improved the number of customers."

'I imagine it did.'

"Demon King Cumin came to eat curry every day, too."

'So this Demon King really loves curry.'

"She was always crying, though."

'The fear was ingrained.'

"Sometimes Rian took her to the back, you see."

'I wonder which of them is in the wrong here.'

"For now, the customer share is three to seven. Demon King Cumin's hayashi rice is still popular."

'In a kingdom where ninety percent of the people originally preferred hayashi rice, that's a good showing.'

"Rian came up with an idea. Maybe the shop would go under if she preserved Demon King Cumin in formalin."

'As her most regular customer, she deserves a little mercy.'

"I smacked curry into Rian's face and scolded her, saying, 'If you do that, you'll be admitting your curry lost to hayashi rice!'"

'The Hero gets curry smacked into her face by a curry plate.'

"Rian licked the curry off her face and cried as she repented."

'The curry-lover setting is ruining the serious tone.'

"She was also a little pleased."

'She was a pervert who got excited when she was watched.'

"I told her, 'If you don't know why you're losing, then go see for yourself. Let's spy on the competition.'"

'I see. If a shop has a large share of the market, it's worth visiting at least once.'

"Rian and I disguised ourselves and snuck into Demon King Cumin's shop."

'How exactly did a wooden curry plate disguise itself?'

"She put a ribbon on me."

'Oh, how cute.'

"Rian wore General Darukanmo's taxidermied head."

'Wearing the head of someone you knew as a disguise is horrifying.'

※There are horror movies with that kind of thing, too.

"The interior was very clean, decorated with beautiful antiques. The atmosphere was lovely, and the place had a welcoming warmth that made it comfortable to eat in."

'Quite a contrast with a shop lined with things preserved in formalin.'

"But the staff's attitude was a little bad."

'Oh? In what way?'

"They kept looking in our direction, and whenever we spoke to them, they'd jump and cower in fear."

'A Hero wearing a fish monster's severed head and a talking plate. I wonder why.'

"Demon King Cumin came over to check on us, then burst into tears and fled to the kitchen."

'It was the head of her former right-hand man, after all.'

"But the hayashi rice was delicious."

'Did you eat it?'

"I have an option that lets me taste things when food is served on me."

'You managed to find an option like that?'

"I was wondering if sharing the same flavor might count as an indirect kiss."

'What a despicable guy.'

"Well, it does come in handy for analyzing the taste of the curry Rian makes."

'That's true. By the way, which was better: the Demon King's hayashi rice or the Hero's curry?'

"Rian's curry. Even though I'm on the hayashi rice side, I told her, 'Your curry tastes better.'"

'A sudden betrayal by the curry plate she always uses.'

"In the end, her food was better, but the shop was losing because of things like the interior, the staff's attitude, and the exterior."

'You've mentioned the interior and the staff's attitude, but this is the first I've heard about the exterior.'

"It was the same thing. Demon King Cumin's subordinates were lined up in formalin."

'Why didn't she fix that when she fixed the interior? Even so, the Demon King's love of curry is incredible, as are the thirty percent of customers who kept coming.'

"As soon as she removed those things and made the shop feel more relaxing, the number of customers evened out."

'I imagine it did.'

"Demon King Cumin started coming in with a smile, too."

'How can she forget all the grudges between them?'

"One day, Demon King Cumin said, 'I once secretly came here and tried this shop's curry, and I became its captive. Eating this curry, filled with Rian's love for it, makes me feel happy.'"

'She must have become so captivated that she'd overcome her fear just to eat it.'

"She also said she didn't dislike Rian herself, since Rian treated her normally somehow, despite them having once tried to kill each other."

'Having her subordinates preserved in formalin and getting beaten to a bloody pulp whenever they meet doesn't sound like normal treatment. And you say they tried to kill each other, but it feels pretty one-sided.'

"She blushed and added that being punched felt good, too."

'Everyone in this world is a pervert.'

"That was her private confession."

'And she was talking to herself, too? Why did you hear that?'

"The curry plate Demon King Cumin was served on at the time was me."

'So you were used for business, too?'

"Normally, she wouldn't use me, but they were short on plates for once, and Rian said, 'Let's use this one.'"

'Choosing to serve the Demon King on the plate she treasured means they'd both gotten fairly comfortable with each other.'

"And then Demon King Cumin leveled up."

'Right, you had that effect.'

"And the damage Rian had inflicted on her over time healed, too."

'That was the actual cheat option, after all.'

"In the end, neither shop gave an inch. They prospered while competing for each other's share of the market."

'I'm glad to hear it.'

"Then the time came for Rian and me to part ways."

'Though you two got along pretty well.'

"Rian's level had gotten so high that it was hard for her to control her strength. One day, while washing me, she sneezed and split me in two."

'The trouble you caused in a distant world came back to bite you.'

"I thought, 'Ah, so this is how I die,' and said goodbye to Rian. She cried and apologized."

'If you finish off your partner with a sneeze, it's understandable.'

"I told her, 'This is karma. Everything that has form will eventually be lost. I'm satisfied just to have seen you do so well as a Hero after defeating the Demon King.'"

'That's true. As long as you exist as an object, there will come a time when you lose your shape.'

"I loved the happy face you always made when you ate curry. I could get excited watching you, too."

'That last bit ruined the whole thing.'

"Rian replied, 'Me too.'"

'She didn't mean just the last part, right?'

"She was a little flustered, so I think she meant the latter, too."

'I'll forget that part.'

"And so I came back feeling a little sentimental."

'It sounds like you died fairly satisfied.'

"Yes. We had a relationship different from romance, but it wasn't bad being a plate. I was pretty satisfied, about as much as I was with Leapris."

'You don't hear the term "plate life" very often. But you came back.'

"In the end, Rian worked hard using her own strength, so all I did as a plate was cure her incurable illness, help her level up, and offer advice to revive her shop."

'That's more than enough for a plate.'

"The fact that I came back here means I wasn't completely satisfied, I suppose."

'It'll take a lot to satisfy you. To begin with, you haven't had many decent reincarnations in other worlds.'

"Anyway, about the souvenir..."

'I'll say this now: I'm not accepting any monsters preserved in formalin.'

"Then I'll make that a Christmas present for someone else."

'So you did bring one back.'

"I remember Rian's curry recipe. Shall I make some now?"

'That sounds nice. Curry on Christmas is a little out of place, but I ate plenty of Christmas dinner yesterday.'

"You ate two people's portions in one meal?"

'I saved some cake. And I have a Christmas present for you, too.'

"What is this?"

'It's a thick diary. Since you come back so often anyway, I thought you could write down your memories.'