High-End Yakiniku

After returning to Shiratsuki and contacting the members, we immediately began preparing for the party. Iris started processing the ingredients with the cooking set, while the rest of us set up the BBQ set and carried out chairs and tables from Shiratsuki, then arranged and assembled them.

"Hey! Izamu-san!"

"Hey!"

The ones calling out to us were Eiji and Alvy, who was sitting on his shoulder. Shishu and Wool were also beside them. It seemed they were the first to return after receiving the message.

Even after our first contact with the Nadeus clan, Alvy had often come over to play. Eiji was usually her playmate, but the other members accompanied him as guards. As a result, Alvy had now grown quite close to everyone besides Eiji as well.

"Is it really true that we're going to get to eat delicious meat!?"

"I'll help with the preparations!"

Unlike Shishu, who came clattering over to Iris, Wool joined in with the preparations. As a sheep-type monster, he had no hands, but he skillfully used his horns to carry miscellaneous goods.

"Eiji, what are we doing?"

"Hmm? We got some unusual food, so we're going to eat it together."

"Is it tasty?"

"I'm sure it will be. Alvy, you should stay and eat too. That's okay, right?"

"We have plenty of meat, so it's no problem."

I had expected Eiji to say that, so I had asked Iris beforehand.

"Well, if it's really, really delicious, Alvy wants to eat it with Big Sis."

"Oh, I see. Then why not have her come over?"

"But Big Sis says I'm not supposed to play too much with you big brothers... She probably won't come..."

Alvy lowered her shoulders and drooped dejectedly. She was probably sad that her beloved sister disapproved of her playing with her good friends. Still, it would not be a problem even if she could not eat here.

"Alvy, does your usual pouch have any room in it?"

"I don't have anything in it today. Why do you ask?"

"Then I'll have some wrapped up for you to take home. Go see Iris."

In fact, when the meat was processed, its name changed to things like 'Sliced Shoulder Meat, 200 g' and 'Thigh Meat Block, 100 g.' There must have been a reason for displaying the cut and weight of the meat. It probably made buying and selling easier, but it somehow made me feel as if I were in a supermarket.

If I asked Iris, she would probably pack a variety of cuts together for her. Alvy could take it home and eat it with her sister. I could give her some from my share. I could not eat it, and Kal was sleeping contentedly on top of Shiratsuki, so there was no problem at all.

"Really!? Yay!"

"However, eat it as soon as possible. Apparently, it spoils easily."

"Okay!"

Alvy perked up and skipped over to Iris. The two of them exchanged a few words, after which Iris quickly handed Alvy several pieces of meat wrapped in large leaves. I hoped she would enjoy them with her sister.

Alvy left with an even bigger smile than usual, waving her hands so vigorously they looked ready to come off. The reason she was waving even more energetically than usual was that she had a wonderful souvenir to take home. Children really are honest—and that's a good thing!

"Thank you, Izamu-san."

"Don't mention it. More importantly, it seems everyone has been gathering steadily."

While I was playing with Alvy, everyone had gathered for the BBQ. They had moved much faster than I expected. They must all have been intensely curious about the flavorful items. Well, I suppose I should help with the preparations, at least!

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"Ooh, it's tastier than I expected!"

"Tastes better grilled."

The BBQ was a hit. They described the flavor as grilled chicken with the aroma of yuzu pepper. The texture and amount of marbling seemed to differ depending on the cut, so everyone ate the pieces with the flavor they preferred.

"Hmm? It seems I've gained a Title."

"Me too. Mine's called 'Newbie Gourmet.' Is it the same for everyone?"

A new Title? As I stood there in surprise, one person after another reported the same thing. Apparently, the requirement for acquiring 'Newbie Gourmet' was 'eating a cooked ingredient item with a rarity of S (Special Grade) or higher.'

Since it was called Newbie, it apparently had no particular effect. Cooking had been part of the requirement, so Jigoro had probably not acquired it when he ate the meat raw. Still, there might be something to gain by mastering gourmet pursuits in the game. I cannot do that, but if you want to, give it your best.

"There's still plenty of meat, so please eat as much as you like."

"I appreciate it, but my Satiety is already at maximum."

"Same here. This stuff restores a lot."

Perhaps because it was a high-end product, their Satiety had recovered after they had eaten only a little. This apparently had nothing to do with gender, as the only ones still wolfing down the meat were Eiji and Jigoro, whose Races made them big eaters.

Apparently, even their Satiety would reach maximum soon. We had avoided the worst-case scenario of having high-end food that did not fill us up at all. However, we had a problem. What were we going to do with the remaining meat?

It was actually possible to eat beyond one's Satiety limit. However, the bulletin board said that continuing to do so for an extended period would inflict the 'Obesity' status ailment. In exchange for slightly increasing Health and Defense, it drastically lowered Agility and Dexterity. As an added bonus, the avatar would soon begin panting.

Whether in combat or production, there was almost nothing to gain from being fat. Even so, the bulletin board said there were players who remained obese as part of their role-playing, but none of us had that sort of hobby. For the record, Eiji's broad, paunchy build was simply his default physique; he was not obese.

"Letting it spoil would be a waste, and throwing it away would be an even bigger one. Isn't there something we can do...?"

"Um, doesn't Shiratsuki have a refrigerator?"

"It does, technically. But it's currently being used as Shiitake's chemical storage."

"Eww!?"

Shiratsuki was originally a floating battleship intended for use by an ancient human NPC. As a result, it came equipped with refrigerators and other facilities, presumably for storing food supplies.

Unfortunately, none of us cared enough about flavorless food to use one. When Shiitake said she wanted to investigate the reactions that occurred when making potions with chilled items, I gave her the refrigerator.

As a result, the refrigerator in their workshop was crammed full of medicinal herbs and chemicals. Since this was a game, I suppose everything would be fine once they were removed, but I did not want to eat meat that had been put somewhere that had held unknown chemicals until moments earlier in a realistic VR game. It might have been one of the drawbacks of realism.

Shiitake might have suggested investigating how the chemicals changed the flavor, but I was not about to go along with that. So I never suggested it to her.

"Why not give it to Alvy-chan's village? You could say it's a token of friendship."

"That would be a good suggestion, but we don't know where it is. Apparently, the Nadeus clan has a way to hide even from Ruby."

Although the Nadeus clan occupied a weak position on this continent, I was curious about how they managed to live. I had asked Ruby to search for their settlement, which was presumably somewhere nearby, but for some reason, she had been unable to find it.

She had said that there was something strange about the map, so I assumed the settlement was hidden somewhere, perhaps along with the entire village. What method could they be using to evade not only players' sight, but also detection by Scout Jobs?

"If we searched every nook and cranny for them, they'd become wary of us, or even identify us as enemies. Maybe it's better to maintain our current distance."

"I think so too... Hmm? Is that Alvy?"

As we exchanged opinions about how to deal with the Nadeus clan, a familiar little figure came running toward us from far away. Alvy had only just left, so why had she come back again? Wasn't she supposed to be having dinner with her sister?

"Waaah! Eiji, big broooother!"

Alvy sprinted toward Eiji at full speed, threw her arms around him, and began to cry. Something sad must have happened.

"There, there. What happened?"

"Uuuh... The meat Iris gave me was taken away! Waaaah!"

To summarize the story Eiji coaxed out of Alvy while soothing her, she had returned to her village in high spirits with the meat, only for an older boy who acted like a gang leader to take it from her. She had come back in tears as a result.

Even though it was a matter between children, it was terribly unfair to her. We had plenty of meat, so simply giving her more would not be a problem, but that would not solve the root of the issue. It might just be taken from her again. Then all that would happen would be Alvy crying to Eiji for help once more. Perhaps I should employ a slightly devious scheme.

"Tell me, Alvy. Who is the most dependable person in the village... no, who is the most important adult?"

"Sniff... Then it's Obaba-sama. Even the small intestine gets scolded by Obaba-sama all the time..."

The small intestine...? No, the chieftain. So there was an elder whom even the settlement's chief could not defy. It was like a second-generation company president being unable to stand up to a veteran executive director who had supported the company since the previous president's time. Reality and games alike were harsh places.

"Then this time, I'll prepare two packages. Deliver one to Obaba-sama as well. Also, tell her that if the meat I gave her was delicious and she'd like more, she should come and get it. Got it?"

"Okay... I'm sorry."

"You don't need to apologize. The child who forcibly took it is the one at fault. Take this without worrying."

"Yes."

Alvy still looked dejected, but it seemed she had agreed to do what I asked. If this worked, the brat who had bullied Alvy would get what he deserved, while things would also work out to our benefit. Now, would the situation move the way I hoped?