I Was Reincarnated As An Instructor In An R18 Game... - Chapter 53

Just as I got out of the bath with Fea and Lea, Erika and the others returned to the inn.

It was unexpected to see Fea and Lea run up to Erika and the others so happily.

I tilted my head, wondering when they’d built such a close relationship.

“We’re back.”

“…Welcome back, Sharle.”

A voice sounded right next to me, and although I pretended to be calm, I was secretly surprised.

Just think about it for a second.

You see no one there, yet a voice comes from that spot. Who wouldn’t be surprised?

Most people would probably say they’d be shocked…… Not that it excuses anything, seriously.

On impulse, I brought up something I’d been thinking about with Sharle, even though it was overdue.

“We’re heading back to the capital. What about you, Sharle?”

“……? I’m coming with you, of course?”

Sharle answered with a tone that gave off a clear “Why are you even asking me that?” vibe.

I scratched the back of my head and continued with a wry smile.

“I mean, once we’re back in the capital, it’s just back to a normal life, you know?”

“……Fufu, normal, you say…… Fufufu.”

“I don’t think I’m wrong though.”

“Being by your side, Lord Reid, is basically like a royal order. So unless the king or chancellor tells me to leave, I’ll remain with you.”

“Got it. If there’s anything you want to eat or anything you want, just tell me. I’ll do my best……”

“Thank you.”

I wasn’t sure what she found so funny, but even after thanking me, Sharle kept on giggling to herself.

It looks like something really tickled her funny spot.

I’ll admit, I do know a fair bit about this world.

But I’m pretty sure I haven’t done anything that ridiculous.

I knew the future, so I used that to make money, or to earn a title. Sure, I got a mountain instead of a title, but…… anyone could have drawn that losing ticket.

……Honestly, I don’t really see it as a losing ticket.

I let out a sigh and walked over to Erika and the others, who were chatting happily.

–

The time was around 2 p.m.

It was a bit late to be setting off.

At that hour, we were outside the gate we’d passed through when we arrived in Santony.

Freyr-san, Fia, Lea, and Taylor came to see us off.

On the way to the gate, Taylor stopped by the guardhouse, greeted them, then came to see us off.

Smiling awkwardly, I spoke to Taylor, who was wearing a grim expression.

“Let me know if there’s any progress.”

“I’ll contact you without needing to be told. Still, this is moving fast, isn’t it?”

“Taylor taught me that. To distance yourself if you sense even the slightest danger.”

“…Why does your body act first, even though you remember that?”

“Personality… that’s all I can say. I’ll be waiting in the capital. You’re coming, right?”

“Yeah, once this case is resolved… but still.”

I smiled wryly and held out my hand to shake Taylor’s, who sighed tiredly.

Taylor noticed and gripped my hand in return.

We smiled at each other, said nothing more, and then I looked toward Freyr, Fia, and Lea.

Freyr took on a solemn expression, dipped her head briefly, then raised it and said.

“Thank you very much. It seems the patrol squad always stops by my house during their rounds now.”

“Please say that to Taylor. I haven’t had any involvement with the patrol’s activities.”

“Though she says that, this girl’s got her eye on someone from the patrol.”

“You’ll recognize it immediately, you can smell the happiness.”

Though wearing a serious face, Freyr turned red and lowered his gaze after hearing Fia and Lea.

The two watched Freyr’s reaction with amusement, then looked at me and hugged me together.

I braced myself and held both of them tightly.

Because there was a slight breeze today, their beautiful black hair fluttered more than usual in the crosswind.

Both of them buried their faces in my neck and spoke from each side without moving.

“I’ll come visit soon, so wait for me.”

“I’m also looking forward to seeing Croana!”

“Yeah, I’ll be waiting.”

At their words, I tightened my embrace slightly and lowered them down.

When I set them down, I received kisses on each cheek from the two of them.

–

I waved my hand from the back of the departing carriage, then shifted my gaze inside the cargo bed and caught Satur’s eyes.

The driver’s job seems to have been taken over by Minty and Erika right now.

Satur folded her arms and said to me with a serious expression.

“Instructor, it looks like we’ll be camping out today… is that okay?”

“Honestly, I wanted to avoid it.”

“Given the time… well. Since there are no bandit alerts from the guild, I guess it’ll be okay…”

“Hmm… then it’ll be a rare campout today. How about some hot pot?”

“Hot pot!? Hot pot, Teacher’s hot pot!”

The one who reacted most strongly to my words was Rolle.

The three Sisters were surprised by Rolle’s reaction, since she’s usually expressionless and quiet.

That’s right, Rolle loves hot pot.

Even though she was in the cargo bed, she clasped her hands in front of her chest and bounced with a smile because she liked it so much.

Watching Rolle get reprimanded by an exasperated Satur, I chuckled wryly.

Occasionally, when we did camping training, I made a simple hot pot, and Rolle really liked it.

Due to how much she liked it, whenever I said I was doing camping training with adventurers, she somehow ended up joining in.

…Even so, I’m a bit troubled that she’s so happy with a guy’s cooking.

I’m just making something simple that resembles a meal, far from a cook or Niimi’s level.

Regardless, the adventurers seem to like my cooking.

According to them, it’s because my cooking is easy to replicate.

–

The time was 8 p.m., we had moved aside from the highway, away from the trees.

We chose to camp in a spot with a clear view of the surroundings.

The three adventurer girls patrolled the area, while Erika prepared the wagon bed for sleeping.

Usually, when camping, setting up tents is the norm.

But if the wagon bed isn’t heavily loaded, it only makes sense to make good use of it.

Of course, the three adventurer girls and I pitch tents outside and take turns keeping watch as we sleep…

I heated a large pot over the campfire, stirring it while watching the three Sisters.

The three Sisters were currently cutting up the ingredients.

Attra was cutting the boar meat but looked at me with a worried expression.

“Um, is it really okay to cut it this thin?”

“It’s fine, keep cutting it. It’ll probably be gone quickly anyway.”

I smiled and nodded as I spoke, and Attra resumed her work with a concerned expression.

I understood why Attra was worried.

Adventurers eat boldly, thick cuts of meat grilled over fire.

And in large quantities, yet I had asked them to cut the meat thinly and in big amounts.

I skimmed the scum from the pot and discarded it nearby, chuckling wryly at Attra’s expression.

“Are the vegetables okay like this?”

“I mean, will they even eat this?”

Both Niche and Sera, who carried over a big basket filled with cut vegetables, wore uneasy expressions.

One more trait common to adventurers is that they don’t eat vegetables.

There’s a reason: in perilous camps or battlefields, they skip vegetables because they don’t provide that satisfying feeling of having eaten.

…It’s because they try to eat vegetables on their own that it becomes unappealing.

I told them it was fine, asked them to place the basket nearby, and told them to take a break.

This world doesn’t have things like soy sauce or miso.

Well, maybe they exist if I searched hard enough, but I haven’t found any so far.

Do I miss Japanese food? If I said no, I’d be lying.

But even so, I don’t really want to go through the trouble of making it.

The main problem is the ingredients, time, and labor. It would take an insane amount of investment.

With a handy cheat, maybe it’d be easy to make, but starting from scratch is way too much.

I have the knowledge, so if someone else wants to try, I’ll share what I know, but I have no intention of doing it myself.

If I’m going to do something, it’s easier to try cooking methods no one else has explored yet.

This world’s spices and seasonings have many delicious options too.

If that weren’t true, there’s no way Niimi’s cooking would taste so good. There must still be lots of ways to improve.

I take the bird-shaped bones out of the pot and throw them into the campfire.

Maybe because they’re damp, the fire weakens a little, so I adjust it with a magic tool.

Normally, it’s better not to do that since it gives off a nice smell, but bird-type monster scent seems to be different.

Ground-crawling monsters tend to avoid it. I feel like it should be the opposite, but for some reason, they just don’t come near.

Ideally, I’d spend hours drawing out the flavor, but from the taste so far, it’s good enough for a quick meal.

Finally, I season it with salt, pepper, and this is a secret but some powdered white token.

I toss the vegetables into the pot, and after a short while, I add the meat Attra cut for me.

When I call everyone at this point, Rolle comes charging over at an incredible speed.

…No, really, it’s scary every single time.

“Is it done? Can we eat yet!?”

“Obviously, we wait until everyone’s here…”

Once everyone was gathered and started serving themselves, the food was well received

Rather than just liking it, Erika and the three Sisters were visibly surprised as they ate.

Erika seemed to be good at making friends, and before I knew it, she was chatting comfortably with the three Sisters.

While eating the hotpot, they were talking about whether it could be used for food distribution.

…It could work, but aren’t the ingredients a bit too expensive?

“Whoa, this is amazing!”

“Rolle~ That meat was mine~”

“Instructor, should I add more meat?”

“Eat as much as you want.”

Watching everyone enjoy the food, I smile as I eat my portion.

Just so you know, Sharle was quietly eating right next to me.

She’s invisible, so no one notices her, but she’s actually eating quite a lot.

The reason I knew she was beside me was because I kept hearing things like, “Delicious…”, “It should be bland but…”, “Even though it’s vegetables…” coming from that direction.

I’m glad she’s enjoying it, but I wish she’d at least tell me where she’s sitting.

Chapter length 4136 characters.