Chapter 72: Just like a summer vacation

April 22nd, 2023

Beta Reader: My_Own_Worst_NPC

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On Monte Chris Island, demand for fried chicken and highballs is quietly booming.

For the highball drink, I use the soda cup that Miina found to make the drink and tried serving it to the customers, and it turned out to be a big hit.

“Okami-san, another serving of highball drink! And make it strong!”

Incidentally, the price for a strong highball drink at Shirou’s Inn is high. Which is natural since two-finger drinks are more expensive than one-finger drinks, and the customers also understood this well. [1]

I think we should start serving tiramisu, nata de coco, and tapioca soon [2]. And while I’m at it, might as well reproduce sweets that was once popular in Japan here, since cassava (which is the main source of tapioca) seems to be able to grow well on this island.

However, the problem here is that even if I know the ingredients for the product, it doesn’t mean that I know the procedure to make them. It’s impossible to depend on my magic to mass-produce such delicacies. And for tiramisu, even though I have milk, but I don’t know how to make a mascarpone cheese so it’s pretty much impossible.

And when it comes to nata de coco, I don’t even know what the ingredients is. [3]

——————————————————————————————————————————-

One day, Poppo No. 4, who had been sent to explore the surrounding sea, came back with something in his mouth.

“It’s an Olive branch.” [4]

It seems that Sierra know quite a lot about plants. The branch had rounded leaves and small blue berries on it.

“It looks like Poppo has found another island somewhere.”

It has been traveling around without supplies, so I think the island is within a 50-km radius. I’ve been looking for it for some time, as a place where we can take an emergency shelter just in case something happens.

And now that we’ve found one, I’m eager to see it with my own eyes.

“What are you going to do about it, elder brother?”

“What am I going to do? I’m going to go and see it, of course.”

“And the store?”

“Oh yeah. That’s…”

…

…

『Shirou’s Inn.

     Notice of temporary closure.

     Due to an errand our store will be temporary closed for a week.

     We are terribly sorry for the inconvenience. 』

Yep. It’ll be fine if I just put up this sign.

“Sierra, you can use the guest room while I’m away. Just in case you need a place to hang out after exploring the dungeon.”

“Wait, I’m coming with you.”

I should be fine by myself since I’m taking the golems with me, but it’s reassuring to know that Sierra will also come along.

“I, I’m going to escort you too!”

“But what about your dungeon exploration, Cecily?”

“It’s fine. I’ve been feeling tense for days, so was thinking of taking a break anyway.”

“If that’s how it is, then let me come along with you girls too.”

Seems like not just Cecily, but Rouge is also eager to come along.

“Can we have egg rolls for lunch?”

And here goes Miina coming along too.

It’s starting to feel like we’re going on a picnic. Well, I’m sure it’s gonna be fun so I guess it’s okay.

——————————————————————————————————————

When I told the regulars who came that night that I would temporarily close the restaurant starting from tomorrow, they were very disappointed.

I’m sorry for them, but they will have to survive without the fried chicken and highball for a while. I know that I’m not getting that tired from running the inn and the restaurant, since most of it was done by the Gokus, but I do want to enjoy some time off once in awhile.

Also, I don’t think it’s bad to stretch my wings a little.

—————————————————————————————————————————

The next morning, we started loading up early, and I only brought bedding and food with me.

Actually, I secretly brought a bag of money and magic stones too, since I intend to hide them on the other island just in case of emergency.

As for the golems, I decided to bring not only Wonder and Harry who have fighting capabilities, but also Goku to help with daily activities and Silver if we need to carry things. Meanwhile Poppo, who act as a guide, is stationed on top of the mast. It kinda feels like a miniature version of Noah’s Ark, only that this time it’s filled with golems, not animals.

Before we left, I fed the Nyoro golems magic stones until they hit their maximum limit.

“Protect the fields while I’m gone, okay. I have spare magic stones hidden in the bushes, so eat them when your body’s magic power drops below 25%.”

The Nyoros were unable to speak, so they gave their affirmative by nodding their heads.

I also had the Iwaos to stand guard in front of the cave, to prevent anyone from breaking in.

—————————————————————————————————-

Once the mooring ropes were released, the Cimas began towing the small sailing ship. Since Cecily, who is an expert in navigating ships is with us, I feel confident. After all, she got her skills through formal learning and hands-on experience, so I’ve told the Cimas to follow Cecily’s orders.

“Cecily, as I thought you’re really amazing!”

Her body quickly froze up upon hearing my compliment. As usual, her reaction is cute.

…

As we exited the cove, Poppo jumped off the mast and flew ahead, pointing us toward the direction of the island.

“Alright, let’s head towards west-southwest!”

Cecily, who had recovered from being frozen on the spot, announced in high spirits, and the ship began to move at high speed.

The ship, towed by the Cimas, proceeded through the sea at a cruising speed of 17 knots (approx. 31 km/h). [5] This was the first time the small ship had been moving this fast, but so far there seemed to be no problem.

“You could easily do pirating with a fast boat like this,” Cecily said while steering the rudder, it looked as if she was enjoying the feeling of the sea breeze on her face.

“Do you want to become a pirate again?”

As I asked her, she shook her head with a wry smile. “I’ve had enough with doing shady works like that; being an adventurer suits me much better. Also, now I have trustworthy companions at my side.” Cecily’s eyes fell on Rouge and Miina, who were dozing off in the rocking chairs under the shade.

Sierra seems to be reading in the cabin. Apparently, the rocking of the ship doesn’t matter to a vampire who can stay floating mid-air. Suddenly, Poppo comes down to my side of the boat and jumped out to the front of the ship.

“Hm? I think I can see an island over there,” said Cecily, but I can’t see anything at all.

“Oy, wake up, both of you! It looks like we’ve arrived.”

So it’s just an hour away from Monte Chris Island, huh? It might be just the right place for a hideout. I also called Sierra from the cabin to prepare to go ashore.

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The island had a long, crescent-shaped white sandy beach. The circumference of the island was about eight kilometers, smaller than Monte Chris Island.

There doesn’t seem to be any mammals living here.

“It’s another uninhabited island, isn’t it?”

“Um. I tried checking from the air, but there aren’t even any man-made structure on this island,” said Sierra; she had flew ahead to survey the island in order to ensure our safety.

“We should give this island a name. Shirou, what do you think?”

Give it a name huh, let’s see…

“Since it’s located at the west of Monte Christo Island, how about we name it West Island?. [6]

And nobody raises an objection. It seems like we’re a group of people that don’t care about naming.

  “Alright, shall we have barbecue for lunch?”

“What’s a barbecue?”

“It’s simply fish, meat, and vegetables that grilled over charcoal. I have prepared three kinds of special barbecue sauce.”

I’ve also brought plenty of drinks, so I think everyone would have a good time.

“Then I’ll go and do some spearfishing.”

“Cecily? You can do that?”

“I grew up in a city near the sea. I’m used to handling a harpoon,” said Cecily while taking off her shirt.

Ooh! I finally able to gaze my eyes upon the Twin Peaks again! Truly treasure mountains.

“I’ll also help, Cecily-san! I used to catch fish and shellfish all the time when I was still a broke adventurer.” 

“Then, I’m going to use barrier magic to catch some fish too.”

Mina and Rouge also start taking off their clothes one after another. Could it be that you’re just eager to quickly get into the water since it’s so hot out here?

“The water is soo cooold!”

“Uwah, it’s slipping!”

“Miina you brat, stop grabbing my breast.”

It looks like they’re really having fun.

Come to think of it, I used to swim in the ocean a lot, but I haven’t been swimming lately. It’s because whenever I did it the adventurers always gathered and making a big fuss out of it.

…

You girls sure are having fun, huh?

…fine, then!

 “S-Shirou?!!”

Ignoring Sierra’s shocked reaction, I quickly took off my clothes one after another and become buck naked. That’s right, I even took off my undies.

“Sierra, aren’t you going to join too?”

“Oh, ah, yeah…”

Sierra, perhaps carried by the momentum, began to take off her clothes too. Wow, this is the first time I ever saw a vampire being naked under the scorching sun.

Up until now, I never understood the reason what’s so good about nudist beach, but at this very moment, I do! Or rather, I feel like I’m being enlightened now. The sensation of freedom, of completely without restraint…

It’s the best!

“Heeeeyy! Everyone—! I’m coming too—!”

I realize that my thing down there is swaying about, but I don’t care as I just ran across the beach and dive into the ocean.

“S-s-shirou!?”

“Is this a dream, am I in heaven!?”

“Uwaah… Okami-san, you’re the best!!”

Yep, as I thought, if it’s things to do in tropical countries then beach experience is a must. And so we just forgot about everything else and playing around like children until it’s time to eat.

We were all completely naked, and our heads were pleasantly empty.

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1 Not an expert on alcoholic drinks, but apparently the finger indicates the width of the glass used for the alcohol/whiskey. ((MoWNPC: Correct! The standard shot is 2oz of alcohol, which is about the average width of a finger when poured into a shot glass. There are strict laws about over-pouring alcohol in the US, but most bartenders over pour to keep their patrons drunk and happy.))

2 Tapioca is a starch that comes from the cassava plant (Manihot esculenta). It is used to thicken foods such as puddings, noodles, bread, and others. In Japan, it’s popular to use tapioca to make bubble tea drink.

Meanwhile, Cassava is a calorie-rich vegetable that contains plenty of carbohydrates and key vitamins and minerals. Cassava is a good source of vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and niacin. The leaves, which are also edible if a person cooks them or dries them in the sun, can contain up to 25% protein. You can make chips out of Cassava.

3 It’s made from coconut water, Shirou. Sheesh. There’s a reason why the word coco is included in nata de coco. Anyway, you make it by fermenting coconut water using Acetobacter xylinum bacteria.

4 Kinda remind us to the story of Noah, eh?

5 Around 19.56 mph.

6 Real creative, I know.