The main buildings that made up the capital city were relatively new, uniform, and designed in a minimalist style, but many old buildings were still standing in this district. I had always thought these kinds of historical buildings were much more charming.
“The scenery and the people here sure are different compared with the city center,” said Leonie.
“Oh, you noticed? Most of the people living around here are immigrants,” I said.
“So it’s like an international district…”
Looking around, we could see people dressed in attire you didn’t often see around the Hero Institute. There were women wearing religious clothing that covered their entire bodies, and men with tan complexions. There were also male and female demons like me among them, with impressive horns growing from their foreheads.
“Why did you bring us here?” asked Leonie. “I hear public safety isn’t very good in the international district.”
“’Cause it’s interesting. Yeah, it might not be as safe compared with the area around the Hero Institute, but hero cadets like us should be able to handle it, right?”
“I suppose so…”
Although the kingdom’s capital had a reputation for being tightly controlled, this region remained mostly out of its clutches. Every immigrant who settled in the area had left their own complex and unique mark on the cityscape. I loved these kinds of chaotic spaces.
“Come on, just take my word for it and follow me. Oh, but before that, I’m getting kinda hungry. Let’s start off by filling our bellies.”
Dragging along my two friends, who were still having trouble getting their bearings, I stopped in front of a street food stand.
“Hi. Can I get three servings of grilled octopus balls?”
“Welcome. Oh, you’re a demon, aren’cha?”
“Yup. Looking for a little taste of home.”
“This stuff ain’t too popular with the humans, y’know. Lemme throw in a li’l extra for ya. Go ahead an’ take two boxes each.”
“Thank you!”
After paying, I handed the octopus balls over to Leonie and Nor.
“What is this…? What an odd-looking dish…”
“Grilled octopus balls—we call it ‘takoyaki’ in the demon realm. It’s one of our local specialties,” I said.
“This looks like it’s made with…wheat flour? And this sauce drizzled on top—I’ve never seen anything like this before…,” said Nor.
“Go on now, just try it. But be careful not to burn yourself; they’re hot.”
I opened the wrapper and stuck a toothpick that had come with the box into one of the takoyaki balls. These days, takoyaki often came with a pair of chopsticks, even in the demon realm, but this stall seemed like it was still doing it old-school. This guy gets it.
“Let’s eat!”
“Don’t mind if I do.”
“Here goes…”
The three of us all popped the takoyaki into our mouths at the same time.
“Hot?!”
“Huff, huff…you weren’t kidding…!”
“Ah-ha-ha-ha! Everyone always burns their mouth the first time!”
Both Leonie and Nor were overcome with surprise. The takoyaki was crispy on the outside and creamy and red-hot on the inside. Novices always got burned. But—
“It’s hot, but…huff, huff…it’s…”
“Huff…quite delicious.”
“Heh-heh! Right, right?”
I smiled with satisfaction. People were always taken aback by how hot they were, but they would always realize how delicious the dish was, too.
“The batter itself has its own flavor, but these white and black sauces on top are very nice, too,” said Leonie.
“That’s a demon-realm specialty, too. It’s good, right?”
“These large chunks on the inside are interesting, too. Th-they’re very chewy, but the more you chew them, the more flavorful they become.”
“That’s the octopus. It’s a kind of seafood that humans apparently don’t eat very much.”
Probably because they looked a bit weird, even though they were delicious.
“I’ve got lots of other tasty stuff I want to show you! Let’s keep going!”
I dragged them along to each destination, working on making them enjoy themselves until they dropped.
“I had no idea the capital had so many interesting places…”
“Yeah, I never noticed.”
“Well, I hope you’re having fun!”
We ended up hanging out in the international district until evening. We tried all kinds of demon cuisine, enjoyed musical performances from the southern kingdoms, and browsed rare trinkets from the far west. And of course, I introduced them to the sweets shop where I had bought our snacks for the pajama party.
“Oh, hold on a sec.”
I stopped in front of a stand I had suddenly noticed, and Leonie and Nor paused to peek at its wares, too.
“These are cute, don’t you think?”
“Yes, they are…”
“Th-they’re so sparkly…”
It was an accessory shop, displaying brooches, bracelets, and other jewelry made with colorful processed ores. And the prices were exceptionally cheap.
“This assortment at these prices…?”
“Pretty amazing.”
Leonie and Nor were commenting in surprise.
“Oh, but these are all fake, you know.”
“What?”
“…Huh?”
When I told them this so matter-of-factly, they slumped in disappointment.
“Hey, kid! Don’t go spreadin’ weird rumors about my merchandise! Everything here is genuine—”
“Okay, then how about this one? It says it’s diamond, but it’s actually zircon, isn’t it?”
“Uh…”
The shopkeeper was at a loss for words. Zircon was a mineral that looked a lot like diamond, but it was actually a totally different material. And since it was cheap, it often got sold as fake diamonds.
“So this is a fake jewelry shop?” asked Leonie.
“That’s right.”
The shopkeeper had started to respond to the question in a fluster, but I cut him off with my response.
“How did you know, Ruchika?” asked Nor.
“It’s easy to tell from the smell.”
“Smell?”
“Yeah, my sense of smell is really sharp. There are lots of things I can tell from scent.”
Apparently, my nose was exceptionally keen compared with that of others. I could tell all kinds of things by sniffing objects that didn’t even have any smell to other people. For example, I could tell whether or not these gemstones were genuine, or whether or not someone was sick, like I had done with Leonie before.
“But…in that case, why did you stop here? You already knew this shop’s merchandise is all fake, right?”
“Yeah. But even if they’re not real gemstones, they’re still cute, right?”
“But they’re fake…”
“Is that such a big problem, whether or not something’s real or fake? As long as you think it’s cute, then who cares?”
“…”
I picked up one of the shop’s bracelets.
“In the end, you’re the one who has to decided whether or not you want something. I don’t think it really matters whether that thing is real or fake. And I think when you’re wearing a Gear, you stop being able to see that.”