Being able to get his hands on those was no trivial matter; he would have access to all five fundamental condiments — the sa-shi-su-se-so — of Japanese cuisine. His repertoire would increase exponentially. Renya was no hater of Western cuisines, but miso-flavored fish stock with a touch of soy sauce simply spoke to his Japanese soul. Seeing the sparkles in Renya’s eyes, Croire gave a conciliatory smile.
“I see that I’ve piqued your interest. Let’s go take a look at the marketplace, then. I’ll show you the city along the way.”
With that, they were off.
The city was nothing like Renya had ever seen. Elves took up residence entirely within forests, and the way their architecture closely intertwined with the surroundings trees was a sight to behold. There was a dazzling variety of styles; some structures surrounded a central trunk while others joined multiple branches. Some were literally a part of a tree. It was a uniquely captivating air, far removed from the stone and gravel of human towns. Whereas humans would cut down trees and chop up the wood into more convenient shapes and sizes, elves used them as they were. Perhaps owing to their long lifespans, they were content to simply wait, slowly altering the location and direction of the trees’ growth until they could be incorporated into the city whole. It reminded Renya of bonsai, except on a city-wide scale. All in all, he was glad he got to see it.
Following behind him was Shion, who was also having her first taste of elven culture. There was a sense of awe in the way she gazed at her surroundings. Frau, for her part, seemed rather uninterested. She walked listlessly beside him, one hand still clinging onto his sleeve. Finally, there was Rona, who was in no mind to enjoy the scenery. Enduring a multitude of gluttonous gazes seemed to be taking a heavy toll on her, and she looked rather uncomfortable as she walked. None of the residents they passed were staring at her, so the perpetrators must have been in hiding. Even Renya, however, could only manage to sense their presence. Their exact location and numbers were beyond him.
“Hey…” Renya started.
“Yes?” Croire responded immediately, as if she had expected him to speak. “Is something troubling you?” Her voice was stiff. This probably wasn’t something she wanted to discuss.
Regardless, the matter was one that needed to be stated out loud, so he continued.
“So, I don’t know if humans are just a sensitive bunch, but where I come from, we’d call this a form of voyeurism, and it’s an extremely vulgar thing to do.”
“Thank you for enlightening me. I had absolutely no idea until you told me today,” snapped Croire, her tone dripping with sarcasm. She tightened her fist. Then, seemingly through an extensive effort of will, she put on a neutral expression again. “Please accept my sincerest apologies regarding this issue.”
“Well, don’t apologize to me. It’s her who has the problem… Can’t you do anything about it?”
“We’re all elves, and they’re likely older than I am,” she said. A hint of frustration leaked into her voice. “In the forest, they’ll be difficult to find.”
Renya grunted. Had the elves been staring at him with hostility or the intent to harm, he was sure that he would have noticed immediately. Unfortunately, not only did the elves bear no ill will toward them, they weren’t even looking at him in the first place. In addition, while Rona doubtlessly didn’t appreciate being showered by their unpleasantly viscous gazes, it’s also true that the elves went no further than peeping from a distance. Using gracecraft to throw out a city-wide Scan seemed like overkill, and even if they managed to locate the perpetrators that way, it wasn’t like their gawking was an overt crime. Could they really fault the elves for simply looking?
He sighed. They were up against difficult opponents. In a way, he almost wished the elves would come and try to kidnap Rona. That way, he could clean them up nice and easy. Before he could ponder this line of thought further, though, Croire announced their arrival at the marketplace.
Markets in the elf kingdom were, as expected, quite different from those of human kingdoms. An abundant variety of vegetables and fruits were on display, but meat was almost nowhere to be seen. One could, however, spot a few traces of fish here and there. Apparently, meat that came from water was afforded a more lenient stance. Where there were people, there were street vendors, and this place was no different. Something was missing, though: the smoky aroma of grilled meat that he had come to associate with street stalls. In fact, almost nothing was grilled. Instead, there was an assortment of stews and soups.
“Here we are,” said Croire as she pointed toward a store. “This is where you can find those condiments that intrigued you so.”
The store was small. Within its narrow confines, Renya found rows of barrels, all filled with a brown paste. Shelves were lined with bottles, each of which held a dark-colored liquid. His eyes lit up. Rona’s visual harassment issue could come later. Immediately, he rushed over to the products and began scrutinizing them. Both appearance and smell were as he had expected: those of miso and soy sauce. However, the taste was yet unknown, and that was a problem. Since he was in another world, it was entirely possible for him to shove a spoonful of what was ostensibly miso paste into his mouth, only to realize with horror that it tasted like chocolate.
“I’d like to taste some. Is that okay?”
As soon as he uttered the word “taste,” the storekeeper’s mouth twisted into an ugly grimace. Renya was well aware that his request would not be well-received, but he still thought the storekeeper could have tempered his response; that was not a face to show customers. Nevertheless, he needed the storekeeper’s approval; he could hardly just start opening bottles on his own, after all. Soy sauce, in particular, did not keep well after being unsealed. Being exposed to air would cause it to steadily lose its flavor, making it ill-suited for taste tests.
“How about just the brown paste over there then?”
If the miso tasted right, chances were that the soy sauce would as well. The ingredients might be slightly different, but a complete disaster seemed unlikely.
The storekeeper seemed no happier with the compromise until Croire approached him and whispered something. Renya couldn’t hear what she said, but the storekeeper’s eyes widened. He took one hard look at Renya before disappearing into the back of the store. Soon after, he reappeared with a small white rod, dipped it in the brown paste, and offered it to Renya, who took in his hand. It was the end of some sort of vegetable, presumably meant to be eaten with the paste. Renya threw the whole thing in his mouth.