Upon our return from our trip, Michelle had settled down and gone to the dungeon depths to conduct her experiments. She’d looked reluctant to leave me, but she was a natural-born researcher. Love was important to her, but she couldn’t just ditch her experiment. I thought she was amazing for being so serious about her work. It had been three days since she’d left, so it was just about time for her to be returning. I’d make her dinner once she came back.
I had gotten accustomed enough to the dungeon that I could make it to Hot Spring Yahagi on my own. Even my level had increased thanks to me opening up shop at Grantham’s festival. And at long last, this certain new product had been added to my lineup.
Product name: Shaved Ice
Description: Comes in three types - Strawberry, lemon, and melon. Once consumed, you won’t become dehydrated even in extreme heat and can remain in good health. Increases stamina if you add condensed milk.
Price: Two hundred rims (Condensed milk: +Fifty rims)
It was already early summer, and the temperature rose with each passing day. I was glad I’d been able to get my hands on this stuff for the season. I was sure it’d be a great help to the adventurers. It would also probably be delicious to eat right out of the bath.
A good ol’ fashioned hand crank ice shaver sat atop a small freezer. The ice would automatically spawn inside of the freezer. Magical worlds sure have their conveniences.
A banner was also included as an optional item to promote sales. Of course, it was none other than the banner with the character for “ice” written on it—something that I had often seen in my previous life. The character had been changed to the writing of this world, but the blue of the waves and the red of the writing remained the same. I didn’t hesitate to display it at my storefront.
“Huh? There’s more new stuff!”
Meryl and Mira, who patronized my shop every morning, immediately noticed the Shaved Ice.
“Good morning,” I greeted them. “This is my new product, Shaved Ice.”
“Shaved Ice? You mean ice that you’ve whittled down?”
“No, it’s ice that’s shaved down much more finely than that,” I explained. “Well now, since you two are regulars, I’ll let you have some exclusive samples.”
I took a block of ice out of the freezer and set it in the machine. As I cranked the handle, the shaved ice gradually filled up the glass bowl while emitting a satisfying scraping sound. Including one for myself, I brought three mini Shaved Ices to the table and set them down.
“What flavor do you want?” I asked. “From left to right, we have strawberry, lemon, and melon.”
“I want strawberry!”
“Then melon for me, please,” Mira said.
I drizzled plenty of syrup on top of their Shaved Ice for them.
“Whoa, the colors are so vibrant!” Meryl marveled.
“It looks refreshing and tasty!”
“All right, they’re done!” I announced. “Go ahead and have a taste.”
Meryl and Mira each scooped up a small bit of the Shaved Ice and put it into their mouths. Their faces lit up.
“This is delicious!” Meryl exclaimed.
“It’s cold and refreshing,” said Mira. “It’s very good!”
It seemed that Shaved Ice would have a good reception in this new world too.
“Delicious isn’t all it is,” I said. “It makes you highly resistant to heat if you eat it. It’s effective for about half a day.”
“Then it’s a good idea to eat some before you head to the B3 Lava Belt, huh?”
“Right,” Mira agreed. “We generally can’t go there due to how hot it is, but perhaps we’ll be able to take down some Fire Mice if we eat this beforehand?”
Fire Mice were Dungeon Mice wrapped in flames. For how easy they were to defeat, they dropped a lot of money.
“If you also add condensed milk to it, it makes you more resistant to fatigue.”
“What’s condensed milk?” asked Meryl.
“It’s a product of adding sugar to milk and boiling it down,” I said, topping Meryl and Mira’s Shaved Ice with condensed milk.
“Oh, the taste is milder now. This is delicious too!”
“It somehow looks gorgeous all of a sudden!” Mira gasped.
“It’s delicious this way too, right?” I boasted.
“Yeah, I definitely like this better!” Meryl agreed. It sounded like she’d really taken to the strawberry condensed milk Shaved Ice. “All right, we’re going to beat up those Fire Mice and save up a ton! Once I’ve made enough money, I’ll buy a new bathing suit!”
“It is just about the season when the pool opens.”
They have pools in this world too?
“Do they have pools in the capital?” I asked. “I didn’t know that...”