NOVEL NEXT Chapter 225 - Divine Cat Mii-chan Delights in Playing Rock-Paper-Scissors.
225 Divine Cat Mii-chan Delights in Playing Rock-Paper-Scissors.
The ale stall is packed with a long line. Despite the effort, it’s hardly shrinking. Kaja-chan’s juice stand has a line as well, but with Yan-kun helping, it seems manageable.
I hand out ale while scanning the surroundings. As expected, King Retsu isn’t here, but I see Jin and his crew in line. Looks like Sieg is with them too.
“Hey, Nero. I need to get back to work. Could you help me out a bit?”
It was Guild Master Zest who spoke to me. Is it really okay for him to drink ale before heading back to work? I couldn’t refuse his request, so I proposed a trade-off instead.
At the Divine Cat Trading Company booth, the edamame seems to be selling well, but no one is placing it in front of Mii-chan. She’s getting a bit grumpy, tapping the table with her paw in frustration. Still, even like that, she’s so cute that customers can’t resist petting her, though she’s making a face like, “That’s not what I want!”
Just then, Guild Master Zest buys some edamame and places it in front of Mii-chan, waiting with his mouth open. Mii-chan beams with joy and presses the edamame pod with her adorable paw. The edamame inside flies straight into Guild Master Zest’s mouth. He smiles and pats Mii-chan on the head, while she wears a look of pure satisfaction, as if to say, “I did it!”
Seeing this, other customers start placing edamame in front of Mii-chan, eagerly waiting with their mouths open. Mii-chan, it’s your time to shine!
“Mii~!”
Thanks to Guild Master Zest, Mii-chan is now on a roll, and she’s flashing a huge smile.
From where I’m standing, it looks like fried chicken is selling well at the Divine Cat Trading Company booth, followed by fries. Thanks to Mii-chan, it seems like edamame sales will pick up too. Business is looking good.
The ale stand is also starting to settle down. Since we set up a spot to sell wine next to the ale stall this time, I’m hoping it will ease some of the crowding. But wine is more expensive than ale, so the line isn’t as long.
Kaja-chan’s line has finally cleared up, so I’ll take over, and let her enjoy the festival with Yan-kun. I also asked them to check on the Divine Cat Trading Company’s ring toss booth, which is out of sight from here. Since customers have started using their exchange tickets there, I don’t foresee any issues. Additionally, I sent a message to have Rue-san and the others come over soon for the Divine Cat Trading Company’s event. A bit later, Rue and Yana arrived.
“How’s it going over there?”
“It’s packed! The adults kept demanding to play, so I smacked ’em down!”
“Please take it easy…”
After a discussion, we decided that the ring toss would be for kids only. Since we’re not concerned about profits, if the adults with their deep pockets participate, the kids won’t have a chance to enjoy it. There are ways to bend the rules, but we’ll have to rely on the community’s morals. So far, the grand prize hasn’t been won. Will it appear during this three-day festival?
Once Rue and the others were ready, we set up a mortar and pestle in front of the Divine Cat Trading Company booth, and I pulled out some steamed rice from Mii-chan’s bag. Rue and Yana teamed up to start pounding mochi. The Divine Cat Trading Company’s mochi-pounding event has begun!
With each rhythmic pound, the crowd grew. Most people probably had no idea what we were doing. The custom of eating mochi is limited to a few parts of Hildenburg, so it’s no wonder they’re unfamiliar. However, as the rice began to transform into mochi, some started to catch on. I bet most of those who recognized it were hunters, since there’s a high demand for it.
We cut the freshly pounded mochi into small pieces and made sweet red bean mochi, kinako mochi, and mochi with mitarashi sauce. We also made soup with vegetables, potage, and miso soup with mochi, giving them out for free to kids only. Among these, the kinako mochi is the most expensive because it requires sugar, making it more costly. But, since it’s a festival, we’re not worried about that. We’re aiming for reputation, not profit.
For the mochi-pounding, we had some participants jump in, with Rue assisting the kids. The smiles of children eating the mochi they helped pound are truly radiant.
Meanwhile, Leti brought some poorly dressed kids behind the booth. They’re probably from the slums. They’re all so thin. Leti let the kids from the slums eat the mochi we were giving out for free. It felt like I caught a glimpse of the darker side of Beruna. I handed them drinks, and when they left, I gave them fried chicken and fries to take with them. This is all I can do… I’m painfully aware of my own powerlessness.
“Mii…”
Mii-chan seemed to share the same sentiment, watching the slum kids leave with a solemn gaze.
But back to the mochi-pounding event—it’s reaching its climax, so we’ve decided to open up mochi distribution to adults as well. A cheer goes up as they rush over, so we ask them to form a line. We’re giving out mochi to the winners of rock-paper-scissors, allowing them to choose their favorite flavor.
Interestingly, in this world, rock-paper-scissors was spread by the Hero. Rock and paper are the same, but for scissors, instead of the usual gesture, they use their thumb and index finger. The words they use are also a bit different: rock is “shield,” scissors is “sword,” and paper is “armor.” It’s quite awkward to say…
But for some reason, Mii-chan is thrilled. Do you like rock-paper-scissors that much?
“Mii~♪”