After finishing a simple dinner, the three of them arrived in front of Kurt’s lodging.
“Well then. Let’s meet tomorrow.”
With that, Kurt, loaded with countless bags and boxes, headed inside the building…
“Be careful not to be late.”
“See you tomorrow.”
Rudell and Leje waved their hands at Kurt.
As Kurt’s figure disappeared from their sight, Leje stretched her body towards the sky, looking tired.
“How was it?”
“Huh? What about?”
In response to Rudell’s question, Leje tilted her head in confusion.
“Kurt, you know. Didn’t you have any first impressions or anything?”
“Well, he didn’t seem like a bad guy… Why do you ask that all of a sudden?”
“That’s all I needed to know.”
As they say, a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
The fact that she held no bad feelings towards Kurt already meant that his purpose for setting up this place today had been accomplished.
“By the way, what are we going to do now?”
“Well, if I’m bored, how about a little walk?”
The sun had already set, but it was still quite early to sleep.
Given Leje’s personality, she definitely wouldn’t want to head back like this.
“That sounds great!”
As expected, Leje nodded at his suggestion and started moving her feet while Rudell followed behind with a faint smile.
“Is there anywhere you want to go?”
“Um… I do have one place in mind.”
After pondering for a moment in response to his question, she grabbed Rudell’s hand and began to head somewhere.
After about ten minutes of Rudell being led by her hand…
“Ta-da! We’ve arrived!”
“This place…”
Rudell stopped walking, his eyes widening at a scene that was quite familiar to him.
A long street lined with stalls on either side.
People were going back and forth with snacks from the food stalls in hand.
“Night market?”
“Correct! I heard it just opened recently.”
“Oh wow…”
Who would have thought a night market would pop up in a place like this?
A smile emerged on Rudell’s lips as he observed the scene, and Leje too smiled at him.
“By the way, is that okay?”
“Huh? What do you mean?”
“Eating snacks at night is going to make you gain weight, you know?”
“You…!!”
At that comment, Leje flinched and shouted, causing Rudell to chuckle quietly.
There’s definitely a thrill in teasing.
“If you’re so worried, should I exercise with you?”
“I don’t need that!!”
Her outburst momentarily drew the attention of people around, and Leje, flustered, pulled her hat down to hide her blushing face and started pinching Rudell’s side.
“Yikes?! Sorry! Sorry! Just kidding!”
“Shut up! You idiot! Fool!”
Her outburst filled with frustration continued for a while, only stopping after Rudell bought her candied fruit from a nearby stall.
“Yum.”
“Is it good?”
“Yeah. Do you want to try one?”
At Rudell’s question, she nodded and handed him a piece of the candied fruit skewered on a wooden stick.
For a moment, Rudell stared at it before popping one in his mouth…
“How is it?”
“It makes me miss black tea…”
His short commentary came after experiencing a sweetness so intense it made his tongue tingle.
The fruit candy was overwhelmingly sweet.
That sugary goodness was simply the taste condensed into a sugary blanket—a coating of melted sugar over the already sweet fruit.
“I’m loving it.”
“Ugh… I wish I could rinse my mouth.”
Feeling somewhat nauseated, Rudell glanced around.
At the very least, he’d like something to balance out the sweetness…
While thinking that, it was then Rudell caught a familiar scent wafting through the air.
“Hm?”
The sharp aroma tickled his nostrils.
“What is that smell…”
“Spicy smell?”
Leje grimaced at the very familiar scent to Rudell, and he tilted his head while scanning the surroundings for the source.
Not long after, his eyes landed on a stall.
“This is…”
Approaching closer, he saw chicken skewers sizzling on a grill.
And, the skewers were coated with a bright red sauce, spreading a sharp fragrance all around.
“Excuse me… is this sauce…?”
“Hm? Are you interested? This is a new sauce made from a spice called chili…”
“Chili!?”
Upon hearing that, Rudell’s eyes sparkled as he shouted.
After all, no matter how adjusted he was to this world, there were moments he missed the food from his original world.
Above all, the taste he longed for the most was undeniably the spicy flavor.
The one that made his tongue tingle with heat.
“I’ll take one!”
“Uh? Are you sure? It’s going to be really spicy…”
“I don’t care!”
Take my money already!
Rudell handed the vendor a coin while the vendor wore a worried expression.
Dazed, the vendor accepted the coin and handed Rudell a chicken skewer smothered in bright red sauce along with his change.
“Are you really going to eat that?”
Seeing Rudell’s reaction with sparkling eyes while gazing at the skewer, Leje made a disgusted face.
Well, considering the food culture of people in this world was not far removed from modern Europe…
It was understandable that for most, spicy flavors were not considered a taste in food but more like a chemical or torture device.
Seeing someone light up over such food, it was perfectly understandable for Leje to react with disgust.
Of course, that wasn’t enough to sway Rudell from giving up spicy flavors.
“Of course!”
Answering her question, Rudell carefully took a bite of the chicken skewer…
“Urk…!!”
“R-Rudell!? Are you okay!? Do you want to go to the hospital!?”
As a low groan escaped Rudell’s mouth, Leje asked in a panic.
However…
“This is the taste…!!”
“W-What?!”
“This is the taste! I’ve missed this flavor so much…!!”
“O-Oh…”
Seeing Rudell’s face radiating happiness, Leje’s response was almost a daze.
Did he eat something wrong…?
That seemed to be the expression on her face, but Rudell had no time to concern himself with such things.
He only wished to savor this long-awaited taste a little more.
That was the only thing he yearned for.
*
“That was absolutely the best…”
With a satisfied smile, Rudell tossed the remaining sticks into a garbage bin.
The taste of home felt like a long-lost friend.
Had he not just finished dinner moments ago, he could have eaten a few more.
Leaving his regrets behind, Rudell continued to walk.
“How on earth can you eat that…?”
Meanwhile, Leje was sipping on an ice-cold drink, her face flushed.
“That flavor isn’t easy for those unaccustomed to it.”
Leje too had tried the chicken skewer, but the results were, of course, her overwhelming defeat.
[SPICY!]
Caught between a rock and a hard place, her screams were quite the spectacle for Rudell.
“If you tell anyone about what just happened, I won’t let it slide.”
“Huh? What did you say~? I can’t hear you.”
“Ugh! You come here!”
“Ah! Aah! I’m sorry! I won’t say anything! I swear!!”
As Leje’s subsequent punches made Rudell shout in mock terror, she finally stopped her attacks.
“You really only listen when you’re hit.”
“Joking around almost got me killed.”
Should I really buy some armor or something?
While pondering this, as Rudell moved forward…
– Thud.
“Hm?”
Feeling something drop on his head, Rudell looked up with a puzzled voice.
– Drip. Thud, drip drip.
And at that moment, rough raindrops began pouring down from the sky.
“Ahh!? Rain? Out of nowhere!?”
“Let’s run first!”
Amidst the sudden rain, panic filled Leje’s voice as Rudell grabbed her hand and they dashed down the street.
“Let’s just wait for a bit over there.”
But as the rain poured harder, Rudell led Leje under a canopy from a shop not far away.
“What on earth is up with this rain…”
“Right…? And, Leje, your clothes are…”
Rudell turned towards Leje, who was complaining while wringing out her completely soaked clothes.
Then, upon seeing the next scene, he couldn’t find the words to say and turned his gaze away.
“Rudell? What’s wrong?”
“Uh, um… your clothes…”
“What? What’s wrong with my clothes?”
At his words, Leje, with a puzzled expression, shifted her focus to her own clothes, and it was then she realized the state they were in.
Soaked all the way through, visibly exposing what was beneath…
“Ah… ahhh!!”
Finally realizing her state, a low groan escaped her lips.
Watching the scene, Rudell awkwardly took off his jacket, shaking it off, and draped it over her shoulders.
“Just… bear with that for now…”
“Uh, okay…”
Leje nodded at Rudell’s words as they both averted their gazes and stared into the distant dark road while rain echoed around them.
