Mondaiji-tachi ga isekai kara kuru soudesu yo:Volume 10 Short Story
Short Story[edit]
“Next up, we will be holding the final Game of [Underwood]’s Harvest Festival, the—- <Great Tree Culinary Competition>! Everyone, are you ready?!”
Shiroyasha stood upon the stage built upon the roots of the Great Tree as she enthusiastically posed while giving her announcement.
Wooooooooooooh!!!! The residents of [Underwood] and the contestants cheered enthusiastically.
The beastmen who were used to dining on their local exquisite cuisines were wearing their aprons today.
And the [No Name]s were also among the participants in this large scale culinary competition which was closely related to the theme of the Harvest festival. Hence they formed teams of three and were split into two teams that entered the contest. And the Team B of [No Name] was—-
“…….what is this? The Batsu game for new members?”
Percher looked at her assigned teammates and was crestfallen to the point of being speechless. As for the two other members who were in the same team as her, Asuka and Shirayuki folded their arms over their chests as they showed their dissatisfaction as well.
“That’s really rude. At least direct your dissatisfaction at the drawing lot results.”
“Mhm mhm, there’s no need to be so pessimistic. As long as we pool our powers together, defeating the judges will not be a pipe dream. It’s time for me to show the real power of one who holds [Divinity].”
“Where are your brains, you breast snake. And what do you intend to achieve by defeating the judges, you Baka!”
It would seem that her state of mind was already in a mess.
Even while looking at them calmly, this matter was only unpleasant and distasteful for Percher. For they were the clumsiest team in terms of their abilities of housekeeping in the Community of [No Name].
Kudou Asuka was a girl who could not cook. That was a fact that they understood on the night before, which was right after the Strong men Dolls incident. She had originally planned to make a normal curry but her attempts have all ended up charred. She then attempted her hand at roasting a turkey and stir-fried vegetables, but they have both ended up the same way as the curry. In the end, it was also the same result for the vegetable soup, which ended up charred. She was surely one who could not make a dish that wasn’t charred and it was a miraculous skill indeed.
Whereas the clumsiness of Shirayuki in her maid duties was famous within the Community by the third day. Her hissatsuwaza was the technique to chop cabbages into fine mush. For a person who came up with the excuse of having pondered over the question of “Maybe we can just get more nutrients out of the concentrate of these cabbages” when she chopped those cabbages, it was only one of the examples of her helplessness in housework. And it took a long time to get her used to the idea of julienning cabbages, but her clumsiness was already at the standard that is deemed hopeless for the very idea of creating any dish.
“Are we really thinking about winning when we are like this? Even gods wouldn’t be able to do it at this rate. Let’s just forfeit. Forfeit this, okay?”
“Then, Then what about you?”
“Yep! At least, I have confidence in my ability to create a cabbage concentrate soup! Can you even come up with any proper dishes?!”
Haah? Percher gave a gangster like drawl while giving them the stare.
It must have been the feeling of unhappiness from being talked to in that way by the clumsy young girl and snake. But Percher was slightly motivated as she put on her apron to stand before the other two.
“Then, let’s do this. Since we have come to this, I will just participate in this contest. But I will leave the appetizer and main course to you two. In that way, we will be able to see the difference in our standards at a glance.”
“That’s, That’s fine with me!”
“Okay. We will create a dish that will scare the judges out of their wits.”
“Yeah, Yeah, as long as you two do not touch my preparation area. There’s no need to help with the cutting, nor do I need anyone to help with the tending of the fire. You two are not to come to my side of the work table, ever. Whatever comes after this, good luck to you two,” Percher waved her hand and left.
The remaining two members looked at each other and held hands.
“Gambatte, Shirayuki! Let’s give that polka dotted maid a big surprise!”
“Actually, that is what I would like to ask of you, Asuka-sama! Please make a really explosive and revolutionary dish to astound them all!”
Woooh~!~, they gave a cheer as they clasped their hands. Although their interactions of before were brief, but there was a sense of camaraderie between them in this Game. And it was this sense that made them feel that they might possibly whip up some really good dishes as the delusional duo walked to the ingredients area.
—-And so, after an hour later,
The judging area was in an uproar due to the dishes of two individuals.
In contrast, the spectator stands were silent.
Kuro Usagi’s lip twitched uncontrollably at the corner. And after a pause, Kuro Usagi, who was assigned with the role of being the MC, finally remembered her job as she said in a straight voice.
“Next, Next up is the set of dishes completed by [No Name]’s Team B! It is named by the [God of Black Death], Percher, as “The something that is indescribable”!”
It couldn’t have been more aptly named as that. One could not think of a name besides that which it is named. It was completely impossible to be illustrated in words or picture as one was emitting a noxious smell while the other seemed to be of a shape that was rapidly expanding like the Big Bang theory.
Shiroyasha, who was one of the judges at the event, stared at that thing on her plate as she sucked in a breath of cold air.
“This sure is……. Completely on the other end of the spectrum as compared to Team A.”
Stealing a glance at the meal whipped up by Team A as she said it. If one were to put it nicely, it was the fusion of Japanese and Western cuisine. But to put it less kindly, it was just the confusion of different pieces from all places being thrown together as one. Even then, each piece was done perfectly and it now stands as a worthy candidate for winning.
Just one mouthful of this and I will treat myself to that of Team A. Shiroyasha who gave that muttered pitiful moan, steeled her resolve to put a mouthful of “The something that is indescribable” into her mouth—and everyone on scene held their breath as they awaited the verdict.
[[Picture: blue with polkadot background, asuka, shirayuki, Percher, kuroUsagi and shiroyasha.
Shiroyasha: “I thought that I would die from it!!”
KuroUsagi: “That’s, That’s a really fearful item……”
Asuka: “We, We have lost.”
Shirayuki: “But we have won in a certain sense?”
Percher: “What a bunch of fools……”]] [2]
————————————————————————————————————————
[[Picture: KuroUsagi, Leticia, Izayoi, Yō.
KuroUsagi: Having lived in a well all its life, the frog swims in the sea.[3]
Izayoi: “What’s this competition about?”
Yō: “No matter what happens, we must not lose.”
Leticia: “I will also be participating yo~.”]]
“Next up, we will be holding the final Game of [Underwood]’s Harvest Festival, the—- <Great Tree Culinary Competition>! Everyone, are you ready?!”
Shiroyasha stood upon the stage built upon the roots of the Great Tree as she enthusiastically posed while giving her announcement.
Wooooooooooooh!!!! The residents of [Underwood] and the contestants were cheering enthusiastically.
The beastmen who were used to dining on their local exquisite cuisines were wearing their aprons today.
And the [No Name]s were also among the participants in this large scale culinary competition which was closely related to the theme of the Harvest festival. Hence they formed teams of three and were split into two teams that entered the contest. And the Team A of [No Name] is—-
“This sure is quite unbalanced,” Sakamaki Izayoi laughed bitterly.
And standing behind him were Jijochó Leticia and Yō Kasukabe, who was eating the ingredients for their contest as her snacks.
“Mah, it’s the results of the lot drawing for the team assignment, and I’m guessing that Team B is bound to come up with an interesting dish.”
“The pursuit of interesting or amusing stuff is not for the creation of cuisines.”
The free retort from Yō earned a wry smile from Leticia.
And there was no need to nick pick on Leticia for she was the Jijocho who controlled the housework duties of the [No Name] Community.
On the other side, Izayoi and Yō had displayed their skills in the incident with the Strong Men dolls. It was also then that Garol Gandark had acknowledged their skills and implored them to sign up for this cooking competition.
Rolling up his sleeves, Izayoi palmed an apple in his hand while broaching the subject of the plans that the other two might have on the way forward.
“Though that might be true, the people in [No Name] who are best at cooking are all gathered over on this side. There’s no reason for us to not aim for the win.”
“Yeah, I guess. But what are we going to do now?”
Hm. And they simultaneously shared their ideas.
“Irish cuisines tend to dominate the culture of the South Side. Wouldn’t it be an easy win if we use potatoes and oats to whip up some sort of local fare by appealing to the taste of the judges?”
“But Shiroyasha, the head of the judges, is a Buddhist god. Wouldn’t it be better to whip up some Japanese cuisine that stars fish as the main theme?”
“Oi Oi, you people are too cautious with this contest. The essence of cooking is definitely in the meat ingredients! With [Underwood] and its bold appeal as its selling point, there can only be this route for the dish.”
And when Leticia ended off at her rebut, the trio realized the curious atmosphere that they were emitting.
“……a conflict of ideas, huh?”
“Yeah, A conflict of ideas.”
“Then, how are we going to resolve this? I’m a maid, and I will just leave the final decision to my masters……”
The trio then looked at each other in the eyes.
Izayoi who hated to lose, Leticia who was professional in her tasks and Yō who liked all types of cuisines.
And the trio who were adamant about their choices, exchanged a glance each before breaking out in giggles.
“Hng Hng. In the end, we are still unable to have a united team effort in this.
“After all, we all like to work by ourselves.”
“Fufu, And that’s the way that I like my masters’ way of doing things. —-Well then, let’s just create the dishes of own own within the time limit.
Agreed, Izayoi concurred with a wave of his hand as he set off immediately to his task. And the other two hurried to their individual tasks respectively.
—Following that, after two hours,
Kuro Usagi the MC for the event strode onto the stage.
“I apologize for the wait! But we have now gotten the results of the final game of [Underwood]’s Harvest Festival and it’s time to announce the winner for the <Great Tree Cooking Competition>?”
And immediately after her words fell, the plaza erupted in a frenzy of cheers.
“The prize for the best cuisine goes to— [No Name]’s Team A! The title of the meal is called “Japanese- Western Fusion! It does not matter where the cuisine comes from as long as it is savory!”! ”
Woooooooooh!!! The cheering intensified for the amazing set completed by the trio that comprised of three main dishes which had unexpectedly received compliments.
The potato bacon pie was done by Izayoi while the deep fried freshwater fish with [Underwood]’s tender leaves was completed by Yō. Lastly, the dish starring the Peryton, a eudemon which is the cross between a deer and a bird, was served in a special broth was created by Leticia. And those were the three dishes that the trio had handed in to be judged.
And at the same time that the victory of Izayoi and his team was announced, the trio who were waiting at the side of the stage were congratulating themselves with an exchange of high-fives.
“Oh my, I did not think that we would win with that sort of arrangement.”
“That’s the power of our friendships.”
“No, didn’t you say that we were to work separately?”
Upon hearing Leticia’s retort, Izayoi and Yō broke into a fit of laughter.
Thereafter, a buffet was held in the plaza where the cuisines of the cooking competition participants were also open for all to try. Instantly, Team A of Izayoi and the others were showered with praises for their great culinary creation.
On the other hand, the cuisine of Team B— Asuka, Shirayuki and Percher’s “The something that is indescribable” was also given praise for those who used it as the ultimate test of courage.
The last banquet of the city of water and the huge tree continued to resonate with laughter and talk even as time passed into the wee hours of the night.
[[picture of Shiroyasha, KuroUsagi, Izayoi, Yō, Leticia.
Shiroyasha: “Great job!”
KuroUsagi: “Congratulations to you guys!”
Izayoi: “That’s only to be expected.”
Yō: “It’s the power of friendships.”
Leticia: “working separately….”]]
Translator's Notes and References[edit]
- ↑ [magrefnotes: It is a pun on a famous saying of Nothing ventured nothing gained which will have a direct translation of Those who do not venture into the tiger’s den will not get their game. It’s my first time seeing this pun.]
- ↑ [BionicMeerkat notes - Sorry everyone, it seems that Vol 10 is missing some illustrations. I put a placeholder for the first picture at the start of the Short Story, but nonetheless I guess we are short 3 illustrations. I will update the chapter once I find the illustrations.
- ↑ [magrefnotes: thrown into an unknown place, forced to survive in a new environment]
