Mushoku Tensei — Chapter 129 - An Ordinary Day
Lately, Nanahoshi and I have been researching fried food.
This world has fried food. Just not the kind either of us actually wants to eat.
What we want is something far less healthy.
French fries. Potato chips. All the puffed, processed snacks that come with them.
It's not like this world lacks potatoes. It's not like it lacks oil. So why hasn't any of this been invented yet?
Anyway. There we were in a research lab that looked thoroughly academic from the outside, attempting to figure out how to make potato chips.
......
"Rudeus, I think it's the oil."
"No way. Lard smells amazing. Don't you Japanese people eat it?"
"In ramen, a little. Not in daily life."
"Look, the failure isn't about the oil. Maybe we just sliced the potatoes too thick."
"I still think we should try a different oil."
"Fine, fine. Soybean oil."
We spent the entire afternoon on this. Pointlessly, mostly. There were a few batches that seemed to work, but every time we tried to scale it up, something would go wrong for no clear reason.
......
As the sun crept toward the horizon, Nanahoshi tasted our last batch with her eyes closed and her brow furrowed.
"Rudeus."
"Well?"
"Have you ever considered that no matter how perfectly we fry these, we still can't replicate the actual flavor of potato chips?"
"Why not? Isn't Lay's original flavor just... potatoes tasting like potatoes?"
Nanahoshi opened her eyes.
"Rudeus, I used to think you were a smart person. I was clearly wrong."
"Why are you insulting me out of nowhere?"
"Why would you ever think Lay's original flavor is what potatoes actually taste like? Think about it for two seconds. That's impossible."
"It says original on the bag..."
"Heh. Idiot."
"That's harsh. So how are the chips?"
"Barely passable. Nowhere close to Lay's."
"Well... let's just throw some salt on them and call it a day."
I sprinkled some salt in and gave them a toss.
This world's spices aren't as varied as what I had in my previous life. Whether they haven't been discovered yet or I simply don't know about them, I can't say. But I've already combed through every spice available on the market in this country.
A lot of them have similar flavors to things I remember, just under different names.
Salt, though. Salt is still called salt here. Oddly comforting.
I put a chip in my mouth. The crunch I was imagining wasn't there.
Less like potato chips, more like something else I vaguely remember eating once...
Potato slices, maybe? I should look for some spiced salt to try next time...
"Ah! Daddy!"
"Hm?"
I turned around. Standing at the lab door were Lara and Roxy.
"What are you two doing here?"
Roxy smiled, a little tired around the edges.
"Lara kept insisting she wanted to see the school, so Milia brought her. But I was still in class, so Milia stayed with her until I finished. Milia's already headed back."
"Got it."
"Daddy, what are you eating?"
Lara trotted right over to my feet. She asked about the food first, then remembered to greet Nanahoshi.
"Sister Nanahoshi, good afternoon!"
Roxy must have introduced her on the way over.
Nanahoshi nodded and smiled.
"You're Lara? I like that 'Sister.' Want some potato chips?"
"Yes!"
Without a second's hesitation, Lara accepted the so-called potato chips from Nanahoshi and started eating. Well. Junk food or not, a little every now and then shouldn't hurt.
"These are so good!"
"Mm-hmm. Then the whole bag is yours, Lara."
"Thank you, Sister Nanahoshi!"
I patted Lara's head, somewhere between amused and fond.
"You should call her Auntie."
"Huh? But..."
Lara's confusion hadn't even fully formed before Nanahoshi's glare hit me like a blade.
"Well, considering your age..."
"Rudeus. My appearance, by any reasonable standard, does not warrant 'Auntie' from anyone."
"The thing is, age is what actually counts, isn't it?"
"Ha. I'm sixteen forever. And I still haven't made you pay for teaching Windsor to call me Auntie last time."
"Look, I can explain, I just..."
I tried. Nanahoshi wasn't interested in listening.
When I turned around, my own wife and daughter were munching away like a pair of cats who'd found something interesting, watching Nanahoshi and me bicker with great enjoyment.
"Alright. That's enough. I'm going home."
"Go, go."
Nanahoshi waved me off without ceremony. Then, in the same breath, her expression shifted entirely.
"Lara, wait just a moment. Sister has something for you."
She crossed to her lab bench and rummaged through it for a while. Eventually she came up with a ring.
Oh.
Magic tool, huh.
Lara took it and beamed.
"Oh wow! Thank you, Sister~"
"What a good girl."
Honestly. I never would have guessed Nanahoshi actually cared about being called Auntie.
Women really are something else...
On the walk home, I held Roxy's hand and let Lara ride on my shoulders.
"Rudy~"
"Hm?"
"Those potato chips you made this afternoon. I really liked them."
"Whenever Roxy wants some, I'll make more. Next time I'll track down better spices first."
"Mm-mm!"
From up on my shoulders, Lara reached down and patted my face.
"I liked them too!"
"I'll make some for Lara as well."
"Love you, Daddy!"
The road home under the setting sun was warm.
------
Back at the house, Lara immediately bolted for Great White.
Hm...
I'm starting to think Great White ranks roughly equal to me in Lara's heart.
I pulled off my coat and dropped it over a chair without thinking.
Sylphiette and Eris seemed to be cooking. Neither of them noticed we were back.
"Rudy, bath together?"
"Just us?"
"The daughters too, of course~"
"Sure."
Roxy's eyes glinted.
"Rudy's disappointed?"
"A little bit, yeah."
"Honestly. The children are getting older and Rudy is still like this..."
I ruffled Roxy's hair.
"Let's go. We need to wash Great White too. That thing is supposedly a sacred beast and it spends every day digging up the yard."
"Very Lara of it."
"Right. No wonder they get along."
------
When we came out of the bathroom, dinner was already on the table.
The moment Eris spotted us, she immediately scooped up Great White and carried him off somewhere.
Sylphiette smiled.
"Rudy~ You left your clothes on the chair again."
"Ah... sorry. Force of habit. I'll work on it."
Sylphiette shook her head, still smiling.
"Honestly, it's less that I want Rudy to fix it and more that I just like nagging about it sometimes. Does that bother you?"
"Not even a little. Makes me love you more."
"Honestly..."
------
Dinner was the usual. Each of the girls gave their full report on the day's events.
After, we took a family walk.
When we got back, because tonight was a Girls' Night gathering, all three daughters ended up sleeping with me.
Three little sleeping faces, all at once.
Really, they were just...
➤ Next: Demon Continent, Once Again