Volume 5, Chapter 8 – Yukawa Hot Spring (4)

The day after we shared our Statuses at the rotenburo, we went for a stroll around town. We were heading out to see some nearby geysers.

By the way, everyone was very kind to me last night, and I actually got to drink blood from every single one of them.

Chris-san still didn’t seem completely convinced yet, but she accepted me as a Vampire and let me drink.

I have a feeling they were teasing me a little, using the “(LOL)” thing as a running joke, but I suppose we can say my “Vampire (LOL)” problem is solved now. Probably.

Of course, since no one outside our group would understand, I have no intention of actively spreading the word.

Also, it was my first time receiving blood from Shizuku-san, and the flavor was uniquely delicious.

Chris-san’s blood has a calming, reassuring taste—like a “mother’s cooking”—while Lu-chan’s is fresh, energetic, and refreshing.

Shizuku-san’s blood, however, is a rich blend of acidity and sweetness that bursts in the mouth, with a hint of wild flavor added to the mix; it’s truly mellow.

After thinking about it, it seems best to stick with Chris-san for daily use, Lu-chan when I want to feel energized or refreshed, and Shizuku-san for special occasions or anniversaries.

Wait, what on earth am I thinking?!

I’m acting exactly like a Vampire.

Ah, well, I am a Vampire, but that’s not the point!

Right, I should just be grateful that they even let me drink at all.

I should be thankful that there are three people—though mostly non-humans—who accept someone like me.

Anyway, we passed through the center of town and headed toward the mountains. As we did, a local called out to us.

“Oh? Young ladies, are you heading to the river? If you are, be careful not to get too close to the water; it’s dangerous.”

“Yes. Thank you. We also wanted to see the geysers.”

“Ah, I see. In that case, there are plenty you can see up close over by the Yukawa Banana grove.”

“Banana grove?!”

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Bananas grow in a place like this? How?

“Yay, bananas! Let’s buy lots of bananas!”

“Eh? Ah, right, let’s do that.”

“If that’s the case, you can also buy some at the shop opposite the plantation. Safe travels!”

“Thank you very much.”

We walked in the direction indicated.

Soon, steam began rising from various spots, and the air grew more and more humid as the amount of steam increased.

“Could it be that this area is full of hot springs, and that’s why it’s so hot?”

It happened right then.

BUSHAAAAA!!

Suddenly, hot spring water erupted from the side of the road.

“Whoops, Barrier!”

I quickly deployed a Barrier to protect myself from the water and avoid getting burned. The eruption happened right under my nose, just a few meters away.

“Wooooah, amazing!”

“This is…!”

“Good heavens, Fiene-dono, you saved us.”

“Eeeh…”

Why is something this dangerous right next to the road?

The water from this spring was bubbling and boiling.

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Yes, meaning that if I had been hit by it, there was a real chance I could have died.

“Ah, so that’s what he meant. When he said ‘be careful,’ he meant this ! …Sigh.”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh.

I’m sure he didn’t mean any harm; in fact, he was probably trying to be kind.

I know complaining is probably unfair, but I feel like he could have been a little more specific.

After spending some time observing the geysers up close while protected by my Barrier, we walked for about ten more minutes and arrived at the banana grove.

A vast field of bananas stretched out before us.

The entire area was as humid as the height of summer.

Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be a tourist farm, so we couldn’t tour the fields, but there was a shop selling bananas right in front of us.

“Oh, welcome. Would you like some of Yukawa’s famous bananas, young ladies?”

“I’ll eat them!”

At the shopkeeper’s call, Lu-chan’s eyes sparkled as she scurried forward.

“How many bunches would you like?”

“Umm, all of th—mmpf!”

“For now, may we try a sample?”

“Of course, go ahead.”

I covered Lu-chan’s mouth just as she was about to say she wanted to buy everything, then asked for a sample.

I hoped they were as sweet as the ones I had yesterday; if not, I’d rather pass.

The lady plucked a single banana from a bunch, sliced it into small pieces with a knife, and offered them to us.

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“So yummy! It tastes just like the bananas I had yesterday!”

Lu-chan was delighted.

“Well, that’s because most of the bananas in Yukawa are grown at this plantation,” the lady explained.

I see. It seems my worries were unfounded.

“Then we’ll buy some. Now, how many bunches… let’s see…”

“Then I’ll take everything from this shelf, this shelf, and this shelf too!”

Lu-chan placed her order by pointing to specific shelves. It seemed she understood that buying the entire store’s stock was not allowed.

“My, what a keen eye you have, little lady. All our bananas are high quality, but to pick out only the best among them…”

I couldn’t tell the difference at all. But if Lu-chan, a Gourmet Hunter, said so, it must be true.

Still, I didn’t expect her to buy this much. It seems that because I went on a shopping spree in Miyako, Lu-chan has picked up my habit of “adult buying.”

Well, whatever.

“We’ll take those, then.”

“Thank you for your business. It’s one silver coin per bunch, so that comes to 8 gold coins in total.”

“Eh…”

Yeah, that was unexpectedly expensive.

One silver coin is roughly 5,000 yen. I don’t know if it’s because of rarity, but it’s much higher than I imagined.

“Hmm, Shopkeeper-dono. Could you not offer a bit of a discount? We are buying such a large quantity, you know? At that price, we shall only buy this one basket’s worth.”

Shizuku-san smoothly intervened in the conversation between the clerk and me.

“Furthermore, if they do not sell, you would likely release them into the city market, would you not? Would the price at that time not be about one-fifth of what it is now?”

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W-what?! Were we about to be ripped off?

“Even if the customers are foreigners who are unaware of the prices, I wonder if it is appropriate to sell items at such an exorbitant price to this person, who has met Suikyou-sama and is on their way back to their home country?”

The moment the lady heard that, her face turned pale.

Well, it’s a fact that she met Suikyou, so it’s not technically a lie, but I don’t think it means what she thinks it means. Suikyou and I tried to kill each other. Plus, that “Suikyou-sama” is now a completely different person.

“I-I understand! One-fifth of the price is fine. Please, please forgive me!”

“Is that so. However, with such a steep discount, you must wish for a bit more in sales? Therefore, we shall buy 2 gold coins’ worth. Lumia-dono, you may choose a few more… let’s see… about 120 more bunches.”

With that, Shizuku-san let Lu-chan pick out additional bananas.

The lady, who had apparently tried to swindle us, now had an expression like a Noh mask carved onto her face.

Seriously, how can Shizuku-san do those calculations so quickly? If it were me, I’d probably need a pen and paper.

After putting the bananas Lu-chan chose into my Storage, we handed the lady 2 gold coins and left the shop.

“Um, was that okay, Shizuku-san?”

I whispered softly to her, and Shizuku-san nodded.

“They were selling a mix of high-quality and low-quality fruit. The average price would be around one small silver coin.”

“Shizuku-san, how did you know that?”

“My Sub-Class is Merchant. By using the Item Appraisal skill, I can tell to some extent whether the price of a product is reasonable.”

“I see.”

Traveling alone must have been more difficult than I imagined.

With that thought, we left the banana grove behind.