Chapter 4: A Cool Present

Chapter 4:
A Cool Present

 

IT WAS OUR FIRST TIME eating at the Rabbit Tavern in a while, and Rena brought us a dish we definitely hadn’t ordered.

“Thank you so much for those fish the other day, Mr. Pharmacist.” The barmaid smiled. “This is our way of showing our gratitude.”

“Aww. You didn’t have to—”

Before I finished my sentence, Noela reached for the plate of steamed shellfish and helped herself. Her appetite has no brakes. Beside her, Mina dined daintily. Earlier, she’d told Noela to make sure to chew properly, like a grandmother would’ve.

“How were the fish, anyway?” I asked Rena. “Were diners pleased?”

“Totally! And we dried and smoked the leftovers so we could hold on to them longer.”

Makes sense. This world doesn’t have fridges or freezers, so people do that to keep food from spoiling.

“What about holding on to vegetables?” I asked. “They rot so fast, and they cost an arm and a leg. It must be tough.”

“It really is!” Mina chimed in.

Meanwhile, Noela used a shell to scoop up the broth on the plate. Mind your manners, Noela.

“Speaking of,” I added, “Mina, you only make salad on the day you buy veggies, right?” She typically cooked the vegetables she served on other days.

“Oh, you noticed? That’s right! Noela doesn’t seem to mind eating old vegetables, but as the one in charge of cooking, I’d hate to upset anyone’s stomach.”

“Always cooking vegetables sounds like a hassle.”

“It is!”

I looked at my pasta. Man, now that I think about it, I haven’t had sashimi since I arrived here. This world’s oceans and rivers were far from Kalta, and preserving fish was impossible. Plus, I didn’t think this town had that kind of cuisine—you know, raw fish and all. Maybe I should try to build a fridge.

Mina seemed to be having a blast talking about homemaking. Standing up, I passed her my wallet. “Here. Pay with this.”

“Where’re you heading? Today’s our day off.”

“Yeah, I know. I’ve just got some stuff to do.”

Noela licked her plate with all her might; there must’ve been lots of shellfish broth left. Mind your manners, Noela… Eh, she’s fine.

Leaving the Rabbit Tavern, I headed to Paula’s tool shop. She was probably watching the store, since she knew Kirio Drugs was closed today.

“Hello!” I called, entering. I found Paula slouched over the counter, asleep. “Hey, you’ve got a customer. Wake up!”

Paula’s shoulders moved. She raised her head, her glasses totally askew. “Huh? Wha…? A customer? Liar.”

“It’s me, you goof.”

“I ain’t lending you money.”

“I’m not a swindler!” I swear, she can be such a dummy. She didn’t think of “Kirio Reiji” as anyone more than the owner of the store where she killed time, so she didn’t recognize my voice.

Paula rubbed her eyes, adjusting her glasses. “Er, welcome, I guess.”

“There we go. I knew you could do it.”

She grinned, her chin firmly in her hands. “So what’s the big idea? Wait—I know.”

No, she definitely doesn’t know.

“You got lonely because your big sis didn’t vis—”

“Nope.”

“Did you really have to cut me off like that?” Paula frowned.

“Hey, could you make me a big iron box?” I asked, picturing a refrigerator. I told Paula I could live with a small, one-door design if necessary, although that wouldn’t be as big as a family fridge.

“If I hit up a craftsman, that should be doable,” Paula replied. “But why do you need that?”

“I’m starting a food revolution in our little town.”

“Whoa. Well, doesn’t that sound fun? I want in.”

I hadn’t given her any details, but she was already on board, as I’d expected. “Listen up, Paula. Here’re the deets.” We discussed the specifics of the fridge, and I wrote them down.

“There are definitely parts I’ll have to consult a craftsman about, but this should be doable,” Paula confirmed.

“Excellent.”

“If it actually works, it really will be a revolution. Amazing!”

“I’m counting on you!”

We exchanged a firm handshake, and I left the tool shop. I had business to take care of—specifically, mass-producing icy gel and creating a new product.

My first objective was to make a simple refrigerator prototype. Paula had said it would take a craftsman about two days to finish the iron box. I was a bit worried about how quick that seemed, but Paula had been confident.

“I’m gonna tell ’em to prioritize my order,” she’d said. “Just leave it to your favorite Paula!”

I got to work in the lab. “Okay, this should do the trick!”

 

Preservative: Prevents rot when exposed to air.

 

The stuff inside the bottle was liquid; it was the type of preservative you let sit uncovered.

Noela and Mina finally got home. They gave me puzzled looks as I worked in the lab.

“Today’s your day off, Mr. Reiji,” Mina reiterated. “Shouldn’t you stop working so much?”

“Thanks, but I’ve just got a little to finish.”

“All right, I understand. In that case, good luck!” She closed the lab door, smiling.

When I finish, she’ll be blown away.

 

***

 

Two days later, the iron box arrived at Paula’s tool shop. I headed over with two different liquids. The box was in the center of the store, and it was small enough to wrap your arms around. Paula sat atop it.

“It’s just like you asked for, right, Rei Rei?”

The box was about knee height, and its depth seemed perfect. The durable iron plating was as thin as possible.

“Oh, man.” I smiled. “This really might get cold enough.”

Paula and I immediately coated the interior with icy gel. A while later, I grabbed the box’s wooden handle and opened the door; cold air blasted my face.

Paula stuck her arms inside the box. “Whoa! This is awesome! It’s friggin’ ice-cold!”

“Bah, come on. You’re exaggerating.” Still, I get how she feels. I couldn’t have told you the box’s exact temperature, but it definitely felt wintry.

“There’s no point if this doesn’t stay super cold, though,” Paula added.

“I know.” That was why I’d made so much icy gel. If I spread a bunch over the interior, it’ll stay cold for—

“I’m climbing in for a sec!”

“Er, excuse me? What do you—wait, you’re already inside?!”

Before I wrapped my head around her proclamation, Paula shut the makeshift fridge’s door, closing herself in. Ten minutes went by, and she didn’t say a word. Are you okay, Paula? I opened the fridge. Paula fell out like a frozen statue, her face completely blue.

“Ish…super…cold…” she said through chattering teeth.

Oh, right. I forgot that icy gel almost works too well. I wrapped a warm blanket around Paula and headed back to the drugstore to take care of some work.

That evening, I swung by the tool shop to check on the fridge. Yup, still cold. This should work perfectly as a refrigerator.

I plopped the super-duper ice-cold fridge on a shopping cart and dragged it home, where Mina was doing dishes.

“Yo, do you have a sec?” I called.

“Of course. I didn’t notice you come in. Where’d you get off to?”

“I was just at Paula’s for a bit.” That wasn’t important, though. I brought Mina over to the fridge.

“What is this, Mr. Reiji?”

“Erm, it’s called a refrigerator. It’s a mysterious box that’s super cold inside.”

“Hunh.” Mina didn’t seem to understand.

Well, that’s not her fault. It didn’t exist here until earlier today. “Basically,” I explained, “when you put fish, meat, veggies, and stuff inside it, it’ll keep them cold for as long as you want.”

“Really? All those different foods?”

“Yeah. Which means…?”

“They’ll take longer to spoil?”

“Bingo!”

“What?!” Mina cried. She opened the fridge door. Stunned, she shrieked, “That’s incredible!”

“This is yours, Mina. Consider it a present from me.”

“A-are you sure? Th-this thing’s truly astonishing, you know!”

“No worries. I’ll make another one if a request comes in. I want to make sure this one works right anyway.” I grinned.

Mina was overflowing with enthusiasm. “I’m going to make you all kinds of delicious dishes, Mr. Reiji!”

“I’m looking forward to it.”

“You better be!” Her smile was as bright as a freshly bloomed sunflower.

I get it now. I probably did this because I wanted to make Mina happy. In a way, it’s a present to myself.

At least, that was what crossed my mind at the time.

 

***

 

A few days later, I learned that Paula had followed me home in secret. She’d seen that whole conversation with Mina.

“Heh heh! You know how to lay it on, Rei Rei. A ‘present,’ eh? I thought I’d get a cavity from how sweet that was!” Paula began reciting my conversation with Mina. “‘I’m looking forward to it!’ ‘You better be!’ Whew—it’s getting hot in here! Just describing this is embarrassing!”

She added the exchange about the refrigerator to her repertoire of stories to tease me with.