The three idiots who couldn't become heroes are preparing a man's meal today as well. - Chapter 36

Episode 36: Banner

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“Ah, I see. So that’s why you Masters were unfamiliar with the common sense of ‘this side.’ It all makes sense now.”

“Ahh, yeah, a lot of things make sense now. There were always rumors about ‘Hero Summoning’ rituals being conducted at the royal palace, but I had no idea they’d been doing it for so long… And just discarding the ones they consider failures? That’s messed up. That means there might have been others before Kitayama-san and the others.”

“So you folks came from another world, huh? I’ve lived a long time, but this is a first. Quite the occasion!”

“Thoor, we’ve known them for a while now. ‘Quite the occasion’ isn’t right, it’s ‘was quite the occasion.'”

“Nishida, how’s the booze over there!? Is it good!?”

“I always wondered why you kept ordering such strange cooking tools… so that’s why. Man, life sure is interesting.”

I have many things I’d like to say.

Minami-san, from now on, let’s address things in the moment, okay? Bottling things up isn’t healthy.

And Airi… you’re the most reasonable one here, but aren’t you a bit too indifferent toward us? We’re people from another world, practically aliens.

Before worrying about the royal palace’s issues, maybe you could react to us first?

Look, look, there’s an otherworlder right in front of you~!

…No reaction? You’ve already gotten used to it? Not even curious? Nothing?

I see.

And as for the dwarves… you guys can just go home.

You’re the least bothered by this. Do you even get what I’m saying?

“Hey… everyone’s reacting way too casually. Do you really get it? We’re from another world. We don’t belong here. Is this really the right reaction?”

As soon as I said that, everyone stared at me blankly.

What’s with that expression? How am I supposed to respond to that?

“Hah! So what if you’re from another world? Tell me, how exactly does that make you any different from us?”

“Knowledge and common sense differ? That’s natural when crossing countries, too.”

“Thanks to you folks, we’ve learned how to make better food and enjoy good drinks. That alone makes it worthwhile.”

“Honestly, you’ve given us fun new jobs to do. It’s been exciting!”

The four dwarves laughed heartily.

…That’s it? That’s all it takes for them to accept it?

“To be honest, this is a huge issue. The royal palace, your situation—everything. But from what I’ve heard, Kitayama-san and the others aren’t responsible for it. And despite the short time you’ve been here, you’ve accomplished a lot and connected so many people. Knowing that you’re from another world doesn’t really change anything.”

Airi said this with a gentle smile.

Why doesn’t she have a fiancé yet?

Seriously, it’s a mystery. She’s an angel.

The nobles of this world must be blind.

“To me, no matter what you are, you are still my Masters.”

“Minami?”

“Um… I might not be able to say this well, but… I’m happy because I can be with you, Masters. It’s not about whether you’re from another world or what race you are… As long as I can stay by your side, I… I’m happy.”

Damn, our girl is too good.

I can’t help but ruffle her hair.

“M-Master! Please, not in public… It’s embarrassing…”

“Sorry, but I’m doing it anyway.”

“Uuu…”

Honestly, I thought we’d be treated like cryptids.

Or worse, captured, thrown into some weird research lab, or executed by the royal palace.

But surprisingly, we were accepted so easily.

Even though we’re outsiders—anomalies.

At first, we were “the ones with nothing,” but now, somehow, we’ve found people who welcome us.

The thought made my eyes sting.

“Everyone… thank you.”

“Kitayama-san, you guys are just entertaining to watch.”

“Agreed. Lately, it’s been so much fun wondering what kind of monster you’ll take down next.”

“””And the food’s great.”””

“No matter how it all started, to me, you are my Masters, and I never want to leave your side.”

I’m really lucky to have such great companions.

Just as I was thinking that—

“Uh, sorry to interrupt the good mood, but… it seems like she’s at her limit.”

A suited man called out from behind.

I turned my gaze, following his prompt.

“Wait—! Hey, are you okay!?”

The sailor-uniformed girl had collapsed onto the table, unmoving.

I rushed over, only to hear soft, steady breathing.

Ah… so that’s what he meant by “her limit.”

Relieved, I hoisted her up in my arms.

She must have been exhausted. No surprise there.

For now, I should put her to bed. We can figure out our next steps tomorrow.

Just as I was thinking that, Airi suddenly raised a finger with a ping!

“It’s good that the number of members in ‘Hearty Eater’ is increasing, but isn’t our party getting a bit too large? It’s fine for now, but going forward, this could cause issues in our activities. Don’t you agree?”

“Well… yeah, maybe.”

We also need to level these two up, and there’s the question of whether they can actually adapt to how we operate.

That’s why we need to think this through.

“So, how about this—why don’t we take this opportunity to establish a clan? The minimum requirement is 10 members. At first, the taxes are slightly higher than for individuals, but once we gain recognition, we’ll start getting major requests and priority referrals from the guild. Plus, when we acquire a building, the taxes on it will be lower. There are a lot of advantages! And staying at an inn forever isn’t cheap. Not to mention, if we suddenly return, there’s always a chance there won’t be any rooms available.”

A clan, huh?

It’s basically the same as a guild in an online game—a group of players gathered under one banner.

If I recall correctly, it works pretty much the same way here.

But the issue is… we don’t even meet the basic requirements.

“It requires at least 10 people, right? That’s impossible from the start.”

There’s me, Nishida, Azuma, Minami.

Then there’s Airi, plus the two new members from today.

That makes seven.

Where the hell are we supposed to find the other three?

“Hah? There’s four more right here.”

“Huh?”

“A clan doesn’t need all its members to be Walkers, y’know. We’ll be the support team.”

“What?”

“We’ll make your gear at a discount, so feel free to ask for anything. After all, if the building tax goes down, that means our shop’s taxes go down too.”

“Oi.”

“We had a chat while you were away. Sounded interesting, so we agreed to join.”

“Seriously…?”

And just like that, the groundwork had already been laid.

That brought our total to 11.

We had met the minimum requirement.

“Well… we should still check with the branch chief first. I don’t want him complaining about it later.”

“I’ll look into potential homes for the clan to use, alright?”

“P-Please go easy on us…”

Looks like we’re in for another major expense.

Man, do we even have enough money for this…?

――――

“So, I hear there have been some developments, Deadline?”

“Don’t call me by weird names. I’ll dump more work on you, you hear me?”

“You already have…”

“Uhh… yeah. My bad.”

The next day, we brought the two rescued newcomers to see the branch chief.

With Airi’s report, he let out a massive sigh.

“Allow me to introduce myself once again. My name is Nakajima Seiya. I look forward to working with you.”

“Shiraishi Eri. Nice to meet you.”

A businessman who looks older than us and a strangely pale high school girl formally introduced themselves to the branch chief.

Those in the know would get it right away.

We’ve got Azuma, Minami, Nishida, and Kitayama, forming the Ton-Nan-Sha-Pei pattern. (East, South, West, North) 

Now we’ve added Shiro and Chuu. (In mahjong, “Shiro”/white (白) and “Chuu”/red (中) refer to two of the three dragon tiles (三元牌, sangenpai))

The last missing piece is Hatsu. (Hatsu (發) – The Green Dragon)

But damn… I’ve never seen anyone with the surname that uses the kanji 發.

We’re screwed.

“Alright, I’ll be counting on you. So, the two of you will be joining ‘Hearty Eater,’ is that correct? I also heard something about forming a clan. Suddenly forming a clan, just like that. I wonder, just who will be handling all the paperwork for that application? The Guild Headquarters, the national registry, and everything else that comes with it. Who, exactly, do you think will be doing all that?”

“Yeah, yeah, I said I was sorry…”

“From now on, make sure to report things ahead of time—during a period when I actually have some breathing room. Also, if you’re bringing in more new members, I need to be informed first.”

“I’ll be more careful from now on.”

“Good.”

And just like that, the two of them were officially registered as Walkers.

Level 1, no titles.

The same starting point as we had.

Which means, we just need to throw them into the same environment we were in at the beginning.

As I silently nodded to myself in understanding, the conversation among the others continued.

“First of all, this guy is dangerous. A normal person would die if they casually walked into half the situations he gets himself into. Even if you’re working with him, make sure not to copy his reckless behavior.”

“U-Understood…”

“Roger that.”

“Next, ‘Hearty Eater’ primarily operates outdoors and typically spends about a week camping out in the wild. If that sounds like too much, let me know—we can find you a different job or assign you to another party.”

“A full week of camping…?”

“Camping… sounds fun.”

“And then, these guys always manage to get themselves into trouble—”

“Oi, branch chief. Stop making us sound like walking disasters.”

“Can you deny it?”

“…I can’t, dammit.”

And so, after some back and forth, their registration was completed, officially making them members of ‘Hearty Eater.’

After that, Airi found a suitable property, got it registered, and we paid for it.

Then she was once again assigned to reception duty for the week, and let’s just say… she was not happy about it.

Things had certainly gotten livelier.

Now the question was, how well would these two adapt?

If they couldn’t, well… they could always stay at our newly purchased ‘home’ and handle miscellaneous tasks.

“Kitayama-san, I imagine we’ll be causing you some trouble, but I look forward to working with you.”

“O-Oh. Likewise, Nakajima-san.”

“Just call me Nakajima. If the leader calls me with a ‘-san,’ it throws everything off.”

“A-Alright…”

Nakajima, in his tattered business suit, gave a very polished bow.

If I recall correctly, he was in sales.

That was a perfect 45-degree bow, the likes of which I had never seen on this side of the world.

Please stop—it’s making me feel guilty.

“Hey, Kita. Looking forward to working with you.”

Meanwhile, the high school girl was way too familiar.

Not that it was a bad thing.

She calls me Kita and Nishida Nishi.

But Azuma and Minami? She just calls them as-is.

I guess it makes sense—there’s no reason to shorten them.

As for Nakajima, she calls him Naka-san.

She’s very friendly. Always expressionless, though.

“Alright then, nice to meet you, Shiraishi.”

“Shiro.”

“Huh?”

“Shiro is fine.”

“Shiro…-chan?”

“Gross.”

“The fu-, alright Shiro!”

“Yeah, Shiro.”

Apparently, she insisted on being called by two syllables.

No clue why, but whatever.

And just like that, ‘Hearty Eater’ had grown to seven members.

No, counting Thor and the others, we were now eleven.

At some point, we’d become quite the group.

“Alright, let’s go pick up our armor and weapons. They should be ready by now. After that, we’re heading straight for the forest.”

“Understood.”

“Mm.”

And so, another week of survival began.

We’d keep an eye on the two newcomers, but for the most part, we’d enjoy camping out as usual.

As for the property Airi found? That would have to wait until we got back.

By then, they should have taken care of cleaning and any other preparations.

Not bad. It really feels like things are falling into place.

A home of our own, a group of comrades—finally, an otherworld life that felt properly settled.

The only issue?

Our wallet was completely empty after buying the place.

…Alright. We’ll just have to work hard this week.

Maybe I can sell some eggs or something to the branch chief.

Oh yeah, I still haven’t shown him that golden apple we got from the Treant.

Eh, I’ll deal with it later.

And with that, we left the branch chief’s office behind.