Chapter 26 　[【Crushing Defeat】 I. Make it]

Part 1

Currently I’m in the middle of a cooking class held in the wide field of the Pineapple Garden.

I’m rather confused about the situation, but I don’t think I should say anything. I’ll just stay silent for now.

The woman who bought the  【Sliced Pine】 from us ―― Sakura-san. After we did the exchange, we decided to experience making a dish without using the cooking skill, under supervision of Sakura-san.

「Well then, the preparations are complete. Let’s begin the cooking!」

Sakura-san took out a portable kitchen set from her item box and then gave each of us a kitchen knife. The knife was maintained very well and had an extremely sharp edge. I want to use it as my weapon.

「We~ll then everyone, how’s your experience with cooking?」

When we were asked by Sakura-san, our answer came in order from the ones closest to her to the ones furthest away. So it went Shinji, Wakakusa-san, Fuyukawa-san, and lastly me.

「I have completely zero experience. My prided dish is cup ramen and ready-made kare. I can also use the microwave and cooker too!」

Next to Shinji who was bathing in our stares of ‘That’s not a dish!’, Wakakusa-san spoke up  with a slightly nervous expression.

「I-I just help my mother a little for mealtime. As for the seasoning for the dishes, I’m still learning!」

She’s just like a student going to cooking class. Could it be that she is nervous since the person herself realizes that fact?

「I cook everyday, only for breakfast though. I also help with lunch and dinner whenever I have the time.」

Though Fuyukawa-san also spoke with a nervous tone, I don’t know whether it’s because of the same reason Wakakusa-san has. But really, breakfast everyday huh. Great, she is wa~y too great isn’t she?

AH, it’s my turn now right?

「Uhm, rather than dishes, it’s better to say that I’m good at survival cooking. I can survive with wild plants and animal as long as I have my survival knife. My seasoning is rather rough on the edge, but I can make quite delicious dishes with wild boars, snakes and deers. Though it’s not that much, I have the experience of cooking a bear.」

「I-I see! Though I don’t quite understand that last part, I think I know the general outline of everyone’s skill in cooking.」

She’s surprised by the truth huh? Well that reaction is normal I guess. I still can’t get over the fact that I made that bear into a nabe*. [TL : Reference for chapter 1 and 2 ] My father was  delighted by the flavour though.

「Well then, let’s start by dicing up the ingredients. Please dice the onion on top of your chopping board!」

After Sakura-san said so, we start to dice the onion. But the difference between everyone’s skills was as clear as day and night. The onion diced by us have the same appearance on the surface but when Sakura-san took a look at them…

Part 2

「「Aren’t you quite skilled in this!? 」」

「「Geh, this is disgusting!」」

Her opinion was split between female and male camp. This is not the difference of palate due to the gender of our avatar, it was the difference between our cooking skills. So I tried to voice my opinion.

「Is it the way we use the kitchen knife?」

Sakura-san started smiling while pointing at me.

「Exactly! The 2 girls get passing marks for their usage of the kitchen knife to cut the onion, if we’re speaking in a normal situation. Hive-kun doesn’t have enough proficiency to handle the kitchen knife and as for you Sou-kun, I felt a chill running through my spine when I looked at the way you diced that onion with the knife. Unfortunately, that’s not the correct way to cut the onion. For meat, there’re a few ways to dice and that’s applied to onions too. Moreover, there’s a need to apply your power correctly and cut at the right angle. Therefore, for the time being, the girls have done a better job than the boys. The dishes won’t become delicious no matter what you do now. In other words, you’ve failed. This system is even more severe than reality right?」

I see. Maybe it is because of Sakura-san being a chef, or her being able to cook delicious meals, but either way she is able to get cooking related abilities because of her skills. Added on the fact that she also has cooking skills in the real world, Sakura-san is able to make dishes in the virtual world. Much unlike me and Shinji, who had no skills and would only turn ingredients into garbage. Long story short, the two of us were banned from cooking any further.

「Well then boys, please retire over there! Now then, shall we start the next step, girls?」

「「Ye~s!」」

It can’t be helped, we’re just unfortunate. Thus, me and Shinji moved to sit beside Hanzou-san who was sitting at the corner of the table.

「That’s unfortunate huh, boys?」

Hanzou-san who’s characteristic is his beard called out to us. He has this gentle voice which betrays his uncouth appearance.

「Yup. Well, it doesn’t matter and can’t be helped anyway.」

Is this the way you talk to your superior? I might need him to teach me about things to counter working adults.

「Come to think of it, you said that you were a blacksmith Hanzou-san? Were you the one that  made those kitchen knives?」

「Yeah, my wife isn’t too eager to use something not made by me.」

「He~, she loves you that much huh?」

Hanzou-san continued on, despite being embarrassed upon hearing Shinji’s words.

「I also make cutlery in real life by the way. The 2 of us have the same occupations even in our virtual world occupations.」

Part 3

Well, I played this game since I wanted a fantasy world that was different from reality. Actually, what is their purpose for coming to this world? Not knowing it makes me feel anxious.

「I wonder what you seek in this game Hanzou-san.」

Hanzou-san started stroking his beard when I asked him the question, and replied a while later.

「Let’s see. Sakura and I, well, we started playing this game not because of the adventuring aspect. This game world is extremely close to reality right? That’s why we thought that we would come here to test and train our respective occupation skills in this game. I mean, the game is so thorough to the point that it even automatically identifies us as a married couple.」

The things that you can’t do in the real world due to the lack of money, are possible in this game as long as you have enough in-game money. Although you have to put in a lot of effort and time during the initial phases to get everything you need, it’s still far cheaper than doing it in real life. It comes with a marriage mechanism as well huh.

「But since anyone could make similar things with skill, I almost retired from this game at one point. But after Sakura found out that it is possible to make something without a skill as long as we use the correct method, this world has changed for us.」

「The world changed?」

「Yeah.  Just a bit of modification can make a great change, thus I’m trying to make completely new items by using a completely new technique. Moreover, since this world is quite faithful to reality, every step I take must also be faithful to the basics, which makes it as perfect as training in reality. Now I’m completely addicted to this game.」

Hanzou-san told us that with a child-like smile, not hiding his excitement at all. After hearing his story, we also trembled in excitement.

Ah, come to think of it, I heard that Hanzou-san had a manufacturing job.

「Everyone from the manufacturing sector is lucky huh. Hanzou-san, what’s the method for a job change?」

Since I know nothing but combat jobs, my knowledge of other jobs is incomplete. I’d planned  to ask Shinji about that but forgot about it till now.

「It just depends on your own efforts. Combat jobs are much easier to master and can do more splendid things than manufacturing jobs. However, manufacturing jobs need regular training usually in the form of taking classes. Many people say that that kind of training is troublesome though, which is why you don’t see much people having manufacturing jobs.」

So that’s the case. With such annoyingly high hurdles, most people choose combat jobs over manufacturing jobs.

「I see, I understand now. So does that mean that people who aren’t interested in adventuring  are uncommon?」

「As long as you see it as a whole, I think the people who want adventures are the majority. But some artisans like Sakura and I also like diving in this game as a hobby.」

Hobby? ……………Huh?