Konbini Ossan Volume 5 Chapter 8 — The Domain Capital, Waynesvale City
After the orc attack, our journey went smoothly.
We lost a little time on the first day, but in the end, we arrived in Waynesvale right on schedule — two days, just as planned.
We parted ways with the elderly couple, the adventurer, and the coachman who had traveled with us.
For now, we decided to explore the city of Waynesvale.
“Well then, Arisa, shall we start by checking out the shopping district?”
“Yeah, let’s go, old man!”
Arisa boldly hooked her arm through mine. It felt a little heartless to push her away, so I let it slide.
As long as I don’t let myself get swayed by her energy, it’s fine. Best to focus on the job at hand.
First order of business — check out Waynesvale’s local specialties.
The main street was lively, as expected. Being an agricultural hub, food was abundant.
Stalls and restaurants lined the streets, selling everything from baked goods to local produce. There were plenty of dairy shops too — mostly cheese and butter, not much raw milk.
“Hey, old man, look over there.”
“Yes, yes, what is it now?”
I followed her finger — and blinked. Something surprising was being sold there.
Wrapped in straw were fermented beans — food that looked suspiciously like natto. I walked over to it with Arisa.
“Welcome! You two a couple? Our tofu is famous for being great for the skin — how about one for the lady?”
“Tofu, you say? I’ve never seen it prepared like this.”
“Of course you haven’t. Try taking it out of town, and monsters come running from the smell. Has to be eaten where it’s made.”
Ah. The real culprit behind the orc attack revealed itself.
So in this world, tofu was actually fermented beans — basically natto — and apparently a monster-attracting food.
“By the way, what kind of smell does it have?”
“Well, monsters love it, but to people it’s like… a nutty smell, just a bit strong. Used to stink worse, before they improved the recipe.”
So this world’s natto wasn’t that smelly. Even people who couldn’t stand strong odors could probably eat it.
“Arisa-san, shall we try some?”
“Hmm, I guess I’m curious.”
“Then, shopkeeper, we’ll take one.”
“You got it!”
And just like that, our first purchase in Waynesvale was this world’s “tofu.”
After buying it, we wandered through the shops for a while and found a plaza with a fountain — benches everywhere, perfect for a break. We sat down.
“Well then, time to try this tofu.”
“Wait, old man, you’re gonna eat something smelly out here?”
She seemed worried about manners. But that wasn’t an issue for me.
“I have the «Body Odor» skill. It lets me erase any unpleasant smells. I can probably neutralize the tofu’s scent before it spreads.”
“Uh-huh… I mean, it’s weird that you have a skill called «Body Odor», but weirder that it can do that.”
“Well, it works, so let’s use it efficiently.”
With that, I opened the straw wrapping. Inside were sticky, glossy beans — larger than the natto I remembered.
The scent was faintly nutty, more savory than foul.
“I see. This looks quite edible.”
“Here, say ahh, old man.”
Before I could reach for it, Arisa pinched a bean between her fingers and held it up.
“Arisa-san?”
“Come on, hurry up.”
“I can feed myself, you know.”
“Quit stalling!”
She pushed it toward my mouth, leaving me no escape.
I gave in and took the tofu directly from her fingers — brushing them slightly with my lips in the process. It couldn’t be helped.
“So? Tasty?”
“Yes. Surprisingly good, actually.”
It had umami, a light saltiness, and a pleasant aroma — not like natto’s pungent scent at all. It would go great with rice, or even on its own.
Probably good as a snack with drinks, or as a side dish like pickles.
“I’m honestly surprised this isn’t well-known, even in the capital. It’s good enough to be a staple.”
“Hmm, there’s probably a reason for that.”
“Oh? You noticed something, Arisa-san?”
“If that orc mess yesterday really was because of this stuff, then yeah — I can think of two reasons.”
Arisa began explaining her thoughts.
Thanks to her experience running the magic tool shop and her «Calculator» skill’s growth, she often saw things I missed — especially when she had enough background info to work from.
So when moments like this came up, I always made a point of hearing her out.
And once again, she’d clearly caught on to something.
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E/N:
Ossan's ice is melting! Way to go Arisa-chan!
Also, basically what the shopkeeper was selling was what natto is on Earth. They just call it tofu in that world or maybe someone (Earthling) introduced it wrong? We'll know if I'm wrong.
FYI, Natto is a fermented food product of Soybeans, and due to the fermentation it stinks to no end.
Food items similar to it are Stinky Tofu of Indonesia or Malaysia which doesn't smell nutty but does have a pungent smell, and some types of well-aged cheese!
Tofu, on the other hand is the coagulated, non-fermented product of soy milk, it doesn't have any taste of its own and absorbs whatever brine it is cooked in. It's like Cottage Cheese but with less fat content!
Stay tuned!
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