Chapter 473 - We Are Now Taking Reservations
We were holding back on hunting, simply holing up in our base until the sun went down.
While that might sound like an unusual move for an ‘event,’ the truth is that survival camping is fun even if you’re just lazing around in nature.
Other than that one morning raid, there were no particular irregularities. As we all spent our time as we pleased, interacting with one another, the final night arrived in the blink of an eye.
Even though it’s fifty percent longer than in the real world, a day here is still short.
The four-day, three-night long-term event, which at first seemed to stretch on infinitely, now had only about six hours left. With the finale just around the corner, what we players had to do was, of course—
“—The fact that this is the last time we’ll eat like this might actually be the saddest part.”
“You’re dramatic to the very end.”
“Oh, listen to you. You went to all the trouble of preparing this mountain of food, so you can’t be all that displeased by the praise, fufufu.”
“Shut up. I just used up all the leftover ingredients.”
—to have a grand feast that also served as an early ‘job well done’ party.
We got rid of the tables and chairs, returning to the floor-seating style of the very beginning. However, the distance between the group members as they sat seemed to have shrunk considerably.
Was he just shy, as Nono-san’s teasing suggested, or was he simply fulfilling his ‘job,’ as he himself claimed? Tetsu-san’s all-out inventory clearance had covered the floor with an absurd variety and quantity of dishes, so there was no shortage of fuel for the festivities.
My partner, munching away on a lamb dish, seemed quite pleased. She hasn’t eaten anything but that since we recovered a [Stardust Relic] from a “Sheep.” Is it her favorite food or something?
I wonder if she’d be happy if I made her some roasted lamb chops back in the real world.
“Well, anyway, the status of ‘Chef’ is going to skyrocket after this event. We might even see a massive cooking boom in Arcadia.”
“That seems likely… I mean, if this [Starry Paradise] becomes a permanent feature, we’ll need them, won’t we? An increase in their population would be essential.”
I hear there are quite a few production-type players in Arcadia, but chefs specifically are unpopular… or rather, not unpopular, but their numbers are remarkably low compared to other pure magic-crafting production builds.
The reason is simple—there was no demand.
I myself hadn’t really eaten here since trying things like snake fries early on. For one, Arcadia’s ‘meals’ lack the buff effects common in other games.
And for another, I could never quite get over the weirdness of ‘food that doesn’t fill you up,’ so while I didn’t avoid it, I never felt inclined to seek it out.
With drinks, I can just focus on enjoying the taste, which lets my brain process them as a simple indulgence like chewing gum. But with food, the act of chewing and being conscious of the texture makes me acutely aware that I’m ‘eating,’ and the emptiness after swallowing is just too jarring.
However, under the special conditions of this event, that weirdness was completely gone. And with that dissonance removed, the ‘meals’ of the virtual world have been elevated to the status of a supreme delicacy—‘fantasy cuisine that you can’t experience in reality.’
“I wonder. In the end, the system will go back to normal once the event is over. Assuming your prediction of it becoming a permanent feature is correct… I don’t know what the frequency would be, but a monthly event would be the best we could hope for.”
Would the number of chefs really increase just for such a limited stage to shine on? Tetsu-san himself tilted his head in doubt, but a rebuttal came instantly.
“No, no, they’ll definitely increase. In fact, demand for Arcadia’s ‘cuisine’ will explode, regardless of the event period. One hundred percent, absolutely.”
With a conviction that matched her words, the third-ranked artisan declared it an absolute certainty.
“To begin with, the food in this world, in terms of taste alone, easily surpasses reality. Oh, but of course, that depends on the skill of the chef, you know?”
Her orange eyes turned to me, seeking agreement, and I had no choice but to nod. First of all, the very existence of ‘cooking methods absolutely impossible to replicate in reality’ thanks to magical principles means reality can’t compete on the sheer number of options, so the outcome is already decided.
“And yet, the reason so many people avoided food here was because the unrealistic weirdness of not feeling full was too strong—and that canceled out the feeling of deliciousness.”
“Yeah, the sense of satisfaction after a meal is important.”
“Exactly. A piece of candy is one thing, but eating a huge steak and still being hungry is beyond weird. It feels so unreal that no matter how much you please your tongue, the final impression that remains is ‘cheap’.”
If you don't get full, you can eat delicious things forever—I won’t deny thinking that myself at first. But the fact that I’ve avoided eating in the virtual world until now is both the reality and the conclusion.
People are complicated creatures. I guess it varies from person to person, and there are apparently players who didn’t mind the weirdness and got used to virtual food… but well, the low number of chefs clearly indicates the ratio between the two groups.
“How-ev-er! This time, the players in groups blessed with a chef have been able to fully enjoy that ‘deliciousness’ without any of that weirdness.”
As she spoke—surely, she wasn’t actually serious about that.
As if to say, “Here, say ahh,” Nono-san held a fork with a piece of roasted lamb right in front of me and smiled mischievously.
“Do you think you’ll be able to resist?”
“……………It probably depends on the person, but yeah, I don’t think I could…”
It’s not just humans, but all living things learn to recognize ‘taste.’
If it’s negative, they avoid it, thinking “never again.” If it’s positive, they want “more, more,” endlessly.
I see. Now that we’ve experienced such a supreme positive…
“I wonder if that weirdness has now become… a trivial matter? For me, too.”
“Probably. We’ll find out the answer after the event ends—here, Nia-chan, say ahh.”
Her serious mode apparently over, she broke into a wide grin and slid the fork from in front of me. Nia, who had been giving her a silent, deadpan stare, bit down on her favorite food, now offered at her lips, a bit roughly.
How heartwarming.
“…………Well, anyway. I’ll be back to normal operation after the event regardless, so if you ever want to eat something, you can bring your partner and come to my place.”
“Oh, really? You have a shop?”
“Yeah, in a corner of the Safe Area. It’s a small place.”
Though the topic should have been extremely positive for a chef… the expression on Tetsu-san’s face remained calm, or rather, devoid of any real energy.
However, as for the words that followed—
“When that time comes, I’ll serve you something truly delicious—not some makeshift meal from a survival environment. Though… you’ll have to put up with that ‘trivial weirdness’.”
“Haha, I’ll definitely go. I’ll look forward to it.”
I could see through to his true feelings; he wasn't displeased at all. So I offered a genuine smile, and he returned it with a faint one of his own.
Apparently, there's a heroine so absorbed in her favorite food that she hasn't said a single word.