New chapter of Single Old Man is out! (1/1 chapter)

Moody Sandrone

(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)

Now then, it was just when I had finished work and was about to head home.

“Let’s go drinking.” (Sandrone)

Sandrone suddenly appeared, glaring at me with sharp eyes and said “Let’s go drinking”… or rather, she came to invite me out for drinks, but she definitely wasn’t in the mood for inviting. When I looked at Richter, he gave me a pleading look like, “I’m sorry… Please go with her”, so I had no choice but to agree.

Well, I was planning to go for a drink anyway.

“I was thinking of hitting the food cart (yatai) today. Is that okay?” (Gentoku)

“…Yatai. What’s that?” (Sandrone)

“Huh, you don’t know? Then let’s go together. This Ossan’s buying. Of course, you too, Richter.” (Gentoku)

And so, the three of us headed to the food carts. We went to the dining district in the First Ward of the castle town. It was the area with the Edelstein Kingdom’s famous “Great Main Gate”, which was also the kingdom’s face and main entrance. This district had a lot of big eateries. It was an area controlled by the “Restaurant Guild”, which had branched off from the Commerce Guild. But our destination wasn’t the center of the district… It was an old, shabby park on the outskirts.

“What is this?” (Sandrone)

“It’s a food cart. You really don’t know?” (Gentoku)

“This is my first time seeing one too. I haven’t worked much in the Restaurant Guild’s territory.” (Richter)

Even Richter didn’t know, huh.

The park is fairly spacious, but there are no playgrounds, just benches. So, it’s perfect for old guys pulling carts to run food stalls. And these stalls… they’re the old-fashioned kind you hardly ever see even in Japan anymore. They serve alcohol and simmered dishes. I seriously fell in love with it and came here every week.

I looked around and led the two to a small stall operating in the corner of the park.

“Still running, Gid-jiisan?” (Gentoku)

“Mm, Gentoku huh. Hm? What, brought your wife along?” (Gid)

“No way in hell. I told you I’m single for life, didn’t I?” (Gentoku)

I sat down on a shabby round stool as Gid-jiisan poured brandy into a wooden cup.

He was around sixty, bald with a bearded face, pretty muscular like one of those old men who’d be reading newspapers at a racetrack. He had a twisted headband wrapped around his head, which made him look even more likable.

Sandrone said…

“I didn’t order anything though…” (Sandrone)

“This place works like that. There’s only one kind of alcohol, and you drink it with various simmered dishes. Did you know? Food stall simmered dishes are seriously good. Right, Gid-jiisan?” (Gentoku)

“Damn right. Our simmered dishes are the best among the stalls.” (Gid)

Gid-jiisan served up a plate of simmered vegetables and chicken. Daikon radish, carrots, potatoes…

I guess they have different names in this world, but I don’t know them. The eggs are soaked through, and the whole onions are soaked and delicious!!

“Ah, I want hot sake…” (Gentoku)

“There you go again. That’s the one made from rice or something, right?” (Gid)

“Yeah. Warmed-up brandy-style booze isn’t bad, but it just doesn’t match with simmered dishes.” (Gentoku)

“Tsk, just eat already.” (Gid)

Well, the simmered dishes are superb.

Sandrone and Richter also tried them, looked at each other in surprise. It seemed they liked them.

“Delicious…” (Sandrone)

“It’s soaked through… this egg.” (Richter)

“Right?” (Gentoku)

“How strange… I’ve had many high-class meals, but this simmered dish from a food stall is the most delicious.” (Sandrone)

S-sounds like something I’ve heard before… from some Yakuza boss or something. Well, if she likes it, that’s good.

As we enjoyed the simmered dishes and drinks for a while… Sandrone suddenly snapped.

“The worst! That lecherous pig, and that narcissistic bastard, all of them keep saying completely delusional things!! Ugh, it’s so frustrating, so frustrating!!” (Sandrone)

“Hey Richter, does the Ojousama always drink like this?” (Gentoku)

“N-no… Today was a bit… special.” (Richter)

“Special?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. Well…” (Richter)

Sounds like a pain. Ah, guess I’ll tell Richter this.

“Hey Richter. It’s not a magic tool, but today I got a request from a customer and tried making a new tent. I already gave the prototype away, but I have the blueprints, so come pick them up tomorrow.” (Gentoku)

“A tent, not a magic tool?” (Richter)

“Yeah. I happened to meet some adventurer kids who were looking for a new tent to replace their torn one. So, I thought up something light, durable, and easy to carry.” (Gentoku)

“Oh, interesting. Got it, I’ll come tomorrow.” (Richter)

“Wait a minute, if it’s interesting, show me too~” (Sandrone)

Sandrone clung to my arm and pressed her chest against me.

She’s got seriously bad drinking habits.

“S-sorry, Gentoku-san. Ojou, let’s go home for today!!” (Richter)

“Uuuu~” (Sandrone)

“G-Gentoku-san, see you tomorrow!!” (Richter)

Richter carried Sandrone on his back and left…

It looks like he’s got it rough.

I ordered another whiskey and said to Gid-jiisan:

“Even the Ojousama’s got it tough, huh.” (Gentoku)

“It seems like she’s got a past. She’s the type you can’t handle, you know.” (Gid)

“Agreed. Well, it’s just a work relationship. I enjoy my alone time too.” (Gentoku)

That day, I drank with Gid-jiisan, chatted about nothing in particular, and headed home a bit tipsy.

 

—

 

The next day, I headed to my workplace and was thinking in the office.

“I’ve got visitors coming, and I want coffee… Maybe I’ll make a coffee mill today. The mechanism is simple, and with magic I can process the metal.” (Gentoku)

Magic is really convenient. With fire magic, I can weld and melt stuff, and with earth magic I can extract metals from the ground and shape molds. You can do pretty much anything with the right image.

Those three girls might show up again, so maybe I should prepare some sweets too.

“Also, maybe I should make a refrigerator and chill some fruit water. If I have a fridge, I could even make cakes… Wait, do cakes exist in this world? I’ve seen cookies, but…” (Gentoku)

I heard there’s no ice here, but people freeze large amounts of water in winter and store it underground to preserve it. But ice is limited, and only lasts a few months after winter ends, so it becomes super expensive in summer… That stuff’s under the Restaurant Guild’s domain, so I don’t know much.

Well, once ice makers become commercialized, those problems will be gone.

“Guess I’ll make the fridge first… If I adapt the ice maker design, I can probably make a usable fridge quickly.” (Gentoku)

As I was drawing up refrigerator blueprints, someone knocked on the door.

“Yes yes~” (Gentoku)

“Excuse me. Gentoku-san.” (Richter)

“Oh, Richter. The tent blueprints are on the desk.” (Gentoku)

Richter put the blueprints into his bag.

“…Um, Gentoku-san. About Ojou yesterday…” (Richter)

“Yeah, she was totally drunk. Was she bottling up stress? It doesn’t seem like she’s here today.” (Gentoku)

“Ojou becomes bold when drunk, but the next day the alcohol completely clears out and… her memory clears out too.” (Richter)

“That’s convenient for covering up blunders…” (Gentoku)

“Yes. So, um… Could you hear me out for a bit?” (Richter)

Sounded serious, so I decided to listen properly. I stopped what I was doing, moved to the sofa.

Man, I really want a drink. Gotta make that coffee mill soon.

“The truth is… Yesterday, Ojou’s former fiancé approached her…” (Richter)

“Wait, she had a fiancé?” (Gentoku)

“Former. That is… about five years ago, their engagement was annulled.” (Richter)

“Annulled?” (Gentoku)

“Yes. Ojou was a former noble… the third daughter of Count Iolite. She was engaged to Baron Jasper’s heir, Barion-sama.” (Richter)

“Huh, I thought she wasn’t an ordinary Ojousama, but a noble, huh.” (Gentoku)

“Yes. Five years ago… when she was 16 and still a student at the Edelstein Academy of Magic, Barion-sama suddenly declared in public, ‘I’ve found true love, I annul our engagement’, and ended it unilaterally. Ojou was then held responsible for the public embarrassment and was disowned by her family and expelled from the academy. But with her brilliant mind and small savings, she started her own business and founded the Alexandrite Company.” (Richter)

“…Oh wow.” (Gentoku)

Annulment of engagement… and “true love” on top of that? What an idiot.

“Ojou originally had excellent magical talent, with three affinities. She created the ‘Magic Aptitude Testing Sheet,’ which became a hit and put the Alexandrite Company on the map. She went through a lot to get there.” (Richter)

“No doubt…” (Gentoku)

“When Ojousama was 19, Barion-sama also graduated from the academy and started his own company focused on beauty magic tools. He promoted it himself, selling to noblewomen and ladies, quickly joining the ranks of top companies… Three years later, he met Ojou again. He became a top company within a year, while she took three years of hard work to reach the same level. Naturally, Ojousama despised Barion-sama.” (Richter)

“Well, yeah.” (Gentoku)

“But for some reason… Barion-sama thinks Ojou still has feelings for him. He’s been inviting her to meals, proposing joint ventures… and for the past two years, every time they meet, he clings to her… Yesterday was the same, and she just couldn’t hold in her frustration anymore.” (Richter)

“…Yeah, I can imagine.” (Gentoku)

What a disaster… an ex-fiancé, and a textbook villainous noble heir. If you’ve found your “true love”, just leave Sandrone alone. Why are these ‘true love’ noble idiots always such idiots? Idiots, idiots.

“Sorry, I ended up venting…” (Richter)

“Nah, it’s fine. Not like I can do anything about it anyway. Just tell her I’ll always join her for a drink if she needs to let off steam. Today I’m making a fridge.” (Gentoku)

“A fridge… a new model?” (Richter)

“Yeah. Not water-cooled, but one that cools the inside with a mild cold breeze. It’s not enough to freeze stuff. I’ll just draw up the design and hand it over. I think I can use what I learned from making the ice maker.” (Gentoku)

“Understood. Then, starting tomorrow… Oh, also, I transferred the idea fee for the new product and this month’s royalty for the matches. Please check at the bank.” (Richter)

“Got it.” (Gentoku)

“Then… um, Gentoku-san. Please continue to be a good friend to Ojou.” (Richter)

“That too, but as fellow businessfolk, let’s get along. You too, of course, Richter.” (Gentoku)

Richter smiled and gave a small bow before leaving. I finished the fridge blueprint, sealed it in an envelope, and stood up.

As I was heading down to the first floor to build a fridge for the office, I muttered…

“Disputes between nobles… No thanks. Well, not like that’s any of my business anyway.” (Gentoku)

…Or so I thought at the time.

 

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(Thank you for reading at bayabuscotranslation.com)