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It was just another town, and another market day.
They had arrived late last night, and, after staying at the inn, they set up their stall and Naofumi retreated to the wagon, letting the two girls do the practical part of the sales.
They were better at it, and tended not to scowl angrily at customers.
They’d brought quite a collection of spices and medicines, so trade was brisk for the morning, but by mid-morning the market had grown quiet, as most of the townsfolk had gone off to their own labors.
There was only one old man at the stall, browsing the rheumatism remedies, when Naofumi finally decided to poke his head out.
“How are we doing?”
“We’ve made four gold, sixty copper. It would have been sixty-one, but Filo takes payment in fish, apparently.”
“It was delicious!” The transforming ostrich-chicken-girl responded.
“Allright, I’ll be back in fifteen minutes. Raphtalia, good work. Filo, coins only. No more fish.”
“Yes, master.” Filo looked completely dejected.
With that, the Shield Hero disappeared, power-walking in the direction of the public toilets.
“I’ll take this one.” The old man said. “How much?”
“Oh- half a copper.” Raphtalia said, checking the label on the small bottle.
“I only have whole copper pieces.” He said, handing her one. “Sorry.”
“That’s no trouble” she said, “Filo, what did you do with the snips?”
“I thought you had them.”
“One moment.”
As the half-raccoon girl made a desperate hunt for the coin shears, the old man tried to strike up a conversation.
“You know, I’ve seen that look before.”
“What look?” Raphtalia stood up, blushing.
“The same one my Martha used to give me when I thought were just friends.”
Raphtalia blushed again.
“What changed?” She asked, nervously.
“Well, one day she made me this really, really great fish and cabbage stew, and , while I was still recovering from learning how great of a cook she was, she straight up told me how she felt. ”
“I found the snips!” Filo announced, holding them up. “I was sitting on them by accident!”
Raphtalia took them, cut the coin in half, and handed half back to the old man.
“There you go.”
“Thank you, and may I say-” he lowered his voice slightly “good luck.”
******************************************
Throughout the day, the raccoon girl thought back to that conversation.
And wondered.
And planned.
She wasn’t the best strategist on the team, but she could make a plan.
Of course, she couldn’t put her plan into action immediately, because noon rolled around, and the market was once more flooded with people.
Finally, though, the market began winding down for the day, and Raphtalia put her plan into action.
“Master Naofumi, can I go look at the other shops for a while?”
Naofumi looked up from where he was fighting with one of the knots on the awning, and paused.
“All right, but don’t wander too far, and stick to the main streets. And take your sword.”
“I’lll be careful. I promise.”
“And don’t go buying anything too expensive.”
“Master Naofumi!”
“Alright, go.”
With that, she ducked around the table and was off.
The first part of her plan was simple- find out how to make fish and cabbage soup.
After a few tries, the lady at the smoked fish stall finally helped her out. She even wrote down the recipe, and sold her the two smoked trout she would need to make it. Well, the recipe only called for one trout, but she thought Filo would end up eating most of it, so she might as well make a double batch
After that, she just needed butter, milk, potatoes, leeks, and cabbage- all of which could be easily found in the market.
Of course, Naofumi was usually the one who did the cooking, so she didn’t have much experience choosing, but she figured she couldn’t go wrong if she picked the ones that smelled the nicest.
******************************************
Later that evening, after they had broken down the stall, they made camp in a little forest glade, almost a mile from the city.
Naofumi set up the cooking supplies, Filo went to find water, and Raphtalia put her plan into motion.
“Master Naofumi, can I cook this evening?”
“I don’t know…”
“But I wanted to make something special.”
“I’d feel pretty bad about not doing something, since you and Filo did most of the work today…”
Raphtalia broke out her most dangerous weapon- the pouty face tail wag.
Naofumi relented.
“All right, but make sure you boil the water before you use any of it. We don’t need anyone getting sick with a Wave coming up.”
******************************************
The next hour was consumed with carefully sautéing leeks, assembling a rue, and doing other tasks that novice cooks find complex and tricky. Nevertheless, the raccoon girl persisted, making up for lack of skill with determination and care.
She even took a risk and used a pinch of their stored-up black pepper.
Naofumi sat on a fallen log nearby and read another book.
Finally, though, she added the chopped-up fish, stirred it carefully until it was heated through, and took out a bowl for herself and Naofumi.
Fillo just ate out of the cooking pot.
“Thank you.” Naofumi said, when she handed him the bowl.
She sat down beside him, and ate a spoonful from her own bowl. She was pleasantly suppressed by the taste.
“This is delicious!” Filo exclaimed.
“Well?”
If her heart hadn’t been pounding so loud, she probably would have realized that the Shield Hero had poked it twice with his spoon before cautiously, carefully, taking a bite.
“Is it good?”
“Very good, Raphtalia.” Naofumi stated.
With Master Naofumi having eaten the soup, and Filo distracted gulping down the rest of the pot, her chance had come.
“Master Naofumi, I wanted to make you something because- because-”
She looked him square in the eyes.
“I- I- you’re turning green.”
The Shield Hero was, in fact, slowly turning slightly neon green, the kind of coloration usually assumed by someone who has eaten something that greatly disagreed with them.
“Um-”
With that, the Shield Hero stood up and fled into the forest.
“You made master sick!”
“I did not!” Raphtalia said, getting up to rush after him.
The noises emerging from the woods confirmed that, in fact, Naofumi was sick.
“Did too!”
“Did not! We both ate it, and we’re fine!”
The conversation continued along similarly petty lines for fifteen minutes, until the Shield Hero emerged from the brush, looking pale and miserable.
“Raphtalia,” He said, putting an arm around her shoulder. “I really appreciate what you did, but- well- You’re half raccoon.”
Raphtalia’s ears sagged. “So?” she whispered.
“So, raccoons have iron stomachs, and I think you kind share that trait. There are a lot of things that are perfectly fine for you or Filo to eat, but I can’t.”
“Oh.”
“I’ll do the cooking from now on, thanks.” He said, patting Raphtalia’s head.
There was a pause
“Was there something you were trying to tell me before I got sick?”
The raccoon girl lost her nerve.
“Um- I got a really good deal on the cabbage?”