Welcome to Japan, Ms. Elf! Volume 8 [Parts 1 to 11] by Makishima Suzuki

Author:Makishima Suzuki
Language: eng
Format: epub

I watched the sky brighten as I slowly walked along the shoreline. There weren’t any people around, but I enjoyed the wild atmosphere out in nature. I felt a sense of satisfaction from traveling to a distant land, and let out a contented sigh.

“That mugitoro was perfect for breakfast. It was nice and light, and tasted so good with soy sauce,” Marie said, walking alongside me. It seemed she didn’t share my sentiment, and was recalling our time at the inn.

I then noticed the bounce in her step and realized that she was savoring the trip after all. But unlike me, she seemed to have enjoyed our time in East Izu more than this place.

It was still dim outside, so we had to be careful not to trip, even if the fine sand on this beach wasn’t much of a problem. I held Marie’s hand before I knew it so I could support her even if she stumbled. Unlike earlier, my eyeline met hers now, but I was still far more athletic than she was.

The sea constantly ebbed and flowed, and strangely, I felt like I could sense the breath of the wild in those waves. I gazed out at the sea as I spoke.

“That was just the right amount of food, considering we had such a big dinner the night before. Barley rice is a popular health food, but it’s usually ground into flour in this world.”

Barley is a versatile crop that has been grown in Japan for a long time. It’s also highly efficient, as it can be planted as a second crop to rest the fields. It’s a healthy crop as I had just mentioned, but strangely, the practice of cooking it isn’t very widespread. Instead, it’s far more common for it to be ground and dried.

“The reason being, it tastes bad,” I added.

“What? I thought it was plain but still good,” Marie said.

“Yeah, it can taste good through selective breeding. You can bring out its true flavor by steaming or cooking it, but that also emphasizes its unpleasant smell.”

When you considered that, it was far more convenient to use it in bread. In Japan, you had readily available rice, which didn’t smell bad and could easily be prepared by cooking it, so most people preferred it over bread. Each region had its preferred cooking method.

“I’ve actually tried it in a foreign country before, but I regretted it. That day, I learned that I shouldn’t always let my curiosity drive my actions,” I said.

Marie must have pictured me making a disgusted face, as her laughter rang through the deserted coast after a brief pause. The distant sound of flapping wings led me to believe that it was a bird startled by the sudden noise. I looked around, but I couldn’t see where it had come from.

Instead, I found a spot of light. It was someone’s fire at the corner of the beach, smoke faintly billowing from it and wavering in the wind.

“That must be Eve. I hope we didn’t make them wait too long,” I said.

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