Somehow, I ended up having the Jambalaya I made with the store staff, Bell, Hestia, and even Miach and Naza at the Hostess of Fertility.
"Ah~ that was delicious."
"It was a bit spicy, but it was a satisfying meal, nya!"
"I actually liked that spiciness."
"I could eat this kind of dish over and over, nya~"
It might have been a bit early for dinner, but except for Bell and Hestia, everyone had their own work or store to tend to, so it was actually a good choice.
"Kya!! Knowing how to use various spices properly and having such cooking skills, you've got a good kid by your side, Miach."
"Haha, I can only say I was lucky in that regard."
...But for some reason, Miach and Hestia were drinking together.
"I have to look after the store when I get back... Oh, right, we decided to take a break today because of the festival?"
Thinking about it, there was no problem with drinking, so I secretly sipped some ale and quietly enjoyed myself.
'A glass or two won't be a problem.'
While drinking ale, I was thinking about how to test my new skill when
"Good work, kid! Here are the spices I promised!"
Mia suddenly appeared and placed the containers of promised spices in front of me with a "Bang!", making me choke.
"Cough?! Hack... Oof... Thank you."
"Why are you reacting like a kid caught drinking secretly?"
"...Isn't it normal to be startled when a loud noise happens in front of you while you're drinking, whether it's alcohol or anything else?"
As I said that, I put down the ale glass I was drinking and headed to the kitchen for a moment to find a mop to wipe up the spilled ale, but
"That aside... Is it okay? If you drink here, those silly girls might play pranks again?"
"Eh... Surely they wouldn't do that again?"
Even as I said that, Mia and I turned our heads slightly, just in case, and
"Wow... they're really doing it..."
While chatting and laughing with the other store staff, I spotted Chloe subtly stretching one arm behind her back and pouring something into my glass.
"She doesn't seem to realize I've noticed yet... What should I do? About that."
"Sigh... I'll handle it, just wait a moment."
In response to my question, Mia calmly walked toward Chloe and
"Nyahaha!! So, as I was saying...nya? Mia, what's the matter, aaaah?!!!"
She poured the alcohol from my glass directly into Chloe's mouth.
"Wow..."
While admiring Mia's tough solution, the sudden situation made the surrounding people flustered, but
"Hnyaaa... How did you notice, aaaaang..."
"They say it's dark under the lamp, but I didn't expect you to try sneaking something into my drink while talking to others."
I quickly grasped the situation and resumed eating.
"Um... Naza, isn't that a problem?"
"Aha... No wonder you got drunk without any warning last time; you used a drug..."
"...What?"
"...Hey, Miach? Everyone is passing it off as nothing... Am I the strange one?"
"No, it's a perfectly normal reaction, but... since Kai, the person involved, isn't making a fuss, they're just letting it go. That kid knows that and plays pranks like that."
"...?"
...Except for those two.
"What did you put in the alcohol that made her get drunk like that from just one ale?"
Given her usual suspicious behavior, she's at least Level 4, so for such a person to get drunk instantly? It must have been some suspicious drug.
"D-don't look at me like that, nya! It's just a normal drug that quickly boosts the effects of alcohol, nya!"
When I looked at her with eyes as if staring at a criminal, she hurriedly made an excuse, but
"...Usually, that kind of drug is considered suspicious."
"Even so, that's not it, nya..."
"At least come up with a plausible reason..."
"Ugh!?"
The excuse was so poor that even the colleagues quietly eating nearby responded with incredulous voices.
"It's serious enough to need treatment for shoㅌ... Sigh, never mind."
"W-what, nya? Don't cut off in the middle, say it till the end, nya!"
Probably, or most likely, the goal was to get drunk me to be petted as much as she wanted while making me use honorifics I never use normally, like calling her "big sister"...
"...God, I'll head back to the store first."
"Do that."
Since I'm not the type to leave behind material for a black history, I decided to head back early.
"I was wrong, nya... I'm sorry, nya..."
I had already eaten enough to be satisfied and unintentionally got what I wanted, so ignoring the voice from behind, I left the store, and
"After organizing the things I bought, I should go straight to my room."
Somehow, after returning to the store, I was finally able to test my new skill.
"Current time, 7 PM. Last time, making one lighter took about 7 hours, so if I make one now, it might take around 5 hours?"
Starting to make a new one based on the first lighter, improving its flaws,
"Now, I just need to insert a rivet here... Huh?"
When I came to my senses, the lighter was already completed.
"Wh-what is this?"
I clearly remember the process of making it, but
"I remember it, but... it's like time passed in an instant, as if a video was sped up?"
Wondering if this is the effect of the new skill, I was admiring it alone when
"...What? It's already 11 PM?!"
It felt like only 30 minutes had passed, but when I checked the clock, 4 hours had gone by.
"So this is what 'Cognitive Shaping' state means. It's similar to when I was deeply immersed in a game and felt time fly by..."
I couldn't help but be surprised that it took only 4 hours to make the lighter and that 4 hours had already passed.
"I did enjoy making things with my own hands, but... to think such a skill would be gifted to me."
Actually, rather than the sense of accomplishment from completing something, I'm the type who finds satisfaction in the process of making or drawing things, but since the process wasn't completely skipped but passed by like it was sped up, it was a very satisfying skill for me.
"Well... it would be best not to meet again, but if I do meet them, I should at least say thanks."
So, I tried using the improved lighter once, and
'Ting!!'
Perhaps because the craftsmanship was better than the first one, it made a louder and clearer sound than the first.
"That aside, when I put them side by side like this, the differences are clear..."
Although the shape was the same, differences in seams and finish were noticeably apparent.
'Click! Whoosh!!'
"Somehow... the flame seems stronger too?"
Even though it was my first attempt and made without the skill, I didn't expect such a difference.
"...Was I actually all thumbs? That aside, now I understand why people risk their lives to gain skills or magic, whether they like it or not. Just one skill made this much difference."
If one crafting-related skill makes this much difference, what if the new skill was combat-related?
"...I probably would have gone crazy and entered the dungeon again."
Unrelated thoughts started filling my head, so I hurriedly cleared them and began focusing on the next experiment.
"11 PM... Since I'll be in full condition with 5 hours of sleep, it won't be a problem to sleep a bit late."
The next experiment was to make something I've never made before, unlike the lighter which I had experience with.
"Hmm... Among the things I know, what do I properly understand the design and operation of?"
But when I tried to make something, nothing suitable came to mind.
"Ah, it feels like stumbling over words because I forgot what I was about to say right before speaking..."
While pondering for a while, the sight of the materials I brought for the experiment overlapping caught my eye.
"Thin pipes and L-shaped wooden pieces... Huh?"
In an instant, that weapon from modern times flashed through my mind.
"...Is it really okay to make this?"
That thing which has never appeared in this world where swords and magic are the main weapons.
"If I make it, it would be very helpful though..."
The weapon that probably killed the most people on Earth.
"...Should I give it a try? A gun."
It was a gun.