To be blunt, Frillite and I never saw each other again after that day.
Why?
Because I skipped town the very next day.
Some might say I should have been grateful for the attention of such a beautiful woman, but to them, I'd just say this:
Then you get possessed instead.
I have no desire to play the hero again.
It wouldn't be fun, and what would I even get out of all that suffering?
Sure, if I put my mind to it, I could probably defeat the Demon King and live comfortably off that achievement, but...
'What's so great about living well in a shithole like this?'
No computer.
No phone.
No Netflix.
No chicken.
No cola.
There's nothing.
The only thing this world has over Earth is that the average person is better-looking.
Even the face of the guy I possessed is handsomer than anyone I'd ever seen back on Earth.
'It's not easy for just anyone to pull off red hair.'
If I could go back to Earth with this face, I could live my whole life as an idol.
What a shame.
"Alright, time to get a move on."
I pushed myself out of bed.
Ever since leaving the imperial capital, I'd been wandering from city to city on a culinary journey.
I held onto the hope that even in a world like this, there had to be at least one delicious thing to eat.
But today was the last day.
If the food I ate today was also terrible, I was planning to just kill myself.
Once my soul was out of this body, Leah would figure out the rest.
She was more than capable of that.
I whistled as I strolled through the streets.
While not as grand as the capital, being part of the Empire meant the streets were clean and the security was good.
If only the food was decent, this place would actually be pretty nice.
'Those skewers were dry. That tavern's meat reeked. That fruit stand had a caterpillar in its fruit. Hmm, what about that place?'
As I scanned the streets for a place to eat, a shabby little shop tucked away in a corner caught my eye.
'Huh? Was there always a shop there?'
I'd been around this area a few times, but I didn't remember seeing it before.
...I could smell it.
The scent of a hidden gem...!
A grin spread across my face as I entered the rundown shop. The interior was just as shabby as the outside, but that didn't mean it was dirty. On the contrary, the tables and chairs were so clean you couldn't find a speck of dust on them.
That meant the owner was diligent.
The scent of a great restaurant grew stronger.
But the owner, who should have been taking my order, was nowhere to be seen. Did they not hear the door open?
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Ah, yes! Just a moment!"
It seemed they really hadn't heard the door. A reply came almost immediately.
After a clattering sound, a girl emerged from the back. She had long pink hair and was neither particularly pretty nor ugly.
"...Are you the owner?"
"That's me."
"Ah, I see."
I turned to leave without a second thought.
I thought I'd stumbled upon a restaurant run by a master chef with decades of experience, but it was just a shop opened by some broke kid.
I got my hopes up for nothing.
"W-Wait a minute!"
The girl grabbed my trousers as I was about to leave.
Of all the places to grab, why there?
"What?"
"You're my first customer in ages... I can't just let you go!"
"Whether a customer stays or goes is their decision, not the owner's, right?"
"Well, yes, but... Ugh, fine! If you don't like my food... you don't have to pay!"
"And you're not going to report me to the guards the moment I walk out without paying?"
"I would never think of doing such a thing!"
The pink-haired girl's eyes held the conviction of a true artisan.
Was she being serious?
My interest piqued, I ended up sitting down at a table.
"Alright. I'll take your word for it. Bring me your most delicious dish."
"Yes!"
The girl beamed and disappeared into the back of the shop.
Let's see what this young girl can cook up.
But what she brought out was utterly shocking.
"What is this...?"
"Hehe, this isn't just any ordinary skewer... Aah! Wait a minute! I was explaining...!"
Who cares about some stupid explanation right now?
What mattered was whether this was the food I thought it was.
I took a huge bite of the skewer, which was slathered in a red sauce.
A slightly spicy yet sweet flavor danced on my tongue.
After quickly devouring the skewer, I turned my attention to the black liquid in the ale mug.
The bubbling black water reminded me of something...
'Please... let it be what I think it is...'
I swallowed hard, lifted the mug, and drank the black liquid.
Fizz, fizzle, pop!
A tingling sensation pricked my throat. It was a little weak, but it was exactly what I thought it was.
It's carbonated!
It's cola!
"How is it? Is it good... Huh? Mister? Why-why are you crying?!"
The girl was flustered, but I couldn't stop the tears. It might have been a bit weak, but... carbonation existed.
I felt like I'd discovered a tiny speck of light in a dark, bottomless abyss.
"With this... I can go on living..."
I decided to live on in this world.
After I finished my meal, I asked the girl, whose name was Lina, how she made these things.
She looked hesitant to answer, but I was dying of curiosity and barged into the kitchen before she could stop me.
Inside, I found not only cooking utensils but also what looked like alchemy ingredients.
That's right.
This kid wasn't just a cook; she was also an alchemist.
"Why is an alchemist like you doing culinary research in a rundown place like this?"
"What's wrong with culinary research! I'm going to get rich with this!"
"Rich?"
I glanced around the shop. Would customers even come to a shabby place like this?
I only came in on a whim, willing to be fooled one last time, but I doubted that commoners, who already had little money, would choose a place like this for a rare meal out.
"If you want to get rich, you should start with the interior design."
"Interior design...?"
"You need to fix this place up. Who's going to come to a dump like this?"
Lina pointed a finger at me.
"...Okay, fine, I came. But what about before me? How many customers have you had?"
"..."
Lina looked away, feigning ignorance.
"Just as I thought. None."
"Ugh! D-Do you think I want to run a business in a place like this?! I want to work in a nicer shop too! But what can I do when I have no money?! I'm already struggling to cover my research expenses! I'm only eating one meal a day because of it, you know?!"
As if a dam had burst, Lina shouted out all her grievances, including things I hadn't even asked about.
Listening to her sorrowful cries, I stroked my chin.
"Struggling with money... Does that mean if you had money, you could make something even better than this?"
"Huh?"
"This stuff. The fizz in this black water. If you had money, could you make it stronger?"
"Well, I've never tried, but I think it's probably possible."
"Really? Then catch."
I took out the money pouch I had tucked away and tossed it to Lina.
"Eh?"
Lina caught the pouch with a puzzled look, then opened it and peeked inside.
"Hieeeek...?!"
Her eyes went wide with shock.
"Wh-Why are you giving me so much money...?"
"What do you mean, so much? It's only 3,000 gold."
I hadn't fully adjusted to this world's prices yet, but 3,000 gold wasn't a huge amount. It wasn't a small sum either, though.
"That's all the cash I have on me right now. I'll send you more when I get some, so make do with that for now."
"Y-Yes...? Wait, hold on. I'm not following."
"You said you needed research funds, right? I'll be your sponsor."
"S-Sponsor!"
Lina's cheeks twitched.
"Are you really going to sponsor me?"
"Yeah. But I have a condition."
"Wh-What is it...?"
"First, let's name that black water 'Cola' and the tingling sensation 'carbonation.' Make that carbonation stronger than it is now."
"Cola... carbonation...!"
Lina took out a notepad and pen and started writing.
Whoa, where did she pull that out from?
"And for your research, you can usually work on whatever you want, but if I have a request, you prioritize that. That's all."
"Huh?"
"What? You got a problem with that?"
"Um... I'm grateful for the sponsorship, but... interfering with my research is a little... As an alchemist, it doesn't sit right with me..." Lina said, adopting the servile attitude of a businessman trying to persuade a client.
"You don't like it? Then the sponsorship is off..."
As I reached for the 3,000 gold I'd tossed her, Lina quickly hid the money pouch behind her back.
"However, I'm not an alchemist, I'm a culinary researcher! I accept your proposal!"
"A wise decision."
Lina and I shook hands.
This world now had a reason for me to live in it.
So, what I needed to do from now on was simple.
Power up to take down the Demon King.
I recalled the contents of the notebook the original Cloud had left behind.
Since he had already defeated the Goblin Lord, the early-to-mid game was already over.
With all three heroines already taken by other heroes, it was safe to say we were well into the mid-game.
'Seriously, what the hell was this Cloud bastard doing with his life to get NTR'd this early?'
Getting all three heroines NTR'd by the mid-game was nearly impossible unless you deliberately chose only those options.
And yet, the original Cloud had managed to do it as naturally as breathing.
What an incredible guy.
'...That's not what's important right now.'
Putting aside what a moron the original Cloud was, the important thing now was to figure out what this body was capable of.
I needed to know that to decide whether to power up or farm for equipment.
'First off, I'm weak. That much is certain.'
I could tell just from the sensations in my body. I just didn't know exactly how weak.
It was like how people know ants are weak but don't know the specifics of their weakness. I was in the same boat.
That's why I needed to see my status.
It would quantify this body's abilities precisely. Having played this game about three times, I could tell just by looking at the stats what kind of trash character I was dealing with.
'I should've asked the butler about my status when I disbanded the party.'
Of all the inconvenient places, it had to be written on my back.
How am I supposed to see it?
After a moment of thought, I got up and left the inn.
I was heading there anyway, so I might as well ask when I get there.