I, Ritsuka, Siscon Grand Hero

Ritsuka walked through the bustling marketplace, the cries of vendors filling the air. She stopped at a chili stand.

The fiery red color was invigorating. Since it was a type of chili never seen before in this world, and perhaps not even called chili, Ritsuka could only ask indirectly.

"It's not spicy. If you add a little when cooking, it tastes really good."

The middle-aged man behind the stall smiled slightly. A diagonal scar marked his somewhat rugged face, the quintessential image of a street vendor in this other world.

Maybe he has a wild past?

Ritsuka wasn't interested. She immediately dropped all pretense, "Not spicy? Then never mind."

With that, Emiya-chan turned and left, leaving the bewildered stall owner sitting on his stool, gazing at the sky and questioning his life choices.

This isn't quite what I expected.

She wandered through the busy streets with a purpose, and soon it was noon.

She carried three different kinds of chili in her bag, all of them incredibly spicy, far beyond anything Ritsuka had dared to try before.

It had only been a while since she suddenly developed an interest in them. Spiciness was one of the few things that allowed her, having lost most of her senses, to feel like she was still alive through taste.

No, scientifically speaking, spiciness is a pain response.

Father Mape was a delightful bastard. Ritsuka had scorned his personality more than once, but she still respected him greatly.

He hadn't just saved her and brought her into the world of the Holy Grail War; he had also introduced her to something called Mapo Tofu Ramen.

For a time, she was like a madwoman. Even eating just one bowl left her drenched in sweat, yet she couldn't stop herself.

She ate Mapo Ramen for every meal.

Being able to guarantee she never had to visit a proctologist was quite an accomplishment.

"Hmph hmph hmph..."

Humming a little tune, Ritsuka returned to the 'Emiya Family's Confectionery' and lightly pushed the door open.

However, what she didn't notice was that a figure had quietly followed her in. Emerald hair fluttered in the wind, and magic, alien to the world of Type-Moon, enveloped the person.

"Old Man Matsuzaki, I'm back! Thank you for your help."

"Well then, I'll be heading back. Just call me if you need anything; I'm free every day."

The old man, fond of Ritsuka's sake, left with a chuckle.

Ritsuka casually tossed the chilies onto the table. Her fingertips glowed, and the Crystal Dice materialized, revealing a large bag. She took out the separately packaged meat and vegetables.

The Crystal Dice only had twenty slots, its capacity was truly limited.

Ritsuka had found herself in a difficult situation in the dungeon. Her half-day there corresponded to nighttime in the outside world, and novice adventurers would usually return to their Familia to rest.

Thus, by chance, Ritsuka hadn't seen any humanoid creatures for a long time.

All her time was spent surveying the terrain and hunting Minotaurs that emerged from the walls. She couldn't carry the large amount of crystals that dropped, so Ritsuka eventually came up with a good solution that bypassed the Crystal Dice's storage limitations.

By packing them in bags, she could carry as much as possible, and it would be counted as a single unit, occupying only one slot in the Crystal Dice.

It had to be said, it was quite a clever solution.

Ding—!

"Welcome."

The clear sound of the wind chime hanging on the door rang out. Ritsuka looked up at the entrance, a professional smile naturally appearing on her face.

Immediately after, an elf girl (?), with emerald hair, walked into the shop.

"It's you, what a coincidence."

"Yes, it's a real coincidence. My name is Riveria, please take care of me."

Riveria introduced herself, then bowed slightly. Her beautiful eyes, filled with wisdom, appraised Ritsuka, who had just put on an apron.

Despite being such a young girl, Emiya Ritsuka exuded a mature, wife-like aura.

"Riveria... that's a lovely name. I'm Emiya Ritsuka, you can just call me Ritsuka." Ritsuka pointed to the menu above while glancing at Riveria's hair, specifically the prominent pointed ears nestled within her locks. "Are you an elf?"

Riveria nodded. As a member of the elf royalty, she was indeed an elf.

"I'm curious about you."

Riveria sat down in a corner, casually ordered something, and then looked intently at a puzzled Ritsuka.

As Ritsuka began to prepare a strawberry cake on the spot, she placed the fragrant sweet tea and sesame flatbread that Riveria had ordered on her table.

"I'm just an ordinary human. What could possibly make an elf curious about me?"

"Elves are generally very beautiful and possess immense pride... and all elves have a condition akin to a physiological reaction, only allowing those they approve of to touch them."

Riveria spoke softly. As an elf of royal blood, this condition was likely even more pronounced than for ordinary elves.

Yet, the girl before her, whom she had just met, had touched her directly without being repelled by a reflexive magical counterattack.

She felt no sense of rejection, which indicated something.

"Even if you say so, I don't understand. I've only been in Orario for four days."

Ritsuka awkwardly rubbed his nose.

Riveria's words had been quite clear, and she wasn't an idiot, so she shouldn't have failed to understand.

Recalling carefully, she hadn't touched anything she shouldn't have, only pushing the other party away lightly in an emergency... she thought.

"So that's how it is, an Outsider."

Riveria narrowed her beautiful eyes, a hint of understanding dawning in her emerald gaze.

In Orario, the magic talent of the Elves was generally recognized as powerful. Basically, as long as they accepted the power of a Blessing, they could grow in a short period, so no one dared to offend them lightly.

The reason she hadn't dodged the short sword that came at her was that her robes had the ability to repel others.

And the most crucial point was that the girl named Emiya Ritsuka hadn't triggered the magic array on her robes...

Or perhaps it had been triggered, but because it lacked strong power, it was canceled out?

Ritsuka, who possessed the permanent defensive Noble Phantasm 'Twelve Trials' and hadn't felt any danger at all, tilted her head in confusion.

She looked at the thoughtful Riveria with a cute, innocent expression, placing the strawberry cake in front of her obediently.

PS: 1. This book will be available for purchase on Friday.

Today, the editor, Orange-sama, contacted me and said that the new book would be available this Friday. To be honest, it feels a bit fast, and the situation of this book isn't exactly good, with only over 600 collections.

Today is Tuesday, and I don't have many drafts. I'm also unsure how many collections will be lost after it goes on sale, as many people like to get things for free now...

This book will most likely not have a sale reward, as I definitely won't be able to pay it back if I do.

2. This is an early notice, and I'll also take the time to check the comment section. I've posted there about the worlds this book is confirmed and pending to go to. See if there's anything you're interested in and leave a message.

Section 62: Chapter Fifty-Six: That Day, She Saw Hell

During lunchtime, Riveria, the only Elf in the shop, made the atmosphere a little quiet.

Although Ritsuka's place was called a 'Confectionery,' it also sold main dishes, but only for one hour each in the morning, noon, and evening. After that, they wouldn't sell them.

Essentially, it was still focused on desserts and snacks.

Because of her excellent physical condition, Riveria, who wasn't very hungry, ate the cake in small bites. Her every move was full of elegance; the bearing of an Elven royal was practically ingrained in her bones.

Taking another spoonful of strawberry cake, Riveria sighed with emotion, "This is so delicious..."

It wasn't inferior to the pastries made in the pastry shops within the Tower of Babel. After tasting it, Riveria gave it a very high evaluation.

When the raw materials aren't outstanding, it comes down to individual ability.

Furthermore, the price was also a complete win for 'Emiya Family's Confectionery.'

It was clear that Emiya Ritsuka had outstanding talent in cooking, though the specific reason was unknown to others.

"I'm glad you like it," Ritsuka said with a smile, feeling quite pleased to be recognized. "Oh, right, I'll give this to you as a gift for a new customer."

Ritsuka scooped out a small portion of the freshly baked snacks and put them into a paper bag.

Then, she gently placed it in Riveria's hand.

"Eh, what is this?"

The aroma wafted out. Riveria, having finished her strawberry cake, sniffed and showed a curious expression.

"Red bean cream flavored fried potato balls. In a way, it's a technique I learned by stealing, so please don't tell anyone."

When Ritsuka was wandering outside before, she had bought fried potato balls from a roadside stall where the goddess Hestia was working. She thought they were good after eating them, so she learned the technique.

Of course, she wouldn't sell them; at most, she'd make them for herself to eat.

"Thank you, I'll savor it."

Opening the paper bag, Riveria picked up a piece while it was still hot with her chopsticks. Under Ritsuka's expectant gaze, she popped it into her mouth.

A hint of slyness flashed in Ritsuka's eyes.

"Mmm..."

The fried potato balls, fresh out of the oven, were naturally quite hot. Caught off guard, Riveria's expression changed drastically.

"Pfft, Hahahaha..."

Although Ritsuka hadn't received professional training, with her tenacious will, she could naturally control herself from laughing in any situation.

Unless she couldn't help it...

Riveria's cheeks flushed, and she reached out to punch Ritsuka. The fist of Orario's top mage, Lv. 6, had no effect.

Dodging, Ritsuka laughed even harder.

"Stop messing around, stop it, catch this."

Her finger brushed across the shelf, bypassing a bottle of original Mapo Water, and she picked up a bottle of fruit wine.

Riveria didn't stand on ceremony either, decisively taking it, opening the cap, and starting to soothe the pain in her mouth. The small bottle of fruit wine was gone in a flash.

To be honest, if it weren't for maintaining her persona as a non-adventurer and wanting to further observe the girl's personality, Riveria would have directly used magic to smash this troublemaker into the floor.

The commotion subsided, and Ritsuka, who had had her fun, happily began preparing her own lunch.

She took out some leftover Mapo Tofu from before, heated it up, added a handful of noodles, some soy sauce, and finally poured in the No. 1 - Modified Mapo Water.

Ritsuka picked up their enhanced soy sauce ramen and began to enjoy it.

The bowl was filled with a bright red broth and tofu. With the addition of the right kind of crispiness, the flavor was quite good. Ritsuka, who was eating quickly, didn't notice Riveria's slight gulp or her look of surprise and shock.

Was that hell?

The porcelain bowl churned like a volcano, the fiery sensation clinging to her even without touching it.

Blood red...

"Excuse me... what is this...?" Riveria's voice trembled slightly.

Ritsuka glanced at Riveria, their face a mask of confusion and suspicion, as if they thought eating this bowl of noodles was no big deal.

"Mapo Tofu Ramen."

"Where's the ramen?"

It was clear Riveria had never seen noodles like these Mapo Tofu Ramen before.

Ritsuka immediately stirred the bowl with their chopsticks and picked up a piece of noodle from the bottom. "See? Aren't these noodles?"

[Mapo Tofu Ramen. Six characters in total, with two-thirds related to Mapo Tofu. It's obvious which is more important; the noodles are just a garnish.]

The above statement was something Father Mape, Kirei Kotomine, had said.

Ritsuka themselves still focused on eating the noodles, so they added a bit more when serving, though not too much. They weren't exactly a big eater and couldn't manage too much.

The slurping sounds echoed through the shop, and Riveria's lips twitched continuously. She was starting to doubt her own judgment.