#486 Oden Eating Contest

Thus, Mr. Shax and Mr. Samijrah will fight over the right to jointly work with Bacchus.

Both sides being representatives of a company and a guild.

I sense a storm coming.

“But what exactly does this contest entail? He’s not planning a fist fight, is he?” 

If so, I’d rather they stop before things get out of hand...

“Don’t worry, Lord Saint. We are merchants. Merchants don’t engage in bloodshed!”

“That’s right! For us, money is blood! Gahaha!”

For two people who don’t get along so well, they tend to be in sync at times, huh?

“We already know what kind of contest it will be.”

“Since it’s a fight over oden, it’s only logical to settle the match with the same!” 

Which means...?

“Competing with oden...?!”

“I see! An oden eating contest!”

Members of Pandemonium and the Izakaya Guild buzz amongst themselves. 

“The winner is the one who eats the most oden within the given time limit!”

“Which means this contest’s deciding factor is heat! You’ll burn your tongue if you eat piping hot oden in a hurry!”

“To prevent this, you must let the oden cool first. But doing so naturally takes time!”

“It all boils down to how efficiently we cool it down! We need to have water ready at all times! Any hot oden will be at room temperature as soon as we add water!”

“And we’ll cut the food into small pieces to increase the surface area and speed up the cooling time! Someone get a knife!”

“GAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!”

A swing with Dreischwartz blew away both Pandemonium and the guild’s underlings who were preparing for the eating contest.

“Don’t waste food.”

“WE’RE SORRY...!”

Don’t play with the ingredients that farmers, fishers, and hunters have painstakingly provided and the food that cooks have worked so hard to prepare.

When you eat, do your best to savor and enjoy the food in its entirety.

“...This is the first time I’ve seen Lord Saint take out his sword...!”

“The only thing that angers Lord Saint is when people play with food.”

Thanks for the explanation, Belena.

“Mr. Shax, Mr. Samjirah.”

“YES?!”

“Unlike them, you respect food, yes?”

You’re the heads of your respective organizations, after all.

“O-Of course! Such nonsense only comes from the mouths of novices who have yet to understand what they mean! I’ll be sure to give them a stern talking-to later, so please pay them no attention!”

“I am the Izakaya Guildmaster! I value drinks and food more than anyone else! There’s no way I’m going to do that in an eating contest! Never!”

Then you’ll do it in some other contest?

“As Lord Saint says, food should be savored for its taste and appearance. How about a contest where we can get to the bottom of that?

“So...a carouser showdown?”

A carouser showdown???

Yet another unknown word to me! It gives off hobby manga vibes from a shounen mag!

“For you, the master of the Izakaya Guild, the carouser showdown is your sole domain. Are you trying to pull me into the ring you’re most comfortable in?”

“Of course, you’ll accept the challenge, won’t you, Mister CEO? You’ve always boasted your wide range of skills and talents.”

“Naturally. As president of Pandemonium, I can’t afford to lose to a private proprietor. No matter what kind of contest it is in!”

Sparks are flying between the two.

Things are getting heated up.

But what kind of a showdown is it gonna be?

“A-A carouser showdown...?!”

“Do you know about it, Belena?”

You’ve really stuck to your position as the context provider, huh?

“I have heard that for a heavy drinker, you are graded on how well you know the food and drinks. Those who are well-versed in both are most respected in taverns.

Those who do so are called, with reverence...

Carousers!

“Mr. Shax and Mr. Samjirah compete for their prestige as carousers! As the Izakaya Guildmaster, Mr. Samijrah is naturally a heavy drinker! Mr. Shax, on the other hand, is Pandemonium’s president and, as such, must have extensive insight from attending various dinner parties!”

So, does that mean the two of them will showcase their experience and knowledge, competing like respectable adults?! 

* * *

...Then again, I still have no idea how exactly they’re going to compete against each other.

“I must say, I’m very much in awe by your earlier conduct! It really showed our younger men a thing or two!”

“Well, I was quite immature myself earlier, so I don’t deserve the praise...!”

For some reason, Mr. Samijrah is trying to engage me in small talk.

“Mr. Shax always praises you to the skies, so I think he naturally sensed how important of a person you must be. Businessmen have such great senses when it comes to that.”

Belena, you’re really getting the hang of this whole commentating thing. It’s almost as if you weren’t tormented by your inferiority complex before. 

“I’d love to do business with you after I beat up that cocky Shax! Please give it some positive consideration during the showdown!”

“I see...”

Talk about assertive...

“The current leader of the Izakaya Guild is a veteran hard worker, you see!”

Oh, Bacchus?

He’s the focus of all this commotion, so I’m surprised he somehow managed to conceal his presence!

“Guilds here in the capital are mutual aid societies where people of the same trade come together. The respective guildmasters are also businesspersons who run their own store.” “And the same goes for Mr. Samijrah?”

“He runs Reserved Bacchus and two other bars at the same time. I guess that’s why he was chosen as guildmaster.”

Bacchus is already part of a store name, huh...

As expected of the god of alcohol.

“He started as an apprentice in a bar and worked his way up to the top. There are many businessmen in the capital, but none other than him has had a similar rags-to-riches story... Except for one.”

“As a person involved in the liquor business, I feel blessed and honored the god of alcohol himself knows so much about me!”

Mr. Samjirah laughs and pats Bacchus by the shoulders.

“But I still have ambitions as a businessman! I want to put your brews on the shelves of my store! If I win, will you consider my offer?”

“Everything will be revealed once this competition is over!”

And so, the showdown began.

Shax and Samijrah sit side by side at Bacchus’ counter.

They may be sitting in the same direction, but sparks fly between them.

“Seriously... what kind of showdown will this be?”

Just as I was reaching the height of my perplexity, Mr. Shax made the first move.

“Boss...”

His eyes momentarily shone...?!

“Some daikon, please.”

He ordered a typical side dish.

What in the world is the point of this? He’s just eating oden!

“Daikon, huh? That’s a solid start, Mr. Shax!”

Belena?

You’re still going to work as a commentator, huh?

“Daikon is the most basic ingredient in oden--cutting it into round pieces and simmering--as simple as that! That’s why it reflects a shop’s special charm! The simmered broth soaks into daikon the most, revealing its flavor wholly! Broth is the life of oden! To confirm this, daikon is the best first move!”

...

Is this what a carouser showdown is supposed to be?!

Ah, I guess there are people who go to bars and act like connoisseurs by the way they order their food and the order in which they eat it.

So, this is a contest where the more knowledgeable person wins?

While it does sound great, isn’t it also kinda bothersome?!

“I think we can all agree that Mr. Shax’s first move was a success... Now then, what will Mr. Samjirah order?”

Belena continues to report live.

The Izakaya Guildmaster, who had remained silent while everyone around him was bothering him, finally makes his move.

“...Shochu mixed with hot water, please.”

“OHHHHHHH!”

The people around him, including Belena, begin to make a fuss.

“O-Oh no!”

Even Mr. Shax reacted?

“You messed up your first move, Shax.”

“H-He’s right... I was wrong when I said Mr. Shax made a solid move.”

Now, Belena’s shaking.

What’s going on, you guys?!

“The first move was good, but it focused solely on eating oden! This is an izakaya! It’s also a place to drink! How could you not order alcohol first?!”

“Belena, calm down!”

Mr. Shax was so focused on the wonderfulness of oden that he neglected to order alcohol! At an izakaya! AND in front of Bacchus, the god of alcohol! A big mistake!

In contrast, Samijrah was the first to order alcohol.

As one would expect from a veteran, he knows his way through the foods and drinks in an izakaya.

But what is this?

“Oden tastes even better when you pair it with alcohol, at least in an izakaya. And you, Mister CEO, have forgotten that basic rule. You’ve really lost your sense, haven’t you?”

What is this?!?!?!

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sorry for the delay this time, word suddenly started bugging out on me. i still haven't found a viable solution yet so i had to resort doing this chapter on wordpad... it feels weird...