I’ve loved festivals ever since I was a kid.

Even just lining up at food stalls gets me excited.

Eating things like baby castella or fried chicken while thinking about what to get next is part of the fun too.

Shaved ice is a classic. And if there are fireworks at the end, that’s even better.

Well, none of that exists in this other world.

That said, there are similar things.

"Delicious... Dolgira gill roast..."

It has a crispy texture like fried chicken, a mysterious magical creature food called Dolgira, which seems like a mix of pig, boar and bat.

It has a bit of a unique taste, but the flavor is very similar to fried chicken.

In this other world it’s treated as a delicacy, but for me, it’s a taste of home 'substitute'.

"Ray really does love Dolgira."

"Want some?"

"No, I’ll have Tuna."

Tuna is a crepe-like food topped with lots of whipped cream and strawberries. TL: Don’t ask…

Lesley has a serious sweet tooth.

She eats something sweet morning, noon and night, but apparently burns even more calories than that, so she never gains weight.

Well, except for certain bouncy parts.

Honestly, when I first saw her, I was shocked by how good her figure was.

—It’s exactly like the game.

In DWS, or rather, in games these days, good-looking men and women are the norm.

As expected, Lesley’s character design was done by a super famous illustrator.

Apparently it took a year to complete including fine adjustments, and the level of detail in her beauty is breathtaking.

Her wolf-cut red hair has a glossy shine without any greasiness.

Her eyes, framed by long eyelashes, are bright red-blue.

Her lips are plump too. And as mentioned earlier, her figure is perfectly balanced, full where it should be and tight where it should be.

She’s strong-willed, but when she eats sweets, she beams with a full smile.

Hmm, too many appealing traits. Nice.

Eleanor and Sophia were designed by different designers as well, each with their own distinct charm. Though in this world, that doesn’t really matter.

Since this might be the last time I see this, I burn the sight of my masters laughing and chatting into my memory like taking a mental photograph.

But really, how long has it been since I’ve had such a relaxed time?

Since I lacked talent, I used to train whenever I had free time.

So having this kind of freedom feels like it’s been ages.

Enjoy it. Enjoy it.

Breathing in deeply as I eat, I figure it’d be a waste to get full on snacks alone, so we head to a popular restaurant.

But of course, lines exist even in another world.

Not wanting to waste time waiting, we wander around and find a place that can fit the four of us, then go in.

It’s like an izakaya. They mainly serve alcohol, and you order food to go with it.

Adventurers tend to like places like this, so there are plenty of people drinking even during the day.

And I don’t know how long this commotion has been going on, but everyone was drinking like crazy.

Well, it’s probably because the threat to the world has lessened.

I was happy too, so I smile as I order drinks and food for the four of us.

"Ray-kun, wouldn’t you rather go for a full course at a super high-end restaurant? If we go a bit further, there’s a place that serves a Manchu-Han Imperial Feast."

"That’s a bit heavy for midday, Eleanor-san. Also, that’s kinda rude to this place."

"How about a high-end vegetarian course favored by saints? The Adra grass soup simmered for a month is absolutely delicious. It has a slight bitterness and smell, but it’s very healthy."

"I wouldn’t want to go there even in my next life."

Mixing in a bit of dark humor, I turn down my masters’ suggestions.

By the way, taking all that into account, the distribution of who decides meals in Stray Cats Lost Cats is:

Me 60%.

Lesley 23%.

Eleanor 16%.

Sophia 1%.

That’s just my impression, but it’s something like that.

Lesley and I are pretty down-to-earth, so we go for places that are tasty, filling and reasonably priced.

Eleanor, being of noble birth, has refined tastes, so her picks are expensive.

Sophia, well... her choices are always like, when would you even feel like eating that?

At first I tried to decline politely, but lately it’s become more like “are you doing this on purpose?” including me.

But surprisingly, Sophia was actually concerned about it 'since she thought it was on purpose'.

"Could it be that I like strange food?"

She once seriously asked me that.

Realizing she’d been worrying about it, I took it seriously and spent about four hours talking about normal food with her.

The next day, with a huge smile, she said, "Shall we go eat a dinner made with ten kinds of medicinal herbs?"

By the way, that day we ended up fighting monsters from morning till night. We didn’t even have time to eat, so everyone was starving.

Even now, remembering Eleanor’s furious expression makes me laugh.

Even just when it comes to food, there are so many memories.

Some are funny, some aren’t, but that’s what makes them good.

Looking back on the past is fun.

Before long, the beer arrived.

Ah, wait. One person got strawberry beer 'Lesley'.

We don’t usually do toasts, but today had a special atmosphere.

Since all three of them are looking at me, I say a few words.

"Um, thank you for today. I won’t go on too long... but seriously, this is the best party. I look forward to continuing with you all."

I didn’t put it in the past tense, resisting DWS.

The three of them lowered their eyes for a moment, but quickly smiled again.

* * *

"Hey, could you tell us already? Why was Ryuk-san pressing you like that?"

I suddenly hear a voice. From behind.

It’s not good to eavesdrop, but that’s in my previous world.

In this world, you actively listen in. It’s basic adventurer knowledge.

After all, valuable information is often just lying around.

Of course, it’s rare to intentionally go “I’m going to listen in!”

It’s more like during casual conversations.

Or while waiting for something.

That’s when you listen.

And right now is somewhere in between.

Drinking beer, thinking about the past and future, chewing over it all, a moment of silence.

From behind, I hear that voice.

The name Ryuk is a big one for us right now.

There’s no way we wouldn’t react.

And it’s not just me.

Lesley, Sophia and Eleanor’s expressions instantly change. Seriously, this moment when my masters switch gears is so damn cool.

Nine times out of ten, it’s about the Demons.

I can only hear voices since they’re behind me, but it sounds like there are quite a few people around him.

Everyone keeps pressing him to tell them.

Then one man says, “Man, can’t be helped.”

"You mean that thing... right?"

"Come on, tell us already."

"Boss, please."

Even the boss is hesitating.

Now I’m curious too. Should I say “tell us already” as well?

"Fine, fine. But don’t tell anyone, alright? Actually... the one who defeated the Demons was me—"

In that instant, a dense killing intent surged from my masters.