The fishing port wasn’t one of those massive affairs with giant ships docked in rows. Still, several medium-sized vessels dotted the harbor alongside the usual small fishing boats, making this port undeniably one of the busiest spots in all of Quinta.
Around the wharves, establishments had sprung up to cater to the fishermen and shipping workers-places to eat, shops selling food and daily necessities, stores hawking fishing gear and supplies.
The backbone of Quinta Territory’s economy was fishing and farming. Inland areas had a few hunters, but livestock operations were scarce-nothing substantial enough to call ranching. So meat meant chicken, wildfowl, or boar. Vegetables were mostly leafy greens and root crops. Wheat didn’t grow well here. They had to buy grain from other territories, trading their seafood and salt in return.
The tavern Kyle brought Flare and the others to sat on a street lined with such shops, close enough to the harbor that you could smell the brine. It was the kind of place that served as a restaurant by day and a bar by night. The sign out front read “The Leaping Fish.”
Kyle turned to the group and said, “Thought we’d have lunch here. Sound good? They do amazing fish.”
Flare’s eyes brightened with polite interest. “Is that so? The Regal4 territory has a sizable river, but no ocean access. I must say, I’m rather looking forward to this.”
Right. Kyle remembered now-the Regal domain was a major grain-producing region, flat and far from the sea. They had a river nearby, good for irrigation, and he thought they farmed crustaceans too. Shrimp and the like. But there’s something special about ocean fish, right? The way you eat them. Kyle wanted Flare to experience that properly.
Kyle had the ladies wait in the carriage for a bit while he and the two guards ducked inside to check if there was room for five.
The proprietress-a plump old woman named Grace-greeted them with a warm, crinkly smile.
”Well, well, if it isn’t Master Kyle!” she exclaimed, beaming. “Been a while, hasn’t it? Yes, yes, we’ve got room. Still early yet-you’re just in time, actually. Gets packed soon.”
Kyle nodded and said, “Great. How about three at a table for four, and two at the counter?”
Grace waved a dismissive hand. “Perfect. No trouble at all.”
Kyle didn’t particularly care either way, but he figured Flare and Taris might feel awkward sharing a table with the guards and coachman. So he split the party-himself, Flare, and Taris at a table; the guard Jan and coachman Schultz at the counter.
”So,” Kyle began, “I actually got married recently. Brought my wife along today.”
Grace’s weathered face lit up. “Oh my! Congratulations! Well then, I’ll have to pull out all the stops.”
”Thanks,” Kyle replied with a grin. “And hey-I want that dish. You know the one.”
Grace gave a knowing nod. “Right you are. Please, have a seat. I’ll bring out some tea straight away.”
Kyle went back to the carriage, fetched the two women and the coachman, and led everyone inside. No sooner had they settled in than warm tea appeared before them.
Taris glanced around the rustic establishment with barely concealed disapproval. “This place… it’s a public tavern, is it?”
Flare inclined her head gracefully. “So it would seem. Do you frequent such establishments?”
Kyle shrugged easily. “Yeah. Places like this are surprisingly good. Flexible too. I actually prefer them to fancy restaurants. Not that Quinta has many upscale places anyway-but the food here is solid.”
Flare didn’t seem particularly bothered, but Taris’s expression screamed it all: How dare you bring Lady Flare to a place like this!
Kyle caught her look and chuckled to himself. Hey, hey, don’t get so worked up. I’m telling you, this place is legit.
It was run by an old couple, so the seating was limited, but Kyle had known them since childhood. They’d watched him grow up and treated him like a grandson. That familiarity was comfortable.
”Also,” Kyle added, leaning forward with enthusiasm, “a lot of ocean fish can be eaten raw, and this place gets them fresh, so I really wanted Flare to try sashimi1.”
Flare’s composure faltered. “Fish…”
Taris looked genuinely horrified. “Raw…?!”
Both women nearly choked on Kyle’s words.
Look, as someone originally from Japan6, Kyle couldn’t help craving sashimi. Not sushi, necessarily-just the raw fish. Back when he was a teenager, he’d gone down to the docks and asked around if any fish could be eaten raw.
The fishermen had shared knowledge about which species were safe. But in this world, the rule was to cook meat and fish thoroughly. Unless you had no access to fire, nobody bothered eating anything raw.
So Kyle had worked with this tavern to experiment with seasonings and preparation methods, eventually getting them to add the dishes he’d developed to the menu. It wasn’t much-just two types of fish, white and red, served as sashimi or carpaccio2. This was the only place in the world where you could get raw fish. Obviously, without refrigeration, you couldn’t do this inland. Kyle was grateful Quinta was a coastal territory.
Flare’s brow furrowed with concern. “Back in Regal4, if you even suggested eating raw fish, people would ask if you had a death wish…”
Kyle nodded knowingly. “That’s because it’s river fish. Some ocean fish are perfectly safe raw, and they’re genuinely delicious. Depends on the species and preparation, of course. But look-I’ve been eating this stuff for over a decade and I’m fine. Trust me, give it a try. And I’ll taste-test it myself first, just in case.”
Kyle beamed as he spoke, and the two women stared at him like he’d grown a second head.
Ah, that look. He didn’t hate being stared at with that much suspicion, you know. Especially from Flare and Taris, both at once… wait. Was his taste getting increasingly weird lately? Just his imagination, probably.
While they were having this ridiculous conversation, the food arrived. Grace carried it in-she was in her sixties but still spry, steady on her feet from years of hauling dishes. Today, though, her expression was off.
One reason. When she’d brought the tea earlier and Kyle had introduced Flare and Taris, the old lady had definitely been intimidated by Flare’s sharp gaze. Poor thing was terrified.
Conservative people tended to see Flare as a villainess. And in this world, old folks were overwhelmingly conservative.
Kyle gestured to the platters. “This here’s the sashimi, and this is the carpaccio. Tried a bunch of variations, but these two are still the best.”
With that, Kyle popped a piece of sashimi into his mouth right in front of them.
Mmm. Good.
But he still wanted soy sauce. He’d found something like fish sauce that worked okay, but it had a bit of a briny aftertaste. Not like the soybean-based stuff from back home. If only this world had soybeans… not that he’d know how to make soy sauce even if they did. It’s not like he could just look it up online.
The two women stared at Kyle as if he were a complete madman.
Just try it once, Kyle thought, I swear it’s good.
Flare drew a steadying breath. “Very well… I shall sample it.”
Taris’s voice was sharp with alarm. “Lady Flare!”
Flare’s tone was firm but gentle. “Master Kyle did just eat it in front of us. I’m sure it’s fine.”
Flare hesitantly brought a piece to her lips-and the moment she tasted it, her eyes went wide. She immediately reached for another bite.
See? See? People in this world might have reservations, but once you try it, it’s nothing.
Flare’s voice carried genuine wonder. “This texture… it’s unlike any fish or meat I’ve ever had. If raw fish can be safely consumed and tastes this good, could this not become a local specialty?”
Kyle blinked in surprise. “A specialty? I just asked the tavern to put it on the menu because I wanted to eat it. That’s all!”
Flare’s eyes sparkled with entrepreneurial insight. “Ah, well… Among the nobility, there are what you might call connoisseurs-people who tire of perfectly fine cuisine and crave novelty. They enjoy rare foods and unusual experiences. And eating raw fish takes courage, doesn’t it? It makes for an excellent story-the sort of thing one might boast about like a grand adventure.”
Yeah, Kyle supposed there are people who like to brag about dangerous experiences. Personally, he’d rather just live safely.
”Also,” Flare continued, warming to the subject, “it’s an activity. If there’s something you can only do here in Quinta-not just eating the fish, but experiencing it-people will come from afar. In Regal4 territory, for instance, we have popular hiking-and-hunting courses: beautiful views, good hunting, and then a feast with the day’s catch in the evening. People travel quite a distance for those.”
Kyle stroked his chin thoughtfully. “Hmm…”
If they were doing something similar here, it’d be fishing. Catch your own fish and cook it on the spot.
When Kyle suggested this, Flare’s expression grew hesitant.
”Fishing..,” she said slowly, “I’ve always thought of it as something old men take up when they can no longer draw a bow. Just dangling a line-it seems rather tedious. Lacking in excitement. That’s why young noblemen prefer hunting, I suppose.”
”Hm? Well then, why not try something like sport fishing?” Kyle muttered to himself. “First I’d need to prepare a reel-like device and some lures… oh, and if I prepare different types and grades of lures, it might spark that collector’s instinct in people too. And then, if they take a print of the fish they catch and frame it as a souvenir-even if they eat the fish afterward, they’ll still have proof of the size they landed. That’d make for perfect bragging rights…”
”Reel? Lure? Gyotaku3… what’s that?” Flare repeated, her brow furrowing as she caught his muttering.
Kyle glanced over at her. Cute, ain’t she.
Well, of course-there’s no way she’d understand if I just suddenly started talking about reels and lures, he continued in his head. But sport fishing like bass fishing or surf casting-the kind where you cast out and reel back in-was popular with young people back in his old world too. He was pretty sure it could work here. Maybe he should talk to the blacksmith about whether they could make something like a reel. He’d probably be annoyed, though.
”Ah, sorry,” Kyle said, turning to her. “I just had another new idea. There’s this kind of fishing where you use a small metal piece that looks like a little fish-it’s called a lure. Anyway, once I’ve got a prototype, I’ll probably ask you to try it out and give me your thoughts, so look forward to it until then.”
”I suppose I understand… though, truly, Lord Kyle, you do come up with the most peculiar notions,” Flare replied, her tone measured and elegant. “I’ve never heard of catching fish without bait.”
Kyle had only dabbled in bass fishing back when he was in middle school, but thanks to Flare, he might be able to recreate one more pastime from his previous life. He might get hooked again if he tried it, and even if he didn’t, it could bring more visitors to the estate-they’d spend money, and it’d create more work for the villagers. All good things, really.
But judging by their expressions, Flare and Taris were now looking at him like he was even more of an oddball than before… Maybe he should seriously consider telling them he was a reincarnated person6 sometime. For now, it might be worth testing the waters by telling Flare first.
After that, they made the rounds through the district where the craftsmen-blacksmiths, carpenters, and the like-gathered, and also visited the people Kyle normally dealt with, like Fidek the magician. He paraded his stunningly beautiful wife around, expecting to get some admiring looks and a little envy-maybe even a bit of jealousy. But things didn’t turn out the way he’d hoped. Everyone acknowledged Flare and Taris’s beauty, sure, but they seemed… a little put off, actually. Almost intimidated.
The only one who praised her freely and reacted the way Kyle had was old man Fidek the magician. Come to think of it, he was always treated like an oddball too.
Oh well. Kyle shrugged internally. I don’t know whether they were scared of Flare’s sharp eyes or intimidated by the bad reputation of her family, House Regal4, but if they’re that scared, it probably means no one’s going to make any unwanted advances. And I won’t have to worry about her cheating on me.
Honestly, having talked with her, Kyle thought Flare herself was a genuinely great and capable person… but he supposed people would get used to her over time.
They completed their rounds through town and returned home as the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon. The scent of dinner wafted through the air-probably Martha’s signature cream stew.
”Good work today,” Kyle said as they entered. “You must be tired after spending all day in the carriage. After you eat, take a nice hot bath and relax.”
”Thank you very much,” Flare replied, her posture straight and dignified. “I shall take you up on that. But please, Lord Kyle, you go first. I could not possibly bathe before my husband.”
”I don’t really mind, you know?” Kyle said, raising an eyebrow.
”Even if you do not mind, the servants will not take kindly to it,” Flare insisted, her voice carrying a note of gentle reproach. “They might think we-the household staff-are slighting you, the master of this house.”
”Ah… right.”
Back then, Kyle had never cared what people thought of him. But now he had to consider Flare’s position too-otherwise it could lead to unnecessary trouble. He needed to be more careful.
After they finished dinner, Flare was clearly exhausted and excused herself to bed. Kyle was tired too, but nowhere near as much as she must have been-he was more used to this kind of day. Taris had gone to help with the dishes. At this rate, Taris was probably going to warm up to the household faster than Flare would.
Well, now it was free time. But Flare looked absolutely drained, and they’d literally just done it last night… Probably best to hold off on that again tonight.
Man, without the internet, games, or manga, nights in this world were seriously boring. Kyle mean, according to the main religion here-the Church of the Sun God Aten5-the core belief was that “humans wake with the sun and sleep at night,” So people in this world just weren’t built for staying up late. The only thing you did at night was make babies. Anyone who prioritized anything else over sleep got treated like a weirdo or a criminal.
Maybe Kyle had unconsciously wished for a world like this after dying from sleep deprivation. But now that he had Flare, nights were looking a lot more promising. He mean, they’d got the most primal, instinctual pleasure there was-sex.
As he was thinking that and heading to his room, a wave of powerful drowsiness hit him.
It had been a fun day, but he guessed he was more worn out than he’d realized from going all-out showing Flare and Taris around. After all, what he’d done today was something he’d never even experienced in his past life: a date. He’d been on edge the whole time, worried about messing up, anxious about making a good impression. But it was fun.
Kyle flopped onto the bed, and his eyelids suddenly felt like lead.
Thinking back on the day with a warm feeling-how Flare had been startled by raw fish, how her gaze had gotten even sharper when he introduced her to his acquaintances, making them visibly flinch-he closed his eyes, content.
And within minutes, he drifted into a deep, peaceful sleep.
___To be continued___
Trivia:
- Kyle’s craving for sashimi reveals his Japanese past life identity, making him an isekai protagonist who still misses his original world’s cuisine.
- The fact that Kyle developed the raw fish menu himself shows he’s been actively shaping local culture for over a decade, not just passively living in this world.
- Flare’s immediate pivot to commercial potential (turning raw fish into a tourism attraction) demonstrates her sharp business acumen and pragmatic nobility mindset.
- The contrast between Kyle’s casual “I just wanted to eat it” and Flare’s “this could be a specialty” highlights their different worldviews: personal desire vs. societal opportunity.
- Grace’s intimidation by Flare shows how Flare’s aristocratic aura affects commoners despite her not being overtly hostile.
- The tavern’s limited capacity run by an elderly couple creates a cozy, intimate atmosphere that Kyle prefers over impersonal luxury establishments.
- Kyle’s internal monologue about his “increasingly weird taste” suggests self-awareness about his growing attraction to Flare’s suspicious glares.
- The mention of Regal territory having hiking-hunting tourism courses establishes that Flare comes from a region with developed luxury leisure activities.
- Flare’s view of fishing as “for old men who can’t draw bows” reveals aristocratic hunting culture values activity, skill, and danger over passive, patient pursuits.
- The absence of refrigeration technology makes fresh raw fish a coastal-exclusive luxury, creating natural geographic scarcity that could drive tourism.
- Kyle’s casual thought “Cute, ain’t she” reveals his deepening affection for Flare, contrasting with his earlier pragmatic assessment of her as a political marriage.
- The fishing idea represents Kyle’s broader pattern of introducing modern Japanese pastimes to the fantasy world, a recurring theme in isekai narratives.
- Flare’s confusion over gyotaku highlights the cultural gap between her aristocratic upbringing and Kyle’s mundane modern hobbies.
- The servants’ reaction to Flare’s strict bathing order foreshadows ongoing tension between Kyle’s casual nature and the formal expectations of nobility.
- Fidek the magician is established as a kindred spirit to Kyle—both are treated as eccentric outsiders by their community.
- Kyle’s reflection on “never having had a date” in his past life is a rare moment of vulnerability, revealing the loneliness that defined his previous existence.
- The Church of the Sun God Aten’s prohibition on night activities explains the world’s lack of nightlife and Kyle’s resulting boredom.
- Kyle’s casual mention of s*x as “the most primal, instinctual pleasure” masks his genuine emotional connection to Flare, which is more important to him than he admits.
- The peaceful sleep ending contrasts with Kyle’s earlier sleeplessness in his past life, symbolizing his newfound contentment and belonging.
- Taris’s quicker integration into the household hints at her adaptability compared to Flare’s more rigid aristocratic background.
Translation Notes:
1 ↩ A Japanese dish of fresh raw fish sliced into thin pieces. In this world, eating raw fish is highly unusual and considered dangerous, making it a novelty that Kyle introduced to the local tavern.
2 ↩ An Italian dish of raw meat or fish thinly sliced and served with olive oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. Kyle uses this Western-style preparation alongside sashimi to offer two variations of raw fish for different palates.
3 ↩ A traditional Japanese art form where ink is applied to a fish and pressed onto paper to create a print. Used here as a souvenir and proof of the catch, allowing the fisherman to eat the fish while preserving evidence of its size for bragging rights.
4 ↩ The noble family Flare comes from. Their “bad reputation” implies political or social controversy, likely contributing to why townspeople react to Flare with intimidation rather than admiration.
5 ↩ A fictional deity in this world’s primary religion. Aten is historically an Egyptian sun god, suggesting the author blended real-world mythology with fantasy worldbuilding.
6 ↩ Kyle is a reincarnated person (isekai protagonist), meaning he lived and died in modern Japan before being reborn in this fantasy world. He retains memories of his past life.