"Thank you all for gathering here today. Thanks to everyone's efforts, the shop is running smoothly so far. I hope you'll continue to lend me your support. For now, let's enjoy ourselves. Cheers!"

"Cheers!"

Behind the outdoor shop, in the backyard, were four employees of the store, along with Lange, Angel, and Rea—a total of seven people.

The portable shower usually set up in the backyard had been put away, a table brought outside, and additional chairs purchased for the occasion. The backyard wasn’t particularly spacious, so this number of people was about the limit.

In this world, formal greetings weren’t necessary. Everyone could just eat and mingle as they liked.

"Today, we're doing barbecue—something from my homeland. I'll keep grilling thinly sliced meat and vegetables, so feel free to season them however you like and enjoy."

By the table, I used a barbecue grill I had bought from this world's market. I lit the fire, grilled the ingredients, brought them to the table, and let everyone serve themselves.

I started grilling before the gathering began, so I brought the first plate of meat to the table.

"This plate here is seasoned with outdoor spice, so you can eat it as is or add some of this tangy fruit juice. The other plate is unseasoned, so it’s best with sauce."

For today’s barbecue, I prepared not just outdoor spices but also homemade sauces.

"Wow! This sauce is so light and refreshing! It's a little tangy, and it goes perfectly with this meat!"

"Oh, this sweet and spicy sauce is amazing too! The outdoor spice is great, but this is just as good!"

The sauce Fia was using was made from a tangy fruit juice similar to lemon, mixed with scallions, oil, and outdoor spices. It offered a light, refreshing flavor.

Lilia was enjoying a homemade yakiniku sauce. Since the store-bought ones from my original world weren’t available here, I recreated it with local ingredients.

I mixed grated garlic, ginger, a fruit similar to apples, sake, sugar, fish sauce, sesame seeds, and chili peppers.

Cooking in this world every day had made it enjoyable to recreate dishes and seasonings from my original world using local ingredients. While it couldn’t completely match the products back home, I thought the flavor came out pretty close.

"Yeah, this is really good! The sauce is great, but this meat is so tender and delicious!"

"I'm glad you like it, Dolph. This is Marse sheep meat that Lange hunted for us."

Lange hadn’t found the specific ingredients or seasonings I had asked for this time, but he had brought back Marse sheep meat he hunted along the way.

Marse sheep didn’t inhabit this area and were considered a luxury food item. While not quite at the level of Danama bear meat, it was still exceptionally tasty. Its flavor was distinct and entirely different from the bear meat.

"Wow, slicing it thin and dipping it in sauce makes it even more delicious. And this outdoor spice is way better than just regular salt!"

"Thanks for the amazing meat, Lange. This is Lange, by the way. He handles our shop’s supplies. We source our products from unique locations, and since Lange can use storage magic, he doesn’t need wagons to transport them."

"I’m Dolph. I just started working here this week. I look forward to working with you."

"I’m Lange. Likewise, nice to meet you. Though I’m not here every day. Here, let’s share a drink. One for Tetsuya too."

"Thanks, I’ll gladly take it."

"Appreciate it."

Lange handed over chilled ale he had cooled with ice magic. While the women weren’t drinking alcohol, Dolph seemed to enjoy it.

"Ahh, a cold ale really hits the spot!"

"This is good stuff! Chilling it with ice magic really enhances the flavor!"

"Right? It pairs so well with this meat too!"

Cold ale really was the best. If only I could use ice magic myself.

"Dolph, were you an adventurer before?"

"Yeah, I just retired recently and got hired at this shop. Lange is a well-known B-rank adventurer, so I’ve heard of him."

"Ha, probably as that quirky elf who only takes jobs he likes. I don’t know much about other adventurers, though, since I’m not in town all the time. But since we’re teammates now, let’s get along."

…Maybe it was better that Dolph didn’t know too much. The two seemed to be getting along fine and would likely work well together.

Still, Lange was a handsome elf, and the two of them together looked like a picture-perfect scene. If there were any fujoshi in this world, they’d probably be cheering right now… though I had no idea if such people even existed here.

Anyway, time to grill some more meat and check on the ladies.