A Shinobi's Take on this Wonderful World

May This Rowdy Ninja Learn Etiquette!

"Cheers!"

The group shouted while raising their glasses of wine/juice in unison. They dug into the small feast Kazuma had prepared which consisted of a large hot pot with various meats and vegetables with sides of rice and crackers.

"Sorry it's nothing fancier... But the meat is the best I could afford so it should be good."

Kazuma sheepishly admitted while skillfully smacking Megumin's hand when she tried to grab an entire plate of meat.

"Don't worry about such things. I've never had a hotpot, and this looks really fun!"

Naruto replied with a wide grin as he grabbed some meat and potatoes with his chopsticks.

"M-me neither... Thank you for inviting me!"

Yunyun nodded towards their host before nervously reaching towards the vegetables.

After retrieving what they wanted, the two then stared at the pot of boiling broth with owlish eyes.

Noticing their hesitation, Kazuma smiled wryly. It was kind of funny how much in sync those two were at times.

"You just place your ingredients into the broth and let it simmer for a little bit. Like this."

Kazuma explained and dropped a thin slice of meat into the pot. After a couple of seconds, the meat turned a darker shade of red before the boy lifted it out and popped it into his mouth.

"Oh! I knew I was spot on with this cut!"

Mimicking the host's actions, Naruto and Yunyun placed some food into the soup and anxiously watched as it simmered.

Kazuma nodded sagely as they retrieved their now cooked ingredients and ate it.

'This is like barbecue...'

Naruto smiled as he put another piece of meat into the hot pot. He thought back to the few times he went out to eat with his former classmates.

Now that he thought about it, this group was hardly anything like his old friends back in Konoha.

'Ah, except maybe Kazuma... he's smart, but he's always trying to get out of working like Shikamaru.'

By now, everyone was enjoying the food and engaging in conversations.

"O-oh yeah, Kazuma-san. Vanir-san asked me to tell you that they're starting the big sale tomorrow."

Yunyun said, and the adventurer stopped sipping his wine and calmly set it onto the table.

"I see."

Kazuma responded, his expression unreadable. On one hand, he was still furious with the suspiciously masked man for sending them on a wild goose chase. On the other hand-

"Woohoo! I'm finally going to be rich!"

"!"

The group was surprised when Kazuma suddenly jumped to his feet and downed the rest of his drink. He then snatched the wine bottle and poured another glass before raising it into the air.

"I'd like to raise a toast, for the end of an era."

The boy started, and everyone hesitantly raised their own glasses. Was this guy about to make another grand speech about quitting adventuring again?

"The moment I came to this town, I was immediately faced with hardship after hardship... No money, hard labor, and cold nights in the stables."

Kazuma started, earning sympathetic nods from a teary eyed Aqua.