Nerineri Millet Jelly

At Dagashi Yahagi, a certain product has been enjoying a quiet boom.

About 20 of them come in stock every day, but they sell so well that they are gone by midday.

The item in question is this.

Product name: Nerineri Millet Jelly

Description: Millet jelly in a cup. It comes in four flavors: strawberry, lemon, apple and cider. Eating it increases one's dexterity.

Price: 50 rims

It's millet jelly in a small cup.

It has two sticks attached to it, and when mixed with air, it turns white and becomes fluffy, becoming a snack that is pleasant to the palate.

It has been popular since it first went on sale because it's gentle to the tired body and increases the consumer's agility.

However, that isn't the only secret behind its boom.

Apparently, there are other uses not mentioned in the product description.

While kneading the cider-flavored millet jelly with the attached sticks, Merle informed me.

[It all happened by chance. An adventurer was taking a break and had some cider-flavored nerineri millet jelly.]

Sweet things are good for a tired body.

Thanks to that, my business is prospering.

[He was a solo adventurer, but he was carelessly sitting on a rock in the passageway and eating that millet jelly.]

[Oi, oi, even I know that that isn't something you should do in the dungeon.]

[You normally wouldn't, right? However, he was too tired back then to take precautions.]

[And that's why he sat on the side of the passageway to eat that millet jelly huh.]

[Unnn. However, the dungeon isn't so sweet that one can just carelessly eat their snacks. Army Ants appeared and attacked him right away.]

Army Ants are ant monsters about the size of a small dog.

They're individually weak, but they attack in packs.

A solo adventurer would have been helpless if surrounded by them.

[That adventurer was apparently prepared to die when he was surrounded by 20 Army Ants.]

[He could only feel helpless when he had no way out huh.]

[On the contrary though, that adventurer managed to get out of the enclosure.]

[How?]

I don't think it's impossible for anyone to escape from such a situation unless they have extraordinary skills.

For an amateur who was negligent in ensuring his safety, he's bound to be killed.

[The Army Ants didn't attack the adventurer, and had instead swarmed around his nerineri millet jelly. Moreover, they had gotten so crazy about the nerineri millet jelly that they were killing each other over it.]

The adventurer managed to escape and watched the Army Ants kill each other from behind a rock.

Eventually, the Army Ants that had devoured all the nerineri millet jelly pulled out, but more than dozens of them had died after getting killed by their own kind.

The average drop items of Army Ants was about 200 rims each.

That adventurer had earned 2400 rims without doing anything.

That information gradually spread, leading to the current boom.

[If you can make money just by watching, things would be easy, wouldn't it?]

[Yeah. That said, that doesn't mean it's completely risk-free.]

[What do you mean?]

[The habitat of Army Ants is pretty deep into the dungeon, and there are times when Army Ants notice people who are hiding. It's also possible that the Army Ants lured by the nerineri millet jelly would be more than they can handle.]

I see, the dungeon really isn't as sweet as millet jelly.

[And so, that's why it was just having a subtle increase in popularity huh.]

[That's how it is. Regardless of the hunting bonuses, I buy millet jellies because I like them. Give me one more of every kind!]

Merle finished her snack and headed back to hunting, but as she left, a young man arrived at the shop.

I have never seen this young man before.

He was well equipped, but what he was wearing isn't typical gear.

He's wearing an old standard soldier's armor.

It's not uncommon for adventurers to be former soldiers, but this one doesn't look familiar with the dungeon.

The young man observed the shelves with merchandise he was likely unfamiliar with in a puzzled manner.

I wondered if he was gonna shoplift, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Guess I'll call out to him...

[Welcome. Are you searching for something?]]

[Ah, h- hello. Ummm... I heard about this candy for hunting Army Ants...]

Oya oya, this customer is also looking for millet jelly huh.

[Yes, yes, nerineri millet jelly, right? A gourmand adventurer who you just passed by earlier bought four of them earlier, so there's only one cider-flavored and one lemon-flavored left.]

[Ah, yes... I'll have those then.]

Looking at this young man's awkward hands as he takes out his purse worries me.

[You mind if I ask something?]

[W- What is it?]

[You're not an adventurer, aren't you?]

[I- I work at Ronda... no, umm... I work at a certain mansion.]

[You seemed to already have a stable job, so why are you in the dungeon?]

The young man in front of me doesn't seem like the type who's after a quick fortune.

With his docile demeanor, he seems to have little combat experience.

[I really need the money at the moment...]

I see, everyone's got their circumstances.

However, it's too much for an amateur to suddenly aim for Army Ants.

[Customer, anyone with you?]

[I'm going solo...]

So, he just heard the rumors and is now aiming for the Army Ants huh.

He must have heard somewhere that he could make money even if he's going solo.

However, as Merle said, the dungeon is riddled with dangers.

I don't think this inexperienced person would be able to hunt them well.

I may be being nosy, but he seems to be a good person, and I would feel bad just letting him go like this.

[I'm the owner of the Dagashi Shop in the dungeon, Yahagi. You are?]

[Ah, I'm Marco.]

[Marco-san, don't take this the wrong way. However, I think it's better if you drop hunting for Army Ants.]

[There's a woman I'd like to help!]

He's got woman-related circumstances huh...

The young man in front of me seems desperate.

[So, you need the money?]

[Yes... We're going to live together in a foreign country. For that reason, I'm spending my days off in the dungeon...]

He would usually do his work in that mansion, and he now plans to use his days off to hunt in the dungeon huh.

He must really care about that woman.

I was so impressed by how admirable this young man is that I decided to meddle a little bit.