I Woke Up Piloting the Strongest Starship, so I Became a Space Mercenary

ishes without going through the trouble of cooking them yourself, so the number of people who are able to cook using fresh ingredients is decreasing.
Eating food prepared using auto-cookers and food cartridges is not very popular among our citizens.”

“I see.
What kinda stuff d’ya eat?”

“There are many kinds of processed beans.
We also often eat Chilas shellfish.”

“Chilas shellfish?”

“It’s a cephalopod with a shell.
It might seem somewhat creepy to people from other places, but it’s a food item that is both flavorful and filling.
There’s also a processed fish dish called Chico, and a root vegetable called Caro which is easily cultivated and is very nutritious.
Caro leaves can also be eaten, so no part of the plant is wasted.”

“I see.”

Cephalopods with shells? Like an ammonite or a nautilus? And they also had processed bean products…… You can actually use beans to make a lot of stuff.
For example, soybeans can be used to make soymilk, fresh or fried tofu, natto, or just eat them plain boiled.
The soybean is already like that, so there were a tremendous number of cooking variations when it comes to beans.
Moreover, they also ate fish and root vegetables huh.

“Don’t you guys eat meat?”

“We do, but it’s quite expensive.”

“So the situation’s the same for the Graccan and Holy Vuelzarus Empire huh.”

Before long, the food we ordered was served to our table.
We mainly ordered large baked flatbreads with various ingredients piled on top just like pizza, mashed potato-like stuff, roasted meat-like dishes, and so on.
By the way, there was no soup dish.
The closest ones had thick paste-like consistency like ankake rather than your usual soup.

“This…… Isn’t this meat?”

Kugi’s eyes were shining in delight as she looked at the skewered grilled whitish meat on a serving plate.

“……So, which type is this thing, exactly?”

“It’s cultured meat.”

Mimi sheepishly answered my question.

“Ah–…… Well, I suppose we’re already used to it.”

“Yeah.”

We went to a factory manufacturing cultured meat a while back and became a bit traumatized by the experience.
But now, we ate cultured meat without making a fuss.
Even if it was originally sourced from… those things, processed meat was still processed meat at the end of the day.
Anyway, it certainly tasted great, so it would be our loss if we kept being bothered by that stuff.

Or rather, it seemed we eventually got used to it thanks to Mimi often ordering rather questionable imported specialty foods and gathering us for tasting parties.
So what if the meat was from a creepy eldritch tentacle creature? There was stuff in the world that were a lot grosser than that.
Yeah, there certainly were.
I have firsthand experience y’know.

“It’s cultured, but it’s no doubt genuine meat.
If you want more, feel free to ask for seconds.”

“Is it truly fine……? Isn’t this quite extravagant?”

“Ya better get used to stuff like this, Kugi.
With Boss here, stuff like this can only be treated as appetizers.”

“I’m still floored by Big Brother’s outrageous sense for money sometimes……”

“I’m getting used to it, but I haven’t reached the realm of Hiro-sama and Elma-san yet.”

Can you drop that topic already, guys? You make it sound like I and Elma were weirdos or something.
We’re quite normal, thank you very much.
As mercenaries, that is.
As regular folks? I wouldn’t know about that even if you asked!

“Then, let’s eat before the food gets cold guys.”

“Yes.
Oh, I’ll portion it for you guys.”

“Ah, let me help as well.”

“You’re today’s guest of honor, Kugi.
So just sit tight.
Hiro says you’re still a provisional member, but this is still your welcome party after all.”

After saying so, Elma held Kugi down and started helping Mimi serve portions of each dish on everyone’s plates.
And before I knew it, Mei was also helping out.
The way she mixes in naturally without making a sound was really uncanny.

“Right.
Then, a toast to Kugi’s welcome party.”

“Cheers!”

Tina happily toasted her glass and immediately chugged down her drink.
Of course, it was alcohol.
Whisker also discreetly ordered alcohol as well…… Elma too huh.
I did say we’re gonna relax today, but you guys ain’t holding back at all huh.