Chapter "399"

Chapter "399"

Make A Trap 2

Alright, let's go over the plan one more time.

Designation: Back Fat & Trotters Hate Operation.

The operation involves placing only a tiny amount of delicious meat amidst troublesome or divisive cuts like fat and limb skin, making it super noticeable. This will draw everyone's attention to the good meat, making it easy to spot if a meat thief shows up.

In outline, first, Sasaya-san will load the supplies onto the truck and head back, same as last time.

However, the difference this time is that the tasty meat portions will be minimal, with most being fat and limb skin. Also, the quantity will be less than half of before, to really cultivate that feeling of disappointment.

Then, Sasayama-san will distribute this to the various shelters while spreading the word: "I begged and pleaded to somehow make it happen. But, this is the last of it. There's nothing left. Ah, what a pain, what a pain..."

Well, of course, this is a lie; we still have plenty of meat in stock. But, we'll have to return to Tokyo soon. So, we need to leave behind enough reserves so that Oji--san and Taro won't have trouble living afterwards.

Anyway, placed in such a situation, I wonder what actions the meat thief will take.

And afterwards, I'd like the locals to do whatever they want with the culprit, boil 'em or grill 'em.

However, it's also possible they might get wary due to the changed circumstances and lay low, taking no action at all. If that happens, we're pretty much out of options.

Since it's a matter of after we've handed it over, there's nothing to do but think, "Well, it's a bit disappointing, but what can you do?" It's not like we're so free that we can get all worked up and invest more effort into this.

Well, even if they act boldly, steal the meat and fat, and dash to the butcher to sell it, the butcher will already have information circulating, warning that "There's someone trying to make money off stolen meat," so they probably won't be able to sell it easily.

Then, based on the information coming back from the butcher, Sasayama-san will run a stock check, and if a theft is discovered, file a report with the police. Simultaneously, the butcher can also report to the police, saying something like "A suspicious guy came to sell some weird meat," and submit the security camera footage. Then, hey presto!

The two points connect neatly, and all mysteries are solved.

Well, that's only if everything goes perfectly smoothly, of course.

I did consider going all out to settle the score properly, but it's not really something worth putting our full effort into. Right now, making all-purpose recovery potions and fixing the heavily damaged Bug King suit from combat are several times more important.

Ah, also, I said something like "thief reseller" earlier, but that was a bit off, wasn't it? A thief is a thief, a reseller is a reseller; they're different.

Yeah, even if they resell it, they pay money to purchase the goods for their inventory, so it's different from a thief. In this case, it's 'trying to get money by selling stolen goods,' so it's simply 'a thief trying to cash out stolen goods'—reselling doesn't really come into it.

Serai-san probably also heard that the stuff we gave away for free was being sold and the word "resell" just slipped out. Yeah, that's probably it. I didn't notice it in the moment either.

...

Getting into the driver's seat of the forestry truck now that loading was finished, Sasayama-san leaned out the window towards us.

"Sorry for all the trouble, Egetsu-kun, Machi-chan."

"It's fine, Oji-san. More importantly, drive carefully on your way back."

"Yeah. Running into something like what's loaded in the back again would be unbearable. I'll drive safely."

Sasayama-san gestured with his eyes towards the truck bed and shrugged with a wry smile.

"Loaded in the back" refers to the dismembered super giant boar. Yeah, being chased by that thing must have been a truly harrowing experience.

And while we were handling the loading, Sasayama-san had been in touch with his hunter buddies. Well, let's just say the setup is thorough. And me, I'm muscular... pfft! 𝐫ᴀNỖᛒЁＳ

"Well, it might be a bit of a hassle for the people evacuating, but I'll try to smooth that over... Well then!"

With that, he gave a honk and started the truck.

"The hassle" probably refers to the cooking part.

But you know, if you render the fat in a pan, the leftover crispy bits are great finely chopped and mixed into fried rice. And the rendered fat is perfect for making tempura with wild plants, it's quite stylish.

My recommendation is definitely yomogi (mugwort)~.

It feels like it grows everywhere, and the taste is kinda like garland chrysanthemum, pleasantly bitter and delicious. Plus, it's tough; you can pick loads without worrying about it running out. Hmm, I need to acquire toughness on par with yomogi.

As for the limb skin~... hmm, maybe just boil it or throw it in a pot??