The Day of the Eating Contest
Wow, the place is packed. With clear skies overhead, crowds line up in order to get participation certificates for the eating contest. They’re old, young, male, and female, of many races, showing the fruits of the publicity until now.
In the end, they decided on fried meat as the eating-contest food, but there were way more participants than we had anticipated, so they apparently mobilized all the hunters to gather ingredients.
In the kitchen set up behind the venue, there are piles of meat so high one might worry that the creatures who made their habitat near the settlement had been hunted nearly to extinction.
Come to think of it, the guy in charge of the cooking was saying something strange earlier. What was it again…?
“Agh, there’s not enough meat. What now? It looks like we hunted most of the creatures nearby. Meat, meat, me— Wait, I know just the thing. They brought it back home with them after their last hunting quest.”
Wait, does that mean it’s frog-fiend or crocodile-fiend meat…? Oh, wait, it’s common practice to eat monster meat in this world. I shouldn’t try to shove Japanese ethical views onto these people, nope.
After one thing or another, it looks like they got ahold of more than enough meat. Right now, they’re asking contestants before the event whether they’d like cola or water, and just as they schemed, a lot of people seem to want the cola.
The problem children—Shui the Inhaler and the Band of Gluttons—seem to have taken a liking to the cola as well, so I guess that means we’ve cleared the first hurdle.
“Boxxo, you’ll be providing drinks during the whole eating contest, right?”
“Welcome.”
That’s right—my job is to replenish their cola supplies, which have grown thin on the edge of the stage. We have over fifty participants, so the fried meat is one thing, but the cola consumption will likely be significant.
Lammis suggested we should season the fried meat more heavily as well, which is sure to double the rate at which they’ll get thirsty.
“Okay. I have to go through the line, so I’ll set you on the stage for now.”
“Welcome.”
She puts me on the edge of the stage, but it’s still a fairly conspicuous position.
In this settlement, there is interest in me, a vending machine, being here, but more than a few people are too scared to approach me, so one of this event’s other goals is to make an appeal to my usefulness and safety. At least, that’s what Director Bear said.
The stage is on a raised platform, so I can look out across the audience and the surroundings. And boy, is there still a long line in front of the person giving out participation certificates.
Lammis is near the end of the line, with the Band of Gluttons grouped up in front of her. It also seems that Shui isn’t the only one participating from the Menagerie of Fools—the red-and-white twins are as well.
I know several of the other participants, too. The two gatekeepers are competing? Gocguy, from the money-changing business, is evidently participating as well. With a muscular build like an inverted triangle, he looks like a big eater indeed. You could probably add him to the list of potential champions.
My early-morning regulars have taken their seats in the audience. Scanning them quickly, I can spot other customers who make frequent use of me here and there.
The audience’s eyes are focused on me for some reason. There seem to be two groups: Some are watching me with curious eyes, and others are staring dubiously, wondering why I’m here.
As I sit in an unbearable situation, they’re getting the venue equipment in order, and it looks like they’ve already placed all the chairs and tables. They have long tables connected to one another on the stage, with over twenty chairs in position.
After they finish setting up, Munami, the moderator and emcee, proceeds onto the stage. She’s wearing her usual maid-style apron skirt. Come to think of it, I’ve never seen her wear anything else.
“Thank you for waiting, everyone. We will now begin the first Clearflow Lake Stratum Eating Contest!”
Clapping and cheering rise from the audience. The seats are nearly filled to capacity. Most of them have brought items they purchased from nearby vendors to come and watch.
Watching an eating contest on an empty stomach is like torture, after all. Look at this—the stalls can expect substantial earnings today.
“We have more participants than expected, so we will be splitting them up into Group One and Two. The top five from each group will advance to the finals, where we’ll have one last contest. We have some incredible prizes for the winners, too, so please do your best, everyone.”
“Yeeeaaahhh!”
Deep voices shout from near the bottom of the venue. The participants’ excitement is reaching its peak, too.
“Then may I please have those in Group One come to the stage?”
As large men file in, the four from the Band of Gluttons appear, too. Shui and Lammis must be in Two—I don’t see them among the contestants. Actually, it feels rather messy with just men.
At a glance, one man, over six feet tall and incredibly rotund, looks like a fierce competitor. But I’m very familiar with the Band of Gluttons’s voracious appetites, so I wonder if he can beat them.
“The contest will last as long as the sand takes to fall through this hourglass.”
A giant hourglass is placed on the stage directly opposite me. They must be using it in place of a stopwatch. I guess even other worlds have hourglasses.
Large plates stacked with fried meat are placed in front of the contestants. With that much, it’s easily over two kilograms.
“Of course, those who finish their food before time runs out will automatically advance to the finals. Now, are you all ready? Then let the eating contest begin!”
All at once, the participants begin throwing steaming-hot fried meat into their mouths.
“Hot, hot!”
“Fuuu-fuuu…”
They’re right out of the fryers, so the juices probably came out inside their mouths. The big men have their hands over their mouths, writhing. Quite a few of them drink the cola poured into their jugs to neutralize the heat, too.
More importantly, the Band of Gluttons… They’re bringing the food to their mouths, then blowing on it. Animals’ tongues tend to be particularly heat sensitive. Their pace probably won’t improve until it cools down. Rude though it may be, their desperate attempts to eat through the pain warm my heart.
They’re getting the food down by cooling it with the cola, but if they do that, the carbonation will probably fill their stomachs in a heartbeat. I wonder if they’ll be okay. Ah, right, for the project planners, maybe it would be better if the Band of Gluttons dropped out now. I’m fairly conflicted on the issue.
The Band of Gluttons are profitable customers of mine, and we’re linked by fate in one way or another, so personally, I want them to do well.
This is the first of the various strategies the store owners came up with: the piping-hot-food plan. With everyone guzzling the cola, it seems to have worked. As a bonus, the owners are buying chilled colas from me, one after another.
I look at the hourglass and see that half the sand is already on the bottom. Some will probably finish eating soon.
“I’m done eating!”
“I’m finished, too.”
“Me too!”
“All done over here.”
The Band of Gluttons all pump their hands in the air nearly at the same time. I expected this, but still, all four made it through? The shop owners are giving them polite applause, but on closer inspection, I can see their uncomfortable grimaces behind their smiles.
They’re probably cursing their luck that four of the most problematic contestants made it to the next round. I hope they have enough food for the finals…
“I have finished eating as well.”
Oh, Gocguy finished, too? That’s all five of the people advancing. That was faster than I thought. Wait, only one human actually made it out of Group One. The Band of Gluttons sure are incredible.
“We have our five winners in advance of the time limit. The rest of you may feel free to bring your food back with you. We’ll provide containers as well.”
That’s very nice of them, considering it’s an eating contest. Some of the participants were in the middle of eating, but they begin to pack their food into containers and leave the stage.
When everyone from Group One is gone, people come in to clean up the leftovers and plates. In a matter of minutes, they’re done preparing for the next group.
“Now it’s time for the Group-Two contestants to take the stage for the eating contest!”
The line of people appearing on the stage has a high ratio of women, unlike Group One. Shui, one of the favorites, is there, of course, but Lammis is, too. My partner waves energetically as she comes onstage.
Lammis, in contrast to her physique, is a big eater, too, but I don’t think she can win if pitted against Shui. Moreover, a few female hunters are participating as well. I’m usually in front of the Hunters Association, so I’ve memorized the faces of many hunters who come and go.
Wait, Shirley is competing, too? She certainly doesn’t give the impression that she’s a big eater. She seems to have realized her dress wouldn’t fit the situation, and while her outfit is somewhat rougher than usual, it’s as revealing as ever. The men in the audience are getting lively.
Maybe Two had so many women to add color to the finals. The Band of Gluttons, ever the adorable bunch, were in Group One, giving the contest a good balance.
“Okay, Group Two, dig in!”
At the announcement, the participants begin wolfing down their fried meat. Just like before, the fresh heat takes many of them off guard, making them wash it down with cola.
Shui has always liked drinking cola; she drinks it calmly while happily cramming her mouth with fried meat. One thing that adds to her appeal is how happy she looks when she eats something tasty. She puts a hand to her cheek in an expression of bliss as she chews heartily.
The pile of meat in front of her depletes with each passing moment. At first, it seems like Shui is taking big bites but not chewing very much, but if you watch closely, her jaw and cheeks are blurring up and down at high speed. She’s properly chewing her food… Her speed just greatly outpaces the other contestants’.
As though she’s eating at several times the speed of those around her, her amount of fried meat decreases rapidly. Despite her swift eating, though, that contented smile remains on her face. How wonderful.
When Shui eats, she consistently wears a smile, always looking like she’s never been happier. That’s why I like her.
“Whoa… Those pouch-panda fiends are famous for being big eaters, but how crazy is that girl over there?”
“Is she even human…?”
The astonished voices from the crowd are referring to the way Shui eats.
“Thanks for the food!”
Before the hourglass even reaches the halfway point, Shui finishes eating, then downs the rest of her cola in one gulp. The Band of Gluttons were fast, too, but if we’re being honest, I knew she’d win.
“I’ve finished eating, too.”
The next one to calmly raise her hand is a woman in black-rimmed spectacles wearing what looks like a suit—it’s the money changer, Acowi, of all people. Whether it’s her or Shui, I bet a lot of women envy them for being such big eaters despite how skinny they are.
The next to advance came a good while after that.
“I… I’m done eating. It was so yummy.”
Lammis rubs her belly; seems like she managed to finish. The remaining two people finish up as well, but I’ve never seen them before. They might be newcomers who came to the stratum recently and don’t go near the Hunters Association building very much.
Incidentally, Shirley continued to eat elegantly until the end. Well, the crowd loved her, so that alone made it worth participating.
“We now have all our finalists! The finals will take place in two hours, so please wait until then. Once we’re done cleaning the stage, a theater group will be performing a play. Please get your food and drinks from the stalls and enjoy.”
They’re having a play? They’re more serious about this event than I thought. I’ve never once heard of a theater troupe in this settlement… Does that mean they hired them for the eating contest?
“Boxxo, I’ll take you off the stage. You’ll get in the way of the play.”
“Welcome.”
If there was a vending machine onstage while actors were doing their best to perform, it wouldn’t matter what the play was about—it would just seem strange. I’ll let her carry me off without complaint.
“Do you want to watch the play, Boxxo?”
Hmm, should I? I’m interested in plays, but I’ve never been suited to watching theater. It’s not like TV, so I always worry that the actors will mess up. I know it’s none of my business, but it keeps me in such suspense that I can’t think about the actual play.
Back when I was little, I once went to a superhero show for kids. An unexpected event happened there that resulted in one of the costumed people getting exposed, and it all turned into chaos. I think that’s the root cause of this tendency I have.
Ahh, but I still want to know what it’s like. Theater troupes must be proficient, since there’s so little entertainment in this other world, so they probably rarely mess up. It’ll be fine.
“Welcome.”
“You’re interested? Okay, let’s watch it together.”
“Oh, you two gonna watch the play? Lemme join ya.”
Hulemy came, too. I look over in the direction of her voice and see her wearing her usual black coat, hands full of food from the stalls. How nice that she seems to be fully enjoying the festival.
“Lammis, want something?”
“No way. My stomach feels like it’s going to explode!”
Can’t expect much from her in the finals in two hours, huh? It makes sense, given how much fried meat she ate. I guess this is where I should actually praise her for doing so well.
The audience seating is 70 percent full, but the corner of the back row is free, so we decide to sit there. I have to be on the end or else people behind us won’t be able to see, so we need to be careful choosing seats, too. After all, it’s awful sitting with a tall person in front of you at the movie theater.
So a play in another world, huh? I wonder what the quality will be like. This world has no TV or movies, so maybe this is a polished art. On the other hand, since people aren’t used to watching theater, they might like it even if the actors are bad.
Whatever the case, for now, I’m going to sit back and enjoy this play in another world.
