I was putting on display another batch of pancake corn dogs when I realized that my previous customer was the dad of the ninja who burns calories for chakra. He may be an important person in the Konoha food scene.

  The fact he didn’t care for the crepe is a flashing neon sign to retire that menu item for this trip. I toss the crepe machine and the rest of the prepped ingredients into the cart storage. I love cart storage. It has limitless capacity, and no time passes for ingredients inside. Sure it can’t dry age steak, or cold pickle vegetables, but nothing is perfect.

  The sun is getting high in the sky and the temperature is warming up. “What to serve for lunch?” The other merchant stalls near me have textiles, tools and some home goods. I don’t see many food stalls around, but I smell fried fish and pork. I do have the griddle. If the local population liked cheese a bit more I would do a chopped cheese, or a Cuban sandwich. Hmm, the pickles on a Cuban sandwich perfectly make the pork pop. However, Swiss is not a cheese for the weak.

  Pickles. Pickled carrots. Pickled daikon. Fresh Baguettes. Banh Mi. I have no pickled ingredients in storage. I’ll have to close the cart and see if I can buy some from the local market. I could get some from the system, but it would wipe out what little profit I made today. Other than my two big spenders, most customers were a bit skeptical. To be fair the strong smell of cheese from the crepe may have kept many away.

  I locked the cart and put out a sign stating that I will return in 20 minutes. I pack my wallet with what Ryo I have and walk down the market lane. There are few other shoppers on the road with me. An old man is walking a tiny dog. A woman ninja is carrying boxes back and forth from a cart to a warehouse. Some small children are parkouring off the buildings like a French action movie.

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  District 13 was a fun hop. Pun intended. I served focaccia sandwiches, and made enough to purchase the crepe machine.

  Oh the dishes I served in that version of Paris: fresh baked focaccia stuffed with grilled tuna, chives mayo and just a splash of lemon; baguette with brie and thinly sliced ham; flatbread with lamb, pickles and fresh rosemary; flute bread with roast beef, fries horseradish and au jus. I served such delicious food, and helped that policeman Damien something, but do I have any delicious Baguettes left in the inventory? Non.

  Can I afford to buy them from the system? Ehhh. not really. I still need money to find lodging for the night. I have no idea how much that will be. Remarkably enough none of the filler episodes covered hotel economics for traveling merchants in Konoha.

  I did smell bread though. A bakery with an open wall for serving and selling rolls. They had many of the small loaf type breads. Shokupan, the soft white bread best for toast, is plentiful. I could use it for sandwiches, but a Banh Mi needs a baguette. They have the curry stuffed rolls, and melon breads too, but nothing with that crust and bite needed.

  If I can get a good deal on the pickled vegetables, perhaps I can buy the rest from the system and have enough not to sleep on the street tonight. Annnd no one is selling pickled carrots. “They sell the picking jars over at stall 12, carrots at stall 6, they even have the perfect daikon radishes at stall 7. Why does no one sell pickled vegetables in this market?!”