Chapter 69
“This is great! Pumpkin pasta, huh!”
“Ah, so the orange stuff is pumpkin! The sauce looks weird, but it’s delicious!”
“The soup is great too. Easy to drink, yet full of flavor. It’s weird, considering how pale it looks.”
“The meat is good too. This kind of ‘I just ate meat!’ meat is the best. Yeah, after a blacksmith job, it’s gotta be meat.”
No way… I’m not tired at all…
As expected from a maxed-out character, even if it’s just a crafting job…
Seira’s omnipotence (limited to the kitchen) is insane. I might get addicted to this.
“Chief. How did I do on the test?” (Shizuma)
Having finally finished serving and offering seconds to the blacksmiths, I took off my chef’s hat, let my hair down, and asked about the result of the test.
“…You passed. From what I tasted, it’s hard to believe it was made for such a large group. It’s very well made. Especially… this soup stands out.” “Ah… I see. I figured you’d notice that.” (Shizuma)
A wealth of culinary knowledge in my head. From that, I derived the uniquely Japanese concept of umami.
Apparently, the concept of umami itself only spread to other countries from Asia in recent modern history.
Even I -Shizuma- know that one. It’s from stuff like kombu and bonito, right? I used it on granulated dashi in miso soup like it said so on the package.
Seems I managed to recreate the dashi from kombu and bonito using substitutes.
With dried bacon and dried tomatoes, you can achieve the same effect.
“Two-hour time limit. The quality is too good for making that soup while prepping other dishes. I don’t think you used soup stock from the freezer. And there’s nothing unusual in the ingredients. Is there some secret?”
“As you saw, it’s just dried tomato, bacon, onion, a few herbs, and salt.” (Shizuma)
“Right, but…I still don’t get it.”
Tomatoes contain glutamic acid.
Drying increases that glutamic acid, allowing it to act like kombu. Basically, kombuish.
Glutamic acid is essentially pure umami.
And when combined with the animal-based umami, inosinic acid, it creates a synergistic effect, massively boosting the flavor.
Using dried, concentrated bacon this time, I extracted that inosinic acid, and at the same time, the smoky aroma and spices used in curing the bacon were released.
The key was not using unnecessary seasonings and slowly simmering only dried tomato and dried bacon in low-temp water…apparently.
Feels like I’ve got Wikipedia installed in my brain.
“You simmered just dried tomato and bacon in water until just before the time limit…and that alone created this flavor? I can’t believe it.”
“Still, I think others do similar things without realizing it. I just focused solely on the flavor base extraction process and refined it. That’s this soup.” (Shizuma)
“…That’s amazing. You really haven’t been wandering for nothing. I feel like I want to learn from you. No complaints, you pass. From today, you’re officially a member of the Chef Guild. I’ll give you your certification badge later.”
“Thank you very much. Great, now I can take on work from your side too.” (Shizuma)
“Yeah. Actually, we’ve got a rather troublesome request in, something that’s likely to be a tough battle. We’re not ready for the strategy meeting today, but can you come again tomorrow at noon?”
“Tough battle… Got it.” (Shizuma)
“You really saved us. We sometimes get dispatched as temporary cooks for noble luncheons or banquets, or events in far-off places. It’s harsh work, and there are always people who collapse from exhaustion. And now we’ve got an even bigger job coming in. I’m really glad someone like you, who can be instant workforce, joined us.”
“You’re putting pressure on me by expecting so much…but understood. I’ll come tomorrow at noon.” (Shizuma)
“Thanks. We’ll be counting on you.”
After receiving the badge that marked me as a member of the Chef Guild, I returned to the main guild to check if Melt was still around.
—————-
I went back to the General Guild and headed to the Adventurer Guild reception to ask about Melt’s whereabouts.
“Excuse me, I’d like to ask if my companion is still here.” (Shizuma)
“Hm? Whoa! …Ah, what is it? Companion?”
You flinched when you saw me. What part of me surprised you?
“Melt. I’m the one currently watching over her home.” (Shizuma)
“Ah, Melt-jouchan. She’s…over there. In front of the bulletin boards for the Apothecary Guild and Alchemist Guild.”
“She is. Thank you.” (Shizuma)
Maybe something on the board caught her interest?
I quickly walked over…
“Melt, did something interesting catch your eye?” (Shizuma)
“Ah, Seira…” (Melt)
Melt turned around, and her eyes were red and swollen.
She looked down.
No energy.
What happened? Did something happen to her?
Who did it? This is inside the General Guild, for crying out loud.
“Melt, did someone make you cry?” (Shizuma)
“No, I just cried on my own.” (Melt)
“What caused it?” (Shizuma)
“Um…me?” (Melt)
“Really? Was anyone else involved?” (Shizuma)
“Umm… Seira, your face is scary. What’s going on?” (Melt)
“Hmm? Nothing at all.” (Shizuma)
So it wasn’t someone hurting her.
…If anyone makes my family cry, I don’t care if it’s a whole nation, I won’t let it slide.
“So, what happened? Sigurt-san stopped you earlier, right?” (Shizuma)
“Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about that.” (Melt)
“Hm…” (Shizuma)
“I don’t think we can talk here, so let’s go home first?” (Melt)
I see…so Sigurt-san and the Adventurer Guild might have something to do with her tears.
…Depending on the situation…
—————-
Back home, realizing that Melt chose this place for a reason, I locked the doors and carefully checked our surroundings from the sunroom.
Good, no suspicious people around today either.
“So, what did you want to talk about?” (Shizuma)
“Well, actually…” (Melt)
Melt told me what happened after being called by Sigurt-san.
She also told me how she felt pathetic and embarrassed and ended up crying.
…I already knew that her mental age hadn’t quite caught up to her physical age.
I shouldn’t have left her alone at the guild so casually. But…this could be considered part of her growth too.
“You did great asking for my advice instead of deciding on your own. Melt, that’s more than enough proof that you thought it through. You decided it might be dangerous to spread the information carelessly, and you chose to talk to your family before acting. That’s a decision made after thinking for yourself.” (Shizuma)
“Really? But I sent the old alchemist who came to ask me away, you know?” (Melt)
“That’s totally normal. In the adult world, saying ‘Let me think about it and get back to you’ when facing a major decision happens all the time.” (Shizuma)
Just like I did when I learned about the Dungeon Core and chose to take the info back without deciding.
“I see… then I didn’t need to cry…! That’s so embarrassing!” (Melt)
“There, there. Next time, just say with confidence: ‘I’ll think about it at home!’” (Shizuma)
Pat pat. Her ears nimbly dodged my hand, but pat pat anyway.
“Hmm… I wonder if this is what having a mom feels like? Seira, you’re a big-breasted grown-up lady, so maybe you feel like a mom?” (Melt)
“Ehh, really? …Well, I guess they are big.” (Shizuma)
When I made this character, I kind of just thought, ‘No busty characters yet,’ and went with it…
“Now, the real issue. That medicine I made as Seimu, it really has the potential to disrupt societal order. So, of course, we can’t let it spread.” (Shizuma)
“Right… Grant probably would’ve died without it. It’s like some mythical, legendary medicine. Or something only a top-tier healer could manage.” (Melt)
“Exactly. If something like that just appeared out of nowhere, it would shake the world. That’s why I hid the information. So Melt, about that proposed substitute for the Secca Grass Fruit, what kind of elixir is it?” (Shizuma)
“Umm, it helps recover stamina and fatigue, speeds up healing, and I think it can instantly cure minor wounds. Also, it rapidly restores mana, enough for emergency treatment of mana depletion.” (Melt)
…That’s incredible. Elixirs really do live up to the name “blood of the gods”…
That much effect in a single potion…
“There are different grades of elixirs. The one made with Secca Grass Fruit as the base isn’t super rare, but depending on the season and region, it could fetch a decent price. I sold one in Golda for three gold coins.” (Melt)
“Was the buyer trustworthy?” (Shizuma)
“I don’t know, but they always bought from me -a beastkin- and paid properly. Other peddlers wouldn’t even deal with me.” (Melt)
Hmm, they probably underpaid a little for profit…but still, about 30,000 yen per potion.
Quite valuable, but in a big city like Lindblum, maybe not that hard to get.
“With Melt’s knowledge, that elixir might become more widely available. That would upset people who profit from selling it at high prices.” (Shizuma)
“R-Right…so should we keep it a secret?” (Melt)
“No. Medicine is meant to help people in need. Prices will crash eventually no matter what. Everyone’s trying their best to help more people with their research.” (Shizuma)
I’m sure there are exceptions. But let’s leave that aside for now.
“Thanks to your knowledge, more people in need might get medicine. Sure, there may be bad actors or complainers, but dealing with that is the job of the Merchant Guild and the Alchemist Guild. Melt doesn’t need to worry about that. You can choose whether or not to share your knowledge. In fact, I think it’s fair to say, ‘So, what kind of reward will you offer for this info?’” (Shizuma)
“R-Really!? Wh-What should I do… Reward… Money maybe…?” (Melt)
“Try asking what they’re willing to offer. I’m operating as Seira right now, so I can’t go with you. It’ll be up to you.” (Shizuma)
It’s a kind of test. A trial.
How will Melt handle a negotiation when she’s in a position of advantage?
“…Got it! I’ll go to the General Guild again tomorrow!” (Melt)
“Alright, good luck, Melt! I’ll be going to the Chef Guild’s headquarters for a meeting tomorrow.” (Shizuma)
“The Chef Guild has a headquarters? What did you do today?” (Melt)
“It was wild. About thirty blacksmiths showed up at once, and they told me to make food for all of them right away. That was my guild entry test.” (Shizuma)
“Wow! And Seira, you did it?” (Melt)
“Easily. But that area has tons of forges and workshops, it’s far from the Adventurers’ Den. Where do they usually eat?” (Shizuma)
“True, I didn’t see many craftsmen around… Hmm… Maybe there are other places to eat nearby.” (Melt)
“Wanna go check out the street together sometime?” (Shizuma)
“Great idea! Oh, right. I wanted something called a keigai. If that street’s full of blacksmiths, maybe I can find one.” (Melt)
“Keigai… Oh, you mean light armor. Yeah, with your style, that’d be good to have.” (Shizuma)
“Letty-chan said it’s basically custom-made. Probably because it has to fit your boob size?” (Melt)
“Melt, in times like that, say ‘It has to fit your body.’ Don’t say boob.” (Shizuma)
“Okay!” (Melt)
Melt will surely start running into the walls of communal and social life soon.
Even I’m just a high school kid at heart.
But I’ve absorbed a ton of knowledge and experience.
Maybe that brought me a little closer to being an adult.
So… I’ll guide her. Not that far, just offer a helping hand.
To this kind, innocent girl who accepted me as family.
“Alright! Time to start prepping dinner. Melt, what do you want to eat?” (Shizuma)
“Hmm… Is it okay if it is something I’ve never had before…?” (Melt)
“I see, I see. So, what kind of ingredients should we use?” (Shizuma)
“Vegetables! Pumpkins are delicious this time of year, right?” (Melt)
“Got it. Then…how about veggie tempura? I bet it’ll be tasty with herb salt.” (Shizuma)
Alright, she’s back to her usual self!
And I love pumpkin too…!
“Tenpurya? What’s that?” (Melt)
“Fried food. Like fried pie. You coat veggies in batter and deep-fry them.” (Shizuma)
“I see, I see… I love fried food!” (Melt)
Alright then, let’s whip it up real quick!
Come to think of it, foxes have always been said to be drawn to oil lamps or love fried tofu…
…Maybe Melt’s like that too.
Let’s try recreating fried tofu sometime. Or maybe even bring back an in-game dish.
Yes, I actually have it… Inari sushi.
—————-
“Pumpkin tempura! It’s the best! Crispy outside, fluffy inside, then mellow and sweet!” (Melt)
“Totally agree… Pumpkin tempura is the strongest…” (Shizuma)
After that, the two of us enjoyed a variety of tempura dishes together.
By the way, Melt brought back some shrimp she caught from the river, so I cleaned them and made them into fried shrimp too. But then she started talking about damming the stream to trap more shrimp, so I had to stop her.
I see…so she really loved the fried shrimp that much…
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