Meetings and partings are a normal part of life. But reunions happen too. A farewell isn’t the end.
It’s me, Shuri. I’ve finally reunited with everyone. How long has it been since we last met? It feels like it’s been months. A lot has changed for me during that time.
First, a new member has joined the cooks of the mercenary group.
“So, it’s been a while everyone!” “““Yes, Teacher!”””
When I meet the cooks again after so long, they greet me with tears of joy. It’s manly crying. Everyone is sobbing loudly. This is… kind of embarrassing. Heh, I’ll scratch my nose to hide it…
“Thank goodness, Teacher is back!” “Now we won’t get complaints about the hamburger steaks!” “Or the cream stew!” “Teacher, the female mages are complaining about the lack of amazake! Please do something!” “They won’t eat the yudofu because they don’t like the sauce!” “Alright, alright, that’s enough.”
Yep, the captains need a lecture. It’s been a while since I’ve felt angry while smiling.
“Now then, as you probably know, new members have joined the cooks. This is Garn Labor. And this is Adra. Please get along with them.”
Yes, in the end Garn and Adra ended up joining as cooks. I had promised and was hoping it would turn out this way while taking action. The unexpected one was Adra. I thought he’d hesitate a bit more before making a decision, but he came to a conclusion and joined us quite quickly. To explain, he said he couldn’t regain the pride and confidence that Kuuga had shattered, so he wanted to take up the invitation. Of course, I welcome him. It helps solve our chronic shortage of cooks, and more importantly, we need someone strong. But for some reason, these two look surprised.
“What’s wrong? You should at least introduce yourselves.” “Oh, uh, well. I didn’t expect you to be so beloved… Is ‘Teacher’ really your style?” “Haha, well that’s…” “Hey, you! Don’t be rude to Teacher!”
One of the cooks spoke up in response to Garn’s words.
“That’s right! Teacher is an indispensable person for the mercenary group!” “We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him!”
E-everyone, I didn’t know you cared about me so much…! I’m so happy I could cry. My efforts weren’t in vain!
“By now, we’d be buried by Captain Lill!” “And dealing with Captain Arius’ skin troubles!” “Without Teacher, there’s no stopping those people’s rampages!” “Lill, Arius, you’re out.”
I should give them a good lecture. What were they trying to do intimidating the cooks…
“I-I see…”
Look at that! Even Adra is completely intimidated!
“So Teacher, what should we make for lunch today?”
Hm? Ah, it’s already lunchtime. After that incident, our mercenary group ended up living in the castle, and now we work in the kitchen. With that, we upgraded from wood-burning stoves to all magic engineering stoves made by Lill. This has greatly expanded our cooking options. Now then, since everyone’s here, maybe we should make something light like soup…
“When in doubt, hamburger steak.” “For lunch, yudofu would be nice.”
The doors burst open as Lill and Arius entered. They’re both smiling. Undoubtedly genuine smiles. With refreshingly pleasant and likable smiles on their faces. Bubbling beneath the surface is a pitch-black ambition, as if all the malice in the world has been forcibly compressed, as they stride towards me. This is bad, I should run. There’s no way I can lecture people like this. As I try to back away, I feel something against my back.
“G-Garn?”
Garn is pressing against my back, preventing me from escaping.
“Go on, you’re our only hope.” “Th-this is unreasonable.” “If you don’t fight for us, we’ll all be annihilated.”
Huh? I notice that everyone else has already taken refuge along the walls. You traitors!
“B-But…” “Please, Teacher.”
With a thud, I’m pushed in front of Lill and Arius. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adra shoving me forward. You too, Adra?!
“Shuri. Hamburger steak.” “It’s yudofu, right?”
Just as I try to escape, Lill and Arius grab my shoulders. Damn it…! I can’t get away! I feel my life is in danger, but then something strange happens. They’re both holding my shoulders, but only turning their heads to look at each other. Huh? What’s this? What kind of horror is this?
“Lill. It’s been a while since Shuri cooked. Shouldn’t we start with something simple to help him regain his touch?” “Arius. Since it’s been a while, we should let Shuri start with a dish he’s good at. That’s why Lill is here.”
You’re drooling, you know. That “why I’m here” thing is just an excuse, right? You just want to eat hamburger steak, don’t you?
“Lill, I’ll happily eat whatever dish comes. If I had to say, if I had to say, if I really had to say, I’d be happy if we could have yudofu here. Of course, I won’t insist. But my subordinates were also looking forward to yudofu. Ah, if it’s something else, that can’t be helped. But, you know? Since it’s been a while, don’t you think we’d want to eat it? No, no, if it’s not possible, that’s fine, but…”
How annoying! You’re being roundabout while pinpointing exactly what you want! This is the first time I’ve seen someone try to be roundabout and fail so spectacularly. It’s like you’re not even trying to hide it. It’s making me feel irritated… Even if I want help, Garn is just watching from afar. Hm? His lips are moving… “I’ll collect your bones if you use all your strength?” Shut up!
“Wait, please. I understand what you want to eat.” “Then Lill will go get the beef.” “No, it’s tofu.”
You two, please calm down… Your eyes are scary.
“Let’s use tofu.”
That moment is likely to be unforgettable. A chill runs down my spine as if ice is being poured down it! Fearfully, I look over there to see Lill…
“Haha. Funny joke.”
…saying that while cracking her knuckles! And now she’s stretching her shoulders and arms, and shadow boxing! Stop it! You’re not that kind of grappler character!
“However, it’s not yudofu.”
Whoosh, whoosh, a sound starts to ring out. Looking over, I see Arius swinging her arms. She’s flexing all the joints in her arm – shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers – like a whip, warming up…! Ah, could that be… a strike aimed at one of the vital points of the human body, the skin…!
“Shuri. Is there something wrong with my ears…? Saying tofu but not yudofu… Was that perhaps an attempt to weasel out…? May I ask once more?”
Oh no, those are the eyes of a killer. Moreover, Arius, who is usually in the rear guard casting magic, has perfected the form of a strike using the flexibility of her arm. If I’m hit by that, it’s clear that the surface of my skin will burst and be covered in blood. The aura of these two is enveloping the space of the kitchen. I want to faint from the sheer terror. Ah, one of the subordinates has fainted.
“Shuri, take the beef. If the tofu was a joke, you should be able to.” “If it’s tofu, take the pot and hot water.”
What’s this? It’s starting to look like a scene where you’d make a contract with an evil god or demon, isn’t it? I can feel an overwhelming aura behind these two… But I won’t lose here!
“It’s a healthy dish using tofu that’s like a hamburger steak. It’s good for your stomach and skin.” “Shuri, let’s start cooking. Is there anything we can help with?” “Lill will help too. It’s been a while since we cooked together.”
These guys…! They’ve suddenly switched to refreshingly bright and kind smiles…!
“No, we’ll handle it as part of training the newcomers, so please wait in the dining hall.”
Before I can finish saying “if you would”, Arius and Lill dash out of the kitchen. They’re like a storm. A typhoon. An existence that uproots everything around it and blows it away. Left behind are our dumbfounded figures. If I can lecture them, I’ll add an hour. I carve this vow into my heart.
Now then, let’s make a dish using tofu.
“Shuri, what should we do?” “Garn and Adra, please peel the potatoes and carrots.” “Is that enough?” “The basics are important.”
I think peeling potatoes and carrots is good training to learn how to use a knife. There’s a lot to learn, like controlling strength, angle, the dangers of knives… Being careful to avoid cutting your hand with the knife makes you more cautious when using it. Now, that should be good for the side dishes. I don’t know how long it will take Garn and Adra, but I’ll leave it to them and start on the main dish.
“Ouch, I cut my hand!” “Huh? There’s not much of the flesh left… Did I peel too much of the skin?”
Correction, I’ll have to help them when I’m done.
“Now everyone,”
I should hurry on my end too.
“Today we’ll make tofu hamburger steaks.”
Tofu is great boiled, grilled, or raw. It’s an amazing ingredient. When boiled, it absorbs the flavor of the broth nicely, when grilled it becomes crispy and juicy like meat, and when raw it can be used in dishes like hiyayakko (cold tofu) with soy sauce. There are many ways to cook it. This time, let’s go with grilling. I didn’t mention it, but we’ll use beef too. In other words, this dish is a hearty yet healthy meal using both beef and tofu.
“That’s the plan. Got it?” “Yes, Teacher!” “The main ingredients we’ll use are tofu, beef, nutmeg, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and potato starch.”
First, mix the beef with sugar, salt, and deodorized fish sauce. Then add the tofu and potato starch. The ratio is one block of tofu to two parts potato starch. Mix this together and shape it.
“Please make it following these steps. Also, remember that you can supplement a lack of beef with tofu.” “Understood, Teacher.” “Also… Garn, Adra. Have you finished peeling?” “No, not yet…”
Oh, it seems they haven’t even done ten yet. Garn has done four, and Adra three. We can’t wait for this.
“Everyone, please prepare the hamburger steak mixture as I explained. I’ll help with the peeling.”
I leave the rest to everyone and pick up a knife to help with peeling the potatoes.
“Garn, if you try too hard to cut thinly, it’ll just slow you down.”
I demonstrate peeling a potato as an example. I rotate the potato, peeling off the skin. When I finish peeling with the skin coming off in one piece, Garn and Adra look at me with astonished faces.
“What’s wrong?” “N-no… you’re fast.” “Is that so? It’s just practice, you two will be able to do it soon too.”
Saying that, I start on the second one. Time is precious, after all. I peel the skin off smoothly, rotating the potato. I’m in a trance. I peel the skin in a trance as if achieving enlightenment. Somehow, doing this makes me feel like I’ve really returned to the mercenary group. After all, when I was in prison, I never cooked for the mercenary group members like this. Back then, it was just for eating with Garn, or for some unclear trial from Lady Aeclys. Now, as I’m thinking about this while peeling potatoes, I realize there’s nothing left when I reach out. Huh? I wave my hand around trying to grab something from the basket, but there’s nothing. When I look, there’s nothing there.
“Oh? There’s nothing…?”
Oh dear, do I need to replenish the potatoes?
“Of course there’s nothing, you did them all.”
Looking next to me, Garn has an exasperated look on his face. In his hand is a potato that’s only half peeled.
“Eh? I did?” “Yeah, you were amazing.”
Adra says, also looking exasperated. In his hand is a potato only one-third peeled.
“Even when we talked to you, you ignored us. You moved like a single potato-peeling machine. You peeled the skins at an incredible speed, and they were gone in no time.” “You’re exaggerating, Adra.” “No, it’s quite serious. Look, the only potatoes left are the ones we’re holding, so you should do the rest of the work.” “Understood.” “If you don’t… my little remaining pride will be shattered.”
Ah?! Adra’s face has turned dark like when I first met him!
“I understand. I’ll leave the rest to you, so I’ll go back over there. I’m counting on you.”
Did I shatter their confidence…? Their eyes look somewhat unfocused… From here on, they can only gain confidence through practice… Maybe I should try not to intervene too much from now on?
“Is it ready?” “Yes, here it is.”
Looking at it, the hamburger steak mixture is indeed ready. I see, it’s made beautifully as I taught them. This should grill evenly without any unevenness.
“Well done. Now, put this in a heated pan with oil.”
I shape a portion of the hamburger steak mixture and put it in the pan. With a sizzling sound, the tofu hamburger steak starts to cook.
“At this point, turn the heat to low and cover it with a lid. After about ten minutes, carefully flip it over without breaking its shape. That’s how you make a tofu hamburger steak.” “Understood.” “We have a lot to make. We need to hurry, but please be careful not to burn them.”
After all, we’re making enough for everyone in this castle, from the captains to the guards.
After the incident, the guards who were originally in this castle and the members of our mercenary group were incorporated into the same unit. However, some people in these two groups are still at odds. Mainly the veteran guards and the new recruits of the mercenary group are having conflicts, I hear. So when cooking, I try to make dishes that can become a topic of conversation, to help smooth things over. Something unusual, or something familiar to the veteran soldiers here. This time I responded to Arius and Lill’s requests, but from next time I’ll need to be careful about the menu… And none of the cooks who used to work at the castle are here, they’re all boycotting. Apparently, they can’t work with cooks from a barbaric mercenary group that came from outside and took over. Sniff Right now, we’re managing with the cooks from the mercenary group and people we hastily recruited. It’s tough, but it can’t be helped. We need to do something to get them to come back. And there’s also a food shortage in the castle. Of course, we used a lot of ingredients to end the commotion… There are stockpiled food supplies that weren’t originally for factional disputes. However, these were calculated based on the number of people originally working in this castle. With the addition of our mercenary group members, consumption has increased more than expected. One of the reasons I made tofu hamburger steaks is that we couldn’t secure enough beef for everyone. We’ll have to do something about this…
I’m thinking about these things while distributing food to the soldiers gathered in the castle’s dining hall. It’s a large room with long tables lined up. The tofu hamburger steaks turned out fine. The sauce is the fish sauce-based one I first served to Lill. This should go well with it too.
“Here you go, Lill. Arius.”
I serve the tofu hamburger steaks to the two of them. Both of them have expressionless faces. They stare intently at what’s been served to them. What’s this…? What are they doing?
“Shuri, is this a hamburger steak?” “No, it’s a tofu hamburger steak.” “But it looks like… a hamburger steak, doesn’t it?”
Their puzzled faces finally made me understand. It looks like a hamburger steak but isn’t as fatty. Yet you can’t see the tofu. So they’re trying to determine whether this belongs to the hamburger steak category or the tofu category. If that’s not it, I shouldn’t be sensing this penetrating gaze as if they’re seeing through everything… I shouldn’t be, right?
“You’ll understand if you taste it.” “You’re right… It’s been a while since we’ve had Shuri’s cooking. Let’s enjoy it.” “Mm, looking forward to it.”
These two, unaware of my internal struggle, pick up their forks and knives and start eating the tofu hamburger steak. As they eagerly cut into it with their knives, both of them make curious faces.
“Somehow… the texture is different.” “Yes, the texture is different from a hamburger steak. It’s kind of fluffy, isn’t it?” “That’s right. Since it’s mixed with beef and tofu, the texture is different. The texture and taste are different too, so I hope you enjoy that as well.”
The two of them then put a piece of the tofu hamburger steak in their mouths. And they freeze. The two stop to confirm the texture, taste, and aroma of the tofu hamburger steak in their mouths, then chew and swallow. Then, they suddenly stand up and shake hands with each other. What are they doing? “Wonderful. It goes well with the tofu.” “Indeed. This way we won’t consume too much meat fat. The soft texture of the tofu blends well with the minced meat, making it even softer.” “And it goes even better with the sauce. The refreshing sauce that originally pairs perfectly with tofu has a synergistic effect now that it’s combined with hamburger steak and tofu.” “Fighting earlier was foolish, wasn’t it?” “Yes, it was a pointless dispute.”
What’s this? They’ve suddenly become incredibly friendly with each other? I never thought combining tofu and hamburger steak would have this effect… Next time these two are fighting, maybe I should calm them down with tofu hamburger steaks? Look, Lill and Arius are hugging each other now?
“Love and peace is best, isn’t it?” “Exactly.”
I don’t understand this at all. Anyway, let’s get away from these two and get back to serving. It’s good to see the soldiers around eating deliciously. However, the food problem isn’t solved. At this rate, we’ll eventually run out. Now, what should we do…?
“Shuri! Are you here?!”
Just then, Gungrave bursts through the dining hall doors. He walks with large strides, and upon spotting me, he marches straight over.
“Oh, I thought you’d be here since it’s lunchtime. Good thing you’re here.” “What’s the matter, Gungrave? If you’re here for lunch, today we have tofu hamburger steaks.” “That sounds delicious… No, no, that’s not what I’m here for. It sounds tasty, but this isn’t the time for that.”
As he was about to continue with “you see,” Gungrave froze. Hm? As I wondered what was wrong, I felt an intense killing intent from behind!?
“Tofu hamburger steak is just ‘that level’? Gungrave, do you want an indelible scar on that neck?” “Gungrave. This is an excellent dish. It’s not right to belittle it.”
Lill is cracking her knuckles while warming up. Arius is doing squats. Huh? When did these two become hand-to-hand and kicking specialists?
“N-no, I’m sorry. Ah, I’m sorry. So please stop with the roundhouse kick to the back of my knee, okay?”
He’s experienced it before?! Gungrave, is your married life okay?
“Ah, no, I have urgent business. You two should come too.” “After we eat this.” “Then hurry up. This is really urgent.” “Did something happen?”
Gungrave says with a solemn face:
“The first wife, Lenha Sounité, has been found.”
Huh? The first wife… Isn’t she the root cause that complicated this whole incident? Hearing these words, Lill and Arius put on serious faces. They’re completely different from the people who were making a fuss over tofu hamburger steaks just a moment ago.
“Really?” “Yeah. Rather than found, she’s been captured and is being brought here.” “Captured? By whom?” “Ah, it’s Tevis Nouviche.”
Tevis… Ah, the princess who was obsessed with mapo tofu. Nostalgic. How long has it been? While I was thinking this, Lill and Arius’ faces became incredibly unpleasant or dark, that kind of expression.
“This is the worst…” “Yeah, will you come?” “Understood. Lill, the meal can wait. If you absolutely must, now’s the time to stuff it down.” “Got it.”
Huh? Is this more serious than I thought?
“Shuri.”
As I turn around at being called, Gungrave places his hand on my shoulder. His face looks incredibly pained.
“Something might happen to you. We’ll do our utmost, but we’re dealing with that princess. Even I might only be able to manage a draw. I feel bad asking for your help again so soon after rescuing you… but we need to borrow your strength again.” “Sigh…”
I don’t really understand, but… I’ll lend you as much strength as you need. Well then, let’s go meet her. It’s been a while, Princess Tevis.
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Chapter 37
Meetings and partings are a normal part of life.
But reunions happen too. A farewell isn’t the end.
It’s me, Shuri. I’ve finally reunited with everyone. How long has it been since we last met? It feels like it’s been months.
A lot has changed for me during that time.
First, a new member has joined the cooks of the mercenary group.
“So, it’s been a while everyone!”
“““Yes, Teacher!”””
When I meet the cooks again after so long, they greet me with tears of joy.
It’s manly crying. Everyone is sobbing loudly.
This is… kind of embarrassing. Heh, I’ll scratch my nose to hide it…
“Thank goodness, Teacher is back!”
“Now we won’t get complaints about the hamburger steaks!”
“Or the cream stew!”
“Teacher, the female mages are complaining about the lack of amazake! Please do something!”
“They won’t eat the yudofu because they don’t like the sauce!”
“Alright, alright, that’s enough.”
Yep, the captains need a lecture. It’s been a while since I’ve felt angry while smiling.
“Now then, as you probably know, new members have joined the cooks.
This is Garn Labor. And this is Adra. Please get along with them.”
Yes, in the end Garn and Adra ended up joining as cooks.
I had promised and was hoping it would turn out this way while taking action.
The unexpected one was Adra. I thought he’d hesitate a bit more before making a decision, but he came to a conclusion and joined us quite quickly.
To explain, he said he couldn’t regain the pride and confidence that Kuuga had shattered, so he wanted to take up the invitation.
Of course, I welcome him. It helps solve our chronic shortage of cooks, and more importantly, we need someone strong.
But for some reason, these two look surprised.
“What’s wrong? You should at least introduce yourselves.”
“Oh, uh, well. I didn’t expect you to be so beloved… Is ‘Teacher’ really your style?”
“Haha, well that’s…”
“Hey, you! Don’t be rude to Teacher!”
One of the cooks spoke up in response to Garn’s words.
“That’s right! Teacher is an indispensable person for the mercenary group!”
“We wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him!”
E-everyone, I didn’t know you cared about me so much…!
I’m so happy I could cry. My efforts weren’t in vain!
“By now, we’d be buried by Captain Lill!”
“And dealing with Captain Arius’ skin troubles!”
“Without Teacher, there’s no stopping those people’s rampages!”
“Lill, Arius, you’re out.”
I should give them a good lecture. What were they trying to do intimidating the cooks…
“I-I see…”
Look at that! Even Adra is completely intimidated!
“So Teacher, what should we make for lunch today?”
Hm?
Ah, it’s already lunchtime.
After that incident, our mercenary group ended up living in the castle, and now we work in the kitchen.
With that, we upgraded from wood-burning stoves to all magic engineering stoves made by Lill. This has greatly expanded our cooking options.
Now then, since everyone’s here, maybe we should make something light like soup…
“When in doubt, hamburger steak.”
“For lunch, yudofu would be nice.”
The doors burst open as Lill and Arius entered.
They’re both smiling. Undoubtedly genuine smiles.
With refreshingly pleasant and likable smiles on their faces.
Bubbling beneath the surface is a pitch-black ambition, as if all the malice in the world has been forcibly compressed, as they stride towards me.
This is bad, I should run.
There’s no way I can lecture people like this.
As I try to back away, I feel something against my back.
“G-Garn?”
Garn is pressing against my back, preventing me from escaping.
“Go on, you’re our only hope.”
“Th-this is unreasonable.”
“If you don’t fight for us, we’ll all be annihilated.”
Huh? I notice that everyone else has already taken refuge along the walls.
You traitors!
“B-But…”
“Please, Teacher.”
With a thud, I’m pushed in front of Lill and Arius.
Out of the corner of my eye, I see Adra shoving me forward.
You too, Adra?!
“Shuri. Hamburger steak.”
“It’s yudofu, right?”
Just as I try to escape, Lill and Arius grab my shoulders.
Damn it…!
I can’t get away!
I feel my life is in danger, but then something strange happens.
They’re both holding my shoulders, but only turning their heads to look at each other.
Huh? What’s this? What kind of horror is this?
“Lill. It’s been a while since Shuri cooked. Shouldn’t we start with something simple to help him regain his touch?”
“Arius. Since it’s been a while, we should let Shuri start with a dish he’s good at. That’s why Lill is here.”
You’re drooling, you know. That “why I’m here” thing is just an excuse, right? You just want to eat hamburger steak, don’t you?
“Lill, I’ll happily eat whatever dish comes. If I had to say, if I had to say, if I really had to say, I’d be happy if we could have yudofu here. Of course, I won’t insist. But my subordinates were also looking forward to yudofu. Ah, if it’s something else, that can’t be helped. But, you know? Since it’s been a while, don’t you think we’d want to eat it? No, no, if it’s not possible, that’s fine, but…”
How annoying! You’re being roundabout while pinpointing exactly what you want!
This is the first time I’ve seen someone try to be roundabout and fail so spectacularly. It’s like you’re not even trying to hide it. It’s making me feel irritated…
Even if I want help, Garn is just watching from afar. Hm? His lips are moving…
“I’ll collect your bones if you use all your strength?”
Shut up!
“Wait, please. I understand what you want to eat.”
“Then Lill will go get the beef.”
“No, it’s tofu.”
You two, please calm down… Your eyes are scary.
“Let’s use tofu.”
That moment is likely to be unforgettable.
A chill runs down my spine as if ice is being poured down it!
Fearfully, I look over there to see Lill…
“Haha. Funny joke.”
…saying that while cracking her knuckles! And now she’s stretching her shoulders and arms, and shadow boxing!
Stop it! You’re not that kind of grappler character!
“However, it’s not yudofu.”
Whoosh, whoosh, a sound starts to ring out.
Looking over, I see Arius swinging her arms.
She’s flexing all the joints in her arm – shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers – like a whip, warming up…!
Ah, could that be… a strike aimed at one of the vital points of the human body, the skin…!
“Shuri. Is there something wrong with my ears…? Saying tofu but not yudofu… Was that perhaps an attempt to weasel out…? May I ask once more?”
Oh no, those are the eyes of a killer.
Moreover, Arius, who is usually in the rear guard casting magic, has perfected the form of a strike using the flexibility of her arm. If I’m hit by that, it’s clear that the surface of my skin will burst and be covered in blood.
The aura of these two is enveloping the space of the kitchen. I want to faint from the sheer terror.
Ah, one of the subordinates has fainted.
“Shuri, take the beef. If the tofu was a joke, you should be able to.”
“If it’s tofu, take the pot and hot water.”
What’s this? It’s starting to look like a scene where you’d make a contract with an evil god or demon, isn’t it?
I can feel an overwhelming aura behind these two…
But I won’t lose here!
“It’s a healthy dish using tofu that’s like a hamburger steak. It’s good for your stomach and skin.”
“Shuri, let’s start cooking. Is there anything we can help with?”
“Lill will help too. It’s been a while since we cooked together.”
These guys…! They’ve suddenly switched to refreshingly bright and kind smiles…!
“No, we’ll handle it as part of training the newcomers, so please wait in the dining hall.”
Before I can finish saying “if you would”, Arius and Lill dash out of the kitchen. They’re like a storm. A typhoon. An existence that uproots everything around it and blows it away.
Left behind are our dumbfounded figures.
If I can lecture them, I’ll add an hour. I carve this vow into my heart.
Now then, let’s make a dish using tofu.
“Shuri, what should we do?”
“Garn and Adra, please peel the potatoes and carrots.”
“Is that enough?”
“The basics are important.”
I think peeling potatoes and carrots is good training to learn how to use a knife.
There’s a lot to learn, like controlling strength, angle, the dangers of knives… Being careful to avoid cutting your hand with the knife makes you more cautious when using it.
Now, that should be good for the side dishes. I don’t know how long it will take Garn and Adra, but I’ll leave it to them and start on the main dish.
“Ouch, I cut my hand!”
“Huh? There’s not much of the flesh left… Did I peel too much of the skin?”
Correction, I’ll have to help them when I’m done.
“Now everyone,”
I should hurry on my end too.
“Today we’ll make tofu hamburger steaks.”
Tofu is great boiled, grilled, or raw. It’s an amazing ingredient.
When boiled, it absorbs the flavor of the broth nicely, when grilled it becomes crispy and juicy like meat, and when raw it can be used in dishes like hiyayakko (cold tofu) with soy sauce. There are many ways to cook it.
This time, let’s go with grilling. I didn’t mention it, but we’ll use beef too.
In other words, this dish is a hearty yet healthy meal using both beef and tofu.
“That’s the plan. Got it?”
“Yes, Teacher!”
“The main ingredients we’ll use are tofu, beef, nutmeg, sugar, salt, fish sauce, and potato starch.”
First, mix the beef with sugar, salt, and deodorized fish sauce.
Then add the tofu and potato starch. The ratio is one block of tofu to two parts potato starch.
Mix this together and shape it.
“Please make it following these steps. Also, remember that you can supplement a lack of beef with tofu.”
“Understood, Teacher.”
“Also… Garn, Adra. Have you finished peeling?”
“No, not yet…”
Oh, it seems they haven’t even done ten yet. Garn has done four, and Adra three.
We can’t wait for this.
“Everyone, please prepare the hamburger steak mixture as I explained. I’ll help with the peeling.”
I leave the rest to everyone and pick up a knife to help with peeling the potatoes.
“Garn, if you try too hard to cut thinly, it’ll just slow you down.”
I demonstrate peeling a potato as an example.
I rotate the potato, peeling off the skin.
When I finish peeling with the skin coming off in one piece, Garn and Adra look at me with astonished faces.
“What’s wrong?”
“N-no… you’re fast.”
“Is that so? It’s just practice, you two will be able to do it soon too.”
Saying that, I start on the second one. Time is precious, after all.
I peel the skin off smoothly, rotating the potato. I’m in a trance. I peel the skin in a trance as if achieving enlightenment.
Somehow, doing this makes me feel like I’ve really returned to the mercenary group.
After all, when I was in prison, I never cooked for the mercenary group members like this.
Back then, it was just for eating with Garn, or for some unclear trial from Lady Aeclys.
Now, as I’m thinking about this while peeling potatoes, I realize there’s nothing left when I reach out. Huh? I wave my hand around trying to grab something from the basket, but there’s nothing.
When I look, there’s nothing there.
“Oh? There’s nothing…?”
Oh dear, do I need to replenish the potatoes?
“Of course there’s nothing, you did them all.”
Looking next to me, Garn has an exasperated look on his face.
In his hand is a potato that’s only half peeled.
“Eh? I did?”
“Yeah, you were amazing.”
Adra says, also looking exasperated. In his hand is a potato only one-third peeled.
“Even when we talked to you, you ignored us. You moved like a single potato-peeling machine. You peeled the skins at an incredible speed, and they were gone in no time.”
“You’re exaggerating, Adra.”
“No, it’s quite serious. Look, the only potatoes left are the ones we’re holding, so you should do the rest of the work.”
“Understood.”
“If you don’t… my little remaining pride will be shattered.”
Ah?! Adra’s face has turned dark like when I first met him!
“I understand. I’ll leave the rest to you, so I’ll go back over there. I’m counting on you.”
Did I shatter their confidence…? Their eyes look somewhat unfocused… From here on, they can only gain confidence through practice…
Maybe I should try not to intervene too much from now on?
“Is it ready?”
“Yes, here it is.”
Looking at it, the hamburger steak mixture is indeed ready. I see, it’s made beautifully as I taught them.
This should grill evenly without any unevenness.
“Well done. Now, put this in a heated pan with oil.”
I shape a portion of the hamburger steak mixture and put it in the pan.
With a sizzling sound, the tofu hamburger steak starts to cook.
“At this point, turn the heat to low and cover it with a lid. After about ten minutes, carefully flip it over without breaking its shape.
That’s how you make a tofu hamburger steak.”
“Understood.”
“We have a lot to make. We need to hurry, but please be careful not to burn them.”
After all, we’re making enough for everyone in this castle, from the captains to the guards.
After the incident, the guards who were originally in this castle and the members of our mercenary group were incorporated into the same unit.
However, some people in these two groups are still at odds. Mainly the veteran guards and the new recruits of the mercenary group are having conflicts, I hear.
So when cooking, I try to make dishes that can become a topic of conversation, to help smooth things over.
Something unusual, or something familiar to the veteran soldiers here.
This time I responded to Arius and Lill’s requests, but from next time I’ll need to be careful about the menu…
And none of the cooks who used to work at the castle are here, they’re all boycotting. Apparently, they can’t work with cooks from a barbaric mercenary group that came from outside and took over. Sniff
Right now, we’re managing with the cooks from the mercenary group and people we hastily recruited.
It’s tough, but it can’t be helped. We need to do something to get them to come back.
And there’s also a food shortage in the castle.
Of course, we used a lot of ingredients to end the commotion… There are stockpiled food supplies that weren’t originally for factional disputes.
However, these were calculated based on the number of people originally working in this castle. With the addition of our mercenary group members, consumption has increased more than expected.
One of the reasons I made tofu hamburger steaks is that we couldn’t secure enough beef for everyone.
We’ll have to do something about this…
I’m thinking about these things while distributing food to the soldiers gathered in the castle’s dining hall. It’s a large room with long tables lined up.
The tofu hamburger steaks turned out fine. The sauce is the fish sauce-based one I first served to Lill. This should go well with it too.
“Here you go, Lill. Arius.”
I serve the tofu hamburger steaks to the two of them.
Both of them have expressionless faces. They stare intently at what’s been served to them.
What’s this…? What are they doing?
“Shuri, is this a hamburger steak?”
“No, it’s a tofu hamburger steak.”
“But it looks like… a hamburger steak, doesn’t it?”
Their puzzled faces finally made me understand.
It looks like a hamburger steak but isn’t as fatty. Yet you can’t see the tofu.
So they’re trying to determine whether this belongs to the hamburger steak category or the tofu category.
If that’s not it, I shouldn’t be sensing this penetrating gaze as if they’re seeing through everything… I shouldn’t be, right?
“You’ll understand if you taste it.”
“You’re right… It’s been a while since we’ve had Shuri’s cooking. Let’s enjoy it.”
“Mm, looking forward to it.”
These two, unaware of my internal struggle, pick up their forks and knives and start eating the tofu hamburger steak.
As they eagerly cut into it with their knives, both of them make curious faces.
“Somehow… the texture is different.”
“Yes, the texture is different from a hamburger steak. It’s kind of fluffy, isn’t it?”
“That’s right. Since it’s mixed with beef and tofu, the texture is different. The texture and taste are different too, so I hope you enjoy that as well.”
The two of them then put a piece of the tofu hamburger steak in their mouths.
And they freeze.
The two stop to confirm the texture, taste, and aroma of the tofu hamburger steak in their mouths, then chew and swallow.
Then, they suddenly stand up and shake hands with each other.
What are they doing?
“Wonderful. It goes well with the tofu.”
“Indeed. This way we won’t consume too much meat fat. The soft texture of the tofu blends well with the minced meat, making it even softer.”
“And it goes even better with the sauce. The refreshing sauce that originally pairs perfectly with tofu has a synergistic effect now that it’s combined with hamburger steak and tofu.”
“Fighting earlier was foolish, wasn’t it?”
“Yes, it was a pointless dispute.”
What’s this? They’ve suddenly become incredibly friendly with each other?
I never thought combining tofu and hamburger steak would have this effect… Next time these two are fighting, maybe I should calm them down with tofu hamburger steaks?
Look, Lill and Arius are hugging each other now?
“Love and peace is best, isn’t it?”
“Exactly.”
I don’t understand this at all.
Anyway, let’s get away from these two and get back to serving.
It’s good to see the soldiers around eating deliciously.
However, the food problem isn’t solved. At this rate, we’ll eventually run out.
Now, what should we do…?
“Shuri! Are you here?!”
Just then, Gungrave bursts through the dining hall doors.
He walks with large strides, and upon spotting me, he marches straight over.
“Oh, I thought you’d be here since it’s lunchtime. Good thing you’re here.”
“What’s the matter, Gungrave? If you’re here for lunch, today we have tofu hamburger steaks.”
“That sounds delicious… No, no, that’s not what I’m here for. It sounds tasty, but this isn’t the time for that.”
As he was about to continue with “you see,” Gungrave froze.
Hm? As I wondered what was wrong, I felt an intense killing intent from behind!?
“Tofu hamburger steak is just ‘that level’? Gungrave, do you want an indelible scar on that neck?”
“Gungrave. This is an excellent dish. It’s not right to belittle it.”
Lill is cracking her knuckles while warming up.
Arius is doing squats.
Huh? When did these two become hand-to-hand and kicking specialists?
“N-no, I’m sorry. Ah, I’m sorry. So please stop with the roundhouse kick to the back of my knee, okay?”
He’s experienced it before?! Gungrave, is your married life okay?
“Ah, no, I have urgent business. You two should come too.”
“After we eat this.”
“Then hurry up. This is really urgent.”
“Did something happen?”
Gungrave says with a solemn face:
“The first wife, Lenha Sounité, has been found.”
Huh? The first wife… Isn’t she the root cause that complicated this whole incident?
Hearing these words, Lill and Arius put on serious faces.
They’re completely different from the people who were making a fuss over tofu hamburger steaks just a moment ago.
“Really?”
“Yeah. Rather than found, she’s been captured and is being brought here.”
“Captured? By whom?”
“Ah, it’s Tevis Nouviche.”
Tevis… Ah, the princess who was obsessed with mapo tofu. Nostalgic. How long has it been?
While I was thinking this, Lill and Arius’ faces became incredibly unpleasant or dark, that kind of expression.
“This is the worst…”
“Yeah, will you come?”
“Understood. Lill, the meal can wait. If you absolutely must, now’s the time to stuff it down.”
“Got it.”
Huh? Is this more serious than I thought?
“Shuri.”
As I turn around at being called, Gungrave places his hand on my shoulder.
His face looks incredibly pained.
“Something might happen to you. We’ll do our utmost, but we’re dealing with that princess. Even I might only be able to manage a draw.
I feel bad asking for your help again so soon after rescuing you… but we need to borrow your strength again.”
“Sigh…”
I don’t really understand, but… I’ll lend you as much strength as you need.
Well then, let’s go meet her.
It’s been a while, Princess Tevis.
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