“Ryufa! Dinner’s ready!”
“…”
I try to maintain a cheerful demeanor as I prepare lunch for Ryufa.
However—
“How is it?”
“It’s edible.”
And there it is. I don’t even know how many times this has happened, but I feel dejected again.
Hello everyone, it’s Shuri here. It’s been several days since I was kidnapped.
My current goal has become getting Ryufa to say my cooking is delicious. It’s the best way to pass the time, better than talking about the past.
So, day and night, I’ve been thinking about what I can make with the supplies that Ryufa somehow manages to procure.
However, since Ryufa only provides limited supplies—or rather, just the bare minimum—I have to be careful with my experimentation. I can’t afford to waste ingredients, after all.
“…Are you awake?”
It seems Ryufa has come to check on me in the covered wagon.
It’s morning. I’ve been up since early, preparing breakfast.
Ryufa wasn’t here when I woke up… I wonder where they went?
“Yes, I’m awake.”
“Is breakfast ready?”
“Yes, it is.”
“Then let’s eat.”
This is literally all the conversation that happens between Ryufa and me. It’s very minimal.
One day, I’ll make them say it’s delicious. Just you wait. That’s what’s keeping me motivated right now.
Lately, I’ve been distinguishing between Ryufa’s faces in my mind. Since Ryufa is actually a collective of six people in one, the name “Ryufa” is more of a general term.
And right now, we have “this lady.” She’s a beautiful woman.
“Here you go, please.”
I serve the food from the pot and offer it to “this lady.”
“…Rice, huh.”
Ryufa says this as she picks up her spoon to eat.
For breakfast, I made rice porridge. It’s easy on the stomach, nutritious, and perfect for breakfast.
The ingredients are rice, carrots, Chinese chives, Chinese cabbage, eggs, water, salt, soy sauce, and the dashi I prepared. I made the dashi with what I had on hand.
I put the vegetables and rice in the pot. The Chinese cabbage, chives, and carrots are roughly chopped, and I’m using rice I prepared yesterday.
Then I add water and dashi, mixing it well. I let it simmer in the pot, then turn off the heat and let it steam with the lid on.
Next, I add the egg, adjust the seasoning with salt and soy sauce, stir it all together, and let it steam once more with the lid on until it’s done.
Tasting it… hmm, the dashi could be better… I really wish I had some dashi stock powder. Maybe I should secretly make some stock powder using the vegetables from our supplies. That way, I could use it in other dishes too.
But well, this is pretty good as it is. It’s been a while since I’ve had rice porridge, but it warms the body just right and gives me energy. I feel like I can do my best today.
What exactly is a hostage supposed to do their best at?
Oh well. Looking at Ryufa… “this lady” continues eating in silence. Say something, would you?
When she finishes eating, she puts down her bowl and spoon, about to leave.
“Ryufa…”
“What?”
“How was it? Was it delicious?”
When I ask this, Ryufa glances at me, then looks away before speaking.
“It’s edible.”
With that, she sits in the driver’s seat and promptly starts moving the wagon.
Hmm, looks like there’s still room for improvement.