“How was it, Ryufa?”
“It’s edible.”
Damn! Not again…! I wonder how many times this makes it now.
After dinner, when I ask Ryufa for their opinion on the taste, I end up hearing the same response yet again.
Feeling frustrated, I clean up after the meal. Meanwhile, Ryufa has already gone to lean against the covered wagon to sleep.
Well, just you wait! I’ll make you say it’s delicious no matter what!!
It’s me, Shuri here.
Time sure flies, doesn’t it? It’s already been almost a month since Ryufa kidnapped me.
After being on the road this long, we’ve already left Apurada territory and are now traveling through landscapes I’ve never seen before.
When I finish cleaning up and look up at the sky, the moonlight is very bright and the stars are clearly visible. Good weather.
To be honest, traveling with Ryufa isn’t particularly enjoyable. Ryufa doesn’t talk much, there’s not much to discuss, and they’re so devoted to their mission that it feels stiff and formal.
I can’t really push too far since I might get killed if I act carelessly – that’s part of the reason too. As usual, I can’t even get them to laugh.
Ah, in the end, I never got to meet up with Gungrave and the others. Even in this situation, I can’t help but think about how amazing Ryufa must be.
I glance at Ryufa, but right now they’re wearing the face of “this old one.” They appear to be sleeping defenseless, but don’t move an inch. Probably not completely asleep.
After finishing the cleanup, I’m about to enter the covered wagon to go to sleep.
“Oh yes, I almost forgot to mention.”
Says “this old one,” addressing me.
When I look over, “this old one” is speaking without looking at me, only their mouth moving. Can’t see well because of their hood though.
“We’ll reach our destination in a few days. Be prepared.”
…Huh? Reach our destination?
Don’t tell me!!
“You mean we’re already in Grand-Ende territory?”
“That’s right. We’ve been taking routes that avoid villages and people’s eyes, so it’s natural you didn’t notice.”
“We got here so quickly…”
I don’t know exactly how far Grand-Ende is from Apurada territory, but… to think we’d arrive in just a month.
I try to calculate it, but it’s no use. I can’t figure it out.
After all, as Ryufa said, we’ve been taking routes that avoid villages and people’s eyes.
That means the lack of notable landmarks or features, and the monotony of unpopulated landscapes, has distorted my sense of both time and geography.
If they planned this far ahead to get here, either Ryufa put a lot of thought into kidnapping me, or they’re just naturally quick-witted.
Either way, Ryufa is an impressive person.
“Once we arrive, I’ll hand you over to the other Three Treasured Generals and my mission will be complete. As for what happens after… you’ll find out when we get there.”
“Find out what?”
“Your fate. Whether you’ll be killed, recruited, or kept as a hostage. I don’t know. I was only told to bring you.”
With those words, Ryufa’s body sinks slightly… and falls silent. They’re asleep now.
I enter the covered wagon and lie down to think.
“Recruited or killed, huh?”
Come to think of it, I hadn’t considered it before. What would happen to me.
Actually… why was I kidnapped in the first place? I don’t understand.
That’s right, I should have started thinking about that. Grand-Ende… I remember now that it was Lenha and Gyngus’s mother’s homeland.
I’m just a cook. I could only secure my place in this world through cooking.
What do they plan to do with someone like me after kidnapping me? Why did they need to kidnap me?
Need to kidnap…? Something feels off about that.
If they had business with a cook, there should have been plenty of peaceful diplomatic ways to handle it between nations. Why did they pick a fight with Gungrave like this…?
Even as I stare at the wagon’s canopy thinking, I can’t reach any conclusions.
But one thing I do understand is that the other party saw enough value in me to resort to kidnapping. And that I don’t understand what that value is.
“…Oh right, this journey will be over in just a few days too.”
When that thought occurs to me, frustration wells up in my chest.
In the end, I couldn’t get Ryufa to say it was delicious. I couldn’t hear the word “tasty.”
Sure, there were constraints with limited ingredients, but still – how can someone not even say thank you or give proper feedback to the person cooking their meals!
“Alright, I still have a few days. I’ll serve up something special on the final day.”
Having decided this, I search through our supplies and confirm the necessary ingredients and steps.
I’m going all out now!
And so, several days pass.
Here I am, spending several days on preparation to serve up something special. Of course, I’m not neglecting securing ingredients or preparing Ryufa’s regular meals either.
“…It wasn’t inedible.”
And at lunch, Ryufa gives their usual feedback and is about to return to the driver’s seat.
But then they turn back towards me. Right now they’re wearing the face of “this girl.” The pretty young woman.
“By the way, what are you doing?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t play dumb. I know you’ve been up to something for the past few days.”
“No, I haven’t!”
“Then what are those prepared ingredients hidden behind?”
Busted! Even though I hid them behind the growing pile of supplies!
“Those are… for cooking.”
“…Well, whatever. We’ll arrive tomorrow anyway. It’s too late for anything now.”
“It’s not too late!”
I find myself shouting.
“It’s not too late! We still have dinner tonight! And then-”
“And then? Are you planning to escape?”
“I’m not going to escape!”
”This girl” glares at me suspiciously, but that was close. I almost let it slip.
There’s no way I could tell them I’m planning to serve up something special… I’ll surprise them!
“…If you try anything funny, I’ll cut off your limbs. Understood?”
“Yes ma’am!”
Scary!! “This girl’s” eyes are serious! I’m terrified!
”This girl” returns to the driver’s seat and takes the reins to keep the wagon moving.
…It’s not too late yet. I’ll definitely make them say it’s delicious with tonight’s dinner!
And then evening comes. I’m setting up the pot over the campfire outside the wagon, making final adjustments.
The moonlight is still bright, which is nice. Makes it easier to cook.
“…I’m back. Let’s have dinner.”
Ryufa, who had disappeared somewhere, suddenly appears again.
They tend to disappear quite often. I wonder what they’re doing? Probably surveying the area.
“Yes. It’s ready.”
And I say with a proud expression.
“Since it seems this is our last day, I’ve prepared something special.”
“Oh really.”
Ugh, Ryufa is so cold! Right now they’re wearing “this fellow’s” face. This one is quiet and gives subdued reactions.
But that makes them all the more worthy of getting to say it’s delicious. I confidently serve the dish to Ryufa.
“…What’s this?”
Ryufa asks me.
“This is beef stew. It’s super delicious, please try it.”
I answer proudly.
Yes, what I’ve been preparing all this time was beef stew. You know, the kind that gets incredibly tasty when you invest more time, effort, and ingredients.
This time I used quite a lot of ingredients.
Beef, salt, sugar, apple, black pepper, onion, carrot, potato, garlic, flour, olive oil, red wine, tomato, honey, water, consommé, bay leaf, butter, and demi-glace sauce.
I made the demi-glace sauce and consommé over the past few days. It was really tough. Since we had limited equipment, I used everything available.
First, to prepare the meat and make it tender and delicious, I start marinating it the day before.
I put the beef, salt, sugar, apple, and black pepper together in a bowl and massage them together.
While massaging it thoroughly, since beef fat can melt even at hand temperature, I work quickly using just my fingertips with cold hands rather than my palms.
The next day, I cut the onion into wedges, grate half of it, and roughly cut the carrots after halving them lengthwise. I peel the potatoes and leave them whole.
I also halve and grate the garlic.
I remove the sprouts here to prevent burning and reduce the characteristic garlic odor.
I sauté the grated onion and garlic in olive oil until they’re almost stewed.
When it starts smelling good, I add the meat. I put in the marinated beef along with its marinade and make sure the meat’s surface makes good contact with the pot so it cooks evenly on all sides. While stirring the vegetables, I cook just the surface on both sides.
I sprinkle flour evenly over everything, being careful to avoid lumps, and cook until both sides of the meat are browned. Cake flour works best. The flour helps retain the umami and also helps thicken the sauce.
Because of the moisture from the onions, it’s harder to get a good sear, but I cook until the meat changes color.
Since we’ll be simmering it, I don’t need to cook it completely through at this point.
Then I add red wine, diced tomatoes, and honey.
Next, I add water to help tenderize everything during simmering. Then I add the consommé.
I put the lid on and let it simmer. Scum will form, so I remove it. The key is not to throw all of it away. When possible, I add all the cut vegetables at once.
I really wish I had Worcestershire sauce…! But it’s too difficult to make under current conditions, so it can’t be helped. It would make it even more delicious though…
Oh, and I add the bay leaf, put the lid on, and let it simmer. After simmering, I add butter and demi-glace sauce and simmer some more until it’s done.
It would be even more delicious if we could let it sit for a day!
“Well then, shall we eat?”
I take some of the dish myself and bring it to my mouth.
Mmm, delicious. There’s a richness that comes from using various ingredients through multiple steps.
The meat is tender, and umami fills my whole mouth.
Because beef stew uses so many ingredients, when prepared properly you can enjoy the umami of many ingredients.
That’s why the meat and vegetable umami filling your mouth is irresistible.
If we had more time, the meat and vegetables could have been even more tender, but even at this stage, the vegetables that have absorbed the soup’s umami retain just the right amount of bite, and the more you chew, the more you can enjoy the umami they contain.
When you take a bite and breathe slightly through your nose, you can enjoy the flavors spreading in your mouth through your nose as well. Thanks to the odor elimination methods used, there are no unpleasant smells at all, and the appetite-stimulating aroma makes my mind feel sharp.
While eating the beef stew, I look at Ryufa wondering how they’ll react.
But they’re the same as always. Eating silently.
“Ryufa, how is it?”
I gather my courage and ask. What will the answer be…?
“…Yes.”
”This girl” says without changing expression.
“It’s edible.”
…
“I see… how frustrating.”
At my words, “this girl” looks at me in surprise.
This is the first time I’ve seen such a change in Ryufa’s expression…?
“Frustrating? Why is it frustrating?”
“Because in the end, I couldn’t get you to say ‘delicious.’“
I say while eating the beef stew.
“You know, partway through, I started making food with the goal of getting you to say ‘delicious.’ Maybe it’s silly, but it became my objective for this journey.
If I could at least get you to say the food was delicious… then even though I was just a kidnapping victim, I could feel like I got a small victory.”
“So that’s why this dish-”
“Yes. I made what I thought was the best possible dish with our current supplies… but I guess it wasn’t enough.”
I look down and say with a bitter smile.
“It’s so frustrating.”
As I say this, I reach out to get seconds of the beef stew.
But Ryufa grabs my hand. I try to pull back in surprise, but their grip is too strong.
“What?”
“That’s a misunderstanding. We – Ryufa Hien – have no complaints about Shuri’s cooking.”
“No… complaints?”
“That’s right. Throughout this journey, at least we have never been dissatisfied with the food. You should be proud.”
“Should I be proud of that?”
No complaints and not inedible… what’s the misunderstanding? I wanted to hear the word delicious.
Ryufa releases my hand and points to their own tongue.
“We are six people sharing one body. That means we share organs and sensory organs too. The tongue is no exception. Each of us has different taste preferences.”
“Eh? …Ah.”
“Do you understand? Ryufa’s sense of taste is completely chaotic. Even food we find delicious – when we switch faces, our sense of taste changes, so the next time we eat it, we can’t experience the same deliciousness. It’s like the taste changing with every bite. That’s why we decided to think of eating as a duty and try to be indifferent to taste.”
I see, I hadn’t thought about that! I was far too insensitive about Ryufa’s unique condition. And I’m angry at my own inadequacy.
Ryufa is six people in one. So of course their sensory organs are different from normal people. Someone whose eyes can appear on their face – of course their tongue would be different too.
With each change, the taste buds’ perception changes. Even food they find delicious might not taste delicious at times.
That’s why I should have asked: “What kind of food can Ryufa eat without complaint?”
I forgot to consider their circumstances and just kept serving food that I, “Shuri,” thought was delicious.
“…I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking about Ryufa at all.”
“No, I didn’t explain either. We were trying to be careful not to give you too much information. But we were happy that you thought about us and served various dishes.”
“But still, ‘not inedible.’ I couldn’t make anything delicious.”
“For us, ‘not inedible’ is the highest praise. After all, our sense of taste is different. All the dishes you made on this journey, we were able to eat until the end. We have no complaints. So, we want to say thank you.”
Eh?
“We at least tried to fulfill our mission. But we understood that you were trying to make food that we would find delicious. Because of that, everyone except ‘this man’ deliberately tried to keep their distance to maintain boundaries… You made an effort for us despite that. So, thank you.”
“Ryufa…”
As I try to continue speaking, Ryufa’s face changes.
When the change settles, it’s “this man’s” face.
“That’s how it is. The others are grateful to you.”
“Oh, okay.”
“But we can’t get too friendly. At least ‘this man’ can’t.”
“…”
“That’s for both our sakes.”
Saying that, Ryufa takes seconds from the pot and starts eating.
“…It’s been a while. Since we’ve had food we could eat completely to the end.”
“I see.”
I realize I’m smiling.
“Then please, help yourself to everything in the pot.”
“I will.”
When the person changes, their sense of taste changes too.
Such an obvious thing to consider about a person, something that should have been obvious to be mindful of.
I’m glad I finally remembered that.