Chapter Thirty-nine: Yay! Second Serving of Seafood!
Mr. Ville and Mr. Ed kindly cleaned all the dishes with their cleansing magic!
As we sip on post-meal barley tea, Mr. Ed, with a sparkle in his eyes, suddenly remembers something and gracefully waves his hand in the air.
“Hey, Rin! I caught this, can we eat it?”
“A water… cube…? Ah, no… there’s something inside?”
The next moment, a massive 50cm translucent cube was wobbling on his palm. The slightly bluish cube looked like solidified jelly water.
While I have many questions like "Where did he even pull that from?" and "How did he make it?", I have the enigmatic Camping Car, so I’m not the one to talk.
…Huh? But something seems to be moving inside…?
Coated in a viscous slimy liquid, the cone-shaped body has irregularly flapping fin-like organs and numerous menacing sucker-covered tentacles. It pulses with a bioluminescent glow, staring at us with vacant eyes, extending its limbs as if to capture prey…
…Well, no need for a 0/1D3 Sanity check after witnessing this otherworldly creature.
“Squid!? It’s squid! A delicacy! A real delicacy, Mr. Ed!”
“Ah, so we can eat it! I thought it looked like those grilled skewers sold at food stalls. If it’s edible, I was thinking you could cook it for us, Rin!”
“Ah! So that’s why you caught it? Thank you so much! Umm, but what should I make? I’m so indecisive!”
According to Survival, it’s called an "Ignoring Squid" and is extremely delicious with a large liver and thick flesh.
There seem to be four of them in the water cube…!
That’s enough for various dishes…! But that’s exactly why I can’t decide what to make…
Sashimi would undoubtedly be delicious, and although it’s luxurious, I bet it would also be tasty even as a simmered dish!
“I’d prefer something that pairs well with alcohol.”
“I want it with rice!”
“I’d like something hearty.”
“I’m feeling something spicy!”
Watching the squid swim around erratically in the water, I can sense everyone gazing at me warmly as I grin.
Well, I can’t help it! I just love squid that much! I’m even considering taking up squid fishing! A friend took me once, and the freshly caught squid was so delicious! Not only was the flesh pleasantly chewy and sweet, but even the innards were sweet and tasty…! That day I used those to make salt-cured squid… Oh my… I couldn’t stop eating rice!
It’s really nice that everyone voices their menu preferences though. The worst is when they just say "Anything is fine"!
“By the way, are you all okay with offal and innards?”
“Liver paste is pretty tasty.”
“Cows’ offal is delicious…!”
“We can even get used to fish sauce.”
“Offal stew usually comes in large servings.”
“Yup, got it. Thank you.”
Well, I had anticipated that, but it seems like everyone is fine with it. In that case, I can just use the whole squid without issue!
First, one will be stir-fried with spices. Another will be salted with innards. The third one will be fried, and the last one grilled.
That way, it can be enjoyed with rice as the main dish, and the bold, spicy flavor will also pair well with alcohol!
True, making salted squid does take a bit of time, so it’ll be something to enjoy on another occasion…
I should also add a soup dish to the menu. I still have the sea bass innards too, so how about a fish soup?
“But if we get a few more seafood ingredients, I could do a bouillabaisse style fish stew… With tomatoes and spices…”
“A sort of fisherman’s-style soup? That would be… delicious…!”
“That sounds amazing…! Rin, what else do you need? Shellfish? Fish? Crab? Eddie can go catch some!”
“Rin, should I catch some more squid? Or would fish and crab be better like Aria suggested?”
“I can also check some tidal pools. There may be stranded fish left behind.”
“Eh? Ah, umm… You all don’t need to go out of your way? We still have the sea bass innards left, and the patrol is the real mission, right?!”
“We can catch some on the way. You’re feeding five people, so more ingredients is better.”
Mr. Ville flashed me a wry smile, brushing off my objections. Well, he does have a huge appetite! More food is always better, but we have our main objective today—the patrol mission!
Aah… I was careless… I underestimated the immense gastronomic potential behind the name "Gourmands." Who would have thought their driving force wasn’t defeating a powerful enemy or succeeding in the mission, but acquiring ingredients… No one would expect that.
As everyone’s energy level rose with cries of "Next, shrimp!" "Fish!!" "Mollusks too!!!" "And shellfish!!!!!", led by Mr. Ville, I let out a quiet sigh.
…Well then… If they’re going to bring back more ingredients, I should probably make some noodle dishes too… Can’t have just rice all the time…
Normally, you’d use all-purpose flour to make them, but it’s not impossible to make them with cake flour… It would probably taste good even if I put it in a soup like short pasta!
But I’ll have to remind them about the actual mission too!
“Um, you don’t have to worry about increasing the ingredients, okay? I can make do with what we have, okay? And besides, if Mr. Tori scolds us for neglecting the patrol, I’ll reduce the menu for a while, okay?”
“…R-Right, we’ll be careful…!”
As I looked up at Mr. Ville, thinking that he surely wouldn’t neglect the mission, he awkwardly turned his face away… Huh…?
…You’re kidding, right, Leader!? The party leader is the first to look away!? It’s like he’s saying, "Forget the mission, I’m getting ingredients!”
“For real… Please take the patrol seriously! But be safe and don’t get hurt, okay!?”
“Calm down, Rin. I’m just joking. Of course, I won’t neglect the mission. You seem a bit flustered yourself… Why don’t you rest a bit?”
As I instinctively moved in with such force that it seemed like I might grab his collar, Mr. Ville’s large hand ruffled my hair. For a moment, my body tensed up, but unexpectedly, the pleasant sensation caused my eyes to narrow without my realizing it.
…But wait, this feeling of being pet like a dog…! Is this how it looks when I pet the neighborhood dogs?!
Huh, what? The pet slot? I’m the cooking pet slot!? I may be petite but I do have some human dignity…
“We’ll all make it back safely, so have a delicious meal ready for us.”
“Today, we will dine at your place instead of the Wildcat Pavilion, Rin.”
“Alright, we’re off. Aria, Rin’s in your care.”
After downing the last of their barley tea, the men headed out again, aiming for prey. They must be starting their afternoon patrol.
“Rin… I’ll keep watch, so rest a bit?”
“Ms. Aria? Ah, no, I’m fi-hewah!?”
Before I knew it, Ms. Aria had pulled me onto the sofa and flipped me over onto her lap for a lap pillow!
Uwah! A lap pillow from the beautiful Ms. Aria!? Her thighs… Her thighs…!
I had so many retorts ready like "Don’t treat me like a child" or "I still have things to do", but they all vanished in the blissful allure of the lap pillow! Poof, gone!
So soft! Such a nice scent! And it’s cool! But this elasticity and coolness feel so good on my slightly flushed face!
As she gently patted my back in a calming rhythm, my eyelids naturally grew heavy, a soft sweet voice lulling me with an unfamiliar song.
“I thought… if Rin ended up with Ville… a lot of things would be okay…”
Just before drifting into peaceful darkness, I thought I heard those words…
I'm getting the sense that Ed and Aria's marriage is more one-sided than anything, Aria sure is having a gay awakening, or maybe just a "learning what love actually is" episode since I get the sense she doesn't really know what love is, just going with Ed's flow
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