Chapter One Hundred and Eightteen: Is There Enough Tartar for the Mountain of Fried Food?
As I bring the heaping plate of freshly fried food to the table, the atmosphere is so tense you’ll hardly believe it is just a dinner table. The source of this tension is a bowl of tartar sauce placed squarely in the center of the table. It seems Mr. Ville shared his shocking experience with the rest after tasting the sauce.
“I heard from Ville… Rin, what on earth have you created…?!”
“A rich yet refreshing sauce that pairs perfectly with fried food… I can only foresee war breaking out…”
“This… is unbelievable…!”
“Oh, don’t worry. I’m boiling more eggs for extra sauce right now. If you help peel them, you can have as many refills as you like!”
“I’m in!”
As I set the large platter of fried food on the table and gave a thumbs up, Mr. Ville let out a roar. Everyone joined hands at once, quickly muttering a pre-meal prayer. I thought everyone always said grace properly no matter how hungry they were… but then I realized I’m also the type to put my hands together and say "Itadakimasu" before eating.
We’re kindred spirits! Yup!
I’ll join in the prayer too… and then jump into this feeding frenzy before everything’s gone!
“Mmmmmph!”
“Wow! That’s foul play, Rin!”
“Rin… you… you…!”
“…!!!”
Eight pairs of eyes stare at me as they stuff their mouths with piping hot fried food dipped in tartar sauce. Mr. Ville just kept his eyes wide open as he piled more fried food onto his plate. Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon gave me a look that was a mix of troubled, angry, and delighted… but their hands never stopped reaching for more food. And Ms. Aria? She just kept eating steadily, her eyes sparkling with joy.
…Yup, sorry… I thought everyone would like mayonnaise-based sauces, but I never expected it to be this intense…!
“Listen! It’s rich, sure, but you added lemon, right, Rin? That makes the aftertaste refreshing, so it doesn’t feel heavy even when you eat it with fried food!”
“The texture of the chopped onions and pickles really comes through in the rich egg sauce… And when you add the crunch of the fried batter, it never gets boring to eat.”
While fighting over the fried food, Mr. Ed and Mr. Xenon manage to eloquently describe the taste. All I can do is nod…
W-Well, I’m glad they’re enjoying it… But I’m overwhelmed by how quickly the mountain of fried food and sea of tartar sauce are disappearing.
…If I hesitate now, I’ll miss out on dinner!
I hurriedly plunge my chopsticks into the pile of fried food, securing a few pieces on my plate. Ms. Aria, who’s been eating in a trance-like state… but occasionally looks at me with sparkling eyes and nods vigorously… squeezes some lemon over my food. I drizzle some tartar sauce over it.
“Mmm! Hot! Fungbird fry with tartar sauce is perfect!”
As I bite into the crispy, hot batter and feel the temperature contrast with the cool tartar sauce, I realize it’s the famous fungbird meat. The moment my teeth sink in, the meat juices burst out—it’s incredibly juicy. The texture isn’t tough at all, probably thanks to the quick high-heat cooking. Rather, the meat has a nice firmness to it, with fibers that give it a satisfying chew. As expected, the light-tasting meat pairs wonderfully with the rich tartar sauce…! There’s a slight sweetness—maybe from the ketchup I added as a secret ingredient? Oil seeps out of the crispy batter, but it’s perfectly balanced by the crunchy texture of the mixed-in onions and the unique flavor of the pickles. When I bite into a larger piece of onion, there’s a sharp, spicy kick that stimulates my tongue, keeping the flavors interesting. And at the end, the scent of lemon wafts up my nose…!
“This isn’t just ‘good,’ Rin…! What is this sauce?! It goes well with fungbird, sure, but it’s also perfect with rock seabream fry!”
“By the way, Mr. Ville, I think this sauce goes best with milder ingredients. It should be delicious with fried mushrooms too.”
“What… did you say…?!”
Mr. Ville, who had been eating with a dreamy look in his eyes, finally seems to return to reality. Wiping sauce from the corner of his mouth with his fingertip, he stares at me intently with his now-focused strawberry-colored eyes.
…Ah… he’s discovered it now… The joy of eating not just fried meat, but fried fish with tartar sauce…!
Personally, I love putting a dash of Worcestershire sauce on fried fish, then topping it with tartar sauce—it really makes you want to eat more rice… But if I teach this to our party of Gourmands, no amount of rice would be enough…
As Mr. Ville freezes before this new taste temptation, I take a bite of a fried mushroom I had put on my plate, topped with tartar sauce. The mushroom, which looks like a giant version of a closed-cap mushroom, has a crisp, easy-to-bite texture. It’s thick and meaty, and with each chew, flavorful juices burst from its fibers into my mouth. Add to that the tartness of mayonnaise and the richness of egg… Isn’t it just perfect?
“…Rin… the sauce… it’s all gone…”
“Eh?! Oh, that was faster than I expected. Well then, could you help me peel some eggs? I’ll make a second batch!”
“Yes…! Gladly!”
As I watched Mr. Ville reach for a fried mushroom, I heard a tiny voice from beside me. Ms. Aria, with drooping eyebrows and shoulders, was tugging at the hem of my clothes, holding the now-empty bowl in one hand.
But well, this was somewhat expected, so as I’d promised earlier, I bring a mountain of boiled eggs to the table… and everyone helps peel them with incredible enthusiasm! As I mash the quickly peeled eggs with a fork, I’m deeply impressed by the power of mayonnaise.
…At this rate, fried chicken… or rather, fried fungbird and cockatrice would disappear in an instant too…
As I generously scoop mayonnaise into the bowl repeatedly, I decide to keep tartar sauce sealed away for a while…
Just binged the whole translation! Thank you so much! Not only was it easy to read, it looked pretty too.
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