Shop 35.2

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Chapter 35.2. A Girl In Love In The Wilderness

"Went to the trouble, huh..."

"Isn't it interesting for a man to cook?"

"The restaurant across the street has male chefs too, you know."

"But restaurants are different."

It seems like men cooking outside of restaurants is not common.

"Well, whatever. Sorry, but can you lend me a plate?"

"I brought one."

She hands me an unglazed ceramic plate, but there's no sign of her leaving. I sigh and transfer the cabbage onto the plate.

"Wow. Amazing! It's finely cut!"

This is about the level anyone would do.

"And this vegetable is really fresh. Did you buy it from the Veliero Company?"

"Well, something like that."

Oh, right, it's not just Hagg; I can't take it directly from the container. Do I have to go through the bags each time? A bit of a hassle.

"Well then, next is..."

Meat. The fascinating pork loin. 200 grams is quite big.

I make cuts in the meat with a knife on the cutting board, sprinkle salt and pepper, and flour it. Oh, I forgot to beat the egg onto the plate.

I'm a bit clumsy in an unfamiliar environment.

I coat it with the beaten egg and breadcrumbs. I prepare them on the cutting board and take out the gas stove and frying pan. It would have been better to heat the oil first. But no use crying over spilled milk. I ignite the portable gas stove and take a short break.

"Hey, what's this, big brother? A space tool?"

"Oh, it's a prototype I tried to sell to Veliero. But it was rejected because mass production was difficult."

I casually lie.

"I see. It looks very useful, though."

"It's really, really expensive."

"Huh?! Then, I don't want it."

The girl was holding cash.

I drop breadcrumbs into the frying pan to check if the oil is at the right temperature. When it is, I gently place the pork on it.

It's making a nostalgic sound, not the vigorous sizzle I expected.

Frying is easy, so I used to make it often.

When I was feeling lazy, I'd use pre-seasoned fried chicken powder. Not just for chicken, I'd fry bell peppers with this powder. It's quite delicious. Nostalgic. Let's do it next time.

As the breadcrumbs slowly turn golden brown, Narnia and Hagg approach eagerly.

"Be careful. The oil is really hot, it splashes, and you can get burned."

Narnia stepped back a bit but unconsciously approached slowly, so I pushed her back occasionally. The dwarf guy is being ignored. And isn't oil splattering on his face? I wonder if it's not hot. I thought of leaving him alone, but he's in the way, so please move aside.

Since the whole thing has blossomed into a golden color, I lift it with chopsticks. Oh, I forgot to prepare a metal net. It's too late to get approval now, so I decided to let it stay in the air for a while.

"Hey! Akira!"

"Yeah! What's up suddenly! It's dangerous!"

I almost dropped the cutlet involuntarily, but I managed to hold it. I've turned off the heat, but the oil is still hot.

"Why are you showing off there! Hurry up and put it on a plate!"

I don't understand why he's scolding me.

"I'm draining the oil... Besides, letting it sit for a bit with residual heat ensures the meat cooks properly."

I don't want it to become too tough after passing the perfect moment.

"Oh, is that so? Fine, do as you like."

Why is Hagg acting so high and mighty? Well, whatever.

"...Alright, that's it. Careful."

I placed it on the cutting board and cut it into six pieces. I leave it on the cutting board and go to the plate.

I serve rice in a bowl, rubbing my hands together. I take a bite for a taste. Mmm, delicious. The rice is well-cooked.

First, I squeeze lemon onto the meat and cabbage. I like to put lemon juice on the cabbage too.

Then, I poured the tonkatsu sauce I took out. Definitely, tonkatsu needs sauce! Soy sauce is a heresy!

With the bowl in my left hand, I pick up a piece of cutlet with chopsticks. Slowly bringing it to my mouth, I chew it crisply.

The characteristic oil of the pork loin oozes out, blending with the meat's richness, and spreading throughout my mouth.

It's piping hot, and I feel like I might burn myself, but I quickly add more white rice and chew together. Finally, the tonkatsu is complete.

Ah, it's bliss.

I reflect on not preparing miso soup, a bit of a slip, around the third piece. But at that moment, I finally noticed the two faces in front of me.

Both of them have drool dripping as if their souls have left, their eyes following the cutlet.

I decide to play around and shake the piece up and down with chopsticks, making their heads bob up and down. It's a bit amusing.

I don't care about Hagg, but I feel sorry for Narnia.

"Oh right, Narnia, want to taste a bit? I want to make sure it suits the taste of people in this country."

"! Y-Yes, of course!"

"What about me!? What about my portion!?"

"Old man... you're an adult, right? Just be quiet for a bit."

"Grrrr!"

Hagg, writhing on the ground, is ignored. I toss a small piece into Narnia's mouth. It shouldn't be too hot now. I chose a small piece, considering it might not suit her taste. It's not because I'm stingy. And the edge pieces are crispy and delicious, aren't they?