Shop 43

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Chapter 43. The Tsundere Lady In The Wilderness

Now, as usual in the morning, I'm busy with inventory checks, deciding on the quantity of goods to be procured, and negotiating with random merchants.

 However, it seems that Cherina's mood is consistently bad. I initially thought it was just my imagination, but even at lunchtime, it continued.

"I apologize, but we only have lunch prepared for Akira-sama."

Cherina declared, looking away with a tsundere attitude.

"Understood. Akira, I'll be away for a while. Be careful."

I thought he would insist on staying by my side, but Yaralai stepped back. Just when I thought that, as he left, he whispered in my ear.

"This building is safe, and there are many skilled individuals. Don't leave until I return."

"Got it."

I see. If the building is safe, there's no need to clash with Cherina. After Yaralai left and the meal was brought in, Cherina gave me a sharp look.

"Ah... What's wrong, Cherina? If you have something to say? Just tell me..."

She sat still, leaning her chin on her raised elbow, pressuring me with a look that clearly said, "I'm not satisfied." I couldn't stand it and decided to divert the situation. After all, I haven't done anything wrong.

"Hey, this fish looks delicious! This is fried, right? Yeah, it's tasty!"

"...The other day, Akira-sama casually mentioned the frying method in front of another merchant."

"Eh? Did I?"

When dealing with fish, I might have said something like that when I saw a sample of white fish fillet a few days ago.

"Yes, it took a few days, but I'm satisfied with the result, so I brought it out."

"It's not really a unique way of eating, right? Flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs are available anywhere, aren't they?"

"We have flour, and eggs are manageable, despite the price increase a few years ago..."

"If that's the case, anyone could come up with it."

"No one would think of drying and crushing bread specifically. When Lord Akira mentioned it, the face of the merchant at that time... I'm sure he's busy making prototypes in another town by now. Well, it's necessary to balance with the Food and Drink Guild."

"If it tastes good, it's a good thing, right?"

"Sigh... Akira-sama, you really don't understand your own value..."

"Am I doing something wrong?"

"It would be better if such discussions only occurred when members of our company were present."

"Well, whatever! This fried dish is really well-made! Ah, but it's a bit unsatisfying with just salt. Excuse me for a moment."

Since it was a well-made fish fry, I decided to enjoy it more. It seems to be a large white fish. And if it's fried, it might taste like this. I want to try it as sashimi.

Leaving that aside, for a white fish fry, tartar sauce or regular sauce is needed. There's still plenty of tonkatsu sauce left, so I decided to add tartar sauce. 

If there's mayonnaise, homemade would be fine, but making it from scratch is too much trouble, so I decided to use stick-type tartar sauce from the SHOP. Let's call it efficiency.

Tartar Sauce (12g × 10 pieces) = 252 yen

I divided the remaining fried fish into two portions and tried them with tartar sauce and tonkatsu sauce.

"Mmm! Delicious! The fish is thick and tasty!"

Eating with bad manners, Cherina was staring at me. Miss, you're drooling.

"Sorry, sorry. Do you want to try it too?"

"Of course."

I poured tartar sauce and regular sauce onto Cherina's plate.

"Black and white sauces, huh..."

"Now that you mention it, it's black and white sauce."

Apparently, the black sauce is creepy, so she reached for the white tartar first.

"......! Th-this is! It's refreshing yet brings out the deep richness of the protein-rich white fish! The combination of the oil from the fry merging in the mouth creates a rich flavor that races through the palate! And yet, the unique aftertaste of the fry completely disappears, truly a seasoning made for fries! This is a culinary revolution!"

"Are you some kind of celebrity?"

"Yes?"

"...Never mind. Can you make tartar sauce, though?"

"Of course!"

Cherina seems to be quite enthusiastic about it.

"Ingredients for mayonnaise?"

"Well, let me think..."

I remember helping my boss, who enjoys cooking, make it several times.

"Probably egg yolk, salt, oil, pepper, and vinegar. Eggs should be as fresh and safe for raw consumption as possible."

"What about pickles and mayonnaise?"

"Oh, pickles are pickled cucumbers. Cucumbers, vinegar, white wine, sugar, and salt, I think?"

"Vinegar?"

"Yeah, vinegar. Oh, if you don't have vinegar, then mayonnaise is impossible too."

"No way..."

Don't make a face like it's the end of the world.

"Oh, right. Has wine ever turned sour?"

"Sour? Occasionally, yes."

"Basically, that's vinegar. I don't know the types of wine here, and it should be aged, but that should be the base."

"I wonder if it's safe to consume..."

"It's not certain, so please check gradually... If you have vinegar, you can make pickles and mayonnaise."

"Mayonnaise ingredients?"

"Well, let's see..."

I made it at my boss's house, right?

"I think it was egg yolk, salt, oil, pepper, and vinegar. Eggs should be as fresh as possible and safe for raw consumption."

"If we can somehow manage vinegar, I'll teach you the recipe once everything is gathered. I don't remember the exact measurements, but if you have a rough idea of the cooking process, you can experiment with it. If a merchant who learned the method of making fries sees fries paired with this seasoning, he might despair. Well, balancing with the Food and Drink Guild is necessary, haha."

Hey, that's not where you laugh.

Women are scary after all!

――――

The mood had returned, and we were enjoying the meal harmoniously, but when Yaralai returned, Cherina's mood visibly soured again.

"Hey, Cherina, do you happen to dislike elves?"

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, you've been in a bad mood again."

"Perhaps you should ask your own heart about that."

Huh?

Could it be that I'm the reason?

"Akira."

"Yeah?"

"Guards, disliked, normal."

Is that so? It feels different from that kind of story, doesn't it?

I shift my gaze to Cherina, but she just looks away with a tsundere attitude. I don't understand the meaning.

I end up being troubled by the unreasonable attitude of the young lady and conclude the day.